Hip Hop Chakra Yoga

got my feet on the ground
and my head to the sky
a fire in my belly connected to
my mind's third eye
you can't test me
but if you want to you can try
ain't got no time for playing games
i'm just too fly

Spiritual Dating

What would it mean if we bring a spiritual consciousness to dating?

~ Exploring how sexuality and relationships flow within the spiritual journey

Instead of feeling a sense of urgency, we would be fascinated by the process of meeting and getting to know new people. Compassion, care and kindness for others would supersede "getting someone to be with us", and we would never try to control another person.

We wouldn't put others on a pedestal nor have them below us. We'd remember that on the spiritual path, the purpose of any relationship is to wake up and get to know ourselves and our lover, thoroughly, without judgement or pride.

On the spiritual path we enter into a shared union where we cherish and give to each other, expanding our ability to love unconditionally.

We would also accept that the process can be awkward, unpredictable, challenging, and surprising.

Dating with a spiritual consciousness means a willingness to confront anything inside that kindles fear or anxiety. When we start wanting to run away, be deceptive, tell lies, or put on a mask, we need to walk right into our fears, sit down, talk to them until they become our friends. This doesn't mean we have a goal of getting rid of fear; rather, we accept it as part of our unfolding journey.

Ultimately, as we become friends with ourselves and give up demanding that the universe provide us with a lover, we become truly open to meeting a special person with whom to share this journey of awakening.

(adapted from "If Buddha Dated: A Handbook for Finding Love on a Spiritual Path)

Help Haiti, Make Service A Ritual

"Everyone can be great because everyone can serve"- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

It is great that everyone wants to help Haiti after the earthquake but let's not just get caught up in the moment and forget about helping others when this fades. Let's keep this spirit of service going! There is so much need. There is always need! Make service a ritual in your life. Participating in service projects not only helps those you care for, but is a healing and renewing process for you as you help them.

What will you continue to do? What will you do next? What do you do on a consistent basis to serve?

For the last few years, in my youth programs we do differently monthly themes of service, you can use that as inspiration!

- January MLK Day of Service, Peace & Non-Violent Communication
- February Love & Black History Awareness
- March Women's History Month Awareness
- April Literacy thru Poetry & Global Youth Service Day
- May It's My Park Day: plant trees and help beautify your local park
- June Music & Art volunteer to teach someone how to draw, sing, etc.
- July Clean a Local Beach
- August Donate School Supplies
- September It's My Park Day: plant trees and help beautify your local park
- October Breast Cancer/Domestic Violence Awareness
- November Hunger & Poverty/Canned Goods & Coat Donations
- December World AIDS Day

There are many social issues that need our attention. Choose a cause that you are passionate about and go from there!

"We all have a great desire to be able to live in peace and to have environmental sustainability" ~ Thich Naht Hanh

More Love, Less Hate

"How can you love God which you can not see, and hate your brother which you see everyday." Perform LOVE. - Minista Jazz

people hate because they've been taught to hate
we have to teach one another how to love more
and love more freely

maybe they're that way because no one loved them
and love may be their only cure

but who is they? haven’t we all
experienced moments of hatred?


I do not hate so I do not attract hate

I do not believe in haters
just unknowing and misunderstandings

even those who may try to hate me
for doing so realize they can only love me
in the end but first
they must love themselves

I love so I attract love

I do not believe that when you love more
the hate grows stronger, I have actually
experienced the opposite

I do not pray for anyone or anything

silence, inner peace is the closest way to God

turn down the noise

chakra mediations
sending out vibes
healing energies

we can only change ourselves
but creating more balance within
leads to
more balance all around

I see change in all of the children around me
They see the god/goddess in me
And my presence commands love

the world is not sick and twisted
we just need to
love more and hate less

Happy New Year! Happy New Me!

2009 was a roller coaster ride! I was engaged, married & divorced; pregnant, but lost the child; the funding for my youth leadership program was suddenly cut so I was transferred to work at other programs twice in 2 months; my cousin who was like a brother to me suddenly died at the age of 31 while other family members were in and out of the hospital and numerous celebrities & public figures who I grew up watching on TV, reading about in the paper and dancing to their music passed away . . . yet through all this I shaked loose my skin and came out stronger with a promotion at work, but more importantly renewed confidence & love for myself!

