A New Year, A New You

Personally for me, no truer words have ever been spoken. For those of you who know me, you know that this past year has been quite a spiritual ride. And I know it's not over. It's never over until you're dead from what I can gather.

This year has offered me lessons in courage, grief, compassion, love, joy, fear, anger, friendship, family, commitment, letting go, God, Buddha, Krishna, laughter, choice, patience, truth and any other virtue that comes to mind. Those were just the ones that flew from my finger tips.

Choosing to get divorced is not an easy process as some of you know. And once the choice is made, you can't really go back. People are going to get hurt, you are going to experience doubt and shame, you are going to feel alone. It becomes especially challenging when your ex-spouse is really a kind human being. And it becomes very complicated when you have little children who love the hell out of both of you.

There are a multitude of things that got me through this year, and I want to express gratitude for them right now...publicly.

First is my yoga practice. Had it not been for my dedication to the practice, this year could have gone terribly wrong.

Second, is my belief and faith in a Higher Power. You can call it God, guidance, Spirit, Source...it's a Higher Power. It's Faith.

Third are my kids. Without the innocent honesty of our children we are lost.

And fourth are my friends. Want to find out who your real friends are? Dismantle your life, create chaos and change it up a bit...they will still be left standing there....in many shapes and forms. They will show up EXACTLY as you need them to be.

This is life people. It doesn't come wrapped in some shiny paper with ribbons and goregous tags. It sometimes kicks your ass and leaves a mess. But guess what? The gift is IN the mess! It IS the mess!! And it's how you clean up and handle the mess. I have cleaned up many messes this past year. But they needed cleaning. The space under my rug was getting very cramped, if you know what I mean.

And now, new year, new me, new life.

Scary, yes. But living in in-authenticity and lies was sure scarier.

So now I ask YOU....

How can you clean up your life so you can move forward?
What can you leave behind in 2011?
What do you want to birth in 2012?

Be honest...be real...be full of life!

This experience has inspired me to do and be so many things! It has brought so many new, AMAZING people to me! It has brought back the lust for life I always knew I had!

Join me in the New Year...leave your mess behind.

ps...be on the lookout for a new blog...."Taking the High Road: One Woman's Spiritual Journey Through Divorce".... It's time.

Honor Your Inner Soldier

As we celebrate and honor our Veterans today, we come together collectively with the same intention. Powerful thoughts of admiration, appreciation, love and respect resonate and vibrate across our nation. The power of coming together in prayer, meditation, and affirmation is extremely powerful and can make changes on a level we ourselves are not even aware of.

Gathering in groups is powerful, but the pure notion that across our nation, we are all thinking similar thoughts is amazing to me.

So then today, this November 11, 2011 I invite you to think even beyond our nation's definition of "Veteran's Day". I looked up the word veteran and it is defined as "One who has served in a war - most likely a soldier". Without disrespecting our veteran's in any way, aren't we all veteran's?

Ask yourself...what war have YOU been battling for years prior today? Are there inner struggles that you can honor with love, respect, forgiveness and compassion? Are there conflicts that you can surrender to today and wave your white flag this last time, so you can move forward in peace and joy?

What tightly wound contractions of spirit and inner turmoil can you unravel today so you can blossom into who you truly are? Beyond judgment, fear, guilt and shame. What solider like qualities can you relinquish so you can feel the energy of love and peace run through you like a wave of breath and inspiration?

Those feelings that feed your inner-soldier keep you bound but they need to be embraced and honored in order to fully release them. They are a part of who you are but they need not direct your life. How DO you want to lead your life? What feelings DO you want guiding you as you move through this world?

Today I invite you to let go, open your tightly wound bud and allow your faith in God and your own Divine Guidance lead you to the new you. The one that is full of purpose, service, love and joy. It is time... it is time to rise and shine to your most high Self.

Let today, 11.11.11 be that day.

In peace and powerful blessings.

Hari Om, Hari Om, Hari Om

Dana Layon-Damara

Please say YES....

