As I look out into the world around me, Sunrise Ranch, and look further out into the world at large, I am reminded of the upcoming holiday season. I see three major holidays occurring during the last two weeks of December. Of course there is Christmas on the 25th, and then also the Winter Solstice on the 21st and New Year’s Eve on the 31st. I believe that each of these hold significant value even beyond a reason to simply celebrate, exchange gifts, and be merry.
The Winter Solstice and the transition into a New Year both represent the ending of one cycle and the beginning of a new one, the cycle of nature and the cycle of our calendar system. The Solstice is the longest period of dark or night and nature uses this time period to gather its forces and energies to set up a pattern for creation as it moves forward toward increasing days of light and life. Life and creation abounds as the light increases. The New Year is a symbolic fresh slate with which we can create ourselves anew.
This is a wonderful time to reflect and plant the seeds of new creations that we desire to experience within our own consciousness. This might come in the form of new beliefs, attitudes, thought patterns, emotional expressions of self and ways of being. We increase the light of awareness within ourselves by giving directed, focused attention to this new desire, practicing this new way within our daily environment, and expressing love and gratitude to ourselves and our world. As we do this, these metaphoric seeds planted in the rich, creative soil of darkness grow and will produce fruit or the changes we desire within ourselves. Nature gives us an outer example of this internal process. The darkness can be a powerful time for exploring and nurturing the many possibilities of creation and development that can be manifested with an increase of light.
The New Year transition is commonly celebrated with a night of excess and then resolutions of change starting the next day, or New Year. What if we treated every day like a New Year, skipping past the night of excess and straight into the new day with resolutions for change? Every day would be focused with a strengthening of the current resolution or the creation of a new one. We could do this anytime and can start today with a new slate available to transform ourselves into whatever form of expression we can imagine. We do this naturally, sometimes even without awareness, simply by having the intention and desire. I give thanks for this one day a year that impeccably reminds us of that divine inherent ability.
During the joyous season of Christmas, I am reminded of the essence of Christ, which we celebrate. This is personified through the birth of Jesus as he was the living example of a life lived as Christ. Living life this way is something he taught that is available as a potential possibility for every human that exists. He often spoke of sourcing himself from the Father, and that the Father works and speaks through him, and finally that He and the Father are one. This Father was not only his but all of ours, realizing that Father was a patriarchal descriptive term used for public understanding during the society of that time period. It is the Source from which we emanate from, the radiance that expresses through us, and the divine being which we are.
When a person increases their light of awareness on this fact, and chooses to make realizing that in the life their most important work, then the Christ begins to develop and emerge from within. This Christ essence is Love. I believe that this was Jesus’s true desire in the life example that he provided and the teachings that he gave. I propose that on this holiday, we honor this great master soul by making it our life’s purpose to emulate that example and bring the Christ essence through each of us and out into the world. A mass of people existing in oneness with the Father and expressing as Christ, or Love, unto all that is. This concept is also known as Christ en masse, or Christ-mass, or Christmas.
May your holiday season be filled with great transformations, ever expanding love and light, and new creations for a blessed and enlightening new year!

Submitted by Gary Goodhue

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On Monday night my house was the site for a fabulous start to a group cleansing week. Thirteen friends gathered to learn from our friend Alexandra about the importance of cleansing and a raw, alkaline program she designed. We’re now connecting through a Facebook forum about our experiences eating mostly vegetables for at least 7 days. We’ll meet back together in a week. There are many physical benefits of an annual/semi-annual cleanse like this. Here are some of the psychological benefits I’ve been experiencing:

1. Need vs. Want

Perhaps the most profound thing I’ve learned in the past and am remembering through this cleanse is how much I eat is based on need and how much is based on want. It is unsettling for me to get really clear about how much I eat because I’m bored, upset, or simply in the habit of doing so. But fasting or cleansing will bring that realization on pretty quick. You see that you can survive, and thrive really, on something as simple as salads and good fats and you realize how complex and excessive what you typically consume is. It is a gift, but I also feel angry and sad about my typical habits. I’m having an experience of repentance, what Wikipedia defines as: “a change of thought to correct a wrong and gain forgiveness from a person who is wronged.” I need to ask my body for forgiveness, because it doesn’t need or want much of what it has received. My experience is that my body is a pretty forgiving thing when I make positive changes.

2. My Body is My Temple

Whether cliche or not, this statement is certainly not the generally-held principle guiding our society’s relationship with food. And it should be! Food is the offering we bring to our temple. I believe that in my head but there’s something that doesn’t register in my body and my behavior. During this cleanse, I commit to seeing my body anew as a temple. If we saw our individual bodies as temples we would see this planet as a temple also. It’s hard to have one vision of reality without the other. The vessel, the context we are in, is always a temple if we treat it as such.

3. Food as Love

Food is fun, it is creative, it is communal. Once I understand what my body needs to sustain itself, I can also wisely give it what it wants to enjoy itself. We are here on earth to experience pleasure and fulfillment. Breaking bread together is one of our best ways of doing that. Cynthia Stadd at the Institute for the Psychology of Eating has taught me in her day long workshop that one of the biggest problems in our society’s relationship with food is that we feel so much shame for what we eat. That creates health problems and psychological stress. I have to choose what I’m going to eat and enjoy it, not turn what could be a pleasurable moment into an hour of guilt. When I recreate my diet (including more grassfed beef and less gluten) after this week, I want to not take it so seriously that I take the fun out of my food. I want to enjoy my life and the friendships I nurture over a feast at my dinner table. I want to treat myself to pizza or ice cream on occasion. And in it all, to know that the most important nourishment I give myself is intangible.

