Happy New Year!

Hi sweet readers,

This is my last post for 3 months. I am taking a break from writing Lindspiration.

I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading and supporting my work. Feel free to roam and explore the 2009/2010 archives until I figure out how to take my blog down without deleting what I've written. If you like a particular post, please let me know by emailing lindspiration@gmail.com. I will be editing and perhaps expanding on a few to publish in book or e-book format. Very exciting! :)

I wish you a happy, healthy and inspired 2011!

Thank you,

Lindsay

Runner and 'Lover of the Light'

Good morning! Another poem this morning -- enjoy:

Learning to love

shadows

maybe not love

appreciate

maybe not appreciate

tolerate

maybe not tolerate

accept

shadows

there is no running away

least of all because you can't run

yet

when you are able

don't

run

under joy

lies

frustration

under which

lies

creation

and some kind of destiny

light creeps into crevices like a spider on all eight

nimble, crafty

unafraid

able to defy

gravity

able to spin

nets of sorts

don't distract

or switch

and trade to transfer

stay here

in shadows

inside answers

to your chocolate chunk pecan cookie

cutter

questions

fresh out of your overheated oven

set at 450 degrees

hot coils an invitation to get burned

how does your belly look now

can you see a difference

after all that

n

a

v

a

l

g

a

z

i

n

g

a surprise comes clean

after catching you off guard

after throwing you off base

I'm sorry

it says

I didn't mean you any harm

it utters

I was just running from my own shadow

it whispers

won't you run with me

it beckons

but the runner can't run yet

and you are learning to accept

shadows

maybe not

accept

tolerate

appreciate

love

and light like a runner on the inside track

outfitted in gold suit and shoes

breaking tradition with truth and disturbing the peace with prowess

sprinting into spectacular brightness

catching reflections in spectacles,

you see.

:) I was inspired by this song "Lover of the Light" by Mumford and Sons!

Cold Feet > Hot Pursuit

Good morning!

I'm on vacation and up in the 5am's, good lord. It's actually turning into a bit of a working vacation as I'm teaching another intenSati class at Equinox (subbing for a dance instructor who is snowed out of NYC) 92nd/Bwy at 10:15am. Open guest list -- come play! Not that teaching intenSati feels like work. As I found out yesterday, I love teaching this class so much that it really didn't bother me at all to travel to Tribeca Equinox to do it, which I did, and it was so much fun!!

So, the title of my post is called Cold Feet, and it's neither about my actual toesies feeling chilled out in Blizzard 2010 (I wear great socks) or second-guessing any impending marriage plans (None for me but did you hear about Natalie Portman and her "Black Swan" choreo getting engaged? Baby on the way.). Rather, I am talking about something that has great importance to me and hopefully to you as well:

Career Goals for 2011

Yes, it's time to think, look, visualize, feelitize (not a word), dream, know -- but wait!! Wtf. Not again. Yes, again. Those 6 words I dread uttering are here in full force:

I don't know what I want.

Yes, that's 6.

I can add another 6 (to be when I grow up) but I'd rather keep it short.

Seeing as I teach a mind/body fitness practice predicated on getting in touch with my heart's desires and having the courage to go for big dreams and a life beyond my wildest dreams, I'm feeling a bit like I'm missing the boat. What is going on here? Do I really not know what I want OR am I suffering from a case of cold feet?

I haven't gone back to read Lindspiration 2010 but I will before the 31st. I know it will be exciting to recall what I've experienced and accomplished. I'm hoping it will cause some little flutters and stirs inside me that say Yes, more of that or something just like it! I'm hoping it encourages me to feel my way into 2011 with positive intention for growth, expansion and abundance, just like that song I learned a few months ago by the artist Zach which goes, "We were meant to manifest ourselves in exquisiteness every chance we get." Ahh.

Maybe the size of my dreams is chilling out my feet. When I think about what I thought about (that's too much thinking) for myself over the last 12 months, it's a bit, well, BIG. I get excited about the size and possibilities but then I retract like a hermit crab. That's not working too well for me, honestly. All that expanding and retracting causes motion sickness.

I don't know what gives certain people consistent courage -- I mean sustained, persistent courage. It's not just about talent. Oh NO. I've seen people with incredible talent and ability choose to stop utilizing it entirely or stay on a pretty small stage. I've seen others with miniscule levels of talent and intelligence go out into the world with the kind of confidence, brazen determination, and chutzpah that seems welllllll beyond what they've earned. Yet, they go and they make things happen. People follow, love, and applaud them. For what? For being hot. :) It's amazing, actually.

