For a while now, I have had this Rudyard Kipling poem on my mind, and when today arrived, I knew that I had to share it …

This poem for me, is one that makes you just stop and think and truly consider your life.  It is so simple and yet so profound.

It makes me think of the Runes — it reveals uniquely different and important messages and insights to each person who reads it.

It inspires tremendous self-reflection, and leaves you with the quiet gift of asking you to continue to take stock of how you feel about yourself and the world around you long after you have finished reading.

I have always treasured things like this that continue to move through me after I have physically left them–because they possess a subtle power that wield their weight like the ocean tides, washing over our consciousness and whispering undeniable, essential truths to us in the face of chatter and chaos, truth that rises up out of the foam and the fray like a lighthouse beacon, illuminating the path of purpose ahead.

My mother was the one who sent “IF” to me many years ago, and during this Mercury Retrograde, I chanced upon a photo of the two of us when we were on a camping trip when I was just three years old. The photo, to me depicts the freedom and peace of mind we can all feel when we practice non-attachment and gratitude for all that we are and all that we have– for all that we cannot hold in our hands.

The best things in life are the things that cannot be captured, that are ephemeral and that leave their indelible mark on our hearts changing us and moving us towards embracing what it means to be truly alive!

I can think of very few other poems that better express the Buddhist idea of non-attachment as well as this one does and reminds us to acknowledge what is truly important in life; for each one of us, I’m sure there are a variety of answers, but as spiritual beings living a human experience, I know from what I have observed over the years, that we all share this in common: we all care (to varying degrees, of course) about evolving and becoming better people, more aware, more mindful, more generous, more patient, more kind, and that we all know that our health, our loved ones, and nature are truly the most important things in life.

So why then, are we all given so easily  to attaching ourselves to what really doesn’t matter at all?  And I could list a plethora of items of course … but instead I will ask this question:

What is most important to you? And how do you make what is important to you a priority in your life for the short time we all have here on this planet?

I know for me that stillness is the way in … movement and meditation are the winning combination, and I want to hear from you about what you do to become purposeful and authentically empowered, so that you can manifest the things you wish to create in this life of yours.

More on non-attachment tomorrow- for now, please enjoy this brilliant pearl of a poem, and see what kind of gift it gives to you …

IF

IF you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ‘em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
‘ Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And - which is more - you’ll be a Man, my son!

*OR “-you’ll be a Woman, my daughter!”

Today, I want to thank Molly Napolitano for her very gracious and inspiring article on her first Pilates experience, by making her the subject of today’s Blog entry!

I invite you all to visit Molly’s site: www.mollynap.com, a site dedicated to something very near and dear to my heart: the art of empowering women.

Thank you, Molly!

<July 28th, 2010 Posted in Exercise Routines ~Injury Prevention & Treatment ~Preventative Health Solutions

By Molly Napolitano

I have resisted Pilates since it became popular in the 90’s. It’s not because I didn’t want to look like all those sexy celebrities who swear by Pilates, I just thought it wasn’t for me. I always believed that running and lifting weights was all I needed to stay fit. Boy was I wrong.

As you know, some things happen for a reason. For quite some time, I’d been thinking I should give Pilates a try to see if it would help alleviate some of the dysfunction in my thoracic spine. One day I woke up and decided that was the day I would find a Pilates Studio and give them a call. Later that morning, I met Jennifer Kries while walking Stella and Jessie in Washington Square. She told me she taught Pilates and I promised I would set up a session with her. After 3 months of emailing each other back and forth, I finally scheduled my first lesson. I knew it would be an educational experience but had no idea:

How much I would learn
How many misconceptions I had about Pilates; and
How incredibly talented Jennifer is
Jennifer is a true healer with an extensive background in mind-body arts and fitness. Her knowledge of anatomy, her verbal cues and her incredible teaching methods impressed me beyond words. She has inspired and empowered women around the world with her award winning Method Series DVDs (which she did not tell me about when I met her).

According to Jennifer, there are six principles of Pilates: concentration, control, centering, breath, flow and precision. When performed correctly, you learn to move with maximum efficiency while minimizing stress on your body. You are able to access new levels in your body and create a deeper, more complete feeling of fitness, energy and vitality that remains with you days after your workout.

Jennifer continues her explanation: “The focus is on the center of the body—the “powerhouse”. These corset muscles—also also known as the stabilizing core muscles of the torso—support the spine. The active collaboration of these major muscle groups creates a solid cylinder around the central spine. Keeping these muscles super strong helps prevent shearing or eroding forces from being applied to the vertebrae, ligaments and discs. Problems in the spine result from acute injuries, repetitive trauma and habitual patterns of movement that are unconscious and unproductive for the body and mind.”

My first day, Jennifer simply asked me to stand and breathe while she observed me. Can I tell you how hard this was? I would have much rather had her tell me to drop to the floor and do 50 push-ups. Because of the restrictions in my mid-back, taking continual deep breaths while standing with good posture is quite difficult.

To make a long story short, Jennifer’s trained eye saw many destructive things about my posture. My “natural” posture is causing a lot of compression on my low back and hips (which can also affect the knees). The tightness in my rib cage is causing me to round my shoulders which will continue to worsen my posture over time if I don’t do something about it now.

After 4 sessions, I’ve learned specific exercises that will help improve both my posture and my rib dysfunction over time. The extreme rigidity in my thoracic spine is improving and I’m definitely sleeping better. The deep breathing is still really hard for me, but it is getting a little easier.

