Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Not Subject to Time, Nor DIstance


Not Subject to Time, Nor DIstance

Laura Harrison


It feels like its been a long time,
like there are roots that have grown already,
and the soil, moist and fertile,
and well-worn with feet and smiles,
and the warmth of unspoken loving connection.
It is alive with vast, warm, bright life
and the living power of potential. 

I don't really understand,
but then again, why is overrated,
and logical is a merely human construct,
it does not reflect the logic of a universe,
based in energy and where time
only exists to keep everything from happening at once,
and where we can only see the biggest most dense forms,
if we had real eyes, we'd realize that WE are cells,
and cells are energy,

everything
is
energy

one contiguous sheet dancing...
close your eyes
and relax your walls of tension,
a temple built to worship self-consciousness...

When the walls fall and the dust settles,
I can meet you in the space within
where we are never and were never seperated at all.

When we travel within that boundless space of energy,
and come back to the physical,
we take a piece of truth with us...
that what animates the form is not the form itself,
is not the food itself,
not in the outer sense..

but what animates the form is the light of loving-consciousness
and it exists in all form,
all form is consciousness-energy condensed.

So I cannot explain logically why I have so much love and feeling for you
but I don't think I need to,
except to explain it to the left-brain that doesn't understand reality ever anyways.

So let it be confused,
because when it is confused,
it is quiet.

I give everything to trusting that what I feel is real,
because I have worked too damn hard for too long to back down on my beliefs now
when a miracle has landed in my lap

and any minute and pathetic shred of a fear that the left brain can produce,
I can dismiss instantly with the vastness and radiance
of my love-drunk experiences.

so onward...
into the journey before us..
with wide-open eyes and heart
guided by the truth of what is
not the fallacy of what the confused brain wants to interpret as such

and all I know
is what I am experiencing
is nothing short
of everything beautiful
in all directions
that my life is fuller
the lotus of my heart is blossoming
that the synchronicity can no longer be denied

energy...
everything is energy..
and truth is more painful to deny
then to open to it,
let its power blow through
and tear assunder all that is now false and outdated.

physical life is the balance of opposing forces,
and nothing can balance and nourish us more
then the meeting of male and female in unconditional love

so meet me in Rumi's field
and we will forget our outer shells
and exist infinitely together
in the pureness of unbridled, unfiltered, unbounded love

though you are far away in body
you are not far away in heart.

Friday, March 22, 2013

Manifesto of Life Purpose

It helps to stop sometimes, and just watch. Just view, where we are, what we can do, have done, feel we are alive to be doing.. what frees us and brings out our light.. and then marinate in that energy.. that beauty, that light. And then what? Connect with it some more, and set an intention to live life as a reflection of our deepest truths.


For me, I am very visual, so to write it, in both the act of writing it and in the seeing of the written (or typed) word, there is a solid understanding that forms.. as the energy is brought from the mists and colorful, sensual landscapes of inner feelings through the right brain into the left and out into words, we take it from the realm of thought and energy and bring it consciously into the physical.


There are long-term dreams and passions, and there is what present reality happens to be, and the in-between starts with taking steps in the direction of the dreams, but letting go of the heavy burden of HOW it will come to be. Don't sweat the details, not necessary. But bring your inspiration, your passion, your joy, your enthusiasm, and your natural skills all to the table.


And write. If you are super-logical, make a chart.. of immediate actions to take and pathways and goals.. and make it happen. If you are really creative, make a collage, painting, drawing embodying that energy.. or if you are somewhere in the middle perhaps journal about it. Organize it outside your brain. Make it come into the physical. It helps you to know yourself to express what you feel.


So for my own sake, and perhaps if you are interested in what I offer, or as an example of how one journals about such things, here we are (stuff in parenthesis are for your understanding of my short-hand):

Where I am, Right Now...in my Career.


Four main focuses of my career -
(based on passion, skills, desire, and inner sense of rightness)

1.Group Yoga Classes
2.Cooking lessons/workshops/authentic lifestyle-healthy living
3.Teacher Training Course
4.Workshops/retreats/travelling to teach workshops


My writing (lol)
focuses on poetry and articles of experiential and practical inights for living a more open, healthy, free, fulfiling and blissful life in line with life-purpose

My videos (youtube)
will focus on sharing little tips and tastes of my work:
short yoga practices for home use
cooking and lifestyle vlogs


Why those four focuses:

Empowering people to take charge in their own life journey is key to my purpose, not disempowering them with false dependence upon me as any source of light.

