#contemplativechristian

[abirobins]

It's easy to look at the world right now and want to throw up your hands in despair. There's no gentle way to put this: It's a fucking shit show. Looking out at the world, it's so clear to each of us that if only certain people would do something different everything would be so much better. We're so quick to point fingers, placing blame, assigning fault. But here's the kicker: Nothing changes unless we change. Nothing will change unless YOU change. Nothing will change unless I change. The problems in the world aren't problems "out there," they're problems in our hearts. Do you want things in your life to be different? Don't change things or circumstances, change YOU. Open up, look deep inside, and heal the wounds you've been ignoring, change your perspective. If you're sitting around waiting for someone else to change to make your life better, I guarantee you that you will be miserable the rest of your life. All real change starts from the inside, and then our lives reflect that inner change. Let's get real, this is hard shit. It would be so much simpler if *someone else* would just figure it out and act right, but then there will be another person or situation that "needs to change." The only REAL way to happiness and contentment is inner work. It's being willing to shine a light on all the places inside yourself you'd rather keep hidden. It's hard work, but this work pays well, better than anything else. It's the real deal. I am determined to be the change I want to see in the world. Are you with me? • • • #yoga #realyoga #yogaforlife #yogateacherinspiration #faithfullylgbt #queerlove #queeringprayer #queerchristian #queerenneagram #enneagram #enneagram8 #innerwork #contemplative #contemplativechristian #freedom #change #changeyourmind #metanoia #dothework #dowork #atxyoga #atxyogateacher #atxyogis #yogaatx #yogatherapy

[abirobins]

In today's episode I sit down with my personal yoga therapy mentor and primary teacher, Amanda Green. Amanda candidly discusses her journey with faith and challenges she faced in her marriage. She also shares how engaging with her yoga practice and undergoing the process of yoga therapy helped her to see both her faith journey and her relationship with her husband with fresh eyes. www.abirobinsyoga.com/consciousconstruction • • • #yoga #realyoga #faith #yogatherapy #consciousconstruction #consciousharmony #religion #marriage #relationships #spiritualhardhatsrequired #christian #christianity #contemplativechristian #christianmystic #cch #doyourpractice #practice #yogapractice #yogajourney #spiritualjourney #yogaeverydamnday #yogaeverywhere #viniyoga #progressivechristian #faithfullylgbt #queeryoga #queerchristian

[abirobins]

I promise this isn't turning into a #Tarot insta, but I just had to share this one. Ugh. Hit me right in the feels. @lonestartarot laid out this spread for me, because I've been having a serious block around some self-awareness stuff. I love the tarot and this beautiful deck because it is so brutally honest. And of course, it didn't tell me anything I didn't know. I'm in a place in my life that is actually really good. This is not a place I'm used to, so what do I do? I try to turn it into a problem. Typical me. The Tarot's advice to me in this strange time? Surrender to what's happening. Keep your practice. Well, duh, Tarot, I could have told you that. So, why haven't I been taking my own advice? There's a part of me that hates how simple it is. Like, I feel terrible, there needs to be a more dramatic reason! I need a more epic answer! Blah blah blah. Anyway, this reading was amazing and beautiful and exactly what I needed. Check out @lonestartarot and the sick wisdom she drops. So good. • • • #yoga #spiritualjourney #tarotjourney #yogajourney #contemplative #contemplativechristianity #tarotreading #tarotcards #fountaintarot #enneagram #enneagram8 #faithfullylgbt #realyoga #doyourpractice #alliscoming #surrender #acceptance (at Stouthaus Coffee)

[abirobins]

Keeping the tradition alive. Completely #Queer celebration Saturday night, #Church Sunday morning. Body and Spirit are one. You can’t keep my queerness out of church, and every queer celebration is a worship service. I feel so grateful that my church’s doors are wide enough to let the multitude of me in. The whole of me is welcomed here. The truest deepest parts of me (including my queerness) are affirmed and celebrated here. Also, big shout out to my rainbow dinner crew who started this tradition with me. Never were a better bunch of queers and allies. @jacoblittle @matthiasroberts @stacieburley @eneija @gafferben • • • #faithfullylgbt #christian #contemplativechristianity #contemplativechristian #contemplative #yoga #queeryoga #queerchristian #queerenneagram #yogajourney #spiritualjourney #spiritualgrowth #integration #nonbinary #genderfluid #wholeness #jesus #godisqueer #loveislove #queerloveislove (at The Church of Conscious Harmony)

