GoodBye challenging and uncomfortable 2012.....

.......Welcome so much splendid 2013.

In the end of 2011, I proudly wrote this post.
That was all about gratitude for the past years.
Love, challenges and lots of learning.
I was ready for Radical honesty. The complete.
Fearlessly embracing 2012.

2012 - A year with lots of change, growth, honesty, ambivalens, frictions and endless being.
It`s been uncomfortable and annoying.
It`s been a roller-coaster of emotions.
It`s been much needed.

The year where the Earth were supposed to end according to the Maya`s.
It didn`t. The world meets a new Era. Time for compassion. For caring.
For living in truth. We are all together on this planet.
I read an interesting and important article (in Norwegian) about humanity and behavior.
The importance of belonging.
Yes, It is time to reach out our hands. To care about each other.
It`s my misson.
To handle with care.

A couple of memorable moments in 2012:

Zen Coaching Training  at beautiful and warm Ängsbacka.
Moments with clarity, being and amazing meetings.
Celebrate the Moment retreat at Crete.
I´m so grateful for hosting this special
retreat with my soulbrother Surya.
Together we are unbeatable.
I also had some precious days at Crete with a friend of mine.
We had priceless moments of hilarious fun that I never will forget.
My 5 weeks at Bali.
Oh Bali. You are like a big, embracing heart ( ( ( ♥ ) ) )
So many marvelous people crossed my path.
My time in Bali were beautiful, challenging and alive.
A reminder of what`s important.
A reminder of responsibility.
And a wise teacher words;  It is all perfect!

A new home.
New friends. Old friends.
Friends with struggles who are brave beyond words.
My grandpa, my Offa, passed away.
And - Oh Bali I still recover from that bug

Thanks to my closest and loved ones for being there.
You know who you are.
Thanks to all my loyal students for listening. For being brave. For your patience.
You make me wanna grow. And learn. Be humble.

I wish you the blessing of friends and partners who stay with you and support you through both clarity and dust. People who`s got your back.

2012, thanks for holding the space. For the tenderness and loss. For the pain and suffering. For inspiring me to live my life with childlike wonder.

2013, I'm ready. Yes to belonging. Radical acceptance.

I totally surrender.

All you need is faith and trust... and a little bit of pixie dust ♥ ♥ ♥

early morning in Thailand 2008- leaving Ko Ngai

Humble X - mas

To you, just  y o u ,  who are reading this blog. You, who I don`t know.
Thank you for following my thoughts and visions for a more loving life.


Wish you all a humble holiday.
Celebrate light and connection.
Let the present moment embrace you.
Unfold.
Be true to yourself.
Be radical and honest.
Be a Light Warrior.
In the middle of Love and Chaos.
Believe.
Recieve 
And enjoy the silence.

Yours Sincerely Maria
 

happy x-mas cards

wisewords. pic from google

Celebrate Light

13.12.12                                                                                                  

The Feast of St Lucia, starts the Christmas season.
St Lucia is a symbol of light, marking the return of lighter days.

Since the very beginning of my life as a tiny little brown eyed girl, I´ve always been facinated about Lucia.

I loved the preparation for Lucia in Sweden. The rehersals. The making of gingerbread and sweet buns full of saffron. Lussekatter shaped like curled-up cats and with raisin eyes.
I loved the dark and early Lucia mornings. The beautiful white linen and the shimmering lights.
The celebration of light and abundance in the dark and cold winter melted my heart.
There were people getting together in some kind of celebration.
Closeness.
There were hope. Hope for the light.
Rituals. Devotion. Faith.


Read more about Sankta Lucia here:
Saint Lucy (283–304), also known as Saint Lucia or Santa Lucia.


"In the old almanac, Lucia Night was the longest of the year. It was a dangerous night when supernatural beings were abroad and all animals could speak. By morning, the livestock needed extra feed. People, too, needed extra nourishment and were urged to eat seven or nine hearty breakfasts. This kind of feasting presaged the Christmas fast, which began on Lucia Day"




Lucia with her eyes. From GooglePic

♥ Make space for a new year

Wow.
Almost the end of 2012.

And a beautiful time for reflection and contemplation.

 

What do I wan`t to leave behind?

In myself? Others? The world? 