Group classes are powerful, I personally prefer to come together to practice in the community, its a bond, a shared experience, but deeply personal as much as it is shared. Providing a space for community is definately part of my purpose, as is encouraging the perfect balance of strong individuality that is fully and consciously connected to the matrix of oneness.

The teacher training course is my favorite way to work with individuals who are truly serious about their growth in consciousness. I only like to do private lessons for a short, finite time if needed. But the teacher training course allows a balance of individual instructor guidance and self-directed study that is very conducive to growth of the ripe student.

Cooking is a passion, and to me it is a form of meditation. Food is life, plants give their lives just as animals do to perpetuate the lives of others. Food is sacred. And to create food, mindfulness, loving energy, joy, and knowledge come together to create real nourishment. The act of cooking, as well as the act of eating, is an opportunity for mindfulness and creative delight. Food can be our medicine or poison, can destroy the earth or nourish her, can uplift and heal us or drag us down and murder us.

Teaching people to cook is important to me, and giving workshops in people's homes creates a beautiful reason for people to gather, learn, become inspired, and honestly, satisfies one of my many little flashes of inspiration since youth.. to have my own little cooking show. ;)


Through workshops across the country and internationally I am able to share the unique gems of my teaching style and personal insights with other yoga teachers and empassioned students, thus spreading how many beings benefit from my existence. I also get to see the world, another important experience to my soul.

It is an honor and blissful experience to facilitate retreat and restorative/transformative experiences for other beings.. another facet of my purpose.



Beyond these things... things I will bring to the community and world, or be participating in--

live music yoga- partnering with musicians creates a powerful vibe, a deely touching and extra-poweful group yoga experience.

kirtan- something I love.. so cleansing to sing with others and lose yourself in sound and movement..

poetry performances- so many people love and respond to my poetry.. I will be performing more and more.. maybe get paid engagements eventually.

festivals- stir up good energy, local festivals are a great way to reach new people!

Nature- I cannot connect with nature too much, never enough, so I cannot empahsize enough her power for balancing and healing and out need to connect with nature in many ways.. and natural imagery is so powerful in yoga classes.. loaded with feeling, each image is lush and ripe with connections more beneficial and moving then plain words alone..

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Strands

STRANDS

By Laura Harrison


Sorting all the strands
In my hands...
Of not me and me.


Now that I've got the feel of what's real,
What's everyone else's and
What it means
And how to be me..


Now I'm ready to hold it steady
But not stagnant,
Graceful, fluid,
Like a surfer on a wave,
I'm just living,
And giving,
Not concerning myself about who I'm trying to save,


Perplexing,
Connections,
I know I knew you in a life before,
Thanks for finding me,
reminding me,
Of what I'm waiting for.


I'm not waiting
Like its a bus stop,
And I have nothing left to do,
I'm not dying,
On the floor crying,
Or Thinking I have nothing without you.


In fact I have everything,
and I feel the fullness,
Like moist fruit, heavy on the tree,


And I am drawing together,
The strands,
Of my reality,
Weaving a tapestry,
Of a satin, of
Something smooth,
And sexy and cool,
Something intensely dynamic,
And delicious,
Something epic but not cruel.


It comes through me,
From beyond me,
And I welcome it to flow.
It leads me,
To know things,
That otherwise can't be known.


I'm dancing,
Around an issue,
That need not exist.
Wondering,
About a someone,
That doesn't yet exist,
Creating dissatisfaction,
For no good reason,
Where none need be,
Maybe its a habit,
I didn't quit yet,
Or maybe its my reality.


Is that the struggle,
That's part of the game?
Designed to keeping me longing,
and away from complacency?


Would I strive the same,
If I had everything that I want?


What if I have everything but one,
What if I have that too?
Won't I strive, just to move,
So I don't think its true,
That life will withhold from me,
A piece of my potential reality,
Just to keep me longing..


But maybe I need to learn to long,
In another direction..
One I can't complete,
One i can't see,
And then I can find the other facet that I seek.


There's no way
To decipher
The whole design from one strand
And there's no way
To logically wrestle,
To rationalize
The universe's plan,
From this one moment,
This chapter,
Although each week feels so long,
Just stay present,
Keep shining,
Keep bright and strong.


And one day
Out of nowhere,
Understanding grows,
It arises,
Abruptly and gently,
But solid like stone,
And all the strands,
Come together,
Woven into cloth,
And its epic,
And delightful,
And ingenious in design,
It is beautiful,
More amazing,
Then I could ever complete with just this mind.