I've also been wondering if a reason for my indecision and wavering between ideas about what I want to do is because:

1. I don't really want what I think or say I want. I want something else that's yet to be unearthed from deep in my soul. Something else is my purpose.

2. I don't really feel I have the talent or right traits to accomplish what I really want to accomplish.

3. I'm afraid that if I go after what I want and fail, it will be devastating.

4. I feel too old to get what I want.

5. I feel silly because my ambitions are all grounded in "playing" and those "activities" which function as "hobbies" for many.

Ah, it feels good to get this all out! I strongly suggest it if you're having any 2011 goal setting cold feet!

For the record, I do have 3 things I am clear as a bell about:

1. My BODY: Once and for all reaching my goal weight and healing my ankle completely. So grateful for this and the support I'm receiving!!

2. Finding LOVE: I am ready to meet my soul mate. Come on, finding The One in 2011. It has such a nice ring to it, right?

3. MONEY: I am ready to create more financial abundance in my life, earn what I deserve and am worth, and earn money for my creative work. I am also ready to have more clarity and less vagueness with the money I make instead of thinking I'll be more responsible once I make more (which is such b.s. excuse, come on).

So, these are some great intentions and I'm really excited about them. As far as my career goals, I'm giving myself some reflection time this week but the most important thing I am going to do is LET GO. Why? When I over/hyper focus on something, it's difficult to get an answer, mainly because I'm putting so much pressure on myself to know NOW. Insights are a bit like the proverbial watched pot that never boils. Best to walk away from the pot.

Hence, this post.

I hereby release my stress/worry to the Universe with a final "prayer" of gratitude for the intention already fulfilled:

I am so grateful for the clarity I now have with respect to career direction. I am happy I know what I want to pursue and which work is my greatest calling. I can see I'm doing what is for the highest good of me and those around me. It's wonderful!! I am useful, I LOVE what I do, I am grateful to be utilizing my strengths/skills, I am grateful I am sharpening my mind, and I am grateful I am attracting so much abundance. This is all happening naturally and with ease, YES! Thank you for guiding me forward in HOT pursuit of my dreams rather than allowing me to settle in a state of inertia with cold feet planted firmly in the ground. Yes, I choose well and wisely for myself one day at at time!

Have a beautiful day and if this spurs anything for you, you can always email me at lindspiration@gmail.com to continue the conversation. Or, leave a comment for us all to read!

My best,

Lindsay

Tap Strength

Tap Strength

It is now a time of reflection

for one

the new year is coming

you

a singular sensation

fast approaching

the gateway

pass through for you

beginning

(again)

don't let the past hit you

on the way out

tap strength

still minds

are the ones which reflect

beauty and truth

here again to resurrect

poignant

deep

cavernous

space

up to you

to remove the lid

and reveal

not save

face.

Merry for Mom

Good morning,

I have a couch. It sits in the living room and I stare at it now knowing that over the next week I will be spending intermittent spurts of time making an indentation on one of its cushions with my bum.

Yup, your blogger gal is on vacation!!! Or, staaaaaycation, as I'm not leaving town at all unless I trek to Long Island for a few days. I'm out of the office until January 3rd. Lindsay meet Relaxation. Relaxation meet Lindsay!!

Today is my mother's birthday. My momma is exceptional. Our relationship is, too, and this is after years of evolution, change, process, progress, and a willingness to be direct about who we are and what we need. Transformation -- I am so grateful for transformation -- and can only be humble about whatever mysterious ways of the world allowed us to grow the way we did and do, which is together in the direction of the light.

This version of Joe Cocker's "You Are So Beautiful" and "You've Got A Friend" sung by Patti Labelle to Elizabeth Taylor at her birthday tribute is the perfect video to dedicate to my mom today. She is so beautiful, not just to me but to many others, and she is also the real friend every person wants. More than a fair weather friend, she is a dedicated, loyal and deep companion. Her birth under the Christmas Star inspires me to believe there is more than a little magic and wisdom in her mix...

I just want to affirm that mother love is universal it is in no way limited to actual mothers and daughters, which my mom and I both know, since we each give and receive mother love to and from many others besides each other.

These two quotations just unify the Christmas spirit and mother love, don't they? :)

Mother's love grows by giving. ~Charles Lamb

The tie which links mother and child is of such pure and immaculate strength as to be never violated. ~Washington Irving

December 24, 2010. It's astounding to me that this is where we are today. Days are passing, quickly, and memories from my past are actually fading, as is my desire to catch them. Today is just really nice and dare I say, enough. I know this will be the best gift I can give my mom when I see her later. She has only ever wanted me to be happy and experience the joy of the day, the beauty of the moment and the strength I have inside me!

