Inkwell
Reflections from the Mat – Read on for a collection of readings, poems, and mindful insights from Heidi’s classes to inspire contemplation, deepen your practice, and bring awareness beyond the mat.
Take a moment to pause, reflect, and connect.
An elderly woman had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which she carried across her neck.
One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water.
At the end of the long walks from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.
For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water…
Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments.
But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do.
After two years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one day by the stream.
“I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house.”
The old woman smiled, “Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot’s side?”
“That’s because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them.”
For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table.
Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house.”
Each of us has our own unique flaw. But it’s the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding.
You’ve just got to take each person for what they are and look for the good in them.
So, to all of my cracked pot friends, remember to smell the flowers on your side of the path.
-Unknown
The Book of Awakening
The Courage of The Seed
All the buried seeds crack open in the dark the instant they surrender to a process they can’t see.
What powerful lesson is the beginning of spring. All around us, everything small and buried surrenders to a process that none of the buried parts can see. And this innate surrender allows everything edible and fragrant to break ground into a life of light that we call spring.
In nature, we are quietly given countless models of how to give ourselves over to what appears dark and hopeless, but which ultimately is an awakening that is beyond all imagining. This moving through the dark into blossom is the threshold.
As a seed buried in the earth cannot imagine itself as an orchid or hyacinth, neither can a heart packed with hurt imagine itself loved or at peace. The courage of the seed is that once cracking, it cracks all the way.
-Mark Nepo
Make the Most of the Path You’re On
Come back to the path.
There’s no other way.
You will never find the perfect life “balance” - if you were perfect balanced, you’d never have to take anyone’s hand to stead yourself, and that would be a tragedy.
There is no solid ground on the path - so don’t hold your breath til you find it. Breathe deeply and keep moving forward awkwardly. You can make it down the whole path imbalanced and flailing. When you fall, give thanks for the opportunity to rest. While you’re down, send love to every other path walker who’s down with you at the moment.
Then get back up.
Or crawl. Crawling is encouraged and respected. Path running is fine, but crawling is much better. Crawlers travel with their eyes close to the ground - so they never miss an inch of the beautiful, rocky path. Crawlers get less glory but learn the most about the path’s terrain.
And know your fellow travelers are both you teachers and students. Your relationships with them will be the hardest part of path walking. To avoid humbling oneself into the role of student and having the courage to position oneself into the role of teacher - many try to walk the path alone.
But the path was not designed for solo treks.
The path was designed to teach Love. Whenever you introduce your true self to a fellow path traveler and listen and speak and learn and stay with them for a while - that is called Love. Love is the most brutal and beautiful part of path traveling. Participate. Learn from and teach every path traveler you encounter. Exchanging love with fellow path travelers is how we gather the wisdom and strength we’ll need to overcome the next obstacle on our path.
Note: you do not teach by teaching - you teach by loving. Be humble and courageous. You always have enough strength.
And courage and wisdom. You always have exactly what you need for your daily trek.
So don’t plan or worry - your job is to trust your path and participate fully and notice as much as you possibly can and keep moving.
But don’t become proud or ashamed.
Don’t become proud that you are further along than many travelers or ashamed that you are far behind others. Your position on the path relative to other travelers has nothing to do with your strength or stamina or wisdom or cunning. We are all in different places because we all have different entry points to the path.
You are exactly where you are supposed to be, always, and so is everyone else.
Trust the path. Follow in the footsteps of a billion other mighty travelers who walked and run and crawled the path before you.
Fear not. And carry on warrior.
-Glennon Dyle Melton
Your Sweet Magic and The importance of Being Fulfilled
“The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are” - Joseph Campbell
Over the decades, I have removed more than a dozen masks. I’m surprised I still have a face.
But beauty is defined not in perfection but in the ability to see the validity of our imperfections. In a moment of clarity, when the rumble of my insecure demons are benign, I am able to step into and witness my distinctive authority; inner strength, resilience and beauty surpass the naked eye.
It’s not about control or harshness but a distinction of recognizing, I am capable. We all are.
When we open our heart valves, the same ones that have been squelched, we come out of this-whatever this is for us and into acceptance and balance.
We will rise above false sense of self and discover we are wiser and stronger. Our souls will be drenched in love and no longer ashamed of who and what we are. We will see the light in darkness and honor all the pieces of our self-especially the shadows and we will find our boundless strength and exquisiteness.
We stop penalizing our self-worth and instead, celebrate our incredible attributes.
We are ready to step into the pages of today…
It is here that we realize we did our best.
We have found a well-spring of compassion, knowledge and inner truth.
We see the gains of our failures and the promise for better. We have and will continue to learn. It is what propels us to launch into the very next breath.
The external masses of negativity will no longer deny our blissful right to just be who we are meant to be.
And it is here, in the vast silence, we breathe.
