finding so much pleasure in taking out your trash

EmPowered Yoga Living with Twee
May 2011

i'm writing this on the plane from croatia to nyc via zurich and reflecting on yet another amazing teacher training weekend in zagreb, croatia! during our last class i mentioned how i really enjoyed taking out the garbage that morning before i arrived. i was staying at my friend nina's (sangha studio co-owner) and before i leave a host's house i do my best to clean up and leave it the way i came as i'm so grateful they offered me their space. so the day before i was to leave zagreb to return home, i took out the garbage from the apartment and was beaming with smiles. now let me tell you why this was such a pleasure for me.


i never take out the garbage. ha! ever since i was a child i remember my father and mother had different "duties" that were delegated to the man and the woman. mom cooked, cleaned, did laundry...and dad's job was to take out the garbage and discipline us with "the belt" when needed (as they did back then, old school, dad's almost 85 now). sure sometimes they took on each other's household chores, and eventually my brothers and sister and i took them on as we grew into them. the boys did what dad did. the girls did what mom did. but i really never remember mom taking out the garbage and "certainly" the girls were never asked to when the boys were around. that was a "man's job." so when i moved out of the house in my early 20's and started sharing living space with room mates, i clearly requested upon moving in, that the man in the house takes out the garbage. it always worked out well and even to this day, jason takes out the garbage. of course, he was happy to agree when i explained why it was important for me. well not important...more of a preference instilled in me from childhood.

so here i am taking out the garbage in croatia, opening the lid, and really enjoying, and actually smiling as i was going down the lift to the garbage bins on the street level. me. taking out the trash. huh! it was super! cleansing. purifying. clearing space. getting rid of those things that i just couldn't use anymore, right? it was quite pleasurable! ha! i know it might sound silly for you but really...it is a cleansing experience when you think about it right? and we do it every day...or a couple times a week perhaps.

so i thought....it's that time again. to check in and commit to taking out the trash that's in my life and to do some spring cleaning again before summer approaches around the corner. empty some space to keep it clear or allow something more positive to enter when it's meant.


and once you've taken out the garbage, and cleared some space, you might enjoy some suggestions from our contributing writers and friends on how to connect more personally towards your joy.....with scott rodwin's 3 minute phone call as a quick but potent re~connection; selina gullery's yoga and horses article, offering an intimate approach to connecting with animals and their intuitive instincts reflecting the rider's thoughts and emotions; and rachel hughe's art studio miami (and world) helping miami's "little haiti" children meet after school to enjoy art, yoga, meditation, and nutrition instead of running home to the tv or mind numbing video games.

and click here to read my new favorite way to "take out the trash" and some other ideas for you to collect YOUR trash and either empty it out, or purify it or transform something that no longer serves you into something that can fertilize your evolution (like compost fertilizes a garden).

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for YEARS i have said i want a daily meditation practice. i have heard from my yoga + meditation teachers who have a daily practice of the amazing benefits, even seen the physical changes in faces and heard accounts of one of my teachers, jill satterfield of vajra yoga based in nyc, of meditating herself from a critical intestinal disease back to health and wellness. i often reflect on testaments from friends (a fashion photographer, a musician, an LA account exec, and a nyc yoga teacher) who recount their times during and after a vipassana retreat and how it changed their lives forever and was one of the most peaceful times of their lives. but alas, i still was not able to stick to a daily meditation practice. somehow it wasn't my time back then, so instead of fighting it, i accepted my daily living as my meditative flow of being, and thought...the right time will come...one day.

one day has come. it has aligned for me now. and WOW! meditation, to me, is like taking a shower for my mind! every day!


let's back track. it wasn't until end january, when i learned that i was pregnant. it was then that i decided to (finally) attend a 10-day vipassana silent meditation retreat that i had heard so much about from my friends. i had attended a 3 day retreat almost 10 years ago with my teacher at the time (jill satterfield, photo left)and that changed my life forever...but now i was ready for what i considered the marathon of meditation retreats! 10 days! after some online research, i was dismayed to find out that there were none in the nyc area with dates that worked...or they did work, they were all sold out months in advance. good to hear for the planet and our human race...yay!...but not so good for me and my timing. so i decided that's not a good enough reason to give up.


