sita pavan

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Into our inner being

The riches of the senses pour.

The Cosmic Spirit finds itself

Reflected in the human eye,

Which ever must renew its strength

From out that spirit source.

– Rudolf Steiner

In the school where I teach, we spend time in nature every morning with the children, barefoot on earth, playing and weaving nature’s bounty into floral arrangements for the kitchen table where we draw, paint, sew, cook, make bread and eat together. Or we are gardening in the backyard, tending to a garden that flourishes quickly in this heat and humidity. Just last week, we harvested blue pea flowers and oregano from our garden for pancakes and tea. Getting my hands and feet in dirt, immersing in the soul of the earth have replaced long jaunts in the forest since 2021 began.

A day at work begins in the Teachers Room reading a Rudolf Steiner verse and message from the angels. In the classroom with the children, we connect to what matters when we light a candle, then honor all that is and who we truly are in a circle, with soulful poetry and movement. 

This year of change is one I witness the fullness and alchemy of my physical and metaphysical practices. There is a sense of completion yet everything has just begun. There is so much I want to bring to this world. All that illuminate and nourish me, the movement, esoteric knowledge and epiphanies, I bring them to school. I love to cradle the soft faces of my children and whisper “I am here with you.”

When I see little souls, I see their gifts and lessons this incarnation. I see the inner child wounds of their guardians. I see spiritual beings exploring and living this tricky yet beautiful human existence with wonder, guilelessness and innocence. 

As conscious educators we connect them to a divinity on this earthly realm that is not unlike their true home. We must not forget where we came from. We are of light and galaxies, multidimensional and multifaceted. Peel back the veils of amnesia and we see heaven in flowers and crystals, dragonflies and clouds, mountains and oceans. I wish for children to know their greatness and be true to their longings. I wish for them to know they possess more courage and resilience than fathomable, that they can be everything they want to be. I wish for them to live the best of their infinite potential like I rise purposefully every morning living the heights and depths of me. I am sooooo deeply humbled I touch heaven and earth every darned day doing what I love. I wish the same for every sentient being walking this path that is sometimes crooked and breathlessly heartrending. Life can be as magical and lyrical as you wish it to be. ✨

One of the greatest takeaways in 2020 was how connected we all are. In a pandemic-strained world, time zone difference disappeared, yet distance and absence made hearts grow fonder. We realized we need one another. More than before. Staying at home so much tending to the sacred space inside was as sobering as it was clarifying. It was a year of epic growth for many of us. Never mind workshops, retreats and travels were canceled, and the life we had in mind had to be postponed. In face of mortality, the tumultuous year that passed was about counting the blessings and taking courageous, purposeful steps to live out our longings and dreams. Life gave another chance to master our demons. We were called to deepen into our heart space, into what we hold dear. Trust what the universe has organized for us. Trust we always receive exactly what is needed for our evolution. Life is as perfect as it can be.

I personally know many who forged new paths, one from the depth of their hearts and souls. The heart tunes in. More than the head brain, the heart brain is our navigational system. It knows truth that the rational mind is unable to intellectualize.

Will you take the leap of faith even if your destination is not within sight?

I had high intentions to begin 2021 with a weekly online Meditation with Angels, a natural progression from the illuminating Akash meditation – a journey into the soul records – I had been guiding virtually on Zoom. It appears for now the Divine has other plans. Destiny is calling. There is nothing left to do but surrender.

I feel so very grateful to integrate all my tools and practices at a school with a curriculum centered around developing the body, soul and spirit. The epitome of holistic education was ahead of its time when it was founded in 1919 in Germany and may I say it is ever so apropos in this Aquarian age. This multidimensional and profoundly spiritual approach to educating big souls in little bodies has everything I stand for. How I nourish my heart, body and soul is how a consciously spent day in textbook-free class is filled with the arts, nature and esoteric wisdom. The day begins with soulful poetry and ends with a gratitude song honoring another spiritual being living a human experience. Will the future of planet earth remember how we connected with Father Sun and Mother Earth in classroom and therefore see every living creation as being inherently beautiful and equally worthy? Will they follow their heart’s wisdom as they recall how we valued their every artistry and imagination? It is my vision for humanity, as it is the school’s.

To say the least, it is a soul mission manifested, in complete alignment with heart work that is rooted in self-inquiry and self-empowerment. Working fulltime with little children and shadowing special needs ones with soulmates who understand my heart as I see theirs bring forth the best in me, parts of me I did not know exist and qualities I have been dedicatedly cultivating on and off the [yoga] mat. I am filled with awe and humility witnessing and living my highest potential every darned day. Words are hardly adequate to express the depth of my gratitude.

Have you heard this achingly tender rendition of a Whitney Houston classic? It landed in my phone as I was contemplating the circuitous yet graceful unfolding of my journey.

May you know you are more than you think you can be. May you know your dreams are a heartbeat away, and the answers are up to you.

May you always honor what your heart knows.

