Now Serving: Community

A dear friend of mine, who I met in 2006 in a MySpace chat room discussing spirituality, of all places, gifted me with one of my favorite definitions of heaven. She said, “I imagine heaven as no separation. Whatever I am doing, I am one with God. Whether it is driving my car, reading a book, having a conversation with someone, going to work; there would be no separation from God.” That has always stuck with me. How lovely to attempt to create heaven here on Earth through your everyday activity. By being of service to one another, we are honoring the divine in each of us, creating union; no separation.

My favorite prayer right now is The Lord’s Prayer by St. Francis de Assisi:

Lord,

Make me an instrument of your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love.

Where there is injury, pardon.

Where there is doubt, faith.

Where there is despair, hope.

Where there is darkness, light.

Where there is sadness, joy.

Oh, Divine Master,

Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console.

To be understood as to understand.

To be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive.

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned.

It is in dying that we are born into eternal life.

This prayer guides my daily perspective and it aids me in my response to others. It helps me stay mindful of my values and priorities.  To serve myself is to serve the God in others. It is not as self-sacrificing as it may sound. Rather, it is enriching because this life abides by a code of love and peace. This prayer is especially helpful when communicating with someone with whom I may not fully share ideals. Instead of prioritizing being understood myself, or being right, the call is to understand or to be empathetic to their point of view, possibly opening up a space for a common experience. This may not result in an agreement on facts or beliefs, but it helps foster an atmosphere of mutual respect and above all, kindness.

I am no saint. Not yet anyway. For instance, my teenage son sometimes has to tell me, “Mom, you need to get to your Zen place or something.” Nonetheless, I am continually calibrating my life to this prayer; to this life dedicated to nurturing community as my act of service.  From this moment to my exiting breath, I desire to become even more compassionate, peaceful and loving.  My vessel belongs to the Greater Good, imperfections and all.

The Universe provides abundantly. To honor this richness, the response is to focus on giving of myself.  In the yoga and spiritual communities there is a word that is used to describe this intention: Seva.

Seva is a Sanskrit word that comes from two words ‘seha’ and ‘eva’. The former meaning ‘with that’ and the latter meaning ‘too’ which translates the word Seva to mean ‘together with’.  Seva is blessed actions of selfless service that seek collective upliftment through an expression of compassion and desire to elevate others without any thought of reward or personal benefit. This is a spiritual practice working towards the common good for all or betterment of a community; where “the act itself is a gift to everyone involved” (Daniel Scott) as well as the moral enrichment of the person performing the seva.

Daniel Scott writes in an article he contributed to Mind Body Green, Seva: The Art of Selfless Service:

“Ram Dass explains this beautifully: “Helping out is not some special skill. It is not the domain of rare individuals. It is not confined to a single part of our lives. We simply heed the call of that natural impulse within and follow it where it leads us.”

Despite our seemingly unlimited capacity to connect, it's very easy to feel limited in a world of dynamic change. Asking questions like "Can I really make a difference?" or "How am I supposed to help?" only serve to delay or avoid action. With Seva, the only answer you need is YES.

Yes, I can help. Yes, I will do this. Yes, this is possible.”

A natural reply to living life with a keen sense of gratitude is generosity and sharing. Living in awareness of the many miracles and blessings all around propels me to share the wealth of knowledge and experience I receive with others.  Every person has the right to happiness. We are all agents of change for one another. Living cooperatively and in support of (not responsible for) one another’s success creates tribe culture. Tribe culture creates the framework where many take care of one and one takes care of many and all share in the abundance of the collective.

Operating within the collective, creates heaven on Earth. Because everything we do, large or small is in step with the Divine purpose.  A community that is dedicated to service makes those ‘yeses’ easier, more willing and more rewarding and fun. To see the success in another mirrors the success in us all. With this perspective the possibilities for what can be accomplished together, all with hearts of servants, is infinite! It makes the hairs on my arm stand on end thinking of it.