That's kind of all I want for myself, too, and for others -- I am learning a few things from my best teachers.

I love you, mom.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

xoxo, Lindsay

Good morning!

I haven't blogged in a while so I'm just now taking the action of writing sommmmmmmething, anything, for you all this morning.

We're just a few days from Christmas which always gets me excited even though I don't technically celebrate the holiday. I just like magic and dreams coming true, people being super nice to each other, families coming together and snow (flurries might be in the forecast for NYC late afternoon).

This balances my irritation with in store Christmas music. My top 3 most annoying XMas song experiences so far are:

3. The Miley Cyrus Christmas album I heard while shopping at ESPIRIT in the Time Warner Center. The whole entire store was 40% off but I still had to leave because the music was too grating.

2. Christina Aguilera singing (I forget which tune. I blocked it out, I guess.) while I was getting a snack at Cafe O in Times Square. I know some of you love her but something about the way she does Christmas songs just doesn't work for me. It's too up, down and all over the place. I like my holiday music simple. That said, I do think she's a brilliant talent and secretly (or not) want to see Burlesque.

1. Jingle Bells sung by barking dogs on the stereo at a grocery store near my apartment. I felt like I was in jingle hell and I love dogs!

So, you see, it's tempting to get bothered by the little things during the holidays. You're just human. It's when you take a deep breath and just relax that you'll realize there is little to get all up in holy smokes about. Keep focusing on the love, joy and light in your life. Keep your attention on why your life is a miracle each and every day. I am keeping with people who stoke their gratitude fire. It makes me feel great to just keep that flame alive. Surround yourself with people who help remind you why you're blessed.

La la la. Here is a Christmas tune that I DO enjoy :) http://http//www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddVZOK_9UUI

Have a beautiful day x

Open Up and Say Mom

Good morning,

"Mooooooooom!" Ah. The piercing sound of a child calling out loud for her mother. I've been hearing various incarnations of that cry a lot these days ('Tis the season to be whining, fa la la la la, while mommy shops...) and sometimes feel myself responding with a secret wish for Santa to gift me with a "Screaming Children Ban" from all NYC stores, restaurants and streets. Yes, streets.

I was not always like this! Let me say that again: I. Was. Not. Always. Like. This.

Well, yesterday morning, while sitting in the lobby of the gym where I teach intenSati, a little girl about two years old wandered away from her father and up to me. She wasn't crying, she wasn't whining, she wasn't even demanding attention. She just stood there and looked at me. Then, she started playfully smiling and batting her eyelashes. She could not have been cuter, I mean, CUTE beyond words cute, from her little pixie haircut down to the smallest pair of light brown UGG boots I've ever seen. Whatever her father was doing at the front desk took him a good 5 minutes and during that time the little girl hung with me, gave me a high five and a hug (both at my request), and grinned, cooed and giggled until it was time for her to go into the childcare room so her dad could work out.

I felt so happy and good after that little interaction.

I was always like that!! Let me say THAT again. I. Was. Always. Like. That! (I was like that little girl, too.)

I didn't ask for her to show up. Did I?

I believe I did with desire that is for my highest good. I've learned that desire is your "Ask" and that if you are open, the Universe often responds in kind. I've been wondering a lot lately, and with greater intensity due to us being well into the Holiday Season, what is going on for me on this great journey of life that is keeping me from having a beautiful, happy, healthy marriage and family. Why do I flip between longing, appreciation, loving children I've never met and wanting them removed from the shops and the streets of Manhattan?

Desire is a funny thing. It lives, breathes and births itself in your body. If repressed, if you don't give yourself permission to feel the desire fully, it comes out sideways and in all sorts of interesting ways. In this case, I've developed some kind of distance between me and my heart when I see little kids. I was never like this until I reached about 30. I think it was partly because I was just baffled as I watched friends, loved ones, and people from all aspects of my past settling down to start their own families while I was struggling to find someone on Jdate who didn't leave me feeling as queasy as bad brisket.

I felt cheated, slighted, pissed. So, to protect myself (I think I can teach Defense Mechanisms 101) I'm just not going to feel it, right? I'm just not going to want it. I'll just keep my head down when I pass families who populate the Upper West Side like freckles on an Irish girl's skin. I'm just going to ignore little fantasies in my head about what I would name my own children and how I would be a loving mom. I'll shut my eyes to every kiddie trend and fad out there and stop shopping at Fairway because of the baby traffic. I'll blow through friends' photos on Facebook with all their beautiful babies and just detach from appreciating all the rights of passage. (For the record, I never knew so much can happen between a baby's first words, a toddler's first steps and a child's first visit from the Tooth Fairy. Thank you YouTube and FB.).

