risk

risk

'' and then the day came,
when the risk
to remain tight
in a bud
was more painful
than the risk
it took
to blossom''

anais nin

retreats

time for creating the new...time to stop and rest in one's bones and breath...time to listen to the pulse of one's heart...time to move to stretch to delight in shapes known and unknown...time to play...time to relax...time to restore renew revive refresh...time for oneself...time to reconnect with the wisdom within...time for spaciousness and stillness to work its magic...time to delight in making art as our birthright as our inherent gift

why not join with me on this journey?

wildness

(click on the title 'wildness' to hear the beautiful mexican artist lila downs sing 'burn it blue')

the invitation
oriah mountain dreamer

''it doesnt interest me what you do for a living.
i want to know what you ache for,
and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.

it doesnt interest me how old you are.
i want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love,
for your dreams, for the adventure of being alive.

it doesnt interest me what planets are squaring your moon.
i want to know if you have touched the centre of your own sorrow,
if you have been opened by life's betrayals or
have become shrivelled and closed from fear of further pain.

i want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own,
without moving to hide it or fade it or fix it.

i want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own,
if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you
to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be
careful, be realistic, or to remember the limitations of being human.

it doesnt interest me if the story you're telling me is true.
i want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself;
if you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul.

i want to know if you can be faithless
and therefore be trustworthy.

i want to know if you can see beauty
even when its not pretty, every day,
and if you can source your own life from its presence.

i want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine,
and still stand on the edge of a lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon, ''yes''!

it doesnt interest me to know where you live or how much money you have.
i want to know if you can get up after the night of grief and
despair, weary and bruised to the bone,
and do what needs to be done for the children.

it doesnt interest me who you are, how you came to be here.
i want to know if you will stand in the centre of the fire with me and not shrink back.

it doesnt interest me where or what or with whom you have studied.
i want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else falls away.

i want to know if you can be alone with yourself,
and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.''

precious moments

just returned from watching 'never let me go'...incredibly moving and touching film...makes me reflect on the impermanence and the fleetingness (is that a word?!) of life...how do we spend each moment? are we so caught up in tomorrows dream that todays ordinariness is overlooked? is it possible we are missing our life as it unfolds with each breath, each movement, each little task, each passing stranger, each taken for granted exchange with our loved ones?

when will our time come to pass over to who knows truly whats next? we cant know for sure and yet what we can do is open our eyes wider, stop for a moment...i often find myself looking up whilst tackling the crowds of the city, noticing the clouds shifting shapes, the stillness of the sky, the beauty of the architecture above me, and the feel of my feet on the ground...this is life happening right now...i admit that i am also often drawn to an imaginary future, enticing in its fantasy..whilst losing myself in this anticipatory pleasure is a fine way to oil the imagination i know that to deny the reality that i stand in right now is to deny life itself..what a shame that is, for me and for those that i gently brush past in those moments

i aim to live wildly.. i aim to live widely...i aim to feel, touch, experience all of life, no matter how dull, ordinary, boring, practical (especially taxing for this lady whom the world of fanciful magical realism feels like how life should feel!) and everyday...right now i have a glass of fine red wine left over from a joyous eve spent in the company of a great friend...jose feliciano is on the stereo...my breath eases in and out in a dance riding the waves of the music and the carefreeness of a sat eve...as i open to this moment more and more my heart lifts, a smile gathers on my face and all is well just in this moment right now...wherever you are 'ola' to you and may your 'now' be precious and just as its meant to be!