I made a Spotify playlist to help us stay on the bright and sunny side this winter!
in inspiration
Wednesday, May 5, 2021
My Fears of a Garden Taught Me I had to Let Go in Order to Bloom
“Courage is fear that has said its prayers and decided to go forward anyway.” ― Joyce Meyer,
It was the perfect day to get the seeds in the ground. The sun was shining and Josh had finished work early, so we could all plant them as a family. Although, I was feeling resistant and I wasn’t sure why. Josh reminded me how much I wanted to do this and that we have been holding on to the seeds for over a year. ‘Fine.” I thought. Let’s just get this over with.
We started our first garden and now I’m realizing how much fear I had surrounding it.
I wanted the plants to stay close to me. I was scared to put the seeds in the ground. What if they wouldn’t sprout from me doing something wrong?
I kept the lettuce in pots, thinking they would be safer. Putting them in the ground was overwhelming to me. So many things could go wrong and it seems so permanent. Where as, if they are in a pot, I have the freedom to move them around or repot them if need be.
I wanted to be in control.
What if it rained too much? What if it didn’t rain at all this season and I forgot to water them one day? What if the deer get to the veggies? What if the weeds take over? WHAT IF I DO SOMETHING WRONG? I don’t really know what I’m doing anyway. Isn’t there a science to this? How much space do we need between each plant? Which direction do the rows need to go in? How do we know if the soil is healthy? What else do I not know?
I was beginning to feel completely inadequate in gardening. I hadn’t even begun.
Do you ever feel like this when starting something new?
If so, I invite you to reflect with me.
How can we practice being brave in the act of letting go of control? How can we not only have Faith in God; but also have Faith in ourselves? Can we believe in ourselves, in our abilities to tend to our hopes and desires? Can we plant new seeds and trust in our caretaking skills? Can we believe that we are CAPABLE, POWERFUL and WORTHY of blooming?
Can we be patient enough in the struggle as we push up through the soil? And then take time to celebrate our strength, our resiliency and our new growth before moving on to the next season of life?
The answer, of course, is YES. You know it and I know it.
But every time we are faced with fear of the unknown we have an opportunity to plant more seeds. It’s a lifelong practice. We must remember though, that we can’t reap the benefits of seeds we don’t sow.
So let’s encourage each other to take action and get our seeds in the ground.
May the promise of new growth outweigh our fear of stumbling.
Tuesday, November 17, 2020
"Bringing Yoga to Life" Reflections
Bringing Yoga to Life by Donna Farhi was inspiring, informative and the perfect companion as I began my Yoga Teacher Training. Although, it took me a bit longer to read, I enjoyed the slow pace as it allowed me to really sink my teeth into the words and digest the content. I underlined many passages and dog-eared several pages.
I resonated with so much of what Donna speaks about; however I appreciated the “Yoga as a Life Practice” chapter the most. Being pregnant and raising a toddler, I am forced to experience my yoga practice in a new way. I no longer have the ability to practice for long periods of time at the same time everyday. In a lot of ways my mothering has become my practice. I love how she talks about how life gives us opportunities to stay centered and to “let the task or the distraction become your practice.” She states clearly that “we can draw no definitie line between formal practice and everyday life.” That being said, I understand that formal practice is important and am aware of the peace that comes from this form of devotion. I just love that Donna points out that Yoga goes beyond that mat.
"when we choose to stay with our practice despite the inevitable highs and lows in our lives, we are actively choosing to focus our awareness on that part of us that is unchanging." - D. Farhi
I also really enjoyed the chapter on discipline as this is something I am always trying to cultivate in my life. Donna says, “when we choose to stay with our practice despite the inevitable highs and lows in our lives, we are actively choosing to focus our awareness on that part of us that is unchanging.” As someone who is ruled by her emotions, this chapter and the chapter titled “the Riptide of Strong Emotions” were both inspiring and encouraging to me. I believe somewhere Donna says: “practice anyway”. That was my mantra that best connected me with my intention throughout this Yoga Training. I may feel uninspired, frustrated, distracted, depressed but I tell myself to practice anyway- in whatever capacity. I made it a goal to get on my mat even if it was just to sit for five minutes and check in.
I often wonder why it is so hard to do the things we know will bring us happiness, health, wealth, etc. Why are we so resistant to devoting ourselves to the things that we know will be good for us? Well, Donna does a great job at explaining why that resistance sticks around. She says in the chapter of “The Freedom of Discipline”, that “resistance to practice occurs when we have not yet formed a clear intention. Until we form a clear intention, we cannot rally our energy and align with our goal.”
On day one of this training, Kelsey asked us to form our intention, or rather let our intention arise during our meditation. I had already given this some thought and made notes about it in my training manual. There were lots of goals and aspirations- things like, “to dive deeper into my curiosity of yoga, to connect with others on the same path, to learn what I needed to be a teacher, to gain confidence, to be a guide, to serve, to embody a strong, steady and peaceful spirit.” Then during the meditation the word: “becoming” came to me and I knew that this is why I was here. To become the true version of myself, to continue the work of untangling the limits and lies and conditioning. To become the vision I hold for myself. To become united in body, mind and soul. To become the teacher and the student.
So daily I remind myself, to practice anyway and trust in the process of becoming. My yoga practice is evolving just as life itself is.
Sunday, November 1, 2020
Press Play: Flower Child
Hey wild ones,
Here’s to grooving through the cold days! oxox – Amber
Thursday, March 5, 2020
Return to Love, A poem & prayer
Swirling in space.Earthbound.
Star struck.
Inspired by desire.
Moved by feelings.
Hurting and learning.
Healing what needs healing.
Connected.
The same.
Yet Divided
By walls that remain
Through decades of confusion
And illusions.
The collective vibration
Must be lifted
To make the walls tremble,
Crack, fall, dissolve
Love is the power that can shift this.
Wild ones,
Brave ones,
Black sheep,
And untamed ones,
Let us howl. Let us roar.
Gather your medicine.
Get ready to soar.
Do what you love.
Do it more.
Stay awake. Stay here.
Live in your center
Love from your heart
Make your mother-loving art.
Together we will make history.
We are the earth, we are the sky,
We are one another.
We come from the same Mother.
Compassion.
God, fill us with compassion.
Remind our souls we are all fighting
We are all trying.
We are all warriors.
Although we need help
Right now.
We are distracted. We have forgotten.
Bring us back to our true nature.
Take us away from the hatred.
We want to be free. We want to be Love.
Remind us that we already are!
We just have to claim it.
We are the bridge to below and above.
Let us all return to free flowing LOVE.
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