Musings

February 3, 2020
As a new year dawns, the flavour of my sadhana for the year starts to emerge. Each year brings in new insights and a new focus for spiritual work. Some years have been more about discovering the purpose of relationship, healing ancestral wounds in the family, boots on the ground service, or solitary retreat practice.
This year is shaping up to be a year of adventure and communication-- going into new places, even scary ones. [See events for details on these adventures—you’re invited! ]
I've been off social media for YEARS, and I'm taking the plunge back in. Or shall I say, I'm slowly wading back in...I’m hearing the call to attempt to articulate my own inner work. We shall see what this new endeavor provides. Part of that is relinquishing my own desire to “capture and possess” my own insights. Really, those insights are universal, and available to all.
So I’m starting to think about what kinds of communications are useful both to myself and to others (open to feedback by the way). This is highly experimental and I'm sure I'll be making mistakes. As humans we can only ever present partial information, and therefore, I have to be okay with leaving some things unsaid, incomplete and unfinished.
We all have a secret inner life of practice, which is largely unspoken and unseen. It is our real wealth and secret treasure. I don’t tend to speak about my own personal sadhana much, because some part of me feels like I may jinx it if I do. But I’d like to start by expressing my gratitude and good fortune to have come across such great teachers, great realizers, and wonderful companions on the path. I could not have imagined some decades ago, where my life was taking me! It is on their shoulders that I stand, and I have benefitted from their work, their insights, and from their generosity of spirit. Their practice benefitted others, and my aim is to work for the benefit of other too. My teachers have been inspiring, showing me that sadhana does not end; it becomes more refined each year. They’ve taught me that each individual’s expression is divine, is precious. All of those years that I compared and competed, did not bring fulfillment. Only living my own dharma can do that. And my Guru would even ask me the question “what is fulfillment? What does that mean to you?”
Having very potent, sincere teachers who are willing to confront and encourage has been a boon for me personally. Who are your teachers? What is your relationship to them? You are living out your path, your story, in and through your relationships.
One of the teachings that is very present for me at this time is: to be with what is, as it is, here and now-- that is facing reality. And my hope is that I can hold myself to communicating in that way. One of my favourite sayings from the Aghori Vimalananda is “If you don’t come to live with reality, reality will come to live with you.” You cannot escape reality. You cannot escape your karmas. it is very seductive to try to do just that, to escape. But we cannot, and we create even more suffering when we try to escape. Embracing one's own unique path is where it's at. Resting in Being is as real as it gets. 

I'm really excited to be sharing some of my heart's desires with you this year: yoga practice, travel, nature, writing, and more!

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