Pull up a throne and join me to celebrate Women who change the world
i dedicate this column to a woman whose quiet courage and loving encouragement has lead me on, but whose heart wasn't ready to claim being a shero here... i raise my queenly cup to you mollie x
i wanted to have a space to honour the women who helped my heart grow stronger, who shone a light in dark places, whose example called me in to my bigger self. I wanted to be able to gather their stories here and honour them in the way that they are changing the world, to give us all the heart strength to keep up with our effort to do the same.
i wanted to have a space to honour the women who helped my heart grow stronger, who shone a light in dark places, whose example called me in to my bigger self. I wanted to be able to gather their stories here and honour them in the way that they are changing the world, to give us all the heart strength to keep up with our effort to do the same.
Mamawarrior Shero - Lisa Hofmann
Lisa and her Shero, her daughter the one and only, Cowgirl.
I am so honoured to call my heart's friend Lisa into the Shero spotlight. Lisa and i met on an online art course our friendship since then has been a real blessing in my life - calling me on to be a braver, fuller version of myself each time we connect.
Lisa is a mama, an artist, joy warrior, friend, yogini, deep thinker, loud laugher and braver than just about anyone i have ever met. Lisa lets the questions fall in her lap and she has the courage to hold them with the right balance of tenderness and curiosity to allow them to reveal themselves to her, and then the generosity to share what she finds with her community, of which i am blessed to be a member.
Lisa and her husband Rick live in Nebraska with their beautiful daughter Clara, whom they adopted from China. She and Clara seem to be on a mission to reinvigorate the world! She has a beautiful offering out at the moment - Inner Glow home retreat where she is offering a smorgasbord of self care techniques to support us in our journey back to our joyful centre. I recommend this course heartily to anyone wanting to find a way of being present, and re-membering the truth of their heart's light. You can find her writing and life explorations at http://dandelionseedsanddreams.blogspot.com and her Inner glow ecourse at http://innerglowselfcare.blogspot.com
WHAT MAKES YOU BRAVE?
I think wanting to live an engaged, mindful, present-to-the-mysteries, full tilt, full throttle life requires being brave and at the same time is an act of bravery. Not to be flip, but it’s like the t-shirt (by Jen Lee) says: “Love makes us brave.”
Loving life, honoring the gifts of being alive, loving my daughter, my family and friends - that Love outweighs any fear, any tendency towards smallness of being. Definitely becoming a mother brought me in touch with my inner Warrior Mother Goddess. The fierceness of that love has brought me in touch with resources I never knew I had access to, but which are part of our Universal birthright.
WHAT ANCHORS YOU?
My spiritual practice which is a bit of a crazy quilt of practices: Yoga, shamanism, Buddhism, sacred feminine, the Goddess, the Mother - whatever holds Love really. Yoga is the practice I have studied the longest. It has given me a firm foundation of teachings and principles that ground and guide me. Having any kind of established practice is a powerful anchor for the inevitable dark days that will arise when one is committed to spiritual transformation. Trying to live my life mindfully and to its fullest tosses me upon some pretty stormy waters.
My practice - which center upon being present and awake - keeps me connected to something larger than myself. From that place, I can learn and grow.
WHAT NOURISHES YOU?
Magic. Play. Flow. Connection. Celebration. My daughter (who embodies all of those qualities), making art, being with friends, real
conversations, books, poetry, music, singing, dancing, being in Nature, my dog, all animals, food infused with love.
Really, whatever connects me to Source. I guess it all flows back into Love!
WHAT EXPERIENCE HAS MADE YOU STEP UP TO WHERE YOU ARE?
Great question! Two things - or rather, one which laid a foundation for the second. Just after my 30th birthday, I broke my neck. I was informed it was known as“the hanged man’s break” because it was the bone (c-2) that would snap when someone was hung. So I was lucky
to be both alive and to not be completely paralyzed. This accident was my wake-up call to really live my life without regrets.
Becoming a mother without a doubt is the experience that has altered who I am, and how I live my life. In the very best of ways! My daughter inspires me to grow to my fullest potential. She is my other anchor in that she keeps me connected to what is meaningful and vital. I am brave because of her. I write, I create, I dream with her in my heart and mind. I want to better the world for her. Well, for us all!
I see possibility and hope because of her. She is my light, my love and my greatest teacher and mirror! In loving her, I have come to understand the depth and breath of the Love that the Universe showers upon us and I am learning how receive and how to be in that Love.
ANY WORDS OF ADVICE OR PATH CLEARING FOR THOSE OF US WHO ARE TRYING TO FIND OUR WAY (AND AREN'T WE ALL?)?
It sounds so cliché, but embrace the Mystery. In Yoga there is a practice called Karma Yoga which is often interpreted as“nonattachment to the fruits of one’s labors.” It is also described as selfless service. I used to puzzle over that: how can I take action and not have some hope or attachment to how it turns out? But through the ups and downs of life I’ve come to understand Karma yoga to mean I do my very best and
then I receive whatever the outcome is as a gift. I trust that the Universe will provide what I need and often its gift is far greater than anything I could have imagined for myself. I trust that I don’t always need to know or understand everything; I just need to love with my whole heart and open myself to receiving love in all the magical ways it manifests.
WHAT IS IT THAT YOU ARE OFFERING TO THE WORLD RIGHT NOW?
Currently I have many new projects I am cooking up for the new year. I am in the middle of running my first e-course InnerGlow Self Care: A
home retreat which I plan to offer again in 2013. A monthly newsletter with playful suggestions, inspiration and tips for exquisite self care
(sign up on the InnerGlow blog) I hope to develop more programs around self care and mindful living practices including a program combining guided relaxation with creativity prompts. I am also collaborating with 7 other women for an existing online offering this January (still in the
works but should have something to share by the middle of December!) I am itching to get back to painting and want to create some kind of practice journal illustrated with my photographs and artwork. I have a writing project brewing inside. I need to practice my ukulele and my girl wants new bongos. Plenty of playtime of course!
My blog is the most accurate reflection of where my head and heart are in any given moment. And of course staying open to whatever wonderful opportunity the Universe tosses my way!