-Rebelle Society
Trust your heart. Follow your intuition. Always try to be just a little bit braver than you were yesterday. Be strong, curious, and kind. Stay fearless in the pursuit of the thing that calls to you. And if you can’t be fearless, be afraid and willing to do it anyway. Make space for moments to pause what you’re doing to discover what’s around you - wherever you are, however the world looks to you right now. Notice it. Pay attention. Look for the signs that have been right in front of you this entire time. Uncover something to be grateful for in every brand new day. Find the magic hidden in ordinary experiences. Step forward exactly as you are and offer your authentic self to the world. Know that nothing about you needs to be fixed. You’re exactly where you’re meant to be. And life? It’s not going to pass you by as long as you stay present for it. So breathe. Relax Let go. Trust in a universe where all things are possible.
-Zanna Keithley
We have all been there…
A catastrophe hits-any ending that rocks our world to the very core, jarring and threatening what we perceive as complete and utter depletion of all we have carved, built and worked very hard for through the years.
There is just no way you can get through another blow.
The thing is, you already have. You have got up from every seemingly debilitating fall over and over again.
The big secret is that there is none.
The helmet you wear for the whitewater rafting daily life expedition works fine most of the time, and at other times, things will be tricky.
There will be twists and turns, jolts and sudden stops, curveballs and darting obstructions from out of nowhere, and that’s just making our way through morning traffic.
Life is rough-but you forget that with the bitter comes the sweet, with the downs the glorious ups, with sorrow the profound moments of joy, and that no-secret secret?
It’s letting everything in as beautifully as we let it all out.
What happens to you and what you do are one and the same process. Just as breathing in and out, you let it come back on its own and then back out again.
You accept and allow life to unfold as you too evolve and come to your own. Nothing is static; everything changes just as everything stays the same.
When you feel stuck and don’t know where to begin again, discover your breath anew.
Let go, surrender, free your mind, and know that life is just a practice-just as one’s profession, falling in love, raising a family, speaking in public, doing YOGA and all the many things we hold on to like mad for fear of failure (are).
Practice letting go of judgement.
You’re on your own path and you’re right where you need to be and the only ones (truly) expecting us to be perfect are ourselves.
Because through so many byways and highways of this beautiful journeying exquisitely called life I have learned that-
Every mistake I make allows me to see how much more there is to learn. The more wrong turns I take, the less scared I am of taking the same ones over again.
Be KIND to the traveler you are.
It brings back all the fun in practicing anything your splendid heart desires, and should you ever lose sight of it, remember, we are just taking every moment one breath, one step at a time.
-Author Unknown
“I had learned to relax my body, quiet my mind, open my heart, and visualize what I wanted to manifest. I learned that what I wanted to manifest most was a world where people not only did no harm to one another but reached out to help one another. I had learned to use the compass of my heart to guide my way and to trust that wherever I ended up, that was exactly where I needed to be. I learned that we all fundamentally have the same brains and the same hearts and the same ability to change them, transform them, and use them for the benefit of all. I learned not to define people by where they are born, what they do, or how much they have. And I learned not to define myself by this either.
Each of us has a story, and in each story there are parts that are painful and sad. We can choose, at any moment, to see the people right in front of us for who they are and who they can be. Each of us has wounds. And each of us has the ability to heal.
Giving love is always possible. Every smile at a stranger can be a gift. Every moment of non-judgment of another human being is a gift. Every moment of forgiveness, to yourself or for someone else, is a gift. Every act of compassion, every intention to serve, is a gift to this world and a gift to yourself.”
-Into The Magic Shop, James Doty
You are the most important project you will every work on: your mindset, your emotional maturity, your ability to keep showing up when no one’s watching and the quiet, daily work of becoming someone you’re proud of. We spend so much time building lives that look good on the outside, but the real transformation happens within ourselves. In the choices no one sees, in the beliefs you challenge and in the habits you choose when comfort would have been easier. There is no finish line for personal growth. There’s only deeper awareness, stronger boundaries, better questions and more alignment. And the greatest reward from truly investing in yourself will never be in what your earn, but in the person you become.
-@SimonAlexanderO
One of the hardest - yet most beautiful - lessons
I’ve had to learn is how to let go.
Letting go of how I thought things should unfold.
Letting go of the urge to control outcomes.
Letting go of the need to hold everything together.
Because the truth is…nothing really belongs to us.
Not people. Not moments. Not even the outcomes we work so hard for. What we do have - is now.
So be here. Enjoy who you’re becoming. Feel the joy of the process, the beauty of the experience, the lessons in every twist and turn.
Don’t just chase the result - learn to love the becoming. That’s where real peace is.
-AdeifAdeyeye
LIVING REAL: REMEMBERING WHAT IT MEANS TO FOLLOW OUR INTUITION
Living our best life doesn’t mean living a perfect life. Perfect, after all, is relative.
Living well means living real. It means acknowledging our flaws, our uncertainty. It means allowing for vulnerability, because let’s face it, vulnerability isn’t a choice, it’s inevitable; life is unpredictable and fragile, relationships are continually evolving, human emotions, circumstances and situations are in a constant state of flux.
We are almost completely out of control, always.
And so, living real, really living, means to practice.
Practice being kind, generous, honest and compassionate.
Practice being accepting and aware and away in the world.
Kindness is a practice.
Honesty takes effort.
Compassion comes from cultivation.
