Oscillating in and out of vitality

Last week, Neil referenced a chart that I had shown him which made me curious to dig it up.  It addresses the basic concept that it is unrealistic to strive to expressing vitality all the time; we are all going to experience moments when we get co-opted by emotion or are simply not feeling connected with one's vitality.

But, by becoming aware of our own sense of vitality, we can begin to keep a mental record of our own state of being.  The Mental Pilates skills are designed to address our ability to deal with a unit of life experience, a transaction, if you will.  What we focus upon is our reaction skills.  How we react to life's events will determine the frequency, the duration and the intensity with which we "go down the rabbit hole" of being emotionally co-opted.

The reddish line in the diagram represents one path of charted vitality where one's natural flow of vitality becomes increasingly restricted, over a long period of time.  The blue line illustrates the concept of achieving significant level of vitality and then developing skills for reacting that enable them to briefly oscillate out of a state of vitality and then return.

We all go down our own rabbit holes, from time to time; the question is how often, for how long and how deep do we want to go?  Mental Pilates develops skills for maintaining control of our emotions, or at least not losing control for as long.

Andy

Ease

I wanted to share an entry in my awareness journal that I made recently. As prompted by the homework I did a word montage about a moment at ease.

Walking dogs at Wadsworth Mansion in the snow that day in January. Laughing out loud at Lily. Gremlin. Ziggy pushing Lily into a snowbank. Boots creaking on snow. Crisp air. Cooling sensation down the trachea. Silence. Presence. Focus on dogs. Snow covered trees. Bright red berries popping out. Forced to watch my footing which keeps me in the moment. Heart pounding. In tune with nature. In love with Ziggy and Lily and loved back by them. Alive.

What moments are you guys using to redirect?

Day of Friendliness

A therapist I once had gave me an assignment to have "friendly Thursday" and for the whole day to smile or say hi to strangers, chat up people behind the counter, and basically to add a little light to each building I stepped into. It sounded pretty cheesy, but I liked this lady so I was determined to give it a go. Friendly Thursday ended up being one of the best days I experienced in awhile. In the spirit of this week's lesson, I challenge everyone to try out friendly Saturday this week and report back on our results.
Thinking back to that crazy diagram with the connected yellow and green dots from this week's deck, the potential for making the world a better place if we all do this together is intriguing. If at least one person we each interact with treats the next person they interact with a little better than they would then 21 people would be touched. And I think that is a pretty conservative estimate. Who's in?

What's inside your core identity?

Today, I had a fascinating discussion about the essence of one's core identity.  We have discussed in our Webinars the Mental Pilates concept of creating separation between your core identity and your patterns of behavior.  Last evening I used the analogy of a musical instrument.  A musical instrument's core identity is not the songs that it plays.  It is capable of playing all sorts of music, both beautiful and downright awful.  But in the end, it's core identity is still just a musical instrument.  Likewise, our human bodies are capable of developing all sorts of behavior patterns, both beautiful and downright awful.  But believing that our core identity is these expressed behavior patterns is as inaccurate as thinking that an instrument's identity is the songs that it has played.

What I learned this morning is that patterns of behavior can become so dominant that it appears they are not only "with you" but actually are you.  Using the bear analogy...it is not as if there is some trigger that initiates the process of your awareness getting co-opted by emotion; it is as if you simply live with the bear, day and night.  When you wake-up, there's the bear; when you are driving, there's the bear; when you look in the mirror, there's the bear; at the dinner table, there's the bear...co-opting your awareness.  The bear uses your awareness to feed itself all of the frames of evidence it needs to grow stronger and stronger.  The bear has no interest in the health and well being of his "host"; the bear is only interested in its own survival.  Overtime, the person being co-opted realizes that they no longer have a say in the matter and they resign to the fact that the bear's in charge.  Who's driving the bus?  That would be the bear, using your body and awareness to take a joy-ride through life.