With a great honor and love of the Oneness that binds us all, whatever name or nameless quality we assign to it; and with love for oneself and for others, mountains move. True leaders are true servants.  Through seva we enact loving change in our local communities that have an immense energetic impact to the world around us.

Waheguru!

All I can say now is, "I am at your service."

Namaste and Sat Nam!

(Note: In my opinion, everyone must hear Servant of Peace sung by the angelic Snatam Kaur)

 

Manifesting Miracles

Last summer, the first inclination toward yoga teacher training lit a spark within me. I had started attending kundalini classes more regularly and what always struck me were the messages shared at each class. These were messages that I could foresee myself sharing with anyone who would be open to receive them.

Of course, I love Hatha and Vinyasa flow yoga as well and yes, the thought had also crossed my mind about taking a teacher training for that form of yoga, but if I had to decide which to do first, I was ignited at the thought of teaching a technology that inspires each individual to embark on a truly significant excavation of self in order to unleash the most compassionate, courageous and creative version of themselves.

Within Kundalini Yoga there are countless empowering kriyas and meditations that revoke the negative mind from imprisoning our ability to manifest our dreams, goals, and intentions. Through this active practice of awareness, the primal purpose is to uplift oneself and others. I have always considered myself a champion for other people's dreams and goals.

At this point, it was more of an intention to enroll in kundalini teacher training, but I still wondered HOW I was actually going to be able to attend. The price tag on the training is significant and while working full time, being a mother of three, dedicated to my communities, would I have the space and time to be successful?

Then May of this year brought me to the end of having to work full time. As I mentioned before, during my work uncertainty, I dug deep into kundalini and this re-ignited my desire to pursue teacher training. On May 29th, I had a significant breakthrough during a kundalini class:

Through the meditation that day, I was visited by a vision of myself as a young girl about six years old. I saw her (me) absolutely clearly: my tight curly hair, my missing-teeth smile, dark skin, lanky frame, and my sweet sweet face. At the sight of myself, I wanted to embrace her and I started to tell her that any message that she ever received about not being good enough were lies. "You are worthy. You can do anything" I told the young visage of myself. As I told her these things, I realized I could finally accept this for myself. I could rid myself of the black magic cast on me when I was too young to know not to accept it. I am not too lazy, too spoiled, too rotten. I am this beautiful little girl staring up at me here to remind me of my pure nature. Her presence also reminded me of the belief I had in myself as a child. I knew then that I could do and be anything I wanted. This experience broke me open in the most profound and healing manner. It was only after class that I found out our blessed teacher was leading us through a mediation that would connect us to our child spirit.

Sharing lunch after class with my teacher and with a friend we had an equally inspiring conversation. I'm thankful for my journal, because I recorded the parts of that conversation I wanted to retain:

Free will vs. Divine Will. Not everything that is free is good. Free will is more concerned with satisfying the ego, whereas divine will is driven by one's Higher Self, the part that reconnects us to our Truth.
We manifest with every breath & every word. Be aware and vigilant of what we are calling to ourselves with our words. If you ever see me waving my hand across the sky and exclaiming, "Cancel that!" you know that I just caught words that I do not want to manifest.
• AND, best part... the first mention of applying for the work-study scholarship for Level One Kundalini Teacher Training was uttered. I remember my friend wondering how decisions are made for the scholarship. Our teacher said, Guru decides. All I knew then was, OK, I'll look into it. Why not?

Also in May, I committed to a creative visualization meditation. Each time I visualized my dream through this meditation the vision continued to expand. On May 31st, I wrote in my journal for the first time, "I am a kundalini trained teacher." By June 4th, I wrote in my journal: 

"I am a kundalini trained teacher, I applied for the scholarship and received it. My gratitude makes me an exceptional student. Disciplined and focused, I do all of my assignments on time."

Four days later, I attended my friends' Kundalini teacher training graduation.  Intoxicated by the energy of the day, I knew I had to join this community. A deep knowing told me that I was going to attend this upcoming fall's class of teachers in training.

