I've finally finished writing blogs that were also written for a Technical Writing class that I have endured this semester, although, I'll probably continue writing stuff like that in the future. It's sort of been inspirational to me...In a way, it has unlocked some 'stuff' inside my head that can assist me in opening my heart even more as a write. It was a challenge, but I've learned much from it...so I am grateful.
And now, to the blog...
There's something special about this time of year; all of the beautiful blossoms are beginning to appear and flourish atop all of the prickly cacti in this dry and hot climate of Tucson. The flowers are so beautiful, that I can forget about the heat for a moment as I'm walking, and just gaze in awe at the beauty that surrounds me. I take a sniff of the flowers, and maybe a photo, and I carry on walking wherever I'm walking to.
Not only are the flowers blooming and the temperatures rising, but this time of year also marks transition--transition into the new from the old...expansion (maybe some contraction) of the self. Challenges arise as we make our way into the future; especially the challenge of staying present and not worrying about what lies ahead...knowing that everything will fall into perfect placement, no matter what.
My teacher, but who I'll also call my friend, I've seen enduring the hard times with so much strength, so much passion, so much focus, will, and determination...so much dignity. It is so inspiring...so moving...so full of meaning. I sit back and think of how, over time, the way in which I respond to life's many circumstances has so dramatically changed. I would isolate, grow depressed, eat (or not eat, depending on the circumstances), and drown myself in unhealthy behaviors. I would cycle through the same old patterns again and again, and then one day, it became clear to me that those behaviors weren't me. The real me was in there, somewhere, but the addiction to my own suffering kept me from getting to her. Every day, I have to make a conscious decision to be bright and positive. I have to choose every day (and even several times a day) to turn my back on unhealthy behaviors, thoughts, attitudes, and so on. It's a constant battle, a forever practice, because, hey...I'm human....thus, I'm not the image of perfection, and I do slip time and time again, but it's the 'picking of the self back up again' that matters most. The fall is just a fall, another chance for a lesson...another chance for growth.
I read a quote today, it comes from Alan Watts: “The transformation of consciousness undertaken in Taoism and Zen is more like the correction of faulty perception or the curing of a disease. It is not an acquisitive process of learning more and more facts or greater and greater skills, but rather than unlearning of wrong habits and opinions. As Lao-tzu said, ‘The scholar gains every day, but the Taoist loses every day."
We, as humans...me, as Ashley, live this life, unlearning all the negative things that we've learned over time; whether we learned them from our friends, family, society, or so on...and to learn again, as a child, how to love.
In Yoga class today, Stephani Lindsey quoted Manorama, "“Your life is for figuring out your life.” ... and she added on, "No one is going to do it for us." It's unseemingly true. We all have our own karma, we have our problems, our triumphs, and our failures...but the key is to keep on getting back up, every time we fall, and continue on the path stronger than we ever were before.
I took this photo outside of Yoga Oasis Central today. I was absolutely in awe of these flowers, because from far away, it looks like one flower, but then when you get up close, you realize that the one big flower was made up of a bunch of little flowers.... All of the pieces come together to make a whole. We humans are just like that, aren't we... We all work together, with our own little purposes, for one greater purpose...all of what we do may be small, but I think that it means a whole lot to the bigger picture.
And now, to the blog...
There's something special about this time of year; all of the beautiful blossoms are beginning to appear and flourish atop all of the prickly cacti in this dry and hot climate of Tucson. The flowers are so beautiful, that I can forget about the heat for a moment as I'm walking, and just gaze in awe at the beauty that surrounds me. I take a sniff of the flowers, and maybe a photo, and I carry on walking wherever I'm walking to.Not only are the flowers blooming and the temperatures rising, but this time of year also marks transition--transition into the new from the old...expansion (maybe some contraction) of the self. Challenges arise as we make our way into the future; especially the challenge of staying present and not worrying about what lies ahead...knowing that everything will fall into perfect placement, no matter what.
My teacher, but who I'll also call my friend, I've seen enduring the hard times with so much strength, so much passion, so much focus, will, and determination...so much dignity. It is so inspiring...so moving...so full of meaning. I sit back and think of how, over time, the way in which I respond to life's many circumstances has so dramatically changed. I would isolate, grow depressed, eat (or not eat, depending on the circumstances), and drown myself in unhealthy behaviors. I would cycle through the same old patterns again and again, and then one day, it became clear to me that those behaviors weren't me. The real me was in there, somewhere, but the addiction to my own suffering kept me from getting to her. Every day, I have to make a conscious decision to be bright and positive. I have to choose every day (and even several times a day) to turn my back on unhealthy behaviors, thoughts, attitudes, and so on. It's a constant battle, a forever practice, because, hey...I'm human....thus, I'm not the image of perfection, and I do slip time and time again, but it's the 'picking of the self back up again' that matters most. The fall is just a fall, another chance for a lesson...another chance for growth.
I read a quote today, it comes from Alan Watts: “The transformation of consciousness undertaken in Taoism and Zen is more like the correction of faulty perception or the curing of a disease. It is not an acquisitive process of learning more and more facts or greater and greater skills, but rather than unlearning of wrong habits and opinions. As Lao-tzu said, ‘The scholar gains every day, but the Taoist loses every day."
We, as humans...me, as Ashley, live this life, unlearning all the negative things that we've learned over time; whether we learned them from our friends, family, society, or so on...and to learn again, as a child, how to love.
In Yoga class today, Stephani Lindsey quoted Manorama, "“Your life is for figuring out your life.” ... and she added on, "No one is going to do it for us." It's unseemingly true. We all have our own karma, we have our problems, our triumphs, and our failures...but the key is to keep on getting back up, every time we fall, and continue on the path stronger than we ever were before.
"What is to give light must endure burning."
Viktor E. Frankl
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