Thursday, May 16, 2013

42 things I've learned from the Internet


I’ve been on-line for over a decade now, so I thought I would stop and take some stock of what I have learned so far.


1 a lot of people like bacon


2 Monday’s are meat free


3 how to make a heart with your hands


4 the world is so small, and you can find your 3rd grade teacher, doctor and an ex in under 3 minutes


5 people don’t understand why it’s not cool to post shocking photos


6 juice is good & you can even juice a beet (but you still can’t make me drink it)


7 what GMO stands for


8 hemp will save the world


9 not everybody has enough


10 professional journalism is a dying art


11 you never have to walk into a bank, leave your house, hold a book or be far from anyone ever again


12 some people have too much time on their hands


13 sex in advertising still sells


14 guns are bad


15 old words are morphing into new words, (this year ‘vine’ means ‘a short video clip’)


16 how to take a selfie in the bathroom mirror


17 everybody is a photographer


18 everybody is against bullying


19 not everybody is polite


20 not everybody is nasty


21 almost everybody loves Nutella


22 everybody has a voice


23 everybody should learn how to code


24 4 year olds are the best drummers and guitar players


25 you can learn wikihow to do anything on-line, even bad stuff


26 a lot men shave their heads when they reach a certain age


27 people really, really love cats


28 people use social media for communication, therapy, self esteem building, and sales


29 there are some AMAZING artists, photographers and musicians in this world


30 people are very creative


31 a lot of people care a lot about fashion


32 #hashtagsarein, now they’re out, #nowthey’rein


33 famous people are just people


34 kale is good for you


35 everybody loves yoga


36 everybody hurts


37 a lot of people have a lot of tattoos


38 I can find almost any bit of information I want in a split second


39 time can move very quickly


40 we like to share


41 we-all-want -peace and,


42 we’re all pretty much the same

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

What Bif says -





"Who is afraid? I am. You are. Everyone is. Is it our imagined fear or is it our Chattering Monkey-Minds? I call it FUTURE-SURFING and it is a big time-waster. I suppose everyone really does it, and I will bet it's pretty natural for us all. Whether we live IN fear or IN safety, we all still have our private, inner thoughts and our "What If"-ing.


One of our teachers, Cameron Gilley (http://camerongilley.com/ ) in Vancouver (https://www.facebook.com/semperviva ) said "If it no longer serves you, release it..." and it resonated with me and has stayed with me for so long. When I am worrying or "Future Surfing" and my monkey Mind is on a loop, (this week...about my 16-year-old dog's deteriorating health..or my upcoming surprise ultrasound..) I return to this, along with my breath, and I actually whisper it to myself.


It shakes my heard and enables me to give my head a shake, and clear the fear. Even if it's just for that day, and it returns the next...I return to the breath and this teaching and I get clear. CLEAR YOUR FEAR and you CLEAR THE PATH. Fear comes back? Clear it again, without struggle.


This is our work. This is our practice. Namaste and Fearlessness and Hugs. *beam*"

Monday, May 6, 2013

Balance


So my new year's resolution was to be good to myself. Since I haven't been able to run, I really miss being physical, so to make balance with my heavy course load at school load I started meditation, yoga, mantra chanting and now Pingshuai Gong.

Sadly I also had to start on BP meds, but apparently it's genetic and no amount of yoga or physical and emotional fitness can change that as I found out, BUT - all of this has helped and I wanted to share that because maybe one of these things can help you find some balance too.

I see so much stress out there, not just because of world events, but because many artists did not find what they were seeking over the past few years, and many feel they are 'settling' for day jobs instead of touring the world with their music.

First, I want to tell you, that just because you did not succeed to the level you expected, your music is a part of you, so by feeling disgruntled, or by judging your art or comparing it to somebody else's, you are saying and thinking negative things to your own self. So - just stop it. You are amazing.

Second - do try some of these things, being healthy in your mind and body will help you bring balance into your world, so you can practice your art for as long as you can. Even just a few hours a week will help you hold your head higher, walk taller and be the mountain I know you are!

Ok - go!

Watch Melissa here - she has all kinds of free classes. I started free in Feb. then bought a 3 month membership to see if I would stick with it - and today I switched and got a year membership because the stuff inside the site kicks butt - and I am a lifer for sure! Check out her beginner classes, even the intermediate ones are a good start, she's really awesome pie and her classes are really accessible to everybody - I loved her right away.

For mediation I did the 21 day challenge with Deepak and Oprah, it was great, and even though I won't buy the product, it taught me a lot, and there is loads of free stuff around I can use if I feel like it.

For Mantras I turned to these great people - who I was already familiar with, but they also started a 21 day challenge, which fit right into my lull in school work. I LOVE the chanting, and the cool vibrate-y feeling you get. I won't buy the product either, but there are loads of youtube videos available for when the 21 days are over. I sometimes just put on a playlist to clean the house with.

Tonight another person I love so much, posted a link to a Pingshuai Gong video she made and I tried it. It felt so great, was so simple and I found it was an amazing warm up to an hour of yoga. I will keep on this for sure, it got me in the zone right away.

Anyway, that's my wellness check in for you - ask me anything!

(Also bonus: I'm making some cunning post Van's Warped Tour plans with Billy (http://billythekidonline.com) - it's going to be so cool - stay tuned!).