This morning, I saw a very old man pushing a baby in a stroller (likely a grandchild) and wearing this hat. It was all I could do to stay in the car -- I wanted to jump out and follow him. "That guy's nuts," Brian said. "That guy's got some kahonahs!" I said. Really, he was just in touch with his spirit.
So that thing I teach - Nia - it's a body-mind-emotion-spirit program. The idea is that Nia is holistic because when we do it, we address the whole person: body, mind, emotion, spirit. Spirit can feel like a loaded word, and I never really knew what we were suppose to be doing in those week-long Nia trainings when "accessing the Spirit realm..." Praying? Begging for forgiveness? taking a nap while pretending to meditate?
Somewhere along the line, Nia HQ got really clear about the realm of Spirit having more to do with creating an open channel to one's own authenticity. Everyone has their own spice, things that make them unique. Accessing Spirit is as easy as personifying the part of you that represents your authenic self, and then asking your spirit to hang out with you for the day. Inviting that part of you to call the shots for an hour, or for your typical walk or ride to work can open your eyes to new things, and even some cool syncronicities.
Here's how I chose to hang out with spirit yesterday:
Now I have worked in Harvard Square for ELEVEN years. Believe me when I say that the charm is long gone. There is nothing to eat here that I am not totally tired of, no longer any stores I want to shop in. The bums here don't even bother with me anymore. Yesterday I decided to play a game with Spirit called "Break My Habits." At lunch time, I opened my wallet and asked Spirit to choose how much i would spend on lunch. She said "five spot." I took the five, left the wallet behind, and went out into the square to find myself a lunch item that cost as close to $5 on the dot as possible. It was a veggie burrito from Felipe's with Guacamole. While this was tasty, it was only slightly different from my regular carnitas with guac & cheese.
Later in the day I tried again. Late afternoon chocolate. Spirit took $2 from my wallet. Bravo, I thought. Better to play with since $2 is too much for a Twix bar from Tommy's Convenience store across the street, and too little for a chocolate chip walnut cookie from Finale (I am sooo set in my chocolate ways). We (me & my Spirit) went to Cardullo's to peruse the imported chocolate bars. I was drawn to the familiar packages, but most were priced $2.49 or $2.99. Then a bunch of Cadbury's. I'd never tried those but knew the name, yet at $1.99 I was uncertain about tax. FInally, a sign for $1.49. The Pernigotti Cremino bar -- milk chocolate with hazenut and almond. I bought it and really tasted it's nutty silkiness on the walk back.
Just steps from my office, a woman with a double stroller approached. I noticed the kids, about a year old and asked if they were twins. Twin-Stroller-woman confirmed. Then I asked if she is Jen, a woman I've been emailing with who lives somewhere in the immediate vicinity. She's not, she's actually not the mother but the babysitter. We parted and then I realized, here is a woman who has experience babysitting twins, in front of my office, while I'm about to go inside and post an ad on Craigslist for a childcare provider. I turned around and stopped her, asked if she worked for the family fulltime. "Actually the family is moving back to Israel and today is my last day of work."
That is what happens when Spirit gets to take the lead. You have fun, try new things, and the sh*! that needs to get done, magically gets done.
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