Headin' South

Great night in Harpursville NY last night.  Sorry no time to write more, but today we head "down south" -- all the way to New Jersey.

Much love.

Dharmashakti

Ithaca and the power of abundance

We're in Ithaca today and enjoyed a great Kirtan last night.  Sorry, no pictures -- the one at left is another one from Massachusetts.

Honestly, I was in a funny place when we arrived in Ithaca because, due to a lot of stuff that life just brings, the studio had forgotten that we were coming.  We made a check-in call during the morning and that's when the light bulb went off, "Boom!  OMIGOSH... today's the day that they're coming!"  Apparently, the afternoon was a frenzy of calls, emails and texts prior to our arriving -- and I'll admit that I got here with a little bit of a chip on my shoulder.

You know how our bodies get when we feel discouraged, they really are a reflection of what's happening inside, no matter how hard you try.  So, I was feeling a little discouraged and low, and my body was a complete manifestation of that.  No matter how hard I tried, poor Christian had to do all of the effort to get us ready last night.  But, as a final touch, I added the fabulous purple fabric given to me at Putnam Barn Yoga in Danvers, Mass -- it turned my bolster into this wonderful Disney-like purple poof cloud and that was enough to establish my pratyahara (sense withdrawal) and transport me from discouragement to a place of being ready to receive.  See, it's important to make your practice space a little special and removed from the day-to-day -- you never know where it can take you!

In spite of the last minute rush to get the word out, we had a really nice group of chanters and new chanters come for Kirtan -- a real tribute to the studio and the sangha leader.  As we began singing, this group just totally filled the room with sound.  The first Rama Jaya had such power and resonance that I also felt inspired by the human divine being celebrated through the chant.  We moved on through a conversation (somewhat like Danvers) and chanting on Saraswati (have you ever started your day by acknowledging yourself as being divine clarity, wisdom and creativty?), Christian's new Ganapati chant, three sutras on OM, finally finishing with a celebration of Lakshmi and our own power to be the manifestor of abundance in our own lives.  As we chanted the last song on Lakshmi, I suddenly GOT how I had been the generator of my own poverty during the afternoon -- and that I could instead choose to view each moment as blessed, even if it contains pain.  I began to tear up during the final strains and enjoyed my own beautiful release, which had been building throughout the Kirtan, but finally bubbled over with the abundance from the kindness and good company of everyone who came to be with us last night.

So, continue the lessons for yourself.  BE the abundance you seek in your life.  SEE the abundance in the world you already inhabit.  MANIFEST the energy to meet all that you truly need in life.  CREATE the space for your life to be truly full with peace, joy, love and light.

Om shanti, Om peace.

Dharmashakti

Quick note post Kirtan in Webster, MA

OM OM... just a quick note to add to today's earlier post.  We finished Kirtan tonight at a lovely home-based studio in Webster, Massachusetts named De-Stress With Yoga.  The studio owner, Mimi, invited us just this past Thursday when she heard we had an opening in the schedule.  With just 4 days of effort, she brought nearly 20 chanters to the studio to celebrate Mother's Day and the 4th Anniversary of her studio.  The people who came ranged in age and experiences, including a UCC minister! -- but we all had a great time contemplating motherhood and the things we bring into life in the world through our attitudes and presence.  Jai!  Here's a photo of some of us after the chanting -- notice the happy smiles.  We all said, "Svaha!" Peace and love.