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Motherhood

2011-05-17T12:09:00.000-07:00

Becoming a mother is by far the best experience I've been fortunate enough to have in this lifetime. It's funny but all those cliches I heard from my family and friends before I became pregnant are more or less true, it is incredible how much fun parenting can be and somehow life makes so much more sense now. It's a full time job though to take care of a little one even if we are blessed with a healthy baby girl that isn't too fuzzy and mostly sleeps through the night. I think it helps though that we are co-sleeping, she sleeps in a purpose built "side car" cot beside our bed so I only need reach out and pull her close at night when she needs to feed and then can easily put her back when she's done feeding, this is definitely the least disruption for us both. Can't imagine if she was sleeping in another room and I would have to get up, out of of bed, into another room, take her out of the crib and feed her in a chair before being able to go back to bed to get some more sleep. That in my mind is a recipe for a very tired mother!

M is three and a half months already and growing fast, she was 6,5kg and 64cm in her 3 month checkup and getting bigger by the day. This is a good sign as she's exclusively breastfed so she's seems to be getting plenty of the good stuff. Her character is shining through, she smiles, laughs when we play with her, coo's and I'm even sure I heard her speak her first word today which was "Hi!" ;) She enjoys going out of the house, meeting new people and seeing new places, inspecting the world with her gaze.

I'm very much looking forward to the summer as both GG and I will be on holiday so we can share this time together with M. We're still contemplating whether we should go abroad for a while, perhaps do a home exchange and I also really want to go and visit my friends in London who have just had a baby as well. We'll have to see if this is financially viable for us this year, careful budgeting is essential. Most of the summer though will be spent travelling our beautiful country, basically chasing the sun and the good weather which we are hoping to see plenty of! :)

Breaking the silence

2011-04-03T14:58:00.000-07:00

This blog has been quiet for quite a while now due to the author being preoccupied with her new role as a mother.

Our little girl, Maía was born at 3:16am on the 28th January, 2011. Healthy, gorgeous and the best gift any parent could ever ask for.

The birth was a challenge and perhaps worthy a longer post at a later date. It was a good lesson in learning that ultimately plans are useless but nevertheless planning is essential.

Maybe I'll start blogging again soon, maybe I won't. But regardless you can be sure that my time will be well spent :)

Spirit Twins

2011-01-23T03:26:00.001-08:00

Imagine this scene if you will.

Two babies are in utero confined to the wall of their mother’s womb, and they are having a conversation. For the sake of clarity we’ll call these twins Ego and Spirit.

Spirit says to Ego, “I know you are going to find this difficult to accept, but I truly believe there is life after birth.”

Ego responds, “Don’t be ridiculous. Look around you. This is all there is. Why must you always be thinking about something beyond this reality? Accept your lot in life. Make yourself comfortable and forget about all this life-after-birth nonsense.”

Spirit quiets down for a while, but her inner voice won’t allow her to remain silent any longer. “Ego, now don’t get mad, but I have something else to say. I also believe that there is a Mother.”

“A Mother!” Ego guffaws. “How can you be so absurd? You’ve never seen a Mother. Why can’t you accept that this is all there is? The idea of a Mother is crazy. You are here alone with me. This is your reality. Now grab hold of that cord. Go into your corner and stop being so silly. Trust me, there is no Mother.”

Spirit reluctantly stops her conversation with Ego, but her restlessness soon gets the better of her. “Ego,” she implores, “please listen without rejecting
my idea. Somehow I think that those constant pressures we both feel, those movements that make us so uncomfortable at times, that continual repositioning and all of that closing in that seems to be taking place as we keep growing, is getting us ready for a place of glowing light, and we will experience it very soon.”

“Now I know you are absolutely insane,” replies Ego. “All you’ve ever known is darkness. You’ve never seen the light. How can you even contemplate such an idea? Those movements and pressures you feel are your reality. You are a distinct separate being. This is your journey and you’re on your own. Darkness and pressures and a closed-in feeling are what life is all about. You’ll have to fight it as long as you live. Now grab your cord and please stay still.

Spirit relaxes for a while, but finally she can contain herself no longer. “Ego, I have only one more thing to say, and then I’ll never bother you again.”

“Go ahead,” Ego responds impatiently.

“I believe all of these pressures and all of this discomfort is not only going to bring us to a new celestial light, but when we experience it, we are going to meet Mother face-to-face and know an ecstasy that is beyond anything we have ever experienced up until now.”

“You really are crazy, Spirit. Now I’m truly convinced of it.”

-by Henri Nouwen and included by Dr. Wayne Dyer in his book “Your Sacred Self”

2010 Recap

2010-12-31T03:45:00.001-08:00

I have not been the most productive blog writer this year and even though I started out with good plans at the beginning of the year of populating this site with blog posts to represent the number of each month, that has undoubtedly failed. But this year on the other hand has been a success and probably the best one to date. Of course it hasn't all been happy, happy, joy, joy, but I've learned so much, experienced so much beauty, relationships have become stronger and I am constantly reminded of how rich and full my life really is.

Highlights of the year include:

- Pregnancy: We are expecting a girl in January! I've been very lucky to be physically fit an healthy throughout this pregnancy and experienced little discomfort. Can't wait to meet the little one.

- Going on a trip to Mexico with the whole of the company I work for and my partner for a long weekend at an all expensive paid resort on the paradise beach of Puerto Vallarta. What can I say, I love my job!

- Being able to work part time as a Hot Yoga teacher. It's a pure privilege to be able to share the gift of Yoga with all my students.

- Going to see Eckhart Tolle in London in October. It was a lovely experience to see him speak and equally great to get to spend some time with my London friends.

- Getting the bathroom renovated so now we also have a bathtub. It's pure luxury. :)

- Traveling around our beautiful country during a month long summer holiday in the company of good friends.

- Discovering that so many of the goals I set and the dreams I had for the year have been realized. Can't recommend enough that people make a dream list at the beginning year and set goals. It truly does work!

For my little one

2010-08-17T15:49:00.000-07:00

There is a life, growing inside of me, another soul, apart from mine, but still we are one. Together, intertwined, for this short time only. I am the gate through which the soul enters, and I am humbled and feel gratitude for having been chosen.

That heartbeat, so much faster than mine, those soft movements that I can feel within my womb, you are actually there, finally here. I have missed you and I long for our reunion in this world, looking forward to seeing you grow into the person you have decided to become. I hope I can be of assistance, provide you with the aid you need to expand your many gifts from the divine source.

I pray that the love that I carry in my heart will shine and expand to you, always and forever, and help you feel safe in this world. You are welcome, awaited and unconditionally loved.

Conversations with God

2010-06-13T05:28:00.000-07:00

"There are no coincidences in the universe.
I have heard the crying of your heart. I have seen the searching of your soul. I know how deeply you have desired the Truth. In pain have you called out for it, and in joy. Unendingly have you beseeched Me. Show Myself. Explain Myself. Reveal Myself.
I am doing so here, in terms so plain, you cannot misunderstand. In language so simple you cannot be confused. In vocabulary so common, you cannot get lost in the verbiage.
So go ahead now. Ask Me anything. Anything. I will contrive to bring you the answer. The whole universe will I use to do this. So be on the lookout. This book is far from My only tool. You may ask a question, the put this book down. But watch. Listen. The words to the next song you hear. The information in the next article you read. The story line of the next movie you watch. The chance utterance of the next person you meet. Or the whisper of the next river, the next ocean, the next breeze that caresses your ear- all these devices are Mine; all these avenues are open to Me. I will speak to you if you will listen. I will come to you if you will invite Me. I will show you then that I have always been there. All ways."

Ay Caramba!

2010-04-27T15:01:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I'll be flying off to Mexico with 330 of my fellow co-workers and spouses where applicable for a 4 night stay in Puerto Vallarta in Mexico. We've been looking forward to this trip for the past 8 months and anticipation and excitement has been growing steadily, there is only one thing that is slightly delaying our journey now and that is Mother Nature.

There has been an ongoing volcanic eruption (the second one in a row) here in Iceland for the past weeks causing havoc for airlines around the world as volcanic ash cloud hinders the regular traffic of planes through the skies and has now settled right over our Keflavik airport. It's temporary though and our flight has only been delayed by 5 hours so I'm staying optimistic as it is my belief that being pessimistic does nothing to affect the level of disappointment when things fall through, quite the opposite in my experience, the more positive you are the better prepared you will be when plans are delayed or things don't happen the way you would like. I should know, I spent enough years of my life being pessimistic or what I used to call being "realistic".

My plan is to stay positive and feel gratitude that I'm flying off to Mexico tomorrow. Adiós! :)

“God delays but doesn't forget” Spanish proverb

Tuning in

2010-04-17T03:45:00.001-07:00

Saw this great documentary on channeling the other day. I've been to see a channeler a couple of times and both times I received valuable information that has really helped me on my path. The most fascinating part is that they all agree on what the "Truth" is and their message resonates strongly within me, like I'm rediscovering and remembering something I've always known. Below is the first part. Thoroughly recommended!

The Blame Game

2010-04-13T16:32:00.000-07:00

“All blame is a waste of time. No matter how much fault you find with another, and regardless of how much you blame him, it will not change you. The only thing blame does is to keep the focus off you when you are looking for external reasons to explain your unhappiness or frustration. You may succeed in making another feel guilty about something by blaming him, but you won't succeed in changing whatever it is about you that is making you unhappy.”

Wayne Dyer

Getting in the 3rd

2010-03-31T15:41:00.000-07:00

Decided to do a very short blog to make sure I was keeping up with my "promise" of writing exactly the amount of blogs each month as the number represents. So had to get the 3rd one in before the clock hit midnight on the 31st of March. Lots of things happening though, big release coming up at work, more Hot Yoga classes to teach in April to help out a fellow teacher who is going to Costa Rica and then the long awaited 4 night Mexico holiday with everyone from work at the end of April :) ¡AY, CARAMBA!

What is love?

2010-03-28T16:14:00.000-07:00

"Love is patient and kind.

Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. Love does not demand its own way.

Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged.

Love is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.

Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

Love will last forever."

Check out this great article on love by psychotherapist Brenda Schaefer

The bathroom saga

2010-03-07T08:48:00.000-08:00

Life's challenges present themselves in different ways, some are trivial and easily solved, others larger and require more awareness and spiritual focus. One of those "trivial" challenges has been at the forefront in my life situation for the last couple of months in the form of a bathroom renovation. We had a leak from a washing machine in the upstairs flat destroy a wall in the bathroom over Christmas, insurance matter and perhaps not the worst as I've been wishing we had a bathtub for ages now, and here a moment presented itself better than any other to start the work on the bathroom.

8 weeks, 2 plumbers, 1 carpenter, 1 tiler and 2 electricians later I was finally starting to see a picture forming on the what was only a shell of a room as we had to tear everything out with the accompanying dust and rubble. GG has been away in Slovakia for a week on a work trip so I've had to manage all the work myself in the last week which has been challenging but things were moving along nicely and finally the bathtub, toilet and most of the tiling were in and done. But last night as I was preparing for bed I realised that water was pouring from underneath the newly tiled front of the new bathtub, the newly installed toilet had malfunctioned and created a puddle of 2cm that was now pouring through the cracks in the concrete floor onto the floors below. The neighbours from the ground floor came running up and we had to call the company owners in the house to come right away and mop up the water on their floors, luckily I could get the plumber to arrive quickly with a water vacuum and suck away the pool underneath the bathtub and there wasn't any noticeable damage on the other floors. A lot of mopping and cleaning later at 3am I was finally at my parents house (my mother had joined downtown for moral support) and going to bed there as there was too much mess in the flat to properly relax after the nights adventure.

But there is no giving up and feeling defeated, only way forward is to practice acceptance, organise the work needed to fix the damage and the rest of the renovations and continue visualising the bathroom when it's done as this haven of tranquility and peace I have pictured in my mind. The biggest shock was that this is the third time we have a flooding incident in this flat which makes me think that there is a bit of a trend here. I'm a big Louise Hay fan and believe we create the reality we experience with our thoughts, so I've got to examine this a little bit further. I dreamt I was flying over a boiling hot river the other day, wonder if that has anything to do with it...

I consider myself lucky though, the guys working on the bathroom have been incredibly nice and doing their best to help us out and we have amazing neighbours, understanding and supportive and that is priceless. Everything we learn on this (bathroom) journey are valuable lessons, no matter how frustrating and tiring they might seem at the time. My dream of taking a relaxing bath in my home will soon become a reality.

A wish worth sharing

2010-02-27T08:59:00.000-08:00

Great TED talk by Jamie Oliver.

“I wish for your help to create a strong, sustainable movement to educate every child about food, inspire families to cook again and empower people everywhere to fight obesity.”

Definitely a wish worth sharing... :)

I Believe That

2010-02-11T03:29:00.000-08:00

...Just because two people sometimes argue, doesn't mean they don't love each other. And just because they never argue, doesn't mean they do love each other.

...We don't have to change friends, when we understand that friends change.

...No matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt us once in a while and we can forgive them for that.

...True friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.

...To become the person one wants to be, can be a beautiful journey of acceptance.

...We should always leave loved ones with loving words. Love is more important than outcomes.

...We are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.

...Either we control our attitude or it controls us.

...That heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

...My best friend and I can do anything, or nothing and still have the best time.

...Sometimes the people you think may kick you when you're down are the ones to help you get back up.

...When we are angry, its okay, it's just an emotion. But that doesn't give us the right to be cruel.

...Maturity has more to do with what you've learned from your experiences and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.

...It isn't always enough, to be forgiven by others. Sometimes, we have to learn to forgive ourself.

...Our background and circumstances may have influenced us, but, we are responsible for who we are each moment.

...Two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.

...Credentials on the wall do not necessarily make one a good human being.

...Even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you - you will find the strength to help.

...The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; They just make the most of everything they have !

Note on my friend Nithya Shanti´s facebook page, adapted from an email he received.

Happy 2010!

2010-01-17T11:38:00.001-08:00

Hello again and welcome to this New Year. It was funny to look at the blog frequency of the last four months, it was almost like a count down: September=4, October=3, November=2 and December=1 blog. Perhaps this will be a trend and I'll count again up this year, so one blog in January and finally 12 blogs in December 2010. We'll see, it'll be interesting if nothing else.

Life is flying by and a lot is happening. Work is busy and exciting at the same time and I've just come back from a three week trip to Kerala in India. India was an adventure as was to be expected, hardly a standard holiday destination for an Icelander. India is always an experience, but what an experience! It was hard at times, absolutely, but it made the good times so much more amazing. And it is beautiful, too many WOW! moments to mention and I'm sure I'll write it all in a book one day, or an article at least. I'll just have to make sure I put it down somewhere so I won't forget, although I'm sure I'll never forget some things. We spent a total of 11 nights in Varkala beach, which is one of the most beautiful beaches I've had the privilege of visiting, we also sailed the backwaters, visited the old Portuguese colonial town of Fort Kochi, discovered the mountains of Munnar and the Periyar wildlife sanctuary. The place that I hold closest to my heart though after this trip is Varkala beach, the cliffs, the views of the Arabian sea, the sunsets... Stunning, breathtaking and all those other adjectives that we use to describe those Godlike moments when nature brings us to stillness and speaks to our essence.

Luckily I shared those moments with GG who can undoubtedly fill in the gaps, but the highlights of the trip include:

- Yoga on the rooftop at sunrise with the waves crashing in the background and the voices of the birds welcoming the day.

- Connecting to the universal energy that surrounds us and lives inside our souls in a Reiki healing course taught by my soul brother, friend and yoga guru Dr. Kamaraj Yoga in Varkala beach.

- Lessons in the art of acceptance through multiple mosquito bites and discovering that the best way to protect myself is surrender, release the fears, use affirmations (and of course the mosquito nets and Odomos insect repellent! ;)

- Swimming and bodyboard surfing in the Arabian sea at sunset. Amazing!

- Sailing the beautiful Keralan backwaters, very romantic and unforgettable, although some parts of the unforgettable were less then pleasant when we discovered that we were sharing the boat with a family of cockroaches. Nice!

