this could be a good time

"You have been telling the people that this is the Eleventh Hour, now you must go back and tell the people that this is the Hour.  And there are things to be considered . . .

Where are you living?
What are you doing?
 What are your relationships?
Are you in right relation?
Where is your water?
Know your garden.
It is time to speak your Truth.
Create your community.
Be good to each other.
And do not look outside yourself for the leader."

Then he clasped his hands together, smiled, and said, "This could be a good time!"

   

 "There is a river flowing now very fast.  It is so great and swift that there are those who will be afraid.  They will try to hold on to the shore.   They will feel they are torn apart and will suffer greatly. 

  
 "Know the river has its destination.  The elders say we must let go of the shore, push off into the middle of the river, keep our eyes open, and our heads above water.   And I say, see who is in there with you and celebrate.  At this time in history, we are to take nothing personally, Least of all ourselves.  For the moment that we do,  our spiritual growth and journey comes to a halt. 
   
 "The time for the lone wolf is over.  Gather yourselves!  Banish the word struggle from you attitude and your vocabulary.  All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration. 
    
"We are the ones we've been waiting for."

-- attributed to an unnamed Hopi elder

Hopi Nation

Oraibi, Arizona

perfect, just as you are

One of my favourite things about Vancouver is the quality of yoga studios. I discovered a particularly good one when I was living there last year.  I was so excited by the sheer number of available methods that I more or less moved in for the first three days.  In those first 72 hours I attended 19 yoga classes. I have never felt better. Luckily for my schedule, it was a long weekend. Luckily for my soul, I discovered a teacher named Mike. 

Mike has a wonderful habit of reminding his students of a simple truth: you are perfect, just as you are. He says it in every class. The first time he said it I almost burst out laughing. I kept a goofy grin on my face for the remaining 90 minutes. It struck me as hilarious and joyous and liberating to tune in to each person's inherent perfection. Because it is there. Oh boy, is it ever there. And so evident, too. How could we have missed it as we busily went about our day? Here was a room of perfect, unique, living, breathing, loving human beings, myself included. Moreover, we were coming together with the intention to create and share a positive space in the world. Amazing, incredible, power-FULL.

The second time Mike reminded us that we are "perfect, just as you are," I nearly started to cry. There was nothing about that sentence that I felt was truth. I was, and remain, fascinated that such a little sentence has the power for a remarkable array of emotional responses. How fascinating is the human psyche! That is the thing, though - it is the human psyche, not the sentence itself, that changes the perception of truth. It is important to remember that the variety of interpretations does not call the truth of your perfection into question. It may, however, cause one to investigate his/her personal emotional centre. Grab the shovels, I say! Dig deep. As long as you don't stop in the layers of muck and shame and self-doubt, you will find Your Truth. And the truth, as you know, is that you are perfect. 

To finish, here is a poem by the 14th century Persian mystic and poet, Hafiz. Hafiz is my favourite poet. I would lend you my book of his poetry but I am not sure I could go for more than a few days without it. This particular piece is about accepting that you are perfect, just as you are. (That's the thing about truths -- they don't change much over 700 years.)

*if "God" doesn't work for you today, use another word. Hafiz does it all the time. 

Now is the Time

Now is the time to know

That all that you do is sacred.

Now, why not consider

A lasting truce with yourself and God.

Now is the time to understand

That all your ideas of right and wrong

Were just a child's training wheels

To be laid aside

When you finally live

With veracity

And love.

Hafiz is a divine envoy

Whom the Beloved

Has written a holy message upon.

My dear, please tell me,

Why do you still

Throw sticks at your heart

And God?

What is it in that sweet voice inside

That incites you to fear?

Now is the time for the world to know

That every thought and action is sacred.

This is the time for you to compute the impossibility

That there is anything

But Grace.

Now is the season to know

That everything you do

Is sacred.

Disclaimer: I am a huge goal setter. I love a good vision board. I single-handedly keep the Self-Help book industry going. However, I believe that goals and growth and development are not mutually exclusive of self-love. 

Bodhisattva (Goddess of Compassion) statute peacefully sitting in our garden at home...
Reminding you that you are perfect, even if you missed a weed. 

i'd like to see your headstand

Louie was a really strange guy. In my memory, he had a fu manchu, but I don't really think that is possible. We worked together at a kids' summer camp. I would often watch him stroll the grounds and wonder if he was, in fact, an ancient Mongol emperor. I knew it couldn't be time travel but Louie had a mysticism about him that suggests he had alternative means.

However he got here, I am glad he did. Louie the Emperor greatly impacted my life.

We had just finished another week of camp. The kids were sent home, the cabins were swept, and the counsellors were emerging from the woodwork for a final debrief before the weekend. Louie was already sitting on the grass at our meeting spot. Well, "sitting" isn't exactly the right word. Louie was in a headstand. He had potentially been there all day, I have no idea.

I adore headstands. They are quite possibly my favourite position.  I was so excited that somebody else could do one, that I ran over and popped right up beside him. Ahh, I could feel the stress leaving my body. It seeped from my toes, through my head, and into the earth. I felt grounded and light. Sweet release!

