The Lioness

Has Been Awakened

I was born under the sign of the lion, and I do posses many of the typical Leo traits.  I like grandeur, lavish living, children, and praise, lots of praise.  I do not like penny pinching, mean spiritedness, and the ins and outs of boring day to day living (yawn).   However, I do think the majority of my lioness traits have been dormant most of my life.  Nonetheless, these last few years my Leo-self has bent and floated into asanas I never could have imagined.  I have built a conscious business, growing it each year.  I have taught hundreds of yogis and have just completed my 500 hr teacher training with Shiva Rea.  All these events being instrumental to the awakening of my inner Leo, my truest nature.  My lioness has awoken.

Easing into the new year, I have been working on my organizing/arranging/sacred planning for 2012.  (Via my on line sadhana group with Shiva Rea.)  I've been asking myself some questions, what is my experience of myself currently? What is my vision of myself at the end of this next 365 day cycle around the sun?  What do I want to see in my business, my relationships, my health, my creativity, my spirituality? Not exactly easily answered questions, but questions that have led to much pondering and introspection.   I am learning January is an excellent time to muse, to plant future seeds/goals and directions for the new year ahead. 

During my contemplation of the afore mentioned  questions the image of a lioness kept arising.  The lioness who takes care of her young, who lives amongst a tribe, who is in many ways a "householder", all similar circumstances to my own.  Here is how I answered my own inquiry:

"She has begun her new year journey walking stealthily on her huge padded feet into her world of business, children, house holding, spirituality and love. As her feet leave a delicate imprint in the soft new ground of 2012 you will see her sway and swagger with each step.  Her gentle sloping shoulders reflecting her relaxation, her amply cushioned feet gracefully flowing in front of her with each day.  Crouching down to examine things a bit closer, taking "cat" naps in the sun.  Perking up her ears to listen better, and not afraid to growl and bare her teeth if she deems necessary simultaneously shifting to a meditative purr.  She is surrounded by her ever supporting tribe, for she has learned "you are the company you keep."   Her body is healthy and tone, eyes bright with ferocity.  Most noticeable is her heart that is alighted with the fire that she continually tends.  This lioness has been awakened and is ready to gracefully traverse her way through the expanse."

I encourage you to grab your journal and begin pondering and questioning, planning and compass pointing.  You may be ever so pleasantly surprised at what you've cultivated upon reflection on December 31, 2012.

Presents with presence.

Bali Malas holiday presents with presence.

Practice presence with your presents this holiday season. The Mala Tree is decorated and keeping our offices bright, while the snow falls outside and the temperatures drop.  Bali Malas' studio is all abuzz with our trusted elves all pitching in to help fulfill your orders.  Keeping in mind our products are all handmade in Bali, and do take time to get to us, so please be sure to do your shopping early.  We have tried to stock up this year, but as usual, there are many beautiful malas that are just flying out the door! Order today. Jai Ho! Only here for the holidays... Jai Ho!  Think triumphant joy, upbeat, uplifted!  Miniature rudrakshas alternating with hand selected semi-precious stones,  anchored wtih larger  bead.  All threaded and handknotted on matching string/tassel.  All Jai Ho! are approx. 21" long enough to wrap around neck twice or wrist several times.  Limited supplies, available during holiday season only.

Because she loves to be adorned.  Visit our exquisite Sri Collection. Treat yourself or that special Goddess this season with an exclusive piece from our Sri Collection.  Sri, the sacred sound of cosmic auspiciousness and abundance.  We've created this collection of pieces that are of an extremely uplifted nature.  All of these pieces are made with only the highest quality of gold, silver and several incorporate the use of Chikna beads.  Chikna quality rudrakshas are an extremely rare, highly concentrated form of rudraksha bead, only befitting of our Sri Collection mindful adornments.  Very limited offering. 20% Off Coupon Enter coupon code 'holiday' at checkout to receive 20% off your next purchase.  Valid for single use only, expires 1/1/2012

Thanks. Giving.

Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love.
-- Hamilton Wright Mabie

At this time of gratitude, Bali Malas extends a deep bow to you, our fans, supporters, customers, net workers and all around Bali Mala advocates.    On a snowy evening five years ago, with my dear friend Soma (the creator of all Bali Malas) visiting from Bali, our little rudraksha mala business was born.  On that night, Soma shared with me her vision of bringing her rudraksha mala designs to the west.  Even though I did not know a RUDRAKSHA from an ACAI berry back then (but do now!) and I often got the word mala confused with the word lama, I thought it was a fabulous idea and immediately jumped at the opportunity.

