October 03, 2006
The Day Fire is contained
I am relieved to say that the wildfire that has been blazing in the mountains above Ojai for the past 3+ weeks has been 100% contained thanks to the efforts of over 3,000 firefighting personel and no small chunk of change- estimated at over $70 million spent so far.
David often talks about the "latest and loudest" grabbing our attention and directing us away from the most appropriate next actions. There's nothing like an update about a very real and very powerful threat to pull at the psyche and add stress to your life.
Ojai breathes a sigh of relief. A shift in the wind last week brought us some both mental and physical relief. The fire shifted away from us (unfortunately towards another community to the north) and the ash and smoke falling from the sky diminished noticeably. We even had some light rain showers this weekend; fall is here and the fire is on its way out!
Thanks to all of you who have sent your well-wishes to us at DavidCo, based here in Ojai.
And thanks to The Ojai Post for keeping us informed every step of the way. It's so nice to see how Ojai became a vibrant interactive community in the face of concern. It is oh-so-good to live in a small town.
Posted by Lisa at 11:31 AM | Comments (2)
September 27, 2006
A deep yoga workout
I just had a lovely yoga session using Kathy Smith's New Yoga Challenge, a video I found collecting dust in my cupboard.
Since I am at a beginner-intermediate level of yoga, the workout was plenty challenging for me, and I had to pay attention to not over-extend or do the poses incorrectly. It was a wonderful workout, and one of the best I've had in terms of strengthening and deepening the poses. I also tend to look for yoga workouts that aren't cheesy or pretentiously glam. I like a yoga teacher who is down to earth, connected to his/her body, and gently encouraging. It was quite fun to see a fitness queen alongside her yoga teacher, in the student's role for a change. It certainly made me feel less intimidated to see how two people who have been practicing for over 20 years still have varying degrees of flexibility and strength.
Tips for an effective yoga session:
Relaxed breath. As much as every yoga instructor worth his salt will tell you to be aware of your breathing, I still find it challenging to observe without controlling. I remind myself to "watch" the breath or "feel" the breath, without pushing or pulling it.
A quiet mind. It helps me tremendously to do a 5-10 minute mindsweep before beginning yoga. That way most of the stray thoughts and ideas that would come up in the middle of cobra pose are out of the way. I know many athletes who do this before a big event, like runners and triathletes.
An empty belly. To me there's nothing like a deep yoga experience without the weight of a recent meal. I like to come out of yoga to have a fresh vegetable juice hit my stomach first, and then if I'm hungry I have a meal after that.
Honor your body. This means take an extra breath in a pose that is really healing for you, and don't push yourself into stretches that are too challenging. Be aware of your individual needs and don't worry about copying the instructor exactly. This is easier to do when you have a yoga teacher who can support you in tailoring your session to your body, but it can also be done in private workouts.
A clear calendar. I once had a yoga lesson which I had to leave five minutes early to get to a meeting. It was one of the most distracted and physically uncomfortable sessions I've ever had. If you're going to do yoga, block out plenty of time before and after the session so you can remain in the groove, and rest afterwards for as long as you need to.
Toys & costumes. There's nothing to make it seem official like an outfit you love, and all the right equipment. It makes a big difference to some basic part of the mind to see and touch the gear that matches up with the activity. Dress up and treat yourself to a good mat, and whatever other equipment you need. My favorite- a lavender scented eye pillow to place over your face after a good session.
Posted by Lisa at 08:00 PM | Comments (1)
September 25, 2006
Going Raw
For a little over a month now, I've been getting into the raw food movement. It all started when I read a Raw Spirit and starting networking with "raw foodies", as I affectionately like to call them.
Initially the idea of eating lots of uncooked foods went against all the traditions I know and love. Cooking and mealtimes are so rich with cultural meaning and codes of conduct, so naturally I felt some initial resistance to the idea of giving that up. Despite my skepticism, I gave it a try. I began integrating more and more raw foods into my diet. At first, it just meant more uncooked veggies instead of steamed ones. Then I added in more fruit, raw nuts, and other raw sources of protein. It's only been a few months, so the verdict is still out. But I have to say, I feel better than ever, have more energy, and am starting to enjoy my relationship with food for the first time. This is a project I have filled under the Area of Focus "health" and my successful outcome is "I am radiant with health, perfectly nourished by every bite of food that I eat."