- Getting so sick with food poisoning in Kumarakom that I fainted in the bathroom and was brought to a nearby hospital in a Rickshaw. The Doctor decided I needed a drip infusion since I couldn't keep any fluids down, so I spent the next couple of hours lying on a bed in a hospital corridor with a bag of sodium/glucose solution plugged into my arm. The recovery time though was amazing, over and done with in 24 hours! Got to love those Delhi Belly experiences ;)

- Taking part in a real Hindu festival, had the distinct feeling I'd done something like this before. The memories of a past life perhaps...

- Breakfast time at the Arabian Soul guest house in Varkala beach; fruit salat + coriander/tomato/leek omelet + toast + masala chai = Nom Nom :)

- Sharing this amazing trip with my best friend and soul mate = Priceless!

These are only very few of the beautiful and valuable memories and moments that our journey to India provided. What is so valuable as well about these travels is that it makes it ever so clear how lucky we are to live where we live and to have all we have. I love my home country even more now although I'm sure I'll visit India again. Kerala is a wonderful place and we made new friends that I'll stay in contact with for a long time. But I'll say like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz "There is no place like home!"

Who will you remember? And Why?

2009-12-03T09:38:00.000-08:00

Answer the questions below as best you can...

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.

2. Name the last five winners of the Miss Universe.

3. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.

4. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.

5. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.

How did you do?

The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners ...

Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.

2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.

3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.

4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.

5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.

Easier?

The lesson:

The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care.

Why not live in a way that your name is inscribed on people's hearts...its a lot more meaningful than on marble.

(A borrowed post Facebook group The Happiest Day of Your Life)

Don't take anything personally

2009-11-17T05:49:00.000-08:00

I am a big fan of Don Miguel Ruiz, the author of the Four Agreements and often refer back to the wisdom I discovered in his book in my daily life. One of the four agreements is:

"Don't Take Anything Personally: Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won't be the victim of needless suffering."

It's always good to remember that when someone around us is having a bad day and tries to pass on some of their negative vibrations in our direction. We always have a choice of whether to take those vibes personally or not and if we live by that agreement then we understand that their negativity has nothing to do with us but is a part of their reality and no reason for us to carry any of that around. So think of that person with love and compassion and remember that for them "This too shall pass". I found this blog on the Four Agreements called Something Good, she lists all the Agreements and talks about her understanding and how they have affected her life. Good read! :)

The India Vibe

2009-11-09T11:59:00.000-08:00

Time is flying by and I'm managing to completely neglect this blog. My mother told me that she wishes I write more short blog entries more frequently as she thinks that if they are too long people won't bother reading them. Hehe, she's probably right. Our behavior on the Internet is impatient and I know that only too well. We can't wait to click on the next button and want things fed to us fast. All in the blink of an eye!

A lot of things are happening in my life that have been keeping me from the blogging keyboard. I've been busy at work, busy teaching yoga and busy planning for a trip to India. Oh yes! I'm finally going back to India 14 years later. My first trip, although so great in many ways, was a massive culture shock and quite trying for the little young me at the time. But a few years ago I started feeling that India pull again, something magical, something deep, something that is difficult to put into words. I'm going with GG for 3 weeks around Christmas and New Years, so no Christmas trees and carols this year round, more like palm trees and ohm chanting. We're flying to Kerala, probably staying in Varkala, exploring the backwaters, heading up north for the hills and wildlife of Munnar and then traveling up to Chennai through Madurai, Trichy and Ponducherry. We are still planning the itinerary and a lot of work has gone into the research of that, and naturally so as there is a lot at stake, plenty of cash the plane tickets cost us that's for sure. I can't wait though to be practising Yoga in the land of Yoga just like this very bendy Yogi below ;)

Accepting the things we can not change

2009-10-15T07:55:00.000-07:00

(1) Everything changes and ends
(2) Things do not always go according to plan
(3) Life is not always "fair"
(4) Pain is a part of life
(5) People are not loving and loyal all the time

David Richo lists these as the Five things we cannot change in his book by the same name. By dropping our resistance and by unconditionally accepting what is we are given the key to experiencing the hidden beauty in all of life's moments. The points above aren't "negative" although they can perceived as being so, they just tell it the way it is. That is the core of the matter, nothing that happens to us is either good or bad in nature until we label it so. Of course there are situations that we would chose over others, for example if we had a choice of winning the lottery or being in an accident and losing the use of our legs then I think all would chose winning the lottery. But as social psychologist Daniel Gilbert points out in his book Stumbling on Happiness, there is apparently little or no difference between the level of happiness the lottery winner and the paraplegic feel a year after the event. So what does this tell us? That life is what you make of it.

The paraplegic might have had an intensely spiritual experience in the aftermath of the accident, gaining insight and wisdom into his own being that has delivered a deeper level of acceptance into his life. The lottery winner realizes that happiness can not be bought and that having loads of money isn't all it's hyped up to be, demolishing the idea that "there" is better than "here". Because that is what we do much of the time, imagine that life will be better and more enjoyable when we get to a certain point, get promoted, new job, more money, bigger house or that one and only relationship we are looking for. The belief that you will find happiness sometime in the future is always going to disappoint. The only place we can really experience true joy is in the Now, for that is all there is, was and ever will be.

This year has been both the most difficult and the most rewarding of my life. Through disappointments and pain I learned so much about my true self, allowing me to reach understandings and insights into my spiritual being that probably would have taken much longer to get to if I hadn't gone through these difficult times. A miscarriage and shortly thereafter a break up of a relationship that I had believed in my heart would never break, shattered my world and woke me up to life like a smack in the face. But within that shock I experienced the gift of unconditional, endless love from a Being so eternally devoted to my wellness and growth that instead of feeling alone, lost, and bitter, I instead felt peace, compassion and everlasting love. And who is that Being? My true inner self, my Guide, God, Spirit, Oneness? The name doesn't matter, all that matters is the love I experienced and am still surrounded by. I only needed to accept what was happening to me and ask for guidance, and guidance was given, from so many directions. The people I met, opportunities offered, books lent to me, even status updates on Facebook from my friends. I also began looking within, for that is the only place anyone ever needs to go when a question arises, the answers are there if we just listen in for them. Listening seems to be the hardest task though, we ask all the time for help and answers are being provided but most of the time we allow the thought noise in our heads to distort what is being communicated to us. When we get caught up in Maya, the illusory world we are experiencing, and don't see "reality" for what it is, then we are disconnected from the source and miss the messages we are continuously being forwarded from beyond.

I experienced firsthand in one go that everything changed, things weren't going plan and life wasn't "fair". I was going through emotional and physical pain and people weren't being loving and loyal all the time, including myself. In those moments I discovered that the only way out of the suffering I was experiencing was to unconditionally accept what is. To say "Yes" to whatever was happening, no matter how painful it felt. And through that acceptance I experienced peace and joy like never before and relief from that suffering and pain. Much of this I found through my meditation practice, it's the place I connect to that infinite love and it allows me access to feelings of love towards my own being and others, and acceptance of who I am in this life.

My life has so much more joy and peace when I am accepting of what is. Everything that happens to us is another piece of the puzzle and the more challenging situations are actually gifts we can use to accelerate our spiritual learning process. Most importantly though is to retain a sense of humor, we're not supposed to take life so seriously! Life is a wonderful roller coaster ride of ups and downs and I accept all of them in equal measures. One of the wonderful things life is offering me now is a second chance at that relationship that broke earlier this year, now from a more loving and accepting place for both of us.

Time to open our minds

2009-10-11T15:19:00.000-07:00

Found this really interesting documentary on the amazing phenomenon of crop circles. Check it out!

Nothing is too good to be true

2009-10-03T11:01:00.000-07:00

Now a year has passed from the financial meltdown here in Iceland when all the three major banks went bankrupt in a matter of days. The whole country was in a state of shock and is still recovering from these events. I knew at the time that I needed to find some non conventional ways to haul myself out of this funnel of debt we all seemed to be spiraling into so I decided to start properly saving up. I set myself goals in regards to saving and also found ways to increase my income, such as changing jobs, getting a second job as a yoga teacher and taking on the odd film and web work. In the last year I have managed to save up more than ever before in my life and it has a lot to do with the fact that I make abundance my focus instead of worrying about what I don't have. The affirmation below has been a great help to reaching that state of mind, I've put it up on the wall in my flat and I recite it often.

Remember that everything we focus on becomes bigger, so if our main focus is on our debts and everything we lack in life then that will only increase the debts and that feeling of not having enough. True wealth is so much more than having money. I might not be "rich" by some standards but I feel I have true wealth in my life as everything I need comes to me when I need it.

Abundance Affirmation

Nothing is too good to be true.
Nothing is too wonderful to happen.
Nothing is too good to last.

My conscious awareness of the Divine Presence as my supply
is my supply. I am now consciously aware of the indwelling
fountain of overflowing abundance. Therefore, I AM abundant
supply. My consciousness is the very energy of money.

I AM the Spirit of Infinite Plenty. I am boundless abundance,
and with love in my heart, I let the universal riches stream forth
into perfect manifestation.

What is expressed in love must be returned in full measure.
Therefore, wave after wave of visible money supply flows to me
now. I am wonderfully rich in consciousness,
and I am bountifully supplied with money.

I now realize my plan for abundant living.

There is always an abundance of money, and I now let it
come to me. I am open to receive.

I cannot be limited, for I am the Shining Sun of Supply,
and God's wealth fills my world.

I am receiving. I am receiving now.
I am receiving all the wealth that the universe has for me now.

I do not depend on persons or conditions for my good.
God is the source of my supply and God provides his own
amazing channels of good to me now.

All that is mine by divine right now comes to me
speedily, richly, freely and easily. I am receiving now.

It is finished. It is done. I give thanks that I have received,
and that my good appears in rich appropriate form under
divine timing.

All is well in my world!

Ten Rules for Being Human

2009-09-28T13:11:00.000-07:00

by Cherie Carter-Scott

1. You will receive a body. You may like it or hate it, but it's yours to keep for the entire period.

2. You will learn lessons. You are enrolled in a full-time informal school called, "life."

3. There are no mistakes, only lessons. Growth is a process of trial, error, and experimentation. The "failed" experiments are as much a part of the process as the experiments that ultimately "work."

4. Lessons are repeated until they are learned. A lesson will be presented to you in various forms until you have learned it. When you have learned it, you can go on to the next lesson.

5. Learning lessons does not end. There's no part of life that doesn't contain its lessons. If you're alive, that means there are still lessons to be learned.

6. "There" is no better a place than "here." When your "there" has become a "here", you will simply obtain another "there" that will again look better than "here."

7. Other people are merely mirrors of you. You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects to you something you love or hate about yourself.

8. What you make of your life is up to you. You have all the tools and resources you need. What you do with them is up to you. The choice is yours.

9. Your answers lie within you. The answers to life's questions lie within you. All you need to do is look, listen, and trust.

10. You will forget all this.

Your Choice: A Life of Chaos or a Life of Peace

2009-09-24T09:22:00.000-07:00

Some people, when they hear of this topic may know or understand what it means since there is both chaos and peace within us. We have experienced and recognized both. We may say there is a chaotic path and a peaceful path.

Nobody wants chaos. When we hear of this topic, we may think we can choose between a peaceful life and a chaotic life. We can say that we want a peaceful life, but if we don’t pursue it rightly, we won’t find it.

The Buddha said, “there is no chaos here.” Those who want peace ought to follow the Buddha’s path; those who want chaos can walk away from the Buddha’s path. Other paths won’t bring us to know, see, and understand ourselves, or to look into the mind, but instead lead us to look outside of ourselves. Therefore, they lead us to chaos. If we look into our life or mind, we will have a peaceful life.

When we look outside of ourselves, we see the right or wrong of others. We don’t see the right or wrong of ourselves. We don’t see ourselves, so we don’t see our mind. When bad things or confusion, or even peace, arises, we don’t see it because we are looking outside of ourselves.

The Buddha told us to be with ourselves, to be with our body and mind, with our life and awareness. It’s said that we should simply be with sati-samadhi-panna (awareness-attention-wisdom) or that we should be one who knows, one who is awake and joyful as the Buddha taught.

If we follow this way, our lives will be peaceful and normal because greed-anger-delusion or sadness and gladness can’t disturb us.

We always forget or lose ourselves. When something happens, we don’t look into ourselves or our mind, then suffering arises within us. But we always blame others for our suffering which is actually caused by our not-knowing or lack of awareness. If we have awareness, we will watch ourselves all of the time. When something happens, caused either by ourselves or by others, we won’t forget ourselves.

Wise people advise us not to forget ourselves. Don’t let delusion or not-knowing or ignorance arise. Actually, there is no delusion or ignorance. It exists or arises when we forget ourselves or when we don’t have self-awareness.

Therefore, we talk only about “self-awareness.” If someone has self-awareness all of the time, he or she won’t be afraid of or discouraged by any problem, whether it is caused by him or herself or by others. When a problem arises, he or she will solve it without suffering because it is solved with sati-samadhi-panna. Regardless of how difficult the problems are, they are solved with a normal mind. Difficult problems are made easy. Heavy burdens are dealt with a stable, pure and confident mind.

The Buddha told us not to be afraid of problems or to run away from them because they will always follow us. But, we can escape with sati-samadhi-panna. If we try to escape without awareness, we will suffer.

The world would be peaceful if everyone solved their problems with sati-samadhi-panna. Everyone should return to themselves to contemplate and find the way to solve their problems with sati-samadhi-panna.

Luangpor Thong Abhakaro

Twenty Eight Sign Posts of Conscious Living

2009-09-15T06:03:00.000-07:00

Know that although our evolutionary process is rapidly accelerating, along with the new higher vibrational energies. We are all experiencing these changes in our own way and in our own time, according to who we are and according to our coding and plan before birth.

In addition, generally speaking, our ascension process relates to how we each run our own individual energy and what our beliefs and experiences are. In other words, how we are wired and how we vibrate.

These things can be changed and will also change automatically as we clear and embody more light within ourselves. For the highly sensitive, psychic and those very open to the higher realms, the ascension process can be a bit more challenging.

BEGINNING EXPERIENCES

1) Moving into a better job that supports the expression of who you are, your passion or your mission, which are basically the same.
2) Greater financial abundance as you’ve never quite experienced before.
3) Most of your dreams come true and easily
4) You attract a new mate/partner or you and your current partner have a relationship revolving around companionship with no issue related “hooks”. You love, admire and adore each other for who you are with no dependencies.
5) As you further evolve, you re-unite with your “twin” who is a total reflection of you. Being together is like being with yourself and you feel a unity to Source as never before.
6) You don’t seem to care much about anything and nothing seems to matter anymore. You have evolved out of the Old way of being of drama and emotions.
7) You have lost your interest in the “New Age” arena.
8) You KNOW that all your needs are met and will always be.
9) You no longer have the desire or need to make things happen, “to try” or “to fix” anything. You understand “allowing”, “acceptance”, “being” and “intent”.
10) You can no longer relate to mental and analytical processes. You now relate to “feeling”.
11) You no longer care what anyone thinks about you or anything else.
12) You understand that there is no right or wrong, good or bad, or black or white. Everything just IS.
13) You finally realize that there is no dark or light. The appearance of lack of light is simply to provide a contrast to spur us on to creating what really feels good. All energy is always going in the same direction, supporting the light.
14) You have lost your desire to read books or gather any more new information as you are now much more connected to Source and can gather it “directly” by being, feeling and “knowing.”
15) Your health improves and/or you experience a miracle-like healing of a long standing physical ailment.
16) You crave a simplicity in all things and require and thrive on simple processes, simple desires and a very simple lifestyle.
17) You begin to experience a flow to life at a slow leisurely pace, where you need not do anything you do not really wish to. Everything falls into your lap. You experience much basking, savoring and gratitude for the simple things in life.
18) You only desire to do what is yours to do and to no longer have a life full of mundane “responsibilities”. When much releasing has been completed you are then left with a purified you…a gold nugget your divine expression. This is your contribution to the New World.
19) You easily pick up the thoughts, feelings, desires and needs of others, as you are becoming telepathic.
20) You can control your emotions, your experiences and create your world with your mind and intent without doubt or fear.
21) Your surrounding environment has little effect on you. You don’t take things personally. Nothing is really worth getting that upset about.
22) You have an unquenchable thirst for creativity. The enormous amount of energy running through you demands an outlet. You feel most as home and in alignment with Source when you are in your passion and creating.
23) You laugh a lot and find many things amusing and funny.
24) You have a heightened love and compassion for all living things. You are also experiencing higher states and more frequent state of love and joy.
25) You live in the moment without a “day planner. Things just naturally unfold day-by-day and moment-by-moment. All stress is gone.
26) You feel incredible peace. There is a distinct absence of fear and you feel safe.
27) Your inner child seems to have disappeared (relating to issues and wounds), although you love to play and frolic. Much of the time you just want to play, play and play!
28) You begin to have an understanding about how everything is connected. You understand that there are no mistakes. All is in Diving Right Order and there is never and was never anything “wrong”.

