The Road to Consciousness and Connecting Inner and Outer Worlds

Rethinking a few conversations I've had over the last year and a half- ones that have really made my ears perk up and made me realize something important- well, I have come to see some patterns. Coincidence in the patterns of advice I have been given? No, I think not. All seem to be pointing me in the same general direction. So, now I am at the point where I must organize this advice and therefore accomplish one of pieces of advice given to me: write everything down and be organized with this data.

What use does being organized give us? - A clean and harmonious living space.

Where does being organized begin? - Inside.

1) How to Accomplish Inner Organization/Harmony

          

            A) Breathe: deep and steady breathing is key. With inner harmony comes outer harmony, so, we begin inside with the most basic of steps- breathing. Most people, you will notice, breath very shallow, short breaths. This works but breathing slow, deep, and conscious breaths allows us to hush our minds and listen to what our body/heart is telling us. 

            B) Stretch/Yoga: How can we expect to get any sort of work done whether it be inner or outer forms of work when the machine we need to do it with is stiff and sore. Stretching and yoga positions are the perfect way to get to a good place- a place where you can just be, and feel. 

            C) Be in your body. Feel your body. Close your eyes and let your brain stop thinking and simply allow yourself to be inside your body. 

            D) Result- inner harmony, good health, the power to take care of yourself automatically grants you the power to put yourself in an environment of outer peace and harmony. 

           E) Practices that aid in inner organization/peace- neigong, yoga, meditations of various kinds, tai chi, chi gong, basically anything that permits your brain and thoughts to relax and hush the noise around you so that you may truly BE inside your own body. 

2) Maintaining the Connection/ Reconnecting with Nature

At the risk of stating the obvious, what is obvious to some isn't so obvious to others- no judgement made. However, what I am about to write has been so terribly overlooked and brushed aside, forgotten about by far too many- that I am compelled to reinforce what seems obvious. 

We, human beings, would not exist if not for the perfect conditions essential to life that this planet exhibits. It is unwise and naive to think that our species is something greater than this planet; Mother Nature. We exist arguably because of our specific environment. We have air to breathe that is full of oxygen given to us by trees which as nothing from us in return. Yet we abuse them and think nothing of it. We have water to drink and yet we take it for granted. I could go on for ages giving examples but I hope you get my aim. We are a part of our environment (on both a small and large level) and it is a part of us. Therefore there is an essential element of respect that we must have in order to live in harmony with Mother Nature, el gran espiritu, Pachamama- whatever you prefer. Yet it is no surprise that many of our fellow human beings have lost most if not all respect towards the organism that allows for our very existence. 

So, my mission here is to bring to sight the things that are out of mind in hope that those who read what has been brewing up within me will find themselves equipped to reconnect with nature- the nature of themselves and Great Nature alike. 

3) An Individual Choice; A Collective Awakening

Let me make it clear that I do not wish to tell anyone what to do or how to live their life. Nor do I wish to impose my beliefs on anyone. However, I feel compelled to share what I have learned along this road that is my life. My only wish is to offer some of the things I have been taught and pieced together along my journey. My only aim is to offer my chosen art of living. Take it or leave it, it is up to you. I have found peace through this road and believe you can too. All I can do is be an example. 

I am but a messenger. And as the wind I carry these seeds, this information. As these seeds grow, new ways of life are born. The changes are being made. We continue in the evolution of this environmental revolution. Or perhaps I should say the revolution of our evolution. The evolution of consciousness among human beings. Slowly yet surely our light get brighter and brighter and consciousness spreads. Consciousness of ourselves as human beings and our connection to our Mother Earth. Taking small yet sturdy steps towards responsible stewardship so what we may all live sustainably ever after. 

Namaste. 

What's so great about yoga anyways?

Yes, we've all heard of yoga but perhaps haven't been explained what it is or why it's good for us....what it can help us achieve....

First let me begin by explaining that the word "yoga" comes from Sanscrit and means union or unity. Two important concepts within yoga- 1- it is the unity or union of the individual (who we believe we are)  and our soul, "el Atman," or the true nature of ourselves (that is identical with the absolute). And 2- the practices that help us realize this fact.

It is said that to really know ourselves, to know our soul we must have a good vehicle (our body) and a stable chofer (our mind) to get us there. Additionally, a great yoga guru related the practice of yoga and getting to know your soul to a car. To run smoothly a car needs; good lubrication, a charged battery, a cooling system, gas, to be in good quality, and to have a good driver or chofer. This he said will give you the power to arrive where we want to be- connected with ourselves.

According to this guru, Swami Vishnu Devananda, the five basic and universal principles of yoga and connecting body and soul are:

1) Adequate exercise- lubrication for a smooth running machine
2) Correct breathing- to maintain a charged battery
3) Relaxation- the cooling system
4) A healthy diet- good gasoline
5) Positive thinking and meditation- for a good chofer

It is also said that there are "the four roads of yoga" that center around; the action, the devotion, the mental control, and the reflection and meditation. There are many different kinds of yoga that revolve around one or more of these paths and finding out which one is right for you is simply a matter of what you're comfortable with and what's available. If you don't have that luxury then become your own teacher and you will find exactly what you need.