In these five years, never having operated or owned a business before this, I have been humbled,  bumbled,  and flowed, but mostly I've strived to develop an "awakened business".  We have gone from a whim of an idea to a full fledged business with staff, inventory and everything!  From our very first on line sale (thank you Dave Barry!) to over 400 on line sales so far  this year.  We are in over 50 retail locations in 13 states with an even larger distribution through our partners at White Swan Music.  Growing slowly, but growing we are.   I have learned much about business, but more importantly I have learned about you.  You can't be taken for granted, you can't be given half truths, and when given respect, compassion, honesty and care, you will blossom into the most loyal, heartwarming, supporters any small business could ever ask for.

Sometimes, especially in these busy times, I forget to take a moment and realize what our business is doing.  Sometimes, like in these busy times, I forget how sacred and special our products are,  and can be, to each of you.  What they are to me. I've learned I must stay "awake" in our business to have the business that I want to be, and am proud to be,  a part of.

I have kept a file I call "sweet nothings" of emails I've collected  from you through the years.  Your support and kind words have helped keep Bali Malas going when at times, I wasn't sure I wanted it to.  Here is a sampling of what you've all sent to me that has encouraged me through the years.

"The girls and I LOVE our latest acquisitions from you... they are GORGEOUS!... truly.... "  - Debbie
"Thank you for sharing and please keep offering up your thoughts - you are touching lives and hearts!" - Jolene
"I received the necklace several days ago. It has already had a positive effect in my life."  -Richard
"simply want to say how much i love your products, what you're doing, the feeling i get from your mala, and on and on. basically, thank you! love and peace." - Rachel
"The mala and the matching bracelet just arrived.  Both are very beautiful and you have an extremely happy customer.  My partner will also have a beautiful smile on Christmas day now :-)" - Dave

We are truly blessed to have you as our customers.  Thank you for trusting us with your friends, your families and with yourselves.  Thank you for being willing to adorn the beauty of what you are, to enhance your gorgeous self, with Bali Malas.  It was five years ago and still is today Bali Malas' intent to restore vibrancy, compassion and healing to our planet by the wearing of rudraksha beads.

Wear Peace.

Lost in Transitions....

... my ever present Sherpa of Transition.  

Without whom I would still be wandering around the Spanish Market of Santa Fe.

---

 

As the leaves begin their release from their safe, secure, attached place on the branch, to their ever so long, unknowing, gentle float to land on the ground that has always laid there, just beneath them, fall is upon us.  The leaves will dry and crumble, eventually decomposing to assist  in the cycle.  The signs of autumn have arrived in our town with sharp, crisp air, incredibly gorgeous cloud formations, crackling blue skies, long shadows, and today, a much needed rain.  Fall is a time of transitions.  The transition of going back to a routine of schoo/work for many.  Transition towards the closing of the year.  The moving away from the warmth to the cool.  Swimsuits to sweaters.  As we navigate these transitions it is important to notice how we move through them.  The transitions, the places in-between the yoga postures, the pause at the top of the inhale, the float from branch to ground.  These are the places that interest me the most.  These are also the places that can sometimes be the most dangerous, the least paid attention to, the most unconscious, the places where the ankle turns as we walk off the curb, where the back tweaks moving from a simple Bhujangasana to Ardho Mukha Svanasana.  The mind has often already moved on to whats next, not even realizing the transition is what is happening now.  The space in between is where we are.  These are the places I'm learning to pay the most attention to.  The worst car accident I've experienced was when we were literally in transition, moving from one house across town to another.  Boxes, dog, cat, goldfish and plants packed in the car, already thinking of how I'd like to paint the hallway of the new house, not being present in the moment the light turned red.

