Mind-Spirit-and Now the Body, Part 2: The Mind Steps Up!

The preparation for Bob and Elaina's amazing adventure continues. (See part 1 for the beginning of the story...)

The new bike continues to excite me.  We begin the planning for the trip by looking at the guidebook:  Bicycling the Pacific Coast .  Who knew there were drawings that showed the side view of all those hills I will be climbing!?  I am newly motivated to get ready!  We discover all the cool places you could go, here on the Central Coast, and get in 30 miles.  Lunch rides now expand to go to Pete's Cafe at the end of the Avila Pier with a few side trips.  Trips to all the corners of SLO.   My cyclo-computer offers feedback; I learn what 30 miles feels like...my jacuzzi helps after the ride. 

I am hungry all the time, and the food takes on more of the "fuel" aspect.  I think, before I eat, "Will this help me get up a hill?"  I am using energy-testing (aka muscle testing) to check all food before it goes in my mouth.  I am delighted that some high-calorie foods test "ok". And I feel more connected to my body. 

"Where can I ride next?" is running through my mind.  Can I go there on my bike instead of in the car?  This is truly a transformation.  I am even excited about loading up those paniers and pedaling somewhere.  My inner child is on board...she is all about the fun, the costumes, the photos.  My inner teenager is still not sure how "cool" this all is, but she's co-operating at least.  And my body is happy to have moved higher on the priority list.

Bob suggests we do the Arroyo Grande Centennial Ride as it had options to suit both of us.  At first I panicked, then I decided it could be fun.  My first "organized" ride.  So, off we went.  I was a bit intimidated as almost everyone else was a "real" cyclist.  My ego took a hit, then I remembered I am "moving from operating out of my ego to operating from my essence". (I thank Kathryn Brewer and all her sharing, for bringing that to me!).  Bob's ego even survived as many cyclists passed right by us!  I pedaled and pedaled.  The scenery was beautiful.  I took care to keep the pace that was best for me; and it worked!  At one aid station, I was warned about the upcoming hill.  Yikes, I was already tired.  Somehow I got a-hold of myself:  I remembered to use "I can" self-talk, to take it one breath at a time, and to see what I could do!  I actually made it to the top of that hill, albeit hiking the last little bit.   At the top, I was exhilarated and felt a great sense of accomplishment.  I turned around, and on the way back down, discovered I didn't need to pedal till I got almost back to the beginning.  The uphill had actually started way back at the beginning of the ride.  This was quite a revelation.  No wonder it had been so challenging! 

My mind realizes this is a metaphor for all the times in my life when I am growing, learning, "going uphill" and I don't even notice the accomplishment! 

That day, Bob went on to do the big ride; I did my 30 miles, and felt very happy.

Next comes the realization that I am doing 30 miles once or twice a week (with a lot of short rides in between), but I still can't imagine doing 25-35 day after day.  I know that my imagination is very powerful, and I need to get my mind more fully on board here.  I ponder my resources.  I am doing Energy Medicine exercises, getting support from my wonderful community, and I still can't imagine actually doing this!  I notice I am anxious a lot...and it's not so much fun getting ready.  Enter Anita Henry and her great hypnotherapy processes.  We do an amazing session, where we change the thoughts somewhere deep in there.  I realize that this truly is my opportunity to fully embrace my body's evolution.  I can create deep transformation on this trip!  This is my chance to do what I read about in The Way of the Peaceful Warrior.  This adventure has taken on a whole new spin. In fact, the session has brought together so many of my intentions and I see how this trip is just the right thing for me now.  Much of what I have written about in these last two blogs came clear after this session.  My body is having its own evolution and I am so grateful!  It is my belief that, similar to the "new kids" who are being born with systems that are organized in new ways, those of us who already have bodies can allow the evolution to happen to our bodies while we are in them.  I will learn how to use my mind to get IN my body.  I will learn to use my body to fully support my spiritual growth.  I am excited!   Stay tuned for more adventures. 

