A Sun Shiny Yoga Fest Sunday April 16, 2012

This is a particularly exciting day, at least for me!  The first Yoga Festival in Port St. Lucie, Florida.  Also the first time that I will be exposing my art to the community.  Excited and somewhat nervous.

I send my gratitude to Down To Earth Yoga for opening up their heart and booth space to display the art.

So, let’s move on to the focus of this day.  The event took place at the Civic Center where local artists, businesses and yoga instructors gathered together outside surrounding the fountain area.  (The specific fountain area is fairly vast and  in the center of the front of the building, temporarily off).

As I walked onto the grounds, I noticed everyone was setting up and preparing so they would be ready by 10:00.

I helped Down To Earth set up their booth and then placed my art in its space.  We finished early, so I walked around a bit to take a quick glance at everyone who was gathered here.  There was a variety for all, from purses to homemade soaps and oils, bags for yoga mats, henna tattoos, homemade chocolates, Pampered Chef, the list goes on and on.

There were some particularly beautiful people who really touched my heart.  Party Lite was one and all the women who were representing just had a glow and warmth that was inviting.  If you have never heard of Party Lite, they sell candles and create beautiful centerpieces and other items along that line.   But it wasn’t just that, on the other side they started “Love Your Neighbor”, an organization to spread love all over St. Lucie County.  Plain and simple, neighbors helping neighbors.  Every month they strive to serve families with hardships.  In simple, yet loving ways they bless families by donating clothing, food, household items, and/or gift cards.  Their mission is to show folks in the community that they care about them and their lives.  Give them hope.  A beacon of light in a time when many neighbors are losing jobs, homes, loved ones, and health.   When I heard about this awesome organization, the question popped in my head: “What if all communities worldwide did this?”  What a huge blessing!

Now we come to the second beautiful spirit which was Nicole!  She and Dottie accompanied the booth directly behind us which displayed Akea Essentials.  Akea Essentials is pure whole food power of the World’s Longevity Hot Spots.  There are over thirty organic superfoods, probiotics, enzymes and minerals….recipe for Hot Spot Health!  Akea’s mission is to have a profound, positive impact on your health, the health of your family and the health of your community by helping you easily incorporate the principles of the world’s healthiest people into your lifestyle.  Nicole was nice enough to give me a sample of the whole food supplement, which is in powder form that you can mix with water, coconut water or breakfast smoothie.  I decided to mix it with coconut water and it was a clean and energizing way to start the day! www.organicgirl.akealife.com

Wait, there’s more!  Nicole had let me know she liked a particular piece of my art.  She also had some jewelry pieces she made, one of them were crafted out of a spiral notebook wire, made into a heart shape.  At first, I negotiated a price, but then she replied: “want to barter?”  I said: “sure!”  I was grateful to have met Nicole and to own some of her beautiful work.  In addition to those two areas, she has opened the Treasure Coast Reuse Center, which I think is great!  A beautiful woman inside and out!

Yoga classes were about to begin, which were being held in the grass.  There were a variety of instructors who shared mediation, breathing techniques, hot yoga, anusara and power yoga.  All the classes were free and everyone joined, even the kids!

It is now 2:00, time to shut down and head home.  One last announcement from the woman who put the event together, thanked everyone for coming and what a great turnout.

I was noticing that everyone started to rush to get things put away and to their vehicles, thinking why?  Someone told me that the huge fountain I talked about earlier came on at 3:00 and the water spray was wide enough to give us all a bath and then some!  To many pictures in my head to explain.

A great event for everyone to come together and share their gifts.  Most of all to have fun!

Heart Sutra Mantra: Love from the Inside Out April 3, 2012

As I woke up this morning, the inspiration was in my heart and emotions were running high.  I don’t know maybe it has something to do with the weather?  Do you ever have those days where you feel like you just have so much love inside and not enough people to give it to?  Well, that is how I am looking at life today and as I was deciding on what I was going to post, the choice was to share this beautiful Heart Sutra Mantra with you all.  This is sung by Deva Premal, and everytime I hear her voice, it makes me cry( but in a good way!)

Sorry that there is only the link, I tried to put the video on here for you to view it right from the blog, but for some reason my computer is being moody.

I wish everyone a peaceful and beautiful day!

To view the video, just click on the link below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSR1L9IN03g

Open to a New Day March 25, 2012

AWAKE – by Tammy

Birds are singing

while the wind dances through the trees,

I seal my eyes to drink in this sweet melody.

