The Art of Smudging

Photo courtesy of www.whisperingwoodsbrockville.com

When I was in my early twenties, I had my first introduction to smudge sticks. I honestly don't know if it came via my spiritual friends who lived by the Susquehanna River or through New Visions bookstore. I just know I bought a smudge stick and started to smudge. I didn't know much about it logically. I knew that it felt normal to me. It felt like a memory.

The most common way to smudge is to use a "smudge stick" made of the key essential dried herb, sage. There are many variations of sticks. Some include lavender. Others include juniper and cedar. Smudge sticks are dried herbs bound together by string into a bundle that you light. When lit, the bundle creates a smoke that neutralizes the surrounding area and/or person(s).

This tradition of smudging was probably inspired by the Sacred Smoke Bowl blessing of First Nations and Native American people. They would take sacred herbs placing them in a bowl over fire, burning the herbs for blessings, and driving out negative energies. Smudge sticks today are a portable, more convenient way of holding our own ceremonies.

When smudging, you take the lit stick and can walk it around your home, or move up and down your body, making sure to reach all four sides of your body from the earth to above your head. By smudging, you are removing any negative energy or forces around you.

Sometimes people will smudge a house if they feel it is haunted. Sometimes people will smudge a room if they've been arguing in it. Other times smudging is used before a healing art to "cleanse" the room. I personally have experienced the stillness that comes with a smudged house. It's as if, everything suddenly feels still and quiet.

A few weeks ago, I decided to smudge my house once again. I had purchased at an outdoor show, many years ago, a round bowl made of cement, that I keep my smudge stick in. I withdrew my stick, lit it, and blew on the edges so the flame so it would catch all the stems to create that smoky effect. I then, with concentration on my stick and intention on clearing the energy, started making my way up and down each wall of the house. This time, I used my palm to spread the smoke instead of a feather and used a crystal singing bowl. In the past I have allowed my soul to chant words without thinking. Other times I would keep it simple with "Hey-Hah" sounds. As I made my way around the house, each time I came to a door frame or arch, I would pause doing the lining and the middle on each side. I could feel that there was a clearly defined "wall" created between spaces. (Remember, our mind creates reality.) My husband followed me, in a state of fascination, nervously trying to talk, but I would simply pass him the smudge stick and then go back through to each wall playing my crystal singing bowl for an additional cleansing, until we swapped again.

When I entered the living room, I felt a division half way through. I needed to do each side of this invisible wall that I felt. To me, my living room is whole and complete. When I mentioned it to him what I felt, he said he thought that the front half of the living room was an addition to the house and showed me on our hardwood floor how there were these small spaces of remnant cement. I had always looked at those spaces with little thought. Now, it made sense.

I sat down with my bowl after smudging both sides of the imaginary wall and played for several minutes. An energy was there, not happy about this opening of two spaces. But I continued to smudge and play until I felt that it was time to stop. I knew that opening the space into one energetic room would take time. We had only been in the house for about six years. There were decades of created energy before us.

As the years came and went after my first introduction to smudging, I learned more about the tools that could be used. A braid of sweetgrass; a stick of Palo Santo wood; a spray.

Sweetgrass is a common herb burned by a variety of Indigenous peoples before ceremonies. Churches in Europe hung it above their doors on saint's day.

A piece of Palo Santo wood (more flame, less smelly) comes from a tree that literally means "Holy Wood" in South America and has been used by Shamans and Medicine People for cleansing and healing.

Today, you can even get sacred sprays that combine water from a "holy" place along with essential oils from sage, cedar, juniper, and more.

It doesn't matter which method is used. Each one is simply a tool. We have the power to use our minds, our intentions and energy to clear a room without the use of smudge sticks and sprays. However, many of us have forgotten or don't believe in our own personal power. So, the earth has left us clues on how we can still perform these "cleansing" actions by using it's plants.

Week Two on the Bhakti Path: A Night with the Hare Krishnas

Earlier this week, Matthew asked if the Hari Temple was still having their Friday night Hari Krishna celebrations. A couple of years ago, one of my yoga teachers mentioned it during a class. We arrived, but the temple had another event going on. We felt out of place trying to find where the festivity was, being too shy to stop anyone to ask. Twenty minutes went by before we finally asked and found out. We hadn't tried since.

