arline jernigan

Dublin was wonderful. Well, I was not actually in Dublin, but just south of it in a lovely village called Dalkey. I loved it. It is literally inches from the Irish sea, and when the sun shines, the view is incredible. The sun shined a lot of the time that I was there, so I was lucky to see it.

The people there were wonderful too, very open, receptive and kind. I look forward to going back to them. It makes me happy to share what I love to new bodies, as well as to those who have been with me for a long time.

Travel is going to be more regular with me I think, because that is what my heart is telling me. My home base is still here in Memphis for now. I love my people here, and have no imminent plans of leaving, but my wings are expanding, and am going to spread my energy and love where I can.

It is interesting to me, what being in a foreign place is like, and how it can beautifully take you our of your of habits. Much of the time, we go through the day, and forget to see where we are, and what we have. We can even loose sight, and forget why we do what we do. It is good to be snapped out of your comfort zone now and then. I find when I return to my home, I have a renewed appreciation, and am recharged somehow.

It is also interesting to me, where fear can crop up, and how something benign can bring on a panic state. While I was in Ireland, I had no cellphone service. I still cant get over how much I rely on electronics (at one time I was NEVER going to have a computer, HA). Now, I am grateful for them, as they make life expansive in many ways, but I still shake my head sometimes at this reliance. It was weird, not being able to use my phone on a whim, or when I actually needed to.

I was supposed to go to an exhibit with my new friend Dee. She was initially going to pick me up from where I was staying, and we would venture out. Plans change sometimes, and this is not a big deal, but I was taken by surprise when she called the house and asked me to meet her by taking one of the public transport systems, called the DART. I took a deep breath and said OK, but inside my heart stopped. Typically my fear shows up in situations when I am in a new environment, where I don’t know where I am. I really freak out inside. Once I am comfortable and have a feel for a place, all is well, but sometimes it can take some time (there is no time like the present). The DART station is about a 10 minute walk from where I was staying, and It was pulling up just as I purchased my ticket, my time was short. I was supposed to get into the last car and she would meet me in the car. Well, things got a little confused, because everything is opposite of what I am used to. For example, the driver side of the car is on the right side instead of the left, so I was not sure what was first and last in terms of the DART cars, not to mention, that I only had a few seconds to run into the closing doors. At this time Dee was not sure what had happened, because she did not see me in the car. I got off at the street that she told me to get off on, incase something happened, and I waited for a while. I found a pay phone, and called her cell, but I got no answer. I did not know where the museum was, or I would have gone there, so I just got another ticket and set out to go back to Dalkey, but, I did wait for about 20 minutes or so, to see if I could find her, and as it turned out, we both just missed each other by minutes. She was looking, calling and waiting for me too, but alas, no connection.

This situation was a great opportunity for me to practice yoga off the matt. I focused on my breath, and looked at my situation with humor. I was not really that lost, only slightly separated, and I was able to ask for the direction that I needed to head to, and as I said, I was not that far off track. I was actually able to relax, and enjoy the experience of being out of my comfort zone. Now while this seems simple, and not a big deal, it is to me. I somehow feel stronger and more able to venture out.

I want to thank Dee and Heidi once again for bringing me to Ireland, and to also thank all the wonderful students who came to my workshop. I am excited to return very soon.

Big hugs to all of you

Love Arline

I have been really busy lately. I am getting ready for an art opening in April, at the gallery that I show at. The work is mostly done, I just have some framing details to deal with. I am trying to get everything to the gallery, no later than next week, because I am going to Philadelphia in about a week and a half, to teach a yoga workshop. Another wonderful thing happening in April, is that I will be going to Dublin to teach another yoga workshop. Believe me, I am totally excited about this.

Everything seems to happen at once sometimes, but I will take it.

I have said many times how blessed I feel, to live the life that I do. I love it, and truly believe that a creative life, doing what you love is essential to freedom and happiness.

I admire people who do this, and appreciate the many ways that can happen. Just opening to possibilities, and thinking out side the box has an amazing effect on the soul.

I really want to share what I have in a big way, and through art and yoga, I feel I can do this.

Ok, I have to go back to my studio, and get some more work done. :)

xoxoxoxoxoxox

In my classes, I have really been focusing on the chakra system. I have touched on what the chakras are in the teaching yoga section of this site, and I plan to really expand on it soon. >EEK< I just looked at it, and it is a mess. I will fix it ASAP!!!!!!

My overhaul has started, as I said in an earlier post, with many papers and files. I tend to write things in random places, and put them away, and write something related some other time, and put it else where. Hence the need to organize, get a sense of ground.

Anyway the chakra that I am personally focusing right now, because I have felt inbalance, is the muladhara chakra (root chakra) . This chakra, has to do with life force and feeling connected to it, feeling secure, and taken care of. It is powerful and swirling red energy. Much much more can be explained about this and the other chakras, but this post is just touching on the root.

There is a lot of unsettled energy in the world today. So many people are worried about the economy, and the state of our nation, (one can see why) which creates much fear on so many levels. It is a challenge not to get caught up in the swirl of it all.

I just try to bring it home when ever I get caught up in the energy that dovetails with my feelings of insecurity, because when I focus on what is "wrong" out there, I get distracted from what is going on in my own heart, and find it difficult to find solutions for ANYTHING.

SO...

Basically, I have been working on feeling grounded in my meditations. It is really quite simple. I visualize warmth and security, I return over and over to the breath, which happens to be wise in any situation, and I sit no less than 20 minutes (this amount of time works for me now, it is not a magic number, sometimes it seems, we can only spare 5 minutes). Just getting still, like I mentioned in my last post has been extremely helpful, and I have gotten a ton of insight. I really do feel connected and more peaceful lately. That certainly does not mean my mind doesn't go bonkers with worry in moments, but I am really starting to see how to rein it in more easily.

The mind loves distraction, and loves to play games and be entertained, but not always in a fun sense. So I try to view my thoughts (at least when meditating) as clouds passing in the sky, and allow them to float by rather than attaching or identifying with them. < that is a major practice>

Gratitude is at the forefront, and I express it as much as I can. I say thank you every and all day long, for my life and my breath, my body to express who I really am.

When I sit quietly and watch my breath, something interesting happens, I start to see swirls, then they start to play,change colors, and then send tingles through my body as a gift.

I expand and feel weightless, connected and quietly energized.

But, then a thought comes in from nowhere, and I’m stumped, more follow. What happened to the feeling? Will it return?

I start again, with the breath over and over inhale, exhale, surender.

When I let go, I see my gifts, how beautiful they are.

I’m grateful.

Thank you.