Getting Tattooed with Grandma!

Me and Grandma celebrating her 90 beautiful years

I spent last weekend celebrating my grandma's 90th birthday. For two nights we spent time as a family in the celebratory place of her choice--karaoke bars, and the girl shut the place down! I didn't get to bed until 1:30am both nights; me, who usually goes to bed with the sun, was up singing and dancing and having a fine time. I figured, if that is the stuff that gets one to the sweet age of 90, I'm in! As a result, I've been riding a high all week inspired by an amazing woman. 

At Grandma's party so many admirers dedicated heart-felt songs and just loved her up, giving thanks for her continued presence in their lives. She, of course, was gracious and lovely in receiving it all. At one point I asked her what her secret is for longevity in relationships. Without missing a beat she answered:

1) A love that is always there, no matter what! (said with sweet spice that is a trademark of Grandma:)

2) communication

3) and lastly--respect (I'll never forget the fierce way she said the last ingredient)

Wise words coming from a woman whose life has reflected the above 3 qualities, not just with her husband of 65 years (sweetest couple I ever had the pleasure of knowing), but with every person she interacts with--North Stars shining bright: love, communication and respect. 

OK, so as not to get too sappy, on an end note (pun intended) a final story in honor of this awesome woman. I've noticed when folks live happily into their later years, there's often a certain amount of spunk that's adopted, and Grandma is no exception. There was a tattoo parlor close to a restaurant we dined at, and I jokingly teased that we should get a tattoo together. She innocently asked, "What would we have tattooed?" and I suggested, "I'm thinking, a nautical star." With a mischievous grin she pointed to her chin, "When I'm 100, I'll get it right here!" It's a date.

Thank you, Grandma J, for your fine example, beautiful voice and abiding care. You are loved!

Find Your Strength, UURRRGGGGH!

November's Inner Constellation theme is gratitude and I just got taken to schoooool to learn a profound lesson in appreciation. Recently, I had the unexpected opportunity to sit with a terminally ill young person for the day. I'll be using the non-gender specific pronoun, "they" to refer to this one to retain confidentiality, even though it's improper English, forgive me:). Here's what they taught me--health is a privileged reality, if you experience it, nurture and appreciate every moment. Spending a day in their reality was a wake up moment. But, the lesson goes even deeper--in spite of being very sick, I kid you not, they smiled and thanked every person caring for them, even though that necessary care impacted their pain, often making it worse.

I was in pure awe and have continued pondering this Bodhisattva, gaining a smidgen of insight on wellness versus disease. As you might have picked up from this blog, I categorize the care for one's Inner Constellation into three primary points of focus:

1) Body
2) Mind
3) Emotions

With all three, I stress the importance of balance. What happens when one or more of these aspects of ourselves is degenerating, ie completely out of balance? In the above example, the young one's body was almost entirely disabled by disease, however the other two components of mind and emotions were consciously strengthened. It was obvious spending the day with this person that tremendous energy was invested in staying positive and grateful. The result was an amazing solidity, in spite of the failing form.

How might I take the idea of balance and apply it to my body, mind and emotions? When one is not in a state of well-being, might I turn toward my strengths and spend energy increasing what I can increase? If my mind is all over the map, agitated and jumping around like a monkey, can I take my strong, healthy body and go for a run, stretch and do some yoga or go for a mindful walk? Heck, I might even dedicate the merit of my exercise to someone who is not able to exercise, or, I might dedicate the merit of my activity to my monkey-mind! If my body is hurting and in pain, might I use my big heart to send myself some loving-kindness, reach out to a person in need and give him or her some care and affection?

Meeting my young Bodhisattva friend inspired and expanded my capabilities and sent a gentle and loving message--when a part of myself is not at its strongest, love it up, then put energy into what is strong. Find your strength--body, mind, emotions. Exercise it to your fullest potential. If you need a coach, someone to fire you up and be a cheerleader, contact me.

Malala Wins Nobel Peace Prize!

Malala Yousafzai wins Nobel Peace Prize

You might have heard that Malala Yousafzai won the Nobel Peace Prize and is the youngest recipient in history. Interestingly, I’ve been studying the idea of Reverence for Life as a practice this week and feel this young woman embodies this idea with her North Star of education for every woman, man and child regardless of race, religion or creed. Whenever she speaks I’m inspired. She’s a clear voice, resourcing her own experience of being shot by the Taliban yet living to become an advocate for forgiveness, love and fostering the best in people, no discrimination. Here’s her heart felt Nobel Prize acceptance speech. If you don't know her story, you may wish to view this 38:00 minute documentary on the Inner Constellation Poster Child, Malala Yousafzai. Enjoy and be nourished.

Thich Nhat Hanh's 88th Birthday is Saturday--Join the Celebration!

This Saturday, October 11 is Thich Nhat Hanh's 88th Day of Continuation! He is one of my beloved teachers and when I received an email from the TNH Foundation about his birthday wish, I thought to share it with those of you who also love him so....

