You are Invited! Chris Kendall, Plenty of Fruits, Plenty of Friends, & Me!

Here we go again, the third year in a row, FRUITLUCK in NYC! The ultra fruity picnic is happening on August 28th, in Central Park. It’s early this year, starting at 11:11AM and going until it’s over (until people want to leave). A free yoga class will be held at 11:11AM, and the fruit picnic aka fruitluck begins at approximately 12:12PM. We’ll be there for hours, most of the day, so come when you like. I’m looking forward to seeing you again, or meeting you for the first time! (Wouldn’t that be great? I love connecting with Sunday Is For Lovers readers. It’s fun.)

Bring fruit, bring a yoga mat, bring an instrument, bring friends & family, or just bring yourself. Everyone is there to feel free and to have a good time! Everyone is welcome. It’s just a friendly laid-back environment of people eating fruit, moving around or sitting still, chatting it up with others, or simply being and soaking up the good vibes.

We are meeting in Central Park, in Sheep Meadow, by the the big rocks (see it in right side of park photo, the big slab of rocks). This area is close to the sand volleyball courts. See more info Here, as well as Here (close to 65th Street Transverse). If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment.

See you there!

David Blaine Nailed It

Charlie Rose: You never tell how you do things, do you?
David Blaine: No, I don’t think that’s what it’s about.
Charlie Rose: It’s about what? It’s about the joy of illusion?
David Blaine: It’s about the moment when people aren’t thinking about anything. There’s no, …there’s no logic. You’re just only reacting to the moment, and you’re stripped away of everything, you’re left open. That’s what it is, I think.
[That excerpt was from a 1997 Charlie Rose interview, when David Blaine was only 24 years old.]

This is why David Blaine inspires me. He nailed it. He said it. He knows it. Life itself, the life we all fear, overstress about, work extremely hard at, feel insecure throughout, and think that we need to win because we might lose — that life — it’s an illusion. And the ones that find bliss, and find balance, well, they aren’t lost in their heads, they’re in the moment, fully present.

Some people come to that realization the hard way. For them, it means being stripped away of everything before they can fully be present to what is. Sometimes that means literally stripped of what they value most (health, family, money, friends, partner, property, etc). But more often, it just means being stripped of concerns or concepts that only get in the way of one’s own bliss.

Being open is flow, it’s allowing yourself to be moved. Instead of being taken over continuously by habitual thoughts & programmed patterns, you are free — you are no longer bound by what you think you know. Knowing differently, knowing deeply, knowing better, happens when you pull yourself out of that box, or when life itself does it for you.

So many of us awaken to the beauty, mystery & gift that is life only after natural disasters, losing loved ones, devastating disappointments, near death experiences, or anything so moving that it completely knocks some sense into us and awakes us from our slumber. Heavy heartbreaking (more like ego breaking and heavy heart opening) experiences are really effective in waking people up. But not everyone needs to do it the hard way. There are some people that can do it while they still live an average everyday life, without severe ups & downs or scares. I’d say, let’s do it that way! Don’t wait for a hard wake up call, wake up now! Be open now. Get out of your head now. And fall in love with everything & nothing — with nothing but the simplicity & purity of every moment.

Every moment has infinite gifts and eye opening experiences, and deep deep stillness that puts us in touch with the mystery & source of all life. It both humbles us & empowers us. But in order to see this, we have to be awake, we have to be open. Like David Blaine says, his work offers glimpses of this. If you watch the people that he performs for, they are so focused, so wide-eyed, so still, so grateful, so full of joy, so full of wonder — this is what life is all about! This is available at ANY moment, under ANY circumstance. It’s always with us, around us, and in us. But we have to see it. Life itself is magic. You are magic! It’s all a gift. But you have to be open to fully receive it, to fully enjoy it.

Want to find Balance in Life? It’s a No-Brainer.

The work of Miyoko Shida Rigolo was brought to my attention yesterday (video embedded below). Her performance piece reminded me of a conversation I had, while hanging out at the High Line with a friend earlier in the week. The topic of the conversation was balance. The need for balance, and how good it feels when one has a sense of balance in their life. Balance is a word my mother likes to bring up over & over again. And we all know the most important lessons are often the ones it takes a lifetime to learn.

