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Joy.

September 2, 2012

Joy by James Vincent Knowles.

I know what joy feels like.

I do, I really do.

I too recall what it’s like to not recall it all.

I know what it’s like to put it off, to work & work & try to fight & work some more towards that which one hopes will matter, & to take the little free things in life to be all one’s allowed to enjoy, & in between those little things, the smile here & there or moments shared with a stranger you hope will become a friend one day.

But joy itself, that’s an entirely different thing, is it not, than hopes & wishes & dreams?

It’s a feeling from dawn to dusk & throughout the night, that the smile you see in the morning comes from that part of you so thoroughly deep inside your core that nothing can wipe it away.

You sing & dance & move a little differently everywhere you go & give a little extra shake to everything you do & say.

Yes, yes, joy is delicious, the best of all the things we feel me thinks; it’s not something one forgets or thinks might be true, it’s the most real thing of anything that’s real with a me or a you.

It is, however, something that one can lose sometimes, for one reason or another. I wonder now & again if that feeling will ever come back or if it’s gone now, forever

There are those who say they know for sure you cannot get joy from another. But I do not know that nor do i agree at all. Else how is it that when we choose to give joy to someone else, we see their entire being light up & then we feel right off our smile began to glow inside them first? And then we hear the voice of real happiness float across their curled up smiling lips?

So joy then it seems to me is something we give each other. It’s the one gift that must be given & is always free & never taken.

It lasts & lasts forever in our memory. It permeates all around us & percolates back & forth in a joyful exchange that at times has ups & downs … until that special moment in time that’s spent with more-than-a-special friend who takes us by surprise. And that is when, there & then, one finds out joy is always & only here & now & it’s full of grace & gratitude, all the time.

So that’s what I think about where joy comes from, in connections of all sorts to be sure, but especially when it’s with that special one, true, who takes us & makes us sing & dance & shows us we’re their special one too, the one that gives us joy all day & night no matter where we’re at, who never allows us to feel blue. The special deep core hum, infinite ohmmmmm……, vibrating, resonating friend, who’s willing to shout: oi, oi, oi-! hey! I fucking love you~!

 

`~~~~~~~~~~

***To connect with the multi-talented James Knowles through Facebook click here. He is a gifted photographer and author and I am honored to call him a friend.

To book a photography session with James please email: James Knowles <paparazzo1@mac.com>

Here is a sampling. It’s a video he put together from his photos for me from last week’s karaoke yoga class (which was shot at Yogis Anonymous for the British tv show Lorraine and starred Rod Stewart’s wife. Thus the Rod song!)

It brought me so much joy I had to share with you!

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQ3qaOUKUXk]

Guest Posts, Inspiration

Hello, My Name is Rebecca & I Lost My Mom to ALS.

August 27, 2012

The following guest post is by the incredibly gifted Rebecca Butler. I met Rebecca because I posted something on my Facebook saying “What Are You Afraid Of? What Fear Do You Want to Tell To Eff Off?” Now we have never met, and I didn’t know who she was when her message came in my inbox, but suffice to say that since that message, we have become friends and I am now going to teach workshops at Karmany Yoga where she is manager and lead studio teacher teaches in Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas. Again, I marvel at connection. How powerful it. How powerful social media and vulnerability can be. Here is what her message about fear said:

Hello there. I am a fan. You inspire me. So thanks for that. And I am responding to your request for a couple of paragraphs on fear – what you are afraid of…

I am afraid of being too fat and being too thin. I am afraid of being too kind and being too mean. I am afraid of staying married and being single again. I am afraid of being incredible and falling flat on my face. I am afraid of becoming my father and never living up to the memory of my mom.

Not so long ago, a dear friend of mine took me through an incredible energetic soul retrieval. In this experience, I shed layers of sorrow and disappointment and I felt a strong, overwhelming beam of pure energy into my solar plexus – so much that I was pinned to the floor while my entire being became tingly. And what did I feel during this rush? Joy over this connection with the infinite divine? Eh, a smidge. Elation at the imminent newborn potential clearly being established within me? Sure, kinda. But mostly, I felt fear. Fear that this amazing feeling would leave me soon and I’d be back to plain old me. And to this, I say: FUCK IT. Fuck fear.