The only time I had been around a group of Hare Krishnas was passing by a celebration on Toronto Island one year when we were vacationing. I remember the sounds of the mantras, the food everywhere, and the bright vibrant wardrobe of the participants. It formed the most positive memory for me.

I reached out to my yoga teacher to find out about the celebration. He said it happened every Friday. After I shared the news, Matthew happily said, "I'm going! Do you want to go?"

We were given different start times. One said 6:30pm, while the other said 7pm. We aimed to arrive around 6:30pm in hopes of not interupting anything. When we arrived, only 4 other cars were in the lot. We nervously sat in my husband's red hatchback. That's what two ambiverts who are incredibly shy do. We were afraid to leave the car. We felt like we were crashing someones party. By 6:50pm we both got up the gumption to leave the car and head inside. A few more cars had made their way into the lot. 

We walked inside and took off our shoes in the little room to the left of the temple entrance. We headed upstairs where a small group was around deities chanting and moving a silver plate with candles clockwise and then counter clockwise. They passed the plate off to one another doing this for almost a half hour. The plate eventually made its way over to us. We were sitting in a row of chairs off to the sidelines. The gentleman looked at us with a big smile over his face. There was some money on the plate, so Matthew and I not knowing what to do, looked at it and put money on the plate. The nice man said "No, no." But since we looked confused, he walked away. Growing up Catholic, we thought this was the appropriate action.

A few days earlier my teacher said that he would be there to guide my husband through the night, but we had yet to see him. However, another man approached us, introducing himself. "Are you Matthew and Susan? Your teacher mentioned you would be here tonight. Welcome! We are running late setting up." After him, another man, and yet another, came over to greet us. Around us, children were lovingly running around the temple showing each other games, phones and talking with one another. "I brought my iPhone," one child said to another. 

As little chairs for the floor were set up, we were told that the men sit to the right and the women to the left. Shortly after we sat down, people filled the room, and mantras began to be sung. A table that was being worked on with deities, flowers and incense had been completed. Bhagavad Gita's were handed out, and a gentleman arrived (my guess is that he was the priest) to start the Gita discussion and Q&A. He sat in a low chair with a small table in front of him, where he placed his laptop with notes.

We read Slokah 17:11 (which I mentioned in my previous post). He walked us through saying it in Sanskrit and then in English. This theme went perfectly with my non-attachment theme for this week, but also my new found Bhakti Path. Honor and love God without asking for anything in return. The speaker used stories we could all relate to. He told us it was equally as important to honor and respect each other as it was to honor and respect our guru. In the Gita, Krisha, a manifestation of God, says how he is in everything and everyone. This was a beautiful reminder to continue to see everything through God's eyes. To see God in everything, everywhere, and at every moment. 

After the Gita discussion, the floor was cleared with the men and women staying on their respected sides. The kirtan began. Kirtans are a call-and-response of mantras sung. The men and children began playing pakhawaj drums (long two sided drums) and kartals (small hand-sized symbols decorated with orange fabric flowing from them. The men and women started to dance. They moved back and forth singing the mantras, clapping. Tentative at first, I happily clapped my hands. Next, I sang back Hare Krishna. Since I have to ability to dance in a choreographed fashion, I avoided the dance movement, but instead swayed slightly back and forth. As I continued to open my heart and let go of my fear, I felt myself swell with love. A big smile crossed my face. On the other side of the room, Matthew had joined a group of men dancing in a circle. I laughed to myself as it reminded me of the dance circle my Albanian family did at weddings and my Irish friends did at celebrations. Last time Matthew joined a circle to dance was at a Jewish-Chinese wedding his friend had in Toronto long ago. He beamed with joy. 

A plate of candles made its way around the room. I watched the women near me move their hands from the flame to their third eye. It reminded me of the fire cleansing that is done with the Munay Ki Rites, a practice of the shamans of the Andes Mountains. Twice my hands scooped the essence of the flame to my forehead. Next, a little girl happily went around the women's side with a fuchsia carnation scented with what smelled like jasmine. We all took turns inhaling deeply.

