This film is everything. A beautiful narrative by the fascinating Jason Momoa.
Today I Rise
25.3.16
Today I Rise
When I'm tired of all the things around me in my life, I rise
When only the negative aura surrounds me and tries to put me down, I rise
When there's no one there for me even on the worst days, I rise
When there are bullies at school talking bad about me, I rise
When I've lost the family and people I love, I rise
When I am trying to reach my goal in my life and I fail at times, I rise
When I got fake friends, they lie to me and put me down, I rise
When I'm struggling with my family with the bills and our expenses, I rise
When I hear fighting, cussing, swearing cursing at home, I rise
When I'm heartbroken from a love, I rise
When there are traumatic things that happen to me, I rise
When I get abandoned by people who I thought loved me, I rise
When there are no good influence and only evil around me, I rise
When I'm on the street with no food or shelter, I rise
When I'm in a life or death situation, I rise
When someone I love has a chronic disease I stay strong for them and I rise
When the devil tries to put me down in the worst possible ways, I rise
I rise and stay strong because God helps me rise!!
Are you strong enough to rise?
Rebel Path with PJ Herffernan
6.8.15
I've always appreciated PJ and have been lucky to get to know him over the years during travels to Mysore, India. Hard working and so real, I hope you enjoy this video as much as I have.
Raw and Ready
12.1.15
“There are two things we should always be 1. raw and 2. ready. When you are raw, you are always ready and when you are ready you usually realize that you are raw. Waiting for perfection is not an answer, one cannot say “I will be ready when I am perfect” because then you will never be ready, rather one must say “I am raw and I am ready just like this right now, how and who I am.”
(C. JoyBell C.)
Back in Mysore and so grateful to be here. Even with it being my 9th trip I am always filled with enthusiasm to have the opportunity to practice with my teacher. So much appreciation and love arises within me to stand before him and all that this practice and path represents. To also share it with others who understand and are inspired to live more deeply, more consciously, even in the mist of making our own mistakes and follies along the way. It's a part of living. What is important is that we try and put effort forth in the process.
The first week always feels a bit magical. So maybe I am riding high on that feeling. Every trip has it's own energetic makeup. Some trips have been harder than others and no matter what arises it is always worth it. Growth is always happening. Sometimes there are cycles within cycles. We come full circle to start over again from another vantage point. I always like to have a sense of curiosity even in the repetition in the Ashtanga practice. Bringing new eyes to what I have done before. Everyday is different and no matter how much we try to control it, life is in a constant flow of change.
This go around I traveled to Mysore from Goa so I didn't have that initial tiredness from travel when I landed. Coming from Goa was rather seamless. I already had my accommodations sorted and priority number one when I arrived was to register at KPJAYI. Still riding high on the incredible experience at Purple Valley I've been in a positive space and have the added gratification to have a month of simply being a student. In reality I am always a student no matter what role that I play but to have time set aside to only be a student and nothing else is rather priceless.
When I leave Mysore I definitely look forward to being home but the funny thing is it doesn't take much time for the pull of India and the desire to practice at the source takes hold, as I count the days of my return.
Monday Inspiration: Go All The Way
14.7.14
“If you're going to try, go all the way. Otherwise, don't even start. This could mean losing girlfriends, wives, relatives and maybe even your mind. It could mean not eating for three or four days. It could mean freezing on a park bench. It could mean jail. It could mean derision. It could mean mockery--isolation. Isolation is the gift. All the others are a test of your endurance, of how much you really want to do it. And, you'll do it, despite rejection and the worst odds. And it will be better than anything else you can imagine. If you're going to try, go all the way. There is no other feeling like that. You will be alone with the gods, and the nights will flame with fire. You will ride life straight to perfect laughter. It's the only good fight there is.”
(Charles Bukowski)
Be Passionately Alive
23.3.14
They used to say, “follow your dreams”, “fulfill your destiny”, “achieve your life’s purpose”, “listen to your heart’s true desire”, “follow your passion”, and I never knew what the hell they meant.
So I compromised and settled for less than what was possible and worked in jobs where I felt half-alive and so, so far from the wonder of existence. Life and creativity and adventure and passion wanted to burst out of me, but I had no idea how to facilitate or release them, and besides, I was too terrified to unleash these energies lest they disrupt the status quo too much… or destroyed me completely.
I said to myself, “a life of adventure is not possible for little old me. I’m too introverted, too afraid, too weak, too ugly, not intelligent enough, not brave enough…”
I comforted myself with spiritual concepts like ‘there is no choice’, ‘all is One’, and ‘everything is predestined’ and lived each day waiting for the evenings, the ‘remains of the day’, when I could breathe again and be authentically myself for a few brief moments.
What was my destiny? What did my heart really want? What was my life’s purpose? Where was my passion? I didn’t know where to begin. Everyone else seemed to have answers, and I had none. What was wrong with me?
I felt numb and bored in my jobs, but at least I felt safe. I was hiding from possibility but at least money was coming in. I ‘fit in’, and I had a solid story about myself that I could regurgitate in polite conversation. But there was no risk in it. I was half dead, and only in my twenties. I often thought of suicide. At least then I’d feel alive, if only for a few moments.
What to do with this one precious, fleeting gift of life? That is the question. To be, or not to be, or to be but only half-heatedly, living out of the ‘shoulds’ of others?And the answer is simple, because life is short. Do whatever makes you feel passionately alive. Find a way – however much you have to struggle at first – of making a living from truly living. Honor your unique talents and abilities. Do what moves you and connects you to the deepest truth of yourself. Trust prosperity and passion over profit and comfort and the approval of others, because all the approval in the world is empty if it is for something your heart was never really in.
