Loyalty is a choice

"Loyalty can never be imposed by force, fear, insecurity or intimidation. It is a choice that only strong spirits have the courage to make. And because it is a choice, it will never tolerate betrayal, but will always be generous with mistakes."

- Paulo Coelho (Manuscript found in accra, 2012)

The condition of the ethical life

"To be a good human being is to have a kind of openness to the world, an ability to trust uncertain things beyond your own control, that can lead you to be shattered in very extreme circumstances for which you were not to blame. That says something very important about the condition of the ethical life: that it is based on a trust in the uncertain and on a willingness to be exposed; it's based on being more like a plant than like a jewel, something rather fragile, but whose very particular beauty is inseparable from that fragility.
" 

- Martha Nussbaum

Lean in...

In life, we think that the point is to pass the test or overcome the problem. The real truth is that things don't really get solved. They come together for a time, then they fall back apart. Then they come together again and fall apart again. It's just like that.

Personal discovery and growth come from letting there be room for all of this to happen: room for grief, for relief, for misery, for joy.

Suffering comes from wishing things were different. Misery is self inflicted, when we are expecting the "ideal" to overcome the "actual", or needing things (or people, or places) to be different for us so we can then be happy.

Let the hard things in life break you. Let them effect you. Let them change you. Let these hard moments inform you. Let this pain be your teacher. The experiences of your life are trying to tell you something about yourself. Don't cop out on that. Don't run away and hide under your covers. Lean into it.

What is the lesson in this wind? What is this storm trying to tell you? What will you learn if you face it with courage? With full honesty and - lean into it.

 

- Pema Chodron

The flow of life

"We must look at the lens through which we see the world, as well as at the world we see, and understand that the lens itself shapes how we interpret the world." - S. Covey

 

con-tent-ment [kuhn-tent-muhnt] noun

1. the state of being contented; satisfaction; ease of mind.

 

Everything in life is about perspective. My perspective defines how I view the world, situations, opportunities, events and circumstances. Life is in the eye of the beholder. Feeling content with life, at this moment, right now, is most deffinitely the key to being at peace. And, enjoying my own unique life journey to the fullest. It defines the life I am living. And there actually is no where I would rather be, than right here. Right now.

 

"Becoming a great enjoyer, a great doer and a great renouncer will result us in leading a content and peaceful life." - Unknown


Love,
Saraï

 

 

 

 

Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ladies Summercamp 2012

Eindhoven, August 24 2012

 

The third edition of the Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ladies Summercamp Holland is about to start. Over 50 ladies registered for a weekend full of BJJ, grappling and fun. Ladies from Norway to Spain, Germany to Austria, and from the UK to the Netherlands. All sharing the same passion: Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

Why I think women should practise BJJ or grappling? Being a female, and being generally smaller and less strong than most guys, we get knocked down more easily. Considering that a large percent of altercations end up on the ground, it is important for us ladies to know what to do in that situation. So from a self-defense perspective it's valuable that we are able to think clearly and defend ourselves on the ground. Furthermore BJJ shows that you don't have to be the biggest or strongest to be successful. Practising BJJ makes you feel empowered and confident, in any situation. And it's so much fun!

So, photographers Phillipp Schmidt and Kevin Kwee, both BJJ practitioners, took pictures during this awesome weekend. Please take a look:

First class on Saturday

 

 

Mixed class, ladies and Gracie Barra NL

Gi's

Warming up @ grappling

Headinstructor Yasmin during grappling

Helping Brechje with a choke

Instructions after take-down

Grappling take-downs

Ezi-kiel choke with gi

All smiles :-)

 If you are interested in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, take a look at www.brasateam.nl and join us! :-)

Saraï

Happiness is a manner of traveling

Since we can control our thoughts, we have the ability to influence our feelings and thus change our attitude. By making changes in our thoughts, attitudes and beliefs our life will begin to change. Seek a mind-set with a balanced perspective looking fondly on the past, enjoying the present and setting goals to strive for in the future. Remember that happiness is not a state to arrive at, but a manner of traveling.  

May all beings have true happiness.

Love,

Saraï

 

To love oneself

I believe there is a certain mind-set that needs to change within you in order to be happy with the person that you are or have become. If not, a certain mind-set is needed to beat the system and ultimately win that stare down competition with your mirror.

Now why do you need to love yourself?

Fully and truly loving yourself will never lead to anything less than complete joy. With full belief in yourself and who you are you will have the confidence, internal power, and endurance to not only reach your true potential, but constantly exist in that state, and be able to make any dream or goal become an accomplished reality. Love for the self is being able to see someone with a strong mind, free spirit and a love life attitude. It is the ultimate source for joy, success, and truth. Lack of love for the self is the easiest source for pain and misery. To love oneself doesn’t mean doing the morally right thing and pleasing everyone all of the time. To truly and completely love yourself means you are man enough to face the music. Know your faults. Know your darkest qualities and never forget what The Universe told you in the light. Accept yourself for the person that you are. You are.

