Neuroplasticity

Okay so I'm obsessed with anything that furthers self-awareness and self-empowerment. So that explains why you'll find links to resources about new insights into the field of neuroplasticity. This fascinating field is all about the ability to change our brains by acting and thinking differently. What could be more empowering than that?

My first Ramadan

Ramadan began last Saturday. It's almost been a week and I've survived thus far.

My husband is Muslim and I'm fasting with him to provide moral support. He doesnt have any other family here in the US - so I thought I'd be a good wife and fast with him - so he doesn't have to go it alone.

The first day was the worst - because I didn't know how I could survive a whole day without water. But I did, despite the fact that I teach dance and take dance classes during the day. And now in San Diego, we are having a horrible heat wave - I don't have AC or even a fan!!!!!

Today my stomach is growling and it's only 2 pm. Usually I'm just thirsty but today I'm also hungry and have a headache. My biggest concern is maintaining my weight. I find it hard to eat enough food between the hours of 7:30 pm and 4 am.

I try to drink as much water as I can - which means I wake up every hour to pee! I still feel dry and dehydrated with this awful weather!

When it's meant to be: Recognizing the signs in your life

I've been looking for signs all of my life. Signs about what the heck I should and shouldn't pursue. What I might be good at or what my calling is, my purpose in this life.

I recently lost touch with my intuition and my purpose while finishing grad school. Let's just say that the linguistics grad program didn't really give me a lot of free time to focus on my inner promptings. Now that I graduated, I'm trying to open up to my inner voice and recognize all the signs in my life.

Finally, some signs came that were as clear as daylight. I decided to start teaching dance classes. I've been studying belly dance since the start of 2005 and now I feel ready to teach. I know that nothing helps us grow more than teaching. When you actually have to articulate what you know, you learn it much better. You also begin to research and document information - which only makes you more knowledgeable.

Then I came across the problem: how do I get a teaching position if I don't have experience teaching dance? Well, that's easy. I decided to teach classes to my friends (and friends of friends) for free. That way I would get experience and references. Without space, wooden floors, and large mirrors in my apartment I came across my next problem. Where will I teach?

That's when the signs started flooding in:

My friend who just bought a new home was interested and she has a large empty living room with wood floors, lots of light, and big mirrors!

Then everyone I told was interested in class - but I didn't want to burden my friend with too many strangers in her home. That's when another friend with hardwood floors and a larger mirror opened up her home for a second class. She said she also had friends who wanted to learn.

I already have several choreographies to teach. I worked on them during grad school, in hopes that I could put them to use when I had more time.

This is what I call serendipity. Sometimes things are meant to be and you can just go with the flow. That's not to say we don't work hard in life. I've been working hard learning dance for 4 1/2 years. And when I didn't have time for class anymore, I still rehearsed and choreographed whenever I got the opportunity. And now that I've put my hard work in, I'm finally reaping the benefits - and the SIGNS - that this is something I'm meant to do.

What signs have repeated themselves in your life? Where do things just flow? Do you recognize and respond to these signs? Please share your experiences with me.

Obama's call for a new beginning

I stayed up late Wednesday night to listen to Obama address the Muslim world live from Cairo University. I was impressed by his optimism and his faith in peace and new beginnings. While he did not fail to acknowledge the tension, fear, and mistrust that exists between Western and Muslim cultures, he focused primarily on his call for us to recognize and acknowledge our common values. He asserted that:

So long as our relationship is defined by our differences, we will empower those who sow hatred rather than peace, and who promote conflict rather than the cooperation that can help all of our people achieve justice and prosperity. This cycle of suspicion and discord must end.

I have come here to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world; one based upon mutual interest and mutual respect; and one based upon the truth that America and Islam are not exclusive, and need not be in competition. Instead, they overlap, and share common principles - principles of justice and progress; tolerance and the dignity of all human beings.