[abirobins]

It’s really hard to put into words what this person means to me. All I really know is, I would not have the wonderful, amazing, fulfilling life that I have now if it weren’t for his influence and teaching. Tim has one month left with The Church of Conscious Harmony. I am beyond saddened to not have this friend and brother to explore this crazy existence with, but I am so beyond grateful for the time we’ve spent together. • • • #teacher #guru #minister #consciousharmony #transition #friends #spiritualjourney #yogajourney #journeyoflife #contemplative #contemplativechristianity #contemplativechristian #timcook #thomaskeating #bernadetteroberts #christ #christian #christianjourney #faithfullylgbt #queerchristian (at The Church of Conscious Harmony)

[abirobins]

My buddy Matt over at @inefficiencypodcast tweeted about contentment the other day and it got me thinking: what does contentment feel like? Would we even know it when we've found it? In yoga, we find contentment as santosa. Santosa falls in the yamas and niyamas, or yoga's ethical code of conduct. In this sense, contentment is not something to be achieved, but to be practiced. How often are we told the lie that once we get the next thing we'll be content? Once we have that job, or that spouse, or that car, then we'll be happy! Nope. Not. At. All. Contentment isn't something we stumble upon or work towards or achieve, it's a state of being we can tune into right here and now, regardless of our outer circumstances. For me, the feeling of contentment is like my whole being can finally exhale a sigh it's been holding in too long. My heart and my mind are quiet and still, and I feel like I don't have to push anymore. I can just be. What is the feeling of contentment like for you? How do you describe it? How do you practice it? These are my rhetorical questions, I really want to know! It's so important that we learn from the experiences of others. Let me know what contentment is like for you in the comments! • • • #yoga #realyoga #contentment #santosa #santosha #faithfullylgbt #practice #beherenow #letgo #relax #yogajourney #atxyoga #atxyogateacher #yogateacherinspiration #yogateacher #queeryoga #austinqueeryoga #atx #yamas #niyamas #yogasutras #yogajourney #spiritualjourney #contemplative #contemplativechristian #enneagram #enneagram8

[abirobins]

Ganesha, the remover of obstacles. St. Michael, the slayer of demons. If there is any place I need these two, it's here on this desk. I have about six weeks to finish up almost six months worth of homework. I am clearly the world best (worst?) procrastinator. To be fair, life has really been in a constant state of flux pretty much from the moment I started school. My learning curve has been pretty steep. But that's life. It doesn't slow down. It rarely gives you the chance to catch your breath. I've felt like I just couldn't handle all the things I've had on my plate. So plenty of things fell through the cracks while I've been waiting for life to cut me some slack. What I've learned, though, is this: Life isn't going to cut me any slack, and really I don't want it to. I want to grow. I want to be able to accept all of what life brings me with grace and ease. And usually that means fumbling around with all this stuff for a little bit until I get a glimpse of the bigger picture. Life has been telling me I can do this. I am capable. I haven't been given more than I can handle, I'm being asked to learn how to handle more. School, friendships, a family, my spiritual journey, my career, these are all part of life. The obstacles I'm asking God to remove and the demons I'm asking God to slay are not the things I'm being asked to take care of, they are the blocks in my mind that tell me I'm not good enough, the demon that whispers I'm not capable of handling these things. Because the truth is, I am. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have homework to do. • • • #yoga #yogateacherinspiration #faithfullylgbt #queeringprayer #ganesha #stmichael #obstacles #demon #innerwork #yogaforlife #realyoga #queerchristian #enneagram #queeryoga #queer #metanoia #changeyourmind #changeyourlife #focus #procrastination #contemplative #contemplativechristian

[abirobins]