Let go! Say goodbye with love to the parts you don`t need anymore.

Forgive. Do not hide.

What do I wan`t to celebrate?

In myself? Others? The world?

What am I most proud of? And is it possible to let it grow? 

And how can I bring it with me into the New Year?

What`s next? 

What do I want to manifest and visualize for 2013?

What is my vision? My longing?

Plant a seed in our "second spring" .

Nurture and nourish. See it grow.
 

Let go, Forgive. Celebrate, Believe

 

Be a brave and glowing firefly   ♥

december light last year. 2011

 

 

Be Brave Bold & Beautiful





bali tree 2013

Have a romance with Life

Bhakti Yoga - The yoga of Love

The word yoga means "to connect."
In the West, Yoga are mostly known as postures (asanas) on a yogamat.
The old Vedic texts explain that yoga is meant to connect with God. (or the Divine, Nature, something greater)
Bhakti means "devotion," or "devotional service," or "pure love."
So Bhakti-yoga means to practice connecting with God, through acts of love and service, or devotional service.

The practice of Bhakti Yoga can be listening to, reading, and studying the scriptures, meditation and chanting mantras.

All these practices of devotion lead to the last one: surrender.
When we have surrendered our egos and its need to cling and control, we free our hearts to live through love and in faith.
We have surrendered ourselves to God and to a life of Love.

For us earthlings the practice of Bhakti maybe sounds a little strange.
We are human after all.
For some of us, practicing Bhakti Yoga may mean reading holy texts, such as the Yoga Sutras.
For others it may mean a daily meditation, being in nature or even asana practice.

How can we cultivate more sweetness into our asana practice? More sweetness into our lifes?
Cultivate more compassion for ourselves and others.
Diving into our yoga with empathy, curiousity, and acceptance?

Make an altar. Inside your heart our in your home. Or both.
Pimp your altar with things you love and worship.
Pictures, flowers, stones, fruit, chocolate, notes, candles, loving thoughts-  whatever you want.

Unconditional love can be healing.

Have a romance with life itself.

note

Dum spiro spero

While I breathe, I hope



killersurf ulu watu 2012

9 words with meaning

If you have read the book The Help or seen the movie you know that
“You is Kind, You is Smart, You is Important” is a memorable line.
 (and yes, it sounds strange with incorrect grammar)

Aibileen, the maid, knows that what we are taught to believe about ourselves affects who we become.
How we shape our mind, our heart, and our soul .
Aibilieen tells Mae over and over again:
“You is Kind, You is Smart, You is Important"

She acknowledge that she`s already have a good heart.

She acknowledge that she already are intellligent.
She acknowledge that she has the attitude it takes to move mountains.
That she is precious. From inside out.

So, lets go there.....

Repeat to yourself, tell the lady in the grocery store, the bus driver, the barista...
( you don´t need to say it out loud. Feel it. )


This weeks mantra:

You are kind. You are smart. You are important.

Every step we take in becoming what we are looking for,is a step towards a stronger and more peaceful self ♥

me as bird

Shraddha - Trust and confidence

I`m into sanskrit terms for the moment.
Especially after radical study and exploration of body mind inside out at Bali.

Shraddha is a trust in yourself that you are moving in the right direction.
It is a feeling of confidence in your intuition to guide you.

A totally wholehearted belief.

The belief which take you over to the other side.

November is half done ;)


Bhagavad-gītā  17.3

sattvānurūpā sarvasya

śraddhā bhavati bhārata

śraddhāmayo 'yaḿ puruṣo

yo yacchraddhaḥ sa eva saḥ

Faith is in accordance
with the truth(nature)of each. Arjuna.
Man is made of faith.
Whatever faith he has, thus he is.

* translation Winthrop Sargeant

F A I T H   winter in sweden 2009

It happens all the time in Heaven

It happens all the time in Heaven,

And some day

It will begin to happen

Again on earth --

That men and women who are married,

And men and men who are

Lovers,

And women and women

Who give each other

Light

Often will get down on their knees

And while so tenderly

Holding their lover's hand,

With tears in their eyes,

Will sincerely speak, saying,

"My dear,

How can I be more loving to you;

How can I be more

Kind?"