now its' march. it was a promise i made to myself in bali during the tending the sacred fire teacher training retreat i offered. at the end of the week's events we each created a very specific and individualized sadhana (sacred ritual or practice) for one full moon cycle (28 days) that would begin upon returning home and upon the next full or new moon. we were committed to igniting the flame that we sparked that week and we told each other (and each retreater in the tt program told me in our one-on-one talks on the last day) of our intentions, our commitments, and our timelines. it helped to speak it publically to help us commite. my personal commitment was simply to meditate every day. and i asked two of my student friends to check in with me after 30 days.

as of today, i have been meditating on a daily basis for 8 weeks now.
(celebrate good times! come one! let's celebrate! it's alright! there's a party going on right here! a celebration to last throughout the year! ~kool+the gang :)

i started with 8 minutes a day, then every week i've added on another minute, hoping...no....knowing that by the 52nd week of the year i'll be up to one hour a day of meditation. (thank goodness for the part-time nanny that we are planning on hiring so i can continue this practice when radiant glitter baby is born!) meditation, to me, is a showering of my mind. and when my thoughts dissolve and purify it affects my heart's emotions and my body's health, for sure! everyday most of us take a shower and brush our teeth + clean our gums right? so what about our minds? just because we can't see it...or others cannot see it....how about cleansing our minds?

meditation. start. okay....when you're ready...but when you do, i'm telling you folks it's proven scientifically to work! no pill needed folks! and no fancy additives either :)

for those of you who have been saying you'll start. how about today? or okay...the next new moon JUNE 1st or next full moon JUNE 15th and start with as little as one minute a day. set an alarm. sit in a chair on on a pillow on the floor. (i like my free chair that i have at home, photo right). add another minute each week, or when you are ready to add on, and commit and stick to the plan. tell someone of your plan. or post it on face book. the more people you tell the more likely you will do it right? (wink) let's journey together to clean our minds for the sake of your own true sanity and the sanity of all beings. take out the garbage of negative belief patterns, abusive thoughts towards ourselves and others, shockingly creative excuses and self-reflection (or condemnation) and begin on a journey to think positive thoughts with powerful intentions behind it.

wait. before you ask how or what happens if. may i suggest a simple technique for these thoughts that will appear....especially if they are negative thoughts? first you sit. you're meditating. even if your mind is spinning with thoughts. before you think "i'm not good at this," or "i'm not doing it right," or "i can't do it." guess what? there is no award for best meditator. no right or wrong way to do it. and once you sat, you are already "doing it." so stay there. so you've started. YES! next you'll most likely realize that you have the same seven or so "stories" running through your mind. now you have a pattern of thoughts you become aware of. once you witness those patterns and if you realize there are a few patterns that do not serve your happiness, then you ask yourself one of my favorite mantras that i live by, "now that you know what are you going to do about it?"

if it's something you don't want to keep living by (or thinking of) then "throw out the trash." literally visualize that thought being put in a dumpster (or a huge garbage truck or a small recycled plastic bag that you throw away yourself) and watch it get carried down the street and fade away. and there's more. just in case it comes back or sticks around somehow...in our next meditation then keep dumping.

how? i call it "positive mirror languaging." (yes, languaging, notice how i make up words for fun :) imagine you have a thought like "i think i'm getting in people's way" or "one day i'll have enough money to get out of debt so i can......" or "i always attract losers into my life." okay. when you sit down and you listen and watch your mind play out the same thoughts or stories over and over again...you recognize them and now you turn it around. you mirror it. you invert it with a positive vibration.

for example. if you say "i think i'm getting in people's way all the time" flip it over and add a positive spin. say instead "people are waiting for me to be present with them (or to meet me) and are inviting (or wishing for) me to come into their lives right now." turn it around and create new thought patterns, shift your paradigm, and create change...even radical change through this process. okay you might not believe this right away but you know what? try it. start speaking in terms of the reality you desire to manifest, instead of wasting so much time and energy into thinking, speaking, and living the reality that you don't want. throw out the garbage of that reality. make some space. for what? well, it's up to you. it could be more garbage...or, over time as you change the language of your intentions, mind, and words... they create actions (or your reality) that become purified into your desired reality. huh. sounds good right? sure!