I believe that Pilates is almost a necessity for people like me. No, I’m not a dancer or an actress; I’m a 46 year old woman with significant issues in my spine and I suffer from sporadic pain in my hips and knees. I am planning on taking Pilates at least one time per week for the rest of my life! With weekly classes, I am confident that my posture will be better when I’m 65 than it is today. I think it’s a good goal.

If you want to increase your core strength, improve your lung capacity and improve your mind-body connection, please give Pilates a try. You’ll learn to connect your mind with your body. If you’re willing, you’ll also learn to slow down and realize that life is not something we should strive to race through. We should embrace life every day by living in the moment.

If you’re interested in purchasing one of Jennifer’s DVDs, please visit her site at www.jenniferkries.com. If you’ve had a “life-changing” experience from performing Pilates, please share your story.

Stand tall and Breathe,

Molly”

Today, I wanted to share some inspiring programs that can help to make your body feel “new” again–wonderful “private” instructional classes on DVD and audio that you can participate in any time the spirit moves you, so that you can cultivate greater mind-body awareness and reach new heights in your Pilates practice!

I am especially excited to announce the release of New Body Pilates III, and the upcoming release of New Body Pilates Toys (Fall, 2010)!

The long-awaited, New Body Pilates III, is now available on my website, and is the most advanced installment of the New Body Pilates Series and features my dear friend and Senior teacher, Kim Reis, Pilates devotee extraordinaire!

For all of you advanced students and teachers out there who want to experience an inspiring advanced session, I wouldn’t miss it.

*Includes the “Bonus Feature,” The PhysioBall workout; learn new techniques for increasing your overall core strength and balance, as well as bringing your mind-body awareness to a whole new level! The Physioball workout, though it does appear in this Advanced DVD, is suitable for All levels, so if you find yourself working out at home and you have a friend visiting who is new to Pilates, you can invite him or her to join you for this section- fun!

New Body Pilates Toys (Fall, 2010) highlights the Pilates “tools,” the Magic Circle, Sculpting Series and PhysioBall and will assist you in further enhancing your core strength and stabilization, as well as presenting you with some playful challenges to test your coordination, balance and stamina!

I would also like to recommend an audio series by Lynda Lippin, her “Pilates Fundamental Series,” three separate audio track programs for Lower Back Pain, Neck and Shoulder Pain, and one called “Ring and Roller,” (for total body conditioning).

Lynda’s series is an accessible and practical approach to acquiring the information necessary to ameliorate specific physical challenges, as well as the tools essential to cultivating greater skill in the arena of conditioning and strengthening, using the Magic Circle and Foam Roller.  The audio programs feature very detailed anatomical cueing, delivered in a calm and soothing manner and address issues that are quite prevalent and not often well-explained: http://www.lyndalippin.com

Here’s to cultivating a unified mind, body and spirit!

Happy Summer Solstice!

May is the month when Venus, the ruler of Taurus comes to earth to grace us with love, desire, fertility and creativity of all kinds … The Goddess of love annoints the earth with blossoming flowers and trees and delights the senses with summer fruits and the bounty of nature’s garden. She is celebrated with rituals of fertility and harvest, with fire, which symbolizes the fire that burns within each one of us … in our hearts and in our souls, the fires that keep us alive and urge us forth to bring what we carry inside into the light of day.

May is the magic month of The Beltane, the festival of fires that burn with the light of transcendent love that can blossom here on earth …

The fires that honor all that is sacred and other-worldly.

May is the month of manifestation.

In late April, I had a tarot reading. I was feeling frustrated and lost. I was impatient, more restless than I could ever remember. I had worked assiduously, tirelessly on my psyche and plumbed the depths of my soul, lo the past several years, reaching new hard-won heights of awareness and consciousness and freedom, and I wanted to know where I should be heading with all of this next … and I was done walking this path alone.  I wanted answers, and I wanted them now.

Instead of answers,  I received predictions and advice, which, while heartening to some degree, of course left so much ambiguity and what I got was not at all what I felt I was looking for … I wanted immediate gratification– the opposite of what I knew to be the way– the Taoist path I had been walking. The wonderful woman who read my cards told me that I needed to get back to “ritual”– that I needed to reconnect with the desire to create the time and space to sit and meditate, to speak to the universe and say out loud what I wished to manifest in my life, rather than doing what I had started to do— the very opposite of what I knew would be best for me: plow ahead with great frustration, somewhere in the background hoping that as Rilke said, I would “live my way into the answers… ”  Of course I knew that I needed to give to myself  and return to my rituals … but I had become disheartened; I had been moving through a seemingly endless period of time that felt like dense, dark, hopeless sludge– gray and monotonous, without peaks and valleys, unfamiliar, uninspiring territory, and I wanted OUT. In so many ways I felt rich and ripe, the richest I had ever been, replete with every resource, and strangely energized in spite of my frustration … but I had started to allow my frustration to build to such a place that I found myself renouncing everything I knew and believed in about my own spirituality and connection to the powers of the universe. The big energy I felt pulsing through my veins was turning inward and had no outlet that would match the rising currents within me.  Instead of feeling empowered and filled with faith in my own ability, I felt disappointed, depressed, deflated, disillusioned. The past few years had yielded crucial life lessons, moments in time that brought me to that very reading, that place, that time, where I needed to be reminded of what of course I already knew so well–I needed to hear the words: “Practice what you preach,” and “create time for your own spirituality to breathe, so that your creativity catches fire once again and your life moves in the direction you want it to.”
Hard to believe that I, someone who helps others to cultivate patience and acceptance could not exactly say that patience has been my strong suit over the course of my life so far.
At the end of what was truly a great reading– one filled with hearty laughter, many deep breaths, some stellar advice and new friendship, my reader offered me a gift from her “Goddess Deck.” And said “pick a card, my gift to you.”
And so I did … but instead of picking one card, I picked two– two that slid out of the spread together. And what were they?