As Oscar Wilde stated: “To love oneself is the beginning of a life-long romance.”

Love is not easily definable. LOVE IS. However, it does have certain characteristics. Self-love is a consuming passion for your own happiness. It is an ongoing choice you make to be glad to be alive, here on Earth, in your own body.


Love,
Saraï

Conscious creation

The moment during the day when we very first open our eyes and come into consciousness is a precious opportunity. It sets the tone for all that comes after it, like the opening scene in a film or novel. At this moment, our ability to create the day is at its most powerful, and we can offer ourselves fully to the creative process by filling this moment with whatever inspires us most. It may be that we want to be more generous, or it may be that we want to be more open to beauty in our daily lives. Whatever the case, if we bring this vision into our minds at this very fertile moment, we empower it to be the guiding principle of our day.

We can reaffirm our vision or affirmation as we shower and eat breakfast, as well as recalling it at various times throughout the day. We can write it down and carry it with us on a little slip of paper if this helps. Simply by being aware of those first moments, we set the stage for a more conscious, enlivened experience, and we become active participants in the creation of our lives.

DailyOM

Athletes should read this

Athletes: Don’t take the sport you play for granted. Every time you play, you better be damn thankful that you get to do something you love. Don’t show up to practice complaining about not wanting to be there;

You’re there hopefully because you love it. Work hard every moment. Play every practice or game like it’s your last because it very well could be. When you finally reach the day that you can’t play, and can only watch, then you will know how much you love something that you once took for granted.

<3

Be like water

By raising my level of consciousness, I become aware that I'm like a drop of water in a vast, divine ocean. Distinct yet immersed in something much larger than myself, while experiencing a higher level of awareness and caring. I recognize my connection to others and more. I perceive that I am not the only one who matters. I genuinely care about the good of all of Earth's creatures.

Live as water lives, since we are water. Let your thoughts and behaviors move smoothly in accordance with the nature of all things. Be true to your inner intentions. It is natural to trust in the eternal flow.

Trust and flow... Letting myself just go and be with my heart as the source...

Home is where the heart is

Brazilian jiu-jitsu - United States of America - Friends - World citizen

DC - Yamasaki Academy - NYC - Top game - Whole foods - Super moon - UFC

Spring - Jersey City - Consciousness - Love - Home.

© S.R.P.

Be love

Accept and love.
Open your eyes and see. 
All is one.
Love.
The universe conspires.
Open and absorb.
Do not instantly close doors, for you will block energy that is coming to you.
Be humble.
Nourish and extend.
For you will expand and grow.
Love and accept.

Love is everything.
Be love.

- S.R.P.

Half Moluks, half Nederlands

Nederland, 25 april 2012

Vandaag sta ik stil bij de Republiek der Zuid Molukken. De Republik Maluku Selatan, 62 jaar geleden uitgeroepen op Ambon.

Vandaag sta ik stil bij onze vlag. De vierkleur: blauw, wit, groen en rood. En, de betekenis van deze kleuren.

Vandaag sta ik stil bij de strijd die geleverd is voor de onafhankelijkheidsverklaring. Die enorme drang naar en het geloof in een eigen republiek. Onafhankelijkheid.

Vandaag sta ik stil bij alle Molukse gewetensgevangenen, die onder verschrikkelijke omstandigheden vastzitten omdat ze hun geloof in de RMS uiten.

Vandaag sta ik stil bij mijn familie op Aboru, Haruku. Maluku Tanah Air.

Vandaag sta ik ook stil bij mijn lieve opa en oma Usmany-Manusiwa, mijn lieve moeder, en mijn lieve familie, voor alles wat zij mij hebben geleerd over mijn Molukse roots.

Half Moluks, half Nederlands. Vandaag in gedachten terug naar Maluku Manisé.

Ik zeg: Djangan lupa Maluku.

MENA MURIA.

Selamat pagi semua,

Saraï

In search of a language

"She is in search of a language that is tactile, palatial, and self-immolating — a language that will correspond to her latent desire to disintegrate and expand. To become the room."

- Jackie Wang (A stain on silence)

Ik ben

Wij mensen zijn op een bepaalde manier 'dom' geworden. Alleen al door dieren te observeren, te imiteren en te leren begrijpen gaat er een wereld van wijsheid voor ons open. De wijsheid van eenvoudig leven, de maalstroom van gedachten doorbreken en simpelweg ervaren.

De wijsheid van 'zijn' in plaats van 'doen' en 'denken'. We belanden dan in een wereld waar het leven wordt beleefd in plaats van besproken. Het wordt stil. Wie geluk heeft, ervaart zijn eigen wezen, dat wat er achter de duizend en één gedachten en emoties ligt waarmee het hoofd gewoonlijk volgepropt zit.