Hafiz

flower love - bali 2012

 

Radical responsibility

In the darkest November it´s time to find the fire.
Without burning out the flame.
Finding this beautiful balance we are longing for.
Do your practice.
Find your way to obtain your own strength.
Your Virya ( click and read)
Take responsibility for your practice.
The truth is - we have more power than we ever could imagine.
Be honest. Be brave.
Be bold to yourself and others.
Be compassionate.
Give. Love. Believe.
And let`s recieve.


I love this fable from Ethiopia. It comes in many variations.
Usually much longer than this one I`ll share with you.
It is called:

The lion's whisker.

A woman went to the wizard in her villlage
"My little stepson hates me," she said.
Can you help me to win his love?
The wizard replied :
" Maybe-  but then you must obtain three whiskers from a lion"
"That is impossible!!" the woman said, and went home.
But in the evening she went to the desert with a piece of meat and placed it there. 
Waiting for the lion. Hiding.
The lion came and she saw hpw he ate it and went away again.
Day after day the day she came back with meat, and stayed closer and closer.
Finally, the lion ate from her hand.
One day she put out her hand and picked three golden hairs from its whiskers
Triumphing she smilde and said to the wizard: "Here they are!" 
He took them and dropped them into the fire.
"What are you doing?" the woman screamed.
"For those who are brave enough to get a lion whiskers need no magic" he replied.
"It is in your own power to achieve what you want."


In swedish:

En kvinna gick till byns trollkarl.
”Min lille styvson avskyr mig” sa hon.
Kan du hjälpa mig att vinna hans kärlek?”
Trollkarlen svarade att han kanske kunde, men då måste hon skaffa fram tre morrhår från ett lejon. ”Det är omöjligt” sade kvinnan och gick. Men på kvällen bar hon ut ett köttstycke och lade i öknen. Sen såg hon på avstånd hur ett lejon fann det.
Dag efter dag dag kom hon tillbaka med kött, och stannade allt närmre.
Till sist åt lejonet ur hennes hand. Då ryckte hon loss tre morrhår och gick till trollkarlen.
”Här är de!” jublade hon.
Han tog dem och slängde dem i elden.
”Varför gör du så?” skrek hon.
”För att den som hämtar ett lejons morrhår behöver ingen magi” svarade han.
”Det står i din egen kraft att nå det du vill”.

may way - december 2011 sognsvann oslo

words in nature by Jenny Holzer wanås 2012

Puppylove

When I’m able to risk messing it up,
And I go for it, giving all I’ve got,
I am being the best I can be,
And no matter what happens,
It’s (I’m) OK by me.


Tom Lescher





balipuppies



Avidya and a tip of an iceberg

In Patanjali's Yoga Sutra 2:5 you can read about Avidya which means spiritual ignorance.
Or ignorance of the truth of what we are.
Avidya is all our belief structures, a deep habit of consciousness.

I read an article by Sally Kempton -
Who do you think you are? (click and read)
where she discusses the yogic concept of avidya. "vidya" means "seeing" or "wisdom" or "knowledge" in Sanskrit;
The prefix "a" indicates a lack or absence.
Avidya then, means lack of wisdom/knowledge, or the inability to see.

Asana (the yoga postures) is a tiny piece of our yoga.
A tip of The Yoga Iceberg
It is easy to crave and indulge in all the brilliant asanas.
Or to reach for that last flexibility. Or believe that I am this or I am that = avidya.
You can´t be good at yoga.
But maybe you can live as a good yogi or yogini. Your way.
When the fact is that´s so much more to explore. To study. To be part of. To feel.
It doesn`t mean we stop practice asana.
But maybe reach a deeper level of our practice.
Our consciousness.
How can we stop clinging?
The body today is not the same as yesterday. Or a year ago.
It is only now.
Maybe we learn from an injury. Or something else.
It´s an ocean down there and it is so darn beautiful.

Asana is one of the pieces in the Yoga Puzzle.
You can build more,

Love and Peace and  S t r a w b e r r i e s

iceberg from google

L O V E G E C K O

I miss these "chichak" guys



Gecko on billboard Bali 2012

Guru Purnima गुरु पूर्णिमा

Oct 29th and a powerful full moon. In sanskrit Guru Purnima.