4. Change is Easier with a Buddy!

It makes such a difference that my husband and 11 other friends are doing this at the same time as me. Change is hard. And having support and a group to be accountable to can be the deciding factor in a success. What kind of change are you trying to make in your life? Find people who are excited about that too and get them on board with you. Make agreements, have weekly check-ins, however you can create a support system for yourself. The world is not going to shift its paradigm based on one person’s leadership; we know increasingly that this is a collective movement. So find those who are passionate about transformation and do whatever repenting, forgiving and loving you need to do, Together!

What are your experiences with cleanses? Please comment on some emotional benefits you’ve received from fasting or cleansing.

Helena Barrera

Raised in New York and Connecticut, Helena is a graduate of the Johnston Center for Integrative Studies in Redlands, California. Her self-designed emphasis was: Facilitating Personal and Organizational Transformation. Her Masters is in Business Administration with a concentration in non-profit management. Helena lives in Denver with her husband and works for Sunrise Ranch. Her passion is to provide settings where people can know and express their creativity, power, and unique spirit—in a spiritual seminar, an office meeting, or around her dinner table. Visit her blog on practical spirituality.

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by Larry Pearlman, host of the radio show “Evolution in Consciousness”, premiering Jan 20th on contactalkradio.com

2012 – The Mayan Calendar – Age of Aquarius – Passing through a cosmic cloud
However you want to look at it, the fact is that mankind is on the brink of the most impactful shift in human history since Adam and Eve vacated the Garden of Eden (or tadpoles grew legs and walked on to the land if you prefer that theory). Acknowledgement of global warming and our part in causing that is a symptom of this change. Recognition that WE – human beings – are strongly contributing to the extinction of species from the planet at an alarming rate is another symptom. Peak oil is another. Economic collapse is another. In fact, you have to be unconscious or in deep denial to NOT see that this planet is heading toward an enormous transformation.

Many see this as apocalypse – the end of the world. And, depending on how things go, it could be. But just as the Mayan calendar is often misinterpreted as predicting the end of the world (it actually just predicts the end of the era defined by time and space), apocalypse is also misinterpreted as the end of the world. The actual meaning of the word, apocalypse, is “a disclosure of something hidden from the majority of mankind in an era dominated by falsehood and misconception, i.e. the veil to be lifted.”

What has been hidden from the majority of mankind for thousands of years is mankind’s true identity and purpose. And where has this vital secret been hidden? Not on the highest mountain, or deep in the ocean, or buried under the Sphynx in the desert. No – this “secret” was never intended to be a secret at all. It is present within every person who has ever walked the earth. It is present in me and it is present in you. Why has it not been popularly known? Because it has been buried by the “veil” mentioned above – the layers of falsehood and misconception accepted and perpetuated by generation after generation. Oh, there have been many down through the ages who have lifted the veil for themselves and they have been venerated – Abraham, Issac, David, Jesus, Buddha, Confucius, Mahatma Ghandi, Lao Tzu, Chief Seattle, and others. All of them attempted in their own ways to SHOW the way so that others could come out from under the veil but none were successful in lifting that veil for mankind as a body.

Today we see an evolution in consciousness coming to the fore. We are approaching critical mass – the number of people necessary to do what none of the great spiritual leaders of the past were able to do by themselves – transform the planet. It is not necessary that all 7 billion (or is it 8 by now?) of us have this shift in consciousness. Just as a ship’s rudder is a small component of the ship but determines what direction it moves, it only takes a relatively small component of the earth’s population to determine the direction of mankind and the planet. How many people? Some say 144,000. Personally, I don’t know what the number is but I do believe that we are approaching that number.

Read magazines, watch movies, listen to the radio, surf the net and you will hear the voice of this spiritual rudder everywhere. One such place is a new radio show I have the privilege of hosting. It is called “Evolution in Consciousness” and I will be interviewing people from all walks of life who are, in their own way, helping to lift the veil so that mankind may choose to accept our true identity – the Divine presence – here to steward the planet and bring Heaven on Earth. This show is part of the “What We Need to Know” series every Thursday at noon MST on ContactTalkRadio.com

The Premiere Show-Jan 20th!

David Karchere and Daphne Bramlett

Your host, Larry Pearlman, will set the foundation of what this show is about by exploring the meaning of “Evolution in Consciousness” with his guests, David Karchere, Director of Sunrise Ranch, and Daphne Bramlett, Manager of Guest Services for Sunrise Ranch. Join them as they consider what is happening at this time of history that is changing the very nature of life as we know it and how you can play a part in this historic outworking

Listen Live at Noon MST every 3rd Thursday

at Contact Talk Radio

Click on the LISTEN NOW button
Call in with your comments and questions: 1-877-230-3062

Your Host: Larry Pearlman

Larry Pearlman is a personification of the evolution in consciousness that recognizes that spirituality and the material world are not mutually exclusive. While working 32 years in corporate America, Larry also offered spiritual perspective in study courses. In addition, he has taught courses in “The Art of Creative Living” and serves as a faculty member for “The Opening” – an 8 day experiential class in discovering your full potential. Larry hosted a radio show, “Opportunities”, in Phoenix emphasizing participation in the business world from a higher state of consciousness. He recently served in the Peace Corps in Ghana for 27 months and currently resides at Sunrise Ranch.

