Gratitude

I’m grateful for yoga.
I never leave my practice empty-handed.
This was last night’s reading during savasana, the final resting pose.

“Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”
Melody Beattie

What is Addiction?

Excellent two-part video on some of the root causes of addiction, through the experience of Dr. Gabor Mate.
Be sure to watch his Ted Talk in Part 2. It focuses more on extremes of emotional, physical and sexual abuse. Well worth the 18 minutes.
Mate believes addiction is a person’s attempt to soothe their pain from whatever trauma is unique to their story. The first question he asks his patients is not “why the addiction?” but “why the pain?”

http://www.filmsforaction.org/watch/what-is-addiction-gabor-mate

Our Deepest Fear

This powerful poem by Marianne Williamson can be found in her inspirational book, Return to Love.  Another favorite of mine is Oriah Mountain Dreamer’s The Invitation,  posted 4/1/2014 on this website. If you haven’t read that one, it too, will knock your socks off !

Our Deepest Fear
By Marianne Williamson

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness
That most frightens us.

We ask ourselves
Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.

Your playing small
Does not serve the world.
There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking
So that other people won’t feel insecure around you.

We are all meant to shine,
As children do.
We were born to make manifest
The glory of God that is within us.

It’s not just in some of us;
It’s in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine,
We unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we’re liberated from our own fear,
Our presence automatically liberates others.