The word guru is coming from two words, 'Gu' and 'Ru' .
The Sanskrit root "Gu" means darkness or ignorance.
"Ru" represents the remover of that darkness. Light.
Therefore one who removes darkness of our ignorance is called a Guru.

 
The Full Moon brings light to the dark.
It helps us transform and see what we can change.
This is a good time of cleansing and healing.
Invite this illuminating full moon to transform darkness into light and fear into love.

And contemplate about:

What in my life moves me from darkness into light?

 

 

bali light 2012

 

 

 

What If...

What if.....

What if religion was each other
If our practice was our life
If prayer was our words

What if the temple was the Earth
If forests were our church
If holy water - the rivers, lakes, and oceans

What if meditation was our relationships
If the Teacher was life
If wisdom was self-knowledge
If love was the center of our being.

Ganga White




horses and nature - summer in skåne 2012
click for larger view

J U M P

To be fully alive, fully human, and completely awake is to be continually thrown out of the nest. To live fully is to be always in no-man's-land, to experience each moment as completely new and fresh. To live is to be willing to die over and over again

Pema Chödrön - When Things Fall Apart



What story do you hold on to about yourself?

That you are the wolf or the red hood?
That you can or cannot do this or that?
To old? To busy? To smart? To inflexible?
To vulnerable? To strong?

 Anything you think you know binds you.

Go inside. Then go out there. Live your Life as you want to.
And know that the nest is always there. Inside.

birdnest on my balcony in Crete

Preparing for death is one of the most empowering things you can do.Thinking about death clarifies your life.

---- Candy Chang ----


Take a moment to listen and watch.
With your eyes, heart and ears.

What`s your offering?

As I wrote earlier; in Bali you will soon get familiar with canang saris -  the little offerings which are put out every morning for the spirits, both good and bad, which pervade everything in Bali.

The good spirits are looked after with offerings placed on shrines and temple stands,
 but its`s far more likely to see the canang sari on the streets for the bad spirits.

In these modern days the busy housewife may not have the time to create her own offerings. So today you can even buy them in supermarkets like everything else.
A properly made canang sari has to have a porosan, a continer with betel leaves, areca nut and lime which represent the Hindu trinity of creator (Brahma), preserver (Vishnu) and destroyer (Shiva). Without a porosan it’s just a decoration, not a real canang sari.

I spent my last week in Bali being quite ill and very weak. I stayed at beautiful Desa Seni where I had my own altar for the offerings at my porch.
What a blessing!
Every morning I had my own canang sari waiting for me.
It was a sweet reminder to enjoy a piece of quiet and also spend a moment being grateful for my experience and embrace the fact that I was ill.

I will continue to make space for more offerings in my life.
I will make my yogapractice an tremendous offering.
I will explore how I can make my life more like an offering.
Honour my life.



canang sari

Waiting

My mantra for today:

I invite patience , acceptance and a lot of healing.

ricefield in ubud bali

Every end is a New beginning

......seriously ;)

bali moment ulu watu aug 2012

Today`s truth

The success of Yoga must not be measured by how flexible your body becomes, but rather by how much it opens your heart.

 Desikachar

everydaybaliblessing

Reflections about love

"Love comes when manipulation stops; when you think more about the other person than about his or her reactions to you. When you dare to reveal yourself fully. When you dare to be vulnerable."

mastin kipp

marriage at padang padang beach

Prisoners in paradise

I`ve only been in Bali a little longer than 2 weeks and it feels like I`ve been around here for at least year.

In some kind of strange way.

Everyday is a blessing. And the blessings are not always sweet but depending on how you see it it is truly a blessing.

The first week were all about getting prepared and treating my jet lag with care.

This week at beautiful Bambu Indah I`ve discovered that I really like to eat indonesian rice porridge with garlic, chili and peanuts for breakfast. In a banana leaf of course.

I`ve been diving deeper into my asana and meditation practice.

I`ve met new amazing people who share the same passion for life affirming practices like me.

I´ve explored my inner organs. And for sure making friends with my kidneys.

I`ve felt a quite strong earthquake in the middle of the night.

I`ve been making intentions.

Blessings.

Bali is truly the Land Of Blessings and Offerings.