Venus and Pele.

Venus, the Goddess of love and Pele, the Goddess of Fire …

Venus, who is the embodiment of the divine feminine, physical and spiritual love and beauty, and Pele, who erupts in all her ferocious glory, taking no prisoners, destroying the old, giving birth to the new and does nothing half way.

And so, those cards were a sign … my harbinger, they were the tokens of destiny that have indeed miraculously manifested in my real life.

But before my dreams manifested, I experienced a powerful transformation within my own being–I wrestled those feelings of hopelessness and frustration to the ground –vanquished the Leviathon and circled around again to what I already knew so well: that I had the power, I held the key to opening the door to my future. Through true union with myself, simply by placing my positive, hopeful intention in forward motion, the stuff that my true essence is made of, by looking in the direction of where I wished to go, rather than turning back to gaze upon a powerless space of times past, no longer within my grasp or meant to be,  I would go forth and prosper, and my life would follow.

And this is exactly what happened.
Venus not only came to earth as her magnificent and divine springtime self, but she blessed my own life in a way I never could have imagined by bringing one of her own to me, and joined forces with Pele, who lit the deepest fires of knowing and memory within me …

And so I honor these immortals with this very personal homage; I celebrate their union and the reunion I have been blessed with by highlighting The Beltane, the celebration of life and love that started inside my own heart at the end of April and manifested in May, just in time for the true start of the holiday.  The Beltane:  Festival of rebirth, honoring the primordial mysteries of the universe that starts May 1st …  For me, Beltane began just after May day, and has continued this entire month. And the reason this entry comes now is because this is the first chance I have had to write about it in all its glory— that “return to ritual?” the time and space and intention that I have written about for months now–the prayers and spiritual moments I set aside in order to manifest the events I longed for with every fiber of my being … YES, they have become my reality!

The Beltane is the most perfect combination of love and fire, of the sacred and the divine, of the world we see and the world beyond; it is a time when the “veil between the worlds is thinnest,” when we have access to times past, and when we can manifest the life we were meant to live.
Beltane comes from Gaelic and means “brilliant, or bright and sacred fire,” and this is the time of fecundity, transformation and ecstasy.

It is the season of maturing life and deep found love.

This is the time of vows, and commitment. The Lord and his Lady, having reached maturity, come together in “Perfect Love” and “Perfect Trust” to celebrate the joy of their union. It is a time to celebrate the coming together of the masculine and feminine creative energies. Beltane marks the emergence of the young God into manhood– stirred by the energies at work in nature, he desires the Goddess, who is also finally ready to meet her mate in full flower. They fall in love, lie among the grasses and blossoms and unite.

Beltane is rich in vibrant color, lighting the eyes and cheering the spirit, as we leave the dreariness of winter behind. May is the month of sensuality and sexuality revitalized, the reawakening of the earth and her children. It is the time when we reawaken to the vivid colors, vibrant scents, tingling summer breezes, and the rapture of summer after a long dormant winter. It is a time of extraordinary expression of earth, animal, and human.  It is a time of great enchantment and celebration. It is the child’s unrestrained expression of bliss and delight. It is the sheer joy of running through fields, picking flowers, rapturing in the sunlight, delighting in the fragrance of spring, dancing in the fresh dew covered grass.

Our childlike selves guide us through the natural abandonment of our adult sensibilities and show us how to take grand pleasure, warmth and deep knowing.

Lines from an ancient Gaelic tune …
Beltane!
I dance with delight
on Beltane’s night.
All senses freeing,
I dance for being.
The flower and the flame
of love’s own rite
shall blossom.
Sun
 embrace Earth, bright.

In history, the Beltane celebration honored life over death and celebrated the rebirth of the world. Above all, it was a fertility festival, a symbolic union of the God and Goddess, of the divine masculine and the divine feminine. A young virgin, often dressed in white with a crown of flowers, was chosen to be the Queen of the May. Her consort went by many names, including the Green Man, the May Groom, the May King, and Jack-of-the-Green, often dressed in green and decorated with leaves.

This is a holiday of Union–both between the Goddess and the God and between man and woman. Hand-fastings, or Pagan marriages are traditional at this time. It is a time of fertility and harvest, the time for reaping the wealth from the seeds that we have sown. Celebrations include braiding of one’s hair, to honor the union of man and woman and Goddess and God, circling the Maypole for fertility and jumping the Beltane fire for luck. Beltane is one of the Major Sabbats of the Wiccan religion. (The term, “sabbats” is related to the Bacchanalian and Saturnalian rites observed by the Greeks and Romans, and it is the term derived from Old French, as well as derived from the Hebrew Shabbath, “to rest,” which pertains to the seventh day of the week as designated by the Ten Commandments in the Bible as a day devoted to rest and worship.) Sexuality is celebrated, something seen as holy and intrinsic to us as holy beings, and life is celebrated and the unity which fosters it. The myths of Beltane state that the young God has blossomed into manhood, and the Goddess takes him on as her lover. Together, they learn the secrets of life–of the sexual and the sensual, and through their union, all life begins.

Beltane was serious business for the Celts. They believed that the wheel of the sky would not turn without their intervention, and they did everything in their power, with their fires, celebrations and rituals - to ensure that summer returned each year.

