Friday, March 25, 2011

Finding the Best Version of Yourself

In previous weeks we introduced you to some people whose kindness and wisdom have touched us. We hope you are as inspired by their stories as we are and that you, too, have extraordinary teachers in your life.

Today we’d like to introduce you to an extraordinary, beautiful woman whose wisdom reaches far beyond her years and through whom we have learned that sometimes you just have to get out of your head and trust the wisdom of your body and inner self. Please meet our yoga instructor and friend, Jen Sayers.



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‘It is through your body that you realize you are a spark of divinity.’
-B. K. S.




My impression of the 51% project is that of a forum designed to inspire people to get into the drivers seat of their own lives; take charge and make choices to create a better life, a better you, a better me, and a better world. I’m a yoga teacher and student and my practice has given me a few tools and, in turn, a few glimpses of that better self I want to be.

Yoga reminds us again and again that we already have everything we need; we were born with it. That perfect place deep within where all is well and you are your most genuine and authentic version of yourself - that place of Divinity or what you may call your inner knowing, your truth. Over time our experiences, both good and bad, put layers over that place - that authentic self. Little hurts and fears are like sheets of plastic wrap; big ones can be more like bricks or steel. Either way, the ‘real you’ gets buried deeper and deeper until who we really are, or were meant to be, can become unrecognizable, even to ourselves. Every stimulus adds another layer. Yoga, meditation, and other stilling practices can help to peel away the layers, allowing us glimpses of that center, stimulating our desire to get back there; back in touch with our truth. Every moment of presence, breath, yoga practice, joy and love has the power to bring us back so that we can become who we were meant to be, who we really are, who we want to be, and the best version of ourselves.

The most challenging part for many of us is the desire for an instant fix. It’s not going to happen. Even when we do get in touch with our own best self, it’s a daily battle to stay there, constantly returning again and again to center. That’s what my yoga practice helps me do. What helps you see inside?

In yoga we use the word ‘Namaste.” It’s only fitting that I use that word here and now to say:





‘I honor that place with in you of light, love, truth and peace.
When you are in that place in you, I am in that place in me,
we are one.’



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Dorothy: I’ve been doing yoga on and off for many years, but it wasn’t until I moved here to Utah 3 years ago that the practice became a part of me, a daily tonic that has strengthened me in so many ways. Through Jen, and other teachers I’ve met along the way, I am gratefully now more often that best version of myself – certainly 51% of the time!!!! As Jen said, there are no instant fixes. So, with one foot in front of the other, I plod on; encountering teachers and things along the way that help me to keep peeling away the layers. It is sometimes hard and uncomfortable but yoga, this blog, the people and experiences in my life help to remind me that the beauty is in the process not the work. Looking at where I am and back at where I was, the effort is barely a memory - it’s the outcome I celebrate! We all have a best version of ourselves. Whatever path you take to nourish yours, I wish you peace and joy in the process. Namaste

Susan: Dorothy’s comments are also true for me. Finding my physical center and authentic self, with the help of my yoga practice, limbers both my body and mind allowing me to discard negativity and feel graceful as I move through my day. It’s one more very pleasant way for me to have positive awareness. Namaste.


If you would like to receive notification of new posts, please send your request and email to: dmsa51@51percent.us. and we will be happy to oblige. Thank you for your support and encouragement!

Friday, March 18, 2011

When Did We Become Oblivious?

People only see what they are prepared to see.
-
Ralph Waldo Emerson



Just the other day I was struck by how oblivious we have become as we rush through our lives, barely noticing that others could use our assistance. Then I remembered the TV commercial showing a young mom with a toddler in a stroller at a busy intersection in a large city … the baby throws her doll on the sidewalk and a man picks up the toy and returns it to the baby. The mom is grateful and others noticed the kindness and smile, even though they’re hurrying to cross the street. It was a great illustration of noticing others and how the little things we do for them have a positive impact. Helping an aging woman wrestling with a heavy grocery bag has a positive impact on her and takes almost no time at all. It’s easy to hold the entry door for the person behind you, and it says that you acknowledge their presence. It’s simple to pick up sunglasses someone drops unnoticed and give them back. There are many little things each of us can do during the day that make small, but positive differences in others’ lives … and those simple acts of kindness we perform seem to make an even bigger difference in our own lives.

We encourage sharpening our awareness of the simple ways we can all help out every day. Just a happy “good morning!” when you pass someone can start both of your days off with a smile. Little things can bring joy to the day and push us forward on the path to thinking positively 51% of the time.

SUSAN: My work moving forward is to heighten my attention to what is happening around me so I can make some small differences in others' lives.

DOROTHY: I feel strongly that the quality of our lives is greatly affected by how we treat others. So, I’m with Susan; it’s time to fine-tune my “situational awareness” skills. I’m going to make a point of seeing the world around me through a wider lens and offering random acts of kindness whenever I can.

