Ask mySelf, “How Am I Doing?

August 14, 2017August 15, 2017Leave a comment

with each body movement, be aware!

I love picking a different theme for the weekly Santosha (contentment!) yoga class I teach at Discovery Yoga in St. Augustine. It inspires me to write a post about the subject, here on LordFlea. This past week I chose “Self Inquiry” and during our class we already explored how this topic applies to when we’re doing a yoga practice. I’ll share a little about that, and our next post will be … how to use Self-inquiry to deepen our spiritual practice.

First … in hatha yoga (the general all-encompassing Sanskrit term for the physical side of yoga, including positions (asanas) and anything related to body wellness … it’s extremely helpful to always ask our Self whenever we get into a position, “How Am I Doing?”

The reason I use the capital “S” Self for this question, is because most folks who aren’t already in a state of awakened consciousness don’t bother asking themselves the question, “How am I doing?” If I were to ask someone who’s not yet interested in awakening their spiritual side, the question would be more like, “How are you feeling today? Are you interested in getting to know that higher Self of yours, that you keep hearing about in the mindfulness world? Or are you happy staying in your little self, safe and … well, in denial of your higher spiritual side — your Self?”

A person who has not yet asked themselves the question: “What is the difference between my little self and my so-called higher Self?” might want to start right now. Let’s apply this question specifically to … how we’re sitting (or standing if you happen to be). Because I’m talking about using this Self-inquiry in a yoga class, we can start with the position your body is in right now when you’re reading it. Even if you’re sitting at your computer, or riding a bus.

An aware and awake person (their higher Self, that is) is conscious of many things. The more we open our consciousness, our awareness, to what’s around us, the more details and nuances of life become accessible. So let’s focus on our body’s position. That’s easy, and it’s fun! If you’re sitting (or reading) take a moment as you read this and check these things:

is your spine straight?
is your neck aligned with the spine (not too far forward or backward?
are you breathing through your nose? If not, close your mouth, please.
are your opened eyes resting on one spot? (please stop reading for a second, and do this now, thanks)
is your core engaged, or not? look below for how to engage the core, anytime!

I like to teach basic yogic principles, even to a first-timer. Here’s how I’ve come to make it easy to remember.

LordFlea’s (teZa’s) ABCDs of an aware and awakened yoga approach to the physical practice of hatha yoga:

Always, I suggest a student remembers their
Breath, their
Core (the inner lock called the mulabandha, engaged or ready-to-be) and their
Drishti, the easy focus of the eyes and a relaxed, pleasant-looking smile

If we focus on these simple things in any pose, we will benefit much more from each and every thing our bodies are tasked to do. So, let’s start with our position right now, shall we?

If you’re sitting, Always remember to focus on your Breath. You can do this in-between your tasks, or as a constant walking-meditation. Once you focus on your breath you won’t be wasting time on day-dreaming, worry, guilt, or any worthless waste of precious energy, not to mention time.

Next, think about your Core. Whether you’re sitting or standing right now, squeeze that inner lock right now! Go ahead, give it a squeeze! (to engage the “inner core, the true core of every person, pretend you have to pee really badly, but you have to hold it till later. That’s right! Go ahead! You know how to engage those muscles deep inside that no one but you knows you’re engaging. Yes, that is the mula (root) bandha (lock) that we use in yoga to stabalize any pose. Without this internal lock, balance especially is next to impossible. With some poses the core is not engaged. Awareness makes us know when to engage our core, or relax it.

Next, where are your eyes’ looking? Well that’s easy if you’re reading this. But when you’re not reading ask yourself, “Am I looking all around” and if you are, DON’T (unless walking in dangerous neighborhoods when you need eyes on the back of your head). Having your eyes focused on one exact spot is called the Drishti. Having a pleasant expression on the face is part of a yogi’s drishti, our outward facial appearance.

It’s a good way to nurture being in a better mood, to keep a little “buddha smile” on your face. Fake it till you make it. It works! If you “fake a smile” you will let go of feeling out of sorts. Try it.

Iyengar’s drishti … OmGuru!

Okay, getting back to Self-inquiry in a pose. You are standing or sitting, and you check that you’re aware of your breathing, and your core is either engaged or ready to be, upon need — and your drishti is nice and easy: eyes focused, lips gently upturned. Now … you check what’s happening with your spine.

