I'm in yet another of those in-between spaces within myself. And it feels like those signs at the amusement park that say, 'You must be this high to ride the ride,' and my eyes are still trying to tell me that I'm not quite tall enough.
I get daily affirmations of the Truth coming in so many ways, the Truth of what I am, the Truth of what Love is, and how everything is connected through Love...when I'm paying attention, that is. And yet I still notice the places where my ego wants to convince me that there's something over there, around the bend, that'll make me happier...just a little more 'this', or a little less 'that'.
So far in nearly 38 years in this human suit, I've noticed a few things...for starters, I've noticed that money comes and goes, people come and go, stuff comes and goes, some meals are five stars and some are just plain gross, some nights go down in infamy while others seem better forgotten...and through it all, what I essentially am goes on being what it is, seemingly unchanged by all the outer stuff that comes and goes. So why keep pursuing the outer stuff? It seems more and more true for me that the only happiness is that happiness that arises within of its own accord, and that everything else is just temporary. Oh, and don't think for a second that I don't like and fully lick the bowl of some nice temporary happiness, like the frozen yogurt last night. That bowl of yogurt was so tasty, so satisfying, and yet on the walk home, there it was again...that internal itch that I just wasn't able to scratch until I sat down, got quiet and let my attention move within....move within free of needs and expectations.
So aside from all the intense working out I've been doing with my physical body, this is the inner workout I'm putting time into. I'm endeavoring to build and strengthen these inner muscles of my own Awareness to choose happiness from within and then enjoy the outer world for whatever it is in the moment.
Some days it's super easy, and those are the days when I feel the love flowing strong and deep. On other days, it can feel like it just downright sucks. Those are the days, the seemingly sucky ones, where I'm getting clearer and clearer (from collected experiences) when I'm really taking my awareness to the spiritual gym and building some lasting muscles for choice.
Hmmm....maybe that's a bit heavy for today. Hope not too heavy :)
I decided to write no matter what today...to keep building discipline with my writing, as when I write more regularly, things seem to move into a stronger and easier flow in my life.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Letting The Sun In
"I think I'm solar-powered."
If I had a dollar for every time I've said that in the last few months...
And I'm pretty sure it's closer to the truth than even I know. Every morning I go up to the roof to water my garden, and spend anywhere from half an hour to an hour in the Sun, consciously. Each day I thank it, and aim to connect past some of it's more obvious attributes, like light and heat, into what it is that makes the Sun such a central force through all of Life, through my life.
Along the way, I've gathered some intel -- like this little tidbit: apparently skipping sunglasses, while a fashion faux-pas in Los Angeles, is a crucial component for how the body deals with exposure to the Sun. The eyes have a role in working with the Sun that the body is exposed to in a good way.
And I've also gathered some Yankee Inginuity from the sweat of my own brow, literally. On the days when I spend time in the Sun, I need less sleep, have more energy, and find my mood more balanced and leaning in the direction of more general happiness and ease.
Recently when I was down with some version of the Flu, who knows if it was Flu 1.0 or 2.0, sick was sick...I needed more life-force, and getting it from my morning Yerba Mate brew wasn't cutting muster. My intution told me to get out in the Sun, and get out there with nothing between me and the Sun, for days in a row. I opened my imagination, and invited the Sun to fill every part of my body, mind, and Being. And fill it up it did! After each session I felt a dramatic spike in my energy levels. Turns out this is an ancient Taoist longevity practice for men. The one for women involves Moon bathing.
The moral to the story? Get out in the Sun....fall in Love with the Sun and all it offers, all it nurtures, all it supports, namely You :)
If I had a dollar for every time I've said that in the last few months...
And I'm pretty sure it's closer to the truth than even I know. Every morning I go up to the roof to water my garden, and spend anywhere from half an hour to an hour in the Sun, consciously. Each day I thank it, and aim to connect past some of it's more obvious attributes, like light and heat, into what it is that makes the Sun such a central force through all of Life, through my life.
Along the way, I've gathered some intel -- like this little tidbit: apparently skipping sunglasses, while a fashion faux-pas in Los Angeles, is a crucial component for how the body deals with exposure to the Sun. The eyes have a role in working with the Sun that the body is exposed to in a good way.
And I've also gathered some Yankee Inginuity from the sweat of my own brow, literally. On the days when I spend time in the Sun, I need less sleep, have more energy, and find my mood more balanced and leaning in the direction of more general happiness and ease.
Recently when I was down with some version of the Flu, who knows if it was Flu 1.0 or 2.0, sick was sick...I needed more life-force, and getting it from my morning Yerba Mate brew wasn't cutting muster. My intution told me to get out in the Sun, and get out there with nothing between me and the Sun, for days in a row. I opened my imagination, and invited the Sun to fill every part of my body, mind, and Being. And fill it up it did! After each session I felt a dramatic spike in my energy levels. Turns out this is an ancient Taoist longevity practice for men. The one for women involves Moon bathing.
