Looking for Space...

Yellow Finch Yoga

And so there he was...gazing into our yoga studio. 

Today was grey.  It was cool but humid.

The kind of day where you decide not to bring an umbrella and it decides to pour on you, or you bring your umbrella and the rain never seems to arrive.  Although the skies were an ashen grey, it was bright at the same time.  While driving you needed your sunglasses but your windshield wipers remain on slow delay.  A curious kind of day.

So there he was with a bright yellow belly and a midnight black crown clinging on to the window screen. Gazing into the yoga studio, his form was brilliant against the mundane backdrop. He appeared to be the subject of a hyper realism painting that was interpreting a new sense of reality. 

He was inspiring, curious, and calm.  

So were my students on the floor.

The moment in time that I was witnessing was a coming together of souls.  My yoga students were immersed in a restorative yoga class. The yellow finch looked as though he too wanted to participate.  I was the observer, the witness.

I could only smile as I watched the moment unfold.  

Beauty on the floor in the peace of my students.  Beauty in the window of a simple yellow finch living completely in the moment. Alert and calm.  All is as it should be.  

Gratitude.

How To Deepen Your Yoga Practice This Summer

The summer has arrived!   Probably the most anticipated and eagerly awaited  season,  the summer is a time to recharge the internal batteries.  My yoga practice usually deepens during the summer months unlike any other time of the year.  My senses are more alert and I seem to take more time.  It blossoms differently in ways that always surprises me.  This is the way I approach my summer yoga practice.  Perhaps it speaks to you?

 Practice outside

This is the best part of my summer practice!  When I am teaching or practicing at the studio, it is glorious to open up the windows and let the breeze circulate through the studio.  When I am practicing away from the studio, I often bring my mat out on the lawn just below a majestic four hundred year old oak tree.  The birds are chirping, the leaves are dancing and even a few bugs join me on my mat.  The breath seems to flow in tandem with the breeze.  Its magical and healing.  Nothing else is more grounding than the gentle guidance and wisdom of old trees to reconnect with the self!

Reset your internal clock

During the summer months the pace of life slows down just a bit.  This is the time when I feel myself becoming more in sync with the natural cycles.  I wake earlier and I am ready to sleep when the sky finally begins to darken.  The moon seems closer and even from a distance, the draw of the tides feel more forceful.  I feel myself surrender just a little more fully to these forces and I am definitely the better for it!  My yoga practice responds to the universe more intimately in the summer and I can feel its guidance when I get out of the way.  Take the time to explore the universe through your yoga practice.

Nourishment through Eating

This is where I have fun!!!  As a self described “foodie” I feel giddy at the possibilities before me.  The plethora of farmers markets tickle my creativity.  Eating seasonally and enjoying the abundance of locally grown fresh food is so fulfilling.  This summer, consider feeding yourself with the intention of “nourishment”  Nourishment goes beyond the physical means of feeding the body.  Nourish your soul and mind with food!  Feel your insides naturally cleansing and feel its delight.  Might this be the time to try out a vegan diet?  Forgo a bbq and bask in the glory of fresh salads and summer vegetables?  Eat locally?  Organically?  Bring home a fruit or vegetable that you have never prepared or eaten and give it a go.  Allow yourself to indulge with nourishment as your guide, your body will thank you and you will experience a new pleasure in eating!   

Change your routines

With the longer days we seem to have more time (something we all seem to search for).  Take the opportunity change things up a bit.  Maybe this is the season to try an early morning yoga class?  Maybe the longer and brighter evenings make it seem more plausible to try those evening yoga classes?  Try a new teacher?  A new type of yoga?  Explore the benefits of restorative yoga and melt into restful shivasanas.  In your home practice explore those poses that seem to challenge you more.  Perhaps the summer energy will help you along that path.  Perhaps your body is guiding you stay low and work on the ground more.  Whatever it is, simply explore your body through asana and have fun.

Summer Study

The time lingering on the dock or in the comfy chair is perfect for exploring books that will open up your yoga perspective.  There is so much written about yoga ranging from yoga blogs/magazines to novels to formal yoga study.  Wherever your interests take you in yoga, there will be a book to support you.  Look around and explore the world of yoga writings.  I have listed a few yoga books in my past blog posting. 