A little note: Kathryn and Anita are both part of the QuietStar Team.  They can be reached through our website.

Mind-Spirit-and now, the Body!

Really soon, now, Bob and I embark on a Bike Trip that we have dreamed of for a really long time.  OK, let's tell the truth here...HE dreamed of it, I could barely imagine it!  We will be cycling (yes, pedaling!) the Coast of Oregon.  The process of getting here has been quite an adventure already.  

My body has often lagged behind the growth that I have accomplished in the world of spirit, emotion and mind.  When I read The Way of the Peaceful Warrior years ago, I was amazed by the idea that one's body could be that much of an ally on the path of life.  I grew up using my mind to get me through.  In high school, I woke up to the fact that I could actually LEARN to use my body in fun ways, first through interpretive dance, and then through volleyball and basketball.  I was amazed to discover that my body could learn too!  I began to look forward to PE, instead of it being the dreaded class of the day, and I had fun there.  In the next decade, I learned to rock climb, and began to lead wilderness expeditions (similar to Outward Bound), and became a ropes course instructor.  In all of these experiences, I had a sense of personal power, and wanted to share that with others.

Fast forward to meeting Bob 12 years ago.  As you may know, that man never stops moving!  His process is the opposite of mine; in many ways his Body leads the way.  He first convinced me to get on a bike by creating Monday lunch rides:  yep, if I rode my bike up this gnarly hill, the reward was lunch at Cabo San Luis.  We did this regularly, and it got easier and more fun.  Lucky for me, he had previous girlfriends who trained him not to leave them in the dust!  He was patient and encouraging. 

Over the years since then, I have continued my practice of yoga, worked with the Law of Attraction, meditated regularly, and ridden to lunch almost every Monday.  Little by little, we started taking bikes on our trips, and last summer I surprised myself by being able to mountain bike at 10,000 feet in Colorado!  The wildflowers and the pristine meadows in Crested Butte were their own reward (lunch was actually secondary!).  As many of you know, I have been working with the nutritional aspects of live food, superfoods and the emotional/mind piece of seeing food as fuel not as entertainment. The process continues, and some days are more powerful than others! 

Bob and I added errands and missions to our Monday rides. We made the Tribune (local newspaper) with a picture and all, focusing on our alternative transportation.  I even found myself choosing clothing that was bike-friendly. 3 years ago, I dropped Bob off in Seattle, and he pedaled all the way home (to San Luis Obispo, CA), while I drove to visit friends and family.

A year ago, I finally said yes to a new bike (there it is, above, on a ride in Cambria this spring). Bob had been trying to get me one for years, but I kept saying that I didn't ride enough.  I have to admit, though, my new bike, a Trek FX 7.5, has really inspired me.  It was easier to keep up; what I had thought was just not being in shape turned out to be (partly) a function of the equipment!  I got a really cool rack and panier set, and began to find excuses to go for a bike ride!  As you can imagine, Bob was delighted.  We began to talk about touring (after all, I had the packs for it).  I kept waiting to be in the kind of shape that would allow me to do this ride. Then one  day the lightbulb went on.  I thought back to my days of backpacking.  I was always in great shape at the END of the trip.  So, what would it take for this to be do-able for me?  Where were the campgrounds closer together so I could get from one to the other?  The Oregon Coast.  Alas, the planning began.  And the training rides. 

Check out my next blog for the preparation!  

Collaborative Leadership-Finally

Leadership has been a two-edged sword for me; all my life.  As a kid, I was seen as “bossy”; yet I was always the one everyone turned to when something needed to be organized, created or manifested! Sometimes, even then, I felt like I was “alone out front”.  At the same time, being a leader came very naturally to me.  (For now, we will skip the introspection/examination of my need for control…we’ll save that for another blog!).  So organize and lead, I did.  Almost like I had to.  I was in charge of neighborhood summer talent shows (with tickets, seating, costumes, programs and refreshments!) our little play “store” (complete with bags and price tags) and our restaurant (I vividly remember the great pleasure with which I saved and spent my allowance on the napkins we thought were essential!).