When the Druids and their successors raised the Beltane fires on hilltops throughout the British Isles on May Eve, they were performing a real act of magic, for the fires were lit in order to bring the sun’s light down to earth. In Scotland, every fire in the household was extinguished, and the great fires were lit outside; the Celts built two fires created from the nine sacred woods (Rowan, Apple, Dogwood, Poplar, Juniper, Cedar, Pine, Holly and Oak). The fires celebrated the return of life and fruitfulness to the earth and would protect, heal and purify anything or one that passed by or jumped over.When the wood burst into flames, it proclaimed the triumph of the light over the dark half of the year. Then the whole hillside came alive as people thrust brands into the newly roaring flames and whirled them about their heads in imitation of the circling of the sun. When the sun rose that dawn, those who had stayed up to watch it might see it whirl three times upon the horizon before leaping up in all its summer glory.

Beltane is a celebration of the event of life – the flame ever dancing and changing form, and the “holy desire” that brings it into being: and yet is also a desire for immersion, for union. Beltane is the power to conceive the new–the deep desire for renewal, for creation, dreamed up in the imaginal and non-visible realms. Celebrating an erotic relationship with our place, this earth and the cosmos, a deep knowing that we are her, and that we wish to show her our reverence and gratitude. In this celebration of life, this surrender to all things greater than us, and on which we depend with our very lives, throughout time, there has been no duality, no pretense of “mine” or “thine,” only us, and only union, union with ourselves, union with another and union with the world, humans, animals, nature.
Beltane is an excellent seasonal moment for becoming conscious of our very participation in the evolution of consciousness, and a time to quiet the mind long enough that we can fan the flames of our creative fires, giving birth to our own special contributions that will be of service to our time. It is clear that our times call for the casting away of the old in a radical way. The Beltane ritual by its very nature, facilitates such possibilities. It is an excellent moment to become conscious of what we most deeply desire– for becoming conscious of desire itself is a power of the universe – as a holy lust for birthing the new, a holy lust for ongoing creativity, without which, there would be nothing to live for …  The Beltane ritual facilitates this sacred process of integrity, union of word and deed, so that the unions we desire and those that we manifest are nurtured and developed in the most respectful and complete way.

In ancient times, the physical light of the Beltane fires passing from hillside to hillside was a great and potent symbol of a rebirth of hope and life each spring.  We do not need the physical symbol to know that the light of spiritual consciousness throughout this world has been re-lit in our hearts, and because of what we see when we look around at the world around us, our planet, we know that we have much time to make up for, that we need a global healing on all levels, and the call to action has been sounded. The Beltane is just that– nature’s call to return to life, to look inside and spark the fires of consciousness and healing within so that we may garner the life force to act selflessly, bringing our highest good to heal what lies outside.


The time of the Beltane has long been considered a ‘power point’ of the Zodiac, and is symbolized by the Bull, one of the ‘tetramorph’ figures featured on the Tarot cards, the World and the Wheel of Fortune. (The other three symbols are the Lion, the Eagle, and the Spirit.) Astrologers know these four figures as the symbols of the four ‘fixed’ power signs of the Zodiac (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius), and to show the power of the ancient study of and connection to the cosmos, these naturally align with the four Great Sabbats of Witchcraft.  Christians have adopted the same iconography to represent the four gospel-writers.

In the Gaelic tradition, at Beltane, the Pleiades star cluster rises just before sunrise on the morning horizon, whereas winter (Samhain) begins when the Pleiades rises at sunset. The Pleiades is a cluster of seven closely placed stars, the seven sisters, in the constellation of Taurus, near his shoulder. When looking for the Pleiades with the naked eye, remember it looks like a tiny dipper-shaped pattern of six moderately bright stars (the seventh can be seen on very dark nights) in the constellation of Taurus. It stands very low in the east-northeast sky for just a few minutes before sunrise. Beltane, and its counterpart Samhain, divide the year into its two primary seasons, winter, the Dark Part, and summer, the “Light Part.” As Samhain is about honoring death, Beltane, its counter part, is about honoring Life. It is the time when the sun is fully released from his bondage of winter and able to rule over summer and life once again.

As Beltane falls, the second major dividing point of the Celtic year, it is the other period when “the walls between the worlds are thinnest” and access to the other worlds is known to be easiest, and it was the maypole that connected the world we know to the world beyond …

When planted in the earth or sacrificed in wells, as done by the Druids, the Maypole became a shaman’s path, the “World Tree” that connected the realms, through which humans could travel only at this special time. The Maypole or May Tree was not only phallic in symbolism but also the root of renewal; people connected their bodies to it and whirled about, forming a sacred circle and cone of power, literally becoming one with the tree and with one another. The Tree became their axis mundi, the center of the Great Wheel and time stopper, where other worlds met …. The Maypole dance was an important aspect of encouraging the return of fertility to the earth. Dancing the Maypole during Beltane was a magical experience as it was a conduit of energy, connecting all worlds at a time when these gateways were more easily penetrable. People gaily danced around and around the pole holding the brightly colored ribbons, clockwise to bring fertility and good luck, and later, brightly colored ribbons were woven around the pole by the dancers as they wove around each other. This interweaving symbolized the balance of masculine and feminine energies and the duality of life, and the energy this whirling dance of life raised, was sent down into the earth’s womb, bringing about her full awakening and fruitfulness….

