Sleeping in the Forest 
by Mary Oliver 
​
I thought the earth remembered me,
she took me back so tenderly,
arranging her dark skirts, her pockets
full of lichens and seeds.
I slept as never before, a stone on the river bed,
nothing between me and the white fire of the stars
but my thoughts, and they floated light as moths
among the branches of the perfect trees.
All night I heard the small kingdoms
breathing around me, the insects,
and the birds who do their work in the darkness.
All night I rose and fell, as if in water,
grappling with a luminous doom. By morning
I had vanished at least a dozen times
into something better.

Happy Thursday beautiful hearts!  As I was pulling out of my garage yesterday I could hear a huge flapping sound against my garage door.  As I looked back I didn't see anything, but when I returned home, I saw a huge dragonfly trying to escape through the glass.  I put up the garage doors and watched as he figured out his escape.

I believe that life is offering subtle and not so subtle signs and messages along our way.  As I perched myself in my office later in the evening I grabbed my animal totem book and looked up dragonfly.  I have to say, I'm always amazed but never surprised by how beautifully choreographed messages are.

"If dragonfly have shown up, look for change to occur.  Are you resisting change when you shouldn't?  Dragonflies remind us that we are light and can reflect the light in powerful ways if we choose to do so.  'Let there be light' is the divine promoting to use the creative imagination as a force within your life.  This is part of what dragonflies teach us.  Life is never quite the way it appears, but it always filled with light and color.  Dragonfly can help you to see through your illusions and thus allow your own light to shine forth.  Dragonfly brings the brightness of transformation and the wonder of colorful new vision." ~ Excerpt from Animal-Speak

As I peer into my own life I notice places of tension and resistance, stubbornness and outdated ways of being.  Change is there waving to me, to you.  Reading the healing wisdom of the dragonfly truly makes my heart soar.  As you gaze into your own life, where is there change occurring and you're resisting it?  Are you caught up in illusions?  This journey isn't about perfection, it's about courage, and showing up.  

Whatever change is showing up in your life, may you have the courage and compassion to move forward with a colorful new vision.  I'm pretty sure the Universe is cheering you on!  Let there be light!!

May You Sweetly Seek:)
In Gratitude, 
​Sarah 

"Be prepared to be judged, called selfish, irresponsible, even unhinged, when you take a step towards freedom, when you leave the known and walk your path.

Be prepared to feel guilt and shame, too.
Like you've done something wrong.
(It's just an old feeling from childhood).

Be prepared to feel unprepared.  
But be prepared to feel more alive than ever.
Freedom is your true nature, see:

You are not trapped in your body.  You are not trapped in your mind.  Your conditioning.  The roles you play.  Even the language you use.  None of these things are who you really are.  

You are the Presence prior to all identification, prior to form itself.  Naturally free and unidentified and unattached and whole.  The great Mystery of I Am, before I am this body, this gender, this age, this name, this ethnicity, this religion, this unique human form...

Before all the roles I play...
Before this job, this relationship, so many tribes to which I imagine I belong...
Before I belong to anyone or anything...I am.
Freedom itself. 
That is my true nature.
I was born free and inherited imaginary chains.
But in any moment, an insurrection:
Breathe.
Feel the belly rise and fall.
Feel the aliveness in your body.
Hear the sounds all around you.
Begin here.
Here.
Always here.
And you are free, wherever you are."

​~Jeff Foster

Happy Tuesday beautiful hearts!  The other day I was doing a search on the internet and happened to stumble across several articles on emotional intelligence (EI).  It's been a buzzword since the 1990's, but hasn't been clearly defined until most recently.  

One of the articles by PhD, Susan Whitborne of Psychology Today spoke of a pop culture character, Forest Gump.  On paper, his IQ test scores were probably below average, but then how does he end up leading such a fulfilling and magnanimous life?  And then how does a super high IQ scoring individual end up faltering in their lives?  Welcome the notion of EI.  

What exactly is emotional intelligence (EI)? Psychology Today says it’s:

1. The ability to accurately identify your own emotions, as well as those of others
2. The ability to utilize emotions and apply them to tasks, like thinking and problem-solving
3. The ability to manage emotions, including controlling your own, as well as the ability to cheer up or calm down another person

American Psychologist, Daniel Goleman developed a framework of the five elements that define Emotional Intelligence.  They are:

1. Self Awareness
2. Self Regulation
3. Motivation
4. Empathy
5. Social Skills

Why are these five elements so important in our intimate relationships as well as professional relationships?  Rhett Power shares his awareness in the Aug, 2017 issue of Success magazine. “If your emotional abilities aren’t in hand, if you don’t have self-awareness, if you are not able to manage your distressing emotions, if you can’t have empathy and have effective relationships, then no matter how smart you are, you are not going to get very far.”

I invite you to begin playing with these concepts in your life and if you are interested in more information there are actually activities you can do to increase your EI.  Cheers to this ever changing journey my friends!

May You Sweetly Seek:)
In Gratitude, 
​Sarah 

Happy Monday beautiful hearts!  I hope this day greeted you with a sense of wonder and a deep invitation to show up with your best self.  

I had the opportunity to take a Yoga class the focused solely on 108 Sun-Salutations in celebration of the autumnal equinox.  As I walked through the door I felt myself invigorated to participate in this ritual.  The practice of Yoga became very meditative as we moved through 108 Sun Salutations.  