Yoga for Nervous System still happens every Saturday morning. Energy and Inner Child healing are available by appointment. Stay tuned for Meditation with Angels.

Have you noticed the pared down yearend festivities everywhere? Simplicity lends a muted (or somber?) tone as it is a beautiful reminder of an inner divinity that is beyond external “stuff”. We are so much more than our material existence and a security built on what is outside of us. 

Is it ironic we began a new decade locking down and in, rebuilding our inner foundation in this Year of 4. This extraordinary year of lockdown – if you have not heard, “Lockdown” is declared Word of the Year by Collins Dictionary – is one to breathe deeper into the body temple. This gift of a heartbeat, this life is a sacred gift to be savored deeply, truly, with heart and soul eyes wide open. The place where we meet our divinity is also where vulnerability resides. It is the heart-opening Fish pose that reaches the depth of our being so we experience our own vastness in our physical and spiritual heart. Touching, feeling and seeing this true core renders a fearlessness to navigate change with openness.

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With external gratification largely beyond reach this year, the Thanksgiving that just passed had many of us reflecting on all that we already have. There was bemoaning of what could have been, yet there was astounding room for growth. The wise saying “In is the only way out” calls for a literal interpretation. There has not been a better time to dive into the art – and heart – of happiness. We are being shown an opportunity to return to the center when the sun is shining at its most radiant and when the moon is singing a sorrowful tune. We are being asked to relax and breathe more profoundly into our hearts amid economic hardship and all round pandemic fatigue.

Like an asana practice, challenges in 2020 ask us to choose the journey over the destination, self-inquiry over achievement. We have a choice of spending three minutes tuning into nuances of a yoga posture or mindlessly going through the motion wishing the timer will go off sooner.

Amid the mayhem, loss and rage, the attitude of genuine gratitude is a state of mind that supports the nervous system and turns everything into enough. There is plenty to be grateful for. I am grateful for dedicated students who show up for class week after week, pink hued skies, nourishing heart connection with my chosen soul family, and soul resonance that transcends the divide of oceans and mountains. 

This year of traveling within and in my backyard has unlocked answers that were just under my nose. Spending so much time in nature reminds me of the cyclical nature of life, of resilience and impermanence. Nature teaches grace, adaptability and interconnectivity. This big year is asking us to choose evolution over dogmatically clinging to the outworn and known. It asks for a new way of being, letting go of what was to make space for what is to be. The conscious mind and eyes may not always see the path ahead but trust spirit knows. This year is also asking for letting go of control and putting in the work to overcome and rise above our old selves.

Faith and diligence are required from us. 

I am grateful to close this year with two in-person energy healing sessions at Pure Wellness. We will be reflecting on this big year of change and meditating on our vision for 2021. We begin with gentle movement to connect and awaken our inner landscape before we lie back to receive the wonderfully restorative energy of Reiki and crystals. We are so blessed to be tapping into potent cosmic energies to clear inner and outer clutter, rebalance and reset. The sheer amount of high frequency light streaming onto earth will be extra-illuminating and catalytic.

This is going to be a cozy, energetically charged circle with limited spots.

Dec 23, Wednesday, 6pm and 8pm.

Book your spot here, and feel free to reach out at connect@globeskimmer.com if you have questions.

I look forward to setting the intentions of renewal and reimagining a very near 2021 with you. Sending you lots of love and wishing you peace, joy and inspiration. May every one of us shine our brilliant light like never before.

This time last year I was at my favorite place in Bali, way up in the tranquil, far-flung north where black volcanic sand lends a deeply curative energetic vibe I appreciate. With nowhere to go now, nature walks at home ground are longer and more contemplative, the pause a meditation. I am relishing the forest baths and awe walks. Awe walks – meditative-like rambles where one looks for wonder – put things in perspective. The immensity of nature reminds me of unseen depths beyond the perception of the outer eye. I have found illumination in taking in the veins of a leaf, the unfurling of a flower petal, seeing old things with new eyes. The Creator is a consummate artist. There is beauty and poetry everywhere. Divinity is omnipresent.

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Sometimes the known and certain are no longer best choices. I am taking time to venture off the usual paths. There is something purposeful about intentionally taking a different route to learn to relax into the unknown. Leaning into the possibilities that there will always be a way, though not the plan I dream about, is at once scary and exciting.

If I could name one thing this tumultuous year is teaching me, it would be to be fully present to what is. Right here right now is a wonderful place to be. We live in wild unprecedented times with no reprieve in sight. There has never been so much polarization, rage, chaos and all the uncomfortable emotions you can put a name to. I have never asked these many questions about the wisdom of pain, loss and suffering. Can things possibly get any worse? When my mind wanders to an anxious uncertain future, I find my breath to anchor into the present.

The peace of inner stillness allows us to understand everything is at where it is supposed to be. Serenity at the home in our hearts translates to peace outside. This practice of staying in the present is a conscious decision. It is choosing to return to the breath at every moment of awareness so it becomes a habit.

Our breath becomes us. We are our habits.