But even in these cases where the bear has moved in to stay, there is an inkling of desire to regain control.  This desire is innate.  In the practice of Mental Pilates, this innate desire to gain control of your life is the signal being sent out by your Core Identity.  Your Core Identity recognizes its self as instrument.  An instrument that is capable of forming all sorts of behaviors.  Your Core Identity, recognizing that you are an instrument, understands its Core Purpose.  Your Core Purpose is to become skilled at playing your instrument; to be able to form patterns of behavior that elicit vitality and fulfillment.  That is simply the lowest  common denominator of our being; we are instruments capable of repeating patterns and our purpose is to be aware of this truth and consciously participate in the process.  That's it.  Plain and simple. 

The first skill in the Mental Pilates practice is to strengthen you core identity.  What this means is removing any shred of doubt about your Core Identity and Purpose.  You see, the common thread that enables all "bears" to exist is doubt.  It is the doubt that one has about their own identity that the bear uses to co-opt your operation and move in.  By strengthening your own Core Identity and Purpose to a point that is beyond doubt you create the possibility of separating the "bear" from your own identity.  Once separation is achieved, then we can redirect any negativity that we had been feeling about our self towards the "bear" (i.e. pattern of behaviors).  This is a milestone event, a tipping point, where you co-opt the energy back from the bear and use it to push the bear out of your picture.  Hands on the wheel, you are back in the driver's seat!!!!

Food for Thought

As we work on identifying and strengthening our core identity, this week we were asked to select a core identity icon, think of a time and place we experience vitality, and begin formulating our redirection procedure. At first this seemed like a big assignment, but I attacked it with my usual organized, break it into small steps anal approach! Pen in hand, I started to scribble, stopped to think, scribbled a bit more ... and suddenly a whole bunch of things fell into place.

My interpretation of "at ease" includes a fair amount of activity, as I seldom find myself just chilling. When I feel most at ease I am apt to be standing at the kitchen counter chopping a mound of vegetables. My most memorable childhood moments are those spent baking cookies with my grandmother. My Energy Channel is like the Food Network on steroids.

Last week I almost posted a blog under this same title, but the content related more to the importance of taking good care of our bodies as part of expressing unconditional love for ourselves. I even took pictures of the breakfast I served Andy that morning and was going to share the recipe with all. Doesn't it look yummy??





But then I chickened out and figured we didn't want to turn Mental Pilates into a food blog.


However, this is now legit! Part of my homework! I have identified a time and place I feel at ease and I have even identified an effective redirection procedure - one that I've used successfully many times in the past. When it's time to step away from a potentially negative situation, break out the chopping block!! Start dicing onions, peeling potatoes, chopping carrots, washing lettuce ... works for me!

And I even have a candidate core identity icon! I don't know if this is pushing it, but there's great vitality and symbolism in this icon for me!



Let me know if you want the smoothie recipe! :)

Some of My Bears

A) My mind always scanning my body for weird symptoms which I then turn into anxiety which self escalates itself. I'm gettiong much better about being aware of this when it recurs and redirecting back to my core to hault this.

B) Fear that I'm not worthy to be a photography instructor. This one is a bit tougher but I am coming around to acknowledge that I am worthy and that I can do this.

C) Anger at home. Due to the rather stressful situation we've been dealing with these past 6 months with our son, daughter in law and their new baby living with us, I have realized that my mond is constantly on the defensive and scanning...looking for signals to tee off on. I have been becoming increasingly aware of when my mind is doing this and I'm becoming more adept at haulting that activity. When situations do arise, I now know that I can only control what I do and not what the actions of others are. In learning this, I become an observer, rather than being sucked in as a participant.

D) general fear of loosing our home since I'm unemployed. As I jhave been laid off and in a "trial modification" for some months with no formal paperwork in hand, I think it's safe to say that it is a truth that the worl could come calling and start foreclosure proceedings at any time, even though we are meeting our monthly modification commitments. This one really ate at me internally and of course affected a lot of what I did. Know what? If they take the house, they take it. It's just a big wooden box that in reality, we'd be better off without anyway given the economy and upside down state of the housing market. I realize that I don't need this box to live in to be happy! Actually, I'm waiting for someone in the group to start a commune so we can sign up :)

I have more and as I develop my awareness and redirection activities for them, I'll chat about this further.

