Mind Body Messenger
Issue #37, July 2006

Keeping Up With Heather…

Hello Friends,
What a whirlwind the past few weeks have been! As many of you know, Chris and I married on June 25 in a small but very special ceremony in a Japanese garden in Canberra (Australia). We want to thank all those who celebrated with us, both in person and in spirit. We were so happy to receive all your letters, cards and calls of support and congratulations. We feel very fortunate to have such a wonderful network of people who care for our happiness. And happy we are! We are so pleased to be sharing our lives together, and to have the opportunity to combine our skills and interests in a way that we hope is of benefit to our world. And, we are wasting no time in getting “out there” and doing our part to help the world become a place of harmony, peace, joyfulness and great health!

This is a busy and very exciting time for us, with only a day or two in the coastal town of Byron Bay for a honeymoon, and then we will be teaching another month-long Yoga Teacher Training program before embarking on a holiday together in Canada. In September Chris will be returning to Australia, but I will remain in Canada to be a part of a very special Yoga Teacher Training at Balance Yoga Studio in Tottenham. I am joining an amazing group of specialists in the areas of Yoga Philosophy, Ayurveda, Sanskrit, and Hatha Yoga Styles to offer a non-residential program from September to December. Thus, I will be in Canada for a few months, and am looking forward to catching up with you all, and as always I will be offering Yoga, Pilates and Fitness sessions, and Thai Yoga Massage for those who are interested.

For those of you in Australia, Emma Clancy will be offering Yoga classes in my absence at the Belconnen Community Centre, and when Chris returns he hopes to be teaching Yoga, and offering holistic massage and Meditation classes. As well, we have begun to develop our teaching schedule for 2007, (with events posted on our website www.yogatrinity.com) and our tentative schedule below.

Keep in mind that during our travels (as always) we are available to you if you have any questions, concerns, or would just like to keep in touch. Feel free to call or email anytime. It is important to us to maintain our connections with all our fantastic friends and students, and to continue to develop our community and spiritual family around the world!

So, until our next Messenger, we’ll leave you with a photo (as promised), and a few “Thoughts On” love, in celebration of all forms of love, and all lovers everywhere.
Namaste,
Heather and Christopher

Thoughts On…Love

Love takes off all masks that we fear we cannot live without, and know we cannot live within.
James Baldwin

Love is the immortal flow of energy that nourishes, extends and preserves. Its eternal goal is life.
Smiley Blanton.

You will find as you look back upon your life that the moments when you have truly lived are the moments when you have done things in the spirit of love.
Henry Drummond.

In love, the paradox occurs that two beings become one, and yet remain two.
Erich Fromm

The moment you had in your heart this extraordinary thing called love and feel the depth, the delight, the ecstasy of it, you will discover that for you the world is transformed.
J. Krishnamuti.

You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.
Buddha

Embracing Change, Part I

Change, like death and taxes, is one of the inevitable human experiences. We can sometimes see change looming in the form of graduations, marriage, children and moving house. But, most of the change that we experience is less distinct, subtler, and far more frequent. We know that our cells are changing, dying off and re-growing continuously, this vital operation of the human body is taken for granted, but nevertheless it is a dramatic process of constant change that we are forever undergoing; our bodies are literally changing before our eyes. In a few years, all of our cells will be different from the ones that we call “home” today. Fascinating, yes, and not a little bit scary.

You see, our relationship to change is one that is fraught with fear and trepidation. We often see change as the enemy, taking us to places that we don’t necessarily want to go. Thus, our desire to remain where we are, in the “known” becomes more and more powerful. When we are children we change rapidly, from infant to child, from a life at home with Mom to a day filled with anxiety and excitement in our early school days. And as our bodies and circumstances change, our relationships change too. And, as children, we cope. We learn to dress ourselves, to read, to make friends and discover the delicate balance of relationships in school and at home. But, as adults, we become resistant to change. Change takes away our security, it removes the known and replaces it with the “unknown’, a frightening equation for most adults. We are already flat-out balancing our lives, and we feel we can’t handle any more pressure. So, we dig in our heels and resist.

You might dislike your job, but the effort and risk of getting a new one overwhelms you, so you stay where you are; safe, secure, and unfulfilled. You might dislike the home you are living in, but remembering the trials and tribulations of your last move convinces you that you are better off where you are. Perhaps you’ve always dreamed of travelling but, the money, the danger, the time off work, the long flights…your desire takes you to the travel agent to leaf through brochures, but your fear of change tells you to put them on the shelf for a “better time”.

A common example of our fear of change presents itself in the area of health. Your fitness level is declining, your waistline is expanding, your knees creak when you get out of bed, and your breath is puffed at the top of the stairs. But, to get fit you would have to change your patterns, make room in your day, find the energy for a workout, skip the tasty and comforting snacks in the evening in front of the TV. So you tell yourself, ‘when I’m less busy, after the next work project is finished, once the kids are in school full time. I’ll wait until I have more time.’

But, what will be a better time? When the scale tells you that you are another 5 pounds heavier? When the doctor makes noises about your blood pressure? After the first health scare in hospital? Why wait for change to happen to you? Are you waiting for your schedule to free up before you begin to exercise? When will you be less busy than you are now? Tomorrow? Next week? Next year? If you want to embrace a life of good health, fitness and vitality, you must ‘be the change that you want to see in your world’ as Mahatma Ghandi said. You must create the change necessary in your schedule to allow for your goals to be realized.