let's try another one. you might notice thoughts that represent (or you might often verbally articulate) that "one day i'll have enough money to get out of debt, maybe quit my job here in the city, move out into the country and pursue my dream as a wood worker." this one only needs to be purified. not necessarily flipped over and inverted. the purified (or "composted" statement now becomes, "money is (or the means and resources are) coming to me right now...as we speak...and i'm listening and watching for the signs to make a move...from my job, from the city, and towards wood working...and in fact it's right around the corner! i feel it! yes!" maybe even write that down on a piece of recycled scrap paper and stick on your mirror every day so you can read it while brushing your teeth or checking out your dashing good looks after you're fresh and clean from the shower. take it a step further, and as one of my favorite authors, mike dooley (photo left) suggests, dance at least once a day in front of the mirror in a happy jig and sing this statement out loud!

and final example... if you notice that your thoughts reflect statements like, "i always attract losers into my life," flip that one. throw that out and add in this positive thought and statement instead. "i only attract the winners in my life that reflect the winner in me." and on this one, take note....i truly feel you magnetize and attract those who are very similar to you in your current state of being. if you have not done the work to clear your body, mind, and heart...then most likely you will attract(and have attracted) someone who is living in a similar dimension. so check in and enjoy dumping your trash. manifest a new reality with positive intentions, thoughts, words and actions. if not now, then when?

now that you know...what are you going to do about it?

here are some other suggestions to empty your trash

relationships with others

~ filter negative people out of your life. its' hard sometimes to come to terms with but some of those people include family and dear friends from the past, ex-lovers you still hold onto that keep you from evolving, co-workers, employers, employees

~ make more room for face in time and less face book time. get more one on one and personal whether that is less texting and emailing towards face-to-face skype talks or making more tea dates or bike rides together with those that lift you and support your happiness.

food
~ throw away toxic food. if there's anything in your cupboards with ingredients that you cannot pronounce, throw it out or give it away. i loved this when i first read it in chapter one of
dr. andrew weil's, 8 weeks to optimal health book.

~ eat more organic foods (less "conventional" produce which means non-organic, might contain pesticides and harmful chemicals in it's production)

~ start composting to fertilize your garden or lawn

~ meatless mondays

~ consume less animal products whether that is once a week becoming a flexitarian or even going for it and living a vegan lifestyle for a day, week, or full moon cycle.

yoga and fitness

~ ask your yoga teacher to take a look at a yoga posture that you are challenged with or struggle with...no let's say that another way...that offers potential for you to grow into greater strength and flexibility and is just about to blossom (or be harvested). ask them to watch you in it and give a little additional guidance. and then once your teacher gives you a tip then it's up to you to change or hold onto those comfortable patterns. if you choose to throw out the old patterns that actually bind you versus liberates you, then get humble, back it up a bit, and begin again on that journey. this of course applies to chanting, meditation, pranayama or any other yogic practice that is meant to help you find your joy.

~ start spending some more time in nature so you can appreciate the abundance of Her gifts...and maybe then you might begin (or be reminded to) consume less when it comes to paper, water, chemicals in every day products you purchase regularly which will eventually end up in nature and are harmful to it's preservation

computer | mobile phones | tv | technology in general

~ join shiva rea's YEA| Yoga Energy Activism | from Earth Day to Fall Equinox
April 22nd - Sept 21st, 2011, join a grassroots activation of the yoga community to inspire mindful use of our natural resources by creating Energy Regeneration Days | manduka tv video of shiva rea speaking of her project


~ set a new auto signature on your emails saying when you will reply to them if they are not urgent. for example i started this immediately when i ended my tour and had a lot more time at home living in the suburbs during the winter while jason was gone most of the day during work. less time on tour and traveling created more time at home, which then became more time on the computer. within weeks i threw out that potentially toxic habit. my auto signature says i'll respond on tuesdays and thursdays. those seem like the best days for me as i get the emails the day after people are back on their computers mondays, and by thursdays i can take care of any needs by the week's end. see what your flow is. of course, try to give another option to get in touch if it's urgent without posting your phone numbers as those who are supposed to have the number already, do. that's for my business and personal email accounts. set some personal boundaries from technology's harmful vibrations. stick to it. and say what you mean, mean what you say. you can only take out the garbage on certain days right? so maybe you can only look at your emails on certain days. | email me at twee@tweeyoga.com for the auto-reply | in-joy, twee



~ create auto~filters (or smart mailboxes for mac users) so you can see the important emails separate from your inbox, straight away

~ send the emails you don't wait into the junk or spam folder immediately so you don't even see them come back again

~ set a voice mail as to when you will respond to calls that are not urgent, see auto signature suggestions above

~ turn off the television and pick up a book or magazine or newspaper more often. or make a phone call, see face time in face book time out above. or sit down and meditate. tee hee. had to sneak that in again.