Beltane is the celebration of the sweet desire for being – the “glue” of the Cosmos, the primordial attraction that holds all form together and allows the dance of life to occur. At this time when “the veil between the worlds is thinnest,” these particular cross-quarter Moments, High Spring and Deep Autumn, just prior to the fullness of light or dark at the Solstices, high revelry celebrating a wild fertile space reigns. This deep excitement, a deep allurement is the very energy which creates a kind of intimacy between us and our place in the world. And the sacred depths, recognition of  form and formlessness, the realms of manifest and manifesting, are actually continuous … there is no seam that separates the worlds.
Nothing is exempt from the dynamic of relationship,  which is essentially an energetic flow, a preternatural fundamental dynamic, of coming into being and passing away, and ever transforming. These dynamics are our constant companions every day — and whatever our minds can grasp of the concept of eternity.  And the universe herself as a whole entity is subject to the same dynamics. Some indigenous religious traditions have stories of the whole Cosmos coming into being and passing away, and regenerating. And recent Western scientific research supports this too: “an ageless and self-renewing Universe” whose stars, even ancient ones, are “like short-lived fireflies in the grand scheme of things.”

It is this poignant and powerful thought alone which comes to mind when I think of what it feels like to be living my magical story of manifestation and memory this May … all things have their timing, and when they arrive, these moments that are once in a lifetime, are meant to be lived, and while to us they may last years, in the scheme of the universe, they are barely a flash of brilliant lightning against a dark sky.  I see a train pulling out of the station, gaining in speed, and I see myself running after it … I garner my strength and command my muscles to act in harmony so that I can grab the handle on the outer door and leap on, moving forward in perfect time with my destiny!

Last month, when I was feeling very low, I heard this song and the lyrics struck a chord deep inside me … they made me imagine who might one day inspire these beautiful emotions, this flow of bliss inside me. When I heard the song for the first time,  I chose to feel that it was my own light that gave birth to the dreams of another who might come my way and inspire the same.

And this month, at the start of The Beltane, that other person arrived …

And now he is here with me.

This entire entry is written in honor of this most sacred reunion, with my deepest love, by my highest, most divine self … to my Anam Cara, the soul friend of my heart who has found me and moved me like no other before him, carrying me closer to heaven than I have ever dreamed possible, proof that the fire that lights my soul lives within another so like my own …

That every step I have taken on this path in this life, has lead me to this place where I now believe that miracles can happen, this place of divine reverence for my rituals, where I can touch and taste and breathe the mysteries of the universe in a way I never have before, and surrender to the greatest love I have ever known.

Your light is giving me the glow

Beautiful light with me everywhere I go

Brighter than the brightest star

Deeper than the sea

the secret of your innocence

reveals itself when we

glow
let go
let go
just be
know what we know

Om namah shivaya

Om namah shivaya

just breathe

take it slow
you and me
we just glow in the light of God
touch of your hand
the sweetness of your gifts
beautiful spirit
I breathe you in
deeper than I ever could
imagine this could be
Sacred is the nature of love as it reveals itself
when we just glow
let go
just be know what we know
just breathe
take it slow
you and me
we just glow in the light of God

Om namah shivaya

A perfect song for this time …  Om namah shivaya, the name given to the supreme reality– your inner self-the consciousness that dwells within for all eternity; the Om namah shivaya mantra leads awareness in reverse order from manifestation back to the source from which manifestation arose.

I celebrate the time of the Beltane, the time between worlds where anything is possible …

Kindness of the heart

Breath of life, I bow to you

And I’m coming home …

And I’m coming home …

And I’m coming home.

Om namo guru dev namo

Om namo guru dev namo

“I bow before my highest consciousness.”

Chanting the Om namah shivaya and the Om namo guru dev mantras puts you in touch with your truest self, your highest self.

This time, the month of the Beltane is one of the most fecund times to get in touch with your highest self …
Light your inner fire and embrace your sacred sexuality— your divine nature and your timeless essence—this union of male and female within you that comprises your true self.
Celebrate yourself and the love you feel.
We are all fireflies, delicate, glowing spirits that grace this earth but for a short time.
Make the most of it, your time here.

Bow your head in gratitude …

In the words of Rumi,  ”There are a thousand ways to kneel and kiss the ground.

And my thoughts now go back to what happened inside me when I came to that place — that clearing where I was overwhelmed by the simple, powerful, healing beauty I was a part of … what flipped over in my stomach– what the ancients called “True Mind.”
Never mind what we know as “the mind.” I am smiling as I write this … your true, thinking self is your feeling self, your intuitive self and it resides in your stomach, in your very center.

I attended a talk on “Clearing Energy Blocks,” given by a Doctor of Chinese Medicine, and most of what he discussed was how much of our body systems are controlled by the stomach, or our “second brain.” Whatever we think and feel, manifests in our bodies, and very often, more specifically in our stomachs, of course showing up as digestive disorders of all manner and variety– so many of which would be easily healed alternatively– with mind-body practices, such as yoga, Pilates and my favorites: Yin yoga and Waking Energy.  What most of us don’t realize is that we are our thoughts and our feelings. We ARE physical manifestation of the energy of what we focus on, and very simply, when something hurts us in our bodies, when something causes us DIS-ease, it is our body’s way of communicating that it needs attention. And usually, the antidote to the pain or disease is so very, very simple and obvious: movement!

Thoughtful, conscious, dedicated movement that helps us to move the negativity and stress that becomes stagnant energy OUT of our bodies to make way for new, LIVE energy. Most ailments and physical affliction is easily counteracted and radically altered just by moving, just by breathing consciously, by tuning in and taking care of ourselves in a loving, nurturing way.

Everything I did this past week came circling back to this idea– the notion of the True Mind, the place within us that always knows the truth and has its own timing and wisdom; the true nerve center of the self, where, if one listens, one can never go wrong.
We all know that feeling only too well– the feeling of “If I had ONLY listened to my instincts, I would have saved myself so much grief, but I allowed my mind to override my gut!”

