What Thom Knoles Knows?

I just came off of a Thom Knoles meditation retreat this past weekend and I'm still putting into place all of the ideas and epiphanies that I downloaded while my eyes were closed. So much is going on in all areas, or as I like to say "It's All Happening!"

My teacher/guru/guide is Thom Knoles. The man is brilliant, accessible and genuine. He is a true bringer of light. And the best part is that he is not interested in accumulating followers or devotees; rather, his intention is to train meditators to be self-sufficient.

I've had the pleasure of spending a lot of one-on-one time with Thom as well, and he truly lives the principles that he talks about. You know how when you're faced with mundane life situations, you can tell when someone is putting on a front (or mood making), and when they are being sincere. Well, this guy is the real thing.

Thom is finishing up a course in LA right now, then he is off to teach in Australia this weekend. And when he comes back to Los Angeles in the fall, I will send out an email reminder for all that are interested to come out and hear him give an introductory talk about meditation.

Until then, check out his web site: http://www.introtomeditation.com

Have a good day.

Conscious Playground

I'm still on a high from my retreat, as I've been running into retreat participants here and there around town.

In fact, I saw some last night at the well-attended Conscious Playground gathering at the Epoxybox in Venice. There I mingled with old and new acquaintances and rediscovered my passion to stay focused on refining myself in order to help change the world.

As I laid in bed this morning, I started running a diatribe in my head about maintaining my connection to my body and my environment, thereby receiving the electrical current that allows me to shine and radiate my light. And the more consistently I can be in that space, the more I can be an example of what's possible. And that thought inspires me.

My meditation teacher likes to remind us that in order for the forest to be green, all of the trees have to be green.

It's a simple concept, yet in action it can go against everything we've learned about living a "successful" existence.

And it's an interesting contrast to this book I've been reading called The 48 Laws of Power, which talks about (in a very interesting and well-written way) how to squash your enemies and have power over people.

However, I think it's important to know about all perspectives as long as one embodies what one feels is right to him or her. And even that will change with experience, growth and understanding of life and all of her trappings.

The nutshell is that in this moment, I'm happy to be alive, to be blessed with good health, and to have the ability to see what's good in just about everything and everyone. And at the end of the day (no pun intended), that's all that we have is this moment. So to all of my fellow light soldiers....

Onward and Upward.

Playing the drums with Pamela on the retreat. 

Post-Retreat Syndrome

As I type this, I'm feeling pretty tired. It's been a busy week so far, and today I taught an extra class for Steve Ross out at Maha, which means I'm a little wiped out.

The good news is I've been on a serious high from my retreat. It was so perfect in every way! And now I can't wait to do another one. I've been thinking about when and where to do the next one... Hawaii? Costa Rica? Back in Ojai?? I guess the possibilities are endless.

It's still a little weird (and fun) getting back adjusted to my life in LA. I hosted an impromptu game night last night with my neighbors. We set the intention to have game night on Mondays. So I volunteered to do it at my place. And we ended up breaking in my new Balderdash game until about 1 in the morning. It was a good game. I won, of course. Barely, but I still won.

I tried doing another game night tonight, but I just have too much stuff going on in my head as I'm preparing to move apartments and with my other yoga projects. A good night's rest is what I need. Speaking of which, more later and Goodnight.