A Change The Past 2 Weeks

While I haven't been actively participating on the blog since I've been busy with myriad of things, I have been paying attention and practicing the MP Philosophy...or at least what I know of it at this point and have found a change within me.

First, let me state that I have two major "bears" in my closet...

A) A predisposition (both biological and learned) to anxiety.

B) Procrastination...which I've always reasoned is OK since I work well with working "under fire" when I finally need to get off my ass and get things done.

What I've found is as follows:

While I haven't been physically keeping an "awareness journal" I have been doing so mentally and I'd argue the point that it works just fine. While it does not give me a documented data base which I could go back and sort to look for patterns, it has made me increasingly aware of what my triggers are on the negative side and what the good things are that go on in my life. It's almost like learning to ride a bike or swing a tennis racket...it becomes an innate activity. What I've found is that I am able to recognize my anxiety triggers (typically they are physical sensations of something being wrong which I brood about, thereby causing more anxiety to the point of having to escape with Xanax to control them). In recognizing them at their onset, I now accept them for what they are and redirect my awareness by retreating momentarily to a place where I'm always "at ease".....that being on the beach, with a breeze blowing, the terns riding the winds and the dune grasses swaying. It's a visualization that at current, works every time. rather than doing Xanax daily, by redirecting, I've only had to do so once now in the past week and a half. Definitely a big improvement for me, especially as it's now becoming second nature.

As far as the procrastination issue, this one os a bit more of a bear for me, especially since I'm laid off and a sense of direction is hard to come by....as is knowing what darn day of the week it is! I've actually spent time internally, quasi redirecting my thoughts toward what I want to do with my life going forward. While I still don't know if it's totally feasible, I have taught myself that I am a good photographer, that I do have something to offer and that I do have the kills to organize and teach others the art of landscape and nature photography and actually begin to make a living from it. This is where I need to refine my love for myself and my abilities and put them to a practical use in my life. I will be giving a 1 hour lecture at MA Audubon on 3/10 and that will be my sort of "coming out" party (stop laughing), where I will formally announce that I'll be giving individual and group lessons, seminars, etc. I now need to get a blog going, restructure or create a new web site (organized no less), and make this real.

Also, one thing I've always wanted to do is natural light nude photography (no..I don't want to be standing out in the sun naked taking pictures...I want to create classy images of others). Always wanted to so it and I realize that I need to get off my butt, get some instruction and see if I can't incorporate this into my photography repertoire as it will really feed my artistic cravings and they are a large part of who I am.

I've also realized or affirmed my prior knowledge that I procrastinate about a lot of things. When I catch myself sliding down that slope now, I step back for a moment, redirect and don't allow myself to get off track. It's not perfect yet, but it is getting a whole lot better :)

So...that's where I am. A little unorthodox relative to the MP structure outline, but I have to be honest and say that the entire philosophy has had a positive effect in just a few short weeks.

Question to the crowd

As we have learned, it all comes down to steering. Being unconscious is bad. Unconscious thought patterns are bringing us down.

What I want to ask the group is: can we drift unconsciously through life with rose colored glasses? And if we can is that bad?

Bears Bears Bears

In class we have been learning how to spot metaphorical bears, but some of the advice in this clip seemed strangely relevant. Especially the opening phrase "In order to survive, you must choose wisely".

Anyway in the discussion last night, Andy asked us to brainstorm some "Have you evers" that would help us identify with the idea. Here are mine and I encourage you to add yours as a comment so we get some of that interactivity that makes blogging so fabulous.

Have you ever....
- Powered through your day without taking anything in?
- Woke up on the proverbial "wrong side of the bed" and then been stuck there all day?
- Looked at someone and thought, "why can't I be that vibrant?"