Here's what Thay says is the greatest gift we can offer him:

Of course we can buy a present from the market and we put a lot of love into it. But to tell you the truth, my hut in Upper Hamlet in not large enough to store all these kinds of presents. I would like to have a kind of present that I can enjoy every day and you also can enjoy every day – a present that can last for a long time, a present of the heart. I think that the best kind of present you may like to offer is a promise that you are sure you can honor, like: “Dear Thay, I promise that from now on, every time I hold a cup of tea, I will see the cloud in the tea and the cloud within myself.” That kind of present would be wonderful. Don’t make a big promise, like: “Dear Thay, I promise that from now on every step I make will be in mindfulness.” That may be a little bit too difficult! So, look deeply and make the kind of promise that you believe you can honor. Not too much, just one. And the maximum is two…I suggest only one promise…the kind of promise you are sure you will do. Just a little promise that will last all your life. That would be the most wonderful birthday present for Thay.

How precious is this request--are you going to do it? I am...So here's what you do...in honor of Thay’s 88th Continuation Day, you're invited to offer a present of the heart – send Thay your promise via Facebook, Twitter, or email this Saturday, OCTOBER 11th.You can share your promise via Facebook using the Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation Facebook page, via Twitter @TNHFound using the #HappyContinuation, or by email using the address: info@ThichNhatHanhFoundation.org

Let Thay know that you are committed to a mindful life and the practice is alive in you. Happy Continuation Day, Dear Thich Nhat Hanh!!!

"Let Go and Be Nourished" Fall Mindfulness Retreat

This past Saturday Lake Tahoe Mindfulness Community participated in our first half-day seasonal retreat. The theme was, "Let Go and Be Nourished." I left feeling entirely rejuvenated by the community and the fall season. My practice is inspired! I thought to recap a brief post of what we soaked in to continue to nourish ourselves throughout this fall season:

1) Fall Meridian points - Large Intestine and Lung were highlighted as connected to the season of fall. These articles are a recap of what was discussed in more detail:

• Blog article on LI  
• Blog article on LU

2) Silent Walking Meditation - Ahhhh, we headed to Paradise Park down the road from The Studio and had a beautiful, still morning of walking mediation. We practiced matching our breaths to our steps, following the needs of our lungs. Mindfulness verses (Gathas) were introduced as a way of matching words to steps while taking in the beauty of our fall surroundings. Here are some further blog articles to support your walking meditation, including the IC poem read, Walking the Veranda. 

3) Loving Kindness Meditation - one of my favorite topics! Here are some Inner Constellation blog articles which are what informed the talk:

• What is Metta or Loving Kindness Practice
• Loving Kindness Phrases adapted by Karla
• Buddha's words on Loving Kindness/Discourse on Love
• More articles on Loving Kindness Practice

Lastly, we enjoyed our warming agents (tea and soup) tremendously, and folks were wondering the delicious ingredients. Our tea was compliments of Crissy Jory, a special fall health mix that was included in the Fall Studio Share Basket. It infused the air with spicy fall goodness, thank you Crissy! If you would like more information on our seasonal Studio Share Baskets, please contact Crissy. And lastly, here's the recipe for the Hungarian Mushroom Soup, delish!

If you would like to deepen your work with Mindfulness and the season of Autumn, please don't hesitate to contact me and we can set up a private session. Also, Lake Tahoe Mindfulness Community meets every Wednesday morning, 7:30a-8:30a at The Studio Lake Tahoe for community practice. Check out LTMC's Facebook page for the latest. Thanks to everyone who joined together on Saturday to practice--may it nourish us, our loved ones and our community. Look forward to Winter Retreat, December 13, 2014 from 9:00a-12:00pm. 

Hungarian Mushroom Soup Recipe

We enjoyed this soup as a warming agent for our Fall Mindfulness Retreat with the theme, "Let Go and Be Nourished." Yum, did it ever help us do just that!

Oh, and it's compliments of Eunie Lyle, who is an awesome culinary instructor at Lake Tahoe Community College, I've adapted it a bit for my tastes:

Hungarian Mushroom Soup

4 T butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 # fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 t dried dill 
1 T paprika
1 T soy sauce
2 cups veggie broth (I make mine homemade, if you want to know how, contact me)
1 cup soy milk or other non-separating product (Milk is delicious too)
3 T all-purpose flour
1 t salt
black pepper to taste
2 t lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh parsley
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (good for that Large Intestine meridian we discussed) or sour cream

Method:
Melt butter in large pot. Saute onions in butter for 5 minutes. Add mushies and saute 5 more minutes. Stir in dill, paprika, soy sauce and broth. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.

In a separate bowl, whisk milk and flour together. Pour into soup and stir well to blend. Cover and simmer for 15 more minutes, stirring occasionally.

Finally, stir in salt, pepper, lemon juice, parsley and Greek yogurt. Mix together and allow to heat through over low heat, about 3-5 minutes. Don't boil, serve immediately. Enjoy!

Fall Half Day Mindfulness Retreat

Fall equinox is tomorrow and on this evening's mindfulness walk with cloudy skies and my feather-down vest, I could feel the wheel a turning! Smoke from the King's Fire in Placerville had finally cleared after carpeting our area all afternoon, and I relished in the crisp (almost) autumn air. I'm so looking forward to sharing a nourishing day on October 4th to soak in the aspects of fall. We will be discussing preemptive treatment of Autumn Meridian Points in addition to mindful eating, chants as a vehicle to still and focus the mind, the 5 Mindfulness Training from Thich Nhat Hanh, and my personal favorite, Loving-Kindness Meditation. Please join me in coming together to resource the aspects of the season to nourish ourselves, our loved ones and our community.