Below is the guest post I asked her to write, because, well, how could i not after reading her email? She is a tremendous writer and a beautiful mind. Looking forward to my workshops in Dallas!

Hello, My Name is Rebecca & I Lost My Mom to ALS.

Hi. I probably don’t know you. And I’ve been asked to write a guest blog post for this site, which I consider a huge honor. At the same time, it’s intimidating. I want to make sure I tell you something poignant. I want to offer you something humbly from my own experience walking this Earth. And I intend to do so with love.

By far, the most intense thing I’ve weathered in my 38 trips around the sun was losing my mom to ALS.

It was slow.

It was brutal.

It was harsh.

There were moments of love so pure, so strong, so rich; words will never do them justice.

There were moments of pain so deep, so great, so overpowering; words will never do them justice.

There were moments of beauty so radiant, so wild, so raw; words will never do them justice.

Suffice it to say that even though I loathed my helplessness during this process, I will never regret the lengths to which I went to be by her side. And I will always cherish the learning’s she gave me – sometimes via words, mostly via actions.

She was courageous.

She was brave.

She was honorable.

She was angry.

She was terrified.

She was ready.

She taught me…

…that there is nothing in life so important as the love and laughter of your family and friends.

…to cherish your partner and stand by them through thick and thin.

…that being judgmental towards yourself and/or anyone else is a fucking waste of time and energy and it should not be borne. Ever. Period.

…that staring death right in the face with openness and acceptance is true strength.

…that life is a gift to be lived with gusto and without apology.

From her bedside, I learned…

…breathing is special. Succulent. Delicious and not nearly as easy as healthy people think of it as being.

…swallowing is sophisticated work and is as delightful as any handstand will ever be.

…love is meant to be given away freely. To any and everyone you can possibly ladle it upon. Without question. Without fear. Without expectation.

…fear is a nasty mother fucker trying to steal your light at any given point and it is incumbent upon you to never relent!

…nurturing energy is perhaps our greatest gift. And it can be wielded without words, without even moving anything more than your left arm. From your bedside.

And in her memory, I will continue to walk this Earth cherishing the beauty and power of each moment. Even if it comes with pain. Even if it comes with sorrow. Because in the end, I have the power to Choose Joy. And that is what I choose.

Joy.

Joy over having ever known a creature so amazing.

Joy over having the chance to create change and encourage others to love their lives exactly the way they are! Right now!

Joy. Just because. Just because I can. Joy.

Connect with Rebecca by clicking here or on the above photo.

And So It Is, Delight

I. Did. It.

December 11, 2011

[wpvideo hmtYmgYp]

I manifested being on Good Morning America! Woo Hoo!

I dreamt it and I certainly expected to be delighted.

I said ” And So It Is.”

Tomorrow is my birthday and I can say that is the best birthday of my life!

I am humbled and honored and proud.

I can manifest anything that I put my attention on. (Repeat after me.)

This morning when Good Morning America filmed my class was the most joy I have ever felt. It was a karaoke yoga class.

Yes, you read it right.

The amazing ABC correspondent Cameron Mathison.

Thank you Sing Out Loud Karaoke and Equinox and of course Good Morning America and Cameron Mathison

. And thank you, all of you.

Joy!

[wpvideo jkZwwQHI]

Daily Manifestation Challenge, Delight

What Brings You Joy? The DMC.

October 29, 2011

Today’s Daily Manifestation Challenge is all about Joy.

What brings you the most joy?

(I picked Almond Joy because my dad was obsessed with them. brings me joy to think of my dad.)

Why, you ask? Why list my joy on this here website?

Because when you think of these things you start to inhabit the feeling of that which you are thinking of. Works like a charm. Works like an Almond Joy. Works like a vacation (Almost.)

Are you doing things everyday that bring you joy? (If the answer is no, I want you to shut the computer and start. Right. Now.)

This is one of my missions in the world. To provide a space where people have more joy in their lives and truly feel that they deserve it!

So, what is it that brings you joy? As you answer, see if you can allow yourself to be in the feeling of what you are thinking about.

By now you know that Modern Family brings me joy. 

My husband brings me joy.