To amuse myself one evening I threw together some raw tacos, which turned out to be almost too beautiful to eat. Then when I actually did eat them I couldn't believe how rich and tasty they were! What you see is a salad of cabbage, carrots, and cherry tomatoes in a romaine wrap. The middle taco also has a nut pate I threw together (never knew a mortar & pestle would become useful kitchen tools beyond grinding fresh Indian spices!) It contains raw cashews, flax seeds, almond butter, and flax oil. It tastes like dessert, and is super-filling.
Ok, so you thought that looked beautiful. Check out a real raw meal from a gourmet:
I had the pleasure of dining at Pure Food & Wine while in New York a few weeks ago, and I must say it topped the charts, even compared to fine restaurants where they cook their food. The place has a charming little courtyard, and a menu full of names like "Creamy Cauliflower Samosas with Banana Tamarind Sauce" or "Goat Cheese Stuffed Squash Blossoms". 100% of the ingredients are vegan and have not been heated above 115 degrees, leaving all the enzymes intact and the nutrients fresh. I highly recommend it for anyone wanting a meal that leaves you feeling as good as it tastes.
I'll keep you posted on how my project turns out. If you see me blog about raw desserts a year from now, I think we can safely say I was successful. Wishing you good food and great health!
Posted by Lisa at 06:30 AM | Comments (2)
August 02, 2006
The Authentic Voice
When I was a teenager, I reluctantly recorded my first answering machine message of my very own. I remember recording it over and over again, frustrated by how repulsive my own voice sounded to me. Despite this, many of my friends growing up told me they liked my voice, and I always had success presenting oral reports and speeches.
So why did I hate my own voice? I hadn't yet uncovered my "authentic voice", which I had the pleasure of discovering recently thanks to Tom Boyer.
I was lucky enough to take a half day workshop on Voice with Tom Boyer, a longtime musician and voice coach. It comes as no surprise that how you express yourself through your voice speaks worlds about who you are, and what you bring to the world. Tom talks about three types of natural voices- voices of strength, beauty, or wisdom. I was thrilled to discover that when I "produce my voice correctly" I have a voice of beauty, and it does sound beautiful to me, even relaxing to listen to. What a relief! In voice lessons I was told that my voice was too breathy, and that for a soprano I just couldn't hit high notes properly. Well after all of that negative feedback, I had decided that my voice was mediocre at best, and my singing voice was something to be ashamed of.
Thanks to this Voice workshop, I am now embarking on a journey of voice discovery. I'm continuing with the little exercises Tom taught us, deep breathing, relaxing and stretching the jaw, projecting more air through an imaginary tube to increase volume, etc. And I'm singing more and more, discovering which songs I sing along to well, and which onces tend to pull me away from my own natural voice. It's opened up another world to play in, a sensory experience that I never much cared about before since I tend to be a highly kinesthetic and visual person.
Michael Bungay-Stanier published this excellent July issue of his Outside the Lines newsletter called Are you loosing your voice?. Fortuitous for me that he points us to more resources and commentary on the importance of using your natural voice in presenting, which is something I am continuing to expand into. I've always loved Michael's insightful newsletters, and these great articles on voice happened into my inbox in perfect timing. I hope you'll enjoy the articles, too.
Posted by Lisa at 09:59 PM
June 25, 2006
Surfing Lesson #1
I had the most wonderful early birthday surprise today... my first surfboard! An 8' soft top perfect for a beginner of my height, and it came with my first lesson so I had a chance to try it out.
The first thing I learned is this: the ocean is a whole lot bigger than me. Sure you always know that looking at the ocean, and sure you get some sense of that when you swim or boogie board, but there's nothing like a good wipeout to humble you. It was such a joy to be out there, an experience of surrendering to the waves. Now it's up to me to get into better shape so I can make good use of this board.
Isn't she a beauty? (That's the electric blue one, of course.)
Posted by Lisa at 11:31 PM | Comments (5)
June 20, 2006
Waking up the body
I've been reflecting quite a bit lately on the topic of letting go. It came up several weeks ago when I discovered that holding my breath while creating pottery was hindering my performance, not enhancing it. After that experience, I began paying more attention to the ways in which I either "let go" or "hold on", or said another way, I am observing how every moment is an opportunity to either relax/surrender or tighten up.
One of my current working theories is that people in this day and age have become extraordinarily disconnected from our bodies. This is not to say everyone, but looking around my nation I see a lot of inactivity, desk-jobs promoting inactivity, and obesity as evidence of this inactivity. It seems to me that people are identifying more and more with our minds and emotions, and quite a lot less with our physical, bodily experiences.