Breathing

Naturally the breath seems deeper in the summer.  Lingering on the inhalation brings so much to the senses.  The soft aromas make each breath tantalizing and gratifying.  The deep sighs the body releases when we finally reach the lake, when we find ourselves deep into the woods, or when see natures beauty is an opening of the soul.  Our body opens in these moments so that the soul can experience the moment too.  Summer is full of deep and lingering sighs and exhalations.  Notice them.  Live them. 

Practice your internal listening

This is the most important part of your practice at any time of year.  For me, it seems to come easier during the summer.  Let your movements become a sort of meditation.  Let curiosity guide your yoga practice.  Be amazed at how parts of your body move independently but ultimately the body works as a harmonized whole.  The sum is greater than the parts...remarkable!  Listen to your body wisdom and intelligence.  Celebrate what you can do!  Celebrate what moves, what functions and how you heal!  Listen to the quiet whispers, the tiny sighs, the gentle openings.  You are an amazing being...listen and let your body and your breath communicate with you.

Feel Gratitude

We have been given another summer to enjoy.  We have been given a body to experience it with.  What a gift and what an opportunity!  Go outside and explore the world, explore your body and explore your yoga practice this summer.

Cultivate your yoga practice and take a moment at the beginning or ending of each practice to feel gratitude to your body.  It carries you graciously through your lifetime! 

 

A Few Days of Solitude

Recently I had the opportunity to spend a few days by myself at a comfy cottage in the woods nestled beside a rustic lake.  I know, I know, I am lucky!  A few months ago I had a realization that it has been many, many years since I had spent a few days completely alone.  When I was 23 and backpacking through Europe, I had a glorious seven days alone in Paris while I awaited the arrival of my boyfriend.  SEVEN DAYS ALONE IN PARIS!  I can’t even fathom the good fortune of that anymore.  Three days alone in the woods was as close to heaven that was going to come for me these days.  I was happy to take it!

 

Even though I was looking to spend time alone; I still had plans.  Still wound up from life in the city and I was heading into the woods with PLANS. It took me a few hours by myself to realize that whatever I had planned, life was going to take over and it hopefully would be the guide for my time alone.

 

I made the decision to surround myself with quiet for the three days.  I unplugged the ipod and settled into the sounds of nature and the sounds of me living by myself.  I got myself settled and the first natural thing to come to my body was sleep.  A two hour nap in the afternoon.  I asked myself to listen to my own body rhythms which is sometimes challenging in the city.  In the woods, it seems to be a little easier.  My PLANS included me cooking wonderful healthy meals for myself.  What my body told me was that all I wanted for dinner was a piece of toast and a glass of orange juice. 

 

My body rhythm still kept me up late (I tend to be a creative night owl) but amazingly I did not sleep in like I had PLANNED to do.  My body woke me up early to start my days of getting to know myself again.

 

I had PLANNED to write for the studio.  For some time now I have wanted to get some words on paper but my body and my mind didn’t want to write what I had PLANNED.  I did want to write, but it wasn’t about business.  Instead, I wrote about big things such as happiness, what it means to practice and life lessons.  

 

I had PLANNED to exercise each day (and I did make myself do this).  At the end of my very hilly runs, I was proud of my ability to move up each hill and all to happy to jump into a cool lake and practice my yoga down on the dock.  I was aware of a feeling of gratitude for my body to move as it just allowed me to do.

 

I had PLANNED to meditate each day.  However, my meditation took on a different form than it does in the city.  At home, I “set the stage” for my meditation practice.  Finding solitude in the woods didn’t require a “stage to be set.”  Every moment was a meditation.  I found that there was a mindfulness that was more astute and more refined.  It was hard not to be mindful when life was just oozing all around me.  The moving clouds in the sky, the sound of the lapping waves on the dock, the calls of the loons and the whistling of the wind.  Mindfulness came easier in the woods because I had a curiosity for what was happening in each moment.  It was INTERESTING watching the birds interact at the feeders.  It was INTERESTING watching the chipmunks plead to me for more peanuts.  It was INTERESTING looking straight into the eyes of a beautiful deer and asking it politely not to eat the rose bush, but to kindly consider moving on over to the bush next door.  (Funny enough, that deer looked irritated with me for my suggestion but then finally sauntered over to the other bush.  Deer have personalities!  Amazing!)

