365 Inspirations—209: Keep Writing

"When asked, 'How do you write?'
I invariably answer, 'one word at a time.'”—Stephen King

Today I finished my second book proposal and sent it off to my agent. Phew! That felt good. It was finished weeks ago, but I kept procrastinating and trying to fine tune it and finally I just sent the thing off.

Sometimes you just have to do it. You just have to push that send button and let it go!

Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

I'm trying to keep in the flow of things and not get caught up in any ONE thing. If things aren't flowing, I let go for a while and come back later.

This blog has been a journey into "flow" for me.

I think our very first thoughts are so important and tend to contain the most energy. If we work our writing too much, it loses its flavor.

I'm a big fan of intuitive or free writing and my best work has come by simply showing up to write and letting the process take me wherever it wants to go.

The idea is to keep writing. It's important to let go of the inner critic that blocks one from the process. Writing is a process. To be a good writer it's important to keep writing and keep showing up.

Do you write everyday or do you have a practice of writing? Does your inner critic get in your way?

365 Inspirations—24: Yoon's Yoga Bliss

"That taste of the present moment through the physical body is good. Through that taste, we begin to enjoy the state of simple existence and I think that is right concentration of the mind because we are not distracted by outside things and we naturally want to reside in the deeper sense of ourselves."—Seong Yoon Lee on Practicing Yoga

*special note* Yoon's Yoga Bliss closed its doors at its former location, but yoga with Yoon is still happening! Contact Yoon a seongyoonyoga@gmail.com to find out about classes and retreats!

Okay, I might be biased because this is my husband's yoga studio, but going to Yoon's Yoga Bliss has always left me feeling inspired. I feel lucky to have a husband who is a very good yoga teacher in the Seattle area and fortunate that his studio is a 5-minute drive from our house. I should have no excuses for missing yoga, but I'd like to go more often.

I work late on weeknights, so I can only attend yoga classes in the mornings. It's hard for me to get up early and do yoga because I stay up so late after my class doing my blog posts, etc. I try and get my posts done before I teach at night, but I'm not always successful.  

Last night was one of those nights where I stayed up too late writing, so it was hard to get up. Somehow I managed to get myself to yoga class and I'm sooo very grateful that I made it.

I think the hardest part in life is just getting there. Once I'm there, time flows and I'm always grateful that I made the effort. I've never once regretted going to yoga. Have you EVER regretted exercising or eating healthy or showing up for a class? It's the getting there that is hard.

So I woke up, ate a little breakfast, made sure my blog post was up for the day, jumped in the shower, pulled on my yoga clothes, grabbed my mat and water bottle and headed out into the rain. 

Once I was sitting on my mat in the studio, I felt a BIG feeling of relief and immediately felt relaxed. I was so happy to be there today. I needed the time to tune in to both my mind and body.

My husband was a Buddhist monk for 10 years in Korea and had never held another job (besides very short part-time jobs) outside of the monastery. When he decided to be with me, he left everything he knew behind and had to figure out what he would do for a living. He was trained both in the monastery in Korea and in India in yoga and had a natural knack for teaching others yoga. The fact that he now owns and operates a popular yoga studio in the Seattle area is so inspiring to me. It shows that someone with nothing can do anything if they put their minds to it. (You can read all about our journey in my book Lessons from the Monk I Married ^_^).

My husband became friends with Sonam Rinpoche from Tibet who is recognized by the Dalai Lama. He has come to Yoon's Yoga Bliss on several occasions to chant and give talks. We've felt very fortunate to be connected to him. This is a picture of all of us above at the second anniversary of Yoon's Yoga Bliss.

The studio is inspiring because my husband has made it that way. It is bright and cheerful, has beautiful art on the walls from many yoga students, and the energy and people make it such a great place to practice yoga. There's now a pretty strong core group of people who attend this studio and we often go on yoga retreats. We've had two on Whidbey Island, WA at the Yoga Lodge, one in Sedona, Arizona and we are going with a group of students to Kona, Hawaii this March. I think the community of people who attend the studio make it very special.

So this morning I felt gratitude for reconnecting with the studio and this community. I also felt gratitude for my husband who has created such a special place, an oasis of peace, in the midst of the city! 

Have you ever practiced yoga before? Is there a yoga studio near you that you find inspiring?

365 Inspirations—Nine: Meditation

"Meditation is not a way of making your mind quiet. It’s a way of entering into the quiet that’s already there—buried under the 50,000 thoughts the average person thinks every day."—Deepak Chopra

I don't know where I'd be without all the meditation I've had in my life. I'm very grateful for it and have written many, many posts on it. You can find them all here.

I practice Vipassana Meditation in the tradition of S.N. Goenka from India. Read my posts on meditation above to find out more about it. I started my practice in this tradition in 1996 in Nepal with my then-monk-now-husband.

I was a 20-something, vagabond on a quest for the meaning of life when I arrived at the footsteps of a remote meditation center near Kathmandu. Boy was I in for a rude awakening! I didn't realize how much baggage I had been carrying around, and I'm not talking about my backpack!

Through continuous practice, it was easier for me to make clear choices and even be in a space of unknown when there wasn't a clear choice to be found. I was much more able to experience things as they were and not as I wanted them to be.

Meditation streamlined my life and made me happier with simple things. In fact, it made me appreciate the beauty of all people, places and things.

I have gone through periods where I have abandoned my practice for a bit, but somehow I always return to it and am always grateful when I do.

Today I had a large gap between my classes at the college (I'm an ESL teacher). What did I do? I came home and meditated! I feel very refreshed now. My goal is to keep this up throughout the year. It makes such a difference in my life!

Do you meditate or have you ever practiced meditation before?