Yogini Sunflower Blessings

Yogini Sunflower Blessings             

Happy Friday.  Can it really be September already?? That means the holidays are around the corner. Say it isn’t so. I will not be traveling to CA . this year to see my family and friends that live there. Too many travelers, and too much stress for me. I have decided that this will be the start of having a relaxed holiday season. Fewer gifts to buy, few decorations, fewer commitments, and less stress. I will live more in the moment with what is going on. I find that thinking of all that needs to be done or all the activities I want to attend seems to cause tension. There will be no “shoulds.”  No more of “I should be doing this or that.”  I am much happier and have more energy when I remember that, and I bet most everyone else is too.

 

Everyone can always use a bit more love in their life, so I just started teaching Loving Yourself Yoga classes here in Nashville which will incorporate healing modalities in addition with the asanas (postures) so as to experience higher frequencies of love, harmony, peace and joy. I love teaching compassion, empathy, empowerment, and self-love using Yoga as the vehicle. The best part is the loving energy I receive from my students. It is a win, win for everyone. For those of you who have been my students in various cities in CA. and in St. Petersburg, Florida, I miss you very much, and wish there was a magic carpet or a form of high technology that could transport you all to my classes.  Just know there is a special place in my heart for all of you.  Now, on to building a student and client base here.

 I wish I could visit my far away family and friends whenever the desire arises. Calling, texting, emailing, and skyping isn’t as wonderful as being there in person with you, but I am so very grateful and joyful when I get to visit with any of you that way. So, bring it on. I love hearing from you. I also want to give a "shout out"  (funny expression) to my new budding and blooming friendships here in TN. I am happy you are in my life. 

I have gotten involved with Transition Nashville which is a group involved with sustainable living involving our community.  There are meetings and workshops to help locals acquire knowledge of how to grow our own food, install solar panels,  get information about aquaponics,  permaculture, edible forest gardens, greenhouses, time banks, etc. It is about working at the community level to build resilience in an effort to lead toward the big changes we need both nationally and internationally.  One of the books we are using as we work together is “The Transition Companion” by Rob Hopkins. I know there are Transition movements in cities all over the U.S. and abroad. If you are interested, I suggest that you Google or log on to a MeetUp and search for Transition groups in your area. I encourage you to look into this as we don't know what is going to happen (perhaps even in the near future.) It is better to be prepared, and if all does go well, we will have nice gardens, learn how to live in a sustainable way and become friends with our neighbors. If things go as some economists and scientists predict, it will feel more comforting that we are more equipped to handle what may come our way.

I think most agree that awareness of the truth is so important now more than ever when the airwaves are filled with lies and distortion of the truth. So, I would like to use this opportunity to spread the word to those that don’t know or listen to Progressive Radio Talk shows that we can now listen to whenever convenient for us.  There are many, and I want to highlight just two for now. www.democracynow.org   and The Mike Malloy show. www.mikemalloy.com   Mike really tells it like it is with no holds barred in an entertaining way. He makes me laugh out loud! Of course, sometimes you feel your blood boil when you learn what's going on. Just can't stick our heads in the sand though. Sure wish we could! If you scroll down on his home page to “Attention Truth Seekers!”  You will see what is happening in order for us to have a 21^st Progressive Media Universe.

On the home front, my big news is that after one year of working for a company my husband loves in a city that is approximately a 4 hour drive from our home, he is now going to be working from his Nashville office.  It goes without saying how happy we are about that.  We plan on going back to having home parties where Jim and other musicians and their family and friends enjoy each other’s company.

In addition to that, we are going to have movie night and show different documentaries regarding environment, politics, sustainable living, health, etc. As I have learned from participating in the Transition groups, we need to build communities. We will be inviting people in our neighborhood in an effort for us all to get to know each other. This is a growing movement throughout the U.S. and abroad.

So, this is it for now. I hope you enjoyed my ramblings.

Wishing you much love and many magical moments,

OshaCheck out my You Can Do It Yoga DVD. www.yogawithosharay.com Enter a sacred space of beautiful music, nature, and nurturing. You will be guided to surrender into acceptance of yourself in the moment. You can order it from the website or from me directly by calling or emailing.
I love hearing from you so please write a comment by just clicking on “comments,” then write in the space provided if you want all to see. If you rather send me a personal email, I would love that too. Thank you.