After the kirtan was over, the room slowly bowed to the deities on the table. I looked across the room to Matthew. He bowed as well. I felt conflicted to bow as I did not know who I was bowing to. Certainly Krishna was on the table. I felt once again like I was crashing someones party and it would be dishonorable to bow not knowing what I was bowing too. And then I heard my friend Arabella's voice in my head. 

A few years ago, she received a message for me. In this message, it was to rectify my relationship with God. To go to him like a child and supplicate myself to him. So, I bowed. I brought my body down, hands on floor and paused, moving my body into a version of the yoga asana, extended Child's Pose. I felt myself move into a deep, utter peace. The inner conflict was gone. I was expressing my need to honor God. 

When the evening was slowing winding down, it was time for announcements. The gentleman from earlier in the evening introduced us to the Krishna followers. Matthew was given a Gita of his own and kudos for being the first new devotee who danced their first time. 

We had to leave before meals were eaten to pick up my daughter. We were not allowed to leave without taking home enormous plates of Indian food prepared by the group. Our plates were piled high while one of the women told me "You have to eat the food. It is God's food. You have to feed yourself, so you feed God. I hope it's not too spicy for you."

As we left, Matthew said "I want to go again next week." 

To seal the cosmic miracle moment, another member introduced himself as we were leaving. He said he would love to have a kirtan at the studio. I told him how we love kirtans and PremaHara was coming to play in April. He said joyously "I know them! I may have to come." There are never coincidences. 

I read online when we got home that Hare Krishna's path is Bhakti Yoga, the path of devotion. With the vegetarian food cooked with love, the deities display filled with its incense, flowers and colors, with the chanting of God's name to music, I knew I was led to another extraordinary moment on my Bhakti path. 

Making Room for Miracles

Life is amazing. It is the culmination of small miracles. As a child growing up in N.Y.C., I was exposed to a variety of cultures and languages. My mother's family spoke Albanian. My first babysitter spoke Spanish. My other babysitter spoke Yugoslavian, as well as my best friend's family. I grew up in a Greek community. My ear became attuned to appreciating a variety of sounds, and moreover, understanding people speaking in English with accents. I had however, only one experience with an Indian family when I was a child.

One weekend my mother was visiting her best friend, Barbara, who had married into an Indian family. We were in New Jersey and my brother and I were under the care of Barbara's in-laws. The fabrics were rich and colorful. The scents of Indian fragrances filled the house. I couldn't stand it. My ears and nose were not accustomed to this culture and I was having cultural shock, if you will. My only Asian exposure was to my friend Eileen and her Filipino cultural words and scents. That memory of me lived strong in my memory ban as having been a child in a place I couldn't relate to, and crying for my mother to come get me.

My theme for this week's classes was "non-attachment." We talked about letting go of things that did not serve us. Expectations of how others would react. Expectations of how others would engage with us. Attachment to physical "things."

I recall how practicing this theme this week opened up opportunities for me. One evening I put my cell phone down, but couldn't find it. My cell is my alarm clock and I was looking for it in all of the usual places, getting nervous about not finding it before bed. I knew the battery would run out, my alarm would not go off, and I couldn't call it as I keep the ringer off during the day. I made a conscious decision to let go of looking for it and get myself ready for bed. I could look again in a few minutes. Just as I let go and started walking towards my bedroom, I felt my body turn around, my arm outstretched and walked right over to where I left it.

When we are able to let go, we make room for miracles to happen.

While my experience as a child in an Indian culture was not favorable, as an adult, I had let go of that memory and became attracted to the Indian culture. I found myself drawn to Indian food, chanting, became a student of yoga and wanted to travel to India and live in an ashram learning yoga for a month. In the past few months, the Gita, came into my world. A former teacher at Barefoot gave me her Gita one day, leaving it with a note on my desk. I placed the book in our little alter area in our downstairs classroom. As a lover of books, I fell in love with the pages, the binding and the ornate cover. I did not understand the words or context as my fingers ran across the pages. After the initial gift, I did not look through it again. In the past few weeks at a yoga teacher training, I found myself learning about the Gita, the story, the words and translations. In the Gita, we learn the path to spiritual enlightenment.