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He thought there might be adventure
on the other side of the world,
past the silly stone pillars
of the “cul-de-sac”
and out beyond the well-edged lawns
that made his mind ache
and his soul grieve
as he drove by.

He dreamed of a wild land
where his mother was once born
and beasts still roamed,
stalking their prey.
His heart could mend in such a place,
hearing the liquid call of larks at dawn,
and watching the sun as it climbed across the sky.

If he stared long enough into the evening prayer fires,
sang to the trees and mosses and ferns,
and worshiped with the herons and hawks
at the edge of the mountain pond,
the sickness of his spirit would heal,
and he would remember again
who he was,
where he came from,
and what he must do next.

Yes, there would be adventure
on the other side of the world,
and a chance to know himself again as he was
outside of this little place
where he had been living;
a chance to set himself free.

David Karchere

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I recently spent a sunny, Sunday afternoon walking the labyrinth. I don’t know the “official” how to, so I walk it meditatively, to the pace of my breath: in breath, raise the foot, out breath, place the foot. Breathe. Step. Breathe. Step, mindful to breath and foot, to sensation and movement
It is not long before I am distracted by thinking, by sky, the twitter and chirp of unseen birds. The sun feels warm on my skin. A breeze tickles my nose. I am calm. Breathe. Step. Breathe. Step.

After a few turns within the circle, the pace of breath seems very slow. I start to feel impatient. It reminds me of meditation, of squirming and fidgeting when the mind gets restless. Breathe. Step. Breathe. Step. This is going to take longer than I thought.
Another curve – I am getting closer to the center. To my disappointment, I see that I am going along the outside circle and it definitely does not come to an end in the middle. Sigh. Step. Sigh. Step. My mind says (with emphasis) Abort! Abort! You are wasting time. Your house needs tidying, your taxes are due soon and tomorrow is (gasp) Monday! Breathe. Step. Breathe. Step. Am I halfway yet?

The only way I can continue is by taking the next breath & the next step. It is like life, I think. As in other circumstances, the mind tells me its rationale, why I can’t, or shouldn’t and what horrible things might happen if I do, or I don’t. It reminds me of a past that no longer exists and warns me of a future yet to come. I argue for awhile but it doesn’t help. So I stop and I continue to breath and continue to step, bearing in mind my intention, journeying to the center of the labyrinth and into the core of my life, breath by breath, step by step.
Finally I AM IN! I face the four directions. I bow to the world within, and what has been revealed by the journey, the patience and impatience, and the spaciousness and grace of the present moment.

I linger for a few moments just breathing before I begin the journey back out to the world. I return with the same pace of breath. Outbound now, I continue to reflect on the people in my world. I pray for them to be well, happy, and peaceful, for no harm or problems to befall them, and for their success. I offer them blessings and pray for them to overcome the difficulties they may encounter on their way.

I exit the labyrinth with the world on my breath and continue to walk outward. Step by step. Breath by breath. Prayer by prayer, blessing by blessing.

by Susan J. Schmickle

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Ever wondered why someone would want to live in a community like Sunrise Ranch, or the many other communities and eco-villages around the world? This way of life isn’t for everyone, but many of us find it really rewarding, fun, and transformative. Over 8,000 North Americans live in intentional communities. Here’s my top 5 reasons for being at Sunrise, my community in Colorado.

1. To be Surrounded by Conscious People:

Whenever you make choices about how to live your life, it’s supportive to have others around you who are making similar choices. Living with conscious regard to spiritual, environmental, and holistic health is not a mainstream practice. Many find that to lead an alternative lifestyle takes support and agreement from a community dedicated to that. There are a lot of diverse perspectives on how to translate that intention into practical living, but holding the common purpose to “do your best” makes a profound difference. Healthy community isn’t about all seeing things the same, but committing to care for the earth, other people, and ourselves in the living of our everyday lives, however that shows up for us individually.

2. To Develop and Grow Personally:

Living and working with the same group of people gives us the opportunity to be more aware of our own personality—the strengths and the challenges. Many communities will also have specific times to do emotional work, either in a group or with a coach. At Sunrise we have a coaching program, transformation groups where people can check in about their learning curves and victories, and we use ShadowWork techniques to facilitate emotional breakthroughs.

3. To Improve our Ability to Build Healthy Relationships:

Intentional communities often have agreements about how to communicate feedback and personal needs. You have to learn to state your boundaries and ask for what you want. At Sunrise, we teach Clean Talk, where we separate data from our assumptions about that data. Usually, people do not know the difference. When I practice saying “When you did (fact)…, I felt angry” instead of “You made me angry when you did that!” I know that I’m communicating cleanly. This way we don’t blame people for our reactions, but find ways to build healthy relationships through honesty and purity of heart.