What is balance? We all know what it means in general, but do we ever go deeper into what balance really means when it comes down to a feeling or a state of being? Isn’t that the type of balance we are most attracted too? To think about balancing on a bicycle means nothing if we can’t feel it by remembering how it felt to be still, to finally balance as the wheels moved and propelled us forward. Thinking of how it feels to find our balance for the first time is very exciting. It literally lights us up. To become aware of balance is special, because it’s a realization that we can be virtually effortless — yet be fully supported & transported at the same time. It’s the perfect balance of minimal tension & maximum relaxation. And that is all it takes to be carried by life! This is true, not just on a bicycle, not just in a certain situation — but always. This is nature. This is our design.

To the extent that people separate themselves from nature, they spin out further and further from the center.
– Masanobu Fukuoka

I’m currently reading Masanobu Fukuoka‘s The One Straw Revolution. He talks a lot about trusting nature and moving in a way that is in alignment with it. In order to do that, we have to trust it. A surrender takes place. [For more about surrender, read The Meaning of Surrender.] Along with trust and a sense of surrender comes humility. It’s an understanding that you are part of a larger picture. One that you don’t dominate or put your ‘comfort zone’ stamp on. The big picture is beyond you (it happens for you and in spite of you). It is beyond the ability to see with the naked eye or envision with imagination. Often, lives only make sense in hindsight. Even the realization: “Hey! The more I allow momentum to work for me on this bicycle, the easier it is to balance. It’s actually safer to move forward with velocity & trust, than it is to let my fears slow me down by being overly cautious. I can simply relax into it what is happening and stay present as I’m being moved ahead!”

Instead of wanting something outside of ourselves to create balance for us (our wants/needs/goals/dreams), maybe we can look at how we might be tipping the scales in the present moment. How are we causing an imbalance? Are we mistrusting life and overcompensating in some way? Are we being too heavy or too light in how we handle things that are important to us? Are we moving too slow, cautiously waiting for the right time? Or are we rushing into things too quickly out of fear? Are our thoughts unnecessarily heavy? Are we making things harder or more complicated than they really need to be? Are we over-thinking & under-doing? Or are we over-doing to avoid being with our thoughts? In all of those questions, where is the balance point? Where is balance found? Is it in you, or outside of you? Is it even a thing? Is it based in form? Is it a mind state or an intuitive knowing? Does it have anything to do with you at all?

From what point do things or people find balance? How is it attained? What is allowing the correct amount of tension & relaxation. What facilitates the realization or the know-how? What creates the feeling of support & effortlessness? And don’t forget that when we talk about ‘things in balance’, this includes you. You are also being balanced as you balance things. Everything is. But how does it happen? Presence shows us the way. Let the present moment take you to the next, as you fully & fearlessly dive into it. Surrender. Give yourself to it. Let go & be moved. Watch how you are held when you surrender to the present. Where past & future don’t exist.

Paying full attention & moving effortlessly are a powerful pair. Key ingredients to an amazing life. But it happens when you give your full self to the present moment. Multitasking is not balance. Worrying about the future is not balance. Being stuck in the past is not balance. Fearing for your security or comfort is not balance. Wondering what the future holds for you is not balance. Where are you now? What is happening now? What would be the most important step you can take now? How can you powerfully & mindfully move now? What would be the most divine action you could take now? Give yourself fully to the moment and you give yourself fully to life. When you do this, you are carried by an unimaginable force. Life begins to live life in a wildly delicious way. You are life itself, you are whole, fascinating & mysterious! Why get in the way of it with unjustified fears & the need to manipulate everything? Just stay present, trust, be moved & feel totally alive! And the good news is; balance is a side effect to that. It’s a no-brainer.

[The super cool brain on bike artwork is by Kat Buckley. Check on her Katarsis blog. The famous ‘keep moving in order to balance’ quote is by Albert Einstein.]

Meditation Sessions, Singing Bowls & Indoor Gardens — Can You Dig It?!