I usually don't make New Year's resolutions because I tend to make changes in my life consistently throughout the year. I've realized I have my own internal calendar ridding myself of old and bringing in the new each April & August (spring and summer cleaning). Another realization I have made about myself is that I tend to hibernate in the winter, not leaving my house for anything that's not work, thus most of my productivity and personal growth also happens in the spring and summer. But it's 2010 and it's not only a happy new year, but time for a happy new me!

My new motivation to ignore that its winter when all I wanna do is snuggle and sleep was sparked by 2 things. First, after all the partying was over I woke up early on the morning of Jan. 2nd turned my TV on and watched Dr. Wayne Dyer speaking to thousands of people about his "Excuses Be Gone" paradigm. Then Second, that afternoon I logged on to the "MVMT 30 Day Do It Brunch" where hundreds of people around the world engaged in Vimeo led by Rolando Brown (the man who GROWS things, MVMT)& Jullien Gordon (author of "Good Excuse Goals", Dept. of Motivated Vehicles). Thank you brothers, I learned so much!

As a result of being motivated by watching the live stream and talking with folks in the chat room, I have taken several small steps within the last 24 hours. Starting with a new tradition of making changes and being more alive during the winter by making new year's resolutions!

I will . . .

1. stop over thinking and start doing
"Live out your heart and less in your head" - Thoreau

2. affirm my dreams and create time & space for them

3. ask for help and support from my extended family and friends more

4. finish writing a book this year (there are 4 works in progress I have worked on & off for the past 10 years. no more excuses, no more distractions!)

5. reconnect with old friends & contacts and stop making excuses like "Queens is a Black hole" LOL

6. be more of me and less of who everyone else expects me to be
"I would rather be alone for who I am, then be loved for who I am not" - Wayne Dyer, Exuses Be Gone

Simply put my new mantra is . . .
Affirm, Be, Create, Do!

May you have a happy new year and a happy new you, too!

Self-esteem & Identity

This week in the girls groups we discussed how we feel about ourselves and whether or not other people see us they way we do. Is the picture you have of yourself in mind the same picture being portrayed to others?

We discussed personality traits and characteristics and then worked on identity poems. Who am I? A very important question. Our self-esteem all wrapped up in our identity. Our self-esteem is our beliefs and feelings about ourselves and sometimes what other people think about us, say about us, and/or do to us can have negative or positive effects on our self-esteem.

In being on a journey to help others develop positive identity I understand the importance of having space and time to express feelings and write freely. Everyone in the sacred circles this week wrote 2 poems: one about themselves and another about why people might be talking about them. I wrote the following pieces during this session


Who Am I?

On the Native American Medicine Wheel,
As a leader
I fly like an eagle, big ideas, big picture, visionary
open minded, flying above and carefree,
soaring through life

But I am also like a deer big bright eyes open wide
loves to laugh and smile and get along
and gather together with friends and collaborate,
loves to read, learn, grow and share
good mother, friend, daughter

Smart and observant like a bear
Yet Quick to act like a buffalo
warrior, confident
fighting for daughters, sisters, mothers


Why Do People Talk About Me?

Why do they make fun of me?
Saying I'm fat, short, skinny, with bad acne and smelly
Why do they call me names?

My mom always told me "Don't Worry. It's Jealousy"
So I'd try not to let it get the best of me

And be happy to be me
Don't have time for negativity
I'm free!

I'll keep living my life like it's golden
It's the God in Me

Gossip can be healthy?

When girls and women gather in groups to talk the results are powerful. Friendships are built and bonds grow. Girl talk is not about gossip. It's about exchanging ideas, sharing, growing, supporting one another and healing. Girl Talk in a sacred sister cirlce is a safe space to express concerns, emotions, and dreams. It is a space where you process your thoughts, reflect and renew.

I am inspired by the openness and enthusiasm of the young women in the girl talk circles I am currently working with. In our first session we talked about everything from sibling rivalry to what it means to be a good friend.

It is important to have intergenerational groups where girls and women gather to together to learn from one another about sisterhood.

If you've been asking yourself, "How can I change the world?" Here's an answer . . .
gather the women and girls

Suggested Reading

1. Goddesses in Every Woman

2. The Millionth Circle: How to Change Ourselves & the World - The Essential Guide
to Women's Circles

3. Sacred Circles: A Guide To Creating Your Own Women's Spirituality Group

4. Urgent Message From Mother: Gather the Women, Save the World