4. To Reduce our Carbon Footprint:

Communities are great places to practice sustainability through agriculture, renewable energies, and sharing resources. Some things take more work, like moving water pipe lines daily to irrigate our crops. Other things just come naturally with living and working on the land, like not depending upon gas-powered vehicles for commuting or transporting all of our food. There are many eco-village communities like Dancing Rabbit where residents agree to follow ecological covenants and sustainability guidelines. At Sunrise we compost, recycle, raise grassfed beef and non-certified organic vegetables, and never use any pesticides or hormones.

5. To Have a Unique Experience of Family:

Prior to the Industrial Revolution, it was common for extended family to live close on farms. Infants and grandparents would live together and older generations passed on important knowledge and were blessed by the care given to them by younger generations. That has in large part been lost in our society. Community gives us the opportunity to be with people of all ages with a diversity of life experiences. In addition to having many different families at Sunrise who build their own family life in their individual homes, we also have the experience of being one big family. A family that shares space and resource, doesn’t always get along, and ultimately wants to work well together and create a welcoming, safe home for whoever comes here. We have picnics, game nights, dances, eat most meals together, and generally have fun!

For more information, check out the article “What’s True About Intentional Communities: Dispelling the Myths”

Have your own reasons for living in community? Post them and let people know what your community offers you!

Helena Barrera

Raised in New York and Connecticut, Helena is a graduate of the Johnston Center for Integrative Studies in Redlands, California. Her self-designed emphasis was: Facilitating Personal and Organizational Transformation: Psychology, Sociology, and Religion. Her Masters is in Business Administration with a concentration on non-profit management. Helena currently lives and works at Sunrise Ranch. Her passion is to provide settings where people can know and express their creativity, power, and unique spirit—whether in a spiritual seminar, an office meeting, or around her dinner table.

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This is the fourth in a series of responses to essays that were submitted for a Retreat GiveAway to The Yoga of Change March 20-23. People wrote about why this is the perfect time in their life for a yoga retreat. I, Jennifer Hubbard, along with my sister, Karla McLaren, author of The Language of Emotions; What Your Feelings are Trying to Tell You, will be responding together. Our approaches are different, but complementary. We welcome your response and hope this will become a conversation. Please direct responses to: Jennifer@self-authoredchange.com.

Original Essay

Perfect Timing

It’s such a perfect time for me to do a yoga retreat.

I am a single mom living near Aspen, it’s been a long and snowy winter here and due to the economy I haven’t been able to take a vacation.

I’m an artist and a Buddhist and a long time meditator, and I know the benefits of yoga and long to add that back to my life. To reconnect my mind with my body and breath.

I once did a lot of yoga, but in the past few years I have fallen away from my practice and I truly want to get it back. I dream of it every day but I need a break from my stress and a jumpstart into practice.

I have had the worst couple of years. Two years ago my sister died from cancer. Last summer by brother died unexpectedly. One day after Thanksgiving, I ended a relationship with a man I loved and I’m still heartbroken. I spent my birthday, Christmas and New Years alone (with my 11 year old). I feel like crying often.

I do so much to help so many people…..and I’d love to have something good come back to me now. Something for myself that I can maintain and teach my son as well.

Namaste,

P

Our Response

Dear P;

Karla and I express our deepest sympathy to you in your losses over the past few years.

I am not surprised that your daily practices fell away during the past few years. I believe that our daily yoga and meditation practices are intended to balance daily life and normal stresses; they are rarely enough during times of profound loss. The mind and body cannot be still when processing profound change. During these times we are well-served by grief rituals. We suspect that you understand the power of ritual in the human psyche and the need to allow grief the time and space to move through, and change you. These are important themes in Buddhism. If you haven’t taken the time for ritually grieving each of these losses you describe, consider doing so.

The fact that you are craving your daily practices suggests that you are in a state of re-integration. This is a wonderful time, full of promise and possibility.

Daily practices are often viewed as a discipline, and many people consider that a difficult or negative thing. Going on a diet, going to the gym, cutting out sugar, rising early to meditate or do sun salutations. All of these things we must use our will to accomplish, and willpower is limited. As a result, we struggle with establishing practices, fighting against a part of ourselves that is attracted to suffering. We do not allow the unusualness of new patterns to be interesting; instead we reject them as different.

I prefer to use grace as the power that drives my actions, though reaching a state of grace takes deliberate practice. Yoga shows us how to move into a state of Grace. I have found practices that are rich and meaningful for me, and I wake up looking forward to them in the way that I used to look forward to my morning coffee!

I will be teaching the tools that help people to get into this state of grace during the retreat, and since you have already experienced the richness of practice, you have already done some of the work of creating this place of Grace. You might say the door is open, waiting for you to walk through and make a space for yourself.

I have experienced times when I felt so empty and needy that I could not foresee feeling full and having something to give to others. This was a deeply unhappy, empty and desperate place. I am struck by the pleasure available in being of service to others. The experience of being centered, full and calm is extraordinary, and to be able to share that with others to ease their suffering or increase their joy is the best part of being alive.

Be well

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This is the fourth in a series of responses to essays that were submitted for a Retreat GiveAway to The Yoga of Change March 20-23. People wrote about why this is the perfect time in their life for a yoga retreat. I, Jennifer Hubbard, along with my sister, Karla McLaren, author of The Language of Emotions; What Your Feelings are Trying to Tell You, will be responding together. Our approaches are different, but complementary. We welcome your response and hope this will become a conversation. Please direct responses to: Jennifer –at- self-authoredchange.com.