Oooo, sorry for the delay on today’s blog post. I had a busy week, then spent my usual writing day (every Saturday) traveling to New Paltz. (Had a great time in New Paltz, got some sun & got some new seeds for my garden project!)

So here I am writing the blog post. Not sure what to chat about today, so I’ll just tell you what I’ve been into lately. Over the spring season I’ve been super inspired by singing bowls. Something about them just clicked for me. They feel right. Crystal bowls & Tibetan/Himalayan bowls resonate with me so greatly. There is no way I can explain it, no way I can put it into words. You’ll have to give them a listen and see if they resonate with you too. (To check them out, listen to Tibetan bowls here & crystal bowls here.)

This summer I am planning on putting three (well, more like four or more) things together for the most blissful-experiential-fun-educational summer ever! I’ve already put a little program together for myself, and I’m transitioning into it little by little as summer slowly rolls in. Here is the general outline: I’m going to meditate daily with my singing bowl (I have an antique bowl that I really love, bought from Temple Sounds); I’m growing an edible garden in a sunny-breezy room indoors (lettuces, tomatoes, herbs, strawberries, green beans — the works); I’m having fun with my own energy by moving my body & voice (taking fun dance classes & figuring out overtone singing). That is the general idea (along with a few other creative projects), and I’ll be turning up the volume/intensity on everything as the summer rolls in.

The plan is to really experience life: light & sound & color & energy (all the same really, just various vibrations). I want to connect with it (with life, with myself, with energy) on a deeper more intimate level, and do it on a daily basis in a mindful way. I also want to powerfully choose & surround myself with high-vibrations that really resonate with me. Of course this kind of energy is always within us and around us, but it’s usually drowned out by the chaos & noise, or unseen/not felt because of our constant ‘tuning out.’ It’s not often that we connect with what truly works for us in a healing & energizing way. We also rarely get silent or still, rarely tapping in & allowing ourselves to be moved consciously (mindfully, with full feeling).

In our very busy day-to-day lives, it’s easy to fall mindlessly into autopilot and forget about connecting to our deeper selves & to the deeper subtleties in life. That’s why I want to make going deep & ‘tuning in’ a daily habit. With time & practice, I imagine that my life would be more in tune. I would be more in tune with myself & others, more in tune with nature, more in tune with life itself.

In the past two weeks of transitioning into the program I have felt a super-healing difference in my overall well-being. It’s only been a short time, but adding sacred sounds from a singing bowl to my morning meditation; playing around with my voice & having fun with overtones; moving via yoga & dance, feeling the group energy in class or feeling the quiet energy at home when I practice alone; getting my hands in the rich black organic soil & watching things sprout & grow in the sun — what a difference — what a joy! It’s brought so much light/energy/color to my life. It feels like I’m adding more life to my life! As crazy as that sounds, it’s true.

I’m so excited to see what the summer will bring as I continue to make all these things a routine or daily habit. Life is so exciting when you get excited about it! Follow what inspires you. See where it leads. Decide what you want to explore this summer, and have fun watching it evolve. Watch yourself heal & grow & bloom in the process. Does that sound exciting or what?!

Who is responsible for the Boston Marathon bombing? …Are you sure?

The news about what happened in Boston is everywhere. The response I generally heard from the media after the tragedy was: “we are going to get them & bring justice!”. Get who? The guys you think you saw in security camera footage? The blurry pixelated faces? The two bodies covered in winter clothes? Then, with whatever leads the police supposedly had, they shut the city down for a manhunt? Eventually hunting down a 19 year old & killing a 26 year old? And of course these two were from a foreign land with an unpronounceable name (for the average American). After the hunt, the police tweeted on Twitter: “CAPTURED!!! The hunt is over. The search is done. The terror is over. And justice has won.” Uhh, yea, OK.