I can't wait to hear everyone else's ideas!
Namaste,
Sarah

It Takes 5...

I am the consummate hoops junkie so I was determined to come up with a basketball analogy for this blog. "It takes 5" was a saying made popular by famous basketball players in a Adidas commercial a few years ago. While the commercial at its core was meant to sell sneakers, the meaning of the saying carrries a greater message. During game play, there are 5 players on the court for each team. While the stars in the commercial are shown independently of their teammates, each one is quick to acknowlegde that "It takes 5", or "It is not me solely that makes the team successful but all five acting in unison on the court."

It seems like a logical concept. Work as a team, play as a team and we all have a greater chance to succeed. Is it time for all of us to take a 20 (20 second timeout) and think more about "It takes 5?"...

Feeding the Bears!

Last night was wonderful.  Thank you for being engaged in this conversation.

Many, many thoughts were stimulated from our conversation.  Sarah and I had a follow-up discussion about the differences between emotions and states.  She pointed out that emotions were ephemeral (I think this means fleeting) where as states were more permanent.  I shared my belief that states are merely emotions that have been repeated, over and over.  I believe vitality is an emotion, that if repeated consistently, leads to a state of euphoria.

This lead me to another observation.  Last night someone asked the question "So, I shouldn't think of myself as being fat?"  I have reflected on this statement all night long and I feel the insights gained are very useful, for everyone.  I often use the analogy of a truck being stuck in the mud is still just a truck; which happens to be caught in the mud at the moment, but its core identity is that it is a truck.  In this case a person happens to be caught in a behavior pattern that caused weight gain.  While it may or may not be true that a person is overweight; using the "fat" label to identify oneself is reinforcing the behavior.  Just as the person who likes dogs seeks out evidence to validate their belief, someone who has labeled themselves as "fat" seeks out evidence that validates this rule that they believe to be true.  As they "catch" oneself indulging in the fat producing behavior they select that frame and observe "That's just the way I am!"  This process of "feeding the bears" goes on until the belief becomes a hard and fast rule, a label that we associate with our core identity.

The objective of the Mental Pilates practice is to create separation between one's core identity and the patterns of frames --> thoughts --> moods --> dispositions --> beliefs --> rules that have formed through your life experience.  By recognizing that "fat" is an attribute of the behavior pattern rather than an attribute of yourself you create an opportunity.  You see, this "fat' theme needs awareness to persist and thrive.  Every time you look in the mirror and label yourself as "fat" you are reinforcing the theme.  The opportunity lies in re-associating the "fat" label with the behavior pattern.  This re-association allows you to direct your disdain towards the behavior, and away from oneself.  You can break the back of that behavior pattern by putting it on your redirection list!!!!  Do not feed that pattern any frames of awareness.  Redirect your awareness towards activities that elicit vitality.  That is what the awareness journaling is all about; letting the behavior patterns emerge, be labeled and recognized as promoters or inhibitors of vitality.

I struggled for years with excessive drinking.  It got in the way of my life and was clearly not making me happy.  Ever time I swore off drinking, I failed.  Sometimes it would take weeks and sometimes just days, but every time I failed.  My attention was directed  towards my drinking, which only reinforced more drinking. I stayed in a loop of drinking, kicking myself for drinking and then kicking my self for not being strong enough to quit.  This pattern persisted for years.  My success in dramatically reducing the amount I drink has come from focusing on all of the other things in life that I love to do - way more than sitting on the couch and drinking.  I love working on my Mental Pilates practice, I love reading, I love giving massages, I love being clear headed so that I can be more productive.  By filling up my awareness shopping list with things I love to do that elicits vitality; I broke the back of the behavior pattern that was not contributing towards the flow of vitality.  I still drink, but not in a way that inhibits my vitality.

Also, beware!  The bears are tricky, and hungry...they will resort to all sorts of tactics to get their next meal!!!!

