Seize the Day

No playing it small today. Instead, take giant leaps and make bold moves. Remember, you already have everything you need to get through this next 24 hours. So just do the best you can and everything else will work itself out.

Sweet Home Alabama

So, I hopped on a plane a couple of days ago to fly back home to Alabama for a short visit with the family. Things here haven't changed much. But it's always a pleasure to see my lovely mother as well as to re-connect with my 4 little neices and nephews (ages 6, 4, 3, and 2).

I spent the day meditating, watching movies, giving a speech about "my life exeriences" at the local creative arts magnet high school (in short, I went to high school with the principle and she invited me to give an informal talk that snowballed into this big production with video cameras and a typed-up program and the whole 9---it was fun though). Then I had lunch with a buddy, dinner with Mom, saw more family and now I'm back at Mom's house.

The weather's a little chilly but all in all things are quiet and steady. I've caught up on all of the celebrity gossip, the news, movies (saw Babel last night), and I plan to clean out my email inbox tomorrow.

I'm back in LA on Thursday night in time to teach my donation class at Maha and looking forward to that. For now, I'll continue to enjoy family, old friends and everyone I encounter.

OK, see you when I see you : )

To My Fellow Music Lovers...

Just want to say thanks to all of you who have recommended, burned and/or gifted me with great music. Without you I wouldn't have nearly as many great songs to share with you on a monthly basis. Please keep sending me good music so that I can continue to share with the entire community.

Don't You (Forget About Me)

Don't You (Forget About Me)!! Remember that song, by Simple Minds, from the movie The Breakfast Club??

I heard it in the gym yesterday and I downloaded it off of itunes last night. I've been milking it ever since. That song totally takes me back to 1985, John Hughes, longing to be in highschool, and to all of the characters of The Breakfast Club. That movie is now officially included in my "Top 10 favorite movies of all time" list, along with:

(in no particular order)
Braveheart
Amelie
Shawshank Redemption
Jaws
Trading Places
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
It's A Wonderful Life
Election
Glory
Philadelphia
A Few Good Men

I know that I have 12 movies in my top 10, but how can any movie lover just pick 10?

Today!

Today is another gorgeous day in paradise! Today presents us with 24 hours to make a change, make a difference, set something positive and inspiring into motion. Today we have a golden opportunity to create something amazing for ourselves and for our planet. It's all about today! So, what would you like to create for yourself today??? What are you going to be about today??? What are you manifesting in your life today??? Take a deep, DEEP breath in. Hold it. Think about the bright, light essence of your true self. Think about all the bulls#%t that you've uneccessarily been holding on to and identifying with. And then, with your exhale, release everything you know to be false about who you truly are. The moment has now been reset. Remember, from this moment on, anything is possible (repeat that 10 times). All you have to do is think it, focus your attention on it, and call it forth. Now, let's go out there and make a difference together....

A Random Question For You:

Imagine you are driving home by yourself and just off the side of the road you see a basketball-sized circle full of the brightest, warmest most hypnotic light just floating there, and then following you. It's as if you have your own personal sun tailing you in the night.

You speed up, it speeds up, you slow down, and it slows down. Finally, your curiousity gets the best of you and you pull over, only to find the white light waiting patiently directly in front of your car.

Once you step out of the car, you are immeditately enveloped in the most loving aura, essence, energy that you have felt since you were in your mother's womb. The white ball of light then begins transmitting images of intergalactic space travel, and thoughts of joining beings from other dimensions on a tour of the universe.

You look around at passing cars and notice strangely that no one else is seeing what you're experiencing. You turn your attention back to the loving ball of light and again you are hyperaware that you are being lovingly summoned to be apart of a grand tour, one that will expand your mind, your consciousness, and your earthly abilities. That's right. Upon your return to this planet, you will be equipped with powers to see what others can not, heal and inspire. You will also have the speech and the consciousness to handle the universal wisdom you will learn, and you will know how to lovingly share that timeless wisdom with your fellow earthlings in a way that doesn't bewilder them or cause them to crucify you.

But there's one more thing being transmitted that may be cause for concern: You must depart right now with the ball of white light. There is no time to tell anyone where you are going (no texting or cell phones work in the light), and while you will only be gone for what feels like a couple of days to you, 10 years of earth time will pass before you return to this exact same spot. However, you will be the same age as the moment you left and everyone you leave behind will be cared for.

So, assuming you believe this scenario could indeed happen, do you go along with the light or do you stay?

This is not a trick question, or psychological test. There is no right or wrong answer. It's just something I thought of once, and I've already asked many of my close friends what they would do. So now I'm wondering what you would do. You can see this question as rhetorical or you can actually publish a comment with your answer.

21 Vinyasas

This morning I started teaching a new class at Crunch called '21 Vinyasas'.

...well, I don't know if "teaching" is the right word for it since I'm actually practicing with the class. So I'll say I'm leading the class through 21 vinyasas. That sounds more like it.