This morning, before class, I looked lovingly at my Gita and opened it once again. I turned to Slokah 17: 11.
Translated by Sri Swami Satchidananda, the Slokah says "Any devoted action offered up without desire for reward, but with the entire mind focused on the action for its own sake, is in the true spirit of scripture and is a pure (sattvic) sacrifice." He continues on and brings up the story from the Mahabharta, the story that contains the Gita. The story he shares talks about the conversation between a husband and wife from a royal family when they are banished into the forest by their cousins. She asked the age old question, why must we suffer like this? And then her husband says how beautiful the mountains were. How amazing the animals and trees, the nature surrounding them. Without this forced exile, they never would have come to see the beauty around them so intimately. He looked at it as a reward.

I used this Slokah in this morning's class. When we are able to detach ourselves from our own expectations, the miracles around us become all the more visible. I posted this video on Facebook. Another miracle when we choose to let go of those things we hold onto and make our truth. When we truly let go, our lives change. If you haven't already, check out the video we posted on our Barefoot Facebook wall about the inspirational story of Jerome Hutson and his healing experience through yoga. Make room for miracles to happen to you.

A Life at the Beach

On Facebook today, I saw this great picture that was saying "My next office." It instantly brought me back to a recent unfolding of a plea I made years ago.

For many years, my life was a struggle. I grew up in a dysfunctional household, had a dysfunctional first marriage, and moved through waves of exhausting emotions as I learned how to date in my early twenties while I was single mom working full-time and trying to go to school and learn the healing arts. However, I had many wonderful friends as my support group. 

It didn't stop me, however, for calling out to the universe and demanding (yes, requests turned into demands) that my next incarnation is laying on a beach without a care in the world. The beach is my happy place. It calms and soothes me. 

I visualized this life as me as a woman, laying on a pool chair in a secluded beach with the most perfectly warm temperature, wearing a hot pink bikini surrounded by beautiful sand, ocean and sky. Nearby there was a little straw hut where I could get my margarita. There was no where to be, nothing to do. I know...shallow, but this is what I thought I needed to make up for my life. 

Last fall, when the Tibetan Buddhist monks were visiting Barefoot, I had the chance to have a Tibetan astrological chart done with a reading. The Lama prepared my chart using my birth day, time, year and location, and with his interpreter, told me about my past, present and future. 

And guess what was in my far future? My next incarnation? The universe is not without irony. My next incarnation is scheduled to be as a "gull" like a "seagull." So, I asked, non-specifically for this life at the beach without a care in the world. And while I had a vision of what I wanted, I never specified to the universe the exact details I was picturing in my head while I stomped my feet like a toddler throwing a tantrum. "Life at the beach with not a care? Sure! Here you go!" I was going to get exactly what I asked for. 

When you ask for something, be specific. Your dreams may very well come true if you ask. However, remember the details of that dream. 

While my life is very different now, I wouldn't mind still having that time at the beach. And I've accepted it may be as a seagull rather than a girl soaking up the sand. And I'm OK with that.

What's your dream?

Unscrambling Thoughts for Devotion

I rarely get a day off between my full-time job and the studio. On Wednesday morning, however, I was excited at the possibility of sleeping. I woke with the sun around 6:20am and then realized, I could go back to bed. I didn't have to be anywhere until 9am. Keeping with being responsible and honoring my Bhakti path of devotion (honoring God in me for the next 6 months), I closed my eyes and nestled myself in.

My normal habit is pushing myself until exhaustion. For me there are always things that have to get done, people with expectations (including myself), and those responsibilities don't even count the housework I never get to. However, trying to follow this path, I said to myself You are tired. You are sore from your fall (yes, fell on the abundance of ice). Would you want to let God be exhausted and sore and push through? No. Honor the light in you. And so, that is what I did.