NASHVILLE GREETINGS

Happy Friday, everyone.  Okay, I'm not writing as often as I thought I would.  Hoping you are all enjoying the journey in your whirlwind lives.  I do recommend hopping on Facebook if you haven’t already as it is a great way to easily stay connected and interact more frequently. I like Facebook not only for sharing our lives, but also for sharing spiritual ideas, political opinions, causes, and whatever else you want to put out over the airwaves .  So, if we are not already friends, please join and request Osha Ray Bement become your friend.

I reached the age of 65 in March, and I do say I have started thinking a bit differently.  I don’t even feel that I need a bucket list.  I have traveled to many countries, walked on fire, scuba and sky dived, hiked, explored,  experienced Native American Sweat Lodges, Channeling, Chanting, opened my heart, became a wife (several times) had children, grandchildren,  lived my life fully and basically have taken the road less traveled. Yes, there are still places I want to visit and things I want to do, but I am feeling I want to continue to help in whatever way I can to assist in the awakening of myself and the planet.  Most of my life I have been very Yogic and in the last decade have become more political. Many say they are not interested in politics, and in order to be aware of why we are in challenging times, we must be informed and have the facts so as not to be swayed by rhetoric. 

There are so many areas in which we need to become involved, and I think they are all important. I decided to start with global warming.

So, what is global warming and what's the problem anyway?

The science is clear: global warming is happening faster than ever and humans are responsible. Global warming is caused by releasing what are called greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The most common greenhouse gas is carbon dioxide. Many of the activities we do every day like turn the lights on, cook food, or heat or cool our homes rely on the combustion of fossil fuels like coal and oil, which emit carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases when burned. This is a major problem because global warming destabilizes the delicate balance that makes life on this planet possible. Just a few degrees in temperature can completely change the world as we know it, and threaten the lives of millions of people around the world. But don't give up hope! You can help stop global warming by taking action here at 350.org.

And what does this 350 number even mean?
350 is the number that leading scientists say is the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide—measured in "Parts Per Million" in our atmosphere. 350 PPM—it's the number humanity needs to get back to as soon as possible to avoid runaway climate change.

We can create a grassroots movement connected by the web all over the world. We will focus on the systemic barriers to climate solutions, changing political dynamics whenever possible. At the same time, we'll get to work implementing real climate solutions in our communities, demonstrating the benefits of moving to a clean energy economy.
If this global movement succeeds, we can get the world on track to get back to 350 and back to climate safety. It won't be easy, that's why we need all the help we can get.

It means building solar arrays instead of coal plants, it means planting trees instead of clear-cutting rainforests, it means increasing efficiency and decreasing our waste. Getting to 350 means developing a thousand different solutions—all of which will become much easier if we have a global treaty grounded in the latest science and built around the principles of equity and justice. To get this kind of treaty, we need a movement of people who care enough about our shared global future to get involved and make their voices heard. www.350.org  

A fun to watch documentary with lots of solutions is Fuel. You can rent it from Netflix.
 There are so many great documentaries out now, and I think a wonderful way to become informed and share the information is to watch them and have viewing parties. This creates community and grass root movements. The most recent doc. I saw is Thrive.  I strongly urge you to watch it and share it with others.  This one is a "must see," in my opinion. It was produced in order to help us awaken. www.thrive.com  You can either order the dvd or watch on line for free.

I am so very grateful that all is wonderful. I am married to the love of my life, I live in a beautiful home with a deer preserve as my backyard, my family and I are happy and healthy. There is never a dull moment with my hubby, Jim.  If we are not hanging out at a coffee house, we are sailing,  walking, watching movies, reading, laughing, going to some local event or visiting friends. Of course, I must not forget to mention that one of Jim's most favorite things to do is to perform. Last Saturday was such a beautiful night so we headed over to Centennial Park. He sang and played the accordion as one guy sang along, another guy lept about, two women danced with each other while fireflies lit up the night. It was pure magic.

In addition to joining many "Meetups"  in order to meet people in my new city, I also went to a Bha'i service. 