Only in Bali you get an offering at your doorstep every single day.

Only in Bali you wake up at 5 in the morning, listening to the sound of a pig who gets sacrificed to the ceremony of Galungan. 

Only in Bali you have this amazing wiew of the ricefields while having your bath in the bathtube.

And only here in Bali you are waking up to the sweet smell of insence mixed with rice and frangipani from these daily offerings.

These little carafes of flowers and piles of petals are placed on your house, doorstep, on the street, everywhere in Bali. Some appearing in the early morning hours and others replacing the trampled petals of late afternoon.

The daily gift of offerings are meant to appease and please the various gods and demons of Balinese Hinduism.

Immersion 1 completed.

I`m ready for number 2.

I love being a prisoner in this paradise.

Bali Bird

bali blessing

You are extraordinary ♥

Bali Blessings

offerings

Time for Take Off

 

bird`s ready to fly

Freedom doesn’t mean the absence of all restrictions. It means possessing unshakable conviction in the face of any obstacle. This is true freedom.

--
Daisaku Ikeda


As I wrote in my earlier post about commitment it`s all about dedication.
It requires your dedication not just once, but over and over again.
Commitment is a consious choice to achieve something deeper.
Some qualities and flavours of commitment are will, discipline and responsibility.
The challenge is struggle, friction. 
Different flavours.
You really get to explore your tastebuds.
And the result or gift is freedom.

Commitment doesen´t need to be scary, heavy or make you feel duty-bound.
Let your commitment be a process of directing energy that creates freedom.

It is truly important to remain conscious of the intention behind commitment.

When commitment is strong, struggle gives way to resolution.
The gift of this resolution is freedom.

True freedom.

FreeHand Skåne summer 2012

L O V E

In the end what matters most is,
How well did you live,
How well did you love,
How well did you learn to let go?

Buddha

a present moment: birdlove in london summer2012

Commitment

Establishing stability in your practice creates more freedom in your life -
Christina Sell


To find inner peace often requires a practice, a commitment.
It is not a gift given to the special or lucky ones, but a choice you make.
To find inner peace, you must practice peace in every aspect of your life.

Just hearing the word “commitment” can sometimes make even the most confident person nervous, anxious to find an exit strategy.
The truth is that most relationships require continuous commitment to take root and grow.

I will say that my yoga practice is an ongoing relationship and it is not always sweet.

In the beginning it was just a flirt, weird and a high at the same time.
I wanted to practice every day, try new things and it was just so easy.
Like in the very beginning of a relationship. Maybe just a crush.
Or you continue to date more frequently.
You meet someone you really like and want to spend all your time with that person.
Like a carousel.
After the first year or so it started to be more challenging.
I didn`t like all the different qualities and especially not all the feelings it brought up.
I committed to my very first yogamat and continued to join public classes.
It turned out to be a very long relationship.
A relationship I was ready to work for.
Passionate.
Open for everything.

Stage 2 ( or 3 or 4 or 5) are when you think this is really bad for you.
Or maybe want to quit.
You're asking yourself: maybe another practice/ workout/ style may be better for me?
I feel so angry, sad, insecure or depressed on my mat.Not good enough.
Or maybe you feel everything at the same time. Messy.
Stage 2 repeats itself a hundred times. Or more. And it is always a breakthrough.
Hopefully you decide to commit.
To work even more with the relationship. To grow. Expand.
You are a couple. A team. With ups and downs.
Inseparable & uniqe.
And you have to choose each other again and again and again.
After a few years it is like a marriage.
A marriage you have to take care of. Nourish.
Discover over and over again.
Give love to.

We can turn anything we do into a practice by committing to do it with reverence.
Our commitments then become promises we make to ourselves.
Intentions we set instead of simply tasks we perform or rules we follow without much thought or contact with our essence.
Once we find stability within, we are free to listen to the wisdom and longing of our hearts.

More about committment in the Yoga Sutra:

Yoga Sutras 1.19-1.22: Efforts and Commitment


Virya is the positive energy of ego that is the support for the faith of going in the right direction. This energy of virya puts the power behind your sense of knowing what to do. When you are strongly acting on what you know to be your correct path, that is virya. When you feel weak or uncertain, and are taking little action, that is from lack of virya. Virya is that conviction that says, "I can do it! I will do it! I have to do it"

commitment

People whose hearts are full of gratitude and appreciation are truly beautiful.
A humble heart is the wellspring of great growth and development.