~ news fasting. even take a break from daily news on tv and newspapers. you'll be surprised how the important news will find it's way to you. and besides look at how the stories can change every day...like the osama bin laden story that changed every day. how can facts change so swiftly when reported from such "dependable" sources. with all due respect as i witnessed the towers collapsing in nyc, i'm still dumb-founded that they buried the body without giving proof that it was him...after all this time. if you read past the title "osama bin laden is either dead, alive, or with tupac." you will read some other theories on his death as well. and when obama and high level "sources" updated us each day with the accounts of what "really" happened...the stories contradicted each other and changed too often for me. what was "truth" one day changed radically within the following few days...who to believe? (but that's another topic for another newsletter in the near future ;)

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well, there's a start. some say it takes 40 days to make a new pattern become a lifestyle choice. others say it takes 8 weeks. i can truly say that meditation has become a part of my life...not just something i feel i have to do. it's me "taking out the garbage," for sure. and you know what happens if you don't take out the garbage. who wants to deal with that collection in the future? someone will have to. as it will collect somewhere as a dis-ease of the heart, mind, and|or body. let's take care of that sooner or later, don't you think?
now that you know, what are you going to do about it?

a new moon start | wednesday, june 1st
a full moon start | wednesday june 15th


please email additional suggestions or comments to info@tweeyoga.com so we can include in future postings and newsletters. blessings to you on your "garbage dumping" adventures! or shall we say...your purification adventures!

blessings from the air along my magic carpet ride!
see you soon!
love,
twee

....and jason, if you're reading....maybe i'll take out the garbage this week. what do you think? love you han!

speaking + living our truth | meet the tribe that inspires me to live and be in truth

"words have the power to both destroy and heal.

when words are both true and kind,
they can change our world."
~ buddha

last week i started writing about the many many many people in my life who have inspired me to follow my inner voice, speak the truth and therefore live in that truth in as many moments throughout the day as presently possibly. then i realised, wow! this is a book in the making! so that's for later....and for now i'd love to highlight the tribe that continues to help me to just keep it real!

this newsletter highlights our vishuddha chakra (throat center) which to me, is all about truth. please in-joy my top 10 list that came to mind immediately, including our two featured writers on this e~newsletter, shauna slingsby, our twee yoga collective (tyc) managing goddess who writes about "loving communication," and my dear friend, gaby aschwanden, founder of theyogapage.com, yoga teacher + swiss banker.

please continue below to read more about how my tribe of friends, teachers, family, + guides continue to inspire me along my journey and how they might complement your living in truth too as well.....

sending love and joy from the waves in hawaii,
twee


photo above | spending my 40th birthday surfing + yoga'ing in hawaii, morocco (oct 26th actual day) + bali for an entire birthday month

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1~ benjamin taylor, a brilliant lyricist + passionate musician | he inspired me to pay more attention to the lyrics and music i choose to listen to

2~ stephan scholten, a nlp + business leadership trainer | it's not just the words, it's the tone + body language

3~ sabine weiser, a gorgeous gospel singer + yoga teacher from munich | voice training exercises to speak from our center

4~ andre buhlmann, manager of airyoga zurich | put the emotionally charged emails in the draft folder first

5~ joan uemura shure | founder om butterfly jewelry | crystal devi necklace for clarity + communication + confident self-expression

6~ gurmukh khalsa | founder of golden bridge yoga + kundalini teacher | "say what you mean, mean what you say"

7~ shiva rea | my role model, teacher, mentor, + mitra (friend) | "there is no time to be other than authentic"

8~ my father leo merrigan | he's losing his voice from living with parkinson's but still knows how to make us laugh when he does speak

9~ my god-brother alan mathieson | the quiet one who observes, but when he speaks it's so profound the entire room stops talking and we all become uber present

10~ peter hudson | my exboyfriend who i moved to australia to be with before this tour | a surfer, environmental consultant, and one who always spoke the truth even if it hurt to hear it

