The calm at the bottom....

Last week my husband and I went out to Hana, as he had an appointment (he’s a realtor) and I was going to get some rest without kids. Fortunately or unfortunately, his appointment was cancelled, yet he still wanted to take the time to go out there, as we had farmed the kids out for 30 hours. 

Even though the weather was a bit stormy, we still went to Hamoa Beach, our favorite beach on Maui. Only a few people were in the water, as it was rough and choppy. Billy still put on his goggles and swam out to get some exercise. I was watching his with a mild concern as the sea looked scary and he was pretty far out. Thirty minutes later and safely on shore, he convinced me to put my mask on and come join him. 

Slightly fearful of the treacherous looking sea, I hopped out through the waves and followed my hubby through the crashing surf. I couldn’t believe how crystal clear the water was, particularly with how rough it was. The visibility was like a swimming pool. As we swam out and as the depth increased, the calmer the bottom appeared. We dove down ten and twenty feet to get a closer look at the brightly colored fish and coral caves. The peacefulness and calm was continually surprising to me. When I would pop back up and see the waves and stormy skies, I would marvel at how serene it was below. I continually dove back down to experience the tranquility with Nemo and Dory and the schools of fish.

Back on shore, I realized that I felt that same stillness I experienced at the bottom of the ocean during my meditations. When we can go inside into our intuitive center/meditation sanctuary, we can experience that same peace. Sometimes it is harder to stay there, with our busy monkey mind, but it is always there for us regardless of what the weather is. 

When the weather and our lives are feeling chaotic and overwhelming, a retreat into our intuitive center is exactly what we need to put our mind/body into a relaxation state. The optimum state for healing. It is always available to us, even when we are not meditating (i.e. stuck in traffic or dealing with an angry client or coworker).

Step back into your intuitive center, ground, and breathe. This shift can make a profound difference in the moment and in your life. 

Listening to your body

I am so sorry but I need to cancel class tonight, as I am not feeling great. Nothing serious, but just a creeping fatigue that is my red flag to let me know that I am overdoing it and need to rest.

Listen to your body when it whispers, so you don't have to hear it when it screams.

Soooo, I am going to practice “Letting Go” and not feel the need to do everything. Learning to listen to my body was a difficult one for me, as I used to always push though fatigue and try to do it all. Between being supermom, PTA Volunteer of the year (or tried to be), running a photography business, and never saying no, my body no longer sent me red flags—it completely shut down seven years ago. After ignoring the red flags, I had no choice but to take a back seat to four months of room spinning vertigo and another eighth months of debilitating fatigue. As a result, I have learned to listen these signals and take care of myself.

SO! That being said, please notice when you are getting red flags for your own body….make sure to listen and give yourself permission to rest and rejuvenate. 

I will look forward to seeing you all next Monday!

A restart

When we are able to forgive, we release the resentment/anger/hurt/frustration that our body is holding onto. This frees up energy to focus on healing the body and to help put it in a state of homeostasis. 

When my son was seven, he came to me after a melt down and apologized. In his infinite innocent wisdom he asked, “Can we have a Re-Start, Mom?” In that moment, it was so easy to let go of any negativity I may have been feeling. My "Dennis the Menace" has asked for a lot of Re-Starts over the years, and I found that it is the quickest way to change the energy to positive. 

Don’t be afraid to ask for a Re-Start when needed. Your body needs it and deserves it.

Forgiving ourselves

Looking forward to seeing you all tonight where we continue to let go and forgive…and to forgive the most important person: OURSELVES!!

Yesterday after meditating, walking the beach with my daughter, and watching the birds in the bird feeder, I was feeling grounded and blissed out. That was until my 14 year old son came into the kitchen. BTW: two months ago, on the eve of his 14th birthday, an alien from the Planet Smugness & Insolence invaded his body and has not left.

He informed me that I needed to remember to put the Britta water filter pitcher away instead of leaving it in the sink (where I was filling it to the top!)—mind you he will put the pitcher back empty in the fridge on a daily basis. All my grounded bliss and Dali Mama quotes on kindness went out the window and I lost my shit. I reacted. I yelled. Ooops. He yelled an apology and crawled back to his cave. 

After a few deep breaths and regaining  control of my own body, I went to him to apologize. He responded with a hug and said he was kinda being a jerk with how he said it. Whew. I am not perfect. He is my teacher. I know one day the alien will return to its own planet and I will have my sweet son back full time.

Strive to be happy…not perfect.

hugs!

Carla

Forgiveness

I know sometimes it is hard to let go of anger, as we may feel justified in our reasons for hanging onto it.

Five years ago, I scratched my cornea and my eye became infected. I had called my eye doctor twice to tell him I was having difficulty seeing. He dismissed my concerns. As I had an undiagnosed genetic immune disorder, no one could have predicted how quickly and how much damage was created by the infection. By the time he took my concerns seriously and the proper diagnosis was reached, I had so much scarring from the damage from the infection that I lost most of the site in that eye. Needless to say, I was devastated. 

I was so angry with my doctor and then myself. I was also having a reaction to the viral medication that left me sick and slightly nuts. It took me awhile to let go of my anger towards him. 

I was reminded of a paraphrase from Buddha, "Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.”

By letting go of the anger, I was able to start healing. Forgiving someone is for YOU….it doesn’t mean they are being “let off the hook” or that their behavior was okay. Forgiveness is a gift for yourself. 

If you are holding onto anger, then you are wasting energy that your body needs for healing. The most important state for your body is the relaxation state. This is your optimum healing state.

The good news is that after six months of focused healing , I had a near miraculous recovery. My new eye doctors had never seen someone return to almost original site from so much damage. 

Who do you need to forgive? What do you need to let go of?