Over these past two weeks I've seemed to dive straight into many yoga classes and a personal quest for daily peaceful mindedness (or, peace-of-mindedness) writing about it all the way. It may seem as if I have a childlike wonder about it all, discovering it all for the first time - the yoga, meditation, mind/body/spiritual journey but in fact it's been an awareness I've had just about all my life (as far back as I can remember, anyway) in part because of my parents and their journey. I am told that when my parents first got together, my dad was reading Edgar Casey's stuff. When I was small enough to start talking but still in a crib, both my parents tell me that there was a period of several months when I would point from my crib to the same, blank spot on a white wall and say, "The eye". When questioned, I was always very consistent, pointing to the same spot and telling my parents the eye was my friend, played with me, even ate my crackers with me. I'm sure Sylvia Brown would think this most natural. My parents, being familiar with Edgar Casey and learning about the third eye thought that's in fact what I was referring to - the third eye (was I just seeing my mind's third eye and projecting that onto the wall, or as Sylvia Brown might surmise was it an ancestor or spirit visiting me frequently?) Both thoughts are appealing as I lean toward enjoying the metaphysical and paranormal explanations. So, I think my journey sort of began, as many (including my parents and Sylvia Brown) would believe before I incarnated - a soul who picked this lifetime and parents to come into this world through and learn and give all that is necessary in order to ascend to a higher soul level when I leave. I further believe (because from the time I can remember as a kid and going through several metaphysical-type workshops, books and tapes over the past two decades I have been told by many I am an "old soul") this is it for me - wishful thinking perhaps, but I have no plans on coming back (I just gave God a huge belly laugh for the day and You are welcome, thank you very much).
I have not gone off the deepened nor am I just blathering excitedly about a bunch of new things I'm discovering trying to acclimate to a new environment. When I was a kid in the late '70' and early '80's growing up in white bread Father Knows Best Michigan suburbs my mom practiced and taught yoga, experimented with vegetarianism, veganism and macrobiotics and we had a meditation room in our house with one wall that was completely mirrored and an alter with a huge Buddha on top. If we lived perhaps somewhere in California, or even here in Yellow Springs I'm sure it wouldn't have been anything out of the mainstream. But, it wasn't in the mainstream when I was a kid and teen and I had a friend who when she spent the night and reported our room to her mom wasn't allowed over anymore!
In my early '20's I discovered Louise L. Hay's book and meditation tape "You Can Heal Your Life" and that was the introduction into the world of how powerful our minds can be in our healing process. That it's not just about what we ingest, but also the thoughts we think. And, here I am today focusing my Lent on being peaceful and cancelling negative thoughts two decades later! I started yoga as a teen taking my mom's Hatha classes and re-visited it through the years mostly through a gym where I did cardio and had a membership or through a play I was in when the people I worked with warmed us up using various breath and yoga practices. In my early '30's I found a wonderful studio in Rochester, Michigan where I lived five years and was one of the first to take classes when they opened their doors. That studio, Updog studio, was my introduction to Sanskrit words for poses and having teachers gently adjust me and my favorite part of every practice "corpse" pose or Shavasana. I also found prenatal yoga at Updog and when I miscarried after only practicing a few weeks a very healing place to recover.
The Yoga Springs Studio here in Yellow Springs is a sister studio I believe to Updog and I am incredibly fortunate to be able to practice here. Without planning for it, I have not been to the gym and done a 60-70 minute cardio machine in the nearly two weeks I've been practicing yoga here and I'm finding I don't miss it, nor does my body. I am more mindful of what I ingest. My muscles, especially my arm muscles, are stronger and more toned and I feel better physically and mentally that I have for months. With me, it's always a matter of what I'm ingesting that makes my moods, and if I'm out of balance with too much wine, fast food or sugar than guaranteed I will wake up harder and feel bloated and lousy.
My parents live in a small community on Sparrow Hawk Mountain where the Sancta Sophia Seminary is located on the outskirts of the small town of Tahlequah, Oklahoma. This is in the heart of the Cherokee Nation. I thought they were a bit out of touch when they moved there ten years ago because my mom found a house she fell in love with while visiting the Seminary a couple of times getting ordained as a minister. Living 17 hours away from me, I am not grateful my parents are surrounded by a community of people who I feel confident will help take care of them as they grow older in my place. There are also a lot of spiritually-like minded people around my parents and I'm seeing how important that is - just to have like-minded folks around me not to mention spiritual ones! I had that in the 7 years I developed relationships with actors I'd worked with at 7 or 8 theatres in Metro Detroit. The stage work always worked because I was on stage with people I was the most me with. I thought that was linked to acting, but now believe it's more than the work - of course it is! It's a like-mindedness. Heart, mind and body and acceptance. I never had the feeling of censoring myself in thought to my performance friends and family because I felt safe and welcome to share my thoughts (even if I was told, "You are weird" it was always in fun and acceptance). I'm thinking I am finding a community here in Yellow Springs and at the Yoga Studio to find a new "friend-family".
I am also attuned to Reiki at the Master Level, which means I could teach Reiki and attune someone else. My mom is a Master Reiki healer and she held some workshops at least ten years ago I attended. My notes from all of it are packed in storage. I have only practiced enough using two symbols all these years for self healing and on my son (who asks for the hand healing sometimes). I intend to re-visit Reiki again and look for opportunities I can practice it more. Maybe start with having a Reiki session for myself here at a little massage studio I went to yesterday and had a foot massage (my favorite). I've been cutting back on all that extra stuff watching what I spend so I haven't had a massage or pedicure or facial since I can't remember last year. I've decided to bring at least the feet indulgences back occasionally as they truly are the ones I like the most.
So my history with peace is opening up to new chapters and who knows what I'll be reflecting on in my fifties?
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