Personal Revolution

Friday night, I rang in the New Year with several dear friends at my apartment, where we had delicious food, wine and other alcoholic concoctions (Pumpkin Spice Creamer is not a great match for White Russians, for your future party planning reference), and played a fun game of 'What the Picta..'.

On Saturday, I unknowingly tossed out the skin from a rotisserie chicken while cutting it and putting it on plates for two guy friends and Seb, who were all devastated when they received their plates and found the apparently 'delicious', barbecue-flavored-skin to be missing (I had no idea people actually ate that..).

Yesterday, I worked a full day cashiering at Soda Pop's, made it to the yoga studio for a refreshing class full of dedicated, strong yogis (after a holiday hiatus), then had a lovely evening of Chipotle and of finally watching the much-anticipated INCEPTION with my delightful boyfriend, whose parents arrive from Switzerland in two days to visit. Je ne parle pas le plus bien francais maintenant, mais je peux essayer.

Today, I helped my friend, Donny, out with his new headshot shoot, as his makeup artist, hair-fixer, and shirt ironer, which was lovely, and which also afforded me the opportunity to reconnect with Tim Sabatino, the photographer, who also did my headshots and is headed to India next week to work on a three-month documentary about Buddhism with the Dalai Lama. I mailed out postcards to casting directors for pilot season, then applied to several additional yoga studios and fitness clubs for yoga (and spinning) teaching positions and took a nap, after collapsing on top of my keyboard.

Tonight, I find myself with less than fourty-eight hours until my dear friend and blogging buddy, Matt, whom I have been close friends with since the age of nine, arrives in Los Angeles and becomes my roommate, in my teensy studio apartment, with only one closet, a mini-fridge, no microwave, washer, or dryer, and no cable.

I have lots of cleaning to do before Matt arrives. There are dishes with crusty, baked Ziti begging to be washed, laundry bags heaving with hope for a trip to the laundromat, floors craving a good Swiffer run, and then some. I am desperately trying to relearn drink recipes for my new bartending job later this month; I am teaching a yoga class and a cardio class tomorrow, as well as Friday; I am working at Soda Pop's two other days this week; I am trying to advertise my yoga with new postcards (which entails driving around to Whole Foods locations and such); I am planning a dancing outing for Thursday night, a yoga class with a post-yoga hike and picnic for Saturday, and a week-long roadtrip for March; I am trying to think of creative ways to make rent by January 16th.

Obviously, I am quite adept at staying busy, yet sometimes I feel as though I lose sight of my goals in all of the running around. Goals are an important thing to have. Otherwise, it's like Orienteering - which I was god-awful at - without a compass, and we all know how frustrating that is.

This afternoon, I wrote an email to my donation-based Power Yoga group, which now consists of a whopping seventy-seven members, yet fluctuates between three and eight people on any given weekend. This statistic would indicate that, if my math is correct (cross your fingers), only 6.5% of those who have expressed an interest in attending yoga have done so. When people join the group, they are prompted to explain why they practice yoga, as it interests me to find out where my students come to the practice from and helps me tailor a class for all needs. The reasons for practicing yoga are complex and admirable, and just a few of them include:

"I'm training for my 2nd marathon and realize that I should have incorporated much more yoga into my training the first time around."
"To unwind and work on keeping my body in shape in a way that doesn't put too much stress on my joints."
"For both the spiritual and physical benefits."
"It helps me relax and feel less anxious. It also allows me to appreciate the small things in life."
"Would like to gain more flexibility and strength."

Given such powerful reasons for change, why have only 6.5% stuck to their goals? We are all guilty of setting aside enough time to deal with bills, with work, with laundry, with the tasks which seem so very important, so 'life-and-death'. But do we truly focus on the life part of that equation? How fully are we living on a day-to-day basis?

"Forget your resolutions.. it's time for your REVOLUTION.

With 2011 here, a lot of us are taking some time to reevaluate what we spend our valuable time and energy on. Are you taking time to focus on your body, your spirit, and your mind? As we set new intentions for the year ahead, making a consistent yoga practice [or other meaningful activity] a part of your life can help recharge that battery and can truly propel you into the potential you were meant to inhabit.

This Saturday will be our first practice of 2011, and we'll be sweating out the kinks and clutter from yesterday to grow fresh space for this incredible new year. Think of it as a complete head-to-toe pampering package, as a belated holiday gift to yourself (why on earth would you miss out on that each week?!).

If you've been a member of this group forever and haven't been yet, make up your mind to get your feet out the door. If you've been before, make up your mind to invite a friend, or to say hi to the newbie. Take action to promote your own inner peace.

If you commit to making yourself a happier, healthier person, you commit to making the world a happier, healthier place to exist. It's here, people; steep yourself in the joy and the freedom of personal revolution."

This was my letter to my seventy-seven aspiring yogis, and, perhaps on a closer level, to myself. This is only the beginning, as is every single day I wake up, open my eyes, and take that first inhale of consciousness. My revolution of 2011 centers around my self, in the following ways:

*I will make time each day for my body to be active, and I will also make time for my body to be still. This means making time for fitness each day, and also adequate time for sleep and for reflection.
*I will fuel my belly with food which nurtures my physical world, my mind with ideas which nurture my creative capacities, and my soul with love which extends to every bit of my universe. This means taking advantage of living with such a healthy friend, and considering what I eat and where it comes from. This means reading, watching television and movies, and getting together with other people to generate our own material (just because we're not 'working' actors, writers, directors, et cetera doesn't mean we stop being those things). This means loving myself for who I am, and loving others for who they are; this means rejoicing in the inherent goodness in each other.
*I will remember that, in any given moment, I have the choice to project either love or hate. I will turn every experience into an opportunity for good. This means standing up for myself and for those around me in a constructive manner, and recognizing the ability to make a situation into something positive. This means finding resilience and continued exuberance and trusting that every turn in the road is a lesson I will have learned in time, which better equips me as an artist and as a person.

The revolution begins.