Ok – here’s some Hawaii sun & fun!

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Here’s a quick look around the Polestar property – quite a beautiful spot! I took this video in my first few days here, before I really knew the lay of the land and before we started the “work” part of the work/trade – lots of cool changes ’round here!

(here’s a where you can hear the Coqui frogs – yes, pretty loud!)

And here’s a short story I heard the other night:

A woman has a dinner party on a Tuesday evening. She invites a few friends over, has a wonderful time, and they finish up very late. She’s had such a good time, and notices that there is plenty of cleaning to do. She decides to do it in the morning and goes to bed. Somehow, her alarm doesn’t sound and she wakes up minutes before she’s supposed to be at work. She races past all the cleaning to do and run out the door. She has a rough day at work: her boss yells at her, her best friend is mean to her, and she’s stuck in traffic for hours. She gets home and crashes on the couch. She sees the dishes to do, but doesn’t have the energy to move. Her phone rings and a friend says that she has an extra ticket that evening to a concert with their favorite band; the woman jumps off the couch, quickly changes, sprints out the door, and parties late into the evening.

So the question that the end of this story raises, and what we are investigating during this Raja Yoga Intensive, is: Where did that energy come from?

The belief is that we have as much ENERGY as we WILL to have. I totally think the same is true for AWESOMENESS in our lives, too. :-)

And there’s another great piece of advice I learned along with this:

It’s all about consciously bringing as much energy we can to each breath and to each opportunity. Can we bring our Highest Self to every moment of our life? (I say YES!) The cool thing is that we already know what our Highest Self would do – our built-in compasses are in perfect condition – we just need to listen to ourselves and BE what we know is true!

I think many of us (definitely including myself here) are looking not for a meaning of life, but rather for what makes us feel ALIVE? (from Joseph Campbell).

I know I’ve definitely felt alive here in Hawaii. This sensation actually crystallized acting for me: at least recently, it hasn’t made me feel alive. To be honest, I really haven’t missed it from my life. I think I’ve found work that, for me, has been more meaningful and powerful. What is also exciting for me is that the path I’m on allows me to BE ME 100% of the time. I hadn’t realized how important this was for me – to be completely authentic and unafraid of expressing who I am at all times, and connecting with people who want to hang out with the real me is very new and very cool.

Not feeling alive with what you’re doing is as good a reason as any to stop whatever you’re doing. Many successful people (Steve Jobs and Seth Godin, for example) say the same thing: if you don’t truly LOVE what you’re doing, do something else.

I feel very fortunate that my past days here have included some amazing powerful practices, physical labor, community, and great food: all fantastic ways to be in the moment and feel life flowing through you!

Here’s what I’ve been up to:

• Wake at 5:30 am by flute or guitar playing
• Energization exercises, Yoga & Meditation @ 6:00 am
• Silence during breakfast
• Meditation before lunch
• Energization, Yoga & Meditation before dinner
• Lots of chanting, singing, and Kirtan
• Working in the garden (in the rain)
• Riding the lawn mower (again, in the rain) – I think this has been necessary in my growth with the frogs (not to worry, I wasn’t on a killing spree – in fact, all lived). It was about realizing my place in the world and their place in the world. Still not looking to hold them in my arms, though.
• Amazing vegetarian meals with everyone in the house – wonderful sense of community!
• Volleyball (again, some rain)
• Oh, and some nice cane grass rash & mosquito bites – nothing to be concerned about, just some itchy stuff that again reminds me what I can choose to focus on (if I don’t focus on the itching, it doesn’t seem to bother me as much)

You may have noticed a recurring theme of RAIN above – that weather is a perfect way to really be present with what you’re doing – can’t really ignore what’s happening when it’s pouring down on your noggin’. Luckily, I have my trusty floppy hat with a wide brim – not to mention, it’s always warm when it rains, so it’s allllll goooooood.

I am so grateful for this experience. It’s amazing to me when I look around and realize where I am and that I made this happen (of course with the help, support, encouragement, wisdom & love from MANY people). I knew that communities like this existed and that many people around the world visited them and traveled extensively, but that life seemed so far from my life. As I look around each day, there’s still part of me that can’t believe I’m here. But I am, and it’s pretty awesome. Looking for to LOTS more goodness ahead (during the rest of the Intensive, but also on my continuing journey)!

I wish you all swiftness in finding what makes YOU feel ALIVE!

Hope you enjoy the photos!

Coconut Water – straight from the source

View from our temple, with the Pacific in the distance

the Polestar group at a “hot tub” at Pohoiki (I also took a swim in the ocean; the surf was pretty strong!)

Hanging out in MacKenzie Park

the coast at the park was just amazing (a few more pics of the coast follow)

those are fisherman on that far rock on the right – crazy!

with Rachel (a fellow Raja Yogi) at the coast