Our true mind, is where our inner compass resides, and it is only when we slow down and tune in, when we listen to the rumblings and whisperings inside that we can truly step onto the path of self-knowledge, evolution and transformation. Sometimes, when we override our gut and make the choice dictated by the mind, we learn an important lesson— (sure, we can say that we invite a challenge that helps us to grow … but the challenge, the lesson always leads us back to the same place) and that is to always listen to the True Mind the first time around!
What do I do to slow down and listen? I do Yin Yoga and then I meditate … and that’s just what I did when I went for this beautiful walk in the woods; I climbed right down into the brook and perched myself on a rock in the middle of the action, and I heard the birds singing and the water gurgling and flowing and then I listened to the voice inside.

Today is the Spring Equinox, the very special time during the year when day is literally equal to night and things are in an almost perfect balance. It is also the day to send out into the universe what you wish to birth. It is the day of new beginnings …

When I look at this awe-inspiring image of the stallion charging down the beach, my spirit soars and all I can think about are new beginnings, movement forward, and manifestation–through energy and intention and motion, what I want to see take flight in my life— what I want to charge ahead with and make into a reality.

And because today presents us with such a unique opening, this equal day and equal night, what comes to mind next is balance— the balance we all seek in our lives– that perfect combination of yin and yang we observe in nature –the very same we strive to create within our own selves.

I love this image of the sun and the moon and the energy that flows between them, the rays that are clearly reaching toward one another, and the harmony of that balance. I also love the fact that the moon, a yin energy is curling inward towards the sun, and appears to be receiving the rays that the sun is emitting … and in contrast, the sun faces away from the moon and projects outwardly, demonstrating yang energy, with its face open to the space around it. Yang and yin; sun and moon. Male and female. Day and night. Open and closed. Light and Dark. Opposites. And together, they create balance. Without one, the other could not exist.

I know for myself, as someone with a strong “yang” or male energy, and qualities, I am always trying to balance my energetic predisposition with more yin— the softer, more feminine, reflective energy … and I smile when the word reflective passes across my mental screen once again— reflective, as in the moon, the “mother” symbol of yin.

The very next thought I have is the magical beauty of the subtle energy modalities that help us to mimic the cycles of nature, the balance we observe in nature and to become more like nature in our breaths, our movements, our thoughts … to ebb and flow like the ocean, to bend like the willow, to rise like the flowers out of the earth, to bow our heads like the branches that bow to the earth, in a seeming gesture of reverence.

If we cultivate respect for nature and take the time to observe it in its myriad forms, we evolve and come into balance simply by virtue of being more in touch, in tune with it.

Waking Energy, the unique combination of yin and yang healing movement modalities, is one of the most immediate and effective ways to touch nature, both inside and out … with every exercise, you learn to harness the energy of the universe and funnel it into your own body to activate the natural healing potential that exists within each of us. You can create that perfect balance of equal day and equal night within your own being … equal yang and equal yin.

When the body is in balance, the mind is clear and the spirit can soar and charge ahead into new spaces, where anything you dream of can become your reality.

Remember on this eve of the Vernal Equinox: Your thoughts are pure energy and energy is intention … your intention forms your reality, and with pure energy, your dreams, what you imagine for yourself can become your reality.

And now ask yourself:

What do you intend for yourself?

Are you in balance? What do you need to create this equal day and equal night inside you? This perfect balance of yang and yin so that you can create optimal health and well-being, with more than ample energy and glowing good health to accomplish your goals and make your wishes into your every day—what you live in your life … this life of yours.

I don’t know about you, but I have never looked forward to Springtime more than this year.

I feel new life rising up inside me, mirroring what’s happening in nature, and I feel inspired, filled with renewed hope and possibility.

I feel filled with gratitude and awe at the wonder of nature and all she gives us …

From the first day of the spring equinox forward, winter and the dark time are finally behind us, and spring bursts forth! She arrives and with her, buds force their way up through the cold earth, birds and their sweet songs return, the warm sun shines down upon us, soothing our every cell and we turn our sights to celebrating life and nature.

All I can think of are words that start with “re” …

Renew, reawaken, rejuvenate, replenish, revive, restore, rebirth!

For the first time since the Fall Equinox, the time of light and dark in a single day are equal; “equinox” is Latin for “equal night.”  The idea is that on the first day of spring there are exactly 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness. And what comes to mind, is the concept of balance.

This is not only a time for rebirth and revisiting what you aspire to manifest, but how you wish to do it … and the way you approach a new project has everything to do with being in balance– all faculties working together in perfect harmony, all energy systems rallying and moving towards the goal.

When your Mind, body and spirit are working as an integrated whole, anything is possible …

Spring is the perfect time to look at how we greet life–our relationship to ourselves and the world around us, for it is a time of emerging, of the shedding of outer layers, an opportunity instead, to dive inside to the inner layers and what exists “under the earth of our consciousness,” so to speak– what has been hibernating, germinating all winter, and what MUST break through the soil of our inner objections to see the sun once again, or perhaps for the very first time.

And one of my favorite quotes from Anais Nin comes to mind– very fitting for this entry:

There came a time when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.

Now is the time to emerge, to blossom, to move into the space of becoming  … to manifest what has been hiding out, somewhere in the shadows … bring your dreams into the light and let the sun shine down upon them so that they can rise up and become your reality.

And now, join me! I’m off to do some Waking Energy to light my inner spark and start the creative fires burning once again!

One of my very favorite Waking Energy exercises, called “Opening the Energy Gates,” is the one I am going to start with:

Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart and arms hanging down by the sides of the body.