Anyway, (*sigh*), how is it that they (the police, government, & the average American) think the problem is an isolated incident? That terror is over when two young people are killed or hunted down? The problems we are facing in the U.S. are way bigger than what happened in Boston (we have many more threats to consider). And things will continue to get worse if we do not look at the bigger picture. What is the environment & culture & thinking that breeds or inspires such hate? (Not just the hate that bombed, but the hate that hunts, kills & blames.) And is shutting down a city (telling people to stay home) for a manhunt of a teenager & his brother (supposedly shown in an unclear video) wise? How can we call that justice? And how is the hunt (& killing) of them by the police even legal? Whatever happen to innocent until proven guilty in a court of law?

There is a friend of one of the ______ …..do I call him a victim, or a terrorist, or the accused? (I’m not even sure now, since the media & government has decided that for us.) There is someone that personally knows Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. His name is Troy Crossley. He started a campaign (more like a hashtag campaign called: #TroyCrossleyTruth on Twitter) to spread awareness about what is happening.

The mother (Zubeidat Tsarnaev) of Tamerlan Tsarnaev & his  younger brother Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, has spoke out against what is happening via BBC NEWS on April 20th. She said that what is taking place is a set-up & that her oldest son, Tamerlan, was controlled by the FBI for years.

You can also read this post on THE WEEK by Chris Gayomali. He is also questioning what is happening.

Alex Jones (who is a bit of a Negative Nancy in my opinion, & I can’t hear him too much, because it’s… just too much) has some good points. He raised the points (along with photos) in two videos he made about the Boston bombing. You can view them HERE & HERE.

Please be clear! I’m not saying anyone did or didn’t do it. I’m not saying that I take this person’s side or that person’s side. I am saying two things: think for yourself & take responsibility for your life. That means, don’t just allow the media & this government to create your thoughts or resolve things for you. Look for yourself, & choose the bigger picture. Let’s also look at the source of problems & not just the symptoms. If we don’t have peace of mind, & we feel that we are hated, & we feel threatened — why? Why is this happening? And is there a way to bring about a change? Not just in your own life, but in life as a whole. What are our priorities? Are they ones that truly matter? If you thought you (or someone you love) would be in a bombing tomorrow — would you live your day differently? Would you act, think or speak differently? What would your priorities be? Would they suddenly change? And if so — why aren’t those your priorities all the time? What is stopping you?

Disasters & tragedies can bring clarity — insight on what matters most. But for some, disasters & tragedies can bring about more fear — which can lead to more ignorance. It’s always up to us. Always up to me, & you. We influence each other. Let’s be the ones that live for what matters most. When you decide what is most important for you, & you have the courage to live it — it inspires others to do the same. Let’s inspire each other. Let’s bring justice & peace to our own lives by how we live each day. Then, collectively, the world will eventually reflect that. Until then, we must start with ourselves.

[If you would like, you can click on images to enlarge them. That way, you can read the embedded quotes clearly.]

Do you want to be right or happy?

There is always room for blame. There is always a reason, an excuse, a point-of-view; why things are the way they are. Why people are they way they are. Why the world is the way it is. It’s easy to say “That’s not right. Someone or something is wrong.” But who’s job is it to correct it? To make it right. To set it straight?

The answer is never outside of ourselves. Life is always a mirror. When we see something we consider wrong; something a mess or amiss, there is always a reflection of something we personally need to clean-up or set straight. It could be a matter of ‘letting go’, or it could be a matter of taking personal responsibility for correcting in ourselves what we dislike most about others. It’s easy to say “I’m not like that” or “I didn’t do that.” But an individual life or personality is vast, there is always something within ourselves that we don’t want to see or acknowledge. Something we are doing or being that isn’t in alignment with our highest values. There is also deep-rooted misery within ourselves that we desperately need to discharge, release or defuse (if only for a moment), through pointing the finger or through seeing life as lopsided. It takes the responsibility off of us, & sets it somewhere else. This misery, or this thing we can’t put our finger on, is the very thing that gets triggered easily by others, or by life itself.