It it aligned, not slouched or bent, and you remember the neck is the spine’s extension, nice and easy, it’s floating above the column of stacked vertebrae. And now, what about your arms? Are they engaged, or loose? If you’re carrying something, are you balanced? Not too much on left or right side? Distribute and re-adjust your body’s weight according to what you discover. Now be aware of your legs. Are your leg muscles engaged, or are you loose? Whichever you are, be “aware” of it! This body-mind exercise increases awareness in all other respects as well as posture-consciousness.

We start with the body, to gain awareness of greater things.

This is Self-inquiry … first to be applied to how our body is doing. At any given moment, especially before you go to sleep, ask yourself, “Am I in a good, healthy position?” Ask and your answer is, no, then make adjustments. Sometimes it’s simply a small movement of an inch or two. Or a hand turning outward instead of inward (the sign of rounded shoulders is hands that face backward, a real no-no for proper spinal alignment). You might want to engage your core, so that you have better balance (especially if you’re riding a bus or subway standing up).

Next post we’ll discuss how to apply Self-inquiry to our internal state, our psychological and spiritual well-being. Until then, make every attempt to be more aware of how your Body is doing by … asking yourSelf these simple questions.

Leave me a note and tell me how this post makes you FEEL. I love hearing from you! And visit my main site tezalord.com to sign up for my mailing list.

Love All Ways,

LordFlea aka teZa

I Am, I Feel, and NOW … I DO

June 28, 2017June 28, 2017Leave a comment

whatever you DO is the 3rd chakra energy directing you

As we continue exploring the raising-up of our consciousness using the yogic system of chakras to help us better understand who and what we are, we are now at the third chakra, known as the seat of our personal power. This is an energy center most humans (not in a coma) experience on a regular basis. The next chakra, the heart chakra, is where we start on our spiritual journey. Truly! Stay tuned for next post. (Sign up on my blog and receive each post via email.)

If any of you have ever been forced to do something absolutely aligned with, or totally against your will, you are familiar with that “good warm feeling” or the opposite, the aching discomfort in your midsection, close to your navel. Both reactions, opposing yes I know, are referred to as a “gut reaction” or a “feeling in my gut.”

A good reaction: Let’s say you’ve just met someone/thing who rings your bell. You feel this instantly in your gut. Sometimes the reaction almost knocks you backward. Have you ever felt it? This is your own intuition telling you that something is very right about this person (a dog, a cat?) you’re meeting. It could be a business contact, a romantic interest, but whatever it is, it’s someone/thing you’ll greatly benefit from spending some time with, learning more about them.

A bad reaction is the other kind of gut feeling, an uncomfortable ache, and sometimes it’s harsher, like a punch. This is a negative reaction to whatever you are facing. Maybe it’s a person, but it could be a job, a house you’re not supposed to buy, a type of food you’re not meant to eat. I hope you pay attention to these uncomfortable signs from your own inner knowing, as well as the more intriguing signs that make you want to know more.

Both reactions, good or bad, if those word judgements apply (better choice is interesting or not interesting) — they come from your 3rd chakra center of energy, located very close to your navel. But the sensation can come anywhere in your midsection. (See my earlier post if you want more detailed description).

Ghandi’s mantra was Ram Ram Ram. People who were there say this was the last thing he spoke as he lay dying from an assassin’s bullet. Ram is also the mantra for the 3rd chakra, where we are made to be aware of what our will is. In Ghandi’s case, I’m sure he worked hard to align his will to the highest good. Every time I repeat the mantra for the 3rd chakra, my intention is to gain insight into what is best, for not only myself, but for my fellow humans and the entire planet.

We Are ONE … Act and Do for the world’s highest good, not just your own

Sometimes we have to change our thinking, or our habits, when we become aware of what’s best for the highest good, rather than seeking to satisfy our own. Sometimes our “gut reaction” is based on our limited view, not a universally encompassing one.