Breaking out of the known can be terrifying, and you may lose what you thought was yours, and your trusted images of yourself may melt in the fire of newness, and you may face fear and trembling, uncertainty and doubt, rejection and even ridicule. You may have to learn the hard way to open yourself up to more pain and life may become more uncomfortable than ever… that is, until you fall in love with the deep comfort of insecurity, and the security of doing what makes life worth living.
You will be swimming in the unknown, but you will be vast and alive. You will feel life running through your veins once again – as it did when you were young and you hadn’t yet settled for a life of compromise and clock watching and justifications for your quiet desperation – and you will channel this aliveness back into creation, and the cycle of prosperity will keep flowing, and yes, you may even make a good living, better than expected.
But however much money you make, or don’t make, you will be making a unique contribution to the world, doing something that nobody else can do, at least not in the same way as you, creating something original and fresh, giving something back to life, honoring your total uniqueness and your own talents, and so you won’t feel second hand, a slave to others, a piece of wood, and a deep trust of life may replace your fears of failure and poverty, and your cynicism and jealousy of others may die completely.
Sometimes you will doubt what you are doing, and you may romanticize the old days when things were easier and more predictable, but then you will suddenly remember that the old way was false and never worked for you and that’s why everything had to change.
Yes, it’s a risk to donate your life to what you love and what moves you and brings you joy, but I can only speak from experience and say that it’s absolutely worth it, because having a comfortable and predictable life pales in comparison to feeling deeply, passionately alive and meeting each new day with fresh eyes and an open heart.
If, many years ago, someone had told me that one day I’d be traveling the world, holding meetings and retreats, speaking my intimate truth in front of people I’d never met before, having published several books which had been translated into several languages, I would have laughed out loud – perhaps in disbelief, or perhaps out of the fear of the overwhelming vastness of life’s possibilities.
Honor this life that is trying to express itself in and as and through you. You are not nearly as limited as you may have been led to believe by those who have not yet come alive.
(Jeff Foster)
Thunderspank Ashtanga Yoga Rap with P.J.!
7.2.14
Thunderspank - by P. J. Heffernan
P.J. has always been a fixture during trips to Mysore, India. He definitely makes our community more colorful and vibrant, standing in his authenticity, always. Thanks for sharing your inspiration with us! Enjoy the first "Thunderspank" video.
Keep The Faith
7.12.13
"Action without vision is only passing time, vision without action is merely daydreaming, but vision with action can change the world."A hero of our time, a man of greatness. There is no way I could go on another day without expressing my profound gratitude to Nelson Mandela. His life is my inspiration. The attributes he embodied I can only hope to understand and practice as I contemplate on the weight and brevity he offered to the world. What touches my heart is his vision. A vision that never diminished even in the darkest of times and the fact he didn't shy away from the darkness. He embraced it. He looked at it. He talked about it. He ultimately transformed it.
Contemplating on his life I understand and am inspired to take more action and follow through on the vision that resides within. Before leaving Stockholm for India I had an important meeting in which I was compelled to say "let's do stuff." Nowhere near as elegant as the great visionaries of our time but in the same light I am understanding if we don't bring forth what desires to awaken we miss the opportunity to step into our unbounded potential whatever that may be. I have also understood that most of the greats honored others and their gifts and never felt threatened by it because they understood that we all draw divine inspiration from the same place. There are no exceptions. To be great you have to want others to be great.
Sometimes we stand alone and are isolated by others. This is okay and I have learned isn't always a bad thing. Being part of the "establishment" makes us lazy because the establishment sure has a lot to say but not so much to offer. Moving forward it is more imperative than ever to align with those who are willing to go the extra mile, to do stuff and open to the greater good. There is room for all to shine and why would we want it any other way?
Another question could be, what have you done to help others find their greatness? Something worth chewing on. Something that compels me to move forward no matter how great or how small.
“On the long walk that is life
A man discovers who he is
Each step must be the search for purpose
Not regret
Many roads will present themselves
He must often take the one few others would follow
And though he may wish to rest
When he is asked to stand
He must stand taller than he ever thought possible
For when the long walk is over
A man must be able to look back and say
I would not change a single footstep”
When Fear Meets the Line
18.7.13
Fear. It will always be there, it will never go away, but what we do with it is the deeper question.
More Monday Inspiration: Strength in Motion
8.7.13
I love this video clip with principal dancer Tamara Rojo. Some of what she talks about really parallels with the trails and tribulations of longterm yoga practice and others differ. At any rate, I love hearing personal accounts from those who are the best at what they do. Absolutely lovely and inspiring. She is not only strength in motion but also a culmination of practice in motion. Think of all the work that went into what she has done. Beautiful.
Monday Inspiration
8.4.13
The voice in the above video is the Dalai Lama speaking on happiness and then flows into Dinah Washington's "Bitter Earth". A beautiful short film.
Let's make it a great week and remember what's important!
Feather to Fire
15.1.13
Feather to Fire from Gregory Colbert on Vimeo.
I love art. I love film. I love the marriage of the two. Gregory Colbert's work has always been inspiring to me. I was lucky enough to be in the vicinity of one of his exhibits back in 2008 in Mexico City. It was beyond words. Many are already quite familiar with the above film as well as his photography. Since photography and film have been ignited passions of mine lately it is something I feel compelled to revisit.
A Broken Body Isn't A Broken Spirit
11.12.12
Take the time to watch this video. Absolutely moving. Absolutely inspiring.