The strands come together,
You can feel the future looming,
You can see the past quite clearly,
But its in the act of weaving that you live,
So Stay in the moment,
Unconcerned,
About the details you can't know,
Concern yourself,
With the conscious choices that you have,
And live your life,
Not like a man running with his eyes closed,
But as an artist one with the craft,
Because this life
Is your masterpiece,
And there is no rough draft.



Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Legacy

LEGACY

By Laura Harrison

Even if you don't want to,
Push through it,
Let the soul witness the body in action and do it,
If you can loosen up,
Imbue it, with a little love.

Or a lot,
If you've got it...

Shout it from the rooftop
And from the mouths of babes,
We are born for bliss and love,
Not to be status quo slaves,
Save me the crumpled story of how its everyone else's fault,


Go tell on the mountain
Of plastic refuse,
Go sell it to the sleep-walkers,
Itching to buy something that
makes them feel alive,
Go preach it to the choir
Milling around trying to buy self-worth at Walmart.


Happiness takes work, but its not misery,
We're missing the point by a million miles,
And closing our hearts and eyes,
While we reach blindly into our wallets,
And throw money out to the vile,
Trying to buy,
Happiness inside,
From twisted greedy hands.


The work it takes is paying attention,
The task at hand is questioning convention,
The necessary steps are re-invention in integrity with your own truth,
Nothing short of
Peaceful anarchy,
Dependent on no truth or rules other then your own,
The rules come from your conscience, which is the connection to your soul,
And if you can't stand to hear where it comes from,
then you better pin open your eyes and ears,
Because plugging your ears and shouting La La La
Won't save you from your fears,


Cut the corner,
Save the trouble,
Just cry the tears,
And do all the positive things you've been resisting all these years...


Would you rather lay there on your death-bed,
Bitter and forlorn,
or would you like to be there peaceful,
Filled with respect and love of all you've known?


So embrace what good you are resisting!
Even if you don't want to,
Push through,
Let the soul witness the body in action and do it,
If you
can loosen up,
Imbue it, with a little love.

Or a lot,
If you've got it!

Our legacy is not in the money that we leave,
Our meaning is not in the notoriety,
All we have is the art
of how we live our lives,
All we leave is the love,
Glistening in the eyes,
Of those we've loved so well.
Like Gandhi said,
Our life is our message,
So don't look for immortality,
Certainly not in advantage,
Or accumulation,
Or power,
Or a perception of valor,
The only legacy we leave,
Is like the beauty of a flower..
It is the quality of our true self
That we gave to benefit of others,
It is in the natural self-expression
Of our unique creative spark,
That we were brave enough
to shine into the dark.


All we leave behind is our love and laughter.....


All we leave behind is our love and laughter....


All we leave behind is our love and laughter,
In the hearts of those we loved.



Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Are You Brave Enough?

ARE YOU BRAVE ENOUGH?

By Laura Harrison

Once you crawl out of the shell
Of tension, of self-consciousness,
Of pretentious,
Unquestioned thoughts you swallowed
From your parents
From TV
From your warped views of reality


Once you abandon on the trail of life
The unnecessary struggles and strife
You get to the
Real
Task at hand

Can you plant the feet of this body in soil,
Heart expansive like the starry skies.
No weight in your chest, spine aligned,
The way its designed to fly...?


Realize you are weightless and made of light,
Interfacing in 4 dimensions through this body of earth,
It is cumbersome,
It is messy,
It is heavy,
But God, it feels so good to love and play,
To greet the dawning day,
To re-meet souls you've known before..

So can you,
Abandon the safety of your barbed wire lock box
And bravely go where you are free and unknown?
Where your light is grown,
Where the real work begins,
When you stop trying to be other,
Where you stop vying for love,
Where you let your love and inspiration take you where you have only dreamed you'd go.


Are you brave enough to live your life fully?




Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Nightingale

Some of my poetry is just a description of a particular moment's energy or mood. Here is one of those.

Nightingale

Oh Nightingale, don't fail me now,
Cold winds are blowing, I feel the howl,
Listless, and in the distance,
I know you're there,
Somewhere.


Its strange I anticipate
To rearrange
I desire to fit you in,
Win you, won you,
I won't know yet,
Close but no bets.


I'll create a dream
Live in fantasy
But I remain connected
To reality
I love the art of living
Heavy with feeling
Light with ecstasy


I long to know
what I am longing for.

