Friday, February 28, 2014

Dance


image: Source

We have come to Be Danced
Not the pretty dance
Not the pretty pretty, pick me, pick me dance
But the claw our way back into the Belly
Of the Sacred, Sensual Animal dance
The unhinged, unplugged, cat is out of its box Dance
The holding the precious moment in the palms
Of our hands and feet Dance

We have come to Be Danced
Not the jiffy booby, shake your booty for him dance
But the wring the sadness from our skin dance
The Blow the chip off our shoulder Dance.
The slap the apology from our posture Dance

We have come to Be Danced
Not the monkey see, monkey do dance
One two Dance like you
One two three, Dance like me Dance
but the grave robber, tomb stalker
Tearing scabs and scars open Dance
The rub the Rhythm Raw against our Soul Dance

We have come to Be Danced
Not the nice, invisible, self-conscious shuffle
But the matted hair flying, Voodoo Mama
Shaman Shakin’ Ancient Bones Dance
The strip us from our casings, Return our Wings
Sharpen our Claws and Tongues Dance
The Shed Dead Cells and slip into
The Luminous Skin of Love Dance.

We have Come to Be Danced
Not the hold our breath wallow in the shallow end of the floor dance
But the Meeting of the Trinity, the Body Breath and Beat Dance
The Shout Hallelujah from the top of our Thighs Dance
The Mother may I?
Yes you may take 10 giant Leaps Dance
The olly olly oxen free free free Dance
The everyone can come to our Heaven Dance

We have come to Be Danced
Where the Kingdom’s Collide
In the Cathedral of Flesh
To Burn Back into the Light
To unravel, to Play, to Fly, to Pray
To root in skin sanctuary
We have come to Be Danced

We Have Come.

~ Jewel Mathieson

laugh at the sky

Wisdom

Breath In, Breath Out


Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Children's Meditation

About 3 years ago my oldest son whom is 7 started a yoga class. I was in the mist of finding a mindfulness routine and meditation practice and stumbled on a yoga poster at the studio after a relaxation yoga class. I had practiced yoga in college after taking an Eastern Philosophy class but after the birth of my first child I neglected my practice. My life was typical of a stay at home mom with two small children aged 2 & 4. I was stressed, tired, and being pulled in both directions. When I went to relaxation yoga I re-grounded (a term I did not quite understand) and unwound the days (years) of tension that had built in my body. If I could gift these skills to my children at a young age maybe they could avoid the anxiety that I suffered from and have tools that I wish I had, as a child. I signed Brody up hoping my rambunctious and energetic son would make it through the first 15 minutes before they asked him to leave. However I underestimated the power we all feel when someone guides us into relaxation and how blissful it makes even the "energetic child". He not only made the first 15 minutes but the entire hour asking when he could go back?! It seemed like a miracle! He continued to go and week after week I could see moments in our daily life where he would take breaths and use the skills he was acquiring. I was so intrigued that it sparked a curiosity for me and path to working with children and mindfulness.   My world open up to teacher's of mindfulness like Jon & Mayla Kabet-Zinn and Thich Nhat Hanh. My life purpose came into focus with mindfulness and the impact it has for children and adults.

If you are an experienced in meditation or someone like me a few years ago, trying it as a beginner I have a link to some wonderful children's mindfulness exercises read by Mayla Kabet-Zinn. You may want to sit with the exercises before sharing with your own children. Practice them a few times and then use Mayla's relaxing voice or use the comfort of your own.
Blessings.



Sitting Still Like a Frog

Mindfulness Exercises for Kids (and Their Parents)

By Eline Snel



Monday, February 24, 2014

Saturday, February 22, 2014

Beginning meditation


The thought of meditation can be intimidating and sometimes time restrictive. The good new is research is showing that even small amounts of time taking deep thoughtful breaths out-ways no meditation practice at all. So instead of feeling like you need to leave your family to join a Buddist monastery or sitting mindfully in silence for hours to be connected, just take a few 1-3 minutes a day to check in, reconnect with yourself, and take a few deep breaths. Here is one tip to use that I find effective for our family members.

  • As you take your bath or shower, take a minute to become conscious of the water against your skin, the sensations, the sounds. Stay in your body, instead of drifting into the future, planning your day or fantasizing that you won that argument! As your body is cleansed, affirm that mental and emotional debris is being washed away as well.(This is my favorite)

  • At night, if you watch TV, pause during commercials and re-connect. Market your own life-enhancing images to your mind, rather than letting someone else do it.
The key to feeling these exercises is consistency. Commit to do this everyday for a few weeks and before you know it, its part of your routine and not a task to be "accomplished" as part of our to-do list. Once the brain is trained it will look for more opportunities to take a "breath". If it doesn't come natural or seems forced, just recognize that it is nothing, laugh at your minds stubbornness and agree today is not working, it is not a failure but is what it is without judgment. Tomorrow is a new day.

Blessings

Happy Weekend


Friday, February 21, 2014

love and light

Let me introduce myself and this space as a place to share love and light. All are welcome to dwell in the shared words and positive energy. I have a daily mindfulness practice and continue to work on attaining a higher vibration for mind, body and spirit. I may post others art work or words but will credit where credit is due. Feel free to join my circle and feel grounded and peaceful. Some of you may need a reconnection to spirit or help through a difficult season in life or just for the joy. Hopefully what I share can touch each one of you with positive energy. Here is the first post:

Artist:Unkown

Grounding Breaths

Take three deep breaths and know you are being held by the universe in each breath. 
Feel your aliveness and gift each breath gives.
Raise your arms above your head with courage as the positive energy flows down your arms, through the middle of your body, down each leg and ground you as strong roots into the earth.

Blessings.