About half way through I could feel my shoulders begin to ache and my low back got sloppy.  I listened to this dialogue and watched myself start to run away in thought.  "How will I ever finish this?" and so on.  Instead of running down the rabbit hole of doubt I modified, and I stayed dedicated to finishing.  

As the teacher called out, "9 more rounds, you guys can do this.  You've come this far why quit now?"  I felt her encouragement ripple through my body and my mind felt energized and my body somehow lighter.  I finished.  I was soaking with sweat, with love, with an amazement for how we show up.

So what gets you through challenging times in your life?  Here's the wisdom I received from my Yoga practice.
1. Intention is stronger than internal chatter.
2. Community is vitally important.
3. Breath brings us back to the present moment.  
4. Stay in the game, but modify if you need to.
5. Commit to showing up for yourself.  If you don't who will?
6. Love the process and love yourself.

As you peer into your own life I hope these little nuggets of wisdom become a point of strength for your life.  Life is always inviting us to notice our resourcefulness and resilience.  

Have an amazing day!!
May You Sweetly Seek:)
In Gratitude, 
​Sarah 

Happy Friday dear hearts!  Today I want to share this incredible compassion exercise that one of my dear teachers, Carol Lampman shared in her Integral Breathwork Training.  

This exercise can be done anywhere that people congregate, such as airports, malls, parks, beaches, sporting events, etc.  It should be done on strangers, unobtrusively, from some distance.  Try to do five steps on the same person.  

Step 1: With attention on the person, repeat to yourself:  "Just like me, this person is seeking some happiness for his/her life."

Step 2: With attention on the person, repeat to yourself:  "Just like me, this person is trying to avoid suffering in his/her life."

Step 3:  With attention on the person, repeat to yourself:  "Just like me, this person has known sadness, loneliness and despair."

Step 4:  With attention on the person, repeat to yourself:  "Just like me, this person is seeking to fulfill his/her needs."

Step 5:  With attention on the person, repeat to yourself:  "Just like me, this person is learning about life."  

May this benefit your life and help grow your capacity for compassion.  May we extend compassion to ourselves as well as others.  

May You Sweetly Seek:)
In Gratitude, 
​Sarah 

​

Happy Thursday beautiful hearts!  Loving this interview with Brene Brown on her newest book, How To Brave the Wilderness.  Trust is a major theme throughout her book.  

"Our trust is our integrity."  
Brene has identified seven elements involved with trust
1. Boundaries- set boundaries, what is okay and not okay.
2. Reliability- do what you say you are going to do.
3. Accountability- don't back channel and blame
4. Vault- other side of confidentiality, using stories that are not mine for currency.
5. Integrity- Choosing courage over comfort.  Practicing your values.  Choosing what is right over what is fun, fast and easy.
6. Non-judgement- can ask for help without feeling judged or judging myself.  
7. Generosity- when something happens I assume positive intent

I hope this interview benefits your life and that you add this book to your bookshelf! 
May You Sweetly Seek:)
In Gratitude, 
Sarah 

Happy Tuesday beautiful hearts!  I stumbled across this Tara Brach talk and it spoke volumes to my heart.  She so beautifully illustrates how we can get lost in our stories and perhaps lose such precious time with ourselves and loved ones.  And isn't refreshing to know that underneath all of the stories we tell ourselves, there is a true longing to connect?  

May this talk be of benefit to you.  
May You Sweetly Seek:)
In Gratitude, 
Sarah 

Happy Monday beautiful hearts!  Yesterday I had the pleasure of taking a beautiful Yoga class and the teachings of this class inspired the blog post today.  As we sat in an easy seat, Chelsea began inviting us into an abbreviated story of Hanuman, the Monkey god in Hindu mythology.  Hanuman is a servant of Lord Rama, and he is able to display his intense devotion and total love though several amazing feats throughout the Indian epic, the Ramayana (which is longer than both the Iliad and the Odyssey combined).  

It was said that his devotion was so intense that each time he opened up his chest Lord Rama appeared in the center of his heart.  As the story goes, Lord Rama's brother is gravely injured during a horrific battle in India and the only possible way he can survive as the tale goes is to receive an herb that is at the top of a mountain in the Himalayas.  Lord Rama is so beside himself that he is not up for the journey, but thinks perhaps Hanuman might be of assistance.   Hanuman would have to take  'leap of faith' across the ocean and scale up to the top of the mountain to gather this special herb.  

He accepts the mission and returns home with the herb in hand.  In our yogic practice, we practice Hanumanasana, or splits to symbolically replicate this leap of faith.  As I sat with this invitation yesterday, I was again reminded of my love for this practice.  It seems that each time we show up on our mats, or in our lives we are invited to take 'leaps of faith.'  You don't have to actively be practicing Yoga to answer this call, the invitation is always there.  Leaps of faith are sometimes knowing when its time to go and when its time to stay.  Leaps of faith cause us to be in true alignment with our intentions.  

Perhaps you recently took a leap of faith in your life, or maybe you are contemplating a leap of faith currently.  Know that you have within you the capacity to accept this mission.  You don't have to know all the details.  Maybe it's becoming so devoted to your mission that you feel the support all around you.  Trust that seen and unseen forces are cheering you on.  May you have the courage of Hanuman in your life to 'take your leap of faith.'

May You Sweetly Seek:)
In Gratitude, 
​Sarah