And then somebody called out, "Stop being such a show-off!"

I know this person. I know this is a good person. I know this person is full of love and compassion and support. But it was one of those moments that we've all had. One of those moments when we say something to be funny or sarcastic but it doesn't change the fact that the words are unhelpful and unkind.

I came out of my headstand immediately. As my cheeks started to glow from embarrassment, I tucked my legs under myself and hunched my shoulders to protect my hurt. Slowly, Louie came out of his headstand, too. He turned to our mutual friend and said kindly, but matter-of-factly, "I do not like the term "show-off." It is hurtful. We are not in headstands to make you feel bad about yourself."

That was six years ago and I still carry that story in my heart. I agree with Louie. Life is not a zero-sum game. Your ability does not negate my ability. In fact, by liberating yourself from fear or shame, I am necessarily liberated to do the same. Your achievement inspires me to achieve. There may be only a few 'A's to go around in law school, but life is not law school. There is no maximum quota of excellence.

Think about it this way. If we go for a jog together and you are the better runner, that has no effect on my ability to run. I would be running the way I usually do whether you were there or not. Your superior stride has no bearing on my stride. If anything, by seeing your technique, I am given an opportunity to learn. How lucky is that?? I probably didn't even know there were other ways to run. By you being brave enough to shine as you do, I have been provided a glimpse into the realm of possibility. I am enriched by you. If we could just step outside of our egos and pre-occupation with shame, we would be liberated enough to ask for advice and to be enhanced by the exchange of ideas, thoughts, experiences, and philosophies that follow. Like a ripple effect, we pass on accumulated knowledge to the potential of the future. In the end, the world could be full of amazing runners. Or scientists. Or parents. In short, it really is the case that the world benefits from you being great.

Finally, and maybe most importantly, you're just really amazing. Are you aware of that? It's true. You are actually so awesome for being able to do a backflip/solve a rubik's cube/touch your nose with your tongue/finish all your readings before class. Enough about my benefit - seriously, you are impressive stuff. Way to go, champ. (And thanks for being brave enough to share because otherwise I would not have known.)

So go on, have courage. Show me your headstand. Shine like you're able. If you have a talent, I want to celebrate it. If you are willing to teach me, I'd be richer for the experience. Either way, you are putting something positive out there and the world is a better place for it. Thank you. We're all grateful.

Put your toes to the sky and shine, shine, shine. 

health and illness

It is a funny thing we people do. When we ask about love, we talk about heartbreak. And when we ask about health, we talk about illness. This blog is not about illness. It is entirely about health. Health is the topic, the inspiration, and the mission. Everything that is put on this blog is put with a purposeful intent to promote a health-FULL existence. Body, mind, spirit, relationships, career and everything else that makes for a full life deserves to be positively promoted. I am not so ignorant as to believe I, alone, am the only person impacted by my presence. You've all read the studies - feelings of insufficiency skyrocket after surfing Facebook or reading fashion magazines. We may be self-interested but we are definitely social creatures. We necessarily impact. My intention is to do so responsibly. This is a place to collect, share, and reflect while on this path of a health-FULL life (as a law student or otherwise). 

That being said, we need to talk about something first...

For the most part, law students are not a healthy bunch. I recently heard that the average incoming law class has rates of depression similar to any other post-secondary program. By third year, that same law class will trump the national average three times over;  almost half of all graduates show signs of depression. Depending on who you ask, working lawyers are two to four times more likely to suffer from depression than the general population.

There are lots of possible explanations. It could be that law students are a community of people particularly susceptible to dis-eases, like depression. The stereotype is, after all, a recipe for disaster: type A, highly competitive, equating Self with achievement. If you skim the top names from a long list of over-achieving undergrads and then tell them, "actually, you are not as smart as you thought" it can be very damaging to one's ego. Especially if you are attached to that ego. Highly competitive people usually are. It is a nasty set of affairs, ain't it?  

Or maybe it is not the people; maybe the system is failing. Maybe it is the way law is taught. Maybe it is the way law is practiced. Maybe it is the nature of working with the world's problems day-in, day-out. Or maybe it is the tiresome opinion of the general public (remember that part about equating your Self with external achievement?). At the very least, things could be better. There is nothing on the planet, education and professional paths included, that cannot be improved, re-thought, and challenged. Life has no off-limits. 

Like I said, though, this blog is not intended to be a place for complaints, needed or otherwise. This is a blog about health. About thriving. About being FULL of life as a law student, a medical student, a teacher, a musician, a yogi, or a parent. This is a blog where positivity is intended to emit. I believe in putting something positive in the world and I believe in collecting ideas, stories, and resources from others. Life is too short for me to figure it out on my own. So, as much as this is coming from a place of dissatisfaction with what I am seeing, this is really coming from a belief that the status quo needn't remain. We can do great work and be great people at the same time. Personally, I chose to pursue law. I love the law. But my health is not up for grabs. 

So, let the food be healthy, the exercise- daily, and the lawyering mindful. 

We don't have to be sick. 

Let's be full of intent. 

Let's be full of health.