After the graduation, I made a point to introduce myself to the administrator of the studio. I was probably beaming from ear to ear as I told her my intention to enroll in the training, and that I would be emailing her to inquire more about the program and also about the work-study scholarship. Three days later, I sent that promised email. I stayed persistent in my efforts to express my deep interest in enrollment by making some follow-up emails, a Facebook connection and phone calls. God bless the administrator for being as lovely as she is with all of my directed enthusiasm.

July 16th, I was sitting at my computer around 3:15 P.M. when I saw a post on Facebook from the yoga school inviting anyone interested in the upcoming teacher training to come that night at 6 PM for an informational discussion. I messaged my hubby, "Babe, I think I need to go to this tonight. I will try to make it back for class tonight. But it's a perfect night to go." An hour later I was on the road to Los Angeles, listening to mantra music, bypassing any frustration that would have been caused by traffic due to the excitement of taking this next step toward manifesting this visualized goal.

So... when I reached the studio and walked in, the administrator recognized me right away, although we hadn't seen each other since graduation over a month prior. She expressed she was happy that someone showed up, because she knew she had given little notice for that night's information session. The fortunate circumstance was that I was the ONLY person who showed up that night! This allowed for the two of us to sit intimately talking and sharing with one another our stories and background. The conversation was so lovely, natural and comfortable.

When I was asked what skills I had that may be useful for the work-study program, I shared about my experience covering my home yoga studio while the owners were away on vacation. I had been trained on the system that most yoga studios use to operate their business. This was good news, because I wouldn't need extensive training on their system!  By the end of our conversation, I felt we had developed a really genuine rapport. The administrator then says to me that she feels really great about offering me the work-study scholarship if I can commit to the time requirements.

Waheguru!!!

Yogi Bhajan, the Guru who brought Kundalini to the West, says, "Creation is ready to serve you, if you just BE YOU." That's what I did. I was me and it got me the work-study scholarship!

Yogi Bhajan also says, "I do not believe in miracles, I rely on them."

This time is miraculous for me. Through losing my job, I was able to help my friends out by covering their yoga studio; this gave me the opportunity to learn a system that was my shoe-in skill to qualify for the work-study scholarship at the yoga school at which I desired to train.  I had declared this reality so in my journal over a month before it ALL CAME TRUE!

I take nothing for granted. I live in gratitude now more than ever.

There is another miracle that I am manifesting. Part of my spiritual development encouraged by one my spiritual teachers is to become a social entrepreneur. Any social action requires the involvement of many. My vision is to use all of these opportunities for growth, education, and skill-building to serve others. Through my creative visualization, it has been revealed to me the scope for which I am building the foundation. However, this scope of service will involve many hands, minds, hearts, talents, and contributors. To prepare me for all the recruiting and funding I will be called to accomplish, I am fundraising my portion of the kundalini yoga teacher training.

Let me be very honest with you, this is a breakthrough goal for me. I learned at the California's Women's Conference I attended in May that a breakthrough goal is a quantum leap that will require me to grow in order to achieve it. I will have to learn something new or change to reach the goal. Up to this point, I have been miserable with fundraising. It seriously gives me an ache in my belly. But on May 20th, I wrote in my journal during a breakout session at the Women's Conference, "Funding - my biggest challenge --> mental block. May be an area I need to grow in --> Breakout Goal?" This statement was more prophetic than I realized at the time. Seventeen days later, my spiritual teacher gives me the challenge of seeing myself as a social entrepreneur and a big component is fundraising. This is no coincidence. This is Divine Will playing itself out through me.

Many of you following along on my blog and those I have shared my story with have also expressed your enthusiasm for this journey. I now humbly ask you to support me in reaching my goal amount for my financial contribution toward teacher training. This is a big act of trust. Trust that I can ask you and accept whatever blessing you bestow on this goal of mine. Whether it is a financial blessing or a prayer of goodwill, I am at your service.