 

What my mindfulness meditation at the lake made clear for me these past few days is that life is always moving along, in the city and in the woods.  In the city, it is all too easy to let it pass us by while we are consumed with the tasks at hand.  What I know is that everyday we have the opportunity to make the choice to watch life and participate with it, or we don’t.  Too often we get lost in the drama of our own minds.  Time moves quickly but when we slow down, so does life.  

What has become very obvious to me in the woods, is that while we are too distracted by our own busy lives and minds, we tend to miss the opportunities to watch the grass blowing in the breeze, or to hear the call of a distant bird, or to feel the gentle touch of our child; or most sadly, to understand the whispering of our own souls.  The simplicity of the woods has reminded me that there is simplicity in each of our days.  We can be interested in the regular routines that we perform every day.  We can choose to feel the tap water on our hands.  We can choose to taste the food that we put in our mouths.  We can choose to see the light as it moves across the surfaces of our surroundings.  The woods can be less distracting, but mindfulness can be found in nature and also in a busy city.  Look, feel, taste, touch, smell and listen.

I Need a Yoga Retreat...Update.

A few weeks ago I wrote about my need for a yoga retreat...well, actually about my need for any kind of retreat.  I decided that I was going to make it happen no matter what.  There were plans and a few spoiled plans but good things come to those that wait.  Right?

Well finally, last week I had a mini-retreat.  I wasn't able to etch out a full day but even the half day that I found was worth the efforts and I dedicated it to myself to get my creative juices flowing. 

It started with time alone in a cafe and my journal...luxurious!  Then I headed into Toronto and spent my time at the Art Gallery of Ontario marveling at the brilliance of the artist Alexander Calder (what a joyful, inquisitive mind!) and photographer/artist Edward Steichen.  Absolute brilliance!  As I walked the exhibits of European Art, Canadian Art and on and on I felt my creative self rising to the surface again.  My thought patten moved to a rhythm that makes me feel inspired and calm.  I had the time to see the brilliance and genius of the artists that I admired and studied while at University. 

In a moment of calm inspiration and lost in my own thoughts, I took the time to sit down to scribble a few notes.  While scribbling and contemplating in my journal I was told to move on (in a harsh whisper I might add) as I was apparently sitting on a piece of art!  In my defense...it looked like a beautiful wooden bench.  (see image above...that long wooden bench looking piece of wood; if you go...don't sit here to write in your journal.  This is a piece of art with a deeper purpose, not a bench!)  I had a good little chuckle at myself once I recovered from the embarrassment. 

I was happy to experience the architecture of Frank Gehry and loved the renovation of the AGO.  I left feeling inspired, re-energized and renewed. Next retreat however, will definitely include the artisan cheese, bottle of wine and a therapeutic bath that I dreamed of in my first retreat posting! 

Consider giving yourself a retreat or even a mini retreat.  Let me know how it goes.

29 Gifts in 29 Days

A few weeks ago I stumbled upon a short article about an idea one woman had about the giving of gifts.  She started a website and a "movement" was created.  This idea of giving 29 gifts in 29 days seems daunting at first and the idea may initially put the thought in your mind, "As if I have the time to shop for 29 extra gifts!" or, "December is financially too demanding as it is!"   Initially, those are valid thoughts but I would expect that as you explore the idea a little further, it seems like it could be fun. And it brings up the question, how would it feel to be consciously giving for 29 days?   Many of us give all the time and it can be draining.  But to give for the fun of giving?  For 29 days straight?  How would that feel?  I am anticipating that it will be filling rather than draining.  A pleasure rather than daunting.  And I expect that what I will receive in return will be the true gift in this challenge.

So I begin today...during the busiest time of the year.  I will track my gifts on this blog and you can follow my progress.  Maybe it will inspire you to take the same challenge?  Let me know if it does!

 

Day #1  I gave the gift of my time.  I volunteered at my children's school to work the "clean-up" shift of their annual Holiday Shop to support the Oakville Parent/Child Center.  It's messy work but somebody has to do it.  The holiday energy is palpable around these kids.  It felt good.  I had fun cleaning.  The spirit of goodwill fills you up!