...well, now that I think about it, that number '21' and the word 'vinyasas' are used very loosely as well. After doing the math, I figure we did a handful more than '21' vinyasas (if you count the examples), and it's technically not a vinyasa that we're counting anyway. It's the number of Sun Salutations, which include a warrior pose (or 2) with a vinyasa (plank, chaturanga and updog) in between each side.

All in all, it was a bit challenging for me considering the time of day, and having to guide everyone through the series, and those 21-25 or so "vinyasas". But feeling the way I feel now, all open and loose at quarter to 2 in the afternoon, it was all worth while. I'm looking forward to doing it again next week.

You should come and join us if you're up and around, and you like the burning sensation in your shoulders as you scrape the bottom of the barrel for any remnants of your will to press on.

Nah, it ain't that bad...

Smiles.

Integrity

I went to bed early last night with a mild headache and slept really hard until about 6:30 this morning. Then I pulled out The Kite Runner and read for almost 2 hours until my home phone started ringing. No one ever calls me on my home phone, especially this early in the morning. I listened to the ring a couple more times and hesitantly got up to answer, thinking how disappointed I'd be if it were a telemarketer or someone like that.

I was surprised: it wasn't a telemarketer. It was my friend Integrity (his real name is Chris but I call him "Integrity" and he refers to himself as Integrity when he phones me or when we're hanging out). I was especially happy to hear his deep, crackly voice first thing in the morning.

More often than not, Integrity comes across as chipper and bright, all too happy to depart with the kind of sage wisdom that matches the rich tone of his voice. And I'm always too happy to be reminded by Integrity of the beauty that lies within and around me.

This morning I explained to Integrity how I was no short of elated to be alive, and to be full of opportunity to change whatever I thought needed changing in my life. Before my announcement I only halfway believed those words, but after saying them, I felt stronger in my resolve to make the most of my day.

I chatted with Integrity for a while longer, exchanging stories of loss and fantasies of gain. Then I closed my book, peeled myself out of bed, and proceeded to start my day by hand-screening some "Anything is Possible" t-shirts. By about the 4th t-shirt, I started to really get that anything was indeed possible. And for a brief spell, I felt really good about my life and all that I had done up until this day. I looked forward to the future. To being fearless. To being in integrity with my word.

Then I finished screening the last of the shirts and straightened up my apartment.

New Year's Eve

...as for 2007, so far so good.

I welcomed the New Year at a gathering of sober, alternative living-types at a peculiar Inn about 16 miles outside of Ojai, CA. It was one of those last minute decisions where you have so much to choose from and you end up picking the most random thing to do.

When my fellow comrades and I arrived at the gathering of 50 or so people of all ages and from all backgrounds just after 10:30, we were enveloped by warm greetings, laughter, friendly dogs, chant music, candles and people gathering in a circle on the floor of a very regular banquet room on the side of the Inn.

I recognized a couple of familiar faces from the yoga community in LA, and everyone else seemed to also be from LA. The feeling was good.

Mikey, the facilitator of this group opened the circle with a warm welcome and went on to explain the protocol of the evening up until midnight.

We started with a brief centering meditation, all eyes were closed, and a couple started playing drums and the flute. It was nice.

When we opened our eyes, Mikey announced that we would take turns offering gratitude for something and announcing our New Year's intentions. And finally, we would draw a promise from the "Promise bowl", which had about 60 slips of paper in it, and hold the hand of the person who had gone before us.

Now, I've been in situations like this before and from experience I knew that all of this would take the better part of an hour, if not longer. My only concern was that my back wasn't supported and I feared that I would be in agonizing lower-back pain 20 minutes in to the circle.

As if reading my mind, Mikey asked everyone to keep their comments brief---no longer than a minute and a half or so. Then he volunteered to start: and proceeded to speak for about 4 minutes.

I was next and decided to keep it extra brief, yet genuine. I said that I was grateful for all the things in 2006 that didn't go the way I wanted them to. And I was. I said that my resolution for 2007 is to follow my heart with absolute fearlessness. And it is. And my promise was to listen more than I speak. I think I have that one down already. But every now and again I catch myself slipping. So it was a good reminder.

We moved on to the next person and then the next. Some people kept it brief. Some people spoke longer. Strangely, I found that my inevitable lower back pain made me more present with everyone and that also made me feel good.

The circle ended at about 14 minutes past midnight (Mikey ended up rewinding the clock twice near the end so that everyone could "finish" before midnight) and then we all counted down and celebrated.

The music began and everyone got up and started hugging and greeting everyone else. It was beautiful! So many warm hugs and sincere greetings.

The rest of the night consisted of a little dancing, a little drum playing, snacking on hummus and olives, drinking plenty of water, chatting with my new friends, and people-watching.

We drove back to Los Angeles at about 3am and I was home and in my warm bed by 4:30.

I felt good about my unexpected night among new friends and I resolved to bring in the following new years in a similar manner.