Original Essay

Yoga. For so many reasons, yoga.

Someone said to me during graduate school that the only way she made it through was her yoga practice. I thought she was crazy. And then I started going. I always knew yoga was right for me…but as with everything that is good for me, I find ways to inch it out of my life. Push, push all the lovely things that I could do to take care of my heart. My body. My spirit. I am the mother of a three-year-old. He is beautiful, amazing, smart and funny. And so sweetly, so genuinely, he wants every tiny little piece of me. Some days I can’t give it all, some days I don’t have any to give. Some days I hold those little pieces of myself and selfishly shove them in my pocket so that he can’t grab them away. Then I fret at what a horrid mother I am.

And then why I might not have much of myself left to share. I am a speech language therapist. I spend my days on the floor with little people who may never, ever talk. Who have spent their lives in wheelchairs and have never communicated with words, but who give you the biggest smile when you make the smallest effort to notice them. With big-little people who don’t know how to find the right words in their heads. Medium-sized little people who, desperately hope that in their scant half-hour a week with you, that you might have the magic to put these things in their heads that they can’t seem to. And I think I might worry more about how I am going to fix these kids than whether or not I am a good mother.

I am learning that I have to take care of me too. I am watching, with compassion, how easy it is for me to give, and give myself nothing. It is becoming clearer and clearer to me that all forms of yoga are the answer to every question. My spirit sings when I walk into a yoga class. Ahh, yes, this is where I have belonged all along. THIS is home.

VM

Our Response

Dear VM

One of the reasons that I love to teach yoga is the ability to share the incredible experiences available through these simple, profound practices. Your words describe this experience beautifully.

The on again off again practice of yoga is a very predictable pattern. Yoga is always there waiting for you, when you are ready. A retreat can be a wonderful way to re-engage with healthy practices, and I have participated in retreats as a student and teacher numerous times. All of the retreats were wonderful experiences of returning to my own center and helping others to return to theirs. My own observation is that few people focus on taking this sense of wonder and beauty back into their daily lives. That, I feel, is a real disservice to Yoga.

My focus, in my own practice and my teaching is to bring this sense of wholeness off of the yoga mat and into life. How could you practice yoga in your work and as a Mother? Well, I don’t have your answers, but I can share some things that are helping me as a Mother and professional.

Your work sounds challenging and fulfilling. As a therapist, you can practice yoga by letting go of any attachment to what happens, and simply be fully present with your student. Simply bring your powers of observation and training into the room and show up fully with reverence and humility for what is possible. You can deeply understand that real opening and healing is beyond our full comprehension, though it is gorgeous and awe inspiring to watch.

We can give of ourselves without giving ourselves away. We can stay centered as we serve others. The key is to remember to move into challenges after taking a deep breath. You can practice this on your yoga mat but remember that the mat is a place to practice and prepare for living your life in a deeply connected and reverent way.

I am not always skillful, so don’t think that I am giving you this information from a fully realized place. I am learning to ski this year, and discovered that I wasn’t breathing AT ALL when things got difficult. I laughed at myself when I noticed the fact that I was holding my breath! The effect of my yoga practice is that I noticed pretty quickly that I wasn’t breathing normally – it felt off. And I rediscovered for the thousandth time that simply focusing on my breath improved my skiing immensely.

Ahimsa is the yogic concept of non-harming. It has been rather narrowly defined by some yoga schools as being a vegetarian. I believe that non-harming is a profound and far reaching concept that must start with the self. I watch students push themselves on their yoga mats, not allowing the breath to take them into difficult places and not allowing their bodies to say whoa! I encourage these students to slow down and honor the messages from their bodies and breath, and to accept their limitations and wounds with compassion and gentleness. So, if you find yourself wondering if you are a horrible Mother, stop (breathe), and ask yourself what you need.

Taking care of yourself is important for you and for your son. Psychology says that he will internalize you as the feminine side of himself. A loving, caring, and self-preserving Mother is a great gift.

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This is the third in a series of responses to essays that were submitted for a Retreat GiveAway to The Yoga of Change March 20-23. People wrote about why this is the perfect time in their life for a yoga retreat. I, Jennifer Hubbard, along with my sister, Karla McLaren, author of The Language of Emotions; What Your Feelings are Trying to Tell You, will be responding together. Our approaches are different, but complementary. We welcome your response and hope this will become a conversation. Please direct responses to: Jennifer –at- self-authoredchange.com.

