Wonder Your Way To Brilliant

What do the following phrases all have in common? I just need…, As long as…, If only…, What I really need…, If ___ would just…, Why can’t…, Why don’t…, If I could…, All I need…, All I want… What do they have in common? Find out on today’s episode of Wonder Your Way to Brilliant.   

On today’s episode of Wonder Your Way to Brilliant we dive deep into the Niyama of Contentment. Even more than happiness, isn’t this what we really want? Why is it so elusive? Why do we spend much of life seeking it? How do we claim it? These are the questions we explore in today’s episode.  If experiencing contentment is important to you, you will want to listen in. 

On today’s episode of Wonder Your Way to Brilliant we explore what it means to be pure with ourselves. As I was reading Deborah Adele’s words, I was struck by how masterful we can be at hiding from ourselves. We create distractions, lie to ourselves, cover ourselves up, wear masks, and the list goes on. What would it actually mean to be honest with ourselves; fully pure with ourselves? Please join me for this final exploration of Saucha (purity) and let’s walk the path together of seeing how honest and pure we can be with ourselves.   

Today’s episode of Wonder Your Way to Brilliant is quite special.  I recently spent a week on retreat at the Sivananda Ashram and Yoga Ranch in the Catskills, NY. It was my first time there and I had no idea what to expect. As grace would have it, it was one of the most wonderful experiences of my life and I had the good fortune of being enrolled in a class called: From Asana to Stillness with Arjuna, my teacher. Arjuna, a 40+ year practitioner of yoga and 37-year veteran teacher with Sivananda agreed to join me to talk about this month’s Niyama, Saucha or purity. Enjoy this special treat, the opportunity to learn from a true spiritual teacher and to explore an answer to this question, “What is the true purpose of our lives?”.    

On this week’s episode of Wonder Your Way to Brilliant we begin talking about the Niyama of Saucha or Purity... Purity of body, mind (thought), words, and energy. What does it mean to purify ourselves? Why is this important? And HOW do we do this? These are all topics we begin to explore in this episode and continue to explore throughout the month. Please join me for the journey.

As humans, we are faced with a challenging paradox… we are designed to love and care deeply, and yet we can only be free if we learn how to let go of that which we love and care deeply about. On this week’s episode of Wonder Your Way to Brilliant we continue to talk about Aparigraha or the Yama of non-attachment. We explore deeply this paradox of caring deeply about people, things and experiences, and at the same time, being called to continually practice non-attachment and letting go of these same things. Why would we do this? How do we do this? What are the consequences if we fight the letting go?

In ancient India, when monkey catchers wanted to catch monkeys, they did not chase the monkey. Instead, they put a banana inside a cage with narrow bars. When the free monkey reached their hand in to get the banana, they were easy to catch because they refused to let go of the banana! On this week’s episode of Wonder Your Way to Brilliant we talk about the ‘bananas’ we cling to that keep us imprisoned in a state of fear, anxiety, guilt, shame, exhaustion… oh, the number of prisons we can create for ourselves is vast! Tune in and explore the path to freedom. In essence, all we have to do is let go of the banana!  

When a trapeze artist swings from one bar to the next or from the bar into the hands of a waiting circus artist, there is a moment when she or he is suspended in mid-air. For the acrobatic act to work, they must fully let go of the old secure bar BEFORE they are able to connect with the new bar or be caught by the hands of their partner acrobat. As the audience, this is typically the moment when we gasp, but the circus artist is not nervous. If they were, they would not succeed. They are not nervous because they have rehearsed and learned to trust in the unfolding of the act. They know the rhythm and timing of the letting go, the suspension in mid-air and how to connect on the other side. Join me this week on Wonder Your Way to Brilliant as we continue our discussion of the YAMA Aparigraha - non-possessiveness or letting go and explore with me how we can cultivate some of this trust for being suspended in mid-air.  

This month, on Wonder Your Way to Brilliant we are discussing the YAMA of Aparigraha - non-possessiveness or letting go. The Yama of Aparigraha presents us with a mindfulness challenge of major magnitude. Can we engage in life fully, love deeply, cherish whole-heartedly, enjoy deliciously, care passionately... and then let go? Can we take in each moment, relationship, experience, possession… and then let it go? Can we have and enjoy without becoming attached? Can we have and enjoy without becoming dependent upon the having and the experience for our contentment or happiness? This is a very tall ask, and we are taking it on this month. 

How can we reduce or stop the drain on our energy to achieve a greater state of balance and centeredness? How can we achieve a sense of balance and calm? We all encounter times in our life that tax our energy. Sometimes, however, we can over-exert energy to deal with this situation. We can take a minor problem and put the energy appropriate of a major problem towards it. On today’s episode of Wonder Your Way to Brilliant we continue to talk about the Yama of Brahmacharya from a slightly different angle - ‘energy moderation.’ Join me for an exploration of mastering our right use of moderate energy. 

