Well the fever of knocking on doors first to register voters and then to ensure folks to get out the vote has died down, but my enthusiasm hasn’t. After an 8 year hibernation (I know, I know, when we really needed political activism I couldn’t cope) my hopes were raised and then supported by my fellow country-mates! After election night, I wanted to go out and buy and American Flag pin. For years, my husband has had a t-shirt that has the Old GLory on it and I must say, in the nationalism that came in the post-911 era made me more that a little ambivalent to see it.
For the first time in my life, I am proud to be an American. I have always cherished the freedoms it offers but felt so gravely misrepresented by the government. I told people, especially when traveling abroad, “George Bush is not MY president.”
I appreciate Obama’s all inclusive nature and how active he has been since the day after becoming Prez-elect. I look forward to serving my country more, as we phase out of military “diplomacy” and become more of a world-citizen rather than a bully.
I’ll have more to say in the months to come…
I took Colin’s 23 minute version and started to intercut it around the 5 min promo. I got about 9 minutes into it, so we took the back half of his latest version and added it to my 9 min intro. This is how it is now.
I taught my first solo class at Juvenile Hall this week. I had mentored with Terry since January, she felt I was ready so now I have been assigned the girl’s special needs unit. They have medical, mental, & emotional problems and some are on suicide watch…It is really humbling. These girls want the relief that comes with yoga and meditation. Even when they act out and test the limits, like on Monday, at the end of class, they assked for the words to our ending song and for exercises they can do untIl I come back. They can be little devils,but they are angelic in a deeper way. I had to kick two girls out. I was ambivalent about it but until I establish rapport with them, I will do as I am trained. What a gift to be there, that God for Krishna Kaur who set up Yoga for Youth so we can do this work.
Vj and I did a seminar this weekend called Breakthrough to Success with Christopher Howard. I went not knowing what it was but liked the idea of shedding old beliefs which is always a freeing experience. I have been to a similar seminar before with a lot of Hi-fives, and telling people they are great, NLP techniques and all that. It is interesting to watch my skeptical mind do the turnaround, slowly much like turning an ocean liner, from “this is dumb” to “Oh, why not get enthusiastic.” Being cool is so isolating…I am finding I’d rather be goofy and a part of the group.
The Highight for me was a forgiveness exercise. Fogiving self and others was my intention going into the program and the preceeding week. It was a guided visualization that I found very powerful and a wonderful way to break off energetic ties with anyone I needed to start over with or sever myself from. I felt very connected afterwards which seems counterintuitive but most of the work I do falls in that category.
I love the book “Radical Forgiveness” by Colin Tipping. While I don’t agree with everything in it, the approach certainly helped me to shift my perspective from ever being a victim. Thank goodness, as that is a terrible and disempowered place to live. Also good for all are the children’s books “The Little Soul and the Sun” and “The Little Soul and the Earth.”
Forgiveness is the theme of the week. I know what it feels like to truly forgive someone, in the way that I believe is god-like. I know it is so because the source is so big, so far beyond the borders of my form, my imagination, my agenda. I did it once and it healed the person. I received it recently, and I healed. I want more of that, to be the vehicle for that. It feels so much better than the bitterness or limitation of the small me. I believe that it is why I am here, to experience it and yet, until it comes, it seems abstract.
It is difficult to believe that I have lived in Los Angeles for almost 3 years…things that I like about L.A. are: the weather, the foliage (the smell of jasmine in bloom reminds me of San Francisco where I lived for 8 years and developed a hard-to-overcome snobbery against L.A.), Vj is here, new friends and older ones who have since relocated here, the fact that people work such crazy hours that cafes and restaturants are busy enough at mid-day, the beach, mountains and desert, camping and hiking nearby, a huge Kundalini Yoga community, there is certainly more but for now, this will do.
We are excited to have our wedding catered by Madeleine Bistro. Dave and Molly Anderson are darling and will feed us superbly well and add a nice energy to the fete. Everyone involved is somehow connected to us which was very important to us. We want a great party and great folks supporting the entire day.
I continue going forward (although sometimes so slowly) with the documentary. Filmmaking is rewarding and challenging. I often feel like I am doing it alone, but so many people have already helped me this far in the process. It’s got to be done, I love it like I love yoga. I am a Los Angeles cliche…yoga instructor and filmmaker.
This week I started my own class at juvenile detention hall through the non-profit, Yoga for Youth. I am assigned to the special needs girls. I didn’t know that going in but knew that there was something very special about them–other than the reasons that they are in that unit. They were so eager to do the yoga and meditation, afterwards they asked me to write down the mantras we used and the words to the Longtime Sunshine song we sing at the end. My prenatal training came in handy as one student was expecting. It is so amazing to see the spark get lit in any student, but especially one who feels thrown away. Who knows what kind of lasting effect these teachings have on them, but for an hour, the girls found some peace. That’s big. Bigger than me.