Original Essay

I have many reasons why I would like to attend this “Yoga of Change” retreat. I’m 32 years old, the mother of a 6 year old, and a wife of 12 years. I’m in a rut with my life right now. I’m not happy with my job. We’re looking at buying a house; however we have some things to clean up before we can do that. I’m overweight with some medical conditions, including high cholesterol, thyroid problems, lack of energy, and depression, just to name a few. We’re trying to have another baby, but I ended up with a very large cyst on my ovary. The cyst is a complex cyst, which is a cluster of a bunch of smaller ones. One ruptured on New Year’s Eve, while we were on our way out of town. It was the most painful thing I’ve ever had. It continues to be painful off and on, and the more stress I’m under, the more it hurts. I’m at a point where I’m ready to give up. I have made a resolution to reduce the stress in my life this year, and the more I try to reduce it, it seems to triple. I need meditation and reflection time. I need to “get away from it all”. I love to practice yoga, but lately, I haven’t even had the energy or will power to practice. I have become a hermit, and tend to go to work, and come home. I don’t like to go out, or even spend time with friends right now. I’m hopeful that this retreat will give me hope, strength, and a renewed sense of self. I’m also hoping that it will get me to a better place in my life. Thank you for the opportunity to express my feelings and look forward to hopefully making it to the retreat!

L L

Our Response

Dear LL;

There is no better way to deal with stress than to take better care of oneself. Life pushes us out of balance, constantly. We naturally react by trying to get away from the source that is causing the imbalance, but often do this in ways that create more imbalance. You say that you feel like giving up, and are just getting through the days. Your system is tired and overburdened, I have been in that state and am very empathetic to your current suffering.

Your instincts are working well; you could use a healing retreat, a rest, a break. You need some time to reset yourself with rest, easily digested foods, time for reflection, gentle and frequent movement and deep relaxation so that your system can rebound. It seems like you have a healthy sense of your needs, but are not clear about what to do with them. This may be a sign that you need to consult an able helper, perhaps seek medical help from an endocrinologist or consult a nutritionist. You would benefit greatly from the help of an able guide and my vague sense of you from your letter leads me to believe that you can judge well for yourself who can help you. Because your hormonal system is out of kilter, it is not possible to offer clear suggestions without meeting you, similar symptoms are often the result of very different imbalances. Yoga therapy can be very helpful for rebalancing the endocrine system, but not just any yoga will do. Some methods could exacerbate your problems. I can recommend Viniyoga, restorative yoga or seeing a good yoga therapist.

I would like to encourage you to be gentle with yourself as you find your way out of this. You are experiencing the effects of a destructive pattern and have fallen into a hole that is unique to you. In order to find your way out, you must respect your body, your wisdom, and make good choices. Start small, challenge yourself to eat 3 different vegetables each day. Take a 10 minute walk in the morning, something that you know you can commit to doing daily. Add healthy behaviors slowly, a brief rest in the afternoon, a cup of herbal tea, read something inspiring. The main idea is to add things into your life that both restore and enliven you. Don’t think about what NOT to do, focus on what TO do. To reverse a negative downward spiral the trick is to start spiraling in a more positive direction by taking positive action.

And of course, you would be most welcome to join us at the retreat.

Jennifer Hubbard

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This is the second in a series of responses to essays that were submitted for a Retreat GiveAway to The Yoga of Change March 20-23. People wrote about why this is the perfect time in their life for a yoga retreat. I, Jennifer Hubbard, along with my sister, Karla McLaren, author of The Language of Emotions; What Your Feelings are Trying to Tell You, will be responding together. Our approaches are different, but complementary. We welcome your response and hope this will become a conversation. Please direct responses to: Jennifer –at- self-authoredchange.com.

Original Essay:

I am overwhelmed with the pain and loss I have endured over the past 2 years. I am extremely close to my family and over the past two years I have dealt with the deaths of an aunt, an uncle and my beloved father. I have also cared for my father prior to his death and continue to care for my brother who suffered a stroke 2 years ago.

I am not a nurse but I have become the caretaker in my family; I volunteer to take care of everyone. This however, was not a burden it was a gift because I was able to spend precious time with my father.

During this time, I married and I have two jobs, a day job and a night job.

My Father passed away in September. It was the saddest day of my life and my life will never be the same. I am lost without my Dad and my life has become empty. The time I was able to spend with him was very special to me. I would do it all again, if I could. I have no regrets of those times with my Dad; they were very special and will live in my heart forever. I believe that my Dad is here with me every day and I know that someday I will see him again.

I have learned that I am very good at taking care of everyone else, and not so good at taking care of myself. I am very much in need of some time away, time to focus on myself and re-center.

Through all of these very difficult times, I have lost myself. I am committed to nurturing my soul and this retreat would be a great gift.

K. A.

Our Response:

Dear K.A.,

There is a true story about a famous Indian Saint who was beloved and treated like a King by his students. While travelling, he fell ill and since he lived and dressed simply, he was taken for a beggar and put into a miserable charity hospital. His mat was beside the latrine, where he lay sick for days before his students discovered him, lying next to the filth. They immediately took steps to move him into a luxurious private ward, but he refused. He merely said, “It takes all of my skills, developed over a lifetime of self-development to handle this situation, how could I possibly leave this spot and know that some suffering, less fortunate soul will have to lie here. No, I am equipped to handle this place, I will be fine.”

Sometimes, we are called on to be this Saint. In order to handle life’s catastrophes, we can embrace practices that help us to find the lotus blossom in the mud. I want to ask you what you do for yourself? I would like to support you in the understanding that you must be for yourself first. You need to inhale before taking on challenges, before moving forward. What would feed you? Taking a yoga class, a dance class, painting, writing, music, philosophy? Do any of these words bring a spark of hope back into you? Follow that spark.