- Seth

What you resist persists

2009-09-08T03:32:00.001-07:00

Since I managed to break my all time blogging record in August I decided that it was allright to take a few days off the blog and allow inspiration to guide my next entry. Another reason for my blogging silence is that I've been keeping myself very busy, with work, teaching yoga, going to CoDA meetings and other social activity with friends. I find it's important though to take time out for myself, whether it is taking a yoga class, sitting alone and reading a good book or simply meditating. Anything and everything that can raise my awareness and level of acceptance to what is. I'm currently reading Byron Katie's "Loving what is" and what a wonderful read that is, thoroughly recommended.

One of the most important lessons I've learned is to accept my being in any condition and any situation I find myself in. For example usually the first thing I do if I feel tired is take action to alleviate the tiredness, so if I'm at work I stand up, breathe deeply and perhaps have a cup of green tea. If I'm at home, and have time, I'll rest for a while or even do some yoga and meditate. But what if that doesn't work and I still feel tired? Then I just accept how I'm feeling and don't wish it to be any other way. Being tired and wishing that you weren't won't help you feel less tired, it will only make the situation worse. What you resist persists! So I accept where I am and allow my self to be, because this tiredness too shall pass and all really is well! :)

Journey's end

2009-08-29T17:46:00.000-07:00

One of my mother's favorite poems (and also mine :) is Ferðalok / Journey's end by Icelandic writer and poet Jónas Hallgrímsson. There is a profound yet simple truth in these words and I have picked out my favorite verse which is the final verse of the poem to share. Check out the link above for the full version in both Icelandic and English.

Háa skilur hnetti
himingeimur,
blað skilur bakka og egg;
en anda, sem unnast,
fær aldregi
eilífð að skilið.

...and in English...

The heavens part
the high planets,
blade parts back and edge;
not even eter-
nity can part
souls that are sealed in love.

We are all one

2009-08-23T14:56:00.001-07:00

Saw this touching film posted on Facebook earlier and wanted to share. Just a little reminder of this simple truth, that we are all one.

The battle of the ego

2009-08-22T14:34:00.000-07:00

The ego is a very stubborn entity and endlessly desperate to make itself right. The fear is that if the ego has to admit that it isn't right, it will have to succumb to feeling inferior. WOW! And that seems to be the big thing we're all afraid of. So we try and cram reasons and excuses and beliefs and fears into all conversations that deal with sensitive "ego" events. To tell our part of the story so that it can be heard and believed by others, but that is exactly what it is, a "story". My own perception of events and often that is totally different to how others involved perceive it, because they of course have their own stories to cling to. So what if I just gave up my story, just simply accepted everything as it was, no matter how hurtful and down-putting it might be for the ego?

This is what I'll be doing over the next weeks whilst going into the 4th step of the CoDA program, searching within and making a fearless moral inventory of myself. So I've got to start writing up my resentments and then my fears. I've done this before in some way during the Tony Robbins seminars and got rid of some of the pent up emotions related to past issues, but I'm sure I can find more, so much more. Honesty with oneself is often the hardest thing, we're so good at lying to ourselves. Saying we're fine when we're not. If I know in my head how I want to be feeling but then feel a different emotion coming from my heart, and I reject my heart to go along with what my head is telling me to do, what am I doing but rejecting myself? I've probably become quite a master of that in my past, me rejecting me. But I've found a better place to be. I feel so happy when I completely love and accept myself, just for being me. Like tonight I went by myself to meet some friends at a concert downtown and I couldn't find them at first, but instead of waiting by the sides to find them after the concert I decided just to join the crowd and enjoy it with everyone there. I was clapping, dancing and singing along with a big smile on my face and feelings of joy radiating through my being. For I might be somewhere by myself, but I am never alone and I am always loved... and that is the simple and beautiful truth.

“If you want to reach a state of bliss, then go beyond your ego and the internal dialogue. Make a decision to relinquish the need to control, the need to be approved, and the need to judge. Those are the three things the ego is doing all the time. It's very important to be aware of them every time they come up.”
Deepak Chopra

The answers lie within

2009-08-19T07:42:00.000-07:00

I went to a CoDA meeting at lunchtime and as so often it was a cleansing and empowering experience. Later spoke to friends at work about relationship experiences and by listening to their words and the words I was speaking I realised I was answering my own questions regarding the issues I was being faced with. I love it when that happens, the answers always lie within. Found this great website that publishes a lot of spiritual articles and found a couple on relationships and love that I want to share. For example this excerpt from an article by Cari Murphy:

"All of our experiences have one primary purpose, and that is to expand our awareness. When we choose to view the spiritual meaning behind every experience, we begin to understand the miraculous nature of life. Practicing self acceptance, forgiveness and non-separation from others can truly transform our lives.

Opening our hearts in each moment nurtures the spark within us that feeds our soul and awakens us to our true purpose in life. It brings clarity and illumination to any narrow-minded beliefs and conditions of our experience. The light and love within us will not refuse to shine when called upon. We must simply invoke that eternal spark within us that is always available and awaiting recognition.

Our love (or lack of love) for others always stems from, and is reflective of, the love that we have (or lack) for ourselves. In order for us to receive the unconditional love that we long for, we must take responsibility for giving it to ourselves first. What we see in others and our experience is a direct result of what we believe and expect.

Until we can look into the mirror with full honesty and openness — seeing our own beliefs reflected there — we will unconsciously use others as mirrors to show us what we believe about ourselves. Long story short: if we don’t feel deserving of love, we will attract others into our experience that will withhold love from us.

If we love and accept ourselves, we will attract others who will also love us and see the beauty within us. Love is the only response that will eliminate fear from our experience. I encourage you to try it!"

Read the full article here.

Another article on that website by Phyllis King called 'Love is a verb. So, let’s DO it!' reads:

"It is the expectation we put on ourselves and others that often causes this discomfort. When our partner does not mirror our expectation back to us, we feel defeated and rejected. From that place of defeat and rejection, we jump to the conclusion that we have chosen the wrong person. We feel pain.

Most often, although not always, when challenges arise in a relationship, these are the most beautiful opportunities for us to grow, and for true intimacy to find its roots in our lives. We need to move away from judging what our relationship “looks” like and define it from the inside out. When our perceptions shift like this, our judgments dissipate, and we feel much more peaceful about our relationship and our life.

It is best, when challenges arise, to look at yourself first to resolve your own conflict, your own judgment, and to alter your own perception about what relationships are, and meant to be. The universe mirrors back to us what we are contributing to it. If we are contributing control, expectation, and lack of trust, that is what we will receive.

Relationships should provide companionship, pleasure, and joy. They are also the greatest and most powerful vehicle we will ever have to heal our own wounds and judgments.

When you begin to live love as an action statement, your relationship begins to take on a different feel and purpose."

The article also lists these 5 ways to improve your love relationships:

1. Move away from external programming that tells you what your relationship should look like, or what it should be doing for you. This is a personal individual process. There is no rule or benchmark for what is right or wrong (excepting abuse and addictions).

2. Look at challenges as opportunities for you to grow and for true intimacy to take root in your life

3. Enjoy your partner unconditionally.

4. Develop your internal courage to identify the flaws in your thinking and perceptions.

5. All relationships are not meant to last a lifetime. That is not a failure. That is growth.

Read the full article here.

Inexplicable

2009-08-18T16:23:00.000-07:00

I'm in love with this song. Inexplicable by The Big Nic. You can download the mp3 from the bands website.

Ram Dass on Love

2009-08-18T06:43:00.000-07:00

I recently came across Ram Dass and his teachings and I'm feeling something very soothing and real in his words, something that is resonating within my soul. Found this great excerpt of one of his speeches and an introduction on YouTube that I wanted to share :)

True love

2009-08-17T15:58:00.000-07:00

Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh tells us the truth about true love and relationships.

New experiences

2009-08-16T15:48:00.000-07:00

This weekend has been dedicated to trying out new things and enjoying quality time with great friends. Friday night I had dinner with a dear friend, CoDA meeting and then after that a Seabear concert at Grand Rock. Although I only got home at 2am it was a great night all in all and the Seabear gig was well worth staying up so late, just love their music.

Was a bit tired on Saturday morning though as I had to get up relatively early to get my butt into work as it was the day of the CCP Open golf tournament. We took a bus up to Þorlákshöfn golf course, about 40 of us, all geared up for a day of golf and fun. I have actually never played a round of golf before so this was a great new experience although sometimes trying on the patience when the club was failing to hit the ball properly. My partner during the day was a young Swedish guy who had never played golf either so we made a pretty good couple of newbies. It was pretty amazing though as sometimes I managed to hit perfect balls in between the misses and that felt incredibly satisfying. The trick though was to consider each shot a new beginning and enjoy the game even when things weren't going as smoothly as we would like. By doing this golf can actually become quite a spiritual practice ;) We spent a whole 8 hours playing the 18 holes which is a really long time but it was spent in great company and we had a lot of fun on the way, even with the wind and the rain that kept revisiting throughout the day. After there was a grill party with beer and lots of fun and laughter. I just love my coworkers at CCP, such a great bunch of people.

Have to say though that I was feeling a little worse for wear and fragile this morning when I woke up but decided to get my ass in gear and go to a CoDA meeting instead of indulging a mild sense of suffering caused by what I call a booze bummer. The meeting was challenging, but I decided to let go and relax into the experience, listening to people lend my ears stories of healing and self discoveries. In the moments after the meeting when everyone was leaving I started again to experience a sense of emptiness engulfing and the fear set in leaving me feeling a bit vulnerable and alone even as I stood there in the middle of a room filled with loving souls. Luckily though my sponsor was there and she encouraged me to come swimming with them in the ocean. An activity that I've been shying away from as I had the belief in my mind that it wouldn't be anything that would enjoy since I dislike feeling cold. But as I went home deciding on whether or not to join them I dug deep into my heart and asked what I should do and the answer as usual came promptly. "Always do what you are afraid to do!" So took heed and went down to Nautholsvik, the only white sand beach in Reykjavik, to meet up with the group. Turns out that it was an amazing experience, although it was fiendishly cold to start out with it soon felt great as the body adjusted and I was swimming along merrily. I probably spent 20-30 minutes in the water which is probably no more than 12-14 degrees Celsius. It was funny though that as soon as I jumped into the water, screaming at the top of my voice due to the cold, all my worries and uncomfortable feelings disappeared and were instantly replaced with fun, laughter, acceptance and love. I spent the rest of the afternoon with this great group of people, relaxing in the hot tub after the swim and then going out to an early dinner with them. It's amazing the miracles that happen when we decide to say "YES" and embrace life with love instead of choosing suffering. A fantastic day!

Conditioning and getting along

2009-08-13T15:45:00.000-07:00

I know I'm often quoting or referencing to my many spiritual Facebook friends on this blog, but they're always such a great source of inspirational information. One of those is Nirmala, a spiritual teacher in the advaita tradition of nondual spiritual teachings. His website Endless Satsang is a fountain of spiritual articles and teachings, and one that I thoroughly recommend. His wife Gina Lake is also an awakened teacher who has her own website called Radical Happiness and there I found this posting 'Getting Along' that I wanted to share with you:

Here are some principles to ease relationships:

1. Judgments and criticism harm relationships and don’t serve them in any way. It is a misunderstanding to think that judgments are useful. There is no innate wisdom in them. They kill love and distance people from each other. They also make it likely that the one you are judging will judge you back, and that creates a vicious cycle of negativity between two people.

2. Judgments are a strategy to try to change people, but judging others to change them doesn't work. Judgments are more likely to create resistance and bad feelings, especially anger. Judgment is an ineffective strategy and leaves everyone feeling bad. It's not our business to change others, and trying to do so only hurts relationships. People change when they're ready to change.

3. Judgments are a way we try to get rid of the negative feelings we have toward someone. We try to change that person so that we stop feeling negatively toward him or her. What we may not be recognizing is that the negative feelings originated in us—the judgment, itself, created the negative feeling: “He shouldn’t do that. That’s wrong. He doesn’t care. If he loved me, he wouldn’t do that. I hate it when he does that.” What we say to ourselves about other people and circumstances creates feelings. Then, we try to change other people or circumstances to fix our feelings instead of taking responsibility for having created them. If you are having a feeling, you created it by something you said to yourself. The good news is that you can stop creating negative feelings just by seeing this, by seeing how believing a particular thought was responsible for a feeling. Ignore the thoughts that create negative feelings. When you refuse to buy into those thoughts, they can’t snowball into a feeling.

4. Negative feelings are your responsibility, not someone else's. Don't dump them on others or expect others to change so that you don't feel that way anymore. It’s not other people's responsibility to make you feel good. But if you act lovingly and nonjudgmentally toward them, they are likely to act in ways that will make you feel good. If you act judgmentally toward them, you're likely to get negativity back.

5. You are entitled to your feelings, but that doesn't mean you are entitled to express them any way you want.

------------------------------------

Also found on her website this great chapter from her book Choosing love on conditioning and relationships. Definitely recommended for all, amazing insights and very clear points. I'm in no doubt that reading this could possibly save many couples a lot of suffering ;)

"If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment."
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus

Relationship Drama lessons

2009-08-12T06:41:00.000-07:00

As I've mentioned before on this blog there are plenty of people to be found on the web who are sharing wisdom and experience that can be a benefit to us all. I'm actually using my blog as a library of all these different discoveries, the videos, articles, quotes etc. so I can always dip back in and seek inspiration if needed. I discovered these three articles on Facebook that I'd like to share as they give good and clear insights into the relationship drama situations we tend to create for ourselves. Below you can click on the links to access the first three lessons, please note that you have to log into your Facebook account to view ;)

Relationship Drama no. 1: Attraction & Repulsion

Relationship Drama No. 2: You have changed

Relationship Drama no. 3: I don't want to hurt him/her

I'll be your mirror

2009-08-10T17:35:00.001-07:00

I'll be your mirror
Reflect what you are, in case you don't know
I'll be the wind, the rain and the sunset
The light on your door to show that you're home

When you think the night has seen your mind
That inside you're twisted and unkind
Let me stand to show that you are blind
Please put down your hands
'Cause I see you

I find it hard to believe you don't know
The beauty you are
But if you don't let me be your eyes
A hand in your darkness, so you won't be afraid

When you think the night has seen your mind
That inside you're twisted and unkind
Let me stand to show that you are blind
Please put down your hands
'Cause I see you

I'll be your mirror
(reflect what you are)

...a nice cover of this beautiful Velvet Underground and Nico song below...

Tai Ji Quan and the Astral realm

2009-08-09T14:16:00.000-07:00

Life delivers such truly wonderful experiences and brings me so many lovely and amazing people to connect with. This weekend I had signed up for a course in Tai Ji Quan 太极拳 that was being taught here by a teacher who had come all the way over from Israel. The course was great and we learned a form that we can now practice at home. It's a challenging practice that requires patience, but it delivers a very calming effect on the vibrations within the body and I felt really good after the sessions.

I connected with a few kindred spirits during those couple of days who I'll make sure to stay in contact with, feeling the importance of being around people who share the same interests and are on a similar spiritual journey.

Through the reading of certain books and recommendations from spiritual friends I'm getting really interested in trying out Astral Projection. I have been experiencing extremely vivid dreams of late and even had a lucid dream not so long ago where I realised whilst within the dream that I was actually dreaming. By that I mean that my consciousness managed to break into my subconscious during my dream. I remember being filled with excitement at the possibilities of what I could see and do in this state and it was incredibly fascinating and scary at the same time, bit like being a kid locked in a candy store. I'm reading David McReady's book The Great Simulator which is opening my eyes to amazing possibilities. I love his style of communicating what I perceive as being true and the simply steps one needs to take in order to maximize this human experience. The gifts, the symbols and the signs are everywhere, in every single moment, we only need to pay attention. :)

Truth

2009-08-07T16:18:00.000-07:00

Truth isn't something we find in relative words or concepts,
simply because these are all arising in present experienc-
ing, in pure seeing.