At 15, I took over the disorder in the Band director’s office (much to his delight!) and began a 4-year “career” of organizing the band, drill team and majorettes to get us to all of our trips and performances.  (150 kids, buses, uniforms, gear, places to sleep…). 

Fast forward to 1999.  After re-locating to the Central Coast to create San Luis Obispo Center, I began to long for collaborators.  Although my vision was really clear, it felt like something (someone?) was missing.  First, I connected with the Spirit of QuietStar (the angels, guides and other non-physical energies at the heart of the creation) in a conscious way, and things began to get clearer.  Soon after, I met Bob.  He immediately felt drawn to be part of everything I was doing; first assisting me in classes and events, then taking on parts of the creation as his own, adding his own ideas and energy.  QuietStar could grow, and I could breathe again.  I felt such a relief - and so much support.  In fact with each person who came into QuietStar, I felt more at ease.  With each step of the development of our group here, it became more clear what a co-creation this was going to be.  I discovered more about co-creation; how to be part of a team.  But still, I was the leader.  I liked collaboration, that was clear.  What was next?

In 2008, I was driving home from an amazing trip in the Pacific Northwest.  I had spent 3 weeks staying with friends and friends of friends, people I knew through QuietStar or earlier times in my life.  It was amazing.  Each place I went, I felt the threads that join us all, and a powerful sense of the Web of Life began to come into focus.  Back in SLO, others kept QuietStar moving forward.  It was the longest I had been away, and I felt a bit like a mom leaving her baby.  QuietStar was going through another growth spurt. 

I was driving home, through Southern Oregon when it hit me:  QuietStar was not “mine” anymore!!  It was OURS!  I felt “that shiver” go through me….and I knew this was Truth.  But I had no idea what that really meant.

It was huge for me.  After years of being the one who received the vision and  created the structure, it all began to change.  Now, I could get pieces of the vision, half of the picture, but never the whole thing.  At first this was frustrating and disconcerting.  I knew the paradigm of leadership was changing for me, but I couldn’t see what was coming.

Soon after returning, I began the process of creating the non-profit, “church” that I knew was wanting to be born.  I filed the papers, and received the letter from the State making it official. 

It’s important to note that by this time, QuietStar’s Core Team had grown to include 20 practitioners and volunteers, co-creating a full schedule of workshops and events, and our Store was filled with books, music, essential oils and other goodies for the transformational path.  Many people had discovered “us”!  In all this, I knew QuietStar was trying to grow, and was feeling a bit frustrated by my inability to fully shift into the community co-creation QuietStar was clearly trying to become. 

I began to ask for help; to call in allies. 

And then I took a walk with my neighbor, who was completing a book. She asked how I was doing, and I felt the frustration and the tears spill out.  (I always like to focus on the positive; I am a firm believer in the Law of Attraction…but clearly, this all wanted to be said!)  I loved the gleam in her eye when she said, “That’s it…the new paradigm!  You are right in the middle of the shift to collaborative leadership, and you feel the same way many people do!”  I cried harder.  I wasn’t cracked or incompetent.  I was just on the leading edge, making it up as I went along, and didn’t even realize it.  Relief!  Breath!  This friend was Delia Horwitz, and the book, “Collaborative Soup.”  She continued to tell me that everything I was describing pointed to the new collaborative style of leadership.  Her explanation was that many “conscious” people were having the same issues; she and Paula (co-author) had discovered and developed tools for this process.  The biggest thing she told me that day is that QuietStar knows what it wants to become; we just need to nurture it!  Delia offered to help me (and QuietStar) make this shift.

Since then, Delia has continued to support my understanding of collaboration.  I am delighted that she will be sharing her wisdom with us at this Sunday’s Vortex at QuietStar.  Bring your questions about your own collaborations (in process or wanting to start), and we’ll share in the delight of the discovery.