If you let go a little you will have a little peace; if you let go a lot you will have a lot of peace; if you let go completely you will have complete peace.
– Ajahn Chah

When I see a ‘mature’ person. It touches me deeply. I feel the truth & the wisdom in who they are being. When I say mature, I am using the word as this quote does: Maturity begins to grow when you can sense your concern for others outweighing your concern for yourself (quote by John Macnaughton). But when I read that quote, I don’t think that it means to put yourself or your personal needs aside & to place everyone before you — but to see that there is no separation between you & anything in the world. Turning a blind eye, tuning out, being defensive, judging harshly, or being cruel — it only means that you are ultimately treating or viewing yourself that way. In the end, everything comes back to you. Each life happens through the eyes of the one living it. Therefore, we can either fully open up to life; trust it, get intimate with it — or we can shut down, close ourselves off & wonder why life is so difficult.

When there is a strong need to be right about ideas we have, or about the way life should be, or about the way people ought to behave, we set ourselves up for suffering. We actually begin to confuse ourselves, because we start to live life from the mind instead of the heart. We let fear & ego take a position of power, instead of simply allowing life to flow, & allow love to be the driving force in all that we do.

I often think of the quote: Do you prefer that you be right or happy? (quote from A Course in Miracles T-29.VII.1:9). I think of it when I see someone suffering over an idea they have about the way things should be, or when I find myself hanging on desperately to something as ephemeral as a thought. A thought that I know isn’t getting me what I ultimately want. And what can we all say we ultimately want? Everyone wants to be happy. Yet many of us are on a mind-game carousel that takes us nowhere, or better yet, to a place of pointless suffering & energy wasted. Many of us would like to get off this ride. If only we could see that we ourselves, no one else, has the power to stop it.

For me, self-inquiry helps to stop the mind-game carousel. To simply stop; to look nowhere for answers but within. To be honest with myself. To ask myself questions. To get to know myself on a deeper level. It doesn’t matter what others are doing or saying. But to witness with compassion what I am doing & saying, what I am thinking & feeling, & why. After that, my mind slows down. I become more spacious & patient, more open & tolerant — more understanding. I begin to see everyone as the same, & life itself as perfect, unfolding as it should. My breathing goes from shallow to full. My body releases its tension. My attitude lightens up. My face brightens up. My heart opens up. And my mind follows my heart, it too opens up. There is no longer a need to be right, not even a desire. To be happy is more than enough.

Love, Peace & Happiness …is responsibility

Love, peace & happiness is responsibility. A responsibility to others & to yourself. Every choice you make might be helpful or hurtful. It’s not helpful or hurtful to yourself –or– helpful or hurtful to another. See that if you hurt another, you are hurting yourself, & when you help another, you are helping yourself. You can turn it around as well; when you hurt yourself, or help yourself — others are part of it. There is no separation. There is no self-destructive person that is not hurting others. There is no self-loving person that is not loving others. There is no separate self, completely separate, unconnected from all selves. See all of humanity as one living being. See all animals as one living being. See all of nature as one living being. Now see all of that as one living being! See life itself, not as your life, but as Life. Life living life! We are all part of it, but at the same time, we are it. Let’s honor it, cherish it, respect it — let’s love it.

Valentine’s Day is fast approaching. For some it is a silly holiday that is completely ignored. For others, it is full of expectations & desires; desires to be loved & desires to love. In my opinion, any chance one has to reflect on the importance of love is a good opportunity. So this year, add a new context to the holiday. Make it not a reminder of romance, or friendship, or consumerism, or expectations — but make it a reminder that each & everyday is an opportunity to love. An opportunity to take full responsibility for the unlimited love we have available to us, & within us. It’s an opportunity to ask ourselves: Am I truly being loving & kind to myself? Am I being loving & kind to other living beings? Am being loving & kind to my community, to my environment, to nature, to the world? Can I improve on this? Can I be more self-expressed in this area? Can I be more generous? Can I be more active? Can I be more bold? Can I be more fearless? Can I love deeper? Can I be more sincere? Can I be more grateful? Can I be more helpful?

There is a slokah that I learned when I first began studying yoga. From the moment I heard it, it resonated with me. If one is practicing being more loving, & practicing being more responsible, I think it’s good to repeat it. It’s good to remind ourselves. And it’s good to let that reminder inspire loving being-ness in who we are & loving kindness in all that we do.