Slightly tuck your pelvis as you lift the crown of the head even higher up, to receive “Heaven” energy and root your feet even more firmly into the floor to receive “Earth” energy and draw it up through your feet into your leg channels.

As you inhale deeply, lift the arms up to shoulder height and imagine that you are being lifted up by huge currents of warm air under your wings and as you exhale, allow the arms to drift back down to their starting position, letting go of what no longer serves you– an energetic “Spring cleaning,” if you will …

Repeat this cycle 9 times, and as you inhale and lift the arms, think of what you wish to bring into your life, as you literally open the energy gates of your body, your mind and your spirit– ushering in your heart’s desire.

And continue to create “inner space” by thinking of what you can let go of — what you can say goodbye to in your life that is not enhancing your existence.

After completing the 9 cycles, bring your palms together to rest on your dan-tien– your “sea of chi” — two inches above your navel center and meditate on all of the beautiful new energy– life force you have summoned and brought as a gift into your being.

The rest of this wonderful series is available in the DVD series I have featured here below for your reference.

Enjoy!

Namaste~

“Awakening”

This beautiful, original painting was done by:

Willow Arlenea

Painting Story:

The coming of spring and the awakening of dawn herald the season of new beginnings. In ancient Egyptian mythology the great mother goddess, in her embodied form as a lotus in a pond, gives birth to Ra the sun god. He has completed his underworld journey and emerges to bathe the earth in the healing colors of sunrise, pink and gold.

At thirteen years of age, as an aspiring student at New York’s School of American Ballet, I knew Pilates was something special. After my very first class with Eve Gentry, I was able to execute movements that up to that moment in time, had eluded me. I performed my first-ever triple pirouette that day after Mat class with Eve. I was astounded and delighted. I was enchanted and inspired.

Since that time, Pilates has been a central part of my life and I have dedicated myself to sharing its inspiring, life-changing brilliance with the world. For over twenty years now, carrying on Joseph Pilates’ revolutionary contribution to the world of the mind-body-spirit, healing arts has been one of my passions.

Since the late 90’s when I released the first Pilates video under “The Method” title, the work has exploded in popularity and continues to grow by leaps and bounds as more people discover Pilates’ genius and its myriad applications. With this popularity comes tremendous benefit and at the same time, a tremendous responsibility on the part of the practitioners. There are so many different training programs available now for people who want to pursue a professional track in The Method, and it is imperative to be discerning and do proper research to locate programs with great integrity. Equally as important is learning that becoming a truly superb teacher takes time, dedication, focus, determination and experience. There is no substitute for life experience and real hours logged “in the field.”

After I graduated from my first teacher training course, I felt that I had a great understanding of the work in my body and had clocked literally hundreds of hours working with a wide variety of people with different body types, and needs; everything from rehabilitative requirements to strength-training and pre and post-natal conditioning. I had confidence in my ability to provide clients with the appropriate exercises that suited them; however, as difficult as this is to admit, what I didn’t know how to do was communicate the work concisely and confidently. I didn’t know how to choose exactly the right words with which to literally transmit what I knew to the client and how to physically interact with the client. I didn’t know the specific hands-on techniques to use in each and every scenario! And I knew that I was not alone in this feeling.

I set about the business of gaining the experience that I needed so that I could build my confidence in the realm of verbal and non-verbal, hands-on communication. In every other area of my life, I felt like a natural “wordsmith,” and felt that I had good instincts when it came to touch and how best to incorporate the use of my “hands-on” work in Pilates. However, I did not have a sure-fire repertoire of tried and tested approaches. As a brand new teacher, “set loose on the population,” as it were, I felt that even the finest, purest, most traditional and classical training in the world could not have prepared me for the world outside, where I would be teaching alone, left to my own devices, having to rely entirely upon my own wits and ability to teach with clarity and effectiveness so that I would make a real difference in peoples’ lives.

The end to quite a long story, years of searching and gathering vital and precious information through study with several of Joseph Pilates’ original students and other brilliant practitioners in the field and related fields: yoga, Feldenkrais, Alexander, massage therapies, led me to embody a kind of rooted confidence and ease with which I could help others facilitate real change in their bodies, minds and spirits through the Pilates Method.

Since those early days, shortly after completing my first “watershed” teaching course, I was on a path to cultivate greater skill and deepen my understanding of my craft. Along the way, I learned a great deal, too much to do justice to in this short story. Not only did I gain the hands-on and verbal experience that I felt I had been missing in my practice, but I honed my techniques and expounded upon the best of what I learned from others. I forged a new way, one that literally combined the best elements from the teachings I had been exposed to, and I brought them all together in a powerful, simple approach, one that I have been passing on to others for years. This is a perfect segue to my next thought: that truly the most important lesson that I already held in my heart, but was reminded of along the way, was the value of collaboration, of being open to sharing and co-creation, of being a “forever student.” We can all learn something from others, as experienced as we may be, there is always room for growth and expansion, and for sharing our gifts. It was in this spirit that I decided to share my hard-won gifts with the world of Pilates devotees and make my own contribution to upholding Joseph Pilates’ standard of excellence and purity. Some of the fruits of my years of labor are now showcased in a forum for others to benefit from and then continue the expansion of greater mind-body-spirit consciousness by then sharing it with others! The Pilates Method Master Trainer Series was born!