I have set up a GoFundMe account to raise money: Raise 4 Z's Kundalini Training. I am raising $2,000 to cover my portion of the training and to cover gas required to travel up to LA weekly for the work-study and one weekend a month for training.

In return, I will continue to update you all with this blog, and as an added bonus, part of my training is to teach my community, so I would love for you to be part of my first classes. I may even upload videos, for my long distance tribe members.

I could choose to be shy and entertain feelings of unworthiness, but no way! I choose to keep my TRUST and ENTHUSIASM high. I am already reaching this goal. Intention set. Can I have your blessing?

Thank you for following along with my journey and for partnering up with me in manifesting miracles.

Sat Nam & Namaste!

Z

Critics Confirm Confidence

Criticism is inevitable. Last week I confronted my first dose of it. Perhaps, the critical voice took me by a bit of surprise because I have been existing in a bubble of flourishing support. Everything is rigged in my favor, so instead of reacting in defense of myself, which would only be protecting ego against ego, I took advantage of the lesson to practice consciousness.

I choose to see criticism as another opportunity to learn how to face opposition. I let it ignite my driving force to pursue job creation even more fervently. Not to prove anything to my critic, per se, rather I use this opposing voice as a mirror to examine my own intentions. I affirm and rid myself of any doubt that the direction I am being led is creating an independence that inspires interdependence. Meaning, the employment I am creating will sustain me and my family, and it will serve and sustain others. The vocation I seek creates a sense of security and well-being for others that encourages the continual link of caring for one another.   This time is a gift; a gift with a purpose. I am an anecdote in support of Trust.

At a conference I recently attended a speaker said, "If certain people in your life don't see your vision, they weren't meant to." However, the encouraging nature of sharing our journeys with one another is that there are those who do resonate with my vision; they show their support or are inspired to make their own shifts in to live a more content and enriching existence. With this understanding, I can release any attachment to criticism and even praise. I need only live my truth.

As I wrote to myself in my journal:

Do not fear failure. Do not anticipate failure either. Failure is a matter of perspective. Stay positive.

This is your gift to the world. Your enthusiasm and your positivity. All is manifesting.

Your critic is actually a mirror of your own inner naysayer. Embrace and forgive her. Forgive to move past it; to move beyond the fear of criticism and failure.

Be encouraged to work toward self-sustainability where you create wealth and abundance for you, your family and your critics... for everyone!

Forgive and release.

Live in Splendor.

So it is and so it shall be.

Monday Meditation on a Tuesday

Today is Monday.
My intention is to get excited for Monday. To see Monday as merely a checkpoint on my journey. It shouldn't be heavy with To-Dos. In reality, those to-dos were already there. Today is another day to create, to enjoy and gift a piece of me to the world as well as receive all the miracles that makes up this beautiful Monday.

So I will set my intentions for this week. I will ask God and my guides to fortify me with the perfect amount of focus, discipline and enthusiasm to accomplish my wonderful goals. With ease I press forward. I take in all that is around me as integral to this present moment. I accept it all as perfect. Everything is my teacher. Nothing is lacking. There are no problems. There is opportunity all around me.

My unfolded laundry - A chance for pause and mindless meditation.

My to do list - A fun guideline of exciting steps toward recognizing my destiny. Each item is an unwritten  chapter of this miraculous journey.

My children - Reminders of how I want to live life. Enjoy all of them. What heavenly mirrors they are.

Time - My coach that keeps me focused.

Last night, my husband and I spoke about Edward Bloom, the protagonist in the movie Big Fish and how he lived his life according to Rumi's popularized saying:

"It's rigged - everything, in your favor. So there is nothing to worry about." 

No fear. Pure gusto.

Every aspect of my life is working for me; each a probability for greatness. At each juncture there is always the choice to see the glass half full. With enthusiasm for each opportunity, resistance will lessen and I can press forward with ease.

Namaste.