Lokah Samasta Sukhino Bhavantu

lokāḥ = worlds, especially the underworld, the earth and heaven.
samastāḥ = all, together, all together
sukhinaḥ = happiness, well-being
bhavantu = may all this be

May all beings everywhere be happy & free,
May my thoughts, words & actions contribute in some way
To happiness & freedom for all.

There is a quote from Sri Harilal Poonjaji that is very strong. It reinforces & drives home many of the points I try to share continuously in my blog posts. When I read the quote, it resonates with me deeply.

All that you are attached to,
all that you love,

All that you know,
someday will be gone.

Knowing this, & that the world is your mind
Which you create, play in, & suffer from,
Is known as discrimination.

Discriminate between the Real & the Unreal,
The known is unreal & will come and go.
So stay with the Unknown, the Unchanging, the Truth.

Tying the two quotes or verses together, understand that the Unseen or Unknown, or the dark, or the underworld, or even the tiny life forms we take for granted, like bacteria & insects, that live under us or on us — love that, just as you love close friends, lovers, & family. Respect & honor the mystery of life. See it all as connected & sacred. Find humility in the fact that you can not know it all, or understand it all, but you can love it all. This kind of unlimited unconditional love not only brings fearlessness into your everyday existence — but it also liberates you.

Why does it feel so good to love? Why do we all look for love? Why do we always long to be loved? …To set our hearts free. To no longer feel separate. This is love. This is available to us everyday. In unlimited unfathomable ways. This is yours for the taking. Take responsibility for it.

[Artwork photography by Alice Bartlett via My Modern Met.]

Definition of Freedom

I’m not one to be chatty, or to call all the time. I really like personal space, solitude, & time to reflect. As a result of this, most of my communication ends up being online. Often I get emails from friends, family, or people that know me through my blog. All of these emails are appreciated & valued — but when an email is personal, when it’s deeper, digging into heartfelt feelings or fears, this is when an email really stands out. This is when I want to say, “thank you!” Because through your open sharing, I too have opened up. When I receive these types of emails, I really wish I could include everyone in on the conversation. But the conversation is private — between me & another person. So, what I do from time to time on this blog, is I only post my response. My reply to the email, without any background information on the conversation, or any details about who I am corresponding with. Below you’ll find an email reply I wrote this week. Hopefully by only reading my response, you will feel like you were part of the conversation. Because to me, you were. I feel like everyone is part of every conversation that I have. (Because everyone is in my heart.)

Hey XXXXX,

Explore this this year.–>“I didn’t trust myself to just go with the flow.”

It’s a big one. Flow is EVERYTHING. It’s the real deal. It’s the essence. Don’t leave this lifetime without getting to know flow, without trusting the unknown. It’s like living a lie your whole life, and never looking truth directly in the face. It’s the ultimate of being fearless.

I heard something good yesterday. An interviewer asked someone what their definition of Freedom was. The person replied, “the absence of fear.”

In this world we have all sorts of daredevils and ‘ballsy’ people bragging and showing all sorts of outward fearlessness. But VERY FEW can be with inward fearlessness.

For most, it’s way too scary. For those that have made it their life-work or their practice, to trust the unknown — they can finally be themselves — they can experience (or be) causeless contentment. Real freedom; bliss, internal peace. A place that money, will or talent can’t buy. It’s Grace — unknowable, unpredictable, unfathomable — and effortless.

One can’t push or muscle their way there. It doesn’t work like that. All one can do is humbly let go, and trust fully — totally surrender. Every moment is an opportunity for us to do so. Every minute is another chance. And the good news is; we don’t have to go anywhere, buy anything, or do anything. It’s always right here, right now.

Wishing you the best year ever! :) Explore the Unknown! Be fearless! Meet what’s inside, the real you that is unseen, and oftentimes, unheard. Be with it, listen to it, trust it. It’s not just in you, it’s everywhere. Finally seeing and meeting yourself, you finally meet the world. You feel the love and the peace that has always been there. All along.

I’m glad you are XXXXX. :) That is great news.

Love you!
A.