Both Karla and I agree that we would not recommend a retreat for you now. When life becomes painful it is natural to want to get away from the pain, but the pain and grief need to be sat with, accepted and integrated. The familiar places and people of your life are what you need to draw near to you now and your yogic practice should focus on setting boundaries for yourself and your practices should be consistent. You do need some respite and rest, however, it would just be best if you stayed put to do it.

From your letter, I would recommend practices that create strength, nurturing routines and boundaries for you. Losses of loved ones create holes that need to be healed, and our own center rediscovered. I would actually recommend that you say NO to something, and soon. It would be ideal if you said NO because you had an appointment for a massage or a manicure, something completely indefensible, aside from the fact that you really WANT to do it. (I call this NOga!) We all need to learn to take time for ourselves, and make certain that our lives contain sweetness and I don’t mean candy!

I lost my Mother last year, and I learned firsthand that grief is quite powerful, strange and uncontrollable at times. My teacher counseled me to go through the center of it, like a brave warrior, and I found that advice to work for me. My Mother’s birthday was last week, and in the African Tradition, I asked her to be an angel for me. Native African wisdom says that you should call on your ancestors for help. They believe that the dead do not have enough to do, and are always ready for a task. I love this idea. Could you ask your beloved Father for help through this transitional time? Remember that great loss is only possible with a great gift of Love. Your relationship with your Father was precious and you can heal by remembering and feeling in your heart all of the gifts he gave you.

From a yogic standpoint, the key to moving on and through this time is the ability to “digest” the experience. We can get stuck with emotions by trying to process them with our minds, and our minds can only digest ideas. You will notice if you sit quietly with your feelings of grief that they are located somewhere in your body – if they are in your head, ask them to move, towards your heart and belly. Once you begin to feel the emotional energy in your heart/belly center, watch them and ask for help in moving through them and discovering the gifts within them. Be brave and know that you can handle and process your emotions. Ask your Father for help with this, and other departed family members. Feel their presence and their love, which is still there and wants you wholly alive and happy. Contained in your grief is tremendous energy that can transform you, if you allow it to.

Shameless plug for Karla’s book alert (written by Jennifer). My sister Karla has a unique perspective on emotions, viewing them as gifts with messages. Her insights are remarkable and powerful. She taught me to see how moving and beautiful grief can be. Karla taught me to appreciate loss as a function of love and a fully lived life. The book is not out yet, but can be pre-ordered here: http://karlamclaren.com/index.php

Life feels empty now, but it is not, though it is difficult to see that right now. Know that this time will end, and you will be changed, hopefully with a heart broken open.
Know that you are beloved,

Jennifer & Karla

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This is the first in a series of responses to essays that were submitted for a Retreat GiveAway to The Yoga of Change March 20-23. People wrote about why this is the perfect time in their life for a yoga retreat. I, Jennifer Hubbard, along with my sister, Karla McLaren, author of The Language of Emotions; What Your Feelings are Trying to Tell You, will be responding together. Our approaches are different, but complementary. We welcome your response and hope this will become a conversation. Please direct responses to: Jennifer –at- self-authoredchange.com.

Original Essay

I am becoming myself again after 22 years of laying down myself for my children and ex-husband. Finding my voice in this world, redeeming and reconciling me to myself is my journey now. It has been difficult to give to myself over these years and I think that the Yoga of Change retreat would be a perfect way to begin that transformation. I need to restore and refuel my spirit, soul and body.

I have a fairly severe anxiety disorder which I take medication for and feel that I need new tools such as yoga, nutrition, meditation etc to balance and center me on this new phase of my life.

D.K.

Our Response

Dear D.K.,

The beginning of the Yoga Sutra, reads, “And now we come to Yoga.”

I interpret that to mean: “because we have tried everything else, without satisfactory results”.
I define yoga as connection and integrity. When we are connected to our breath in movement, it is enjoyable and energizing. When we struggle breathlessly to do something, it is difficult and uncomfortable. When we give to others from a half-empty place it is debilitating – like trying to do something while holding your breath. Giving to others is effortless when we are full. The fruits of a yogic lifestyle, or; “a simple, well-ordered life” is intended to put us into and keep us in this state of fullness. I would like to suggest that giving ourselves to others is not the problem; it is doing the giving from an emptied place that creates the problem – because you are giving something away that does not get replenished.

A yogic lifestyle can replenish us in profound ways. It can be challenging to lead this lifestyle in America because the lifestyle is a simple one; it includes a simple diet, rest, exercise, training our attention and becoming skillful in areas in which we need to grow.

You have naturally migrated to a life that gives you time and space to see who you are and gather your energy back; to replenish. The purpose of this time, viewed from a yogic perspective is to recreate yourself as a gift to the world. Yoga therapy can be powerful for anxiety. Your body, your nervous system is on high alert and needs to be comforted. Several things are highly suggested for treating anxiety – many forms of meditation are not recommended, by the way.

What would we recommend for you?
From the emotional standpoint, anxiety is an overload in the area of fear, and fear is an instinct if it’s behaving normally. So your instincts may be depleted.

So when we suggest things for you, we want to leave room for you to listen to yourself and restore your own instincts.

Anxiety can cause us to look everywhere but within ourselves for answers, which is where the greatest healing powers lie.

So, here are general recommendations that you should take as you see fit.