Explore it, delve into it. learn from it.  As I pack away my swimsuits, sunhats, and shorts and dig out my sweaters, socks and (gasp!) shoes I try to linger in these spaces in between.  The space where we find ourselves in sundresses with sweaters over them. One foot under the down comforter and one in the cool night air.  The layers on, the layers off, the layers on again.  The space from pool to school, between the cobra and downdog, from apple tree to apple pie, intention and action, between the inhale and the exhale.  They are long, rich, deep and dark,  and without them we would get nowhere.  The question is HOW to we get somewhere, HOW do we use and move and groove through those places in the middle of then (past) and there (future).  Take a moment to watch that leaf leap, what happens right before it drops and right before it lands, take pause in those magical spaces in between.

Reach out...

Reach out and touch someone....  From 1979 through 1983, for those of us who remember those days, the phrase "reach out and touch someone" was an ad slogan for the  Bell System (aka AT&T).  It was based on the premise of the natural  human desire to communicate with others.  These days we don't  need a round dial we stick our finger in and crank, or a wall mounted, short curly corded phone to communicate.  We have so many  avenues, text, email, FaceBook, to name a few.  Communications are at lightening speeds.  However, I wonder if we are actually really  communicating and if so then WHAT are we actually communicating?  Authenticity seems lost.  Looking into anothers eyes seems almost  foreign and a bit intimidating.    I ran into a friend who has a very  strong "social media" presence, and asked him what he has been up  to of late.  His reply was "you obviously haven't been reading my  posts, or blogs, or you would know what I've been up to".  He said  this with all sincerity. Hmmmmm..... FB and texts and blogs are all a great way of spreading the word--  but my soul, my real communication center, has been feeling a bit  slighted lately.  It is having a hard time really "connecting" with others.   Sure, I blog, FB, text, email and tweet, but I long for the slow, face -to --face, look in your eyes, old fashioned way of knowing what is  going on... really going on with one another.  Even in yoga classes we  stagger our mats so we don't have to touch each other.  When I see someone, and even more strongly, when I touch someone, my soul  knows so much more about them than I could ever read in 130  characters or less.  The art of touch I fear is being lost in our society.  What with lawsuits and hyper-technology it is no wonder.  Am I a  neo-luditte?  Possibly, but I encourage you to be brave, dial into  someone's true communication center.  Reach out, really reach out  -- be it their arm, their shoulder, their hand or their soul --  and touch someone!

My Warrior Son and My Warrior Poses

Warrior:  (Tibetan: "pawo")   From my understandings of the teachings of Shambhala Buddhism, the essence of warriorship or the essence of human bravery is refusing to give up on anyone or anything.  The warrior rests in the state of warriorship, rather than struggling to go to the next step.  The warrior experiences a sense of relaxing in his unconditional confidence.  This describes my son.

My sailor son has been home for three days now, and leaves in five days.  I am trying hard to be in the moment with him, hold him when I can and not allow that deep soft part of my heart trigger the tears that flowed uncontrollably when he got off that plane.  Not now, save them for when he's gone again.  Having him home with our entire family has reminded me of that place of bitter/sweet tenderness.  That place some Buddhists call the  genuine heart of sadness.  

"By simply letting yourself be as you are, you develop sympathy toward yourself,  awakening this genuine heart within yourself. ... Your entire being is exposed - to yourself, first of all but to others as well. ... If you search for awakened heart, if you put your hand through your rib cage and feel for it, there is nothing there except for tenderness. You feel sore and soft, and if you open your eyes to the rest of the world, you feel tremendous sadness.   Real fearlessness is the product of tenderness. It comes from letting the world tickle your heart, your raw and beautiful heart. You are willing to open up, without resistance or shyness, and face the world. You are willing to share your heart with others." 

Now as his welcome home sign crafted by his little sister sits on our porch and we send out the evites to his farewell party my heart pulls and that deep untouchable place is prodded again.

My eldest son, he has been in the US Navy now for two a half years.  He left a pretty cushy situation as a sophomore at ASU in Tempe AZ after one of his writing assignments in a class was something of the nature of "what do you want to do with your life, what do you want on your epitaph?"  He choose to serve his country, as odd as that can sound in these times, and especially from a child born and raised in Boulder CO, raised on all organic foods and taken to nuclear plant protests throughout his childhood by his "hippie" mom. 