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1~ benjamin taylor, a brilliant lyricist + passionate musician | he inspired me to pay more attention to the lyrics and the music i choose to listen to

have you ever heard ben's lyrics for "wicked way?" it is one song that always brings a smirk to my face every time i listen to it. i remember the first time i viewed the video on youtube and then a year later it had the same effect on me when i experienced it live in l.a. this past august. the lyrics are arousing and entertaining for both the female and male audience. i remember how frank, sergio + i turned to each other after ben played it acoustic style, and his guitar and the microphone hummed to a dead a silence in a blackened theater. we had huge grins on our faces and just nodded in agreement...as if to say "well done, ben, that's good stuff."

ben's a "cool cat." it's fun to be in his presence when he gets so jazzed about great lyrics and even recites them by heart before the artists even sings it. he inspired me to really pay more attention again to the lyrics of the music i choose to listen to. isn't a large part of communication....listening? so here are a few artists i love to listen to and songs that come to mind immediately for their lyrics that definitely strike a few chords in my heart......michael franti (stay human, all the freaky people), sarah mclaughlin (hold on), pink (dear mr. president), michael jackson (man in the mirror), the beatles (let it be), bob marley (where do i start?), and ben taylor (after it's over)..oh and of course bob dylan ;) of course bob dylan!

who inspires you? please send us an email at info@tweeyoga.com so we can share them with you in a later e-newsletter....

*** benjamin taylor | www.benjamintaylor.com | free downloads + tour schedule available on his website
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2~ stephan scholten has been a guest teacher in holland complementing two of our teacher trainings. in our embodying the flow foundations of prana flow yoga, he shared how tone + body language, in addition to word choices, can enhance the exchange and connection between teachers and their students. as we all know, these principles apply to the yoga of living as well....for instance when you read an email, you might interpret it from one tone. let's say you read it interpreting a tone of judgment or condescension. before you come to that conclusion....try this.....ask a friend or co-worker to also read, out loudly, the same email without giving them your "story" behind it. have fun with it, and ask them to read it out loudly with a very friendly tone, another with a very bitchy tone, another with a grumpy tone, a tired tone..so on and so on and so on. you might get a chuckle from this and realise that there might be a chance that your first interpretation could have been misinterpreted, yes? see where i'm going with this? why fill in the tone when you are working with words on a screen. when in doubt, check it out. pick up the phone, call the person who wrote the email and get some tone behind it. or even better, get some tone and body language...if you can't see them in person, go to skype and get the real deal. try to get more real by going beyond just the words on screen. according to nlp research words only make up 7% of effective communication. the rest is , 38% tone, and 55% physiology. wow!

as a follow-up to our trainings, stephan offered additional resources...

.....for more specs/info, take a look at the following links: (albert mehrabian)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/albert_mehrabian
http://www.businessballs.com/mehrabiancommunications.htm

....and maybe this is also interesting: (study of human body motion by ray birdwhistell)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/kinesics

....ps. in nlp, the 3v's are mostly used to be more conscious of the impact of voice and expression, in general many people think that words are the most important. and in nlp (coming from anthropology) it is important to know and see the interaction of the human body and how you feel and think.
photo above | stephan is sitting in middle with white tshirt with big smile, of course!
*** stephan scholten | greenhart | personal leadership in business |
e info@greenhart.nl | w http://www.greenhart.nl

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3~ sabine weiser, a gorgeous gospel singer + yoga teacher from munich | she gave me a spontaneous voice training exercise to help me to project my voice from my center...down lower below my throat...into the pit of my belly.

f, s, sh! f, s, sh! f, s, sh! f, s, sh!

try it. it's like kapalabhatti breathing but instead of just voluntarily pushing out the exhales, instead you sound out f, s, and sh as quickly as you can with as many repetitions as possible...and most importantly from the navel area. it has helped me a lot not only with projecting my voice, but also by continuing to speak from my core when i teach in classes and teacher training discussions.