Relaxation/Meditation:

Yoga Nidra, or yogic sleep, is a guided meditation that can reset and train your brain to attain Delta and Theta waves states more readily. This meditation keeps the mind focused on specific tasks, so it allows (and sort of tricks) the brain to slow down. Watching an anxious mind will often cause it to speed up, something you do not need to do!

Yoga Practices:

I also recommend slow forms of yoga, restorative, yin yoga, or just a well paced Hatha class. Vinyasa style yoga is generally contra-indicated for anxiety.

Lifestyle:

Keep your diet as simple as possible, while being enjoyable. Make your meals very important. Avoid cold foods, cold drinks and of course stimulants and depressants like caffeine and alcohol.

Rise early enough to engage in a ritual that calms your mind before launching into your daily activities. Read a book on Buddhist philosophy, poetry, or a philosophy that you find uplifting for 15 to 20 minutes before launching into your day. Follow this with 5 Sun Salutations (choose any that you like) done slowly, never moving into pain, just to build warmth in your body.
No work after 7 pm at night.

Do not watch TV or sit in front of a computer after 9pm and earlier if possible.

Jennifer will be offering a Yoga of Change Retreat March 20-23 at Sunrise Ranch. Click here for more information

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I began my yoga practice to transform myself, though I didn’t fully understand my motivation at that time. I have watched hundreds of people begin to practice yoga and I believe that we all turn to the practice of yoga because we feel so different as a result. The sense of peacefulness and connectedness leads us back to ourselves in profound ways. Yoga practice, chosen wisely, is transformational.

As I began to study yoga therapy I learned that this transformation is the main purpose of yoga practice. Traditionally, yoga is taught one to one, the practice is as personal as psychotherapy or a doctor’s visit. In the philosophy of yoga, we are born with seeds for tendencies. These seeds will sprout in the right circumstances and they can be for things that we might view as positive or negative– a gift for music or a problem with weight, or drugs, or truthfulness. All of the tendencies are undesirable, because they pull our attention in directions that we do not freely choose. The purpose of yoga practices is to burn off these seeds so that we can be free.

An analogy can be seen in achieving the Lotus position. For a culture that spends a lot of time sitting in chairs, there is a lot of muscular tension and restriction that must be carefully worked through before our bodies can safely and comfortably adopt this cross legged position. When a body is free enough, sitting in Lotus position is effortless, you can literally forget your body and drop into a meditative state. This freedom from effort and tension allows the practitioner to focus solely on their mind and awareness; they have reached a freedom from bodily tension. When I first experienced a comfortable seated position, it was a revelation, a feeling so light and free and well, comfortable. My whole physical being breathed a sigh of relief and joy.

I’ll be talking more about the concept of becoming free from destructive tendencies and give some specific tips about yoga practice tomorrow night in a free teleseminar, you can sign up here

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Stress – it seems to be everywhere. We all have it, and most of us are aware we have too much of it.
But what is stress, really?
When we hear the word “stress”, most people think of the usual suspects: sitting in traffic, tight deadlines at work, familial conflict, loss of a loved one, or disease. Certainly, these are significant stressors to the body, and are often unavoidable, outside of us, and seemingly out of our control.
However, there’s much more to the stress story.

The classic definition of stress is: “any real, or imagined, threat and the body’s response to it.” The key words here: OR IMAGINED.

In other words, you can actually IMAGINE yourself into physiologic stress response.
Essentially, your body can’t distinguish whether the lion is actually chasing you, or you are simply imagining and believing that the lion is chasing you. Its response is the same. Sensing that there is an emergency at hand, your body will launch its complex and powerful physiologic stress response. A few of the physiologic repercussions include holding on to excess fat (not releasing weight), slowing down metabolism, and turning off digestion.
So if you’re having trouble losing weight, experiencing digestive distress, low immunity, or any other unwanted symptom . . . it’s time to take a look at the thought patterns and beliefs that may be driving us every day:
“I hate my body.”

“I must lose weight, or no one will love me.”

“I’ll never be happy until I’m skinny.”

“I have a lack of willpower, and just need more discipline to fix my issues.”

“Food is the enemy – it’s always a battle.”

Sound familiar? Like broken records in our collective consciousness, these are actually some of the most potent stressors affecting our health today.

The good news? With the right support and practice, we humans have the ability to choose the thoughts and beliefs that can support our health.

At the Institute for the Psychology of Eating, one of the pillars of our curriculum lies in detecting, identifying, and treating the stressors in our life, thereby eliminating unwanted symptoms and health concerns.

We’re looking forward to diving into this principle and much more during our Day Long Intensive at the beautiful Sunrise Ranch, coming up on Saturday April 23rd! We’ve distilled our core teachings to create a program that will powerfully expand your understanding of food, weight and health.

To learn more about IPE, visit www.psychologyofeating.com, join us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter

Cynthia Stadd is an integrative nutrition practitioner, educator, administrator and business coach – and is thrilled to be engaging all of those roles with IPE. Cynthia assists Marc David in visioning IPE’s role in the world, and oversees day-to-day operations and marketing. She is also the IPE senior educator, teaching the popular 10-Week Signature Tele-Course and various live seminars/workshops. Cynthia works with clients privately as a health coach and as a business coach for practitioners wishing to start a practice.

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