Showing up in a choice.
Staying awake, rather than going back to sleep takes determination.
Living real is about getting curious about our preferences, tendencies, attachments, labels and judgements. Doing this with kindness and compassion for ourselves and others, developing the wisdom to see this as a human condition.
Everyone is stumbling and flailing and questioning and crying and laughing and loving and losing and moving forward and falling behind…everyone.
With this understanding, we can practice seeing all being with empathy.
With practice, we come to see that we’re all just trying in our own, often misdirected, way to find our way home.
This awareness is what makes our lives especially precious, and particularly worthy of waking up to and fully living.
-Author unknown
Perhaps you’ve heard the ancient Indian tale of a small parrot who was enduring a terrible storm raging in the forest. At the height of the storm, lightening struck a dead tree, causing it to burst into flames. The frightened parrot watched as the fire spread quickly and soon endangered all the animals who lived there. The parrot flew wildly about to warn the animals, but the raging fire had many of them trapped. Desperate to help her friends, the parrot darted to the river, dipped into the water, then circled back over the fire, shaking her wings to release the drops of water. The tiny droplets tumbled down in to the blaze and vanished with barely a hiss. Again and again, the relentless parrot returned from the river, each time shaking drops of water from her charred feathers onto the mounting flames.
Though sincere, her small efforts were simply no match for such a massive fire. The divine eagle Garuda, the fierce God of Protection, noticed the flurried activity and flew down to the tiny bird. “Little parrot, “ he asked, “what do you think you’re doing? This fire is much too large for you. Save yourself.” The exhausted parrot turned to him sadly and said, “Lord Garuda, though I’m small, I’m just trying to do what I can.” The parrot’s courage and compassion instantly touched Garuda’s heart. Large tears began to flow down his face, falling onto the burning forest in massive streams. More and more tears poured from his eyes onto the fire, eventually extinguishing every last flame and saving the animals from danger.
What a sweet reminder of how acts of compassion, however small, make a difference and create change in ourselves, in others, and in the world.
-Yin Yoga and Medication, Sagel Urlacher
❋
Lotuses of the Hands - Meditation
As you come to a comfortable seated position, allow the body to settle and the hands to rest lightly on the legs, palms facing upward. Take a few slow breaths in and out, and gently bring your attention toward the heart space, noticing the soft warmth that is present.
Follow that warmth as it extends naturally into the arms and hands, where the energies of giving and receiving meet, flowing outward from the heart and into the palms.
In the center of each palm, perhaps you sense a white lotus appearing, delicate and luminous, a lotus from the heart in each hand.
In the right palm, the energy of offering radiates the natural desire to give and extend love into the world, while in the left palm, the energy of receiving reflects a willingness to receive the care and love of others.
Right hand lotus, left hand lotus, the equal grace of allowing care, comfort, and love to be felt by all. Rest with both hands open, a lotus blossoming within each, feeling the heart’s energy moving through them, connecting heart and hand, being and doing, inner stillness and outward expression.
As you rest within this awareness, sense the whole body as a single lotus, rooted in the earth and open to the sky, luminous and glowing with love in every cell.
Remain here for a few moments, letting this radiance ride the breath through the tender field of your own awakened wholeness.
-Sagel Urlacher
Life
rarely follows
the straight path
we imagine.
It’s filled with
unexpected turns,
highs and lows,
moments of doubt,
and moments of clarity.
But it’s in these
twists and turns
that we find growth.
Each detour teaches
us something we
might never have
learned on a straight line.
The ups fill us with joy
and remind us
of our strength,
while the downs,
though challenging,
shape our resilience
and deepen our wisdom.
The path
may not always
make sense as you walk it,
but trust that every step,
every curve,
is leading you
to where you’re meant to be.
-Rivers in the Ocean
Apparently NASA has a poster hanging with bees that reads:
"Aerodynamically a bee's body is not made to fly; the good thing is that the bee doesn't know”.
The law of physics says that a bee cannot fly, the aerodynamic principle says that the breadth of its wings is too small to keep its huge body in flight, but a bee doesn’t know, it doesn’t know anything about physics or its logic and flies anyway.
This is what we can all do. Fly and prevail in every moment in the face of any difficulty and in any circumstance despite what they say.
Let us be bees, no matter the size of our wings, we take flight and enjoy the pollen of life.
-Soul Alchemy.
A New Year's Blessing
May this new year unfold with light and promise.
May your body feel strong, your mind feel clear
and your heart remain open to possibility.
May you awaken with purpose in your breath
and rest at night knowing you did enough.
May opportunity meet your effort,
patience walk beside ambition,
and challenges sharpen you
without ever hardening you.
May laughter arrive often and stay awhile.
May love, old and new, grow deeper, truer.
May you give freely without losing yourself,
and receive fully, without hesitation.
And when the road bends without warning,
may you trust the strength you’ve earned
and the wisdom you carry to guide you.
May this be a year of steady growth,
honest joy, and gentle courage,
a future that feels not only hopeful,
but open and welcoming too.
~ 'A New Year's Blessing' by Spirit of a Hippie
