Hug A Tree!

"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago.
The next best time is now." ~Chinese Proverb

On this Arbor Day I want to remind you to not only PLANT a tree, but also to hug a tree! This beauty is standing in Glacier National Park in Montana. I gave it a big hug before I snapped this photo. There is nothing like the peaceful energy of a tree.

Receiving

Yesterday afternoon there was energy in the air sent out freely by the flowers. After being sick for almost a week now the energy is yet to come organically from me. I accepted what they were offering with appreciation and gratitude. What a gift!

Northern Minnesota

This is where I spent last week. Ever been to Northern Minnesota? I highly recommend it. The air is fresh and clean, the skies big and blue, the lakes are clear and clean and I promise you will sleep like a baby. And the best part, the call of the loon to wake you up each morning so you don't miss a minute of the best summer days you will ever experience.

...the poetic baring of the soul...

My last ballet lesson of the year was on Tuesday of this week. The studio closes over the holidays. I will miss it and am already looking forward to the New Year to bring my first class of 2009. The class is the highpoint of each week as I feel the most alive and that I am expressing my most authentic self as I stand at that barre and feel the music as it moves my body.

Pure. Undeniable. Authentic.
I am in love.

Dance is the poetic baring of the soul through motion. ~ Scott Nilsson

yes it is.

Sweetheart

My little dog - a heartbeat at my feet. ~Edith Wharton

A Magical Event

"The first fall of snow is not only an event, it is a magical event" ~ Unknown

My new "real" Minnesota winter coat and new boots. The mittens are not new, I just threw them in the picture because they are cute :-) I could stay warm outside forever.

While the "fall of snow" today is not the first this season, it certainly has been a magical event. Walking down the street tonight with everything covered in a beautiful layer of white I think that nothing could be more beautiful. Not only to the eyes, but to the nose and lungs with the most pure and crisp air to breathe. To the ears, with the complete silence except for the sound of the boots against the snow. Everything is calm and peaceful. You can feel the relaxation of the ground and the trees and shrubs - the energy of all is relaxed.

I wish for every winter evening to touch me in this way. It is magical and so beautiful.

Be The Light in November - Inspiration

The WoYoPracMo theme for November is Seeing the Light, Being Light, Searching for Lightness. Being Light. I like that.

I have always loved November. The coolness (sometimes very cold), the shorter days, warm & comforting food, warm fires, tea and fleece - oh yes, and flannel sheets on the bed. Wow - I love November. It is also the time when I really turn to my more introspective side. With the earlier darkness, it is much less of a challenge to get on my yoga mat. To practice my breath work. To meditate. It is much easier to journal and to be silent and to connect with others on a deeper level. It is the time of the year where I am really able to fill myself up and look back on the year. For me, November is a great month to see the light.

Off to walk the dog in the cool morning beauty of November.

What will you do today to help you live the theme? Need some help? Below are some places I think will help you See the Light, Be Light, and FIND Lightness. Enjoy!

Musélan Related Blogs for November Inspiration:
For Inspiration - musélan
For Yoga Inspiration - musasana
For Creating The Life of Your Dreams - Just Feel Good
For Finding Joy - Awaken To Joy Club

Inspiration Around the Web:
World Yoga Practice Month
To Connect With Others - Operation Nice and 29 Gifts
Yoga - Reflections On Yoga

Gratitude Inspiration

How is your gratitude practice? Do you need a little inspiration? This video will help. It is the Karma Tube video of the week. The message is wonderful and the pictures are beautiful - too beautiful not to share.

Enjoy!

Autumn Yoga

This morning started with rain drops. What a wonderful way to wake up. The rain let up. Little doggie girl dawned her harness and I, my rain coat. Opening up the front door to the beautiful colors of autumn, we stepped outside. We walked down the street with the scent of the fresh, wet, cool morning air. "I love autumn," I thought to myself. As we came upon the cedar bridge behind the house, a pheasant was walking towards us. He saw a person and a beagle, turned around, ran the other way and then took off making that sound that only pheasants make.

The wind was blowing just enough to coax the yellow, red and orange leaves into a beautiful shower of color. Little doggie girl's nose is to the ground, sniffing the trail of the last animal that walked in our foot steps. The smell of the cedar bridge is strong and so calming.

I was lost in the beauty of it all and it was delicious.