Thomas Keating redefined hope for me. Hope to me, used to seem like something far off, it always seemed to create in me a sense of anxiety. "If I have hope that things could be better, than why don't I just make them better now?!" This idea of hope, though, calls me to slow down, relax, and wait. Three things I hate. Haha. This version of hope doesn't put unnecessary things on me, it asks me to let things unfold instead of tearing into them like a kid on Christmas morning. I still have trouble with this, but I like it. It feels more real, more right, like I'm on the right track. So I'm working on my patience, and putting it into action. • • • #yoga #realyoga #yogaforhope #patience #contemplative #contemplativechristian #thomaskeating #queerchristian #queeringprayer #faithfullylgbt #queerenneagram #enneagram #queer #queeryoga #quote #learn #changeyourmind #action #contemplativeaction

[abirobins]

I've been thinking about this a lot lately. The spiritual journey really looks nothing like you expect it to. What you wanted to get out of it when you started is never what you end up with. And the magical thing is, you're really okay with it. I feel as though my path is continually changing. As I look closer, though, I can see how it's not so much changing as being refined. I'm not on this journey to get out of life, I'm on this journey to experience all of life. Including the shit. And let's be honest, there's plenty of shit. This journey doesn't pull any punches; it doesn't give you a pass on the hard stuff. It shows you how to move into and through the hard stuff. And then it shows you how to move into and through real joy. And then you do the whole thing over again. I'm grateful for this journey, this path. What are you moving into and through? Where is your path leading you? Let me know in the comments, or send me a message and let's chat about this journey. :) • • • #yoga #yogatherapy #yogaforbalance #yogaforhealing #yogafortransformation #enneagram #queerenneagram #queer #queeryoga #realyoga #yogaeverydamnday #journey #path #spiritualjourney #contemplative #contemplativechristian #centeringprayer #centering #christian #queerchristian #queeringprayer #faithfullylgbt

[abirobins]

Intense morning today at my training retreat. Vulnerability is not easy for me, and it is the exact thing we must develop in order to share this practice of #centeringprayer effectively. Finding some refuge in a killer cup of coffee before heading back into training. Where are you leaning into vulnerability? What do you do to take care of yourself after the hard work of being open, honest, and unprotected? Let me know in the comments. • • • #yoga #realyoga #contemplative #contemplativechristian #contemplativeoutreach #atxyogateacher #atxyoga #enneagram #atx #yogateacherinspiration #vulnerability #openup #innerwork #dowork #openmind #openheart #openmindopenheart #thomaskeating (at Local Coffee - Broadway)

[abirobins]

On a training retreat this weekend. Going through the discernment process of becoming a commissioned presenter of Centering Prayer, a meditation practice near and dear to my heart. Discernment isn't easy for me. I don't like asking other people what I should do. All the more reason to be here, be open, and allow what needs to happen to happen. This weekend is already nothing like I expected or wanted and has already guaranteed to be exactly what I need. • • • #yoga #realyoga #atxyogateacher #yogateacherinspiration #atxyoga #atx #satx #sanantonio #centeringprayer #contemplative #contemplativechristian #contemplativeoutreach #faithfullylgbt #lgbt #queer #queeryoga #queerchristian #queeringprayer #queerprayer (at Oblate Renewal Center)

[abirobins]

When I'm working one on one with clients, it feels like I'm stepping into what I was always meant to do. I love teaching group classes, there's something magical about people moving and breathing together. What I've found, though, is that the real change and transformation I was to inspire in people, happens in private sessions. It feel like such a blessing to watch someone's being and life blossom before my eyes. I am so grateful that I've been able to make this #yogatherapy program work (with the help of my family, partner, and close friends, of course). This phase of my life is clearly one of intense learning, this weekend I'm headed off to San Antonio to take a weekend long training course on teaching #centeringprayer. Again, I feel more than blessed that I have this opportunity. Then next weekend I'm back into my yoga training. What an awesome life. I'm so grateful. What are you grateful for this week? What are you looking forward to? Let me know in the comments! Let's celebrate together! • • • #yoga #realyoga #privateyoga #yogaeverydamnday #atx #austin #tx #atxyogateacher #atxyoga #yogateacherinspiration #contemplative #contemplativechristian #prayer #centering

[abirobins]