Finally, an American leader seeks mutual respect and understanding between Muslims and the United States. I’ve grown weary of hearing Americans say that the United States is a Judeo-Christian culture. Not because I have a problem with our Judeo or Christian roots, but because ours is a culture that should embrace and respect more than just two religions. We tolerate other faiths, but can we acknowledge and respect other beliefs and cultures? What about Atheists, Agnostics, Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs and yes, Muslims. What about the many of us who are spiritual and believe in God even though we don’t subscribe to a particular faith? And that’s just to name a few. The voices of those who desire mutual respect and understanding between the United States and Muslims around the world are being drowned out by the loud voices that keep insisting that the United States is a Judeo-Christian culture, and therefore, by implication, incongruous with Islamic culture. Even well-educated and so-called spiritual or religious Americans embarrass the rest of us by failing to recognize the difference between Islam and terrorism. They continually point to the horrendous acts and loud voices of terrorists and speak nothing of all the kind, peaceful, and humble spiritual Muslims that exist all over the world and in our own country.  

Maybe it’s time we seek to genuinely understand one another so that we can finally release our deep-seated fears based on our stereotypes and ignorance of one another. Maybe we can finally go beyond “tolerating” one another and begin to truly appreciate and respect one another. Only then can we begin to hope for a United States that is not just diverse, but is also compassionate and peaceful, one that seeks to honor and respect, rather than marginalize, those Americans whose voices often go unheard.

Those were Obama’s intentions when he said:

We have the power to make the world we seek, but only if we have the courage to make a new beginning, keeping in mind what has been written. The Holy Koran tells us, "O mankind! We have created you male and a female; and we have made you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another." The Talmud tells us: "The whole of the Torah is for the purpose of promoting peace." The Holy Bible tells us, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." The people of the world can live together in peace. We know that is God's vision. Now, that must be our work here on Earth.

Somehow I’ve lost touch with you

Somehow I’ve lost touch with you.

I’ve neglected you for much too long

And now I feel sad about this great void

And distance between us.

Show me how to reconnect with you

While in this world,

This transient world of vanity and egotism,

This mental and material world devoid of heart and spirit.

Reawaken your presence in my heart

And liberate me from this meaningless life

I'm all yours

I’m all yours

I live for you and you alone

I live to surrender to your will

To express your compassion 

Your love and your beauty

How I love to love and praise you

You are joy and fulfillment

Your blessings never cease to intensify my love and wonder

Of this beautiful world you create and recreate with every breath

Oh how wondrous a world you have given us

You have released me from my illusion of separation

And now my every cell is infused with your love

Inspired

I’ve found my soul mate.

I crave you like no other. I desire your love every waking and sleeping hour. Every moment of my existence calls out for you. What a relief to have fallen for you. My heart is full and I am complete as long as I am with you. And I can access you from any corner of the world, from any mental, emotional, or physical place I happen to be, at any moment in my life. All I have to do is remember you and call out to you and you are there, as you always have been. I just forgot about you and began to cry inside like a child who has lost sight of his mother. I no longer search for love in everyone outside. I don’t need anyone’s approval so there is no need to prove myself, not even to myself, for I am complete in your presence. What a sigh of relief for my soul and my heart. I can let go and be now that I know you are with me and in me. I can never be without you for it is from you that I was born and it is in you that I exist. I am inseparable from you for I am you.

Now I seek to be a vessel for your love. I am liberated from searching tirelessly for love, from seeking to create and maintain love. I am love and my body and soul serve to give form to your light. I desire to be a beacon for those who have forgotten you for so long that their soul has fallen asleep.

Change

Lately everyone I know has been going through a major transition in their life, especially in their relationships, be it with their friends, lovers, business partners, employers, or teachers. Oftentimes we resist change because we fear losing something valuable or we fear the unknown. However, we often find ourselves forced into these transitions in order that we may break past our own limitations. When we find ourselves in any kind of relationship that no longer seems healthy we may feel an inner struggle between wanting to repair things and wanting to let go. Honor your feelings and try to repair things if possible and if you so desire, but realize that this desire must be mutual. In the end, if you find that your needs are not being met then it is time to let go. Don’t force the issue nor hold resentment because the relationship has run its course. Learn to let go and let God. Trust that whatever you need, God will provide for you. This faith will carry you with grace towards the next phase of your life and healthier relationships that allow more room for growth and fulfillment. During such transitions we learn to rely on ourselves and our faith in God. As a result, our inner confidence and our faith reach new levels. And in the end, we find that the changes we feared were in fact our greatest blessings for they helped us achieve more than we could have imagined.