We come to realize that the universe mirrors back to us perfectly our beliefs, our intentions, our sincerity. What is the product of the map of reality you carry inside you. If you want to change your experience, you need to change the map. – Alberto Villoldo

When we take time for self-care and build good habits, recovery time to the center is quicker. When we carve out space to nourish our inner cosmos, we build capacity to tune into our inner teacher for guidance. This is the teacher who is in touch with the truth of the soul. Owning this truth – the truth that no external voice can tell you – is potent seed for authentic, courageous living.

Truth alignment births fearlessness. Authenticity vibrates at a higher frequency.

This is why we practice yoga. We practice not to experience zilch challenges and pain. We practice so we can stay in that shakiness and be the phoenix that rises from the ashes, stronger than before.

Self-care is an inside job goes beyond that organic veggie bowl or indulgent spa time. It is the art of taking time to:

• Edit your relationships, choosing more supportive and uplifting companionship
• Understand what it is right for you, not what will please others
• Set healthy boundaries to honor your energy, space and truth
• Tend to your feelings because they are valid
• Reduce busyness to have a life
• Relinquish what no longer serves to create space and move you deeper into you
• Streamline your material possessions to live light in every sense of the word

Change is successful and lasting when triggered by a significant crisis. A new way of being begins with taking full responsibility for our feelings, actions and reactions, eyes open wide. Life is an effective teacher. The year 2020 sets us on a path of discovery along stupendous peaks and valleys. The year of locking down unlocks a vast world of inner journeys to ask the imperative question: Is the life you have been living the life you want to live?

Recently in class, I was speaking of transiting into the last quarter of the year with the shedding energy of fall: We will be winding down and decluttering the body and spirit most of the season. On the mat we move for a life of greater ease off the mat.

Nature speaks of slowing down and the change of seasons with poignancy. The rustle of fallen withered foliage under my feet. The delicious scent of the forest after a rain. Have you noticed the dewdrops? I have been rather enchanted by these iridescent pearls that shimmer in the light. They murmur softly, almost inaudibly, then disappear like the shooting star that went too fast.

pitter patter

little by little

dew kissing

earth

• Who I truly am is not defined by the external, certainly not by cultural, familial, societal conditioning and expectations, and the judgment of others.

• I am present to what is, not teetering between the baggage of yesteryear and what-ifs of tomorrow.

• There is space – and choice – to be present to what is showing up for me.

• There is space and choice to joyfully surf life force.

This is why I practice what I practice. I practice because (1) Letting go is a constant work in progress. (2) I am imperfect.

The practice of yoga is far from achieving perfection, or getting to the destination of the full posture. Burn the goals and to-do lists please. Yoga is part undoing and part reconditioning by extending consciousness and grace to every maneuver. It is one of the most intimate ways you can develop a relationship with you, the most important person in the world.

Asking how I can ease into the asana is also asking what else I can let go of to experience the life that wants to live through me. There is such an art to feeling and understanding your own unique alignment in the forward fold while simultaneously honoring well-meaning postural cues and turning off the picture-perfect image magazines and Instagram have sold us.

Looking back, I have had so-called “perfect” alignment forced on me in my early yoga days. My teachers probably wanted me to fit into the “look” of the asana, never mind every bone, tendon and holding pattern of repressed energy is as unique as a snowflake. It is like carefully crafting a social media post to present to the world your perfect little life. Or rather the success you want others to believe you have achieved. You can believe it if you fake it enough.

In Twisted Roots, a juicy two-sided Yin pose we practiced this recent Saturday, most of us found little symmetry on both sides of the physical body. One side is almost always more open than the other. Our bodies inform us of our incredible asymmetrical truths. All we have to do is to listen to the language of the sensory body. Coming into the alignment that is unique to you is a nuanced, compassionate practice. Life is indeed so subtle and transient, blink and it passes you by. Self-realization is a gift from self-observation, a practice that is possible from slowing down and going Yinside. Pardon the Yin pun. 😉

One of the greatest gifts of freeing myself from a yoga system that was centered around the interpretation and personality of one man is fully anchoring into my own body and coming into my knowing and intuition (read full story here). This unfolding is beyond my dreams. I did not see it coming yet I was fully ready, trusting the stars are aligned and this is perfect and right for me. My new practice is filled with infinite possibilities. The new me trusts the mastery of my heart.

I know I have nailed that perfect pose – and life – when my inside feels spacious and free. I know life keeps coming in miraculous unexpected ways and all I have to remember is the daily practice adds up to real lasting change. And alignment.

Practice makes possible.

How are you practicing to fall into alignment with your heart, body and spirit?

P.S. I want to share with you this blessing of a birdsong that brings so much joy every morning, post sadhana. Alignment begins at first light. 🙂

P.PS. Yoga for Nervous System happens every Saturday morning, 10am (GMT +8), livestream. Together, we rest, digest and heal so we can live our highest evolution. Yoga for Nervous System is a secular practice for every body and creed. Come as you are. Come practice with me.