Monday, March 18, 2013

The Journey of Becoming Your Self

I often point out to my students that its the very things that make us unique that we learn to suppress in childhood, because we want to fit in (that's some root chakra energy, the urge for family, tribe, and basic survival). Yet as we grow older, a deeper and more primal urge slowly emerges and devours us... The urge to be true to ourselves, to feel a unique purpose, and to live in the fullness of our potential everyday.

There is a physical, metaphysical and psychological journey we undertake to get through this cycle, and that journey is the revealing of a lot of lessons, insights, and the healing of a lot of deep wounds. The wisdom we gain from this difficult journey usually points us in the direction of our life purpose, and is supported by our entire set of skills, experiences, and passions.
Another great revelatory process is in recognizing beauty in others. Before we do a lot of work to heal our wounds and find ourselves, we falsely see happiness, beauty, and love as being scarce or limited. In holding that unconscious view, we see others who are charming, at peace with themselves, beautiful, in love, or vibrant as some sort of a threat, and we feel jealousy or bitterness at seeing them. We must teach ourselves to witness that feeling, and negate it, and cultivate joy in seeing their beauty and success. When we do that, we can see that often times, what we admire in them is also a reflection of a quality that we feel that primal urge to embrace- it is a piece of ourselves we are longing to explore and express. We can find pieces of ourselves in our children, friends, acquaintances, strangers, people of the opposite sex we have some sort of a soul connection with, and of course, our romantic partners.
Creative expression is crucial to living a full life. For some it is through dancing, listening or playing music, visual art, gardening, home decorating, how we dress and carry ourselves and basically anything we do. We can live our life as an art, imbuing each moment with the depth of our whole attention, inspiration, and love.Time in nature is both healing and balancing. It helps us to let go of all that is not the present moment and be free and whole without baggage. Likewise, yoga and meditation are incredible catalysts and medicines to aid the process of transforming into our Selves. The self is the small self, not conscious and filled with conditioned habits and views that are unchallenged and often disingenuine to the truth of the Higher Self. The Self is the individual in the form of wholeness, grounded, and all layers connected (body, mind, energy/spirit), the individual fully self-expressed, yet connected consciously to the underlying oneness of all. We are here to purify our individuality, and let it connect us to our universality. The trick to a fulfilling live is to find your inner truth and follow it, no matter what anyone says, no matter if it is illogical or highly unconventional, the true voice of your conscience is the compass. It will reprimand you with guilt when you harm others. It will feel expansive and light and filled with love when you listen to its call. And it will bring you on a path of synchronicity, love, bittersweet ecstasy, and miracles. But it is a trial and error process to learn how to heed its call, and not the false voice of the left brain- the ego. So we must look at every experience as a teacher, and learn to listen to the right voice within. Like anything else it is tough at first, but becomes easier with practice, and it is so rewarding, it is incredibly worthwhile.We are given this life to live as a unique spark.. A unique prism through which the light of Loving Consciousness shines into the physical realm. It is each of our own responsibilities to seek true wholesome happiness, health, and fulfilment. The beauty of this process is that as we do the work to travel this path, the happiness we stir, then freedom we unleash, becomes an energy that fuels us, and makes us a catalyst for the advancement of others. We don't have to force or pry. Just by being yourself you will somehow contribute to the wholeness and freedom of others. It is the work we were born to do, each of us in our own way.

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®








Thursday, March 7, 2013

Knowing the Self before finding a Soul mate

Our culture gets us obsessed with finding a life-long partner. For some rare folks, that seems to be the path- that at a young age they meet a partner, and that the partnership doesn't inhibit growth, but catalyzes it, through all the cycles and transformations of this lifetime.


Yet for most of us, we will have several significant relationships in our lifetime. Longing for the next partnership is natural, but usually takes on an egoic air of neediness or rushing and dissatisfaction with what is. Try to let go of those strands and see, that you have to have a happy relationship with your Self first. If you don't know your Self, how can you know who you need or want to be with?


We are not one solid person. We grow and change, and our outer and inner landscape changes significantly over and over in our life's journey. Soul mates come in the form of strangers, friends, lovers, and experiences,to show us, in what we love and admire in them, the pieces to our developing Self we weren't aware of or had forgotten.


And only when we have a great connection and feeling of wholeness with the next stage of Self at this next chapter of our life's journey, can we be ready to attract the next partner. I believe for most people it is a different soul-mate/partner that arises for different stages, different Selves in life.