As the sun brings warmth to my face,

enjoying nature’s beauty and grace.

Thoughts pass by like clouds in my head

One mind, body, spirit,

present-but free,

Free to just be.

As I began my morning, the beauty of all nature’s wonder was stoking the light inside.  This lead my spirit to sit in the center of my yard and just enjoy all of the bliss that this day was bringing to my soul.

Most of the days here in Florida are filled with nature’s essence, which I am thankful to enjoy.

Today was a little different, like I was being called to just take some time to sit and silence my mind and breathe all that is good.

Do you ever have those moments where the little voice in the back of your head is saying, take time to silence yourself?  You have time to appreciate the little treasures, which start with you!

So, I know this is a short post today, but this is a little poem I created from this morning’s silent escape.

It is my first one and I wanted to share it with you all!

May your day be peaceful, loving and joyous!

Peace and love,

Tammy

The Gloomy and Rainy Atmosphere Temporarily Altered the Human Condition March 19, 2012

As I woke up this morning, I heard the pattering of raindrops on my roof.  Actually  the droplets were dancing from a soft beat and shifting to a faster tempo.  Every time it rains in Florida the rhythm is always different, which is a nice variety for the mind.

There are many times when it rains that I love to close my eyes and just listen to every little rain beat ( I like to think of it as mediation for the soul.)  Thinking of how soothing it would be to just relax and let the rain wash your body, still with your eyes closed.  Letting yourself drift away to that one spot you go to rest and relax ( maybe it’s a far away island, the beach, or just someplace where it’s quiet.)

This particular  day of showery weather did not bring that kind of sensation to my body and especially not to my mind.  It was as if  I was in the middle of a tornado and could feel the anger building.  What was shocking to me is there was not reason for such madness.

As I am typing this post, I had a flashback to how my morning started.  Usually, my day would begin at 5:00 a.m., but this particular morning, I did not wake up until 7:00 a.m.  On one hand my body obviously needed the rest, but on the flip side the mad part of me came to the surface, frustrated with myself as that little voice in my head was saying: “I can’t believe you slept this long.”  Automatically my mind set was on the negative and feeling guilty for messing up.

I walked around the house for a while, still in an aggravated state, looking at my dogs saying “why did you let me sleep?”  (Just so you know, I did not yell at them, even though I was mad).   If anyone has dogs, you know how they look at you with their sad and cute eyes, wishing they could talk to you.

After about an hour of being a mad bundle of yuckiness, the calm and logical side finally took the lead and said” Is this how you want to spend your day?”  “Do you think being in this kind of mood will benefit anyone, especially yourself?”  Along with these questions came the answers as well as remembering that I am loved and I like to be happy.  I love life!   So, I then changed my attitude to one of  higher spirits, which started with smiling to raise up the happy juices.   From there it was sunny skies for the rest of the day!

One of the uplifting mantras came to my lips” Life is sweet enough, I am the sweetness.”  This little sentence is wrapped with a great message for all.  Life is a gift that we all should treasure.  We are all the sweetness, the sweetness of love, kindness and compassion inside that we can share with others.  You are perfect just as you are, there is no need to change a thing.

Once I brought all these positive thoughts inside, the day was much brighter, even though it was still dark and rainy.

I learned a lesson from this gloomy day, that just because the sun is not shining does not mean that you cannot shine!

We all have temporary moments that bring us sadness or aggravation, but they don’t have to take over how we will spend our days!

May you all have a peaceful and joyous day!

HOW CAN WE ALL GET ALONG? Resolving Conflict Benefits Mind and Body February 23, 2012

” A major amount of wear-and-tear on the body comes from prolonged unresolved conflict–basically from not letting go, holding grudges and reliving situations over and over in your head,” says Raj Dhasi, a Toronto-based conflict management consultant who specializes in the physiological impacts of conflict.  “But if conflict happens and my mindset is:  ‘I can handle this.  We can work through this,’ that is phenomenally beneficial for the brain and body.”

When we are faced with any conflict–whether it’s an angry boss, disgruntled neighbor, political opponent or untidy teen in the house–our limbic system responds swiftly by igniting a cascade of stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol and spiking our heart rate and blood pressure.  Meanwhile, our prefrontal cortex–the part of the brain responsible for thinking things through and putting the brakes on emotional, irrational behaviors–begins to slowly light up.  The fundamental problem is that in the race to mount a response, the limbic system often wins, prompting us to greet conflict impulsively by raising our voice and saying things we later regret before our rational brain has time to step in.