One of the most interesting implications of this theory was presented to me in a course on Feelings and Emotions, taught from a cognitive perspective. If we are so disconnected with our bodies, this explains the research that shows that we often misinterpret our own emotions. Feelings, which usually stem from bodily sensations, are often mislabeled when our heart rate is up, we have a stomach ache, or our some other physical symptom awakens us to how we are interpreting external events.
How amazing that we seem to use our minds to systematically interpret both our bodily experiences, and what they imply about our emotional state. I speculate that if we can get more directly connected to our bodies through mindfulness, we won't have to go through so much grunt work to be aware of what is present for us in the moment. This is my theory about why yoga is so popular lately- people are pleasantly surprised by how awareness coupled with physical activity wakes us up.
So for those of us sitting at a desk all day long, how can we reconnect to our bodies?
I found this interesting site on stress management that includes 13 exercises to relax your muscles. I recommend picking one out that targets an area of your body that is particularly tense. Email it to yourself, or drop it into your inbox.
There is nothing like going along processing your inbox when you find a treat, some sort of relief from front-end decision making that will take you two minutes or less. I often drop into my own inbox a reminder to participate in a worldwide peace prayer. Whatever it is for you, lighten up your processing experience by building something pleasant right into it. I've often heard of folks practicing positive-self-reinforcement (also know as rewards!) during their weekly review. I am certainly not above those tiny little tricks that keep me on track, motivated, and physically relaxed. If your time at work represents a significant portion of your waking hours, why not make those hours as healthy and fun as possible.
And one last thought, when you do your weekly review consider adding this question to your checklist:
How am I doing about taking care of my mind, body, and emotions while I work?
Posted by Lisa at 09:25 AM | Comments (6)
June 02, 2006
Centering and Mind Like Water
I recently joined an intermediate pottery class at Firehouse Pottery with Frank Massarella here in Ojai, California. I must say it is SO refreshing and wonderful to be committed in an ongoing way to something that is purely relaxing for me. I was partly inspired by the weekly "creative nights" that my brother and his wife schedule weekly, and suddenly I find myself setting aside time for something totally wonderful.
I got into ceramics in my senior year of high school and later did my senior project teaching hand building techniques at an orphanage in Mexicali, Mexico. Ever since then I've been seeking ways to stay in touch with the clay, it's one of those things that just opens my heart in such a big way. In college I particpated in a pottery cooperative, and took handbuilding classes that taught me to form pots as native Americans do. So here I am just getting back into one of my favorite hobbies.
My new class is going well so far, and teaching me a lot beyond just the physical techniques of throwing pottery. I've always been interested in how the centering process requires a significant amount of calm, focus, and attention. I highly recommend this book, Centering, In Pottery, Poetry and the Person by Mary Caroline Richards. Centering clay is a powerful metaphor for being centered in yourself.
I had a fun experience with centering last week in my class. I have always held my breath during the centering process as a way of staying totally focused on the motions of my hands and arms. It's been a conscious choice for me to do so, but when my new teacher strolled by me last week she said, "Breathe, Lisa, breathe!!" And I did. I gave it a try and found that I am perfectly capable of keeping a steady rhythmic breathing going while I center even large pieces of clay. It was so relaxing! I'm sure that taking yoga has something to do with how peaceful it feels to be aware of my moving breath right in the midst of attemping to create a perfect stillness in the clay. It's always fun to discover a deeper level of relaxation.
Then as I was leaving the studio, I overheard a beginner in the class say, "It's so weird, I can't even think about all the things I have to do while I'm in this class. It's great!"She had her first taste of mind like water!
I'm so thankful for GTD and all of the techniques and tools I've picked up over the years that allow me to get totally emerged in creating and playing, letting time disappear altogether.
Posted by Lisa at 01:54 PM | Comments (3)
May 17, 2006
Two steps to a clear mind
I was lying awake in bed thinking when I suddenly stopped myself and said "Hey, what do you think you're doing lying here thinking? Just get everything off your mind and go to sleep." Probably spoken like a true brown belt, one who has achieved a considerable degree of proficiency with a GTD system, but is smart enough to know I'm not there yet!
So I got out of bed and as usual wrote down a few stray thoughts that were gently nudging me towards my capture tool. But the instant I did that, another thought popped in (actually the inspiration for this blog). Funny how that happens.
Perhaps there are two cuts to getting things off your mind. The first step, which is actually not-so-obvious, is writing it down. It often seems unnatural or even scary at first to write down the small stuff, as if our ballpoints are actually chisels that will carve our words into eternity. But once we do write it down, the relief from not having to think of it is phenomenal, one of the biggest ah-ha moments I've watched people have at the RoadMap seminars.