Alongside my excitement and enthusiasm, were the thoughts about the responsibility towards the public, to stress that this series was not a replacement for real-life training and that instead, it should be used as a guide and supplement to what I said earlier - real dedication and hours in the field. It took me a while to decide whether this series was something I should share in this way; an entire teacher training course, typically a $5,000 value for the accessible price of $399, not to mention the “moral” argument I had with myself. I hoped that people would use it as an essential addition to formal training and not use it as a substitute. In this account, I felt compelled to be utterly open and honest about the conflict I experienced with the decision to release the series and why ultimately, the idea that it would be helping to shape generations of teachers, won. I knew that it was imperative to share this with others in the community to improve the quality of teaching that would be made available to the public, and hoped that the comprehensive nature of the series’ content would inspire integrity in each and every person who purchased it and viewed it.

Communicating the essence of Pilates work has always been a particular source of gratification for me, and after traveling to distant parts of the globe teaching The Method, I knew there was a need for a multi-purpose resource that would serve several needs in the Pilates population: a teaching guide that would help Pilates professionals to become exceptional teachers and also one that would provide students and lovers of Pilates with a comprehensive series that would not only show the viewer all of the exercises in the Pilates syllabus, but go into real depth, discussing the meaning and importance behind each exercise. I wanted to share my findings on how to properly execute, how to find the most immediate and effective way to cue, and how to best use hands-on techniques to facilitate the work. I wanted to create a series that would leave no stone unturned and highlight every aspect of the Method, going well beyond the exercises themselves into the realm of psychology and interpersonal interactions. I wanted to address the vital aspect of responsibility towards another, having healthy boundaries, being able to tap into one’s intuition and empathy when greeting and working with a client, keeping one’s own practice up and maintaining proper self-care and attention to one’s own growth and personal progress while attending to a business that often requires a considerable measure of energetic output; how to achieve self-preservation and simultaneously cultivate a thriving business.


I decided to film one of my complete teacher training courses, from the Mat, including the Magic Circle and Sculpting Series, to the Reformer, the Cadillac, Chair and Barrels, Ladder and small arc barrel, all levels, all case studies, from scoliosis to various injuries, pre and post-natal approaches, for the young, seniors, overweight, and the list goes on and on. The result is my Pilates Method Master Trainer Series, and it is my hope that this collection of DVDs helps to serve as the bridge from esteemed, accredited teacher training courses into the real-time world of flesh and blood, transformational interactions in Pilates, one that leads you to feel a deeper confidence, steadiness of spirit, greater skill and finesse and inspiration in each and every one of your Pilates experiences whether you teach it to many, or practice it on your own!
Enjoy!
To your good health and good fortune everyone~


Click here to read what people are saying about The Master Trainer Series!

For more information: The Pilates Master Series

About the Author: Dancer, choreographer, yoga devotee, author and Pilates master teacher, Jennifer Kries was first to bring Pilates to the masses, her award-winning videos and DVDs, The Method Series, Jennifer Kries’s Pilates Method and Fox/Fit TV’s, The Method Show, revolutionized the fitness community, paving the way for the current wave of enthusiasm for Pilates mind-body exercise. Jennifer studied with three of Joseph Pilates original disciples throughout her professional dance career, starting with Eve Gentry, moving on to Romana Kryzanowska and then Ron Fletcher. The synergy of her Pilates background, her intensive study of anatomy with renowned exercise physiologist and movement scientist, Irene Dowd, coupled with her own study of eastern philosophies and schools of movement such as the “soft arts” of Chi-Gong and Bone Marrow Nei Kung with Chi-Gong Master Mantak Chia, led Jennifer to develop her Hot Body Cool Mind system. One of the country’s preeminent Pilates master teachers, she is responsible for launching many of today’s most respected professionals who teach either traditional Pilates or The Method, her trademark mind-body synthesis: Pilates, yoga, and dance. She is the founder of New York’s, Balance Pilates, Yoga, and Dance, Hot Body Cool Mind—The Studio in Philadelphia, Artistic Director and Founder of Contemporary Dance Theatre New York and most recently, creator and producer of yet another ground-breaking four part DVD series, Hot Body Cool Mind: The Life Force Power Workout!

Before the new moon arrives at its apex this evening, I wanted to write a welcome note to the Tiger who blesses us all with its presence this weekend!

In the words of my dear friend, Maya White …
1) Act decisively and be on time - Tigers hate to wait.
2) Get in shape - Tigers like it when you are sleek & healthy.
3) Speak up & use your voice - a tiger roars!
4) Be playful and joyous - Tigers like to have fun.
5) Adorn yourself with beautiful jewels - Tigers especially like collar style necklaces, and the enlightened ones wear fake fur.
Now is the time to act with your highest intentions and step into the light!
The blazing light of the sun– shine light on the truth– your truth and move into what calls you from the very depths of your heart and soul.
There is no time to waste!

Leap out into new realms, places you have always wanted to go, but never have.

Walk the path you have always been curious about and marry your thoughts and words with your actions … inhabit true integrity and see what manifests as a result!
This is a special, deeply spiritual weekend— the new moon for new beginnings, the new chinese year– a bold, beautiful WHITE metal tiger to leap forward with … and Valentine’s Day!
Today is a day loaded with the most auspicious cosmic energy and love.
Love yourself and see how the doors and windows to your innermost self open wide and how that attracts all that you wish for …
Trust to love and the rest will follow.

Happy NEW YEAR to all!
Welcome, you beautiful tiger! Come on in and hear me roar with you!

Sending my intentions up through the kundalini snake starting at the root and traveling all the way up through every chakra into the universe where the moon smiles from her perch on high in enlightened acknowledgment and celebration!

Love love love ~~~~
Aum Mani Pad Me Hum–
May the lotus of possibility blossom for you this year 1,000 fold!