Often, a good glass of wine brings me joy. Especially when I come home and my husband has a candle lit and said glass of wine sitting next to it for me. Especially then.

Belly laughing and smirks, sleeping in my own bed and also in fancy hotel beds, these bring me joy.

Seeing how far my sister has come brings me great joy.

Music brings me joy.

When my yoga classes sing out loud, JOY!

When they dance… even more joy.

The blog 365 to 30. Joy joy joy!

People sharing with me what they are manifesting into their lives and the comments people leave here fill me with joy.

My friends successes bring me joy!

How when I go to the bank or Whole Foods near my house or other places I frequent, people know my name and I know theirs. It’s like Cheers. But better. I love connecting. It brings me joy!

Leading Manifestation Yoga® Workshops and Retreats! So. Much. Joy. Can’t. Handle. The . Joy.

All things Italy bring me immense joy and pleasure.

I also ask you this: What are you doing to bring others joy? To spread joy in the world?

I am going to add a poem i wrote last month because the last lines refer to joy. Read them carefully.

How to Make a Life

how to31 Manifestation Yoga | How To Make A Life

First: Take everything you’ve ever learned and everything

You’ve yet to discover and place it in a box labeled Thank You.

Second: Take a picture of your face and remember

That in ten years time you will be amazed at how gorgeous you were.

Be amazed now.

Third: Find someplace to live.

Make sure it has the ability to let light fall

Across the room in such a way that every so often,

You’ll stop and mouth the words “Ah, sunlight.”

Before you finish dusting the books.

Don’t let the books get dusty.

Open them and reread your favorite sentences

Or give the books away.

Fourth: Fall in love.

Touch. More than you think.

Have a child if you want one.

If you don’t, don’t.

Let your child out into the world

Discovering for themselves just how magical

It is. Or it isn’t.

It’s theirs to decide.

Give your child a lot of books.

Fifth: Get a job.

Remember this job is not who you are.

You get to open the silk door of You,

And decide, over and over, as many times as your socks,

Just who you are.

Your job will feed you and your children if you have them.

If you forget this step,

You will be reminded of it if you ever lose your job.

No, my job cannot be who I am

because here I am still standing in line at the post office

tapping my feet,

and yet I have no job but still, I am.

I am.

Sixth: Do yoga.

Let your body discover what it’s like to move

without your brain holding it’s hand.

Tell your brain to take a hike.

Let your body believe fully in it’s own powers.

Let every person you’ve stored inside your muscles out every so often,

to breathe.

Lastly: Do things that make you feel good.

Let your joy be contagious and spread through

Your home, your job, your children.

Let it spread through the world

Like a virus so that when you forget it,

Every so often, you’ll catch it from someone else.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now go Jump for Joy! But first, make a list below.

How To

How To Make A Life

September 20, 2011

How to Make a Life

 


First:

Take everything you’ve ever learned and everything

You’ve yet to discover and place it in a box labeled Thank You.

Second:

Take a picture of your face and remember

That in many years time you will be amazed at how gorgeous you were.

Be amazed now.

Third:

Find someplace to live.

Make sure it has the ability to let light fall

Across the room in such a way that every so often,

You’ll stop and mouth the words “Ah, sunlight.”

Before you finish dusting the books.

Don’t let the books get dusty.

 

Fourth:

Fall in love.

Touch. More than you think.

Have a child if you want one.

If you don’t, don’t.

Let your child out into the world

Discovering for themselves just how magical

It is. Or it isn’t.

It’s theirs to decide.

 

Fifth:

Get a job.

Remember this job is not who you are.

Sixth:

Do yoga.

Let your body discover what it’s like to move

without your brain holding it’s hand.

Tell your brain to take a hike.

Let your body believe fully in it’s own powers.

Let every person you’ve stored inside your muscles out every so often,

to breathe.

Lastly:

Do things that make you feel good.

Let your joy be contagious and spread through

Your home, your job, your children.

Let it spread through the world

Like a virus so that when you forget it,

Every so often, you’ll catch it from someone else.

~~Jen Pastiloff, after a particularly focused Annie Carpenter class on Sep 20, 2011

Balinese healing waters Nov 2012 during my retreat