Right. You can't trick yourself out of your heart's desires. If you are repressing who you are you won't feel good. Obviously. And when you squelch the love and passion you have inside you for something, an opposing force of equal or greater strength will appear in its place. It's called resentment.

Well, I'm grateful for my openness to change and a deep connection to my heart center that makes it virtually impossible for me to deny my deepest desires for extended periods of time without feeling constipated. I've witnessed motherhood miracles that are completely giving me the courage to feel again, including one of my mentors fulfilling her biggest dream of having a baby girl. I recently spent Chanukah with my adorable little girl cousins (ages 10, 6 and 4, precious) for the first time in years. I've started to spend time with my friends' children again with an openness to be inspired. I braved Toys R Us in Times Square to buy a doll for a 5 year old girl named Simone, part of my company's participation in a "Winter Wishes" charity campaign. All this softens the heart.

My intention is to appreciate exactly what I have now as a single woman -- the freedom, the space, the uninterrupted sleep, intelligence and maturity -- and feel excited for what is on the way. I've looked at some limiting beliefs I've had about my own abilities to be a mom and am seeing if I can let those go and replace them with new confident beliefs, starting with Lindsay will make an incredible mom. I guess if any more little girls mysteriously wander into my lap in my gym's lobby or elsewhere, I'll think, Thank you, I know the child I have will be as beautiful as this one!

Below is one of the cutest little slide shows featuring not just little kids but dogs, too. (I am going to name my first dog Neville.) The photos below are soul warming, heart melting shots that will activate any part of you that truly desires this in your life, too.

Cute Pictures - Hudson_Heights - Beliefnet Community

I encourage you to allow yourself to really get in touch with your deepest desires, including the ones that may come with twinges of pain because you want them but also fear that you won't get it. Part of the process of letting go is surrendering that fear and just loving your intention. Or, just be mindful of the fear but see if you can just deepen the feelings of passion for what you love and desire. As my friend likes to say about the fear, "Just don't give it energy."

Ultimately, as I said above, you can't run from the desires of your heart. That's a race you're just not cut out for. Today, just surrender to what you really want. Let your heart win.

Have a beautiful Sunday!!

Lindsay

How We Wake Up

Good morning!

One of my friends works concierge in a posh, NYC hotel and among his responsibilities is making the wake up call to guests. He occasionally tells or texts me just who he woke up that day and I always get a little excited when it's an actor I like or just someone iconic, like Marcia Brady (He said she's nice.).

We all have different ways of waking up. For some, it's in response to a little dog at our feet who playfully dictates when it's time to go out. Some of us wake up with our significant other, gratefully or not so gratefully so, I guess, depending on the relationship. Maybe there's disruptive noise from the neighbors. Perhaps you wake up feeling completely content and taken care of in your environment. Or, you may be jarred by a stressful thought, Omg did I oversleep?, followed by non-relief that no, you didn't oversleep, but it's 5:45am in the morning and the chances of falling back into a peaceful slumber for a few hours are kinda slim.

I like to wake up to the smell of coffee brewing but haven't yet purchased a coffee machine that kicks on automatically. When I was a kid, I used to wake up on the weekends with eager excitement to watch cartoons like The Smurfs or Gem (Oh, she was truly outrageous.). I'd curl up on my living room couch and eat Honeycombs cereal out of the box while my little brother sat next to me. Honeycombs might be one of the few cereals that is equally good dry or with milk.

I think it's the same thing with life wake-up calls. They're very personal. I receive a newsletter for a blog I love called Zen Habits and the post I just read is called "Lessons from Less". The writer talks about what led to the ultimate wake up call he needed to really change his life. Here's an excerpt from his article:

When I was 16, I wanted more. When I was 24, I wanted even more than that. So, I worked harder, earned more, spent more, to have more, only to owe more. I was exhausted at the end of the day and tired when I woke up most mornings. I ate on the fly, fell behind, ran late and could never catch up. Sound familiar? I thought everything I was doing was for a better life. I thought what I was doing was normal and right. I had become so used to bills in the mailbox, and feeling rundown, that I didn’t know anything was wrong. So, how did I go from wanting more, more, more to craving less? I would love to tell you that I woke up one morning a changed person, but that’s not the way it went down. Even though I had begun to make small changes, I needed a wake up call … and it had to be really loud. On July, 7th 2006 I was diagnosed with relapsing remitting Multiple Sclerosis. That was my wake up call, and to say it was loud is an understatement.