This was one of the stand out phrases of my first teacher training. Basically, what you don't know and understand about yourself is actually what's calling the shots in your life.my favorite #Enneagram teacher, @suzannestabile, says, "What you don't know about others, you can't plan for. What you don't know about yourself you can't manage." Self knowledge is so important. That's why the yoga sutras tell us self inquiry (svadhyaya) is an integral part of the yogic journey. It's our personality or our false self systems that stand in the way of experience what we really crave. But if we don't understand those things, how will we ever do anything about them? There's still a few days left to take advantage of my end of summer special on yoga/coaching sessions. We can focus on building you a solid daily routine, work out a physical practice that serves your body, or tall self knowledge and work with the enneagram. 4 weekly, 30 minute sessions for only $200. Seriously guys, this is a steal! DM me for more details or to sign up today! • • • #yoga #yogic #queerenneagram #atxyogateacher #atx #svadhyaya #selfinquiry #selfknowledge #knowthyself #understanding #compassion #selflove #enneagramcoach #enneagramteacher #yogateacherinspiration #atxyoga #yogisguidetotheenneagram #love #selflove #selfcare #transformation #faithfullylgbt #queer #lgbtq #contemplative #contemplativechristian

[abirobins]

My mantra for the foreseeable future. In my meeting with Tim Wednesday that I posted about yesterday, it didn't just end with me sobbing. I asked for help and he put me in my place. I had my ass handed to me. (Or, as a sweet lady from church put it more gently, 'someone held up a mirror for me.') Tim pointed out where I wasn't doing my work. Where I was lax on my commitment to centering and balancing myself. He showed me, so clearly, where I was getting my meaning from life, and it wasn't the right place. He told me I had lost my center and it was time to focus on what was important. And I sat there. I didn't argue (although, at times I wanted to), I just listened. I took it in. I sat with it. And then I realized how right he was. This phrase came to me yesterday while sitting in #yogatherapy training. I had a clear moment of self observation and realized my mind is always racing with negative thoughts and arguments. I'm so quick to judge and I always think I know what's best for people. Not great qualities for the line of work I'm trying to get into. So, now is a wonderful time for me to shut the fuck up and do my Work. • • • #yoga #realyoga #yogaforlife #yogaforbalance #centering #centeringprayer #contemplative #contemplativechristian #shutup #dowork #stfu #atxyoga #atxyogateacher #atxyogis #consciousharmony (at The Church of Conscious Harmony)

[abirobins]

Today, I sit down with a very special guest, myself! This is the first of hopefully many “teaching/sharing” episodes of #ConsciousConstruction. In this episode I talk about how the patterns we fall into with those around us are more like subtle dances that we do, and what to do when the dances are no longer serving us. Let me know what you think about this format for the show and if you want more or less of it! Also, I talk about why I launched my @patreon page and how you can help me keep Conscious Construction growing and improving! www.abirobinsyoga.com/consciousconstruction to listen! Support Conscious Construction on Patreon! www.patreon.com/consciousconstruction • • • #spiritualhardhatsrequired #spirituality #spiritualgrowth #spiritualjourney #spiritualteaching #vulnerability #enneagram #enneagram8 #contemplativechristianity #queeryoga #queerenneagram #queerchristian #faithfullylgbt #contentcreator #enneagrampodcast #yogapodcast #podcastlife #podcast #dance #thedance #personalitytypes #personalgrowth #christian #christianpodcast #faith #choreography #divinechoreographer #divinetherapy (at Austin, Texas)

[abirobins]

My morning have been in flux the last couple months, much like my life. It never fails: if my practice is shaky, my life is shaky. And I don’t mean that just in an external sense. I’m slowly coming to terms with the fact life will always be throwing me curve balls. But that’s what I signed up for when I decided to do this spiritual journey thing in earnest. My outer life is always going to be shifting and changing. It’s when my inner world is shaky that things really suck. When I’m not centered or grounded, all the crazy things of life take a huge toll. But when I’ve kept my practice, it keeps me buoyant in the midst of choppy waters. So I’m coming back to my practice. I’ve added in some new elements and brought back some old ones for something that feels both fresh and familiar. I’m grateful for this sacred time. • • • #yogapractice #yogateacher #yogajourney #yogatherapy #yoga #christian #christianity #faithfullylgbt #centeringprayer #contemplativechristianity #tarot #aceofcups #allthingsarepossible #insence #singingbowl #journal #writing #morningritual #ilovemornings #morningperson #queer #queeryoga #queerchristian #queerenneagram #enneagram #enneagram8 (at Austin, Texas)