Baking Cookies

You know those times in your life when you are moving and grooving along? Everything is going great. You are so busy progressing, getting stronger and more clear in what you are doing. Then all of a sudden - BAM! - some unforeseen and unplanned event occurs and everything stops. Not only does it stop, it upsets the perfectly laid out plans, it changes the way you feel, it challenges the way you think. It. All. Stops.

I was going full speed ahead and was stopped. Many aspects of the "moving and grooving along" changed. Even though I knew I had the answer I kept wondering, what is the lesson? One day I finally gave in and accepted that it is about slowing down and enjoying the ride. It is about letting go of the attachment to my schedule and the unrealistic due date I had set in my head.

It is about stopping to smell the cookies. Preferably cookies that I baked because I now have the time to do it.

Yay!

It is a new day!

...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.

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.

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.

Wanna "Yoga" In Costa Rica?

Yes, for real! Laura and I are going to Costa Rica for 7 days of yoga and jungle and ocean and fun. Join us at Samasati Yoga and Nature Retreat from January 24 - 31, 2009. Check it out.

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

The Countdown Begins

I wanted to start this 6 days ago but since I'm blogging without obligation and its all good, I'll just start today on day 34 with 6 of the 39 things I love about my life. You see, the number 39 is not randomly chosen. I only have 34 days left to claim this number as my own. While you hear all the time, "...age is just a number, it's really about how young you feel". I feel really young but still want the number to start with a 3!

Number 39 - I've lived 39 years
Number 38 - Opportunities are limitless
Number 37 - A pool at my disposal
Number 36 - Time is on my side
Number 35 - Beauty is everywhere
Number 34 - Spectacular free recipes on the internet

Tune in tomorrow for Number 33.

Deeper Sorrow...More Joy

“The deeper that sorrow carves into your being the more joy you can contain. Is not the cup that holds your wine the very cup that was burned in the potter's oven?” ~ Kahil Gibran

The Sweetest Soul

Lived in my house
Gave me kisses
Sat by my side
Had the softest fur
Loved a good tummy rub
Taught me all about unconditional love
and that there is such a thing as
Pure, Authentic Sweetness

I miss you Riley, my sweetest pup

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

Beauty is in EVERYTHING

Mathematics possesses not only truth, but also supreme beauty. --Bertrand Russell

What an interesting quote, I say. Beauty is one of my core values. Mathematics is something that has challenged me my whole life. Someone finds beauty in math? Wow.

I'll have to think about that one :-)

Dream Expansion Inspiration

STREAM OF LIFE

The Same stream of life that runs through my veins night and day runs through the world and dances in rhythmic measures.

It is the same life that shoots in joy through the dust of the earth in numberless blades of grass and breaks into tumultuous waves of leaves and flowers.

It is the same life that is rocked in the ocean-cradle of birth and of death, in ebb and in flow.

I feel my limbs are made glorious by the touch of this world of life. And my pride is from the life-throb of ages dancing in my blood this moment.

~ Rabindranath Tagore

I was introduced to this beautiful poem when I saw this video today. Wow, right? Toward the end of the video I realized that more than anything else, the music was moving me. This voice, while singing in a different language, was so beautiful and the music was so upbeat. What is this song and who is singing it? I so appreciate Google each day for answering so many of my questions! The song is called "Praan". It is the above poem put to music by Gary Schyman. The voice is that of Palbasha Siddique, an 18 year old woman originally from Bangladesh who now lives in Minneapolis. Here is a link for more information on the video and Palbasha.

As I watch this video and see all of the wonderful locations, all of the people, the music and the wonderful message and I can't help but think - who's dream was this? Did it start small and grow? What was the inspiration? How many people told him that it wasn't possible or that it was crazy. Look how big this dream became. How can I use this as inspiration for my own dreams?

What are your dreams? How big are they?

Use this video as inspiration and then I ask you, how can you expand your own dreams?

Mellow Yellow

Finally Sun

on the deck, in the sun
a few Muses were musing
a call from Ron
"big storm headed your way"

really?
tv turned on
weatherman says take cover!
clouds more ominous
tornado sirens blaring

last Muse arrives - big hugs around

then the hail, BIG hail
off to the basement
dirt, clutter, dogs and all

finally sun
and food
and laughter
and connection

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...

Squeeky Sand

I fight: Savasana

I like to think that I fight nothing. My last post really opened my eyes. It was written before my restorative yoga class on Wednesday night. After that experience, how would I write that line today?

i fight: a long Savasana

When I first started to practice yoga the reason I went back time and time again was because of Savasana. I found it amazing that someone (my yoga teacher) was inviting me to lay down (with a blanket!), close my eyes, in a quiet room, in the middle of the day and relax. Lovedeveryminuteofit! Now, not so much.

The first 5 minutes are good, however lots of adjusting, then the fight begins. I have a theory that maybe only a piece of what is going on. I am very flexible. My joints are very open. As I lay there and my muscles start to let go and surrender, I start to feel very unstable. Whispers of pains and aches get louder. There is a feeling of dislocation in one of my shoulders. My eyes do not relax but move around inside the closed lids. I often feel energy racing out of my hands and feet. No wonder!

I want a redo on that line - i fight: the feelings of instability in Savasana by accepting them and trusting that I will learn whatever they are here to teach me.

That feels much better.