Andy

Awareness Journal

I became aware of a bear! By bear, I am referring to one of the slides from the last webinar when the little smiley face only saw bears in the rainbow shaped film strip over his head. I have discovered that I sometimes attend to little messes in my environment in lieu of the things that matter. Unlike the bear though, I have never been chased by a mess, and it is very unlikely that one will ever eat me for dinner. This means that it probably isn't worthy of my focus more than anything else going on. This is where choosing frames will be so key! I am eager to keep working on it!

Practice what you preach

Our session last Thursday evening may not have gone as planned for all participants, but it provided me with a first hand look at Mental Pilates in action!

We found ourselves getting into a circular discussion that soon threatened to compromise our ability to get through the entire evening's agenda. I could see that Andy was getting frustrated when the worst possible thing happened - serious technical difficulties!! With his computer frozen beyond any normal recovery, Andy was forced to power down, which we now knows means an abrupt end to all WebEx audio and video for all! :(

Ruh roh. Two days worth of preparation, high hopes and grand expectations dashed by an interrupted signal. But what is that about interrupted signals?? Time to sound the alarm!!

I witnessed Andy interrupt his awareness and begin to redirect any negative emotion on a path to regaining control. He began by breathing consciously for a few moments and I suspect he was reciting his core identity internally. Perhaps reciting something like, "Don't mistake failing with 'I am a failure." Not all goes as planned, sometimes for good reason! Next he took steps to insure his awareness was redirected. He got up and accomplished something positive and helpful - he emptied the dishwasher!! Then he picked up his mandolin and played some of his favorite Dead tunes with gusto. (Yes, Dead tunes on the mando, not bluegrass in this house!)

When we sat down to dinner a short while later, we enjoyed a calm and constructive conversation. He was already formulating revisions to his introduction to address the points that seemingly got us off track. What could have been an entire evening or more of being sucked into a downward spiral instead produced a very cool tweak to make the message more clear from the outset. I'm looking forward to seeing the new and improved version during our next session and look forward to sharing the experience with the team!

New Framework Ramble

It never ceases to amaze me how much applying a framework to an activity creates a new perspective-- so far in the short time I've been integrating the MP framework into my thoughts and trying to apply them to action, I'm reminded of my virtues and my foibles, but the perspective that MP has given me, even in the brief time I've been trying to "live it" renews my optimism, while also reinvigorating so many brain cells I thought I'd let go of-- good and bad-- just like with physical exercise no-pain no-gain--

P.S. This post makes me think: "The punctuation is all wrong" "the readers will think this is stupid" "I am supposed to post" "No shortcuts" "Is it better to be silent and have everyone think I'm a fool or remove all doubt by posting" "Set an example" "It's not perfect" "It's Perfect"

The Power of Persistence

That which we persist in doing becomes easier, not that the task itself has become easier, but that our ability to perform it has improved. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Starting any new behavior isn’t always easy. How many New Years have come and gone where your “resolution” barely lasted through the BCS bowl games?

In my experience, it takes more time than you think to ingrain habits or at least make them your go-to unconscious choice more often than not. Of course it depends on the person and the habit, but consensus seems to be that it takes at least 21 days and even upwards of two months to really instill a new habit. I think that’s why we see programs like Dr. Andrew Weil’s 8 Weeks to Optimum Health prescribing that amount of time to successfully adopt new habits and behaviors.

To some, that may seem like a long time or a big commitment. That’s where the power of persistence comes in. You need to give yourself the time it takes and the time you deserve. Take advantage of tools like writing down your goals and journaling or surrounding yourself with a community that shares your enthusiasm and provides support. But stick to the program as best you can for the prescribed amount of time and you will be truly surprised to learn that Emerson is right!

One year ago next week I decided it was time to make a few changes. With both of my parents battling cancer, I knew I had no time to waste if I wanted to mitigate my chances of going down that same road. I always hated exercise, but I knew it was good for me and I should learn to enjoy it. I decided that I needed to focus my excellent cooking skills on making more healthy dishes from real food, not baking cookies or casseroles. I’d be lying if I said it was easy or all fun. But I was persistent, never gave up, stayed true to my goals. Wrote down what I ate, wrote down when I moved my body … One year later, I genuinely crave a healthy salad or a bowl of fresh fruit. I feel like I’m missing something if I don’t’ get some exercise every day. I’ve lost the equivalent of our dog Roxie on the scale and am able to snowshoe three miles without breaking a sweat – and love it!

