Call Me Crazy But I Don’t Care. I Heard the Birds.

Posted March 5, 2014 by Barbara Techel

It was cloudy when I woke up this morning as I walked out to my writing cottage, holding Gidget in my right arm like a football.

As I began my yoga practice I realized I hadn’t heard any birds this morning. I didn’t see them in the tree’s either. The past two days I’ve seen little sparrows flying about, landing in the trees outside my windows, with others gathering to meet them.

It was still and quiet this morning. I was missing the birds. As I often do, I play soft music in the background while I do my yoga practice. Most often I listen to Kevin Kern radio on Pandora.

Though I didn’t realize it immediately the next song started playing. One I had not heard before. Birds were chirping in the song. All of a sudden I realized what my thoughts had just been on—birds!

I had to quickly glance at my computer to see the name of the song that was playing and write it down before I returned to my mat. The song, Secret Garden by Dan Gibson— Solitudes, Exploring Nature with Music—The English Cottage Garden. ((I googled this and found it on Youtube. An hour long version which I’m listening to right now as I write this– and have shared with you at the end of this post).

As I continued my practice I began to smile. Wow, this is amazing, really. A moment ago I was lost in thinking about missing seeing the birds and hearing their beautiful singing outside my window. Instead they showed up in a different way.

Moving through my poses I thought, this will be most blog post for today! For a moment I hesitated and thought there is no way I can write about this– people will think I’m crazy.

But then it occurred to me that I don’t care. I was so happy in that moment of connecting my thoughts to the song that ” magically” appeared to play. It was real and beautiful for me. It brought me so much joy. I also thought about how I set my intention this year to be braver in my writing and what I share. Well, here it was, presenting itself.

It also made me think about how often we dismiss things like this in our life. But this is synchronicity! This, to me, is a sign that I am living in the moment—not worried about yesterday, today, or tomorrow. I’m aware of my thoughts, my surroundings, what speaks to me, and how connected I can feel to everything. In those amazing moments this is pure joy for me. I’m not crazy, I’m happy!

How often we look outside ourselves for this thing called happiness, when it is right here in our hearts. The simple pleasures, the simple moments that make our hearts smile.

As I lay in savasana pose Gidget crawled onto my chest. I couldn’t help but think she was helping to ground me. As much as I love savasana it is truly a practice for me because sometimes I get antsy and can’t lie still.

But today I melted into the mat and gave thanks for the abundance of beauty all around me. So grateful for my life.

A New Ritual: Practicing Grace Each Day.

Posted March 4, 2014 by Barbara Techel

I recently shared with you that I reorganized and threw out (or donated) much stuff in my writing cottage two weeks ago. I’m really enjoying what feels like a new space for me- but even better, a new energy. I feel so much lighter and free. It continues to amaze me how stuff can hold us back.

Part of my wanting to let go of stuff was to make room for new– whatever that is meant to be. I also wanted to practice my morning yoga in my writing cottage. John is often times home in the mornings on phone calls and with our house being small, I was finding it hard to concentrate.

Yoga seems like such a simple thing, but it adds so much value and depth to my days. Being in the quiet of the morning, the sun streaming through my long windows which surround me, I feel a connection to nature and the earth.

This week I decided to add a grace card to my yoga practice. What I do before I begin my practice is to sit and ask for what it is I need guidance with for the day. I either choose a number to count down the cards to, or what day it is (yesterday being 3, I counted to 3rd card in the deck), or I just slide my hands over the deck and stop when I feel it is right, or I go with what color card catches my eye.

Once I choose the card, I read it, and then hold it in my thoughts as I do my yoga practice.

Yesterday the grace card that presented itself to me was, LISTEN…When we feel overly attached to an outcome, it’s simply an indication that we need to reconnect with our Wise Self.

I wasn’t sure the message for me until later in the day. I realized this with someone I love dearly who is struggling with some challenges in her life. I really listened. And I also realized in the process, that as much as I wish I could make things better for her, these are life choices she has to make on her own.

For me, I had to let go of the outcome of what I think it should or shouldn’t be. It is also a reminder to myself that when my life feels out of balance this is an indication that I am not listening to my own Wise Self. This is a practice. One I feel that comes with being more aware, which I’ve been working on this year—more awareness.

Today I chose the card COMPASSION…Be gentle with yourself. You are a magnificent soul. A reminder to first practice compassion with ourselves, to love ourselves for who we are, so that we move out into the world being who we authentically are, giving back in the best way that speaks to who we are.

It will be interesting as I continue incorporating Grace card moments before my yoga and how that will play out in my life.

One of the best things about my yoga practice though? After I roll up my mat and tuck under my desk, I sit and just be with Gidget—my Buddha dog who sits in her own stillness and in turn shares her wise wisdom with me just by being her amazing little self.

Which by the way… she normally starts her ” dinner time dance” around 4:00pm and is pretty insistent on me getting her dinner. But yesterday afternoon while I talked with my friend? She settled into her bed and held her Buddha self until almost 5:45pm, never once stirring. She really is a Buddha dog, don’t you think?

How this Painting Brought Me Back to Authentic Me

Posted March 1, 2014 by Barbara Techel

A few weeks ago I did this painting under the expert guidance of my friend and artist, Cassy Tully. I was nervous about painting something from scratch as I’d really never done it before. But the invitation for a night of pizza, friendship, and fun, which included John too, was too delicious to pass up.

At first I wasn’t sure I’d display my ” work of art.” I was too busy inwardly criticizing myself that it wasn’t “good enough.” But John brought our paintings home yesterday after stopping at Cassy’s studio. Cassy had wrapped them in pretty green tissue and a blue organza ribbon.

I set it to the side and didn’t even open it. This morning when I got up, I looked at that wrapped artwork sitting on the kitchen table. I scolded myself for being so hard on myself. Just open it, I silently said. So I did.

I smiled. I recalled the special night with John and Cassy. I felt happy and yes, even a bit proud. So I decided to put it on my kitchen counter next to my basket of tea selections and also my favorite pottery tea cup I got in Asheville, NC this past fall.

If I had chosen to continue to get lost in negativity that I wasn’t good enough, I’d miss out on the joy this painting brings to me. It’s not really about the painting.

It’s how it came into creation. It’s about how good I felt learning something new. It’s about spending time with two people I love dearly. It’s that I tried. It’s also about something I love… tea. Then added next to my tea selection and cup it added another aspect of joy for me, which is making things cozy in my home.

This little corner in my kitchen has made me smile at least five times already today and evokes a warm feeling in my heart.

It also made me think about how hard I’ve been on myself lately and my writing. Working on my new book Joie’s Gift-Finding Purpose in the Pause has been a struggle lately– even feeling daunting some days. My inner critic has been very loud.

This painting is a reminder that like writing it is a practice. Just showing up is enough. Though I’m not sure I want to keep showing up for painting on a regular basis, I do want to show up for my writing. Even on days when I feel like I wrote nothing that matters or it does not seem to make sense. I remind myself good writing days will come again. They always do.

All this from unwrapping this painting today and looking at it through new eyes. Which brings me to something new I’ve evolved to over the past few months which is being more aware of my thoughts– watching them go by and then pausing and shifting them. This leads me back to what matters– and it leads me back to authentic me.