ECSTATIC BREATHWORK This Week~ Fri 5/21 @The Hub & Sun 5/23 @Liberation Yoga

With the release of my mentor and friend David Elliott’s second book Healing, a tidal wave of expansion is afoot among everyone embracing the work.  Why is that?  Self-Love.  I’ve lost count of the number of people I’ve bumped into from my past in recent weeks asking me if I’m in love, what’s different about me, and if I’ve changed my hair (I’ve been using the same settings on my electric clippers for a few years, lol!).  The difference is an awakening, a deepening, and a ripening of Self-Love.  I walk around practicing the “feeling” of being in-love without an object or person to be in-love with.  It’s a feeling I’m cultivating and working with inside myself, in my heart.  There’s no end to the causeless joy I taste in this practice.  It excavates places within me that have not discovered this self-love, places of insecurity and self-doubt.  Through this “in-love” practice, I’m able to fill the empty crevices with lasting nutrients from my own heart.  I’m not dependent on anything outside of me for this fuel, and it’s catalyzing everything great in my life into a wave of expansion that only appears to have an exponential future of growth.

This week, I’ll be leading two healing workshops with ECSTATIC BREATHWORK, one at The Hub in West LA on Friday night, and one late Sunday afternoon at Liberation Yoga on La Brea.  You’ll know if it’s time to for you.  Just take a moment to pause, slow down, take a couple of breaths, and humbly ask your intuition to come forward.  Ask your intuition, “Should I do this?”.  If you get goosebumps, that’s your Spirit running through your nervous system...it’s encouraging you, it’s cheerleading you with a palpable YES!

Friday, May 21st ~ 8pm-9:30pm ~ The Hub (West LA)

Freedom and Fluidity with Sexual Energy~ 

Compulsion or Choice? The freedom and fluidity of choosing where to put your energy begins with a strong, rooted foundation. That foundation can be felt and experienced when you have anchors of support you consciously feel, recognize, and trust…anchors that are rooted solely from within, and then mirrored in all of your relationships.  

When:       FRIDAY night 5/2/10  5:30-7pm   
                    ((Arrive early to avoid being late))
Exchange:       $35
Where:      The Hub (http://thehub-la.com)
                    2001 S Barrington Ave, Suite 150, Los Angeles, CA 90025-5363 US
                    { S Barrington Ave between LaGrange and Mississippi }
                    Entrance for the Hub is located on street level at the ground floor of the
                    parking structure located on South Barrington Avenue.
Bring:          Yoga mat and/or blanket-we'll be sitting on the floor at first then lying down
                     for the breathwork.
RSVP:        You can reserve your spot through The Hub  310-575-4200


Sunday, May 23rd ~ 4:30pm-6pm ~ Liberation Yoga (Hancock Park/Weho)

Stillness~
Stillness brings the gift of awake attention to the Truth of any given moment.  Stillness can be cultivated and deepened exponentially. Stillness is a profound expression of self-love.  Where could you benefit from the deeply healing elixir of stillness?  Where in your body, emotions, mind, and spirit could this stillness bring the kind of nectar that cracked, arid land releases on the first longed-for rainfall?

DATE:            Sunday, April 25th, 2010
Time:             4:30pm - 6pm (come early to avoid being late)
Exchange:              $40
Bring:            Yoga mat and/or blanket-we'll be sitting on the floor at first then lying down
                       for the breathwork.
Location:       Liberation Yoga
                      124 S. La Brea (btw 1st and 2nd)
                      Los Angeles, CA 90036
RSVP:           You can reserve your spot through Liberation Yoga  (323) 964-5222.

These ECSTATIC BREATHWORKSHOPS are nothing less than a journey deeper into the experience and expression of who and what you are, a journey into the Heart of Freedom within.  Through a simple and powerful breathing meditation, you gain and deepen the tools for seeing past your former limitations, gain muscle for being your own best ally, teacher, and healer, and deeply taste a place free of insecurity, full of self-love.

LOVE,
SCOTT
http://trustthebreath.com
http://scottschwenk.blogspot.com
http://huffingtonpost.com/scott-schwenk  

(HuffPost) Sacrifice: Choosing The Sacred Over the Profane

Not too long ago I tweeted, "When I know what I'm saying 'Yes' to, it's easy to say no."

Sacred. Profane. What do these words really mean? Is it about standing on some moral higher ground that assures belonging, safety, and the necessities of life? Paying homage to some being or group's values out of fear of being on the wrong side of the law?

What if there's a point of view that's not peering out from the bowels of some dank cave of insufficiency and insecurity built by ego's fear of future suffering rooted in the pain of the past?

What if there are no such absolutes as 'right' and 'wrong'?

Sacrifice at its root is about recognizing something as sacred and acting in accord with that recognition. Sacred isn't set in stone, and it certainly isn't about feeble attempts at self-deprivation. Self-deprivation is just an insecure ego's attempt to feel better about itself by being extreme.

What's sacred for you may be completely different from what's most aligned with my inner compass. They don't have to agree to both be of immense value.

Recently I had occasion to be in a private meeting with a teacher who embodies a kind of unfettered freedom and liberation I've always sensed as possible, but had never met face-to-face. I was given fifteen minutes to use in any way I wished, with the intention of bringing this liberated perspective to pressing concerns or questions.

Knowing about the meeting nearly two months in advance gave me plenty of time to obsess about coming up with questions that would really matter, make some long-term impact on my walk through life.

It wasn't until the final five minutes of the meeting that the most core concern I've lugged unknowingly through every corridor of my life surfaced.

"I have this irrational fear that I could do something which would irrevocably land me in eternal damnation, and it's at the back of every place where I have fear and get controlling. It makes no sense to me logically that I even have it. No amount of logic seems to make any real difference in releasing it's hold," I said, both surprised and supremely grateful that it revealed itself.