Day #2   Today I gave a wish stone with the word "peace" etched on to it to one of my yoga students.  She has been working hard and the yoga is starting to resonate in her body.  The surprised smile I received was worth the effort!  (Thanks for the comment Carol!)

Day #3 The gift of a Christmas tradition...gingerbread house decorating!  I had my nieces and nephews over and messed up my kitchen with loads of candy and icing.  Such delight!

Day #4 It was my Da'd's 70th today (he will kill me when he reads this announcing to the world of his significant birthday!).  A gift from the heart came in the form of a list..."70 Accomplishments in 70 Years".  It was filled with accomplishments such as "He walked both daughters down the aisle",  "He allowed us to grow up feeling safe", "He has all his own teeth and hair", and "He proved that cleaning the toilets, grocery shopping and raising the children were not only the woman's' job", among many others.  He loved it and we all shared a chuckle and a tear.

Day #5 A gift to my daughter...a birthday dinner of her favorite Lasagna.  Her birthday is actually in July.  We had a fun dinner in her honor.

Day #6Gave a Lindt chocolate to a somber looking librarian.  I hope it cheered her up.

Day #7  Today I made my contribution to the studio's Pajama Drivefor the Halton Children's Aid Society.  A cozy pair for a girl around the age of 10. 

Day #8  Left a surprise Lindt chocolate for my chocolate loving husband.  Small pleasures.

Day #9  Spent an unexpected day off shopping and wrapping gifts for my loved ones.

Day #10  Today I gave a free yoga class to a student who has been coming to the studio from the very beginning.  It was nice to give back to her after all of her support.

Day #11  Passed on the tradition of baking Swedish Gingerbread cookies (Pepparkakor) today with my daughter.  Perhaps one day she will do the same.

Day #12  Wrapped up some of the Gingerbread Men and Women in a pretty cellophane bag, tied a beautiful bow around it and brought the cookie package to neighborhood family.  They looked surprisingly beautiful!

Day #13  Left a bowl of festive chocolates at the studio today for our teachers and students to enjoy this week. 

Day #14  Payed a strangers parking meter that had expired. 

Day #15  Gave the bank teller another Lindt chocolate.  She gave me a happy smile.  (It has been helpful having a small bag of chocolates in my purse for those impromptu gifts!)

Day #16  Sent love notes in my kids lunches.

Day #17 Gave Kiva gift certificates to two ladies who support and help me.  I hope that they enjoy the gift of giving to a stranger.

Day #18  Wrapped and delivered 5 teacher gifts.  My children have awesome teachers and they are so fortunate!

Day #19  Made my son's favorite dinner...a mixture of small plates.  Mingled over the delicious food and decorated the Christmas tree.  It was a gift to us all.

Day #20  Bought a small gift of modern crystal napkin rings for a wonderful friend and her family.  They are so good to us. 

Day #21  My gift to you...a collection of music to listen to on a winters night.  Listen here.

Day #22  Took a girlfriends two kids for the day so that she could tie up loose ends at work and finish off her errands before the holidays.  Four kids for the day ended up being fun and easier than I had anticipated.  It helps that they are good kids!  It felt good knowing that she got so much accomplished today!

Day #23  Delivered with my dog "Sadie", little gifts to her neighborhood buddies.  "Moxy", "Duke", "Cali" and "Bentley" were happily surprised.  It was cute watching the reactions of their owners too!

Day #24  Today was easy...Merry Christmas!  All the hard work is worth it when pausing to see the moments of magic and glee in my children's eyes!

Day #25  A boxing day hike was not complete without the surprise hot chocolate and snacks for the whole gang.  The new Christmas thermos worked great too!

Day #26  A little more difficult to have something planned on the side today.  The flu hit our house with a vengeance.  I guess my gift today was taking care of my pale little kids.

Day #27  Flu has struck again and I am the only one standing.  Nursing care continues to be my gifts today.

Day #28  I took my turn with the flu so found it difficult to give much of anything while I was sick.  I did however do my best at being a good patient and showed gratitude when my loved ones cared for me.  Gratitude is a very powerful gift I discovered.

Day #29  My gift for today was me.  Simple. 