I pray for our world to face these challenging times we’re all going through these days, with compassion and open-mindedness for what is best for all of humankind. I think it’s easy for people to forget that. That we can pray for change, to feel better about our uncomfortability (how’s that for a word?). When our own personal will gets damaged by things not going our way, we insist our way is the only way. If our 3rd chakra is always in a state of distress, it’s time to ask our self:

Perhaps I need to look at the bigger picture. Perhaps what’s happening (either in my own life or in world events) might be for the highest good of all, even if I don’t like it. Transformation is a great sea change. Many people get extremely nervous when things don’t go their way.

Spend time with your own 3rdd chakra, ask yourself, “Am I comfortable with what’s happening?”

If you answer, “NO!” then it’s time to take some action. You have a choice, don’t forget. Always, you have choices. If you’re uncomfortable with things around you, your choice is to either practice ACCEPTING that what’s happening, is happening. Or … you can take steps to change it.

This, in essence, is why I am a writer and an artist. This also, is why most people do what they do. Because I have never been happy with the materialism and non-spirituality of modern society, in my youth, I ran away from it. I fled to the Third World and stayed living in jungles and sailing on the deep blue sea for over a decade. When I came back to mainstream America, I swore I would use my talents of arting (creating object- and word-stories) to help others become more familiar with the Oneness Consciousness that, to me, is what this existence, called “life” is all about. You may call that consciousness something else: Nature, God, Allah, Spirit, whatever. But Oneness works for me.

These days I focus on what I can DO to be more comfortable in a world torn apart by divisiveness and materialism. I don’t run away anymore. Today I feel just great, actually, that my focus is on DO-ing, and not feeling weird, mad, confused, or … worse … destructive. My energy used to be “stuck” in the 2nd chakra, feeling pissed-off. Now my energy feels free and powerful, utilizing the direction the 3rd chakra connection gives me.

I share my experiences in hopes that each and every person realizes that when you get “signals” from your gut, that’s your 3rd chakra telling you something. Pay attention. If you numb it (with drugs or alcohol, shopping, work, gambling, or other addictions) — you’ll probably just get sick, sooner or later. You certainly won’t be happy, that’s a fact. If you work on clearing this disturbed energy from your solar plexus (another name for the 3rd chakra) … you will enjoy peace, happiness, and good health. Align your will with the highest, Ram, Ram, Ram.

the 3rd chakra’s color is yellow

Try it!

And please, let me know how your inner power feels today. Sit quietly and ask yourself, “What is this weird feeling I get in my gut?” I want to know. Leave me your comment below. And don’t forget, I’m sending out a free mind-stiller audio-clip for people who leave me their emails. Below is an easy way I’m experimenting using. Please fill in and let’s BE CONNECTED! Tell me how your “gut” is feeling today.

I love you, each and every one of you. Your pal, teZa aka LordFlea

Q&As For Every Artist & Writer

September 16, 2016September 16, 2016Leave a comment

Love Your Mother, image from WE ARE ONE

WE ARE ONE—my new coffee-table book—is getting some press! I was sent the following questions by a local reporter who’s doing a book review for my hometown newspaper. Here are my answers.

1) What inspired you to write this book?

WE ARE ONE is the culmination of decades of hard work, both in the visual arts and in writing nonfiction. This 84-page, linen hardcover coffee-table book was first put together in dummy fashion over 15 years ago. Last winter, I brought out the loose-leafed, stapled black-and-white mock-up (forgotten about, truthfully) to show my 98-year-old mother, a local fisherwoman here in St. Augustine who passed away shortly afterward. At that point my husband Carter Lord and I decided to self-publish this book. We enlisted the technical services of talented locals: Leeann Kendall (a photographer, the book’s editor), Erin Fitzpatrick (a graphic designer, our technical editor), and Imagine Fine Art (superb digitalization). It’s all our professional belief that we have created something beautiful to behold. It is also my personal hope that the more people who see and read WE ARE ONE, the more will experience what it documents: that truly, we are all One, linked by the energy of consciousness. I’m speaking metaphorically, yes, but also energy-wise. This has been proven by quantum physicists’ recent discovery of the Higgs bosun. This book takes us on a journey, using visuals and words, that helps us sense that our ordinary day-to-day world can be extraordinarily felt—perceived that is—if not seen. As an artist and down-to-earth person (one of my passions is to make deep-water voyages on small sailboats) I believe this interpretation of life—that we’re all interconnected—makes for a better, safer, and more all-inclusive place for us all to grow and thrive in.

2) What type of research was involved?