The author goes on to describe his life changes and how he really learned to slow down, eat healthier, be with healthier people, develop his career as a writer, and let go of a need to accumulate more stuff and be an overactive do-er at the expense of his peace of mind. I am inspired by his story, largely because I am a writer sitting here with a very nasty head cold, slightly aching foot, residual stress from a long work week and a To-Do list so long it can probably paper the distance between my apartment and the gym I'll be teaching a fitness class in at 9am. I thought I cut things down! Not exactly. I keep revisiting this subject but this seems to be how I roll -- I get little lovely lessons that inspire me to modify what I'm doing and slow down, only to jump back on the bandwagon of over-exertion and life on The Hamster Wheel.

Don't be a hamster. Seriously. Stop the insanity! Where are you going and what is the rush to get there??

I am grateful for mindfulness since there was a time in my life when taking stock was just too overwhelming and I couldn't process my options or desire for change. If that sounds like you, don't worry, it's not uncommon! Fear and anxiety can impede rational decision making so much so that you'd think someone is trying to explain the difference in strategies between the war in Iraq or Afghanistan rather than come up with 3 small adjustments on a weekly basis to feel a little less overwhelmed. I need to hear for myself that I'm not doing open heart surgery with directions from WebMD, as much as how to handle certain transitions feels that way.

Finally, I am about a week into my daily meditation practice as part of my intenSati Leader challenge. Honestly, I've been doing about 30 minutes a day now. It's pretty amazing what I'm noticing and experiencing. Basically, instead of being consumed by my thoughts I have a little distance between them and the emotions I feel. Meditation is helping me see that if I'm in a stressful zone, I don't need to pump myself with more stressful thoughts or even try to adjust or make a shift. Rather, I can just be present to the thoughts and the feelings in my body. I can breathe space into them. Being fully present is actually a pretty amazing thing. It's a practice of deep acceptance. Yes, this is how I feel right now. This is what I'm thinking right now. This is it.

Mutual Exclusivity

Good morning! One of the intenSati (www.satilife.com) actions I am practicing and teaching this month is GRATITUDE and with it I've paired the affirmation, "Lovely lessons -- give me more!" Ok, so maybe I declared this with a little "wink wink nod nod" because, as we know, lessons can sometimes feel anything but lovely. The truth and the deepest lessons can be hard to take. Ultimately, choosing an attitude of gratitude helps me to embrace even the most difficult ones. I offer for you this morning the lovely lesson of mutual exclusivity! What do I mean? Read on.....

"Mutually exclusive is a statistical term used to describe a situation where the occurrence of one event is not influenced or caused by another event. In addition, it is impossible for mutually exclusive events to occur at the same time. For example, recording two separate roles of one die are mutually exclusive events. Whatever number the dice displays on its first roll will have no impact on what number is rolled the second time. In addition, it is impossible for the first and second roll to occur at the same time." - www.Investopedia.com

It is impossible for strong self-esteem and critical self-talk to occur at the same time.

It is impossible for healthy relationships and unhealthy, self-sabotaging behaviors to occur at the same time.

It is impossible for finding your soul mate and living in oversized fear you'll never find him to occur at the same time.

It is impossible for growing and flourishing as a teacher and not practicing what you teach to occur at the same time.

It is impossible for powerful, full-potential living and negative, fear-based thinking to occur at the same time.

If events are mutually exclusive then it is impossible for them to occur at the same time!!

However.....

Potentially inclusive events are events that can happen simultaneously!!

It is possible for taking healthy actions and manifesting a healthier body to happen simultaneously.

It is possible for practicing loving self-care and meeting a loving partner to happen simultaneously.

It is possible for creating space and allowing what you do want into your life to happen simultaneously.

It is possible for saying NO to self sabotaging behaviors and feeling empowered to happen simultaneously.

It is possible for believing in yourself and accomplishing all you desire to happen simultaneously.

It is possible for practicing with passionate persistence and mastery to happen simultaneously.

It is possible for high standards for oneself and success to happen simultaneously.

It is possible for taking time to breathe, meditate and quiet down and knowing how you really feel to happen simultaneously.

It is possible for letting go of other people's notions of what's best for you and defining yourself and life as you see fit to happen simultaneously.

As this year comes to a close, take the time to assess where you are getting in your own way and start to focus on your desired transformation. Then, can you commit to positive, potentially inclusive events? Getting clear is such a great first step, isn't it? Embrace yourself and embrace the possibilities. You can do it!!!!