On the flip side, many of us avoid conflict altogether, harboring discontent in such a way that we feel powerless or even threatened.  Making matters worse, our fight-or-flight response never quite goes away, says Gary Harper, author of The Joy of Conflict Resolution: Transforming Victims, Villains and Heroes in the Workplace and at Home.  “More people are stressed out by not dealing with a conflict than with dealing with it,” Harper observes.  “If you deal with it in the moment, it allows you to let it go.”

Pause, Breathe, Consider

Harper advises that one way to deal with conflict on the spot is to pause and give our more rational side a chance to arrive at a solution.  “Before you react, slow down, take a deep breath and listen to your inner dialogue,” he says.  “In that deep breath, you might realize that you need five minutes [to consider a response].”  If you still remain in attack mode, it might not be the best time to respond.

He adds that while no conflict should be avoided altogether, careful consideration might lead us to conclude that some battles aren’t worth fighting.  Ask yourself:  How important is this person to me?  How important is this issue to me?  ” If neither is vital to you, save your energy for a better use.  If the issue is not important, but the relationship is, it’s okay to accommodate or give in sometimes,” he says.

Be Direct and Follow-Up

Some conflicts are worth confronting.  Then, Barbara Pachter, a business communications consultant and author of The Power of Positive Confrontation, offers what she calls the WAC approach for dealing with most cases of work and family conflict.

W:  Ask yourself:  What is really bothering me? ” A lot of times, people don’t do this.  They just say, ‘This person is a jerk,’ rather than specifying the problem.”

A:  Ask them for a solution.  “We often complain, but we don’t find a solution,” she says.  “Determine what is going to solve the problem for you and ask for it.”

C:  Check in.  “Turn it over to the other person and ask for their response.  Inquire: ‘Is this possible?  What do you think?’”

All the while, stay curious about the other person’s perspective, suggests Harper.  “We tend to see ourselves as the innocent victim, or we go into hero mode and tend to see the other person as the villain,” he says.  “Of course, the other person is doing the same thing, and that makes collaboration tough.”  Instead, ask sincere questions–and really listen.

Agree to Disagree

Terrie McCants, coordinator of the conflict resolution program at Kansas State University, notes that in some cases, especially when deeply held values such as politics or faith are involved, resolving conflict isn’t necessarily about reaching an agreement.  “You cannot negotiate people’s values.  Sometimes, these are things that people are willing to lie down and die for,” she says.  “Instead, sometimes you might need to agree to disagree.”

In the end, whether the conflict is a minor disagreement at home, a workplace quarrel or a complicated political dispute, the process of properly working through it can leave both parties feeling stronger and improve their communities.  “Conflict forces you to problem-solve collaboratively and come up with options and elegant solutions,” she explains.  “If handled well, it can add brilliant things to your life.”

After reading this article, I decided to share because I think it has really good points.  Especially the way today’s economy is going, we all some form of stress and frustration and may sometimes say things we don’t really mean.

So, if you have those moments when you are so angry and maybe don’t know why, stop and close your eyes, take a breath and walk somewhere by yourself to slow down and calm your mind before returning to life’s space.

Contents of this article provided by Lisa Shumate, a freelance writer in Boulder, CO.

Day 22- Cellphone Suspension- How I Got it Back January 25, 2012

The topic of this post will not be about a gift that I gave so much as the gift that I received. 

What I am about to tell you may be a shock to most of you, maybe not to those who are in my age bracket ( and no I am not revealing it, sorry).   The majority of the cellphone population are proud owners of the touch, iPhone, android, etc. (hopefully I typed those correctly).  This cellphone owner has a flip phone that was only $30 and service is $20 a month.  By now you are probably wondering, or not, who offers such a cheap rate?  I am about to reveal to you that my ancient form of service is Airlink. 

Now the story of the lovely suspension of service.  Every couple of days I check on the minutes I have available.  Yesterday, there were 383.  Today I woke up to “we’re sorry, but your service has been suspended!”  I was in shock!  See, Airlink’s service is a month to month.  They let you know when you have to add minutes, but what they don’t tell you is when YOU DON’T HAVE ANY!!!! 

So, as you may have figured out, this made me a little frustrated, because my phone was of no use to me: dead, dead, dead!

Told my boys (the dogs) to get in the truck, we are going for a ride.  It’s like telling children you’re going to Disney World. 