*** sabine weiser | ishta yoga teacher, prana flow inspired | airyoga munich | www.airyoga.de
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4~ andre buhlmann, manager of airyoga zurich | delaying emotionally charged emails in the draft folder first


and what about those emails that have bits of daggers attached to them? oh no, we yogis never send those out, right? let's take a hint from my friend and a tyc tour host, andre buhlmann, manager of airyoga zurich, who reminded me to go ahead and write the email, get it out, but to first put it in my draft folder, and send it the next day or days later. "let it sit," he says, "and most likely the next day or two, you probably won't send it at all." (or maybe you'll change it just a bit, or a lot). the emotions will settle and release, and it's done. you'll just pick up the phone to talk or meet in person, or just write a different email that more closely reflects your more pure intentions.

*** andre buhlmann, manager airyoga zurich | www.airyoga.ch
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5~ joan uemura shure | founder om butterfly jewelry | accessories for the goddess | clear crystal devi necklace for clarity + communication

i cannot say enough how the this om butterfly necklace around my neck has helped me with my own self expression over the years since i first met joan at exhale in l.a.! i am often reminded when i look in the mirror and see it reflecting back at me right at the base of my throat chakra, my communication center, that the clear crystal is a representation of how i want to communicate with absolute steadfast resolve and clarity. thank you joan, for creating such a beautiful necklace that i can wear (and almost never take off) that reminds me of this durga quality from within.

*** joan uemara shure | www.ombutterfly.com | founder, jeweller, + yoga teacher goddess
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6~ gurmukh khalsa | founder of golden bridge yoga + kundalini teacher | "say what you mean, mean what you say"



"say what you mean. mean what you say." when i heard her say those words at a yoga journal conference in estes park over (maybe) seven years ago, i knew this would become my mantra too. thank you gurmukh!



*** gurmukh khalsa | founder golden bridge yoga, hollywood, los angeles, california, usa | www.goldenbridgeyoga.com
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7~ shiva rea | my role model, teacher, mentor, mitra, + surf soul sister | "there is no time to be other than authentic"

need i say more on this? clearly another mantra i live by as well. shiva is one of the most authentic people in my life. i am so blessed to have been inspired by her truth in revealing and sharing so much of herself to her students, friends, and tribe. may we all continue to be inspired by what i call shiva-isms to live by. i know this is another collaborative and collective project in the making....a book on shiva~isms!

photo above | shiva + i in kerala, india | march 2009


*** shiva rea | teacher, mentor, friend, mom, tantrika, surfer, adventurer, + catalyst of energetic activism | www.shivarea.com
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8~ my father leo merrigan | he's losing his voice from living with parkinson's, but he still has us hovering on his every word

my father has always been the quiet one in our family and especially at the dinner table. with a very vocal mom always sharing the gossip of the day that she brought home from the blue-haired customers from the beauty shop she owned, to my older brother talking about his high school sports, or my younger brother and i sharing our mischievious adventures on our bmx bikes, or my sister sharing her stories of abundance from her newspaper route...it always seemed that dad was quite satisfied with just listening and not adding in too much. he probably couldn't as we hardly gave him any room between all the interruptions we gave to each other. but let me tell you, when dad spoke....we all stopped. not in fear. heck no. because we knew...like all the other times...when dad spoke he had something really cool to tell us. something profound. something for us to ponder on for days or years to come. he had that magic. he could "command" a room. he spoke slowly. decisively. kindly. sometimes softly. and what he had to say...let me just say...every holiday meal...when he lifted his glass to make a toast...wow....i know my heart blew open in so much adoration and gratitude that i had "the smartest dad in the world."

now that his parkinson's is starting to show up more, dad's still the best man in the world (to me) and we make sure we even stop eating so that not even a fork clinking the dinner plates can disturb his now even softer voice that whispers from deep back in his throat. there's a lot more swallowing and coughing and clearing going on for dad now...he even has to rest to take in more oxygen...but we wait. for sure we wait. hovering on every word. that's just how it's always going to be when dad speaks.

photo above | my dad, nephew, + brother | 3 main men in my life who help me keep it real
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9~ my god-brother alan mathieson | the quiet one who observes from the corner, but when he speaks it's so profound the entire room stops talking and we all become uber present

i remember the first time i met alan. he was the shy one with the soft blue eyes and the shaved head in the corner of the room. we met at a teacher training i had offered in the sunshine coast of australia. there was a lot of excited energy in the room as not a lot of presenters came to this part of australia..the suburbs of brisbane. they went to sydney

