We hear this a lot in our spiritual practice. Yet how hard is it? How do we know we are doing it? Why are we resistant to it? How can we, pardon the expression, "Just Do It"?
I find myself feeling--not into whatever it is--and tell myself, "Sarah, you're not following your heart. If you were, you'd feel enthusiastic, or something different than this." Okay then, how do I do it? I think there is a dive in aspect to following ones heart.
Here's my plan:
• Next time I'm feeling uninspired, look around at what I'm doing and take a step out of it: Choose something different
• If I'm feeling enthusiastic and I start to judge myself (goes something like this): "Sarah, how can you possibly feel enthusiastic about adding web 2.0 tools to a website? This can't be right!" I'll ignore it and know that the enthusiasm IS telling me that I am following my heart. No judgment please.
I'm reminded of something that one of my teachers said: "Endure Nothing" (Vinn Marti). I absolutely love this. I mean LOVE this. How can we endure nothing? Isn't this the same thing as following your heart? I think it is.
In Peace,
Sarah
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I just heard this wonderful phrase uttered by my yoga instructor. She asked us to think about how we can find that place between Grace and Effort. And each time we revisit it we will notice a shift. Naturally I want it to shift more toward Grace, but it did make me think.
What I liked most about it was that she had the perfect use of terms for what I had been thinking, yet I hadn't been able to put my finger on it. And since I had been feeling a lot more of the "effort" side of things I now knew what I was looking to find..."Grace."
It also feels good to know that when we are feeling more of the effort that we can make a conscious decision to actualize the grace. It is within our reach. It is already there. Doesn't just reading the word "Grace" help in reminding you? It does me.
Thank you for reading.
In Grace,
Sarah
What I liked most about it was that she had the perfect use of terms for what I had been thinking, yet I hadn't been able to put my finger on it. And since I had been feeling a lot more of the "effort" side of things I now knew what I was looking to find..."Grace."
It also feels good to know that when we are feeling more of the effort that we can make a conscious decision to actualize the grace. It is within our reach. It is already there. Doesn't just reading the word "Grace" help in reminding you? It does me.
Thank you for reading.
In Grace,
Sarah
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One: The balancing act is not something that we do once, it is a way of life.
New Term: The Balancing Way of Life
How then do we balance our life?
What I've learned that works:
Be well,
Go to Yoga!!!!
Your friend,
Sarah
New Term: The Balancing Way of Life
How then do we balance our life?
What I've learned that works:
- Commit to yoga and dance. Do not miss class no matter how behind I feel in my schoolwork.
- Eat healthy and make sure to have protein in each meal.
- Be kind to supporters (husbands especially).
- Go out into the garden once in awhile just to see that nature still exists (for when you're really entrenched in study).
- Breathe. Not just "normal" breathing, but Yoga breathing.
- Watch a fun show after studying. Or read a fun book. It's really important to balance out textbook reading with pleasure-reading.
- Be kind to yourself.
- Be positive--if you notice yourself getting negative, assess what's going on and step back or take steps to make CHANGES
- Make fun plans for vacation.
Be well,
Go to Yoga!!!!
Your friend,
Sarah
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Cultural Arts Literacy is the name of the program I created for the students in my Adult Literacy Program. I wrote a grant proposal for the program and I am happy to say it was recently funded by BALIS. We are so excited about implementing the program.
Why is this important to me?
I came to adult literacy as a volunteer tutor. I loved the work and my enthusiasm helped me land the job as a Library Literacy Instructor. Having had no previous official training in teaching (other than in dance) I learned to work with the individual by assessing their goals and constructing a lesson plan. If something comes up that is "urgent" that the student needs help with we will divert our lesson until this situation is handled. The situation might be applying for a job, filling out a government form, or writing a letter.
I had been looking at our teaching styles and program content and realized that most of the information we were sharing was about spelling, reading, writing, grammar, grammar, and more grammar. All this is well and good but not everyone relates to English as well as we'd like them to. What about opening up the student's eyes to other aspects of our society? What about tapping into their creative abilities? Since I had noticed that most of our students had low levels of self esteem I wondered how we might be able to raise their self esteem by using creativity--looking at how society views art--learning about the art of all cultures.