Yoga and meditation will also help connect or reconnect our chakras. Each chakra influences different organs and glands in our physical body. We have 7 principal charka which make up a channel of energy that flows through each and every one of us. When these chakras are in balance the rest of the chakras in our bodies fall into balance giving us amazing health and balance in our lives.

Our chakras and the colors associated with them are as follows:

First chakra: the root chakra (red)  found at the base of our vertebral column, where we ground ourselves and connect with the earth.

Second chakra: the sacral chakra (orange)- just above the root chakra where we find our reproductive organs; where our sexual energy is stored thus associating it with balances and imbalances in relationships.

Third chakra: the solar plexus (yellow)- found between our sacral chakra and our heart. It is our center and allows us to be conscious of our individual self.

Fourth chakra: the heart chakra (green)- found in line with the rest of our chakras and accordingly next to our heart. This chakra is where our spirit is said to have been born and where unconditional love and compassion comes from.

Fifth chakra: the throat chakra (blue)- needless to say it is found in the area of our throats, in line with the rest of our chakra. This is our channel of expression and communicaiton.

Sixth chakra: the third eye (purple)- it is said that when we open the third eye we can see our soul and thus have a harmonious connection with the universe.

Seventh chakra: the crown chakra (violet)- found at the top of our head; it is said that when we concentrate ourselves here we are able to understand or be conscious of our divine essence and the unity of the universe. When we become conscious at this level we then are able to become one with the light and continue (in our physical bodies) in the mission of helping humanity.

This is merely a fraction of what our chakras are, what they are associated with, etc., and I encourage you to look further into what our 7 chakras are and their importance in our lives.

Namaste

Eating With Consciousness

Placing my hands over my food before I begin to eat, I close my eyes and say thank you and acknowledge the light and energy that has made up my meal. How lucky am I to have such wonderful means of nourishment in front of me.

Thank you to whomever prepared my meal and for all the love that went into preparing it, and may my cook be as nourished as he has allowed me to be.

Thank you to the farmers that grew the fruit and vegetables that sit on my plate before me. Thank you for the many workers who harvested what I hope was an abundant yield that fed many mouths and nourished many bodies.

Thank you to the farmer who let his cattle and chickens roam free in their pasture, only to choose themselvs the finest grains and grasses and bugs and worms.

And perhaps most importantly- thank you sun, thank you earth, thank you wind and water for allowing this beautiful food to exist and thus allowing me to exist and be healthy. May this food be just enough to fill me up, may it be just what my body needs, and may I be nourished where I need nourishing.

I consume you consciously and with a heart full of love and thanks.

Namaste.

Wonders of Wandering- Finding the Light

When I left Green Lake my family thought I was crazy for embarking on such an adventure alone. A young lady traveling alone, not such a good idea they thought. I told them I wasn't going to be alone, that I'd be with friends that I simply just hadn't met yet. Call me crazy but I had faith that my path would cross with other wandering souls that would turn out to be good and descent human beings. And alas, I was correct. I have met some of the finest creatures this planet has allowed to exist and am happy to call them my friends- some I met in passing and some I will keep in contact with for the rest of my life. Nonetheless, they all had something to teach me, something to share, something to help me with and vice versa- and for that I am grateful beyond expression. I have been blessed beyond belief- not that I didn't know that for feel that already- however this trip as reinforced it. My life is full of incredibly wonderful and good-hearted folk; not just my family, mi enamorado (the one that I am in love with, Michael Roy Curran), his family and friends but also nomads. Wanderers. People searching for something. Meaning perhaps. Their true purpose. A love. Inspiration. Motivation. A means of making this world a better place.

They are people with hearts of gold, yet all they are missing is direction. Not so much as where to go but what to do with all of this goodness that they know is inside them. People ready and able to make wonders happen, ready to be the change they want to see. However the change they want to see is so emmense, so huge....that perhaps they are discouraged as to how to go about it. So they wander. And they get by. Happy and content are they but deep inside there is a yearning for something more. They (myself included) live to find that light they know exists. The light in this seemingly dark and chaotic world we find ourselves in. We've seen it, but why doesn't it stay? How can we make it permanent? What do we need to make the transition to a life- a world full of light?

Perhaps it is so simple that we overlook it. But I suppose first we must become better at acknowledging the light around us. Light comes from the sun. This light feeds the plants that feed us and the animals around us. In Spanish they call this, la gran naturaleza. Great nature, more or less. So when we get down to it, we ourselves are full of light in a literal and spiritual sense. But let's be honest, it is taken for granted- the sun, this light that feeds the greenness around us that in turn feeds us and allows for our very existance. However, and I speak from experience- when we begin to acknowledge and become conscious of it, this light- la gran naturaleza, slowly but surely this energy becomes stronger and stronger and more and more evident within our daily lives.

With that said, I will follow this post with some simple ways to reconnect with the light. Things/practices/exercises to help feel the light, this universal energy within and around you. Just remember, you ARE the light. :)

Namaste. (the light within me honors the light within you) Paz y AMOR de EcuaDOR.