*** alan mathieson, owner harvey world travel, mt. isa, australia | http://mountisa.harveyworld.com.au | mtisa@harveyworld.com.au
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10~ peter hudson | my exboyfriend who i moved to australia to be with before this tour | a surfer, environmental consultant, and one who always spoke the truth even if it hurt to hear it

i remember calling peter selfish so many times when the two of us would get into our heated "discussions." both of us are scorpios so i had definitely met my match on so many levels when i shared a home with him in perth, australia during one of the most transformational years of my life. what was really going on when i looked back soon after i left perth, and peter and went on tour was that what i called selfish was often his ability to be selfishlessly selfish. okay sometimes he was just being selfish. let's keep it real. but come on. i'm sure i was guilty of being a bit selfish too :0) so, by stepping back and reflecting on what it was within me that i was more upset with than his "selfishness," i realised that i was coming from a place where i very very often gave my own voice away. meaning, i would often answer for the "other."

so when asked what i wanted to do for dinner, for the weekend, small things like that (and maybe some big things too)...i realised i was answering to please others. now, i thought i was done with that, but i realise there was still some residue left over from those other past relationships....saying things to please others. saying yes when i really meant no. what was that? oh my goddess, so "old school." what is that about? how does living for others and not for yourself serve anyone? while on the other hand would peter ever do that? no way! he spoke for himself and stood up for himself, and sure sometimes it seemed insensitive or the timing was a little off...but hey....you always knew where peter stood. you didn't have to agree but he was very clear and had his opinions for sure. he still does. goddess bless him. love that man. he taught me so much!

we are great friends, peter and i now. and i'm getting ready to finish the tour and settle into new york city again after traveling for three years and have been in the most intimate relationship of my life...with myself and with goddess. i have had to compromise very little and i love love love speaking my truth and saying "no" more than "yes." well, it's easy between goddess and i. it's been a great practice. and sometimes painful at time to say. but it's been life changing and so inspiring to look back at my teachers, including peter hudson, my ex from australia, the surfer i met in costa rica and fell madly in love with and moved to australia for....he taught me to be selfishlessly selfish by speaking my truth. sure i try to be sensitive to others feelings and to get the timing right (maybe a little softer than peter did for me at times :) but we are both scorpios let's remember and we both had good stings on our tails. but regardless, i can say with no doubt at all...one reason we were together is so that he could teach me to speak and stand in my truth. i look forward to bringing that into my next intimate relationship not only with my future beloved (who might be able to catch me better when i land in one place ;) but to my family, friends, students, peers...all that i'm lucky enough to share my truth.

*** peter hudson, freelance environmental consultant + landscape designer | currently traveling thru indonesia + thailand | please email info@tweeyoga.com to connect with peter about environmental projects for world-wide luxury resorts
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om aim saraswati~aye namaha!
i bow to the divine goddess of communication, creativity, self expression, music, academia, and the arts!

saraswati meditation
imagine her sitting on your tongue when you speak. she is the divine goddess, who when in her presence, or embodying her strength, you only want to express very clear words that reflect your purest intentions, otherwise you are inspired to just stay silence.

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feeding your throat chakra

liquids in general: water, fruit juices, herbal teas tart or tangy

fruits: lemons, limes, grapefruit, kiwi

other tree growing fruits: apples, pears, plums, peaches, apricots

spices: salt, lemon grass
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"if you don't have something nice to say,
then don't say it at all."
~ momma

namaste

My Collective of Heart Friends + Families Helping Me Feel At Home, Even When Home is Nowhere and Everywhere on the Planet

How does one start writing about the heart chakra? There is so much to write and at the same time when you are connected in this sacred place there is nothing that needs to be read, written or spoken about, at all. In fact sometimes those things just get in the way.

One thing I want to say about my heart, is that I feel....so grateful! Grateful for my Collective of Heart Friends and Families around the Planet!




I know you have heard me say that so many times before....and I've written it probably a few hundred times more than that. It's so true. I am so grateful especially for the hundreds of families who have hosted me, I have so many "homes away from home" now after living and traveling on the road for these past 2 years and 7 months on Tour. And I am especially grateful for the Collective that I now call my family of friends all around the world. It's getting harder and harder to say "see you soon" as I know that means a much longer "soon" than the past years.