It has inspired me. I want this experience on my yoga mat. What poses will allow me to create this? I know it is possible. What a fun adventure it will be.

Why I Love My Life #30

I was born in the most beautiful month of the year, October.

"There is no season when such pleasant and sunny spots may be lighted on, and produce so pleasant an effect on the feelings, as now in October." ~ Nathaniel Hawthorne

Why I Love My Life #31

Sweetpea vine in the snow.

I live in a place where are all four seasons are experienced and I celebrate each and every one of them.

"To be interested in the changing seasons is a happier state of mind than to be hopelessly in love with spring." ~ George Santayana

Why I Love My Life #32

Beautiful flowers surround my home and I am grateful for them everyday.

One Of My Favorite Things

A little doggie butt would be it! There is nothing better than a dog in front of you, cool morning air all around, sweatpants & sweatshirts, peace & quiet, in a beautiful nature setting. This is one of my favorite ways to start off the day. Now on to my second - breakfast.

My Pup

To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring - it was peace. ~Milan Kundera

Ever been...

To North Dakota? It is true beauty.

Tree and Sun

This little tree is in the far corner of my garden. Each spring it produces these beautiful and very fragrant flowers. Many pictures were taken on this evening, just at the sunset. Can you see the light between the branches? It was stunning.

After spending the whole day outside - pruning, planting and watering - what a gift it was to have time to spend with this tree, smelling the sweetness, and watching the spectacular performance put on by the sun. After the show, I slept like a baby.

Sweet Home Alabama

Vacations are wonderful - especially when you are allowing yourself to forget about everything and enjoy the precious time away. Unfortunately, the first 5 days of my recent Alabama vacation I was unable to ground myself into my new surroundings and my yoga practice was anything but consistent.

Fortunately, when we travel, my husband reads and reads and reads. We make many trips to the book store. One store had a display with books by Southern writers. I found two books about the area written by authors who also live there. The first book, Point Clear by Jennifer Paddock, was written so vividly about Point Clear and The Grand Hotel I just had to visit. It was exactly as she described it and so fun to be there.

The second book, The Poet of Tolstoy Park by Sonny Brewer, was set back in time in the real Alabama town of Fairhope and gave wonderful descriptions about the area and the history. It is a wonderful read and for that very reason I have chosen it for our next book club read.


After reading these books and visiting the nearby towns I was able to fully appreciate the history and the beauty of this area.

I was also finally able to fully integrate my yoga practice into my "vacation life". I did poses on the balcony, I did poses on the beach and in the water. I find it so interesting that once I took the time to learn about the history and about the area, my asana practice bloomed. I was grounded!

And a side note - I love reading about the south and especially Alabama in particular. I found a book about an Alabama author which I highly recommend. It is called Mockingbird written about the life of Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird. Remember that book from 8th grade?

Do you know of any other good books about the south? Always looking for good reads in the summer time :-)

Today's Meditation...

Open

We are all too much inclined to walk through life with our eyes shut. There are things all around us, and right at our very feet, that we have never seen; because we have never really looked. ~ Alexander Graham Bell

Someone asked me the other day what they can do to become more present - how to slow down and just be. My answer is very simple - look for beauty. When you see it, really look at it, appreciate it. Ask yourself, why do I think this is beautiful? Notice how this beauty makes you feel when I really see it?

I love to photograph beautiful things. At first it was like an adventure and I was a detective. I was taking pictures of obvious beauty, like flowers. Once I really started to open my eyes and see EVERYTHING, I realized that beauty is everywhere. When I am with my camera, I am lost in the moment, fully present and fully alive. I photograph this beauty as my evidence that it is all around me and with that, so is my ability to keep myself grounded in the present moment.

Following My Heart

“You will recognize your own path when you come upon it, because you will suddenly have all the energy and imagination you will ever need.” - Jerry Gillies

These last few weeks have been amazing. My last post I wrote about my "180". It seems that what I thought I wanted and where I thought I was going are not really who I am but this "idea" of who I thought I was supposed to be and what was expected. I was not paying attention to who I am and where I am in my life right now.

Laura put together a wonderful blog post and meditation for following your heart. I was there when this was recorded. After I experienced this meditation - I experienced my 180. Coincidence? In my world, there is no such thing as coincidence.

When you quiet down, surrender and go into your heart, you are able to hear your authentic self. Try it - it brought me to my true path and I have felt immense amounts of energy and imagination ever since.