In creating the program I looked at what makes me feel more confident. When my self esteem is low what makes me feel better? Tapping into various forms of creativity REALLY helps. Dancing, creating art, observing and discussing beauty in nature. I believe that all of these things help us tap into our True Selves. When we are in touch with Ourselves, we can handle The World more easily.
In Peace and Gratitude,
Sarah
Why is this important to me?
I came to adult literacy as a volunteer tutor. I loved the work and my enthusiasm helped me land the job as a Library Literacy Instructor. Having had no previous official training in teaching (other than in dance) I learned to work with the individual by assessing their goals and constructing a lesson plan. If something comes up that is "urgent" that the student needs help with we will divert our lesson until this situation is handled. The situation might be applying for a job, filling out a government form, or writing a letter.
I had been looking at our teaching styles and program content and realized that most of the information we were sharing was about spelling, reading, writing, grammar, grammar, and more grammar. All this is well and good but not everyone relates to English as well as we'd like them to. What about opening up the student's eyes to other aspects of our society? What about tapping into their creative abilities? Since I had noticed that most of our students had low levels of self esteem I wondered how we might be able to raise their self esteem by using creativity--looking at how society views art--learning about the art of all cultures.
In creating the program I looked at what makes me feel more confident. When my self esteem is low what makes me feel better? Tapping into various forms of creativity REALLY helps. Dancing, creating art, observing and discussing beauty in nature. I believe that all of these things help us tap into our True Selves. When we are in touch with Ourselves, we can handle The World more easily.
In Peace and Gratitude,
Sarah
We just had a marvelous trip from the East Bay, CA to Seattle and back. Had great visits with friends and family. Saw some really pretty sights. Toured two wonderful libraries. And sat a lot while driving!
Having just taken three yoga classes and two dance classes the week prior to driving, I thought I'd be prepped enough to handle a week without yoga and dance. I did jog and stretch, thank God! But upon returning home had a rib out. Yes, one of my ribs was out of place and most of the last day of driving was painful. Two chiropractic visits and a modern dance class later I finally feel normal. But what a way to learn that sitting and twisting to reach things from the back seat was not good for my body.
Lessons I've learned:
In peace and good health,
Sarah
Having just taken three yoga classes and two dance classes the week prior to driving, I thought I'd be prepped enough to handle a week without yoga and dance. I did jog and stretch, thank God! But upon returning home had a rib out. Yes, one of my ribs was out of place and most of the last day of driving was painful. Two chiropractic visits and a modern dance class later I finally feel normal. But what a way to learn that sitting and twisting to reach things from the back seat was not good for my body.
Lessons I've learned:
- Take yoga on the road with me when I travel. Don't just bring a mat with me in the car. Do the Yoga!
- Find local dance and yoga classes to attend in the cities that I visit.
- Stretch before and after sitting.
In peace and good health,
Sarah
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One of my favorite times of the year is between Christmas and the New Year. All of the "Holiday Stuff" is over but the magic is still here. In fact, it's only just beginning.
Now is the time when we can set our intentions for the New Year. We can catch up with those people that we love and perhaps missed seeing on Christmas. We can play before too much work gets piled up.
We can Hope,
Dream,
Smile,
Breathe, Sigh,
Welcome into our lives whatever we wish to embody.
With New Years Blessings,
Sarah
Now is the time when we can set our intentions for the New Year. We can catch up with those people that we love and perhaps missed seeing on Christmas. We can play before too much work gets piled up.
We can Hope,
Dream,
Smile,
Breathe, Sigh,
Welcome into our lives whatever we wish to embody.
With New Years Blessings,
Sarah
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I was touched and moved by seeing my dear friends on Facebook today. One in particular is in the midst of Labor! And she is writing and sharing her experiences with us all. It is the most amazing thing I've experienced in, well ever. I mean, how often do we get to be involved in someone's life over the internet to this degree?
Sending love and peace to everyone in this most amazing time.
And lighting a candle and sending prayers to Carolina and Maia--on her way into this blessed world.
Sarah
Sending love and peace to everyone in this most amazing time.
And lighting a candle and sending prayers to Carolina and Maia--on her way into this blessed world.
Sarah
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