Going into Silence

s t i l l n e s s

Empathy is Sexy

In honor of my brave drummer

Maybe the deepest part of who we are is what scares us or breaks our hearts and we don’t want to share that with anyone and when we do, we don’t want to lose those people

 - unknown

 

 

Healing Hippie Love

Ganesh

I bow to Ganesh with the beautiful potbelly.
Thanks for always guiding me.

Ganesha ( also spelled Ganesa, also known as Ganapati and Vinayaka)
is immediately recognizable as the elephant-headed god.

Ganesh is the master of wisdom and knowledge.
He is the remover of obstacles, and guardian of beauty, prosperity, grace and compassion.
Ganesh is the first deity to be reverenced in Hindu rites and a guardian of doors of houses and temples.
He is the God that removes the internal and external obstacles of our success, and he is the one that grants the opening of our spiritual gifts.
Ganesh is the Lord of Beginnings and also the protector of all beings.

His mantra is Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha. 
This particular mantra which can be loosely translated to :
Yo! Wake up the energy of transformation so I can move through any obstacles in my life. Hooray!
Most importantly, we are calling upon the powerful energy of Ganesh.
  
Click to listen:  Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha. 


A very loose translation might be:
Om = Salutations! Everyone wake up!
Gam = The secret power sound of Ganesh. It is his “seed syllable” or bija mantra.
Ganapataye = Another name of Ganesh, the breaker of obstacles.
Namaha = Yo! Ganesh! You da God!
 

Ganesh - India 2011

s i m p l e

H U M I L I T Y

words captured in i-D magazine

I like Souls Of San Francisco

Lovely eyes and stories - 6 minutes of beautiful connection -watch and listen here: soulsofsanfrancisco
Read more about the project here: look into the eyes....

"Life is made infinitely easier if we see each other as friends exploring the mystery of life together"

www.soulsofsanfrancisco.com

The doorway is yours

Dive into 2013 with your most raw and honest longings.

Stay open for the present moment. For the possibilities.

Go slowly.

S t e p   by   s t e p.

No rush.

Open the door and have a glimpse.

Many doors. Many choices.

A sankalpa often helps me to stay focused. Sankalpa in Sanskrit means will, purpose, or determination. I read somewhere it's like a New Year's resolution with a yogic twist.
A sankalpa, unlike New Year’s resolutions which oftentimes are publicly discussed in conversation, is more an internal vow you make to yourself.
A resolution and a silent vow just for you.

A sankalpa is not “I want to be more balanced” but instead, “I am balanced.”
Enjoy the freedom of  “I am,” rather than “I want”.

“I am healthy"
“I am running a marathon.”
“I am patient.”
"I accept myself as I am"
"I am kind and loving"

Make it simple.


“You are what your deepest desire is. As your desire is, so is your intention. As your intention is, so is your will. As your will is, so is your deed. As your deed is, so is your destiny.”



The Upanishads

The Doorway. Treetophut 2012

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

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.

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



The art of giving

We all know that giving on any level feels really nice, maybe fantastic, but internally all forms of giving are not equal. When we give with the expectation of receiving something in return, we are not really letting go of what we are giving.
If we don`t let go completely, then we are still clinging to whatever we gave.
And the magic will not happen.

In our culture there is a lot of “me first” programed into our systems.
That blocks us to give fully, openly and let the magic happen.

When we give freely without expectation, it can come back to us in some very unexcpected ways. Note to self,  if we are giving simply to get something back, then we also put limits on the ways that we can receive.
This can be quite difficult to practice, especially if we are having a hard time meeting our own needs.
It takes time to practice, again and again.

Learning to expand our hearts and give freely.
Embracing unselfish giving.

Learning that giving from the heart is truly a gift.

Giving is its own reward.

omsorg = care

Celebrate Light

It`s midsummertime.
The days of Summer Solstice
We are celebrating the sun.
The light.
Take time to nurture your heart.

Or do 108 Sun Salutations.

Plant your love seeds. Happy seeds.
Let them grow even more love and compassion in your life.

Give  L O V E
Recieve L O V E

what goes around comes around ( in Norwegian)

Before someone’s tomorrow has been taken away, cherish those you love, appreciate them today

 ~Michelle C. Ustaszeski

in between lifes - Stockholm May 2012

being humble

Humility is not something that comes naturally to most of us.
We live in an extremly competitive society. 
Humility is a reminder that we have so much more to learn.
A signal to others that we are ready to recieve their wisdom. Their knowledge.
A reminder to listen. To learn.
Appreciate. Give thanks to.
A humble person is someone who doesen`t need to brag or trying to impress themselves.

Yoga makes me humble. To be sweet to myself makes me humble.
When I meet my closest like it was the first -
e v e r y s i n g l e t i m e -  makes me humble.
To recive others knowledge and wisdom.
To be interested and not interesting.
To allow what is.
To rock my inner world.
To love.


with humility and wonder
maria

dandelion in space

Love grows by giving. The love we give away is the only love we keep

Elbert Hubbart

sweet sharing between soulsisters december 2012

The Wise Woman’s Stone

....about Vairagya : letting go, acceptance, detachment
I share this story.....

A wise woman who was traveling in the mountains found a precious stone in a stream.

The next day, she met another traveler who was hungry,
and the wise woman opened her bag to share her food.
The hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked the woman to give it to him.
She did so without hesitation.
The traveler left, rejoicing in his good fortune.
He knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime.

But a few days later he came back to return the stone to the wise woman.
”I’ve been thinking,” he said,
“I know how valuable the stone is,
but I give it back in the hope that you can give me something even more precious.
Give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me the stone.”

Author: Unknown