Olga’s Blog

The other day as I was browsing Facebook, I came across a post about smoking babies. It was something along the lines of “radical advertising company hires kids to smoke”. I was appalled and thought that it might be one of those “I can’t believe someone did this” moments. Hoping to be proven wrong, I reluctantly clicked on the article. Turns out that things were not as bad as they sound. An advertising agency did hire kids, but not to smoke. What they had to do was walk over to a person who is smoking and ask for a cigarette. Showing that there is hope for us, the adult would refuse. Interestingly enough, the adult would then launch into a lecture on dangers of smoking. This was shot candid camera style and people went on to list all kinds of dangers, all with a cigarette in their own hand. The ad ended with a question about the difference between how we treat children and how we treat ourselves. It was rather moving.
Think about it. So often we treat others better than ourselves. Don’t believe me? Honestly, would you talk to a dear friend the way you talk to yourself? What about when you make a mistake? What if you actually articulate all you are feeling? And now imagine if you were kind to yourself? Internally? Would not that be something? To be treated as a very special, precious being, believing, knowing that you truly are one.

How do you think your life would change if you were kinder to yourself?

P. S.: As I was looking for a picture for this post, I typed up “smoking babies”. I thought maybe it will find the article I am referring to. Instead I found that not only there are images of babies actually smoking, but also of babies whose parents stick a cigarette in their mouths for photo ops. So, to propagate more of what I want to see instead of something I don’t, I am including a picture that came up on “compassion” search.

There is a story I read somewhere that I really enjoyed. I think I like it because English is my second language and accent is a given. Here is the story:
There was a young monk in Tibet who was showing a lot of promise. In his studies, he heard about an old monk who lived on a little island in a middle of a river and to whom people came for advice. Young monk decided to visit the old one to glean some wisdom from such an enlightened being. He hired a little row boat and got to the island. The old monk welcomed him and the chatted over some tea. During that conversation, young monk asked what does the old one do for his spiritual practice. To which the old one replied that he chants a mantra for however many times every day. With reverence, the young monk asked what the mantra was and the old monk shared. “Oh, no!”, the young monk exclaimed, “that’s not how you say it. You are supposed to say it this way!” The old monk was visibly distraught at this and the young one decided it’s time to go. After all, what can the old monk teach him when he doesn’t even know how to say a mantra right! And so he is back in the boat with the ferry man rowing. Suddenly, the ferry man drops the oars and stares past the young monk towards the island, blubbering something. “What is it?!”, exclaims the young monk, rather annoyed. As he turns around, he sees the old monk walking on water towards the row boat. “How do you say that mantra again?”, asks the old monk. The young monk says the mantra after finally collecting himself. The old monk repeats the mantra over and over again as he walks across the water back to the island.

I think this story was in reference to Sanskrit pronunciation. It is tricky, of course. And it’s important to get it as close as possible as sounds carry different vibrations and therefor effects. But the moral of the story is that anything you do consistently, over many years, will have effect. Even if your pronunciation is off.

Do you try to get the Sanskrit pronunciation just right or are you happy with “close enough”?

Well, I hope he’s having fun! My son is away for a whole week on a ski trip! Actually, he is hoping to learn to snowboard. My friend and her family invited him along and after some back and forth off he went.
He backed out of going for a week and we agreed to come get him midweek. Given that it is all the way in Vermont, it was going to be a little adventure for all of us. However, after arriving there and spending one day, he decided to stay for a whole week.
This situation reminded me of how often I would be afraid or nervous to do something, but then once I start it would turn out to be a not too big of a deal. Being uncomfortable can be a good thing! Challenging myself and growing has become a big part of my life. I get antsy if a lull lasts too long. Is that a word? “Lull”? Oh we’ll.
What are you afraid of doing? What were you nervous to do that turned out not as bad as you thought?

I know it’s coming! Yum is coming :) After a much longer break than I anticipated, I am back to school. Just registered for another class that will start mid January. This time I am taking Whole Foods Cooking. I am hoping there will be some interesting new recipes to try. I still need to buy a book for it, add that to the To Do list.
This class is just 5 weeks so I should probably line up the next one as well. I don’t remember what they had starting in February. I am very interested in either life coaching or the hypnotherapy. Little by little I am chipping away at the classes I need to take for my degree. At this point this feels more like continuing education for my own benefit though. And speaking of continuing education, I need to find something yoga related to keep my certification up. Kripalu, I dream of you…

What would you like to learn this year?

And so the first day of a new year comes to a close. In my family
we have a saying that as this first day goes, so will the year too. We’d always be on a best behavior as kids, to make sure we’ll have a good year. I’ve been trying to do the same as an adult. It’s not always easy. I think staying up past midnight kicks some sleep deprivation in making things a little more challenging.
I have big hopes for this year. It feels different somehow, as if waiting around is over and it’s time for action. The tarot spread I did for this year seems to confirm it. The ruling card I pulled was queen of swords and I very much feel that she represents me, taking charge of my life. Being more discerning with my commitments and ever so watchful to stay the course. It’s time to stop being thrown around by circumstances and demands of others and instead spend time on what is important to me. That, of course, requires knowing what is important. I am so looking forward to making 2013 a more intentional year. I think that’s why I am so excited about my new program, From Intention to Reality. I think it will allow me to create a meaningful change in my life and help others do the same.

What are you looking for in 2013?

It’s interesting that stuff seems to be at the forefront of my mind right now. Is that a reflection of consumer society? With Black Friday just behind us and Cyber Monday just ahead, it seems that everything is about shopping and bargains. Here and there are faint cries for shopping local and supporting local businesses. I wonder how many people do that though. Mindful shopping crowd is certainly not mainstream and when you start shopping mindfully, you realize that you don’t need much stuff to begin with. Plus for local business it’s tough to discount their products and services as it hits the bottom line a lot. Local just costs more. As I am thinking of offering a discount for the holidays, I am contemplating whether Sophia can take a swimming class again or start Waldorf classes in the spring.

It’s one busy holiday season! We have a new practitioner starting in December, Dianne. She is going to offer Aroma Skin Therapy and Crystal Healing. I think I will try the skin therapy, it sounded so nice!
And then today I met with another lovely lady, Sue. Not to be confused with Sue that already works with me :) New Sue is a yoga teacher and Aurvedic practitioner, among other things. We talked about doing monthly clinics at lunch time, focusing on health, nutrition, healthy habits. One of the ideas was to do one in January focusing on resetting your diet after the holidays. Kind of like a little detox so you can clear away all the rich holiday foods and start fresh.
Another great thing that might come from this is restorative yoga! Sue is thinking of offering it at lunch, a short version. But the one I am very excited about would happen on a weekend and be two hours long. I hope I can come to that one! We are planning it for the end of the year and I hope to get the dates firmed up in the next few days.
Yes! A big yes to these new events unfolding and new people joining in!

When I am feeling overwhelmed, my attention turns to stuff. I find that stuff and the amount of it makes me paralized. That’s when more extreme lifestyles become very appealing. People that downsize to 100 possessions become my heroes. Someone who vows not to buy anything for a year becomes someone I want to emulate. I look at all our stuff and just want to throw it all out, from furniture to little tiny crap and everything in between.
Alas, that is not realistic. We do need stuff and my husband will not be parting with any of his books. How we can accommodate everything comfortably and without clatter, I just don’t know. We can certainly benefit from pairing down and I am working on that, very slowly.
And in the meantime, I will read about and be inspired by people who live with minimal stuff.