37 Wishes

September 25 is my birthday.
I will be 37 this year!
Thirty-seven wishes for the next year...

1. live passionately
2. every individual in my life realizes how much i appreciate them
3. i remain in a consistent, balanced state of health
4. my family remains in a consistent, balanced state of health
5. my children are exposed to a new experience every day
6. those closest to me heal any emotional anguish
7. suffering ends for at least one person
8. mental/emotional distractions dissolve
9. love flows freely
10. breathe in more joy
11. breathe out sadness
12. everyone who reads this is HAPPY
13. move to the center of that which needs to open with energy and passion
14. lots of CAKE!
15. hold nothing back
16. to attract more people to the joy of yoga
17. my 9 year old car, with over 120,000 miles motors on for at least 11 more months!
18. my two old cats accept the young cat and we can all live in harmony inside this winter
19. a short winter
20. my kombucha culture keeps creating new cultures forever!!
21. take a course with erich schiffman
22. take a course with seane corn
23. bliss out at the jai uttal concert in october!
24. dance dance dance
25. be wild at least once a month
26. create THE plan for a yoga studio
27. elliot stops sucking his thumb
28. have my heart struck by the beauty of love, everyday
29. cultivate a deeper, inner knowing of the divine within
30. live among the joy of friends
31. we all dedicate our lives to ecstatic happiness
32. continually remember that i am not separate from anyone, anything, any creature
33. surrender again and again
34. clarity will triumph within me
35. celebrate being fully alive with a radiant heart
36. remove all obstacles in my way
37. HELL YES every day!

OOOOHHHHHH YYEEEEAAAAAAAHHHHHH!

love love love ~ shani

www.yogawithshani.com

Dancing for Universal Peace

I just have to quickly share this...
I participated in Dances for Universal Peace at Just Plain Yoga tonight.
This is my second time experiencing "The Dances" as my beautiful guide Yasmin refers to them.

I must say, each time I have left feeling so much love, so much gratitude for everything, everyone in my life. I have left with absolute clarity about what is REAL. I have left knowing that love is the supreme healing power.

There is zero judgement at these dances. Being bathed in the support that is offered by the other participants, provides an unwavering accuracy in perceiving the truth of every individual. And THAT is what I blogged about earlier today: we are beautiful crystaliazations of love - there is nothing else.

The Dances for Universal Peace are another way to free yourself from the stories you have been told about yourself. Another way to shed everything and see yourself in the eyes of another being.

Thank You ~ Thank You ~ Thank You, Yasmin for sharing The Dances.

You can learn more about DUP at: http://www.peaceworksdancesna.org/
DUP are offered the second Saturday of every month at Just Plain Yoga Studio in Camp Hill. And chances are very good that I will be there. I hope to see you there.

With Conscious Realization
xoxo
Shani
http://www.yogawithshani.com/

"I know because I KNOW"

Gurmukh said that.
"I know beacause I KNOW. " She also added, "And nobody can touch that!"
I love her.

I KNOW that I was born to love. I have dived through the koshas (the dimensions of personality) and KNOW what dwells in the center of my being. Deep, deep inside, I am MAGNIFICENT! I am exquisitely loved. I KNOW that my undistorted self is the pure essence of love. Love is the pervading awareness of all beings.

But to know this you have to remember, you did not create yourself. You have to let go of everything you think you know about yourself. You have to let go of all the stories you've ever been told about yourself. When you do, what remains is the untarnished you! The luminous presence of who you have always been - who you REALLY are!

Love is your inherent constitution.

There is nothing else.

This is yet another step on the yogic path that is not easy. It is difficult to let go of those myths you've been replaying in your mind. It is not easy to stop this controlling pattern. It is not easy to stop pretending to be one way rather than being your authentic loving self. It requires tremendous courage to release firmly held beliefs. But when once you catch a glimspe of yourself, you will relaize that you have been blinding yourself.

Do you have any idea how loved you are? HOW much love you are?