Now all of us could make excuses for why we need to nurture ourselves. We can also make excuses of why we are not good enough. When I started this project of mine last Sunday, I thought it was so easy until day three into my experiment. After all, about a decade ago, I started really watching my mind, my thoughts. I had gone inside and learned to be my own best friend, knowing that I was enough. I was single at the time and needed to nurture the part of me that was alone. It was O.K. to be single. If I heard a funny joke, I could share that joke with myself and laugh all over again. If I had an accomplishment, I could be proud of myself. With that came watching my thoughts, trying to avoid any negative mantras I had for myself, and really being conscientious of my thoughts in general. Time however, had softened my discipline.

So, three days into my Bhakti path I started to see my thoughts. Like for many Vatta's (one of three Ayurvedic doshas), my mind races a mile a minute so much so that I can become completely ignorant of what my previous thought was because I've moved on. I started to see these quick flutters of words scrambling through my brain. Some were nonsense. Some were problem-solving. Some were "What Ifs." Some were self-loathing. Some were prideful. I needed to once again pay attention to and discipline my thoughts. I decided the best way to start doing this was to take a two-pronged approach.

First, I would catch any negative thoughts that I could, and turn them into positive ones, seeing everything through the eyes of love. Trying to turn negative thoughts wasn't as difficult as I thought it might be, but I had to practice it often, like when I was shoveling a foot of snow. Instead of being frustrated by shoveling, I had to think about how I have not had a true snow day (one where work was canceled), since I was a teenager. Instead of being frustrated at trying to match up an abundance of black socks that all looked the same, I thought about how grateful I am to have socks, let alone an abundance of them.

Second, I was going to try to be more present-minded; I was going to attempt to focus only on the task at hand. Fortunately for me, the car accident I had last October helped me realize what being present-minded really is. While my brain was recovering, for over a week, I only thought of exactly what I was doing. It was quiet in there. When I stood up, my mind thought, I am standing up. When I chewed, my mind thought, I am chewing food. It didn't race on about the texture, temperature, or even flavor of the food. It was a singular focus.

As I moved through this realization, I decided to commit myself to doing a Bhakti Heart of Devotion workshop and celebration. Instead of carefully thinking about it and giving myself time to make excuses as to why I should not do it (time, not enough experience with this type of event, etc.) I threw myself into the planning and scheduling of this workshop. And without expectation, I received a pat on the back.

By mid-week I received an email indicating that PremaHara, a kirtan Bhakti duo, was going to be in town this spring and was interested in doing a kirtan event at Barefoot. How much sweeter could that have been? It was as if I was being told Good Susan. You are doing the work. And now here's  little something to melt into devotion and share. 

Today, I start on my week two of the Bhakti path. I'm sure it will be quite a ride of learning and loving.

Starting on the Bhakti Path

This weekend I had another amazing learning opportunity at a yoga teacher training. I successfully moved myself into Eight Angle Pose, expanded my knowledge on Ayurveda and learned more about the 4 Paths of Yoga. These weekend bites of training invigorate my passion and commitment to yoga. I always find I learn something new. However, this weekend, as we studied the Bhagavad Gita, I found my life changed.

I have always felt I lived the life of a spiritual seeker (Jnana Yoga), trying to discover what I believed in. My beliefs have always shifted and changed, always staying with a common theme. However, my one obstacle that I had been fighting against was using the term "God." Give me Ishvara, Yahweh, Providence, Goddess, Universe, or what have you and I was fine. Try to get me to say "God" and immediately I twitched. I grew up Catholic and should have been used to the word. This weekend, studying the Gita, I found myself finally making that peace. And so, I found myself closing my chapter in Jnana Yoga. I will always be a spiritual seeker and philosopher, but now I find, I am ready to move into Bhakti Yoga, the yoga of devotion. 

Bhakti Yoga is the heart of devotion, showing your unconditional love for God through prayer, chanting, etc.without asking for anything in return. Imagine it as a lover that pines for another sending flowers. So, how should I start? If God exists in everyone, as everything, how do I practice? I thought about the condition we all seem to suffer from - self-loathing. Right?! We all take time to beat ourselves up. So, I decided to spend the next 6 months practicing Bhakti Yoga on myself. Every time I have a negative thought about myself, I will think "I am having that thought about God, which I don't want to do, so stop!" I will make sure I nurture myself and try to see the world as God sees the world, through love. I know...this is all really heavy stuff. 