Just give it time, be persistent.

ponderings...

Last night in our class, Andy explained awareness as being able to see all that's possible rather than being narrowed by past experiences. As his daughter, I have heard this all many times before, but this time it struck me in a new way. Who knows perhaps it was the new intro :)

Anyways I found myself wondering if you are aware aka open to everything does that mean that included in your scope are all the ways you can be annoyed/all the things that are wrong. Does being open to everything really mean seeing it all and choosing to be happy? Seems exhausting at first. In some ways it would be easier to just tune all the negative out, but I guess that isn't compatible with pure presence.

Lets break it down in an example. Say I walk into the kitchen....what to you would be the ideal way of being aware?

A- Smells good in here, I wonder what's for dinner. Begin looking in the fridge and start cooking.

B- My roommate left dirty dishes in the sink. It smells good in here. Begin looking in the fridge and start cooking.

Okay so the example really oversimplfies, but I guess what I am asking is are you supposed to take in the dirty dishes or just proceed as if they are invisible? Is the victory in ignoring the negative or in deciding not to let it effect you?

Why Strengthening Core Identity is the Foundation of the Practice

The Mental Pilates Foundation

Strengthening your Core identity is the foundation of the Mental Pilates practice and, as such, it can not be emphasized enough.  We all have a story about who we are in our mind.  I refer to this story as our "theme".  But for me, and I believe nearly everyone else, it isn't really quite that simple.  You see, I have many themes about who I am going on in my head.  I have the theme that I like to believe most of the time; that I am a smart, hard-working, creative person trying to make a difference in the world.  But I also have other themes lurking, call them sneaking suspicions or lingering doubts about who I am.  These are such things that I am a procrastinator, lazy, someone others do not believe in, etc.  There are times when these "competing" themes about who I am latch on to "frames" of supporting evidence and, for some amount of time, become the dominant theme of who I believe myself to be.  As I described in an earlier blog entry, it is as if there is a horse race among the competing themes and the one in front has an unfair advantage as it scoops up all of the frames it needs to maintain the lead.  

The underlying purpose of strengthening your core identity is to realize that these "themes" are just behavior patterns that are struggling to survive within your own head.  They are not looking out for your own well being, they are looking out for their own existence.  These competing stories (themes) about who you are need evidence to survive and when they latch on to such evidence it often gets greatly magnified into some dramatic, declarative statement such as "See, that's just the way I am!!!"  As long as there is a fragment of doubt about your true core identity these competing "themes" will exploit your self-doubt to their own advantage.  

So, the purpose of the Core Identity, values and purpose statements are to remove any lingering doubt about who you are and your purpose for being.  You are not any of these stories (themes), good or bad, that compete with one another for your awareness.  Your Identity is at a lower level of existence, your inner Core.  Beneath your habits, beliefs and rules is a being that has needs, abilities and a purpose; which is to foster, shepard, root for patterns that elicit vitality and provide fulfillment.  Becoming absolutely certain of this identity gives you a rock solid foundation, an unwavering confidence.  This crystal clear clarity is the foundation because when one of the "themes" starts a feeding frenzy and attempts co-opt your awareness it is clarity that overrides the doubt; and enables you to redirect your awareness back to the known truth that you are not any of these competing "themes".  No matter what type of "rhetoric" flies through your head, you can see it as the desperate attempt of a theme attempting to perpetuate it's own existence. That is why strengthen core identity is the foundation of the Mental Pilates practice.

The inner geek

My cell (I use an iPhone) is really my lifeline to the outside world. Like everyone else, I use it (for better or worse) to stay connected with friends and family. Since it's a smartphone (and I'm a recovering techie), I use it for everything including email, calendaring, photos, music, note-taking, reading, lists, news, shopping, directions, etc.