The moral to the story? Get out in the Sun....fall in Love with the Sun and all it offers, all it nurtures, all it supports, namely You :)
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
The Yoga of Freedom: This Friday, 11/6 7:30-9pm
Have you had the sense that you could feel and experience more Freedom in your day-to-day life?
It’s been said in India that when you take 1 step towards your Freedom, GRACE takes 1,000 steps towards you. Nearly 1700 years ago, a Sage/Saint by the name of Patanjali composed his famous YOGA SUTRAS as a guide to taking each of those single steps towards Freedom that draw Infinite Grace to You.
One of the 8 limbs or aspects of Patanjali’s instructions many of you are already working with: Pranayama. Prana means life-force or breath, Yama means control or regulation. So Pranayama is the regulation of life-force as a support to Awakening to and Embodying the Freedom of your own Essential Nature.
Together we’ll now begin to explore the simple, powerful, and supportive power other limbs. No previous knowledge of Yoga, Patanjali, Pranayama, or Breathwork are necessary. All that is necessary is the appetite for further Freedom. All levels of experience are welcome and Invited.
This Friday night, we’ll begin our journey with Patanjali and Grace as our guides. We’ll experience how simple and profoundly effective these instructions can be.
In each session, we’ll work with simple, powerful, awakened meditation techniques that you can use to Ground and Deepen the experience of Freedom that will open for you in the work.
When: Friday, November 6th, 2009
Time: 7:30-9:00pm
Exchange: $40
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. 24hrs cancellation by phone. (310) 922-4890
BRING: A JOURNAL & PEN, 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
Friday, October 23, 2009
Another Day at the Quarry
Inhaling
Exhaling
Gliding
In and Out
of various
and sundry
human suits.
Where are they hung in-between?
Is the human suit closet
organized by
color
or texture
or size?
Scott Patrick Schwenk 10/23/09
Exhaling
Gliding
In and Out
of various
and sundry
human suits.
Where are they hung in-between?
Is the human suit closet
organized by
color
or texture
or size?
Scott Patrick Schwenk 10/23/09
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Loving the Path You're On ~ Friday, Oct 16th at The Hub in West LA
Mark your calendars! Friday, October 16th 8-9:30pm at The Hub
Breathe, Transform, Let It Be Simple!
Friday night, October 16th I’ll be leading the weekly breathwork session at The Hub in West LA. This evening is for all levels of experience with the breath. We’ll be working specifically with Loving the Path you're on; Opening the door to deeper Freedom.
When: FRIDAY night 10/16/09 8-9:30pm
((Arrive early to avoid being late))
Exchange: $25
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
Love,
Scott
http://trustthebreath.com
http://scottschwenk.blogspot.com
Breathe, Transform, Let It Be Simple!
Friday night, October 16th I’ll be leading the weekly breathwork session at The Hub in West LA. This evening is for all levels of experience with the breath. We’ll be working specifically with Loving the Path you're on; Opening the door to deeper Freedom.
When: FRIDAY night 10/16/09 8-9:30pm
((Arrive early to avoid being late))
Exchange: $25
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
Love,
Scott
http://trustthebreath.com
http://scottschwenk.blogspot.com
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Let's Not Just Talk About Sex (Baby)...
This is in part, picking a dialogue that is sprouting in the garden of one of my communities...and in particular, by my friend Katrina's recent fore into the topic (see here: http://tinyurl.com/ydpy68q ) and even more recent dipping of toes into the world of Tantra. (Or at least an aspect of Tantra...there are so many).
So much of the known expressions of tantra have to do with Polarity~male and female, balance. However, what if things aren't that reduceable? What about those of us that Native American traditions call the "Twin-Spirited" ones? Are the elemental building blocks really just balancing two elements, male and female? Or is that idea training wheels for a deeper revelation...into what my friend Jason Harler (creator of NestSpa at the Standard Hotel Miami, and home of the Integral Spiritual Center in Miami) calls "Resonance". Ever since he mentioned this idea, it's been rolling around inside, forcing me to question asumptions around relational energy in general (not just between humans, but with EVERYTHING), and my energy in specific.
So if you have two men or two women, it's not so much that one has to hold the masculine and the other the feminine. That's a bit a of flat-lander perspective that seems to traffic mostly through a strong dualistic paradigm. And yet life, CREATION is much more faceted than merely two perspectives, male, and female. Those are conveniences of language. And unexplored conveniences of language become traditions and traditions become measuring rods for morality so much of the time...though based on WORDS more than the actualities themselves.