Off he went into the Navy SEAL program.  He didn't complete the incredibly difficult training of SEALS before he was hospitalized with pneumonia.  He has since been on his first deployment of 11 months in Guam.   Grateful it wasn't to somewhere much more dangerous (anyplace that begins with a vowel.)  It has difficult having him so far away for so long and I've practiced with my warriorship, meditation, bravery, *Vira I and Vira II yoga poses and the occasional margarita, to get me through the tougher times, i.e. Christmas, birthdays, earthquakes/tsunamis.... 

And yet, with all my practice and preparedness I still find my mind drifting to the questions.  When will I see him next?  Will he be deployed to one of those places beginning with a vowel?  Will he come home whole, body, mind and spirit?  Will he come home with another tattoo or with a wife?  Only time will tell and in that time it is my time to learn again how to surf through the days without him close by.  I will certainly be found often in my many variations of Virabhadrasana, including my favorite, crumbled on the floor exposing my genuine heart of sadness. 

As he told me when he first went into the military, we both want peace in the world, we are just coming at the same goal from different angles.  Maybe between his service in the military and my working in a community of yogis, Buddhists, and mala lovers it can actually be attained.  It may just take a bit of both.  It is a centuries old idea, to save the world you have to serve it.
 

Warrior in the world mala part of our new sri collection

My warrior wears a special mala designed by Soma for him, the one personal item he choose to keep with him throughout his trainings. 

*Virabhadra is the name of a fierce warrior, an incarnation of Shiva, described as having a thousand heads, a thousand eyes, and a thousand feet, wielding a thousand clubs, and wearing a tiger's skin. Or military fatigues...

I may have just found a new seva project after reading this article of interest

Q: how has yoga positively changed your life?

I was recently asked this question.
A: Yoga in earnest can strip you of your masks and covers and expose you to yourself.   Which of course is great, and scary.  Not exactly what I would sign up for if on the brochure.   I've learned the deeper the work the more likely the changes you initiate will take hold. 

I began yoga about 10 years ago after the birth of my fourth child. My uterus was collapsing as all the babies I carried were all quite large and surgery was recommended. I thought I'd give yoga a try first. I attended my first class at our local recreation center, mainly because they had childcare.  The teacher was fabulous and unknown to me she was a senior student/teacher of Richard Freeman (of course, I do live in Boulder CO after all). After about 4-5 years of attending her class at the rec center she convinced me to attend the Yoga Workshop studio, Richard Freemans studio, her home studio.  It was quite intimidating at first and why it took so long for her to convince me to attend.  In my mind I was just a mom trying to get in shape and keep my body whole.  I loved those first years of yoga, and I am still friends with many of us who attended this class regularly.  This happens I noticed in yoga, you don't just attend a class, you become friends.   At this time I was just starting the mala business, BaliMalas.com, another great story for another day.  I had met a really dynamic woman named Shiva Rea while attending my first Yoga Journal Conference to sell our malas.  She knocked my socks off!  Shiva, who also used to be a student of Richards was at a conference in Denver that OmTime Yoga was sponsoring. I attended and began practicing more and more at OmTime where Shannon Paige Schneider, a senior practitioner of Shiva's teaches.   Here is where my physical desire for yoga healing transformed deeper into my spiritual/emotional healing with yoga. My uterus was no longer an issue, my health was now optimal but my soul was still a bit unawakened and unobserved.

I joined Shiva's teacher training and between Shiva and Shannon and many many tears on the mat my soul is more awakened and more in the light. All the while my family and dear husband have riden this wave of yoga with me and supported me through it all. I am almost complete with my 500 hour teacher training of Shiva's. My goal is to complete this summer by end of July.

So yes yoga has positively changed my life. I have a thriving business that supports and spreads love to sooooo many because of yoga. Click here for more on the how and why of my business.  I teach yoga twice a week at CU and a class at Om time which so lifts me each time. My physical body is quite possibly the best it has been my entire life. At aged 46 it is nice to love my body.  My relationships have thrived and deepened. My husband was talking to Shiva at the conference we sponsored just last month and said "my wife loves you and you have changed her life".  My emotional health and spirituality feel so right and inspire me each day as a result of my work with yoga.  The key here is to always keep returning to your reflection. What are you seeing in yourself. What is being exposed. Keep showing up and shedding yourself on the mat. Let the tears flow. I love that my mat has been soaked in sweat and tears.  I try not to wash it too often as a reminder of what has transpired on it. 

Much love to those who ask the questions, the curious ones. You are on your way.