As of February 2011 I will be settling down...finishing the Spiritual Globalisation Tour. Well, what that really means is that I'll be living on the road only 50% (not 100%) of the year and the other 50% living between New York City and Bali!

So excited to finally have a place (or two) to hang my yoga mat for a while. And I'm looking forward to spending some more time with my elderly parents, my brothers + sister and their families, my 7 month old nephew Kingston, and my friends in the States that I've been living away from. It's been over 3.5 years since I moved from New York City to Perth, Australia.






I didn't realize how much I missed my Stateside tribe until I reconnected with them this past summer on the Butterfly Effect Tour (which raised vibration, consciousness, and also resources to clean up the BP oil spill in the Gulf...more on that in our next newsletter next week). It took some of us only 10.8 minutes to defrost the distance in time and space that came between us over these past years...and we were back on track...our hearts and laughter tuned into the same frequencies! No time or distance changed that original connection.



Another realisation that came from this amazing mini tour was adding the word "Collective" at the end of Twee Yoga. It's certainly not about just me. It's about us. We are now the Twee Yoga Collective....and as I said to my friends and my support tribe, and I'll say it to you...Something big is happening here, and I'm taking you with me! I feel it. I have been traveling around the world and I am seeing and feeling changes happening everywhere on so many levels. We are awakening from a slumber of serving ourselves to serving others and now I know it...we are serving the Collective! The Collective Consciousness of our entire human race, the planet, the ocean, the animals, the plants, the trees, the insects, the birds, the bees (you know we've been talking a lot about the bees!)...it's all happening! And it's exciting!

As we each continue to rise, we all rise. I know this! I can feel the rising of my own heart being lifted by so many with whom I meet along this Tour. We continue to inspire each other with our smiles, with our open hearts, with our genuine attention towards each other, when we need someone to just listen to our stories and try to understand and even relate. We are taking it to another level for sure!



And that's why it's not about me. It never was. It's about us!....and how we can all make a difference. Ladies and Gentlemen, Girls and Boys, Yoginis and Yogins, I introduce to you...our Collective.

Who are we? We are the tribe that will continue to inspire, help us all to stay wide awake and to love ourselves first in order to love and serve each other and our communities and our planet. I'm bringing us, to you, to them...one newsletter at a time, one blog at a time, one newly launched website to feature our tribe. Oh...by the way, tweeyoga.com will be relaunching by Dec 1st. Send me some positive vibes to help me complete this project so we can share more of the Collective with you sooner than later. (Thanks Susana, Boris, Jed, Christina, and Harlan for your help so far! ;-)



So I start by introducing the Stateside friends of the Collective and this month's contributing writers who I have gathered from the Butterfly Effect Tour this past July + August. They are among the first of hundreds thousands of inspirational friends of the Collective with whom I will share with you throughout the years to come as I continue to travel and feature their voices as a symbol of "the change that is already happening in the world!" (I told you, something big is happening....I feel it. It's a ripple effect...you feel it too, don't you?)

Carole Westerman of Om-aha, our newsletter editor who shares her Hanuman leap of faith story; Amanda Thompson with whom I (and a sold out class at Daphne + Tom Larkin's, Sanctuary for Yoga Studio) had the pleasure of celebrating her 50th birthday, in Nashville in August. She's sharing her inner and outer beauty tips related to the heart. See her photo below...it's ridiculously amazing!...the body and smile and radiance of a 26 year old! Monica Mesa of Crested Butte...it was her house where I first perused the book Tantric Orgasm for Women, and I knew I had to share it with you. After just a few pages, it shifted some major paradigms on love~making for sure!



So enjoy and I hope to see you along this Tour sometime soon.

Oh!! One more thing....You are invited to my 40th! Of course! There will be three different celebrations for you to join me..us! I'll be co-teaching a yoga + surfing retreat again with Lauren Hanna of Sonic Yoga NYC in Morocco for my 40th birthday celebration on Oct 26th. An intimate retreat with only a few 6 spots left. Who else would I want to be with than you! My Collective of friends and family around the world! Oh! and if you can't make Morocco then maybe the Hawaii Spirit Festival in Oahu, the week before.... or in Bali the week after celebrating at Desa Seni Resort, one of my favorite homes away from home! I said I was grateful yes? See why? Because I know dreams come true...especially if they come from deep within your heart!



See you soon!
Love, Twee