First Class Free

Now you should know my Father was born in Italy so I know firsthand that the Italian people have a deep respect for the philosophy of enjoyment. This is the idea of IL BEL FAI NIENTE which means "the beauty of doing nothing."  Remember this passage from Elizabeth Gilbert in Eat, Pray, Love "Generally speaking, Americans have an inability to relax into sheer pleasure.  Ours is an entertainment-seeking nation, but not necessarily a pleasure-seeking one.  Americans spend billions to keep themselves amused but that's not exactly the same thing as quiet enjoyment.  Americans work harder and longer and more stressful hours than anyone in the world today.  Of course we all inevitably work too hard, then we get burned out and have to spend the whole weekend in our pajamas staring at the TV in a mild coma (which is the opposite of working, yes, but not exactly the same thing as pleasure.) Americans don't really know how to do nothing. 

But against the backdrop of hard work, il bel fai niente, has always been a cherished Italian ideal. The beauty of doing nothing is the goal of all your work, the final accomplishment for which you are most highly congratulated. You don't necessarily have to be rich in order to experience this, either.  Anyone with a talent for happiness can do this, not only the rich."

So ask yourself how do you define pleasure? Enjoyment? Joy?  Are you living life “self-specific” or still making everyone elses opinions more important than your own?  For when you live life on your terms you find the flow. You step into the currents of grace.  Rumi says, “When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy.”  For many of us Savasana is that first experience of il bel fai niente.  It is as Sarah Powers described her first savasana, “naptime, that she experienced an unusual peace, which she pinpointed to an absence of longing, it was clarity with joy underneath, and she decided she had to come back to yoga, that it would be hard but hard didn’t mean bad.”  So I hope you join me on the mat to find the clarity of heart that will move your spirit to enjoying your life more!  Love in all ways, Silvia

JUNE 13th, 2009:  Oh my goodness! I am so happy to be back with all of you my friends.  I loved Italy and all my new friends on the yoga retreat but I also missed and love you too.  I must say how deeply honored I was to be such amazing folks: strangers when we started, friends when we departed.  It was a fantastic experience I will never forget! I return deeply humbled by the goodness and beauty in life and in people. I can't wait to share this with all of you. 

Themes for this upcoming week June 13th to June 20th include:

*Engagement, Observation, Participation:  How to apply for the best life ever!

*Life is Beauty! Beauty is love, love is everywhere

*Eating as Meditation: take pleasure in the rasa of food

*The Healing Cycle: How to get out of victim mode/hurt mode and move on

*The Universality of Love: What I learned about love in Italy

*Simple by Amazing: Using this as life philosophy

*The Art of Enjoying Life: Hanging out as an art form in Italy "il bel fai niente"

*Kissing & Hugging: Tuning Into Your Hearts Desires

*Happiness is Delicious: it just tastes good!