These 29 days were ultimately a gift to myself.  The gift was a presence in my day to day living.  It was the simple awareness to my actions each day that I realized was my greatest gift to myself and to others.  It was fun surprising strangers and my loved ones with physical gifts, but it was the participation in a particular moment that made the biggest impact.  I lived a little more fully in life these 29 days.  Even among the craziness of the holidays and the abundance that seems to fill this month, it was the small gifts that made the greatest impact. 

It is said that it takes 28 to 30 days to create a habit.  I hope this habit stays with me.  It is certainly a habit to nourish rather than to try and break.  Try the 29 gifts in 29 days and see what it stirs up in you.

 

 

I Need a Yoga Retreat

This week I am thinking of my fellow teachers, and students who are all practicing  their yoga, enjoying some hiking and feeling a warm breeze on an amazing yoga retreat in Mexico led by Helen Duquette.  I, on the other hand,  am in Southern Ontario, feeling the temperature drop, raking mounds of leaves, avoiding the flu but thankfully, at the moment I am feeling the warm sun shining through the window as I write. 

I don't mean to sound like I am feeling sorry for myself.  I am happy for all of them to be there.  I am happy to be here teaching the yoga classes.  I am happy to be administering tylenol to my children who have been fighting the flu and fevers.  I am grateful for the life that I lead.  I am blessed beyond words.  But man, does a retreat sound FANTASTIC right now!

Thinking of those on retreat, I have been wondering what they have been doing each day.  Yoga in the morning and evening, hiking everyday, enjoying the weather, eating good food, resting, relaxing, reading, soaking in the natural thermal baths.  It sounds lovely, indulgent, refueling.  It is what I need.

So, with the idea of retreat on my mind, I have decided to create my own retreat. This will be my Southern Ontario retreat in November leading up to the busiest time of the year. 

My retreat will take place during the work week.  I am sending the kids to school and then checking out.  I will not check my emails/blackberry, will not answer my home phone or cell phone (unless of course I see my kids school number come up telling me to pick them up...they have another fever).  I am going to a coffee shop to buy a tea.  I will bring my creative journal.  I am going to sit for as long as I want.  I will resist the urge to hurry myself along. 

Then, I am going to drive into the city and spend the day walking through the Art Gallery of Ontario.  I may even sit there and pull out my creative journal again.  I will not rush.  I will soak in the creativity, enjoy the quiet and be alone with my thoughts. 

Then...I will go out for lunch by myself.  Order whatever I want.  Eat slowly.  Taste my food.  Look around.  Observe.  Maybe when I feel like moving on, I will window shop, browse a book store, purchase a lovely rare artisan cheese and a bottle of wine to compliment it. 

When I tire of the city I will come home (it will be empty because I will have arranged playdates for the kids after school and then for my husband to pick them up for a dinner of pizza on the go).  With an empty, quiet house I will run my own thermal bath, put on some lovely music, pour a glass of wine and just soak.  I will feel it.  I will relish it. 

When my family does return, my cup will runneth over.  I will have so much to give because I will feel refueled.  I will have gone on retreat and have taken care of myself.  I will have gone to Mexico in my mind.

 

Is there etiquette in a yoga class?

Lately, I have been working with a lot of beginning students who are completely fresh to the yoga floor.  So fresh that it has been intimidating for them to start, not knowing what to do from the moment when they first walk into the yoga studio.  To help dispel that hurdle of being intimidated, I am running a workshop in a couple of weeks (Sunday, October 4, 2009 at 10am) called "Understanding The Basics".  This will go over basic yoga poses but also the etiquette of a class and what a new student can expect from a yoga class.

An important part of a yoga class is the notion of etiquette.  I remember when I started playing golf and my husband telling me and re-telling me (or so it felt) when to talk, when not to talk, where to walk, where not to walk, when to pick up my ball, how to rake a sand trap and so on.  It seemed so strict at the time but I realized that there was a reason for every tip.  It benefited the experience of all and helped maintain a beautiful course.  The same applies to a yoga studio and a yoga class.

I certainly don't want this to sound like a "Miss Manners" column but I think these are helpful suggestions for all students to enhance our practice and to maintain a studio that feels good to work in.