- Daisaku Ikeda -





a rock with an open heart - triopetra 2012



art in nature - summer 2012 at Wanås




Click to enter Lovely and playful Wanås

Rommelyoga playlists spring 2012 ♥

I know! 
Better late than never.  More in progress.
I bow to you ♥

Springtime 2012

Prana (Sahana Vavatu)  Craig Kohland & Shaman's Dream
Third Eye - Glen Velez
Emotional Clockwork - Matthew Schoening
Last Dance (Enliven Deep Acoustics & Kenny Leaven Remix) - Chapeau Claque
Duality - Tumbara
Om Shanti - Zilverzurf
Ajnabee Feat. (feat. Go-Ray)  EarthRise SoundSystem
Radiant Pleasure - Layne Redmond
The Proclaimer -  Layne Redmond
Miniature 8 -  Matthew Robert Cooper
To Hugo - Clogs
Sparkwood and Twentyone - Aix Em Klemm
1000 Suns - Rara Avis
Backbends For Opening The Heart  -  Ben Leimbach & Jai Uttal
Wandering - Peter Kater & R. Carlos Nakai


Shake the Dust.

Intro - The xx
Throwed Snow Cones - Ernest Gonzales
Emotional Clockwork - Matthew Schoening
Shake It (Shaikh It) - Adham Shaikh
The Proclaimer - Layne Redmond
Duality -Tumbara
Om Shantih Shantih Shantih - Robert Musso
Radiant Pleasure - Layne Redmond
Om Shanti - Zilverzurf
Oh, Why - Balam Acab Wander
10,000 Steps - Biomusique
Ohroo - Biomusique
Wandering - Peter Kater & R. Carlos Nakai
1000 Suns - Rara Avis



retro sunflower summer 2008

N e e d s

What do you need?

I need these three things at first: 
Presence, Connection, Predictability,  

If I`m working hard, I`ll get a touch of all these ( for me) important things every day.
If I succed giving it to myself  it will make me more content and also a more loving person.

Presence
practice, practice, practice

Connection
practice, practice, practice

Predictability
practice, practice, practice


I also need my xx hours of sleep.
I need rest.
I need space.
My coffee routine
Quality time with my beloved and my closest ones. 
Quality time with myself.
My greens.
Nature.
I need to take things slowly.
I need to practice.
I need to feel loved, being loved and love.

What is my practice?

My yoga practice which includes meditation, asana, study, awareness teaching, community
and a  w h o l e  lot more. I have my buddist practice which includes chanting, study, meetings etc.
Step by step I also include Zen coaching more into my practice.

My practice encourages me to make conscious choices every single day.
Every minute. Every second. Every new momentum.
And allows me to accept and let go, the days I´m not making the good ones.


It is so much easier to be aware of my needs when I`m faithful to my practice.
It is easier to be honest. Easier to do my routine. To make good decisions.
Easier to be mindful to Mother Earth.
Even easier to drink my greens.

And to be honest - it is a challenge to have a constant practice.
But that´s another story. Another blogpost.


Needs are truly beautiful -
Stay close to them.
Share.Trust.
Give to others and you shall recieve.
Challenge your fears.

You are not alone.

life upside down london 2012

what is perfect about right n o w ?

practice

Movement never lies- it is a barometer telling the state of the soul's weather

~ Martha Graham

This video makes me wanna move, cry and be still at the same time.

You can also watch it here:
movement never lies

The longest relationship we have in our lives is with ourselves - take time to cultivate and strengthen it!

me as bird

c o u r a g e

bravery, boldness, fearlessness.... your choice
what Wikipedia says: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Courage

courage in a calender

in between - in transit

Transitions.
Pause.
In between.
Changes.

This song is nurturing for everything in between.
Take your time.
Rest.

sigur ros rembihnútur

You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you’ll discover will be wonderful. What you’ll discover is yourself.

 ~Alan Alda




moment of wilderness on a train May 2012

If you light a lamp for someone else it will also brighten your path

 ~Buddha

one of my lightwarriors