To be a Bahá'í simply means to love all the world; to love humanity and try to serve it; to work for universal peace and universal brotherhood. ~ Abdu'l-Bahá

The fundamental purpose animating the Faith of God and His Religion is to safeguard the interests and promote the unity of the human race, and to foster the spirit of love and fellowship amongst men. ~ Bahá'u'llah

Aram & me.

Many people introduced themselves.  Before I left I had two invitations to come to homes for dinner and fellowship. I started coming regularly to Aram's home as I enjoy the friendship and community of peaceful, spiritual, friendly people.
I

 I became interested in spiritual concepts and philosophy 40 years ago.  I am happy “The Secret” was a big hit because more people became aware of how important our thoughts and emotions are in order to manifest and co-create. It is a lot more complex than explained in the movie and the teachings of The Course in Miracles, and the writing of Eckhart Tolle in books such as A New Earth and others are of great help with our deeper understanding. I googled Nashville "A Course In Miracles," and found a group that meets at Unity Church. I find that going to weekly meetings help me with just about all aspects of my life.

Here is Sasha on our deck. I must mention how much we love our new rescued adopted cat who we named, Sasha. Lots of great dogs and cats available. Wishing all the animals needing homes find loving families to adopt them.

Everyone can always use a bit more love in their life, so I am going to start teaching Loving Yourself Yoga classes  which will incorporate healing modalities in addition with the asanas so as to experience higher frequencies of love, harmony, peace and joy. 
Check out my You Can Do It Yoga DVD. www.yogawithosharay.com Enter a sacred space of  beautiful music, nature, and nurturing. You will be guided to surrender into acceptance of yourself in the moment. You can order it from the website or from me.
I love hearing from you so please write a comment by just clicking on “comments,” then write in the space provided. Thank you.

Wishing you much love and many magical moments,

Osha

Happy New Year

Signing papers for our new home!







Happy New Year, everyone. If you are reading this, you made it to 2012, oh my! It’s been a rough 2011 for a lot of us and Jim and I are no exceptions. I have been promising I would write and lo and behold, I am finally doing it. One big benefit for me when I do write is that I get to hear from you.

I stopped writing when Jim lost his job. Yes, the job we moved to Nashville for in the first place. When “they” say life is uncertain, “they” weren’t kidding. As you know, from past writings that we even bought a new home here. We were not happy campers to say the least.

As I have said, and do believe, everything happens for a reason – even if it doesn’t seem that way at the time. Jim did get a new job. In fact, he loves his new company. He is a software engineer with 30 years of experience and this company interviewed and tested people from all over the U.S. and Jim was the one they chose. He was mighty proud. Oh, did I mention, his new job is in Memphis which is a 3 and a half to 4 hour drive from Nashville. Some think I have the best of all worlds. Jim has an apartment in Memphis, and I live in our home in Nashville. He comes home every weekend, and I spend a week with him once a month in Memphis. So, it’s like we’re dating. That’s one way to keep your relationship exciting.

Well, while Jim was looking for a new job, I was thinking that I had to find something that is recession proof. I prayed and put my intention out in the Universe and this is what happened. I went to a free movie presented by Transition Nashville. This is an organization that is all about going green. After the movie, I met Lezlie. As it turns out, she was from California and has lived in Nashville for 17 years. She also shared the same spiritual beliefs as I did. I saw all of these things as “signs.”

She invited me to have coffee with her the next week. One of the activities I love doing is going to an artsy coffee house and visiting with someone. Lucky for me, Nashville has many wonderful coffee houses. I told Lezlie my situation which was that we moved to Nashville, bought a home, and my husband wasn’t employed any longer. She told me she partnered with a company that she thought I would be interested in and invited me to take a look at a Delivering Wellness Presentation DVD. I did and liked what I saw. I am all for buying products that contain no harmful chemicals that are affordable. Who doesn’t like saving money after all, and especially when I can partner with a 26 year old, billion $$ company and not have to sell anything to anyone while building a business where I can make hundreds to thousands of dollars per month. No kidding. I would be happy to tell you the details and you can decide for yourself.

Since I was new to the area, I joined two Newcomers Clubs. I didn’t know I was signing up to be invited to the mansion of the week club. It seemed all the coffees, lunches, and activities that weren’t being held at restaurants or Beautiful Country Clubs were in members’ homes that were mansions. My daughter reminded me that I no longer live in Santa Barbara where prices are extremely high. Well, this is true. The new home we bought would cost one million $ in SB. No kidding!! So you all move here and get you an amazing home too. You certainly get more for your money. Our backyard is a deer preserve with a vista view, where deer actually do walk on our lawn!