There is no reason to be self-critical, to be full of self-doubt, to be full of guilt. Plunge inside and look at yourself. Trust me, underneath it all - embracing it all - is beautiful creative energy, grounded in pure love. THIS is the natural state of being.

Are you suspicious of all this talk of love?

Is this sounding like I'm living in a field of daisies with unicorns frolicking under a sky of rainbows?

I encourage you to desire.

Desire to know the truth about YOURSELF instead of following the lives of others. Their spiritual growth is none of your business. Desire to WANT to know YOUR truth. Open up your mind to what is actually so - to living the truth of you. It is the most life-affirming thing you can do. What you will find is true love. YOU are love. You are joy.

But you'll never be convinced of this until you go in - again and again. You will know that love is what you are because you will experience it! You will know that you didn't put it there, another person didn't put it there. Love is not some mental ideal that you adopt, it is not something you "conjure up". It is not something you place responsibility on from another being. You will know happiness. It is something you discover within yourself.

It is not ego-centric or arrogant or conceited to know and express this love of yourself. It is no more narcissistic to experience spontaneous happiness and self-love than it is to appreciate the magnificence of the ocean or the moon.

The wonder and beauty of you is not "your doing".
You do not have be be any other way other than the way you are!
PHEW!


Let LOVE out!
Live your TRUTH!
KNOW!

oozing love ~ shani
http://www.yogawithshani.com/

HELL Yes!

I love being connected to others on a level where fear and criticisms and complaints and anxiety are completely non-existent.
This is the level of connection where that which arises is without judgement and is the RAW truth.


I love having connections with other women on this level - we KNOW!


I love the bitter honesty that soul-sisters can share with complete tenderness.
I love having supportive female friends who will walk and walk and walk in the setting sun or through the coolness of the trees along a creek, and listen to my erratic emotional/spiritual ramblings while tossing their achings & longings right back.

And at the end of that walk we are affirmed again and again and again - we are not alone!
It is this kind of friendship that recharges your spirit and makes you say, "HELL YES!"

Thank you beauties
mmmmwuh!
Shani

http://www.yogawithshani.com/

"You know kale is my favorite food!!"

This is one of my favorite stories about my daughter to date:

My daughter Addi was about 3 at the time...I had one of those "crazy" days that I just wanted to end, but needed to make dinner for Addi. I rummaged through my cupboard and found a can of "Annies Stars" the organic equivalent to Spaghetti-O's...PERFECT!

Opened the can, plopped the stars into a pan and viola! Dinner - fantastic!
Sat the bowl of pasta in front of Addi, "Here's dinner, sweetie."
Addi looks at the bowl, looks at me and immediately begins to cry, "I don't like this dinner!"
I'm tired and irritable, what kid doesn't like spaghetti-o's??? "Oh, it will fine fine honey, just eat."
Addi now has tears streaming down her face, remember she's 3..."But this isn't my favorite! I want my favorite!"
"What's your favorite?"
"Mamma, you know KALE is my favorite food!! I want kale!"

So, what is this KALE dish my daughter was so passionate about?? Well, I'll share it with you. However, I never measure anything (unless I'm baking) I just know much to use...

1 big head of kale, remove leaf from stem & put the stems in your compost
1 medium onion
2 cloves of garlic
olive oil
rosemary, salt, pepper
cannellini beans
vermouth
stock
fresh Parmesan

• steam the kale in a stock pot with a shallow amount of water
• chop the onion and garlic and saute in olive oil while kale is steaming
• when onion is soft add enough vermouth to just cover the onion, add the rosemary, salt and pepper and simmer for a few minutes
• while that's simmering, the kale should be steamed, drain the water and chop the kale
• then add the beans and the kale to the onions and add enough stock to loosen the mixture
• cook until stock is heated through
• serve in bowl w/fresh Parmesan

Viola! Dinner! This is one of those meals we eat every week at my house - both my kids LOVE it! SSOOOOO good for you - ENJOY
www.yogawithshani.com