Best,

Lindsay

Ignore False Alarms

Good morning,

As I sit here to write, my head is flooded with the faces of people I know as well as an array of feelings. It's one of those mornings where things are just so busy in my mind and heart that I fantasize about leaving town on a train headed to a bed & breakfast somewhere 3-4 hours northwest of the city (I don't want to spend any longer on a train.). The ride is soothing and quiet (an express) and as we pass through little towns, I take quick, momentary glances up from the book in my lap to watch the snow falling. It is the only distraction yet it doesn't split my focus. It just adds to the goodness of the moment. The novel I'm reading keeps my attention thanks to the fine, compelling writing. My iPhone and Blackberry are out of reach. I packed them, yes, but for this part of my trip they're powered down and wedged in between pairs of thick, heavy socks (I packed well) on the bottom of my suitcase.

When I reach my destination, a friendly stranger offers me a mug of hot, peppermint tea and multi-grain toast with a small pat of Irish butter. Then, at night, I curl up in my bed and write with abandon. All the words tumble out of me with ease, story after story, poem after poem, and by the time I fall asleep under my heavy down blanket and quilt, I am content and as peaceful as my surroundings...

For me, my first response to an uncomfortable feeling is usually one word:

ESCAPE

Flee, run, jump, skip, change it, shift, just get the *$# away from it!!!!!! NOW!!!! :) The image I have is of Forest Gump running across America, non-stop, from state to state to state....Oh, when something kicks in that I don't want to feel, let me throw on my trainers and run like the winnnnnnd. It's funny because while I've made tremendous progress in this area thanks to years of practice, usually my first reaction is still something along the lines of "We have a feeling captain. Emergency! Abort!" but I can see that in this case my first thought is not my best thought and I can ignore the false alarm.

Obviously all feelings are temporary and everything passes. Yet, we forget that sometimes, right? I know the biggest thing I need to be on the lookout for when I'm feeling something I'd like to escape is how I choose to cope. Sometimes it's about knowingly distracting or soothing myself but keeping it on the harmless side of the spectrum -- i.e. watching 2 hours of The Daily Show as opposed to eating 2 slices of pizza.

That said, probably the best thing to do is lovingly let the fullness of the feeling find expression. That might mean tears (Rep. Boehner being the latest go-to guy on this topic) or an unflinching level of honesty or insight but since "what you resist persists" it's better to just feel it fully, right? Feeling is not the same thing as even understanding. Feeling your feelings is not an analytical process. If anything, analyzing might be another form of distracting. It breaks things down but that's not what emotions are about -- think about a positive emotion such as love. If you feel love, do you want to stop and start analyzing it?! No, you just want to feel it! Revel, enjoy, expand, sing and be in the love, yes! We are built to feel. It's a natural process.

So, when you get a sense of urgency over feelings that are uncomfortable, just try to ignore what is actually a false alarm. Your hurt won't hurt you. There is nothing dangerous about feelings. Rather, and this might sound really Polly-Anna(ish) and not what you may want to hear if you're feeling crappy, but painful feelings when felt are truly such a gift. I am learning that when you appreciate them as such, they actually pass a little bit quicker, making the return to joy less like a long, drawn out cross-country run (blisters, ouch) and more like a 3-hour express train through soft, snowy landscapes...

Have a beautiful day! :)

Lindsay

Go Inside

Good morning --

"You want the truth?"

"You can't handle the truth!"

Do I have to give you the source of this quote? :) Ok, it's been a while -- A FEW GOOD MEN.

Oh yeah! Bring it.

You can ask for truth to reveal itself to you to process a situation and see all of it with clarity and higher self knowing. You can ask Source energy for clear seeing. You can ask Source energy to help you find a way to grasp it and know all you are meant to see in a person or situation. You can ask for more light to enter your consciousness and reveal it all to you. You can say,

I want the truth. I CAN handle the truth.

I know there are truths that are floating around my consciousness like tea leaves in a mug of water. They slipped out of a bag that erupted and with one futile attempt after another, I am trying to pull them out of the mug all by myself. Impossible. I need a strainer. I can't on my own or in my limited capacity see, pull or pluck out those leaves of truth. I need help and one of the best methods I've learned is prayer and meditation. Ask whatever it is you believe in to come and prepare for your truth so you can hear it and take decisive, inspired action based on your awareness.

Maybe you'll learn that after 8 years of med school you don't really want to be a doctor.

Maybe you'll learn that after planning the wedding details down to the plum purple bridesmaid dresses that match the lavender napkin holders, you haven't really found The One. He's not it.

Maybe you'll see that there really is a better choice for you when it comes to your work life and as much as you dread the heavy lifting, it's time to look for a new job.