It's with me all the time so the iPhone was the obvious choice for me to get the MP content in my face. To that end, I've created a 'Practice' page in the Notes app and pasted all of the core statements there. That way I can review, modify and ponder anytime (except when I'm driving of course).

And since I'm Buddha-curious, I'm using this image as my phone's wallpaper to remind me to stay on the path.

Reflecting on the Homework

This week we were supposed to surround ourselves with our core identity statement and as you could see from my earlier post I did this with enthusiasm. As I stare at the words ever so carefully sharpied across my special paper, I realize that my method left them etched in stone in a way. I am not a digital kind of girl, I really prefer pens, the process of writing, and an artful display, but it makes modification a bit harder. I know we talked about editing these statements in the weeks to come so that they better fit our individual personalities and I can't help but feel that I have wasted my special paper too soon. I think that spiritually, it was quite useful to fully invest in step one. So perhaps it wasn't a waste, but this reveals on advantage of using the Mental Pilates google desktop or some other digital media.
I for one still love my display and am going to reflect how to build on it without tearing down the foundation. Post-its perhaps?

Couples Identity

During the extensive period that the Mental Pilates practice was being developed, Andy and I would discuss the practice from the perspective of a couple - what is our core identity, values, purpose, etc. as a couple? I drew the following icon representing our core and the original hangs on the wall over my desk.



A good spot to add my personal statements, perhaps?

Strengthening Your Core Identity

As I have been working on the new introduction based upon last evening's feedback it dawned on me why strengthening your core identity is so, so important.

As we all know, from our own life experience, we each have a number of rules and beliefs about ourselves; most good and others not so good.  These different "themes" we have about our own identity are, in effect, in competition with one anther much like horses in a race.  Subconsciously, each theme is actively scanning the environment for evidence (i.e. frames) that can push it ahead.  The further one theme gets ahead of the others allows it to gain an unfair advantage and that theme will thrive.

By understanding our core identity is something separate and apart from these themes (rules & beliefs) it allows us to influence the outcome of the race.  In as much as we strengthen our core identity & purpose; that we are repeaters with the purpose of forming patterns that elicit vitality and provide fulfillment; we can now observe the race from a new perspective.  The themes in this competition are not interested in your well being; they are interested in promoting their own survival.  And they need repeated evidence to remain "alive".  The fact is that YOU are not even in the race

So, no matter how the race is going in any one person's life, no matter which theme (good or bad) is in the lead, by strengthen our core identity & purpose - you can create separation between your core identity and the race itself.  With this separation you can now actually start rooting for the themes (rules & beliefs) that are serving your core identity and purpose to elicit vitality and achieving fulfillment.  Rooting is achieved through selecting awareness, which is Tuesday's topic.

Stay tuned!!!!

Inspiration Center

Messy desk aside, this is how I have chosen to make my statements part of my life. I took down anything that decreased my vitality to my bulletin boards and instead filled them with my statements and trinkets that make me smile. Since this is the first thing I see when I wake up in the morning, Mental Pilates will certainly be an integral part of my life.


I used pages from an book of Saudi Arabian poetry that I bought with my friends to do arts and crafts with. Not only are the pages beautiful, but they have a positive association with the snowy day that I went to the used book sale with people I care about.

Can't wait to see what others come up with!

Namaste,
Sarah

The MP Dev Team rocks!!!

Thanks for a very, very productive session last evening!  I learned a lot and have finally gotten it through my thick skull how to introduce this very exciting topic without going too deep into evolutionary history and/or my Human Energy Crisis story.  Thank you all for your patients in that matter.

For what it is worth, Dorothy has been trying to tell me this for 5 years!  There is something powerful about 7 of your friends telling you the same thing, in unison!!!

Keep reading those core Identity, values and purpose statements!!!

I will post next Tuesday's meeting soon.  I am thinking of experimenting with VoIP.  We'll see how that works.

Andy