The second cut of a clean and clear mind is this: Let it go. Not only do you have to be willing and commit to letting the thought go, you also have to do whatever it is that's necessary in order for you to let it go. I can only feel that tiny rush of freedom when I write down "Mow the lawn" if I feel pretty confident that I will process that note relatively soon into a system that I will review frequently enough that I will have the right information at the right moment to mow that lawn (before it eats my lawn chairs).
So why is it that sometimes even when I have something captured and "in the system" I continue to think about it? (Besides the obvious factor which is that an active and healthy mind enjoys a good deal of thinking in the spaces in between). My theory is that the only reasons to ever continue to think about something you already have identified as a clear next action step are these:
1) The thought is too juicy and delicious to leave it in your system for later (i.e. Who cares that I know exactly what to do to make my first trip to Chile happen tomorrow, I'm just bouncing around knowing that I'm on my way!)
2) Some part of me can't let that thought go because there is more information in it, about it, or with it to be processed in a more effective way. (The far less sexy: I know we created a successful outcome at that last project meeting, but I have this tiny niggly feeling we made the wrong call on our marketing slogan).
Either one of these boils down to: you haven't let that thought go yet, whether that's by choice or by less-than-conscious choice. Neither state is worse than the other, but the second one takes a bit more work to resolve than the first, which is self-resolving.
In the interest of aiming for mind like water, here are a few tricks I've picked up to bring myself back into the present moment:
-Awareness of breath. It so simple and tremendously powerful as a way of reconnecting with the natural moving rhythm of the breath. It also reconnects you to your body, which is important when you're deep in mentally-powered work.
-Step back and ask "Why am I thinking about this? Is there something I am trying to do or accomplish by thinking about this?" If so, choose to set aside some time either now or later to really devote yourself to this thinking, you might uncover some great new information, or just as good, you might find out that the next action step needed a lot more clarity and focus.
-Laughter- nothing refocuses you like a sudden uncontrollable burst of humor. This exercise is best done in contagion.
-Talk about it out loud. Propel your thoughts out, start up a conversation with an obliging friend or colleague and see where an outside perspective takes you. This can also help uncover hidden information and clarify the true next action step or successful outcome you are looking for to get back to mind like water.
I would love to hear from any of you who might be reading this about your experiences with aiming for an empty head, and with being present in the moment.
Posted by Lisa at 11:51 PM | Comments (2)
April 26, 2006
The Better You Get
I've been rereading Ready For Anything recently and came across the principle that says:
"The better you get, the better you'd better get." -Chapter 42
The topic of responsibility and how our responsibilities change has been on my mind lately. I was having a conversation with a close friend who is recovering from a serious case of meningitis slowly but surely. She commented on the tremendous difference she's experienced in her level of responsibility since she's regained the strength to walk around and do small household tasks. Instead of being fed, she was whipping up delicious recipes for others.
"To whom much is given, much is expected." -Luke 12:48
A physical therapist will often encourage the patient generously when they take even the most microscopic step toward greater flexibility and movement. These tiny changes add up! And the harder we train and expand from the place we started out, the more life shows up to meet us. This principle seems to apply to physiological, mental, even emotional, increases in skill. What amazes me is how this process works so naturally, organically.
"With great power comes great responsibility." -my favorite comic book hero, Spider-man
One thing I love about GTD is that the better I get at it, the more I'm able to see how the new thoughts springing into my mind are more creative and interesting than ever before. That also makes them more challenging to take hold of and make use of, but that's part of the thrill.
So it's clear that more responsibility "comes," but where does it come from? My immediate instinct says it is ourselves, sensing the constant tiny changes in our readiness to deal with the world and adapting what we allow on our figurative plates, calendars and minds. Another possibility is that the environment around us responds to the freed up energy and decides to offer us opportunities to do more, play harder, stretch and grow. My "upbringing" in psychology tells me it is likely a combination of our inner and outer regulators at work.
I've noticed a lot of discussion about the information overload that's overwhelming so many people, and it's very true that technology seems to be pointing us towards more rather than less of everything. But perhaps this mass of information and these vast resources are really a sign that we are evolving, that we are now more able to respond than humankind ever was before.
So the next time you catch yourself thinking, "I don't have time for that," take pause and consider the possibility that more-than-you-can-handle showing up may just be a sign that you can handle more than ever.
Posted by Lisa at 07:58 PM | Comments (2)