Maybe you'll realize that you've been incredibly fear based, so much so that you've been limiting your expansion and finding comfort in isolation.

Or, on the brighter side, maybe you'll discover a new passion! A new spark of insight that helps you feel more whole, complete and in line with your purpose! Maybe you'll realize that things are actually pretty amazing exactly as they are and that FEAR has been deluding you from seeing how good things are now, how good you are now and how many reasons you have to feel grateful and peaceful inside of yourself today.

So many options...

Whatever the case may be, I know that seeing through lies we tell ourselves is one of the hardest things to do. It certainly contributes to my waves of unhappy feelings, which is why I'm working on it. I am going into my 4th day of 20 minute meditation and I am asking to receive the kind of guidance and clarity I seek.

I am asking to face the truth and I trust I can handle it. I am asking to come out of the cold and into warm relief, which for me usually comes with a deep knowing, even if the information is hard to take.

Here are 4 ways we receive guidance based on an article I read by author Janae Bower:

"There are four methods or channels to receive divine guidance. We each have the ability to receive guidance through all of these methods. Most of us have one or two channels that tend to be stronger. -- JB

Clairvoyance (clear seeing) – Guidance comes as still pictures/images in your mind’s eye. Examples include dreams, mental pictures, mental movies, seeing colors/auras, visual signs and symbols.

Clairaudience (clear hearing) – Hearing from the outside or inside your head. It's that still, small voice within; auditory messages.

Clairsentience (clear feeling) – Receiving guidance as an emotion or physical sensation such as a smell, tightened muscle or a touch; feeling or hunches.

Claircognizance (clear knowing) – Suddenly knowing something or ideas for a fact, without knowing how you know.

Whether or not you believe in any kind of Divine or Source energy, you can still work with your senses and begin with the strong intention to increase awareness. Take some time today to sit and ask for one of these faculties to be heightened. Why not? What else are you going to do with those 5 minutes on the train, before you go to sleep, or while your dinner is in the oven. You can start by putting the television on mute during the long commercial breaks and slotting in 3 minutes...

It's worth it. Go inside. Stay out of the cold and go inside.

Best,

Lindsay

Meditate for 30 Days Straight

Good Morning!

I recently took on a new challenge! For 30 days in a row I will meditate for 20 minutes. It can be any form of meditation I choose, from sitting still in silence and focusing on my breath to passively listening to music or participating in a guided meditation (ones which invite the listener to think about certain topics, emotions, etc.). I'm taking on this commitment as part of an intenSati Leader challenge and my mentor Patricia Moreno (www.satilife.com) is supporting my efforts and helping to hold me accountable. Each day I meditate I email to let her know it's done and if I skip a day, there is a consequence I chose, which is, I skip my morning coffee. I'm sure there is a joke in there that speaks to using a caffeine buzz as incentive to sit still and help calm myself. If I find it I will let you know. :)

I'm very interested in the effects of meditation -- what's the sense of caring for your skin if you're not completely comfortable in it?! -- and see as key amongst the benefits an ability to center and still my mind, develop a stronger connection to my intuition, deepen my breath (which helps me stay on my voice and relax) and enhance my creativity. I am sure there are many other benefits and as I discover them, I will share with you. If you want to join me in this challenge, let me know! If you enjoy meditation then please email me or comment here and share what works for you.

We are right in the thick of the Holiday Season and as I was walking through glittery midtown east this weekend and looking in the shop windows at Bergdorf, Cartier, Trump Plaza and all the rest of the luxury locales under the sparkly 5th Avenue snowflake, I had this moment (I didn't pause, lest I get trampled by the hundreds of tourists, but I still had a moment) and reflected on more than the reflections in the glass. I couldn't help but think of how incredibly lucky we are to have creature comforts but how much less important they mean to me then the people I love. I am verrrry happy with the black boots my mom bought me for Chanukah and expect the tote bag she recently mailed me is going to be amazing, however, they both pale in comparison to being able to text, email or call her at any hour of the day to share all about what's going in my life and then listen to her loving and wise words of support.

So, that's my daily reminder that it's not about the material gifts, as exciting as it can be to give and receive things, and as I sink into day 3 of my 20 minutes of stillness and doing nothing, I will embrace the lessons. There is much to be gleaned in passive receptivity and quiet. I am just learning this and appreciate very much a shift back into sitting but not because I'm being compelled to sit (like when I was healing from surgery and on crutches). Rather, I am choosing to sit.

"Speech is meaningful only when it is brought into relief and contrasted by silence."

- YitzchakGinsburgh

Let things come to you. Let yourself be an open vessel to receive light and love.