Speaking of the Newcomers Clubs, I am going to be the Key Note Speaker at a luncheon for over a 100 ladies this Wednesday. Of course, the topic is wellness and fun. I’m going to have them moving as if no one is watching and of course, I will throw in meditation and a self-love exercise. (No, it is not x-rated!)

I joined the YMCA. It is the best thing because there are so many of them and I go to a variety of classes all over Nashville and surrounding areas. Actually there are a lot of Yoga Instructors that I like. Everyone has their own style of teaching, but the one that made me chuckle, is when she ended the class with “Namaste Ye Haw!! That reminds me of a bumper sticker I saw. It said “Namaste Y’all.” You don’t see that in Santa Barbara!

I really am having a great time meeting so many people from many different states and countries. Almost everyone I meet moved here from somewhere else. This is one of the reasons I love it in Nashville. It’s very cosmopolitan.

Simple pleasures: I was thrilled to be able to shop at Whole Foods and Trader Joes again. St. Petersburg doesn’t have either. Shopping is fun again. Just had to add this little tid-bit.



Cheekwood

 As far as what we’ve been doing, one thing you can be sure of is that if the weather is good, Jim loves to take me sailing on our catamaran on Percy Priest Lake. The lake is surrounded by trees, making it such a serene experience. We also enjoy walking and exploring the many beautiful parks and trails in the area.
                                                                                          
Even though Nashville is known for country and western music, we are fortunate to have the most gorgeous Schermerhorn Symphony. We have enjoyed going to that and Blair Music School performances often. If you are in Nashville, you have got to see the Cheekwood Botanical  Garden and Museum of Art. All of these and more is why we love Nashville.    

Sheila, Chris, & Calvin   



Ruby and Maezy

 

I keep in touch with my lovely daughters via phone, email, skype and Facebook. Having turned 41 years old, my oldest daughter said she just can’t believe she is now in her


Monica in Monterey Half Maraton

 40’s. I can’t believe it either. My grandson, Calvin, and granddaughter, Ruby are turning 4 soon, and my youngest, Maezy will be turning 2 in January. Of course, they are gorgeous and smart! I will be flying out to CA to see them soon. We are all proud of my daughter, Monica, who ran and completed the half marathon in Monterey.   
 Sheila is now working full time as Senior Client Support Specialist at Sonoma County Mental Health.

I encourage those who are not on Facebook to join. It is an easy, efficient way to stay in touch. I post pics, what I am doing, or something I think is important and beneficial for all to see. I plan to learn how to Tweet on Twitter next. A quote from the book, Toward 2012 – Prospectives on the New Year, “As we enter the new paradigm, change is being propelled by people across the globe who realize that they can connect with one another and organize in far more fluid ways than been possible before.” I love staying connected and the social media is an easy way to stay in touch with one another.

My gift for you is to have a New Year’s Special: For the whole month of January, you can buy my Yoga DVD http://www.yogawithosharay.com/  for only $10. For details email osharay@yahoo.com

(A paragraph from my press release)

This is an easy to follow Yoga program with inspirational messages of self-acceptance. It is a feel good video. With Ray’s new DVD, people have an easy, inexpensive healthy way to feel good, especially when feeling low in energy or in spirit. Acceptance is the biggest message. This DVD focuses on the instruction of remembering to be in the present moment and accepting being in the “Now” with gratitude. The philosophy of accepting the present moment helps eliminate stress and creates peace of mind. Traditional Yoga is not about trying hard to achieve anything. The main theme is letting go without feeling pressured to change anything.

I will close with this. May the light shine brightly within you, may it surround you, bless and protect you and yours and may abundance, peace, health and love be part of every breath. Happy, Healthy, Peaceful, Prosperous New Year to you and yours. 

If you are enjoying reading my blogs, please "follow" me and write comments or email me, and forward to friends. I write personal notes to all who write to me.

Thank you. Wishing you much love and many magical moments. Hey check out my Yoga DVD. It is an easy to follow Yoga program with inspirational messages of self-love. http://www.youcandoityoga.com/