My research was to learn how to be hyper-conscious.

I got better by healing my baggage (we all have)

The images and text within this book document my own true experiences. As a teen I began the earnest quest of adventuring, inwardly and outwardly. Doing yoga poses (initially for a bad back) naturally led to exploring spiritual issues (the true purpose of their invention by ancient sages). Gradually, I found answers to my seeking-quest in Native American ways, and mystical traditions from other cultures. I have worked with indigenous shamans during years of illustrating for Ph.D. botanists at Harvard University (Plants of the Gods, by R.E. Schultes contains a few of my illustrations). For decades, I have studied yoga of all varieties, and deeply explored meditation with one scripture-based teacher. What intrigues me most is investigating how various people around the world reach their own truth, whether through an ancestral path, a person’s own inward journey, outward rituals, a defined philosophy, religion, or simply by connecting with Spirit through Nature anywhere on the globe. I stay away from politic statements, although a hero of mine is Daw Aung San Suu Kyi of Burma (Myanmar today). I certainly will vote in the upcoming Presidential election, using my conscience as guide.

3) Who is your target audience?

My audience is anyone who’s interested in something other than reality-TV or who wants to know more about the Mystery of Life. I prefer to call my visual works Dreamtimes but when I used to exhibit in galleries in New York City, Santa Fe, New Orleans and Monterrey, Mexico, critics called my work visionary. Today I have another book, an illustrated nonfiction narrative, being represented by a literary agent, who regards my audience mainstream. The world is changing!

4) How would you describe your (writing) process?

a- making the visuals

cover of WE ARE ONE

Each image of WE ARE ONE was composed like this:

First, I photographed my own work (a painting or sculpture). Then I painted upon that photo. Next, I re-photographed that now-enhanced original image; adding Xeroxing, cut-outs, then re-photographing and scanning that finished image, most of which are 3-generational. Then came lots of fiddling in PhotoShop before sending the final file to the printers. This book is a collection of multi-media images that combine recognizable and symbolic gestures.

b-the writing

The AYES have it, from WE ARE ONE

The writing process for WE ARE ONE (except for the text-only introductory four pages) is simple poetry-prose. A few words set the tone for the story told within each image. Some call this type of art, narrative. After creating a work of art first (see above) I wrote a few words to offer the viewer help to jump into the experience of each image. My writing is 90% editing, so every word is fine-tuned down to each punctuation mark, or using none where one is expected. Making and appreciating this kind of art (whether written or visual) is like being in a trance—it necessitates opening to the same deep inner place that meditation takes a person to.

5) What do you hope readers get out of the book?

My hope is that my viewers/readers have a deeper experience of being connected to ALL in existence upon journeying through WE ARE ONE.

Humankind’s thoughtful traditions often describe the Mystery of Life as there’s more to life than what appears to be. If I can help people feel the Mystery, perhaps just a little bit more, with the aid of this book, I am thrilled! In all my work I try to shatter mapped-out boundaries, preconceived notions, cultural guidelines, and other kinds of artistic renditions of separators that might keep us from recognizing WE ARE ONE. I hope my efforts help pry open, just a hair more, a person’s ever-widening doors of perception.

Cellular Vision, from WE ARE ONE

6) Who is your favorite author?

Too many GREATS to have one! My favorite author/artists (because my medium is words and images) are Hundertwasser and Elaine deKooning, both now gone but important mentors of mine. I also read anything by Russell Banks, Barbara Kingsolver, Louise Erdrich, Edwidge Danticat, Eckhart Tolle, Carl Hiaasin, Wade Davis, Andrew Weil, etc. My tastes are wildly eclectic. In my local book club we read/listened to Hamilton, the hip-hop hit play. Next might be Jane Austen.

7) Why do you spell your name with a capital Z?

The very fist thing I offer on my website tezalord.me (where links to my years-long blog Lord Flea and art gallery are, and my book can be purchased, as well as at Amazon) is to explain the origin of the big Z. Here’s a hint: bell hooks is a dearly loved Buddhist writer and teacher who inspired my humble use of no caps. The upshot, though, is to ensure correct pronunciation. teZa is not my Christian name but one I gave myself 40 years ago.

For readers of this post, Lord Flea is my, teZa Lord’s nom de blog