Have a beautiful day!

Best,

Lindsay

When it Comes from You

Buy yourself flowers.

Go for a raise.

Get a good natural, facial mask, wear it for 15 minutes while making funny faces in your mirror as the mask gets dry and flakey, and see it as a metaphor for shedding old skin.

Say yes to friends who have deep self respect. Hang with them.

Trust that when you say no to something that feels like it would be settling, the next moment can bring that something better you deserve.

Take up space.

Enjoy the lines on your face.

Stretch your body out.

NEVER reject yourself in advance. If someone else is going to say No, let it come from them.

Invite more Source energy into your body and life.

Realize your fragility and your strength go hand in hand.

Accept that desires change and if they don't, you're probably not growing.

See through false friends and illusions

Make sounds with your voice. Feel the vibrations.

Be grateful gut instincts tell you who to trust.

Expect, give, want, nurture and bask in unconditional love.

Morning Poem

Central park at night

step into line with the sparsely attended

party of runners and four-legged friends

forget about the sun

you missed it while you were at your desk

take the winds

they stir leaves at your toes

while you walk smoothly without a brace

or limp

while you find escapes to embrace

or skip

wait,

no rats squeaked

or crossed over your feet

no worries intruded

or disrupted your peace

no raccoons crooned

or had something to eat

no regret sought absorption

or a home in the trees

wait,

now that's protection of a miracle variety

there

really

is

a

god

good

pfew!!

Why worship yourself and your reflection

why ignore what most deserves your attention

why give too much of yourself away

why

if it's

wait,

fill in the blank

do you continue to stay

oh, it's not what you think.

Let's Get Political

President Obama is riding a wave that may carry him to the shore of lost election land in 2012 if a few things don't change. Unemployment just climbed another .2 percent. What is fascinating to me, is that his style of leadership and policy choices are being criticized from both sides, right and left, but there is a common link. Can you remember back in April 2009 when the president threw out the first pitch at the Nationals home opener and people went so far as to say the President throws like a girl? That's what is going on again.


The country's fear of whether or not a woman can run the country was definitely exploited during Hillary Clinton's candidacy. The fear of whether an African American can lead the country in 2008 was the hurdle Barack Obama had to clear, which he did, by defusing fear with his humor. He said to look out for Republican fear tactics. "They're going to try to make you afraid of me - 'He's young and inexperienced and he's got a funny name. And did I mention he's black?'" He made race a non-issue in his campaign.


He cleared that hurdle, obviously. What he did not anticipate would be a problem is his conciliatory leadership style. America doesn't embrace "girly men" and this is the public perception of Barack Obama. Yet, despite President Obama's personality and ways of governing being the liability that is costing him popularity and may ultimately cost him the election, I'm going to suggest that it might be the best thing that's happened for women's equality in a very long time.


I'll explain in a moment, but first, did you see the Cowboys v. Colts game last night? (I did, on a 56 inch, HD flat screen TV at my cousin's house during our family's Chanukah party and it was awesome.) It was a crushing loss for the Colts, as Peyton Manning threw four interceptions, made a host of other mistakes and basically cost his team the win. Here he takes responsibility and admits to making "poor decisions, poor throws" and putting his team "in the hole". He also said he's going to continue to throw the football but hopefully to the right team.


Errant decision making, miscommunication, and statements that sound so obvious it's painful -- clearly, Peyton Manning was having some strong feelings about what went on last night and it went to his head, which kept causing him to make more and more mistakes in rapid fashion. It threw off his concentration.


So, rather than leave it up to women to do more than they've already done to prove they can swim in the waters with men in any discipline, from political office to science to the battlefield, I think that with every display of "female traits" that powerful men in the public eye display, we are seeing something that could help cause a social shift in the point of view people still hold that fuels attitudes like "Oh, just man it up!" as opposed to "Be stronger, more firm and less wishy-washy, let's go!"


So, as much as it pains me to see what is happening with President Obama right now (I'm indifferent re: Manning. I'm a Giants fan.) I will say it may be to our country's benefit, at least from the standpoint of gender roles and attitudes. My hope is that people will see that Obama isn't throwing like a girl. He is throwing like someone faltering at the podium of power, caught in between multiple, heavyweight influences (Main St, Wall St, the international community) and without the same depth of support he had as recently as 6 months ago. Peyton can't throw right now but he has his team behind him. Obama doesn't. How both of these men are behaving has nothing to do with gender and everything to do with being human.


Look, there's no crying in baseball, there's no crying in football and there's no crying in governing America and being the leader of the free world. So, Obama, please, step it up!!





Best,
Lindsay