Truth isn't something we conceptualize, something we
put together, something we make up or imagine.

Truth is a recognition or revelation of something that
is, something true, something real.

It is simply noticed. Discovered. Seen. It is simply recognized.
Revealed to be already there, already true, already real.

Truth is wordless, pathless, objectless. Truth is the fact of
being-the-experienc ing itself.

The knowing that You are.

- Randall Friend

The Four Agreements

2009-08-06T15:52:00.000-07:00

Saw this video a while back and wasn't sure if I had posted it before on this blog, but a as an old Icelandic saying goes "A good poem is never too often recited" ;) It's an excerpt from the book The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruz. Such a beautiful story, such a beautiful message. Shared to all you beautiful people with endless love and light :)

The shadow beliefs

2009-08-04T16:08:00.000-07:00

There are so many emotions one goes through when taking stock and cleaning out the closets of the past. The realisation that childhood conditioning and programming is so well hardwired in the psyche, that it's still having a massive affect on all relationships in the now, is scary and liberating at the same time. So much can be thoroughly hidden from view, buried under layers and layers of experiences, thoughts and beliefs. The stories we have created to make up the character, the ego, we believe we are.

I'm uncovering the story of me and it sometimes feel like I'm having a movie played in front of my eyes. A film where I roll the different stories that I have decided to believe, whether it is "I am not good enough" or "I'm not worthy of love", or "I don't deserve attention". Watching the many scenes where these beliefs have played an integral and usually destructive role. I've worked on breaking through these "bullshit" beliefs before, for example at the Tony Robbins seminars and even managed to shift some, at least temporarily, gaining more respect and love for my own Being. But they are so well conditioned and hardwired that unless a constant light of awareness is on them at all times, they can crawl their way back and cause their usual havoc. I've been reading The Secret of the Shadow by Debbie Ford which is an amazing book filled with so many practical ways in which we can shift these beliefs and start owning our stories. Such a fantastic read, thoroughly recommended!

I'm also working through these conditioned thoughts and beliefs again in the first step of the CODA program. Being blessed with an amazing sponsor the work becomes as much fun as it is spiritually cleansing. I'm gaining such a clearer insight in the character and story I've created, and understanding that it will take effort and endless amount of unconditional love to heal. The only person in this life I can expect unconditional love from is myself, so again the answer to all is acceptance, even with all my faults and past mistakes and endless amounts of self love. Probably sounds silly to some but this truly does work, on more levels than we can probably ever imagine.

Love and light

2009-08-03T17:55:00.001-07:00

Circumstances don't matter. Only my state of Being matters. I choose love :)

Love without talking

2009-08-01T20:40:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite Facebook angels posted this lovely short film on his profile earlier tonight, just had to share! :)

One art

2009-08-01T11:45:00.000-07:00

The art of losing isn't hard to master;
so many things seem filled with the intent
to be lost that their loss is no disaster.

Lose something every day. Accept the fluster
of lost door keys, the hour badly spent.
The art of losing isn't hard to master.

Then practice losing farther, losing faster:
places, and names, and where it was you meant
to travel. None of these will bring disaster.

I lost my mother's watch. And look! my last, or
next-to-last, of three loved houses went.
The art of losing isn't hard to master.

I lost two cities, lovely ones. And, vaster,
some realms I owned, two rivers, a continent.
I miss them, but it wasn't a disaster.

--Even losing you (the joking voice, a gesture
I love) I shan't have lied. It's evident
the art of losing's not too hard to master
though it may look like (Write it!) like disaster.

by Elizabeth Bishop

Gateways of light

2009-07-31T12:38:00.000-07:00

Thank heavens for the Internet, it's good to know there are others out there experiencing a similar shift in consciousness.

Spiritual break up

2009-07-30T04:47:00.001-07:00

I've been having amazing bouts of self realisation and awareness in the last couple of weeks following the break up of my relationship. The break came as such a shock to me that I was in a state of disbelief for a couple of days until it hit me! BAM! That's it, that's exactly what I needed. WOW! I can't believe how asleep I was, from the day the poor guy stepped out of the plane and into my life I was reliving my old relationship pattern. Something I have just come to realise has tainted all my adult relationships and will continue to do so unless I constantly keep the light of awareness on. Awake at all times.

He had all the qualities I was looking for in a partner and we were great together but somewhere deep inside of me was a hidden fear, something so well kept from light that when I went off guard it managed to creep up on me. One day I wasn't so happy anymore, I became cold and distant, told him I was having a bad day, don't take it personally. But I was actually self sabotaging the relationship and was subconsciously chasing him away. I was rejecting him with my depressed moods and by being cold and snappy with him. Focusing on his faults rather than his many qualities. I found an interesting video on YouTube addressing this issue. I didn't realise that I actually was happy in this relationship. Perhaps we were lacking the level of excitement one usually feels in the beginning of the relationship (during the courting period when everything is perfect, and only because you don't really know the person inside out yet ;), but that is understandable when you share your life/apartment/washing/bills and everything else with the same person, and the mistake we make is equaling the feeling of lack of excitement with being discontent. Luckily I was awake in between the bouts of self sabotage, felt jolly and was very happy being with him, well at least that's how I was imagining the world. But he was living a different story, to him those bouts of unpleasantness became more frequent and probably felt like it was happening all the time. Other personal circumstances put an extra strain on the relationship, something we both had a hard time dealing with and leaving me a perfect excuse to stream more negative vibes in his direction. So in turn he probably felt rejected and starting doubting whether I was the kind of person he wanted to spend his life with. And rightfully so!

Damn! Why do we always see things so clear after the event? The way I see it now though is that I've been very fortunate. If it wasn't for this experience I wouldn't be having the spiritual awakening I'm experiencing now and the chance of having a fulfilling, healthy, happy and lasting relationship in the future. Through this I've found amazing teachers who I listen to and read every day, explains the amount of books that are currently on my bedside table. According to Debbie Ford you can use the break up as a spiritual stepping stone:

"Seven Spiritual Laws

It's important to know that the breakdown of your relationship is for a greater purpose. Understanding some of the basic spiritual laws of the Universe will help you to discover that there is a reason you're going through this pain. These laws will guide you through the process of healing and bring you back to a place deep inside that is filled with wisdom, knowledge, and compassion for the human experience.

1. The Law of Acceptance:
The first and possibly the most important spiritual law is that everything is as it should be. Nothing occurs by accident, and there are no coincidences. We are always evolving, whether we are aware of it or not. And our lives are divinely designed for each one of us to get exactly what we need to support our own unique evolutionary process.

2. The Law of Surrender:
When we stop resisting and surrender to the situation exactly as it is, things begin to change. Resistance is the number-one culprit in denying us our right to heal. We resist out of fear that if we let go, if we surrender, our lives will go out of control or we will be faced with circumstances that we can't handle. When we are willing to look at our situation and admit that we don't know how to fix it, we are ready to get the help we need.

3. The Law of Divine Guidance:
God will do for you what you cannot do for yourself. When you get out of your own way and let go of your defenses, you become humble. Humility is the doorway through which the Divine can walk into your life. Without humility, we believe we can do it ourselves. Without humility, our false sense of pride, or ego, prohibits us from seeing the entire situation with clear eyes. Our egos remain in charge until we step outside our righteous belief that we are independent and separate beings. As long as this myth is intact, we keep the door closed to our higher wisdom.

4. The Law of Responsibility:
With divine guidance, we can look at exactly how we participated in and co-created our break up drama. We can begin to take responsibility for our entire situation and make peace with our past. We can see how we have chosen the perfect partner to teach us the perfect lessons. Once we have asked God to come into our lives and guide us, we begin to heal.

5. The Law of Choice:
Having taken responsibility, we can choose new interpretations that empower us. We become the designer of our own new reality. We can separate from our partner and cut the karmic cords by taking back the aspects of ourselves that we've projected onto our mate. We can distinguish what our self-defeating behaviors have been and learn how to act instead of react in difficult situations.

6. The Law of Forgiveness:
After we have cut the karmic cord, we can ask God to forgive us. Asking for forgiveness allows us to let go of our judgments and beliefs about what is right and what is wrong and find compassion for our entire selves. Compassion unfolds when we're in the presence of the perfection of the Universe, when we can experience ourselves in another. It comes with the great understanding of the difficulties and ambiguity of being a human being. Compassion is God's grace for those who ask. Once we have received compassion for ourselves, we will be able to find compassion and forgiveness for our mate.

7. The Law of Creation:
Experiencing the freedom of forgiveness opens up the gates to new realities. Forgiveness breaks all the cords that keep us tied to the past. It allows us to experience an innocent heart filled with love and excitement for life. This is the time to create a new future, one grounded in your divine truth."

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I have to admit I had to fight my ego on this one. Should I actually post this and admit to the very small fraction of the world that happens to read this blog what an ass I have made of myself? But then my inner self goes: "Why, of course!" If my experience can help anyone else that might perhaps be dealing with the same issues wake up and realise what is happening, then it's well worth my "loss of cool". So there... I AM AN ASS! Well at least I am a relatively happy one as through this all I've discovered my one true love in this life, which is my all knowing, all loving inner self. And that ladies and gentlemen, is love!

Tour through reality

2009-07-30T01:52:00.000-07:00

You've got to love Facebook, the gems that some of my friends post there are so amazing. Another spiritual friend that I've never met but added me on Facebook some months ago posted this video earlier today and I´m very excited to share with you. It's just WOW! I second the comment from one of the viewers on YouTube "free your mind! open your eyes and face yourself, that we are just spirits living in this dream, that exist in the mind, everything is illusion!"

Namaste

2009-07-29T13:19:00.000-07:00

Realized I had posted the Fire the grid mediation hour (which I later took out) a little too late... a day late! :S Oh well, turns out I was mediating and doing yoga during that hour anyway, so no harm done. :) Yesterday was filled with activities, CODA lunchtime, meeting with my sponsor after work, teaching yoga and then seeing my healer for a body stress release session. Felt like I was flying when I got home, this work on the self really does help. But with every flight there is a landing and today I had a strange feeling of unease, like a tingling in my solar plexus chakra, like I was being pulled. Have to say that the thorough massage I got from our "hunk of a man" masseur at work really helped ease that unease away. I love the privilege of being able to get a massage at work, mmmmm... :)

Went to lunch with dear mother and when we had finished and were walking back I felt like I was guided into a store and to a rack where there was a book in front of me that seemed to scream "BUY ME!" So I bought it. Funny how that seems to work, because when it happens it feels a bit like I'm watching some sort of a movie of my own life, thinking: "Isn't this fun!" I'm actually reading 4 books at the moment, so adding another, plus one more that is being delivered in the mail shouldn't be too much... ;)

The Snatam Kaur, Mula Mantra, that I posted a couple of days ago is such a blessing. I probably listen to it at least 20 times a day, singing along at the top of my voice when I'm at home. It has an incredibly calming and uplifting effect on my soul, simply divine, like her voice, just perfect!

Tomorrow I'm getting up at 5:30 to teach a Hot Yoga class at 6:15am, then one in the afternoon and then a Yoga 2 class up in the suburbs in the evening. Think my body will be pretty yoga'd out on Friday but looking forward to the weekend with all it's wonders and joys! Namaste all you lovely people, all is full of love.

Being and becoming

2009-07-28T04:37:00.000-07:00

I went to a CODA(Co dependents anonymous) meeting today during lunchtime. CODA is a 12 step organization that is open to all people who want to develop more healthy and loving relationships in their lives and first and foremost to develop true love for themselves. I remember first when I started going to these meetings in January that I felt a bit out of place, like I had done so much work already that I didn't need to do any more and I could feel myself judging people and the experience itself. But how wrong could I have been, my arrogance was rooted in some sort of fear of seeming weak by attending these meetings. It took a couple of big shocks to awaken me to what it was actually giving me and I'm blessed to have found this group of people who I learn so much from by listening to their experiences and who are ready and willing to listen to me when I need to share. The work on myself and the quest for my true spiritual self is a lifelong process and will never be "done". Everyday includes a magical moment, an opportunity to learn more about myself and about this wonderful world.

I absolutely love how my questions seem to get answered, a song sent by a friend, sometimes a link to an important message that I need to hear. Below is a video that a spiritually inclined friend sent to me yesterday, said nothing apart from "You´ve got to watch this!" I did and I was like, Aha... this lit something inside of me. I love Eckhart Tolle and Anthony de Mello and the spiritual masters who tell us what we need to hear, that we need to free ourselves from the pain and discover the illusion that life is. But what do we do when we are there, when we realise the illusion and stop believing our thoughts? What's next? Can we be in a perpetual state of happiness, bliss if you like, at all times? I believe we can find acceptance in everything that happens to us. When you lose someone you love you might not be jumping for joy, but you can find happiness in the small moments, in the interaction with the people around you, in meditation, whilst listening to great music, doing a headstand or bouncing up and down on the rebounder in the living room. This man, Andrew Cohen, discusses a quest towards an authentic self, when we have gone beyond the ego and discovered the bliss of just being. I think it's a really interesting concept and something I'd like to explore further. In the meantime I just enjoy being, for I AM THAT! :)

We are one

2009-07-27T08:47:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite friends on Facebook, a person I´ve never met but an angel in human form posted this song on his profile earlier today. As so often with things he posts it´s exactly what I needed to be listening to today and as I listen to it I can feel happiness, love and tranquility radiate through my being telling me that "All is well, all is well." :)

Then the letting go

2009-07-26T16:21:00.000-07:00

What do you do when a little life decides it's not time to come into this world and parts far too early to be felt.

Let go.

What do you do when the person you love the most wants to leave to find their happiness elsewhere.

Let go.

What do you do when dreams shatter and hopes are squashed.

Let go.

Create new dreams, new hopes, and love, love with all your heart, always, the person that deserves your love the most. Yourself.

"Perfect love casts out fear. Where there is love there are no demands, no expectations, no dependency. I do not demand that you make me happy; my happiness does not lie in you. If you were to leave me, I will not feel sorry for myself; I enjoy your company immensely, but I do not cling." Anthony de Mello

The truth about relationships

2009-07-25T02:15:00.000-07:00

Eckhart Tolle is such an amazing teacher, here are couple of paragraphs of wisdom a dear friend sent to me in an email some months ago.

"However, the intensity with which true love is felt can vary. There may be one person who reflects your love back to you more clearly and more intensely than others, and if that person feels the same toward you, it can be said that you are in a love relationship with him or her. The bond that connects you with that person is the same bond that connects you with the person sitting next to you on a bus, or with a bird, a tree, a flower. Only the degree of intensity with which it is felt differs."

"However, every crisis represents not only danger but also opportunity. If relationships energize and magnify egoic mind patterns and activate the pain-body, as they do at this time, why not accept this fact rather than try to escape from it? Why not cooperate with it instead of avoiding relationships or continuing to pursue the phantom of an ideal partner as an answer to your problems or a means of feeling fulfilled?"

The Work

2009-07-23T04:41:00.000-07:00

I´ve found The Work by Byron Katie and am spiritually inspired beyond belief, recommended by a true friend. She speaks such truth! More videos with her talks on her website and on YouTube. :)

I promise myself

2009-07-22T01:49:00.000-07:00

To be so strong that nothing can disturb my peace of mind.

To talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person I meet.

To make all my friends feel that there is something worthwhile in them.

To look at the sunny side of everything and make my optimism come true.

To think only of the best, to work only for the best and to expect only the best.

To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as I am about my own.

To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.

To wear a cheerful expression at all times and give a smile to every living creature I meet.

To give so much time to improving myself that I have no time to criticize others.

To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

To think well of myself and to proclaim this fact to the world, not in loud words, but in great deeds.

To live in the faith that the whole world is on my side, so long as I am true to the best that is in me.

by Christian D. Larson

This too shall pass

2009-07-20T01:57:00.001-07:00

"Anytime you have a negative feeling toward anyone, you're living in an illusion. There is something seriously wrong with you. You're not seeing reality. Something inside of you has to change. But what do we generally do when we have a negative feeling? "He is to blame, she is to blame. She's got to change." No! The world's all right. The one who has to change is you."