So don't go to dingy or trendy bars if you find them soul-sapping. Your future partner will meet you while you are being you. Life will bring you together. In the meantime, love being you. Find out what makes you tick. Let your life be your art, let your outside reflect your inside, live in complete harmony with your heart and intentions. Become freer. Don't try to be, just be. And DON'T worry. Love comes in many forms and from all directions. You are whole. You lack nothing from a partner. Only two whole beings can make a healthy relationship happen.

So get busy on your life journey. Be you. Have fun. Do the work. Get freer. You are love.







Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Alone; And Not Alone

Alone; And Not Alone

by Laura Harrison

There was an inherent belief I carried with me,
that chipped away at my sanctity,
I don't understand with all the time alone I've spent,
in strength, and adventure, delight and creativity,
where or when or how it crept in again.


Its as if feeling my own beauty isn't enough if there isn't a man to appreciate it
but I don't feel that way
why did I let my mind drift that way?
Why worry about who or where or when
when I have all of this in each moment?

I have delight, and true happiness,
I have the strength of my two legs connected to the Mother Earth,
I have a son that is the sun and full of everything lovable and joyful
I have creativity, playfulness, poetry,
I have nature,
I have the wisdom and I feel that the Beloved is inside everything.

And while I welcome the day that the Beloved in the form of the partner finds his way to me,
I am no less, and I am in no hurry,
because I love what each day is bringing me,
and it is a sacrilege and ingratitude to look past the light of here and now
with dissatisfaction towards what I think should be here.

I realize the strength of independence comes from the knowledge of connection
and quietly and inconsciously it was the Feeling of The Beloved, loving me,
through me, through the air, through the trees,
through the faces and hearts of everyone I meet,
and it is he that is rocking me to sleep.
The Divine Consciousness that is the fabric of all that is,
feels like light, like the sun shinng through me with love

It is enough to be in love with myself, with my life, with Life Itself,
with the world, all living beings and the Earth,
and when the Beloved in the form of one man finds his way,
that will only add to the beauty of my days,
but I will not compromise nor pretend, for that is to lie,
and I will not pander or beg, though I am not above anyone else in worth,
I have self- respect and I have trust in the unfolding,
that Real Love does not have to be begged, borrowed or feigned.

There is no forever, but there is a conscious choice in each day,
and when the Beloved comes to love me in form of a man,
he must be my equal in all ways, and the Love completely mutual,
so Love is not love that is begged borrowed nor persuaded
and I am loved and I am loved and I know my beauty has not faded.

I do not fade because I do not let a man inside of me
and to be independent isn't a form of poverty,
I am Lover and Beloved, and life is my playground,
I am female power, I am the Mother, I am charm and grace,
and to love freely and smile, to laugh and dance each day,
there is a genuine smile upon my face..

I want what is and what will be,
but will not throw away now for the potential reality

now and the rich potential of unknown are one
and feeling the intensity of that is half the fun.

We are never alone
when we are alone
we are still with our Selves

The One Consciousness of which we are all part
is there with us in our heart.

We are never alone.
Always loved,
and all the demanding and the pointing and the longing is a role, an act, a sleight of hand

Finally, when I remember this, I am FREE!
Freedom is in wanting nothing more then this moment,
and this moment, and this moment,
sowing the seeds of our blossoming by the joyful following of our natural truth in each moment..
and feeling that rightness filled with love..
freedom..
bliss.
we are Lover and Beloved and we are never alone.







Saturday, March 2, 2013

Revelations of Oneness

By Laura Harrison


I find pieces of my soul,
In the faces of the people that I meet.


Its incredibly powerful medicine,
To see what I don't want to be,
Or what's no longer me.


But it's more powerful still,
When just to be near a person,
To feel full of love and like the sun is shining through my every pore.

I want more!


It's satsang, choosing your friends wisely,
Spending time alone,
Touching nature,
Knowing that the Beloved is wrapping his arms around you every time you smile or cry,
There's no room to lie
Because all that is is consciousness,
All That Is knows what It is, and It is everything,


So there's no room to hide,
No separation of sacred from mundane,
This world is the romantic playful art of the Beloved,
And we develop our little part,
Our role, our unique gifts to extol, our special beauty to behold,


I am finding the pieces of my soul,
And the path that makes me whole,
In the experiences of each and everyday.


The revelation of oneness is in each day,
As we fall in love with pieces of ourselves in others,
And form a relationship with the Lover inside all other lovers.






Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®