Finding the sacred is easy when we look at a blossom that has just opened up or glimpse the smile of a young child. But how willing are we to seek the sacred in moments that are difficult when we feel inclined to indulge in complaining, feeling bad for ourselves, lashing out at others? On today’s episode of Wonder Your Way to Brilliant we continue to talk about the Yama of Brahmacharya - non-excess, walking with God, or the right use of energy. This commitment to the right use of energy calls us to both lift our eyes and be present to beauty as well as to seek the sacred in what may feel challenging. How intentionally can we direct our energy, regardless of what is happening around us?

Why do we reach for one more drink than we really need, one more helping after we are full, another hour of work after we have put in a full day… Why do we excess? On today’s episode of Wonder Your Way to Brilliant I talk about the Yama of Bramacharya - non-excess or walking with God, or right use of energy. Having too much, eating too much, working too much is never helpful for us, yet we can be seduced by them. Why does this happen and how can we turn toward mindful living? How can we step out of the fog of habitual behavior and onto a more intentional path? Some thoughts today’s episode.  

On today’s episode of Wonder Your Way to Brilliant I talk about a topic near and dear to my heart… the non-stealing of energy. Have you ever been really excited about something only to have someone not notice, not care, or even worse, burst the bubble of your enthusiasm? Or have you ever felt bad the moment after you inadvertently stole the wind out of someone else’s sails? I am super sensitive to both of these and invite us to think about them as ‘stealing of energy.’ How do we raise our awareness about it and how can we get better at showing up to every moment, rather than stealing energy from a previous moment?  

Monday is Earth Day and as part of our month-long exploration of the Yama of ASTEYA or NON-STEALING, this week’s episode of Wonder Your Way to Brilliant explores our relationship with the earth. As a species, we have stolen both from the earth and from the future of the planet, yet we can also find amazing sources of hope. Please join me in this atypical episode in which I share a powerful speech by Paul Hawken, renowned entrepreneur, visionary environmental activist, and author in which he shares a question Ralph Waldo Emerson once asked, “What would we do if the stars only came out once every thousand years?” Listen in to hear how he describes the state of our relationship with the earth as well as how we can reconceive this relationship into the future    

On today’s episode of Wonder Your Way to Brilliant we begin our exploration of the Yama of ASTEYA or NON-STEALING. This Yama challenges us to look at the ways in which we steal from our relationships with others, from the Earth, from our future, and from our own happiness in our attempt to fill the gaps of lacking inside ourselves. It is a deeply powerful exploration and one that I have found to be transformative in my life. So, do a check in with yourself…. Do you feel courageous enough to take on any patterns or behaviors that you may have that stem from your own sense of internal inadequacy? The Curiosity Coach in me hopes you will, either now or when the time is right! :)     

On today’s episode of Wonder Your Way to Brilliant we continue to explore the Yama of SATYA or Truthfulness. We look at the fluidity of Truth by getting curious about what our truth is built upon. In other words, at all times, the things we know and believe to be true are based upon our current knowledge, set of experiences, and understandings. What happens when our knowledge, experience and understand expands? Does our truth change? Would we be willing to let go of a truth and make room for a new one? Let’s discuss on today’s episode.     

Struggles with time management...Lost time...Not enough time...Time flying too fast... On today’s episode, we explore the ways in which we are truthful and not truthful in our relationship to time. Time is the one resource that we can never get more of… Once it is gone, it is gone? Given how precious it is, do we treat it as a sacred resource or do we squander it on things that really do not add to the quality of life? Tune in to today’s episode and let’s great real about our relationship to time.

On today’s episode of Wonder Your Way to Brilliant we explore the struggle that often arises when we find ourselves torn between something we want to do or we feel is good for us and what others want or feel is good for us.  In our exploration of SATYA or Truthfulness, we recognize that acknowledging our truth can be difficult especially when it feels like following our path distances us from others we care about. We want to belong and we want to grow, but sometimes these goals come into conflict. What do we do? How do we figure it out? Join me on today’s episode for a powerful exploration of the tension between growth and belonging.

On today’s episode of Wonder Your Way to Brilliant we explore what it really means to live in truthful relationship with ourselves and others. Non-truthfulness often doesn’t look like a lie, but rather like pleasing, self-sacrificing, remaining silent, hiding, or avoiding. Non-truthfulness means showing up as who we believe others want us to be. Non-truthfulness means withholding information or expression that is important for us and for relationships. And non-truthfulness has impactful consequences. Join me on today’s episode for a fiercely honest exploration of the many ways we consciously and unconsciously avoid truthfulness and how we can move closer to Satya.   

This week’s episode of  Wonder Your Way to Brilliant is the final one in our series on AHIMSA or Nonviolence. It takes on a very challenge idea - Can we honestly love others when we do not fully love ourselves? If we are hard on ourselves, can we freely and selflessly really care for others? It is a powerful question and challenges us to look very deep inside. Please join me for this exploration. It is honestly a reckoning that has changed my life.