Anthony de Mello

My birthday

2009-06-30T16:11:00.000-07:00

Numerology influences for people born on the 30th of June...

3 Year Cycle — Expression, Manifestation

This is the year of expression. You finally see success in that new venture. The influences of this year bring new loves but can also make this a very emotional period. This is a year to be very creative. This is a year in which the first signs of life appear above ground allowing you to see the first leaves of the seeds you planted in your 1 year cycle.

Health Influences For 2009:

This year can be very emotional and thus you need to strengthen your immune system. Cleanse the liver this year. Do pranayama breathing techniques to help your lungs. Skin problems can be problematic this year. Watch that you do not overindulge in food, especially in sweets and “comfort” foods.

... hmmm, interesting, perhaps I shouldn't eat that bag of sweets I just bought... well at least not the whole bag ;)

Luck be a lady

2009-06-23T09:17:00.000-07:00

Been a while since my latest blog entry and I thought if I didn't want this piece of online diary to die its final death I needed to get something down on "screen" as soon as. Life is an emotional roller coaster with its exhilarating ups and sometimes crushing downs, it gives and it takes. When you experience a loss of some sort within the experience lie valuable life lessons. And I have learned a lot in the last month. What is always so amazing to feel is the love that is all around, from my partner, my family and of course my friends. I never get tired of gushing over what a beautiful bunch of people they all are. And I'm lucky. Very lucky indeed.

But life cruises by at it's normal pace, racing through any bumps on the road. I've been busy at work, getting soaked in all the different acronyms and computer lingo that is used there every day. I've been very grateful for all my past computer and web experience, it definitely has come in very handy when trying to grasp all the new information. And it's fun, the people are great, there is laughter, fun and amazing amount of productivity. I definitely feel at home as far as workplaces go. I've also started a twice weekly lunchtime yoga class for wannabe yogis and yogini's at work and have had a really good response, hopefully we'll be able to continue with this as a permanent fixture in the CCP staff health regime. :)

I have had a critique from a reader close to me (well the closest one I guess as the critic was GG), that I was writing an event log on here. Perhaps it's not that interesting to read but then this in a way is a place for me to keep a track of all that I've been up to, just in case I want to remember it later when I'm old and gray and have used up all my braincells. I use this space selfishly as a place to deliver my random rantings for whoever bored enough to get stuck in. Anyway, it's my birthday next week and I've been asked to write a list (request from mother) of what I want for my birthday. It's quite funny to have to write those kind of lists because I usually have to give it a lot of thought. I find it hard to come up with things I want or actually need. Which must mean I've got everything I need! Well apart from a bathtub in my bathroom, or a new Macbook pro or a trip around the world! :D Those things aside I truly live an abundant life, that is for sure. What I would like though is a rebounder that I can store underneath our bed. Have wanted one for years but never found the right one. What could be better for the health than bouncing up and down in the bedroom!

No problem is permanent

2009-06-08T03:23:00.000-07:00

“My message to people is, look, it’s not easy. But nothing in life is permanent, no problem is permanent. Your soul’s permanent. Nothing is so pervasive that you can’t recover from it if you change your psychology and you’re willing to do something to get out of yourself.”

Too beautiful for earth

2009-05-29T16:33:00.000-07:00

May the road rise up to meet you, may the wind be ever at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face and the rain fall softly on your fields. And until we meet again, may God hold you in the hollow of his hand. ~Irish Blessing

Changes

2009-05-20T06:20:00.001-07:00

Wow! So much has happened in these last three weeks I´m not exactly sure where to start. Well, lets begin with the fact that I have left my job at Nova and got a fantastic job with my company of choice, the makers of the massive multiplayer game EVE online and one of the fastest growing companies in Iceland, the one and only CCP! I can´t begin to describe how pleased I am with this development. Things had begun to feel a bit stale at Nova and I had been keeping my eyes open for new and exciting possibilities, mostly looking towards CCP as I´ve always had the some sort of gut feeling that that´s where I belonged. Then a couple of weeks ago I received a call from Torfi, an old friend of mine and senior producer at CCP asking me to come in for an interview the following day. They needed someone as soon as possible to take over as a product owner on a massive web and client based feature, which will be a big feature in the next big release from CCP scheduled in November, as the current product owner will be going on maternity leave later in the summer. This is a huge undertaking, but an incredibly exciting project so I immediately jumped at the chance when I was offered the job (official new job title is Associate producer). Luckily I managed to make a deal with my superiors at Nova to leave pretty much right away, which was excellent as I needed to a couple of days later at CCP. I was of course sad to leave my team at Nova and all the good people that work there but any regrets were quickly whisked away in the whirlwind of the coming days.

The 5th of May marked my 2 year anniversary of returning to Iceland from London and starting this blog. That was my first day at CCP and I received a warm welcome from the team and it was great to meet again many old friends from the days when I worked at OZ and many more, including my very good friend Diljá. Last week I was sent along with 3 other product owners at CCP (including another old friend Simmi) to a Scrum product owner training course in Hilversum, Holland. We learned a vast amount in the two days we spent on the course, but found time to visit some lovely restaurants and I even managed to squeeze in some H&M shopping. Very successful trip indeed! ;) I´m very lucky to be working with amazing people on this fast moving project and it should definitely be one hell of a ride. I have to say I´m really looking forward to it. Bring it on!!!

What is that?

2009-05-04T01:41:00.001-07:00

An award winning short film that touches the heart.

Autobiography in Five Short Chapters

2009-05-03T16:31:00.000-07:00

Chapter One
I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I fall in.
I am lost .... I am helpless.
It isn't my fault.
It takes forever to find a way out.

Chapter Two
I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend that I don't see it.
I fall in again.
I can't believe I am in this same place.
But, it isn't my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.

Chapter Three
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I still fall in ... it's a habit ... but, my eyes are open.
I know where I am.
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.

Chapter Four
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.

Chapter Five
I walk down another street.

Poem by Portia Nelson

Forgive them anyway

2009-04-21T09:02:00.000-07:00

My friend Charlane suggested I add Cora Wen as a friend on Facebook, a teacher she has found inspirational and wanted to share. It didn't take long for Cora to inspire me as I found this beautiful quote by Mother Theresa on her website that I felt compelled to share with all who happen to stumble on to my blog. The verse below was written by Mother Teresa. It is engraved on the wall of her hospital for children in Calcutta and dedicated to people throughout the world.

Forgive Them Anyway

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, People may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight.
Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous.
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God;
it was never between you and them anyway.

Fjords, illnesses and a birthday with fancy toys

2009-04-19T08:34:00.000-07:00

Easter weekend me and GG went on our first trip to the Westfjords of Iceland, to a town called Ísafjörður with the purpose of attending the free music festival Aldrei fór ég suður(translation: I never went south). It was a 7 hour long drive, driving in and out of countless fjords before reaching our destination. We stayed at Hótel Ísafjörður, a rather nice three star hotel in the centre of town. The weekend was relaxing and enjoyable as we drove around the surrounding area, visited the Sudureyri swimming pool, went to the festival and hung out with friends. Eva and Eldar flew up on the Friday feeling optimistic that the flu symptoms they were both starting to develop would subside on the flight over and they would be able to grab a beer and take part in the festivities as they had been planning for weeks. Unfortunately things didn't to plan and Eva didn't even feel well enough to leave the hotel room until 36 hours later when they caught the flight back to Reykjavik, a day or two before the scheduled departure. It was sad that they couldn't enjoy the weekend with us but I'm sure we'll get another opportunity at a later date to relish in the wonders of the Westfjords toghether. It's such a beautiful place and I'm looking forward to visiting again at some time during the summer to see more of the breathtakingly stunning and rugged landscape.

Did take a souvenir home though as I woke up the day after we got back with a slight fever and general feeling of unwell. It took the rest of the week to regain most of my better health, tried to go to work on the Wednesday but had to go home as I was still feeling too ill. I finally felt better on Friday, which I credit to ingesting lots of my green Phion drink, ginger tea and a potent cold remedy potion I found on the web and consists of boiling together ginger, garlic and cayenne pepper with a bit of lemon and honey. It delivered with the expected kick and I felt well enough to go to work and stay up late to prepare for GG's birthday party on the Saturday.

Got up early Saturday morning to continue with the prepping and after another 7 hours of cooking and baking the festivities could commence. GG had arranged for a birthday stroll around the neighborhood before the party and after everyone gathered in our home with their children and happily munched away and chatted merrily. I got GG a pair of softshell hiking trousers for his birthday but as a surprise present the English/French duo The Fancy Toys, who were playing gigs in Reykjavik this weekend, had agreed to come over and play a few songs for the birthday boy. They turned out to be a massive hit with both GG and the rest of the guests and it was amazing to have a band come and perform in our living room. Many thanks to my friend Birgir Daniel, who was organising their gigs in Iceland, for suggesting this brilliant idea and making it happen! :)

Quotes to note

2009-04-16T14:41:00.000-07:00

Here are a few quotes I came across by the great spiritual teacher Jiddu Krishnamurti.

"Do you want to know my secret?" asked Jiddu Krishnamurti
"I don't mind what happens"

"The description is not the described; I can describe the mountain, but the description is not the mountain, and if you are caught up in the description, as most people are, then you will never see the mountain"

"You must understand the whole of life, not just one little part of it. That is why you must read, that is why you must look at the skies, that is why you must sing, and dance, and write poems, and suffer, and understand, for all that is life.”

"What is needed, rather than running away or controlling or suppressing or any other resistance, is understanding fear; that means, watch it, learn about it, come directly into contact with it. We are to learn about fear, not how to escape from it."

"A man who is not afraid is not aggressive, a man who has no sense of fear of any kind is really a free, a peaceful man.”

"If your eyes are blinded with your worries, you cannot see the beauty of the sunset"

"Freedom and love go together. Love is not a reaction. If I love you because you love me, that is mere trade, a thing to be bought in the market; it is not love. To love is not to ask anything in return, not even to feel that you are giving something- and it is only such love that can know freedom.”

Go west!

2009-04-09T03:43:00.000-07:00

I taught my 13th official yoga class yesterday after work as I was filling in for my teacher Guðjón Bergmann in his power yoga class at World Class, Seltjarnarnes. It's great to get opportunities to teach these substitute classes, did one last Friday at Laugar with a group of about 40-50 people, great dive into the deeper end of the pool and very rewarding. Yoga is my personal energy gas station. It's where I fill up to get enough energy and vitality to get me through the day and teaching yoga is no different, it's great to come out of a good class and feel the positive energy buzzing through my body.

I'm currently supposed to be packing and getting ready for our trip west to Ísafjörður to attend the music festival Aldrei fór ég suður. The weather here in Reykjavík is absolutely gorgeous, sun is shining and the sky is blue, beautiful day to drive around the country although the clouds will be much thicker the further up northwest we go, but it'll be an exciting adventure as neither I or GG have traveled this way before. We'll be staying in a hotel so this will be like a proper mini holiday. Many of our friends will also be coming up so we're planning to have lots of fun with music and parties, plus reading and relaxation. I'm taking at least four books with me as I have to get some reading done for the yoga teacher training weekend at the end of April.

Saw this posting from my Facebook friend Nitya at The happiest day of your life and felt compelled to share, he suggests we print these out and read them everyday, I can't agree more. :)

1. BE IMPECCABLE WITH YOUR WORD
Speak with integrity.
Say only what you mean.
Avoid using the word to speak against youself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.

2. DON'T TAKE ANYTHING PERSONALLY
Nothing others do is because of you.
What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream.
When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others,you won't be the victim of needless suffering.

3. DON'T MAKE ASSUMPTIONS
Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want.
Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness, and drama.
With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.

4. ALWAYS DO YOUR BEST
Your best is going to change from moment to moment. It will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse, and regret.

Here is a powerful video to go along with it.

Birthdays and performances

2009-04-07T15:51:00.000-07:00

April began with a blast and quite a few birthdays. Seems many of my loved ones share the Aries zodiac sign and are born in the beautiful spring month of April. GG, Eva, Diljá, my nephew, my sister in law to name but a few. The traditional Aries person is often adventurous and energetic, pioneering and courageous, enthusiastic and confident dynamic and quick-witted. What can I say it's pretty hard not to love all these adorable Rams. But I have to mention a beautiful little Pisces girl that was born on the 1. March 2009. Rakel Ósk was born healthy and happy to my younger brother and his fiance, her older brother Róbert Leó who's almost 4 1/2 feeling awfully proud of his little sister. I'm as before amazed by this miracle of life, looking into those beautiful clear blue eyes it touches my soul every time, we are an incredible fortunate family. This kind of infinite wealth can never be measured.

In other news is that Nova's yearly party was held last weekend with a massive blast at Þjóðleikhúskjallarinn. There was a 1920's to 1930's theme so everyone came dressed in the pinstriped suits and the Charleston dresses looking like a million dollars. It was a very lavish do and everyone had a great time, each department was supposed to bring their own entertainment act and people had obviously gone to great lengths to make this as memorable a night as possible, making videos and writing songs. As we had been throwing ideas around for quite a while in the marketing and web department, as to what we should do, we finally decided on a musical number. I wrote new lyrics to a song by Cab Calloway called Minnie the Moocher and performed it with the marketing manager Guðrún and web developer, Einar, as backing singers. Have to say I was pretty nervous as to whether I'd remember my lines on the night of the performance but I could have rested easily as the words poured out of my mouth in the correct order. Got to thank those three years of drama school, I knew they'd come in handy someday! :) We got a massive applause at the end, people were singing along and it was great fun to perform, being on stage isn't so bad after all. ;)

Spring, I beckon you!

2009-03-31T14:10:00.001-07:00

Seems like this month has become somewhat blog barren for me. Perhaps it's the time of year. I didn't do much writing February 2008, when I only managed to get two blog entries down for the entire month. Well, I've actually improved over 100% since this is my fifth one this month. I have been very busy though with things being up and down at work and also with teaching my regular Yoga classes Tuesdays and Thursdays at World Class up in Grafarvogur. I'm loving teaching the classes even though they do cut up my evenings quite a bit. It's a great practice for the sometime in the not so distant future when I'll be teaching morning, noon and early evening classes, and that's when it'll be getting hot, hot, hot! :)

Went out to GG's yearly work do last Friday. Whole bunch of college teachers getting merry on the old brew, had a laugh and I even got up at one point and did a rendition of Abba's 'Take a chance on me' backed up by the people sitting at our table. Got to love those karaoke moments! We ended up staying up till about 5am as we went to another party after the work do to meet up with some of GG's friends and then headed into town for a short stint of bar hopping. Took Saturday rather easy, although I did manage to do some yoga and go to dinner and discuss music video ideas with GG's friend Helgi as we were planned to shoot the video on Sunday. Was happy though to spend the rest of the evening cozied up on the couch with my man and a good film.

Started the Sunday off with a burst of energy as we went for a long run before heading out to shoot the music video in the freezing cold, even with the sun shining. I have to say I'm beginning to long for the spring, these temperatures are not agreeing with me so much. I'm asking the seasons to meet up and trade places. Winter we have had enough now, please make way for the spring! It'll be interesting to see how the video will come out, hope to find time very soon to get cracking on the editing. Busy week ahead at work and also a seminar with Gudjon Bergmann on the weekend and the yearly Nova party on Saturday. And then it's Easter holiday next week! Can't wait as we're going west to Ísafjördur for the music festival Aldrei fór ég suður and staying at a hotel for three nights. Oh what fun!

"We are all inventors, each sailing out on a voyage of discovery, guided each by a private chart, of which there is no duplicate. The world is all gates, all opportunities."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Don't make assumptions

2009-03-29T03:15:00.000-07:00

A man came home from work late again, tired and irritated. He found his 5-year old son waiting for him at the door.

"Daddy, may I ask you a question?"

"Yeah, sure, what is it?" replied the man.

"Daddy, how much money do you make an hour?"

"What makes you ask such a thing?" the man said angrily.

"I just want to know . . . please tell me, how much do you make an hour?" pleaded the little boy.

"If you must know, I make $20.00 an hour."