We arrive at the store, I go in, grab the Airlink minutes card and tell the lady behind the counter: “I need $20 on this please.”   While she is taking care of the transaction, I asked her if there is a pay phone in the area.   She looked at me and shook her head, then we made a joke: ” pay phone, what is that?”  Just as I was about to walk out of the store, she said: “you are welcome to use my phone.”   I said: “Really, that is so sweet, thank you.” 

In the few minutes it took to activate service, the whole time I was thinking how blessed I was to connect with lady who was nice enough to help someone in need.    It also confirmed my belief that whatever you put out into the world returns to you in some form or another.  Not saying that is the reason to share or give your kindness or love to another person. 

We are all connected in this life, and it is a joy and blessing to experience each day as a new beginning.

Peace and love to you all!

 

Day Three: The Contribution of Self December 27, 2011

I would first like to send out a little gratitude for all who have visited, commented or subscribed to my blog.  It truly means a lot and I consider all of you my dear friends.    Also hope that everyone had a peaceful and loving Christmas, with either family, friends, or maybe someone you never knew previously.

This Christmas season resonated a special place in my heart that will never be forgotten.  As usual, I attended Unity Church (which I don’t really like to think of it as church, but a spiritual center of oneness).  There are two services: 9:30 alternative and 11:00 is traditional.  This particular Sunday I was able to stay for both. 

There is always a half an hour break between the two services, and usually someone to greet people who are coming in.  Today there was not a greeter and I was asked to help give a handout to those walking through the doors.  Of course that made me smile to be able to share a Merry Christmas with  everyone I saw.

This specific paper I was handing to them was a “letter to God” and this is what it entailed:

Dear God,

I am willing to be still and listen,

I am willing to devote myself to the spiritual practice of ______

I am so grateful for __________

I SEE myself as:  I am kind.  I am smart. I am important.

In 2012 I hold a vision of ________

I was thankful to be able to share this letter and it made me stop and think myself, asking some questions:  Is there enough time to be still and listen? YES  What things am I grateful for?  TOO MANY TO COUNT  Am I kind, smart, and important?  YES  What is my vision for 2012?  PEACE  AND LOVE FOR ALL

I was blessed to have this shared with me and now I would like to share it with all of you!  It may even raise the question of what you give to yourself.

May you all have a peaceful and beautiful day!  My blessings that the longtime sun shines upon you, all love surronds you, and the pure inner light within you guides your way on.  Namaste

The Heart Window: Open It Up and Let Love Shine In August 13, 2011

All human beings have a heart that sustains life-every second, minute and hour of every day. That’s not the only action that the heart can maintain. There are emotions, such as love, kindness, compassion, caring and so on. Your heart can also tell you if someone is the “one” you are to be with for eternity.

There are two ways the heart may be viewed: the physical and the spiritual. Everyone has energy centers in the body which are also known as “chakras”, that are responsible for physical, emotional and spiritual well-being. In your human energy system, the center for unconditional love is located in the center of your chest. This is your fourth chakra-also called the Anahat Chakra-in Sanskrit. It governs the heart and circulatory system, respiratory system, arms, shoulders, hands diagphram, ribs/breasts and thymus gland.

Many issues of love, grief, hatred, anger, jealousy, fears of betrayal, loneliness, along with the ability to heal ourselves and others are centered in the fourth chakra.
The fourth chakra is positioned in the middle of the body, which is the balance between your body and spirit.

Unconditional love is a creative and powerful energy that may guide and help us through the most difficult times. This energy is available in any moment, if we turn our attention to it and use it to free us from our limits and fears.

Ask yourself some of these questions:
~What emotional memories do I need to heal?
~What relationships current or past require healing?
~Are my emotional wounds taking over, causing me to try and control people or
situations around me?
~Do I allow the wounds of others to control me? How do I let that happen?
~What do I need to forgive myself for? Who needs forgiveness from me?

To have this fourth chakra energy fully touch our daily life requires intent and practice. This begins with our self, for it we are not able to love ourselves, we cannot truly experience love from another or give it truly to another.

In loving ourselves we allow the intent to generate the feeling of uncondtional love within us, and then to share this feeling with others. Whatever we send out is returned to us.

A powerful practice to open to and embody unconditional love is one from the Buddhist tradition-known as Metta Practice and only takes fifteen minutes a day. You can go to               http://www.wildmind.org       for more information.

To close this, take some time to love yourself and open up your heart window to share love with others.

Much peace, love and light to all! Namaste