It's these kinds of not-yet-recognized fears that create factions, power struggles, wars, inner division, and separation from the very love we seek with each other, and ultimately within.

It's likely that this core fear is a teacher for me. It will reveal itself in various forms and circumstances, giving me the opportunity to hone my clarity, self-awareness, confidence, and trust. Versions of it are likely to be faithful companions, becoming the weights I use in the gym of my life to build the muscles of discrimination, detachment, focus, and Awareness of Truth that transcend morals and survival.

So as I willingly grow through the days, weeks, and beyond with the help of this ancient form of resistance, knowing why I walk ahead, what I'm saying 'Yes' to, is fuel for the walk.

I'm saying yes to freedom from any form of suffering.

I'm saying yes to that same freedom for anyone in the circles of my life.

I'm saying yes to being unshakably rooted in the clear and embodied knowing of What I am.

When the mind starts to get agitated, looking to control some situation or person to assure my safety and survival, simply taking a long pause to breathe and recognize that I am safe, whole, and free (to refocus my attention on what I'm saying 'Yes' to) is enough to create some space in my experience. It's enough to relax my body. It's a choice to feel that peace is more valuable (sacred) than control.

Know what's most valuable to you.

Know what can distract you from what you most value. This, for you, is the profane, and to be released.

Align your attention with what you most value and cherish.

Forgive yourself when you forget, and realign your attention with what you hold sacred.

Let the seeming wins and losses guide you into deeper core strength with the practice rather than being defining moments of your worth or lack thereof.

Let it be simple.

(art by Trey Speegle from an installation for the Manifest Quality Gallery in Hollywood, Spring 2010)

(HuffPost) Returning Home In A New Place

For countless hours of innumerable days of many months over nearly ten years I had a sanctuary, a home-away-from home In Los Angeles. It went by the name of Elixir, and it lived on a quiet section of Melrose Avenue near the soon-to-be extinct Bodhi Tree Bookstore.

The lush bamboo garden at Elixir witnessed more turning points in my life than many of the people who know me best. Just about the only thing I haven't done at Elixir was have sex (although I have it first hand that more than a few relationships were consecrated there under a full Moon in the late night hours after the doors were shuttered for the day).

Everything seems to have a time and a season, and apparently the space that hosted Elixir may have traveled its lifespan as a gracious tea garden, creative crucible, writer's haven, and go-to spot for a proliferation of first dates.

The garden is still flourishing to this day, albeit unappreciated by anyone who'd be uplifted by it. The property sits empty, likely awaiting a wrecking ball for some high-end retail outfit that can afford the $35,000 a month in rent (note: Rent was at around $16,000 a month before a former sports agent went around Elixir offering the landlords double rent if he could use the spot to establish his own turnkey empire. His business barely lasted there two years.)

And now I sit on a plush red chair amidst bamboo tables in a light airy space flooded with the intoxication of California Sunshine at nearly any point of the day. While caffeine abounds, there's no rush to get in and get out here.

I'm in a very different neighborhood on a busier section of Melrose savoring Miriam Novalle's latest ouvre, T Salon LA (the original flourishes in New York City's hip Chelsea Market). Feng Shui'd without sacrificing design, T Salon brings a cool elegance with a flair for the lost art of welcoming. Novalle is the consummate host, shuttling between the tables of both coasts to ensure her commitment to service and style is fully delivered.

Healing is one branch on the burgeoning tree that is my life. I am intrinsically and irrevocably an artist; an artist who's creativity is injected with rocket fuel through inspired environment (music, light, scent, and design).

Once again, I am at home. I feel the rush of excitement urging me to make no plans this afternoon other than choosing a tea, a table, and letting the surge of energy bubble into creation. I foresee many hours of writing in my new perch.

Without fail I'll spread the word of this haven everywhere I go. You see, I've learned that I must fertilize and nurture anything and everything that gives to me.

In my new economy, it's not enough to merely pay my money at the register and let that be the end of a transaction. Straightening a chair, tidying a restroom when I'm finished, and promoting a conscious business are simple ways for me to give back and ensure all my favorite things not only survive but also thrive.

The Catalyst for Freedom ~ ECSTATIC BREATHWORK in Weho ~ Wed 5/12, 7:30-9pm

The Catalyst for Freedom

There’s a tremendous amount of energy afoot.  Have you noticed?  How you engage with it moment-to-moment determines the difference between freedom and suffering.

Breath Deep. Heart Awake. Body Soft. Attention Clear.

Join Us.

These workshops are for all levels of experience and are nothing less than a tool for setting yourself free.  We’ll use a simple yet powerful breathing meditation as the linchpin for the work.  I call it ECSTATIC BREATHWORK.

When:   Wednesday, May 12th, 2010
Time:       7:30-9:00pm

Exchange:   $40  (no one turned away)

Where:  1226 Havenhurst Dr. #9
                (Havenhurst is 1 block West of Crescent Heights between Santa Monica Blvd and Fountain Ave)

Parking:    It’s best to park at a meter on Santa Monica Blvd or in the West Hollywood City Lot just South of Santa Monica Blvd behind Out Of The Closet between Havenhurst and La Jolla.  The City Lot is $1 per hour in quarters.  Other meters in the area are free after 6pm.

RSVP:      Due to size of the space, please RSVP to hold your place.  If need be, we’ll start a waiting list. 24hrs cancellation by phone. (310) 922-4890

BRING:      A folded blanket and/or yoga mat to lay on for the breathing meditation, water, and a smile!

LOVE,
SCOTT
http://trustthebreath.com
http://scottschwenk.blogspot.com
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/scott-schwenk