"Oh...!" the little boy replied, head bowed. Looking up, he said, "Daddy, may I borrow $10.00 please?"

The father was mad. "If the only reason you wanted to know how much money I make is just so you can borrow some to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you better march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you're being so selfish. I work long, hard hours everyday and don't have time for such childish games."

The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door. The man sat down and started to get even madder about the little boy's questioning. How dare he asks such questions only to get some money.

After an hour or so, the man had calmed down, and started to think he may have been a little hard on his son. Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that $10.00 and he really didn't ask for money very often. The man went to the door of the little boy's room and opened the door. "Are you asleep son?" he asked.

"No daddy, I'm awake," replied the boy.

"I've been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier," said the man. "It's been a long day and I took my aggravation out on you. Here's that $10.00 you asked for."

The little boy sat straight up, beaming. "Oh, thank you daddy," he yelled. Then reaching under his pillow, he pulled out some crumpled up bills.

The man seeing that the boy already had money started to get angry again. The little boy slowly counted out his money then looked up at the man.

"Why did you want more money if you already had some?" the father grumbled.

"Because I didn't have enough, but now I do," the little boy replied.
"Daddy, I have $20.00 now. Can I buy an hour of your time?"

Doing time, doing Vipassana

2009-03-22T14:12:00.001-07:00

It so often happens that when someone mentions something that is to have an impact on my life, something that perhaps doesn't strike me at first as anything in particular, keeps reappearing before my eyes or ears until I really get that it is to be noted. Vipassana meditation is one of those things, a friend of mine mentioned that to me a couple of months ago and within a few weeks I had heard about it again from at least 3 other people, come upon articles about in by chance on the Internet and have now watched a moving documentary about the transformative power of this ancient technique on the inmates and staff of the Indian prison Tihar. I thoroughly recommend this film (full screen link).

Daffodils

2009-03-21T11:22:00.000-07:00

It rains, it snows, a rainbow shows, the sun peaking through the clouds, it hails, it rains from left and right, it snows again, though the sky is bright.

The Icelandic spring awaits.

Poetic? Hardly. But this definitely is...

Daffodils - a poem by by William Wordsworth

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced, but they
Out-did the sparkling leaves in glee;
A poet could not be but gay,
In such a jocund company!
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

The yoga teacher

2009-03-09T15:22:00.000-07:00

Dreams do come true and some sooner than others. I got a call the other day from Guðjón, my yoga teacher from the teacher training course. He asked whether I'd feel confident enough to teach Yoga II classes at World Class, Spöngin the following week on the Tuesday and Thursday night at 19:30. I felt a tickle ripple through my solar plexus signaling the first signs of fear. Trusting in one of my favorite quotes by Ralph Waldo Emerson who said "Always do, what you're afraid of" I immediately said yes, not before though asking him whether he thought I was ready. His reply: "I wouldn't have called you if I didn't think you were ready!" So I quickly prepared a series and practiced for three days before the big "Yoga II" day. The teacher who had been teaching these classes is going on maternity leave and her belly was getting a little bit too large for the forward bend as well as many other postures required in a Yoga II class.

My trusted partner GG came with me on the day to witness my debut performance. When we got there people were already outside the room waiting for the earlier dance class to finish, and there were a lot more people than I had anticipated. When the other class finished the students rolled into the room grabbing mats and blankets and positioning themselves on the floor. I walked up to the front and took out the CD I was going to play as well as getting a mat for myself and dimming the lights. Then suddenly it was time to close the doors and face the class, all 38 of them! It was an amazing feeling to have all these eyes on me, waiting for me to speak, waiting for my next move. I quickly tuned in with to own breath, introduced myself, asked them to get comfortable on a sitting position, spine straight, close their eyes and breathe. After that I trusted my body and my voice to take us all through the class. At the end when they were all lying there on the floor in relaxation, breathing deeply I felt this amazing surge of happiness flow through me. This is what it's all about, I exhaled deeply with an intense feeling gratitude. After the class I was greeted with a lot of smiling faces, some thanking me for an excellent class and asking whether I'd be teaching these classes in the future. I'm happy to say that I will be teaching Yoga II from now on, on Tuesday and Thursday nights at 19:30 at World Class - Spöngin, up in Grafarvogur. Hope as many readers of this blog as possible will turn up to try one of my classes! :)

In other news I just concluded another three day weekend of the yoga teacher training which means we're half way through. The added value of already having taught a couple of classes was very clear from the start and I keep thinking of things to say in my next class, and new asanas (postures) to try on my students. We went deep in to the anatomy part of yoga which is fascinating and there so much to it, a lifetime study really, we also did pregnancy yoga, yoga games for kids (it was so much fun to bark at my toes whilst in downward dog! ;), the philosophy of Raja Yoga, and learning to trust the flow of the body during our yoga practice. I'm absolutely loving this new yoga life, and am practicing everyday. I've even learned how to do a strong headstand in less then two weeks. Limitations are just thoughts we believe. I choose not to believe any limiting thoughts. Everything is possible.

Namaste - The Spirit within me recognizes and honors the Spirit within you.

The Yogini way of life

2009-02-24T13:48:00.000-08:00

Last weekend was my second weekend of Guðjon Bergmann's yoga teacher training course and I certainly wasn't disappointed. We began at 7:45 on Friday morning with a couple of hours of yoga in which we all got to teach a couple of postures to the rest of the class followed by lectures by GB, covering a range of hatha yoga asana's and learning how to teach them. I'm thoroughly enjoying the course and I've already learned so much and gained a lot of confidence in both my practicing and my teaching. I have managed to fit in 24 yoga sessions since last course weekend 5 weeks ago, 3-4 mornings a week I've waking up at 7am to practice, I'm attending a couple of Gudjons classes every Monday as well as the Sweat yoga classes on Saturdays. I have to say I feel so much more balanced and energized, it's truly amazing how much yoga has enriched my life and I'm really excited about following this path. My fellow students are a fab bunch of people and it's great to be sharing this experience with such a lovely group. The weekend was packed with learning, fun, laughter and spirituality and even though it was almost 40 hours in 3 days I came out of it having more energy than I went into it. Such are the wonders of the yogini way of life.

"Yoga is invigoration in relaxation. Freedom in routine. Confidence through self control. Energy within and energy without."
Ymber Delecto

Such a perfect day...

2009-02-17T14:50:00.000-08:00

I'm often caught between a sense of duty and a want to rest and do absolutely nothing that requires any computer skills. That sometimes includes updating this blog which I've dutifully (although sporadically) kept adding to since May 2007. But even though I'm drowning in work and spare time activities, something keeps pulling me back to this keyboard, back to this blog. Tapping in these words which probably few ever read apart from the very faithful. It's practice, I keep telling myself, for when I start writing my book. There is some truth in that and the other reason is that I actually enjoy writing it, and I believe I'll really appreciate having kept this blog later in life. I looked back and checked the entries I made a year ago, only two in February, so this year I've far overreached the February writing goals... :)

So what have I been up to that is worth mentioning. 14th February was Valentines day. Oh, yes, that American custom that has so little to do with us here way up high in the Arctic Circle. We have a special day each year for husbands and then the wife day which I believe is next weekend. But I guess I caught the Valentines bug a whilst I was in London so I wanted to do something special with GG and make a day out of it. The 14th was also the 2nd month anniversary of us living together and that was definitely worth celebrating! I began the day by reaching under the bed and handing him a present I had put there the night before. Think he was a bit shocked when he saw I got him a pressie. He like so many others doesn't think Valentines is something to make a big huff about, and he was probably also worrying that he hadn't got me anything. ;) He was very relieved though when he unwrapped a jar of organic pickled gherkins! He had mentioned when he was living in Canada that he liked munching on those green delicacies (his words) and he hasn't had any since he got here so I decided to get him some of those long awaited gherkins. Well, the gift delivered the expected smile and a chuckle and started the day off quite nicely. After lunch we then headed to Laugar for a Sweat Yoga class, then out for a run and ended the health session on shooting some hoops in the outside pool and a relaxing soak in the hot tubs. If that wasn't lovely enough we later had a table booked for a dinner at the best Indian restaurant in town, Austur Indía Félagið. The food was excellent, especially the vegetarian dish we ordered as a main and the honey coated potato appetizer, absolutely scrumptious! It was a lovely day and night spent in the best company possible, but then I am lucky since every day and night is now spent in the best company possible.

Slow dance

2009-02-16T15:19:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I get sent emails saying that they are sent to help this and that sick person or child and that I must forward it too as many people as possible as someone will be paying something for each person that receives the email. Most of these email chains are hoaxes and basically just spam, but I found an interesting poem in an email I received recently that was supposed to be written by a terminally ill girl. Turns out the email was a another hoax, but I thought I'd post the poem here, as I quite like the message contained within...

Have you ever watched kids
On a merry-go-round?
Or listened to the rain
Slapping on the ground?
Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight?
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?
You'd better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.

Do you run through each day
On the fly?
When you ask "How are you?"
Do you hear the reply?
When the day is done
Do you lie in your bed
With the next hundred chores
Running through your head?
You'd better slow down
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.

Ever told your child,
We'll do it tomorrow?
And in your haste,
Not see his sorrow?
Ever lost touch,
Let a good friendship die
Cause you never had time
To call and say "Hi"?
You'd better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.

When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting there.
When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift....
Thrown away.
Life is not a race.
Do take it slower
Hear the music
Before the song is over.

More Absolute than Bikram

2009-02-07T11:45:00.000-08:00

Went to what I believed to be a Bikram yoga class at Laugar in Reykjavik yesterday. Managed to drag GG along, so we turned up with very large bottles of water and extra towels, expecting some serious sweating. Turns out this wasn't exactly the Bikram class we had excpected. The teacher is recently trained in something called Absolute yoga, which is derived from Bikram but uses a different sequence of postures and is usually practiced in slightly cooler rooms than 39-40 degree Celsius I'm used to in the Bikram classes. There was only one heater so the heat didn't go over 25-30 degrees, but as it was an introductory class and there were only beginners there, it probably was a good place to start. I spoke to the teacher after the class and we agreed that there needed to be a special room dedicated to this hot yoga practice and it would be great to mix up classes of Bikram, Absolute and other types of yoga in this sort of hot environment. I'd prefer to teach yoga in a heated room and would love it if Laugar would be able to facilitate that. Well it's all heading in the right direction and I'm definitely planning on hitching a ride on the hot yoga train.

Apart from practising a lot of yoga lately, I've also been catching up on my cinema visits and have seen a couple of great films in he last two weeks. First there was Danny Boyle's cinematic gem Slumdog Millionaire, a tale of a young boy from the Bombay slums taking part in the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire and his story of how he got there. A romantic and shocking modern day fairytale, more Grimm brothers though, as there are graphic scenes showing the worst of human nature along with some incredibly touching and beautiful moments. We absolutely loved it and I can thoroughly recommend everyone go see it.

Another great film we saw last Friday is Woody Allens latest film, Vicky Christina Barcelona. I've been an Allen fan for years although I have to say some of his latest films have been more lala than something to rave about. I'm happy to say I can finally rave. It's a great tale of two American friends summer in Barcelona, love triangles, loveless marriages and intense Mediterranian passion. It's funny, heartwarming, great dialogue and there is some superb acting especially from Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem who again proves he's in a league of his own.

I also loved the fact that both of these films take place in cities I visited, Bombay and Barcelona. I went to Barcelona 2005 and immediately fell in love with the city, the Catalonian vibe and the great Gaudi architecture. I've also driven through the worst of the Bombay slums and that short journey had a massive impact on me, I was only 19 at the time but it is something I will never forget. I still have the face of the woman I saw standing at the side of the road, next to her rubbish pile home, etched in my memory. She was obviously living in intense poverty, but when I drove past and looked at her she flashed me a beautiful and very sincere smile. That moment taught me so much, although I have only in the more recent years started to really grasp the true nature of that early lesson.

“Human happiness and human satisfaction must ultimately come from within oneself. It is wrong to expect some final satisfaction to come from money or from a computer.”
Dalai Lama

Bikram in Iceland?

2009-02-06T08:28:00.000-08:00

This I've got to try! Turns out there is an open introductory Bikram yoga class in Laugar, health spa, tomorrow at 1pm. I have to say I'm intrigued, will definitely be going and taking an extra towel...

A Nova face

2009-02-04T14:03:00.000-08:00

When my boss told me the other day that I had been selected as one of the Nova employees picked to take part in the new Nova commercial I have to admit I had my doubts. Wasn't sure it was something I wanted to do, but after some consideration I thought, why not and turned up with the rest of the selected employees on the following Saturday. After some film set waiting around I spent ten minutes doing a photo shoot and a couple of minutes in front of the camera before heading home again. I was quite sure though that since there were so many faces to chose from it would be unlikely that they'd use my clip, something I was quite happy with. Didn't turn out quite the way I imagined. The results can be viewed below...

Tips for more effective relationships with others

2009-02-02T15:03:00.000-08:00

Found another gem of great information on this Facebook group I've joined called the Happiest Day of Your life. These tips are taken from Dale Carnegies "How to win friends & influence people". Pretty practical stuff that I'm sure we can all use in our daily life :)

Part One

Fundamental Techniques in Dealing with People

1) Don't criticize, condemn or complain.
2) Give honest and sincere appreciation.
3) Arouse enthusiasm in the other person.

Part Two

Six Ways to Get Along Well with People

1) Become genuinely interested in other people.
2) Smile.
3) Remember that a person's name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.
4) Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.
5) Talk in terms of the other person's interests.
6) Make the other person feel important - do it sincerely.

Part Three

From Common Ground to Higher Ground

1) The only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it.
2) Show respect for the other person's opinions. Never say, "You're wrong."
3) If you are wrong, admit it quickly and emphatically.
4) Begin in a friendly way.
5) Get the other person saying "yes, yes" immediately.
6) Let the other person do a great deal of the talking.
7) Let the other person feel that the idea is his or hers.
8) Try honestly to see things from the other person's point of view.
9) Be sympathetic with the other person's ideas and desires.
10) Appeal to the nobler motives.
11) Dramatize your ideas.
12) Throw down a challenge.

Part Four

Be a Leader: How to Change People Without Giving Offense or Arousing Resentment

A leader's job often includes changing your people's attitudes and behavior. Some suggestions to accomplish this:

1) Begin with praise and honest appreciation.
2) Call attention to people's mistakes indirectly.
3) Talk about your own mistakes before criticizing the other person.
4) Ask questions instead of giving direct orders.
5) Let the other person save face.
6) Praise the slightest improvement and praise every improvement.
7) Be "hearty in your approbation and lavish in your praise."
8) Give the other person a fine reputation to live up to.
9) Use encouragement. Make the fault seem easy to correct.
10) Make the other person happy about doing the thing you suggest.

Tips for a better life

2009-01-29T13:18:00.001-08:00

1. Take a 10-30 minutes walk every day. And while you walk, smile.
2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
3. Sleep for 7 hours.
4. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.
5. Play more games.
6. Read more books than you did the previous year.
7. Make time to practice meditation, yoga, and prayer. They provide us with daily fuel for our busy lives.
8. Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
9. Dream more while you are awake.
10. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
11. Drink plenty of water.
12. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
13. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.
14. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
15. Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
16. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
17. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
18. Smile and laugh more.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
20. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
21. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
22. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
23. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about. Don't compare your partner with others.
24. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
25. Forgive everyone for everything.
26. What other people think of you is none of your business.
27. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
28. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
29. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
30. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
31. The best is yet to come.
32. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
33. Do the right thing!
34. Call your family often.
35. Your inner most is always happy. So be happy.
36. Each day give something good to others.
37. Don't over do. Keep your limits.
38. Share this with someone you care about

Founds this posting on Facebook and felt like sharing as I agree with all the points on the list, definitely one to live by.