Please visit us on Facebook – just search for The 51% Project. If you are finding our blog useful, let us know by leaving a thumbs up/like. And of course, any comments, suggestions, considerations for future content, are always welcome!


S & D

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Laughter and Joy



Laughter is the tonic, the relief, the surcease for pain.

                                                                                      Charlie Chaplin

                       

Did you happen to see The Laughing Baby video that went “viral” this week? (We’ve added it here for your pleasure!) What a great reminder of how contagious joy can be.  I can’t imagine anyone seeing it and not breaking into, at least, a smile! 

I was struck by the number of “hits” the video received (9,000,000+ as of last count!) and by how quickly it flew around the world.  Clearly it was a much-needed tonic in the midst of the unrest in the world right now.  Watching it (about 12 times!) made me think about whom else might have seen it and how they might have been affected by it.

I hope that The Laughing Baby was viewed by combat troops (ours and theirs) in war torn countries of the world, by people caught up in the uprisings in the Middle-East, by folks living in nursing facilities, or homeless shelters, by hungry children, and by the people in Haiti, Australia and Japan struggling to find their way back to a new normal. And I hope that in the minutes that followed their viewing, people might have reached out to someone with a kind word or a gesture of help or felt hope for themselves for a while.

I hope that those who didn’t have the opportunity to be delighted by The Laughing Baby were delighted by another source of joy that day; that maybe they got a hug they hadn’t expected or found a bit of sun to sit in or watched a butterfly or scratched a dog’s ears or heard their own children laughing.  I hope that maybe they found shelter from the flying bullets or news that a loved one was safe.  I hope that maybe they heard the word remission or their favorite hymn.

I hope The Laughing Baby’s father, who chose to turn the angst of receiving an employment rejection letter into a game of giggles and happiness, is repaid with the best job ever and a future of great success.

I hope that The Laughing Baby (Mica) has a zillion more moments of pure joy in his life, and when he hears the story of how he made the whole world laugh, he’ll say proudly, “Yeah, that was me!”

And I hope that after you watch The Laughing Baby, you, as I did, will also remember how good it feels to be in that tears streaming down your face, gasping for breath, blowing milk out your nose, peeing your pants, rolling on the ground ecstasy and together we can spread it around and cause an epidemic!

Feel Good – Do Good!

ENJOY!





Dorothy:  Well, I don’t know if it’s the latest 18 inches of snow or, the onset of cabin fever or, the….. – but -  whatever IT is – I seem to have hit a wall.  Somehow my resistance to the chaos – the world’s, our state’s, my family’s and MINE - has diminished and I’m finding myself edgy and out of sorts. I know, as Susan discussed last week, that sometimes you just have to crawl in the hole – but as she said, “it feels REALLLLLLLLLY awful, “ and I want OUT!  --- Since starting this project back in January – I really have been on a very nice, even keel.  I’ve been putting in that 51% of effort to make some changes in my life, I’ve been aware of boundaries and cautious of judgment, and although it’s been hard work at times – I’ve been inspired by the outcomes and cheered by my progress.  Then what happened?  LIFE HAPPENED – HUMAN HAPPENED – FAMILY DYNAMICS HAPPENED – EGO HAPPENED!  I have to remember that hard days happen to happy people, too, and that even the most well maintained machinery needs a little tune-up now and again!   So I’ve called in the mechanics: my Thai Masseuse, my walking partner and confidant, my yoga instructor.  I’ve made plans to visit my favorite Barista; will gather my family to share a meal, will play with my paints, and call a friend I’ve been missing.--- I’ve been over a few bumps in the road before and know this well- worn chaises has a lot more happy trails ahead, so for now I’m just going to try to be kind to myself and keep my eye on the horizon!!! Hopefully, it's my next great inspiration! 
Susan: Laughter truly is the best medicine, and I’ve had a wonderful week of intense laughter.  Last Friday my husband and I met with delightful new friends and began the most laughter filled weekend I can remember.   Saturday was a giggle-filled day ending with a superb dining experience in the evening … the company, the wine, and the amazing food elicited smiles from the depths of my sole.   And the skiing this week in many inches of new, soft snow!  We laughed, we teased; we skied until our poor legs couldn’t stand up to any more fun.  Add to that more fun with wonderful friends and more delicious food and drink and, you guessed it, more laughter.  Honestly, we laughed until our sides ached.  It’s a tonic, a scrumptious elixir that makes the endorphins zing.  My wish for you is that you laugh until your sides ache at least one time this week.
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D & S

A lovely post script:  While meeting at our "office" - our favorite local coffee house - to review this weeks post, we were again delighted by the spontaneous and infectious laughter of a child.  Sitting with his parents and Grandmother, a young toddler was given an Iphone to play with and discovered an apparently hilarious game.  His unbridled guffaws resounded about the shop and within seconds, everyone was giggling; eyes lifted from computer screens and newspapers, smiles popped up over every latte and joy spilled out everywhere!  Such an unexpected and appreciated gift to all!