Upon returning "home" from Wanderlust, I couldn't help but immediately realize the infusion of love, magic and intuitive guidance the trip to California offered me. Being away from my "real" life of kids, indecision, responsibility, divorce and my own internal struggles gave me the space that was much needed to manifest my new life.

The trip to Wanderlust that seemed "unnecessary" and "irresponsible" actually dumped me dead center on the path to my most purposeful life. In five short days, Wanderlust offered me the clarity I needed to take that leap forward. Had it not been for that time away, I may still be drowning in my own thoughts, choking on the limiting beliefs of my past life and hanging myself in indecision, fear and guilt of things not working out like I had planned.

This trip was a gift in many ways. It reminded me that we ARE powerful beings. And that we ARE creating the movie of our own life....full of EXACTLY what we want to show up on a daily, if not hourly basis.

It reminded me the importance of saying YES to life without always having to think through to every last detail. Lately I have been feeling like someone has been pinching me on a daily basis...reminding me that this is not a dream and that everything I needed to move forward, I already knew.

The minute I returned back home, I truly felt ushered into my new life...full of synchronicity, excitement, love, truth and passion. I felt alive again...in ways I hadn't felt in over 15 years! It felt like God was in my pocket and whispering in my ear, telling me exactly which way to go. I needn't worry about a thing.

And guess what? I still feel that way. Since returning I have made many important decisions in my life that will steer me to my next road. These decisions affect not only my future but the future of my daughters. I could have stepped into this with fear and self-doubt. But after time alone I know, beyond all knowing that my decisions are based on love and divine knowledge.

So I ask you....what risks are you taking to move forward? On the flip side, what are you passing up to remain safe and secure in an illusion of what is real? Life is not always going to hand you the life you "dreamed" of exactly the way you envisioned it. However, it can be quite a gift if you are willing to say YES.

Wanderlust

After arriving in Tahoe yesterday, and witnessing countless numbers of yogis and yoginis practicing yoga, dancing, connecting and scurrying about, I was inspired beyond words. It was interesting to me that so many people, ourselves included, would travel such a great distance to practice yoga with well known yoga instructors, listen to great music and spend time amidst one of the most awe-inspiring places on Earth.

I realized though, during that first evening that I had no idea why I was here. I am all about intentions and motivations. Kind of like a "life mission statement" if you will. It creates purpose and direction with any decision we make.

It became clear to me during my first class with Giselle Mari, and then hit me like a ton of bricks during my class with Johnny Kest. I witnessed such personal growth, remembering how far I had come along my own yoga journey, when I took class with Shiva Rea, my very first yoga "teacher". It enveloped me under the Gaiam Tent, lying in Svasana with the warm breeze washing over my face. It landed in my lap while having lunch with an old friend in Squaw Village, sharing space with yogis, families and people with their faithful dogs. It tickled me while hanging out with some amazing girlfriends, laughing so hard my cheeks felt as if they would crack, tears rolling down my face. It really got me this morning when I woke up, a tiny bit sore but very focused and clear. (blue skies and high altitude helps....)

Connection...inspiration...love....There aren't many places that you hear meditation, elevation, levitation, rejuvenation and inspiration all in one day...Wanderlust has been that place and it's only day one. If the definition of Wanderlust is "A very strong or irresistible desire to travel", then it's obvious why we yoginis and yogis come here every year.

The view...yes. The yoga...yes. The people and connection...yes. But more than that, the travel to the Self is completely irresistible. Eckhart Tolle said in A New Earth, "Human beings love traveling because everything is new. You are most conscious when you travel because it's like seeing everything around you for the first time". (something like that anyway)

Combine that with movement, meditation, breathing, happy, if not BLISSFUL people and you got yourself heaven on Earth.

What inspires you like that? Where do you FEEL your soul? When have been awakened and literally pushed onto your life path? When has your life become so clear you could almost taste it?

That's why we are here. Find your heaven on Earth and say YES to it...if only for a day.