Challenges

2009-01-28T14:41:00.000-08:00

It's time to celebrate. My site counter has counted over 10.000 visits to my site and guess who was number 10.000, yes of course my most faithful reader... my mum! :) Congratulations mother, as you're probably the reason behind most of those 10.000 hits you have won a lunch for two at a restaurant of your choice. To be cashed in on our next Friday lunch meeting. ;)

Apart from that I have to say life is very busy indeed. I find there is hardly enough time in the work day to finish all the tasks at hand as my work load has almost doubled in the last month. But it definitely makes the day zip by at lightning speed, perhaps sometimes a little too fast for my liking. I've managed though to begin my Yoga training regime and am practising at least 4-5 hours a week, allowing for some time on my mat each day, whether it is a 45 minute Yoga session or just a 10 or 15 minute meditation. Each day I dedicate a moment or two to a meeting with my Yoga mat. Waking up at 7 to do a Yoga session is sometimes a battle of wills with the mind which desperately seems to want to keep the body in bed for another hour or so, but I am grateful for each day that I manage to fit in my morning Yoga session. It is a great way to start the day and it gives me the energy and peace of mind I need to be able to do my job every day and deal with all the extra stresses of daily work life. Exercising a little each day, any exercise for 30 minutes or more is the energy booster most of us need the most during these darker, colder months of the year. The mistake most people make though is the assumption that they are too tired to do any exercise, it's a vicious cycle, they are indeed tired because they don't make the time to do any exercise. That at least is true for me, the less exercise I do the more tired I get. So I'm giving myself the gift of keeping the exercise dates in my diary.

Varying the type of exercise I do is also equally important. GG and I went out for a 6k run this weekend, it's the longest I've run in some time as I've been dealing with a hamstring injury for the past few months. We've only been running 1-2 times a week, but I'm slowly building back my stamina and getting back into running mode. We also went for a short hike up Hafrafell on Sunday where we took some photos and enjoyed the beautiful, cold and crisp January sunshine. We're booked to do a hike up Hvannadalshnúkur, Iceland highest peak, in May this year. It's normally a 14-15 hour hike so it's definitely going to be an exciting challenge. Such is life, an exciting challenge... and I am here to meet it.

The demonstrating Yogi

2009-01-21T14:46:00.000-08:00

Last weekend was the first yoga teacher-training weekend of six, which I will be attending monthly up until June. We started Friday morning at 7:45 in the morning and carried on until 21:30, Saturday as well and also Sunday but then we finished early or at 19:30. Three long but fun days, filled with a lot of postures, breathing and of course deep relaxation. It's finally sinking in that this dream I've had for the last few years is actually becoming a reality. The training is great and our teacher Gudjon Bergmann is doing an excellent job with this diverse and varied 22 people group, 20 women and 2 men. Gudjon is one of the most experienced yoga teachers we have here in Iceland, having taught more than 6000 hours of yoga in the last 10 years. I'm very happy with the course after this first weekend and have already taught my first class in the newly organized yoga room (former spare room) to GG, who very graciously and patiently accepted his new yoga student role. I still have a long way to go but the journey has begun and it will be a long and exciting trip down this yellow brick yoga road.

In other news it seems that the political thundercloud over parliament is thickening. The demonstrations and riots outside the government offices and parliament are getting bigger and more violent with the police using pepper spray and clubs on the demonstrating public. The prime minister seems to be keeping his cool despite people bombarding his car with leftover food and eggs, he's standing firm and saying the government will not step down despite outcries from the public. I think the government and ruling parties should start listening to what the country is asking of them, shoulder some responsibility and step down. They have completely lost credibility and without trust from the people there will be no progress. We watched Zeitgeist Addendum the other day, although it is clearly a strong propaganda film it still has a lot of points worth checking out and it carries a powerful message. Unless we all realise that this culture of profit and greed is killing our spirit and destroying our earth we are doomed for this cycle of catastrophes, which will only become more frequent and more destructive each time.

GG and I had been very lazy about saying a proper goodbye to Christmas this year and until last night our Christmas tree was still standing in the living room with lights and all. We heard about the riots downtown and the bonfire the people were burning outside parliament. I looked at the tree and thought hummmm..... Well, I'm not going into details but somehow the tree found its way downtown and onto the fire where it burned brightly, lending it's glowing sparks to the dark night with screaming crowds banging their pots and homemade drums in the background. It makes me sad though that these demonstrations are turning violent, from both sides, there is so much anger and anger only breeds more anger. What we need to see is that we are all a part of the same entity, we need to see ourselves in other people and feel empathy even with the people we see as to be on "the other side". Lets take heed from the old masters and protest without violence.

"I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent."
Mahatma Gandhi

January lows and highs

2009-01-11T11:37:00.000-08:00

I can't say that I've begun the blogging this year with any particular gusto so I guess it's time to share some more of my 2009 thoughts. The year has begun in a slight battle as I had to admit to a slight illness in more than a year. Had a pretty bad case of sinusitis which really tested my immune system and all of my home remedies. Ingested gallons of Ph-ion green powder along with countless cups of ginger tea and then when things took a turn for the worse I decided hit it hard with the MMS drops. Also tried my home version of Ayurveda nasal irrigation, where you put salt in lukewarm water and snort the water through one nasal whilst holding the other with your finger. Do this until water comes down your throat and spit it out. Rather unpleasant but highly effective. GG really enjoyed photographing this process and couldn't stop chuckling although I can promise that the photos won't be displayed anywhere if I have any say in it. Eventually after a week of discomfort and especially after the MMS bombarding the sinusitis cleared and I started feeling better. Still not 100% though as I feel there is quite a lack of energy still, but perhaps to be expected when the immune system is working it's way back to its optimum state.

Apart from this slight health detour things are looking promising for the new year. I will be embarking on my first day of yoga teacher training this Friday. I decided to invest in this course late last year when I heard that Gudjon Bergmann was advertising yoga teacher training and realised that the price of the training was exactly the amount I had been saving up for the last 9 months or so. The plan had been to go to Mexico for Bikram yoga teacher training but after the financial crash, the $8000 price tag + food and accommodation for 2 months made that dream a little too far fetched to be feasible for the time being. I'm all about signs and things happening for a reason so I took it as a message from beyond this "coincidence" of having the exact cost of the yoga teacher training deposited in my bank account. I'm really excited about starting and can't wait to add this one more skill to my hat of many (some more developed than others I have to admit ;). The training is organised as typically three 14 hour days a month from January till June and amounts to 200 hours in total. I'll also be be teaching classes at Laugar for training purposes sometime nearing the summer. I invite you all to become my students... who wants to be first? :)

In romantic news: Today is mine and GG's 4 week living together anniversary. We very quickly molded into a familiar routine with our work schedules, dinners, family gatherings, meetings with friends etc. Things have often been very hectic and there has been little time to stop and reflect. Perhaps that is a good thing because I think if we took a close look at the past weeks we'd be amazed of all the things we've done and maybe even freak out a little bit. It sometimes feels as if we've fast forwarded years into the relationship. But this is all a dream come true and I can hardly imagine what my life was like before he came into the picture.

A trip with Eva & Eldar and Laufey & Bjarki to a summerhouse in Fludir last weekend was one of the highlights of the last few weeks. We had a great time enjoying the peace and quiet of the country, lounging around in a hot tub, cooking and enjoying amazing food together and playing a momentous game of Actionary. We lost to L&B but it was only our first time playing as a team, we've still some time to to work on our telepathic communication skills. ;) I have to say I'm quite liking this life of coupledom, it truly is luuuvely... :)

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T14:43:00.000-08:00

As 2009 dawns on us slightly tired from the New Years night celebration I look back at what a wondrous year 2008 proved to be. 2008 turned out to be a year of finding kindred spirits and making new and dear friends. Looking at my goals for 2008 it seems as I successfully fulfilled the ones that meant the most to me. The main one being of course finding my true partner which I have found in GG.

The 2008 highlights include:

* Tony Robbins Unleash the Power Within seminar in London with my sister in law, Berglind and brother Gunnar. Again had an amazing experience and set some new goals for myself. I can't recommend this seminar enough. A truly life changing experience.

* 5 months out of the year without alcohol, highly recommended! I have started drinking again in moderation but think I'll be giving the body more breaks from alcohol in the future, what can I say it really does thrive during those booze free times and my energy levels soar.

* Getting my body into the best shape it's ever been in. I've got Boot Camp and a rather strict anti-candida diet regime to thank for that, but then hurt my hamstring and calf during an autumn BC session and that has put me out of the game for a bit. The body though has managed to mostly retain the shape, well done body! :)

* Balancing my nutrition and discovering what is best for my body. Tried a no sugar phase in the form of an anti-candida diet (no sugar, including fruits, no yeast and no flour). Did that for a few months with some interesting results, but have now worked out that the 80-90% plan is the best for me, that is to live an acid/alkaline balanced diet lifestyle most of the time and then just do whatever I feel like the other 10-20% of the time.

* Climbing every mountain! Became an outdoors freak and started hiking like a mad woman. It began in April when I hiked up mountain Esja for the first time and caught the hiking bug. The "madness" peaked in the 55k marathon walk of Laugavegurinn which I did with the great team of Elli and Lísa on a beautful day/night in the end of July. It was truly an amazing experience and taught me that I can absolutely do whatever I put my mind to.

* Taking up running and realising that I love it, ran my first official 10k race this summer which was great fun. Will definitely be running a marathon in the future, we'll see in the next couple of months whether that will be on the cards for 2009 as I'd like my first one to be the NY marathon ;)

* I set myself the goal of finding my true soulmate this year and never stopped believing that I would. I made a list of all I was looking for in that person and put the wish out into the universe. I knew in my heart that I wouldn't be finding him at 3am in a Reykjavik bar so I kept my eyes on other venues and Facebook turned out to be the place to look out for. That's where I discovered GG in August whilst searching for people who had The Power of Now listed as a favorite book and wrote to him on his blog in the beginning of September. He turned out to be everything I was dreaming of and we are now happily living together in our home in Reykjavik. I suggest to anyone who is single and wants to meet their true partner in 2009 to put it at the top of their goal planner and decide exactly what it is they want. Dreams do come true so it's important to know what exactly what it is you're looking for, be specific! Another very important part of the process is also believing that you deserve all the good that is coming your way, because you do. Just believe, it worked for me! :D

“Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Thank you to all that made 2008 such a special year, and personally, even with the economic crisis, the best one yet. It is my belief that 2009 will be even greater and I'm very much looking forward to be sharing it with the love of my life. Wishing you all a very happy new year and all the love and happiness in the world.

The luckiest girl in the world

2008-12-27T10:07:00.000-08:00

Where was I? Oh, yes, there he was standing right in front of me looking at me... Fast forward two weeks and we're relaxing at home after hosting our first Christmas party for both our families. All this from finding him on Facebook and leaving a message on his blog in the beginning of September to him replying on this blog a month and a half later. Those of you who are dedicated readers would have noticed his comment on the 19th of October, for the other ones you can find it here... ;)

So we're in the midst of what is becoming a very successful Internet assisted relationship. Facebook, Skype and Google will all be mentioned at our wedding amongst other funny "coincidences". The speed in which we connected in person matched the speed in which our spirits seemed to connect when we first started writing to each other and a week later speaking to each other. It is as if we've known each other forever and have already fast forwarded years of togetherness in 2 weeks. It's funny to note that on the first day we met, later that day we went together to GG's friends son christening party. It was rather amusing to see people's faces when we told them we only actually met earlier that morning! I have to say I love telling our story, especially since it's pretty unbelievable, we can hardly believe all this ourselves. But when it's real, you just know.

So safe to say I've been extremely happy in the last two weeks. GG moved in the day he arrived and our cohabiting has been amazingly smooth and enjoyable. What I find especially amazing is how comfortable we immediately became around each other and how well we work together. He is amazing of course and I am a very lucky girl to have found such a diamond of a person, but there is no reason to be surprised really, he is actually everything I wished for and more... hehe and quite a few things I didn't wish for but find incredibly amusing and endearing at the same time :D So this thing of knowing what you want and searching in the right places delivers results. It's incredibly important as well to be grateful for all you receive. Gratitude is one of the greatest feelings in the world. We should all wake up each morning and think of the many reasons we have in our life to be grateful, it's a great way to start the day.

I feel like the luckiest girl in the world. I have the most amazing partner, the most amazing family, the most amazing friends and sooo much more to be grateful for. So I say THANK YOU. From the bottom of my heart.

Merry Xmas!

2008-12-25T08:30:00.001-08:00

Have some Sufjan this Christmas

2008-12-23T11:15:00.000-08:00

Nothing like Sufjan Stevens "Songs for Chrismas" album to get into the Christmas spirit. Here's a great track to check out, recommend also people try Deezer.com to listen to the whole album, great way to select and share playlists with friends.

And then there were two

2008-12-18T17:30:00.000-08:00

Sunday arrived with all the anticipation surrounding the arrival of GG from Vancouver. I woke up at 6am with the biggest butterfly tummy ever, the suspense was almost killing me. I knew that his plane had landed but hadn't heard from him yet so when my phone rang and I saw his parents phone number come up on my screen my heart almost popped out of my chest. Knowing that he was only a 20 minute drive away made my heart flutter at an alarmingly fast rate. Although we had carefully planned our first meeting; he'd come home to me with his suitcase, me greeting him with added humorous touches (a fake nose and very big glasses! He had no clue I'd been planning this, but come on! This was a way to serious moment not to spice up with a bit of silliness! :)

Anyway, back to the phone call. His parents had picked him up from the airport and taken him back home where they planned to retire for a couple of hours before heading into town and giving him a lift to my place. He quickly realised that there was no way he'd be able to sleep so he called me and asked why in the world we didn't just meet up now, why wait another two hours after this very long two month wait. I couldn't agree more so I quickly jumped in my car and drove to pick him up. I can't remember much of that journey, apart from the loud music pumping out of the speakers, attempting to mask the deafening sound of my thumping heart and the nerves that had undoubtedly kicked in full force.

When I parked the car outside the house I flicked the lights a couple of times to let him know that I had arrived. I saw the light flicker in his room. He knew I was there. Then he looked out the window and my heart skipped a beat. I sat tight in my car until I saw the door downstairs open and him standing in the doorway. I ran towards him, but too shy to look straight into his eyes. Then he was there, standing right in front of me, looking at me. The rest is history. Well at least to be continued... ;)

From NY with love

2008-12-10T06:42:00.000-08:00

My word! Or my lack of words that is... Time has simply flown away from me in these last couple of weeks making my blog a distant memory. That was definitely not the intention so I´m back with an update for the very few of my regular readers who have been concerned of my whereabouts. Work has been really busy and my activity calendar outside of work has been just as packed. I do admit that a lot of my extra curricular activity has been focused on skype and google chats with my beloved in Vancouver, but in only 4 days time we can finally park those video chats for a more intimate communicative experience. GG will be arriving on Sunday morning with his suitcase, ready to move into his new home. My flatmate Solla moved into her new flat at the beginning of the month leaving an empty room and a whole lot of space to be filled... although I don't think we'll be going with my father's suggestion of separate beds to begin with... ;)

Went to Jólaskvísan, the infamous Christmas girl party, couple of wekends ago at Eva's place. We had agreed on the very exciting theme of the "ugliest" outfit. I borrowed a classic 80's leopard print suit from my mother, something she wore frequently during the mid late 80's and probably at that time was considered hot, hot, hot. For me it was more not, not, not. But I have to say I was warming to it by the end of the night, perhaps it was the red wine influence. Ally, Adda and Beta were all definite winners with their horrendously funny outfits and Ally posted quite a few photos on Facebook for friends to view. A little word of caution though for the sensitive soul, the album depicts quite a few graphic images of shocking crimes against fashion!!

Another amazing twist in last weeks saga was my impromptu trip to New York. I had put it on my goal planner for the beginning of the year that I was going to visit New York. With the whole recession and everything else that has been going on in my life in the last year it seemed as if I would have to postpone it to the next year. But fate stepped in again and I received a call from my brother Arnor asking if I wanted to come with him for a couple of days to NY. He was planning a romantic 10 year relationship anniversary with his fiance but she is 6 months pregnant and her doctor has advised not to travel for the remainder of her pregnancy. As she had a big old list of things that needed to be purchased before Christmas she graciously suggested that my brother take me along to help with the marathon shopping. I of course agreed, it's not everyday that you get offered a free flight and hotel in New York!

