Patty's Column - March

March 2010
Greetings Yogis ...

I’m not a big fan of blogging. And I swore to myself that I would never write one.

Sounds pretty judgmental doesn’t it? I would have to agree. But honestly, I just never understood the concept.

After all, I haven't read many that I found to be all that interesting. And, in fact, most seemed to be quite self serving, perhaps just another way for us to force our opinions, vent, complain, or talk about anyone or anything, not always in a kind way without limits or boundaries.

So where's the appeal in that?

Yet as a society we are obsessed with blogging. As a matter of fact, millions of people of all ages are now blogging ... every single day. So much so that the actual number of bloggers is immeasurable.

So why do people blog? And who, if anyone, is doing the reading? And when does blogging cross the line and become just plain old blabbing?

Admittedly, it is a lot easier to only see things from my own perspective. But what if I looked at things from a different point of view?

So I started to wonder, as human beings, is it possible that at some level each one of us has the desire make a difference by contributing to society in some way, and yet we don't quite know how?

Isn’t it true that we all like to be noticed or acknowledged in some way? Or maybe just simply heard?

Is it possible that blogging can offer the unexpressed person an opportunity to finally feel heard in ways that were not possible before blogging existed?

Let's face it, life as we know it today isn’t easy. And with all of its stresses, it can be so easy for us to feel lost or unnoticed. Or better yet, convinced that what we have to say has no value.

So what if blogging can give us a way to find our voice?

To offer an opportunity for many of us to learn how to express ourselves, get our words out and let our feelings be heard, even if for now just on paper? To say out loud what we've needed to say for years without being stopped or told to shut up?

What if through blogging, what we shared, actually helped another find the courage to begin to do the same? Or to allow them to once again feel like their presence in the world actually makes a difference?

What if, what seems like blabbing to us, is actually helping to heal someone else?

Just a thought …

www.pattyivey.blogspot.com



February 2010
Greetings Yogis ...


Thirty-three days into year 2010, and I haven’t come up with a New Year Resolution. Nor have I set a single goal. Surprised? (yea, me neither)

In many ways, it feels really liberating. But admittedly there is a small part of me that feels like I should have resolved to do something, anything in order to have a successful year.

So help me out here…how many of you have actually stuck with your New Year resolutions?

And to take it even a step further, can you even remember what they were?

If it’s success we are after, then how do we define it? And once defined, what’s the measure? When did we convince ourselves that success in life is more about what we have, and less about who we are?

In the book, The Seven Laws of Spiritual Success, Deepak Chopra defines success as “the ability to fulfill your desires with effortless ease.”

Really? When is the last time you resolved to lose those ten pounds, or to work less hours, maybe get to the studio more often, and it felt effortless?

So why do we even bother to set resolutions when our own history shows us that within a few days or weeks the resolutions will be forgotten only to leave us feeling disempowered?

At some level, each one of us longs for something to change in our lives. So if there is even a small chance that we might stick to our resolution, we hang onto hope and give it a go.

But it is nearly impossible to sustain the momentum behind the inspirations that toast us into the New Year.

Our most powerful inspirations are born from intuition. Yet as human beings, we are conditioned to live from intellect, not intuition, causing us to lose our insight which reminds us that at the center of each goal lays the person that is we.

So what if we took a more spiritual approach to success? And instead of simply making resolutions, our intention was to achieve overall well being through these resolves? We could then begin to visualize a life for ourselves that created space for more happiness.

Day thirty-three, 2010, I start with the question: Who is the person I would like to be as this year unfolds.

And from there I set my intention.

Sharing Some Light,


Patty