I take business coach Jack Welch’s advice here, “Change before you have to”. Why wait until change is necessary, until it is knocking at your door? Why not make the improvements you are dreaming of now, not because you have to, but because you want to. In this way, you are taking charge of your life. You are in dominion. Not only will you achieve success in this one area of your life, but as your self esteem and self efficacy rises as a result of your progressive actions and intents, you will begin to see success in all areas of your life.

You see, creating positive change is more than progress, it is evolution. You will not simply be following along with the world, reacting to necessary changes. You will be a creator, an innovator in your own life, and there is nothing more empowering than discovering that you really do create your reality!

So, my advice…Create change, make change happen, be on the forefront of the change in your life and thus change becomes evolution, revolution, and success. Look at the most successful people in the world and what do they have in common? Madonna, Bill Gates, Oprah; they’ve been around for decades but they survive and prosper because they change, create and recreate before they have to. They don’t cling to old ideas or old identities for safety, they invent, experiment, and adapt, and these risks have paid off for them personally and professionally. Being on the forefront of trends drives successful businesses; being on the forefront of change in your life ensures personal fulfillment, and success in life.

Now, I’m not suggesting that you throw your current life out the window and start fresh. I’m talking about growth, not transplantation. Before we can truly become conscious creators in our lives, we must get comfortable with the idea of change, and with the experience of stretching ourselves, expanding our sense of identity, and exploring the self-imposed boundaries around who we are and what we do.

Slowness to change usually means fear of the new.
Philip Crosby

Without change, something sleeps inside us and seldom awakens. The sleeper must awaken.
Frank Hebert

My sister recently told me an anecdote that might help here. She said that we all have an envelope that is our comfort zone of experience and identity. The middle of the envelope is where we feel most comfortable, and the edges are where we feel less comfortable. The more time we spend on the edges, exploring our identity, experiencing a diverse range of possibilities in life, the bigger our envelope becomes. Thus, we can consciously expand and increase our positive life experiences just by spending time each day testing our boundaries, and creating changes within (our identity and sense of self) that will inevitably effect wonderful changes in our world.

In Christopher’s course The Journey, he gives an exercise to do just this, it’s called an ‘outrageous act’. Outrageous acts get us to step out of our comfort zone and experiment with our sense of identity. Outrageous acts range from singing in front of the grocery store to swimming in a public fountain to wearing a swimsuit, fins and goggles to the dentist. Yes, there is often some wearing of underpants over the clothes, but the purpose is not as silly as it sounds. Some have heard of this exercise and may think that it’s just an opportunity to be obnoxious. But the true purpose of the exercise is to help us to begin to explore who we think we are. Once we know this, we can begin to decide who are going to be.

So, this leads me to my final point on the subject of change. There are no quick fixes here (there really are none in life), but I will say that the quickest fix you can find when it comes to all areas of life is to not just change your life, but change your mind. If you want a new job but can’t imagine who would want to hire you, there needs to be a change in your mind. If you want to be a more adventurous person, or learn to budget your finances better, or be a better friend, the first step to creating change is to accept the idea that you are an adventurous person, you are capable with your finances, and you are a better friend. If you aren’t immediately convinced, at least remind yourself that you are capable of it, and moving towards it.

With your new mindset in place, it’s time to put pen to paper and plan for change. Planning will help you to become more comfortable with changes you are making, and gives you something tangible to work towards, and to depend on, in those times when you might waver in your purpose.

See our May 2006 newsletter “Success Through Dreaming” for more on the use of visualization in achieving your goals. Visualizing yourself sailing smoothly through the changes in your life, and becoming the person that you want to be is an essential part of achieving success

And, finally, don’t forget that every little bit counts. Test your envelope daily with small but significant steps in the directions that YOU want to head in.

So, I say embrace change. Stretch your envelope. Initiate rather than react to change. Because, as surely as the sun will rise tomorrow, there will be change in your life, so you might as well put on the architect’s hat and take charge of drawing up the blueprints for your fantastic and fulfilling future!
Om Namah Shivayah, Heather.

Trinity Events
Upcoming in 2006

July 8-Aug 5 ; Yoga Teacher Training
One-Month Residential, Funkey Forest Retreat, Byron Bay

Sept 8-Dec 10; Yoga Teacher Training
13 week non-residential, Balance Yoga Studio ,Tottenham.

Upcoming in 2007

Jan 10-14 Thai Yoga Massage Level I
5-day program with Lotus Palm, Canberra ACT

Jan 17-21 Thai Yoga Massage Level II
5-day program with Lotus Palm, Canberra ACT

Feb 2-April 13 Yoga Teacher Training
10 weekend non-residential program, Canberra ACT

July 7-August 5 Yoga Teacher Training
One-month residential program, NSW

Aug-Oct Yoga Teacher Training
10 weekend non-residential program, Ontario Canada

Oct 27-Nov 24 Yoga Teacher Training
One-month residential, Southern NSW

For details on workshops, retreats and classes please visit www.yogatrinity.com

Just when the caterpillar thought the world was ending, it became a butterfly.
Anon

As I move her from the cobra into the half plough and then into yoga mudra, I feel her heartbeat, her energy, her every vibration. It is almost as though we are one source focused towards the same goal, releasing deep inner tension as we work to the rhythm of our own loving kindness…

An excerpt from “Yoga Meets Massage”by Shai Plonski, who will be teaching Level I & II Thai Yoga Massage in Canberra in 2007. For the full article please visit www.yogatrinity.com to read more about this dynamic healing modality or visit www.lotuspalm.com for more about the study and practice of Thai Yoga Massage.