The trip was amazing! It was my first time in NY and I've been waiting for an opportunity to visit for quite a few years now. The city definitely didn't disappoint and although it was a very short stop we managed to cram in quite a lot, including a true marathon shopping trip (we spent 12 hours shopping on the Friday and probably walked over 15k in total that day, but managed to get everything on the detailed list my sister in law had very helpfully prepared for us) a bus ride through the East side and a little bit of the West, visit to the top of the Empire State building, an incredibly expensive Japanese meal, dinner at a funky jazz bar in Soho and a walk across Central Park. I absolutely loved NY and am looking forward to my next visit, hopefully then it'll be a romantic getaway with the most amazing person of all!

Sigur Rós in concert

2008-11-24T08:18:00.000-08:00

Went to an amazing Sigur Rós concert on Sunday night at Laugardalshöllin in Reykjavík. Absolutely loved it and the warm up band For a minor reflection was also very good.

For me the Sigur Rós performance became almost a spiritual experience as, during one of their most beautiful tracks, water started falling from the ceiling creating a gorgeous waterfall in the middle of Laugardalshöllin. The music, the lights, the video display and stage design worked together to create a truly amazing audiovisual spectacle.

Shot a couple of videos during the show on my phone as a reminder to the experience, gives an idea although it in no way actually manages to capture the real thing.

Sigur Rós - Inni í mér syngur vitleysingur

Sigur Rós - Waterfall at the Laugardalshöll

Changes in my life

2008-11-22T12:03:00.000-08:00

I've been making a few changes of late. Drove all around town last week collecting stamps and signatures as I was changing my loans around, lengthening my mortgage from 25 years to 40 to bring down the monthly payments and will be paying interests only for the next year or so. Same goes for the other loans which are in foreign currency. Interest only payments are the way to go at the moment according to my financial advisers who are in fact my two brilliant brothers. On their advice I decided to put my flat up for sale. Had a guy come look at it yesterday, which was surprising as it only went online a couple of days ago. Turns out he's from Britain and looking around for a base as he loves the country, not to mention that it's a great investment opportunity now that the krona has sunk to these unknown depths.

Could feel though when I was showing the flat that I don't feel ready to move yet. It can be difficult to let go of some things, especially a thing such as a flat, as it may have a very distinct feeling attached to it, the feeling of "home". So in any case this is a great lesson in letting go. But who knows, perhaps I don't have to sell. I will if I get a really good price for it, which at the moment is unlikely considering the current market. There has only been one registered sale with my real estate agent in the last 3 weeks. Apparently it's the slowest it has ever been.

Another big change is that my flatmate announced last week that she's found a flat to rent with her brother and she's moving out at the end of the month. It's sad as I love her to bits and she's been a great flatmate but when it's time to go it's time to go. As it happens though there is no need to despair as my new and very permanent flatmate GG will be flying in from Vancouver middle of December with suitcase and all. That day will go down in history as the single most anticipated moment of my life. It's funny to be in this situation. Even the people around me love telling this story. Well, it's highly unorthodox to say the least. To move in with a partner the same day you meet them in person. One argument for it could be that it's been done for centuries with many a happy arranged marriage! Luckily I'm absolutely positive this happy arrangement will be a true success. Whatever happens though only time will tell, in any case it's an amazing story that will be shared through generations to come... ;)

"A thing long expected takes the form of the unexpected when at last it comes."
Mark Twain

Postcards from Italy

2008-11-20T14:36:00.000-08:00

Love the song
Love the video
Love who it reminds me of

And I will love to see that day
That day is mine
When she will marry me outside with the willow trees
And play the songs we made
They made me so
And I would love to see that day
Her day was mine

The liquid feast

2008-11-16T02:37:00.000-08:00

I'm doing a cleanse at the moment or what is otherwise known as a liquid feast. Based on the principals of creating an alkaline body I've embarked on a long weekend alkaline detox. Decided to do this as I had my last Amalgam filling removed last week. Had three in my mouth and had them all removed in the last month by my very brilliant dentist. Both is it aesthetically more pleasing and also because I've heard quite a few stories from people who reported clearing up of health issues after embarking on an Amalgam removal. There are a certain "issues" I'm still working on regarding my body so I decided this would be a good a measure as any. Into my second day and doing surprisingly well, although I do feel hunger pangs from time to time. There is a lot of fluid consumption, green drinks, detox drinks, raw soups a couple of times a day and liters and liters of water. It'll be interesting though to see how I fare later on when I'm going to my nephews Robert Leo's 4th birthday and then later to my brother Gunnars 36th, cake and sweet extravaganza!! I'll be bringing some of my green drinks and soups along, which is fine, they all think I'm a bit unorthodox anyway (translation: Crahahazy!) :)

Have been working on a documentary edit for my best friend Eva's grandmother. We shot 4 hours of stuff and are have more than enough material, what was going to be a short film will be an epic, over an hour long. It's for her grandmother and family so we believe they will want to have as much material and information in the film as possible, her grandmother shares a great story. Been great to work with Eva on the film, I love our moments together, the understandings we share, the ease of our communication. It's a true gift to be able to work with your best friend.

Been spending a lot of time on Skype talking to The Amazing Person, the connection we share is incredible, even at this stage. Even in silence we speak.

"My bounty is as boundless as the sea,
My love as deep; the more I give to thee,
The more I have, for both are infinite."
Shakespeare - Romeo and Juliet

The weeks fly by. The distance is thousands of miles, but it matters not because in my heart there are no distances. I meditate, I breathe, I experience, I can not stop smiling. Knowing that the time will come soon enough when we will be together again.

Presence in relationships

2008-11-15T14:09:00.000-08:00

Eckhart Tolle talks about how to bring presence into your relationship with the world.

Matters of love

2008-11-09T00:55:00.000-08:00

I have been officially removed from the market. It has been posted on the portal that brought us together that I and my boyfriend GG (yes, indeed!) are listed as in a relationship. The way in which these events have taken place are remarkable to say the least, the speed in which our souls have reacquainted themselves is astonishing. Feels like I've finally found again a long lost friend and it feels like we've never been apart. The fact still remains that we have never actually shared the same physical space in this life, we've never been in the same room. "What?!" You may ask... many do, but the magic of modern technology has been our matchmaker and we are specially indebted to both Facebook and Skype. GG is currently in Vancouver studying, but he'll be moving back to Iceland in December as a change of course he had already decided on before our initial communication took place. We will actually have been in a relationship for almost 2 months before we meet. The funny thing is I've both met one of his best friends and his parents. Arranged marriage anyone! ;)

A couple of nights ago I dreamed I could fly...

"To dream of flying is usually a pleasant experience and is accompanied by a sense of exhilaration and freedom. It usually feels completely natural as if we have somehow always known how to do this. Rarely is the dream accompanied by a fear of heights or of falling. Flying may symbolise liberation from something that's been troubling you. The obstructions and shackles that have held you down have been released and you can now experience the same sense of freedom that we see in the birds that soar in the sky. The sky may symbolise consciousness and spirituality so to dream of flying can represent the expansion of your awareness and the unfolding of your higher self."

I'm happy and calm, ecstatic and serene. They say that when you know, you know. I know, we know. It is, just is, and it feels amazing, like everything is falling into place.

"Understand the obstructions you are putting in the way of love, freedom, and happiness and they will drop. Turn on the light of awareness and the darkness will disappear. Happiness is not something you acquire; love is not something you produce; love is not something you have; love is something that has you"
Anthony de Mello

Perfect love casts out fear

2008-11-03T15:30:00.000-08:00

Did a presentation on Friday with my group for the business course project I've been working on for the last 5 weeks. I'm Innovation was the event that was held at Þjóðleikhúskjallarinn and where all the groups presented their works for the investors, judges and media. We (me and Darri) managed to deliver a powerful presentation that was incredibly well received and our company (AS:IS = a creative facilitator & consulting agency working with companies and local authorities to find creative solutions to reducing the negative effects of waste) took 2nd place and a very honorable mention. Apparently the investors were very interested in our idea which gives us a great platform to promote it further. We were really happy with the results and will probably now look for ways to continue working on our idea. I was so lucky to have had the opportunity to work with the people in my group and hope we can continue working together in the future, on this and other projects.

Went for a 30 min run this weekend, first time in over a month, finally my calf seems to be healed and I'll be able to start running properly again. It was a great feeling to go out yesterday running in the rain, felt very refreshed, positively buzzing.

My life has taken an unexpected and very welcome turn which is driving me towards a very beautiful and exciting future but what is more important making the now an intensely enjoyable and satisfying experience. Wouldn't have believed my luck unless I had myself written it in the stars quite some time ago. Still have to pinch myself regularly and my jaws have started clicking, probably due to the fact that I can not stop smiling. The amazing person has entered my life and after methodical mathematical calculations of current situations (not really though :) it has been mutually agreed that he is here to stay. I feel incredibly blessed and eternal gratitude, life is truly beautiful.

Probably haven't been getting enough sleep due to conflicting timezone schedules but that will soon change. Christmas is coming and I'll be getting the best present ever. Should probably be asleep now as I'm getting up in 6 hours but I am happy awake. Wide awake...

"Perfect love casts out fear. Where there is love there are no demands, no expectations, no dependency. I do not demand that you make me happy; my happiness does not lie in you. If you were to leave me, I will not feel sorry for myself; I enjoy your company immensely, but I do not cling."
Anthony de Mello

Everyone has an alter ego...

2008-10-30T09:29:00.000-07:00

Since I posted this video on YouTube it has started to circulate Facebook amongst friends and received a chuckle or two so I thought I´d post it here. It´s a comedy sketch I made for the Nova opening party, directed and edited by me and starring me/myself and I and my bestest of friends Eva :) It´s in Icelandic but I think you will probably will get the jist...

A New Era

2008-10-28T10:53:00.000-07:00

I went to a showing of the first episode of Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth" webclass at the Theosophical Society in Iceland. Got the invite sent from the amazing person and decided to go and take my new spiritually inclined friend Tia along, we've been working together on the design project for school and have really hit it off, she's absolutely lovely. These events are actually conducted around the world and called Silent Groups as nobody speaks throughout because talking stimulates the ego and the mind and silence helps us become more present. We started with a 10 minute meditation, watched the hour long program and then ended on a 10 minute meditation before we all left silently. It was an interesting experience, really liked meditating in a room with more people, the energy and experience somehow felt stronger and more intense. Think I'll go again in a couple of weeks time when they have another meeting.

Am halfway through reading A New Earth by Eckhart and will hopefully get to finish it this weekend. We deliver the presentation for our business idea for the investors on Friday and that should free up some time on the weekend for other leisure activities, like spending an obscene amount of time on Skype! :) I can recommend A New Earth to anybody who is interested in enriching their life and adding more peace and happiness. Eckhart's books speak to me in a way that no other writer has touched me as of yet, real spirituality for the modern age. Beware, this book could change your life... of course for the better. ;)

A new era has begun, as I exhale and take in a fresh breath my body, my spirit, is filled with a wave of warm.... life is beautiful...

"Obedience keeps the rules. Love knows when to break them."
Anthony de Mello

The spirit of the times

2008-10-26T04:46:00.000-07:00

As I've said in my past postings things have been a bit crazy lately due to the work I'm doing for the business course. We're presenting our idea and the business plan next Friday and even though we've made so much progress there is still so much to do. Understandably though we're doing something in 4 weeks that usually takes many months to complete. But it's a great experince and we're playing to do our absolute best. I've already learned a lot in the process, it's been frustrating at times to especially do work on something like a financial plan which I know nothing about but I have good people around me, like my brother who's been able to give good advice. It's all a learning curve and I'm sure it will bring a lot of value later on. Everything happens for a reason.

Things have been going a bit mad as well in our little world here of Iceland. The collapse of the bank system meant that we've had to get help from the International Monetary Fund, an exreme solution in an extremely difficult situation. Iceland has plummeted from being one of the richest countries in the world to one of the poorest (calculated debt per person) in a matter of weeks. Due to all of this I've been adding to my information banks and now know more than I ever wanted to about finance, stock markets, economy etc. In my research I have come across a few films that I think are definitely worth a look...

First one is Zeitgeist, a controversial "conspiracy theory" film about religion, 9/11 and the structure of the economic system. Like everything this film should be watched with a pinch of salt and a critical mind but it's incredibly important that we all look at what is said there as another way of looking at things. Through the rapid Clockwork Orange editing there is an important message, there is only Now and we are all One. It's called Zeitgeist and you can watch the whole two hours Google video here. Another good documentary is The Corporation which looks at the way corporations have become what they are, monstrous "psychopaths", and the effect they have on the world. You can watch that as well on YouTube, all 23 chapters, definitely recommended. And just to end on a little more upbeat note I also recently watched a documentary called "What the bleep do we know", it's about quantum mechanics and in extremely simplified terms is about how our mind and the way we think influences our body, environment and whole existence. Think this quote from Anthony de Mello is befitting, I want to use this opportunity to thank the truly amazing person who directed me onto Mello and his works. You're the best.

"I want to run your life for you.
I want to tell you exactly how you're expected to be and how you're expected to behave.
And you better behave as I have decided you have to behave or else ....
I shall punish myself by having negative feelings."
Anthony De Mello

Work and play

2008-10-20T08:38:00.001-07:00

Lately most of my spare time has been occupied by working on the project I'm doing for my university course. We've been very busy gathering information, forming ideas and researching for our business plan which we have to turn in this Wednesday. As none in my group has any real experience in writing such a thing it's safe to say it has been a quite a bit of a learning curve for all of us. To top that we're all "creative" people which basically means we spend most of the time discussing ideas and working on the creative aspects and less time actually writing the plan which is supposed to be 15 pages long. Our presentation is due on Friday next week and fingers crossed everything will be ready before. I'm sure it will.

The weekend was therefore spent on working on the business plan but there was of course time to enjoy a bit of party time with friends. It was Alli's 30th birthday and we all gathered to celebrate with him, dancing the night away, it was a great night and luckily not too taxing on the following day. Did some work on the business plan with Tia and Snorri and ended up having a great old chat with Tia, making a good friend in another kindred spirit. Saturday night a friend had invited me to the Football associations annual ball, which was definitely an experience, but we had a laugh singing at the top of our lungs along with the ever popular Iceland mega pop band Sálin. Later we went to a gig at Live Pub where Boys in a band and Skátar rocked the house, think I went a tad overboard on the headbanging, as I woke up with a rather stiff neck. A great night though and I was lucky enough to run into a friend from England, XFM radio DJ John Kennedy, who me and Eva made a short doc with summer 2007. Ended up bonding with another journalist who was there with him, an Irish girl called Joanna. We had a laugh before I walked her back to her hotel so she'd be ready in time for her 7am flight.

Sunday was mostly spent recovering but was invited to a lovely dinner at Eva and Eldar's, along with Barclay and Alli. Little princess, Saga Eldarsdottir, stole the limelight as usual, dancing and singing to FM Belfast's Sylvia and winning 1st price in the unofficial "cutest little girl around" competition ;)

I feel really grateful for the times I've been able to share with old friends this weekend but also grateful for the new friends I have found... friends I believe will be around for a long time to come :)

Rise everytime you fall

2008-10-13T15:20:00.000-07:00

If someone would have told me a couple of weeks ago that in two weeks time all of Iceland's major bank would have gone administration, Iceland would have been subjected to Britain's terrorism laws and that thousands of people would be losing their jobs I would have thought that person must have gone mad in their pessimism. Unfortunately nobody really saw this one coming and the house of cards that the Icelandic economy system had become came tumbling down in a matter of days. Family members lost millions in stocks and pension funds and some even face the axe, although I have a strong believe that all will turn out well in the end. We need to use these hard times as an opportunity to learn from our mistakes and rise from the ashes with even more raw power and enthusiasm than before.

Icelandic society had become tainted by the never ending rat race, who had the biggest house, the biggest cars, the most money etc. etc. and I think a reality check was in order. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought we would be smacked in the face as hard as we have been hit in the last couple of weeks. But Icelanders are made of strong stuff and we are definitely a nation of "what doesn't kill us makes us stronger". The most important thing though now is to work together in finding ways to fix this mess we've unwittingly gotten ourselves into. But we've got to let go of anger, blame and fear for the future. It's at times like this people realize what really matters in life, pieces of inked paper or numbers on a computer screen carry no weight compared to good health and love from family and friends.

"Love the moment. Flowers grow out of dark moments. Therefore, each moment is vital. It affects the whole. Life is a succession of such moments and to live each, is to succeed."
Corita Kent