In the exploration of perspectives, modern-day ontological rabble-rousers like Ken Wilber have gone on to pull back the veils obscuring the myopic belief-structures of individuals, groups, societies, and this particular world...revealing legions of ancestors and living, breathing modern-day thinkers, who've created altars to Trojan Horses. What's the Trojan Horse here? Substituting the names of things for the things themselves. Believing maps to be the territories themselves. The word Moon isn't the Moon, and will never give the experience of gazing at the Moon, much less standing on its surface.
Are we ready to jump off the "Either/Or" bandwagon where things are either good or bad, up or down, in or out, masculine or feminine? Are we ready to let go of the fear of screwing things up and landing in one of Dante's hells for simply being aligned with the "wrong" ideas?
What if there truly aren't right and wrong. What if there are infinite perspectives, and they're ALL true simultaneously? What then? What kind of inner wisdom would we need to awaken and TRUST to live and thrive in a world where there are no set meanings, no right ways or wrong ways, no pass or fail? What kind of Awareness would be expressing through a being who's given up fear of judgement? Probably...one who's given up fear of judgment has stopped using judgement to aid and abet fear within....has stopped classifying nearly everything as safe/unsafe, good/not good, nice/not nice, beautiful/ugly, profane/sacred...
This rich tapestry of sound, taste, sight, knowing, feeling, living...is infinitely deep, wide...what would it be like to live in this symphony of a world for a whole day without a name for anything, just the Direct Experience moment-by-moment?
So much of the known expressions of tantra have to do with Polarity~male and female, balance. However, what if things aren't that reduceable? What about those of us that Native American traditions call the "Twin-Spirited" ones? Are the elemental building blocks really just balancing two elements, male and female? Or is that idea training wheels for a deeper revelation...into what my friend Jason Harler (creator of NestSpa at the Standard Hotel Miami, and home of the Integral Spiritual Center in Miami) calls "Resonance". Ever since he mentioned this idea, it's been rolling around inside, forcing me to question asumptions around relational energy in general (not just between humans, but with EVERYTHING), and my energy in specific.
So if you have two men or two women, it's not so much that one has to hold the masculine and the other the feminine. That's a bit a of flat-lander perspective that seems to traffic mostly through a strong dualistic paradigm. And yet life, CREATION is much more faceted than merely two perspectives, male, and female. Those are conveniences of language. And unexplored conveniences of language become traditions and traditions become measuring rods for morality so much of the time...though based on WORDS more than the actualities themselves.
In the exploration of perspectives, modern-day ontological rabble-rousers like Ken Wilber have gone on to pull back the veils obscuring the myopic belief-structures of individuals, groups, societies, and this particular world...revealing legions of ancestors and living, breathing modern-day thinkers, who've created altars to Trojan Horses. What's the Trojan Horse here? Substituting the names of things for the things themselves. Believing maps to be the territories themselves. The word Moon isn't the Moon, and will never give the experience of gazing at the Moon, much less standing on its surface.
Are we ready to jump off the "Either/Or" bandwagon where things are either good or bad, up or down, in or out, masculine or feminine? Are we ready to let go of the fear of screwing things up and landing in one of Dante's hells for simply being aligned with the "wrong" ideas?
What if there truly aren't right and wrong. What if there are infinite perspectives, and they're ALL true simultaneously? What then? What kind of inner wisdom would we need to awaken and TRUST to live and thrive in a world where there are no set meanings, no right ways or wrong ways, no pass or fail? What kind of Awareness would be expressing through a being who's given up fear of judgement? Probably...one who's given up fear of judgment has stopped using judgement to aid and abet fear within....has stopped classifying nearly everything as safe/unsafe, good/not good, nice/not nice, beautiful/ugly, profane/sacred...
This rich tapestry of sound, taste, sight, knowing, feeling, living...is infinitely deep, wide...what would it be like to live in this symphony of a world for a whole day without a name for anything, just the Direct Experience moment-by-moment?
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Why cultivate peace/stillness?
It was in Pondicherry, many years ago, in the season when tropical rains and sometimes cyclones sweep down suddenly and bring devastation. At such times, doors and windows have to be barricaded with thick bamboo laths. That night, a cyclone broke out with torrents of rain, and Mother hastened toward Sri Aurobindo's room to help him shut his windows. He was seated at his table, writing (for years Sri Aurobindo spent twelve hours a day writing, from six in the evening till six in the morning, then eight hours walking up and down "for the yoga"). The windows were wide open, and not a drop of rain had come in. The peace that reigned in the room, recalls Mother, was so solid, so compact, that the cyclone COULD NOT enter. ~from SRI AUROBINDO or THE ADVENTURE OF CONSCIOUSNESS by Satprem
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