- Jane Goodall

Moments

In magic - and in life - there is only the present moment. The NOW. You can't measure time the way you measure distance between two points. "Time" does not pass. We human beings have enormous difficulty focusing on the present; we're always thinking about what we did, about how we could have done it better, about the consequences of our actions, and why we didn't act as we should have. Or else we think about the future, about what we're going to do tomorrow, what precautions we should take, what dangers await us around the next corner, how to avoid what we don't want and how to get what we have always dreamed of.

Past and future exist only in our memory. The present moment though, is outside of time. It's eternity. In India, they use the word 'karma', for lack of any better term. But it's a concept that's rarely given a proper explanation.

It isn't what you did in the past that will affect the present. It's what you do in the present that will redeem the past and thereby... change the future.

- From Aleph, by Paulo Coelho

Things I've learned

I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights. I've learned that making a "living" is not the same as making a "life." I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance. I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back. I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision. I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one. I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back. I've learned that I still have a lot to learn. I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

- Maya Angelou



'Je moet lomp durven zijn'

"Ze ziet er vrouwelijk uit, zachtaardig en is bovendien heel vriendelijk en bescheiden. Desondanks kan Saraï Pannekoek (25, vierdejaars Voeding en Diëtetiek) iemands arm breken of hem wurgen. ‘Je moet bij vechtsporten durven uitdelen. En durven incasseren. Toch is Braziliaans Jiu Jitsu vooral een leuk, technisch spelletje op de mat. Het is net als bij schaken een kwestie van strategie, tactiek en techniek."

Klik HIER voor de BRASA-link en HIER voor de centerfold.




Gratitude

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough - and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow."  - Melody Beattie

Remember. Nothing happens by accident, everything happens for a reason. And, when you least expect it, the universe gives you something more to be grateful for!

My life is always really blessed and I am very grateful for it. While being grateful, I start to actively look for the lesson and the benefit that each situation is bringing to me. With grateful eyes, I learn to see blessings - where others only see a problem. With a grateful heart, I smile, and count my blessings. Every day.

This is for all the amazing people I have in my life at the moment. Thank you for all the inspiring conversations and the support these past few weeks. Everything happens for a reason, gems. Thanks heaps for being around.

"Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it."
- W.A. Ward

Today, I feel utterly blessed for all that I am.

Obrigado universo!

S.R.P.

Letting go...

I'd like to begin with the words of my favorite novelist, Paulo Coelho. I don't think anyone could say it more clearly than him.

"When someone leaves, it's because someone else is about to arrive."

To let go isn't to forget, not to think about, or ignore. It doesn't leave feelings of anger, jealousy, or regret. Letting go isn't about winning or losing. It's not about pride and it's not about how you appear. To let go does not mean to stop caring, it means I can't do it for someone else. To let go is not to cut myself off, it's the realization that I can't control another. It's not to enable, but to allow learning from natural consequences. To let go it not to try to change or blame another, it's to make the most of myself. It's not to care for, but to care about. Not to fix, but to be supportive. To let go is not to judge, but to allow another to be an human being. To let go is not to be in the middle arranging all the outcomes, but to allow others to affect their own destinies. It's not to criticize, or regulate anyone, but to try to become what I dream I can do.  Letting go isn't blocking memories or thinking sad thoughts, and it doesn't leave emptiness, hurt, or sadness. It's not about giving in or giving up. Letting go isn't about loss and it's not about defeat. To let go is to fear less, and to love more...

To let go is to cherish the memories, to overcome and move on. It's having an open mind and confidence in the future. Letting go is learning, experiencing, and growing. To let go is to be thankful for the experiences that made you laugh, made you cry, and made you grow. Letting go is having the courage to accept change, and the strength to keep moving. To let go is to open a door, and to clear a path and set yourself free. Letting go is growing up. It is realizing that the heart can sometimes be the most potent remedy.

So, today is a new day. Let us celebrate life today.

Smile.

S.R.P

Work on your dreams

When we start working on our dreams, we always feel afraid. We wonder if there are rules to follow. Sometimes these rules help us avoid the mistakes others have made before our time, but more often than not, a rule will only make us repeat what someone else has already done.

The wise know some actions repeat themselves. They regularly encounter the same problemes and situations they have dealt with before. Knowing that makes them sad. They start to think they will never be able to grow, since whatever they experienced before is happening again.

"I've already been through this..." they complain to their hearts.

"That may be true," their hearts reply, "but you haven't mastered it yet."

The wise understand that repetition has a cause: to teach the lesson that still needs teaching. Repetitive situations require different solutions every time. The one who fails must not see this as a mistake, but rather as a step toward great self knowledge.

It's like Thomas Watson said; "Would you like me to give you a formule for succes? It's quite simple, really. Double your rate of failure."

Rest assured. Trust the universe, and look forward to surprising yourself.

S.R.P.

Become wise

You don't need to accumulate knowledge to become wise; anyone can become wise.

When you become wise,

you respect your body, you respect your mind, and you respect your soul.

When you become wise,

your life is controlled by your heart, not your head.

- Don Migues Ruiz