So, join me! Fall in love with yourself this February. If you are up for the challenge, or just curious, I will be attempting to keep a blog diary of my progress. http://www.barefootwellnessstudio.com/Blog.html If you want to join, post a comment on our blog or Facebook wall. Let's all learn to love ourselves fully, without excuses, expectations and unconditionally without regret. 

WIth that, I will leave you with my favorite quote from this weekend's training:

“Inhale, and God approaches you. Hold the inhalation, and God remains with you. Exhale, and you approach God. Hold the exhalation, and surrender to God.” ~Krishnamacharya

Your Body Wants the Diet to Wait

We are one day away from the New Year. What do we expect? 1) Celebrating at the stroke of midnight to champagne, kisses from loved ones and seeing the ball drop (or falling asleep), 2) Starting our yearly cleanse, 3) Making New Year's Resolutions, 4) Starting a diet, 5) Starting an exercise routine. Human beings are a sucker for tradition.

However, why is it that many people don't hold true to those New Year's diets and exercise routines? Perhaps we are not meant to - at least not yet.

In the winter, our body wants to do a few things: sleep more, stay warm, and eat warm foods, more calories and things that will help give the body fat in the winter. However, after we have stuffed ourselves silly with holiday foods, created stress in the body from a month of holiday celebrations, and deprived ourselves of decent sleep, we throw our bodies into shock. We drag our sorry selves to the extreme opposite (but keeping the stress and lack of sleep).

It's cold outside, but we drink juices, eat raw foods (like the ultimate diet food - a cold salad), and cut our calorie and fat intake. Meanwhile, because we pull the body away from its natural hibernation state and brought it into two extremes in such a short period, our body revolts by getting sick with either a cold or perhaps digestive issues. And then, after two months of working out, we get tired and decide to give up and just enjoy being outside in the Spring.

How can we set ourselves up for success? Well, we can't turn the clock back to mid-November, so instead we look forward. If you want to jump start onto a diet, try a lower calorie intake high in vitamin c, zinc and other immune nutrients, but cooked instead of raw. Try adding new leafy greens into your diet. My husband has found a hundred ways to add kale into our meals. (Lasagna, stir fry, sauteed with garlic and olive oil, ratatouille, pasta dishes, and more). Garlic is a great herb to add to your meal containing immune system boosters and supporting heart health. When you think food, think root vegetables, greens and eating them warm.

And the most important suggestion about food - don't toss out your kitchen pantry essentials just yet. Avoid that $500 grocery trip with all new essentials. Instead add little by little when you need a replacement for your kitchen cabinet. Out of peanut butter? Try a natural, no sugar added sunflower or cashew butter. Out of cereal? Try a natural oatmeal. Read the labels. If you can't understand what it is, it is probably best to avoid eating it. (Plus helpful hint, the more ingredients in a package, the less likely it is to be good for you.)

Instead of going straight into an exercise routine you may not keep, try different styles of exercise and classes. See what works best for you! Wouldn't it be better to find something you love to do instead of dread doing? Ask me to lift weights and I will not last long. Put me on a stepping machine and I'm in my happy place.

And try to sleep. Go to bed an hour early. Unplug from that television and computer at least a half hour before hitting the hay to allow your mind to start to rest. Even though watching television or playing a computer game may seem restful, our mind is being stimulated. And if you are having trouble catching those z's, a few techniques that may help are: 5 minutes deep breathing, listening to guided meditation like yoga nidra, taking supplements like Melatonin or the homeopathic remedy, Calms Forte.

Finally, unwind. Stress can account for many physical issues (including insomnia). Try meditation, breathing, yoga or even great herbs like Ashwaganda, Holy Basil, or sipping chamomile and lavender tea.

Remember, in the Spring we have a natural inclination to go outside, the days are longer giving us more time to get our everyday projects done, and we start to eat less fatty foods. To maximize your diet strategy, start slow now and kick it into high gear in the spring when warmer weather allows for your body to tolerate cooler foods.

Your goals can be attainable. Find success and inner happiness by listening to that inner voice. It can keep you in sync with your body and the seasons.