• Be on time- if you are late for a class (and it does happen) please enter the studio quietly and wait for a visual cue from the teacher before entering the class or wait till the end of shivasana
• Remove your shoes and place them on the shoe rack before entering the yoga room
• Place your personal belonging on the shelves and off of the yoga floor
• Turn off your cell phone
• Place your mat down quietly - avoid dropping down your mat and snapping it flat
• If you have your own yoga mat, bring it along- it is more hygienic
• Please respect others who have started their practice and observe silence at the beginning of class
• Refrain from wearing perfume or strong scents to class
• Stagger mats in a "zipper" or "Herring bone" pattern to ensure adequate space to move - avoid straight lines
• Dress appropriately
• Please let your teacher know if you have an injury or wish not to be touched for the class
• Please avoid coming to class if you are ill
• Pay attention to the teacher and to your body
• Respect the teacher, respect other students, respect yourself
• If you need to leave early, let your teacher know and leave before shivasana- shivasana is important to your practice, please try to make it a priority
• At the end of class, fold your blankets neatly and return any props neatly
• Remove all of your personal belongings and garbage

Let these simple suggestions help us create an environment for all to flourish in their own personal yoga practices!

 

 

You Start Where You Are...

The summer flew by. 

The speed at which it moved makes me think that I didn't find the time I needed this summer to be still, to reflect, and to pause.  Although busy, it was filled with good times, socializing with good friends, playing with my kids, a long road trip and time spent at the ocean.  It was good, but it flew by.

So now we approach this new season, the new yoga session and always, happily a new beginning. 

This season started out for me with the hunt for the perfect pencil cases, the new shoes, and the lunch boxes.  Although I chuckled at this years back to school commercials (did you see the one with that Christmas song..."it's the most wonderful time of the year..."?), I wanted my summer to continue for a bit longer.  I wasn't ready for the September routines.    We had to get the family (dog included) back into the fall nighttime routines and morning routines.  It is not an easy overnight switch to make...it takes time and planning.  Did I mention that the summer flew by?

Well, as I sit, I can happily say that we made it through the first week.  The kids teachers all turned out to be "nice".  My son is now at the top of the school food chain and my daughter is in the middle (no longer part of the little kids section of the school).  I just finished teaching my first week of yoga classes and have come away feeling grateful for our amazing students (we really do have lovely people practicing at the studio).  My dog is not so happy at the extra hours spent alone in the house, but she will adjust and she loves when the kids walk in the door at the end of the school day.  Everything is the same but also so very different.

That is the beauty of life and also the beauty of my yoga practice.  Although I feel that I didn't have enough "down" time or time to reflect and work more intimately with my yoga I know that my practice is willing to start where I am right now.  In Pantajali's yoga sutras; the first sutra 1.1 states that when we decide to start/continue/begin again with our yoga practice, the yoga will meet us wherever we are regardless of our age, ability or circumstances in our lives.  The yoga is there waiting. 

So, although I never left my yoga over the summer; I am now willing and able to go deeper.  My body has changed, my mind has changed and I am starting again.  My yoga will meet me where I am. 

The summer flew by but my yoga waited for me and happily it is willing to pick up and receive my deeper dedication once again.

 

Balance

I have been thinking about balance lately.

Being a yoga teacher it is easy to assume that I am speaking of yoga poses.  Vrksasana (tree pose), Garudasana, Ardha Chandrasana, Handstand, Bakasana (crane pose) and so on.  And although I am teaching some of these poses in my classes this week; I think it is a search for balance in my own life that is on my mind.  (It is now when we can go back to the age old argument...the chicken or the egg?  Which came first?)  Is it because of my teaching these balancing poses this week that I have balance on my mind, or, is it because I am looking for balance that I am teaching these poses?  Who knows and who really cares?  It is the search for balance that I think we all share and we can all understand.

When I teach these poses I start with the ground, the feet, our foundation.  From there everything grows and this is how we find stability, alignment, extension, and openness.  Every week I am amazed at how the words from my class seep into my life. 

When looking at life, why not start from the ground?  I can put my feet down! When I spread them wide I begin to feel.  When I feel, I can feel the ground supporting me, holding me, inviting me to let go. When I stop and allow myself to feel, I understand that I have a foundation, security, and stability.

But how do we find balance?

If we are inflexible, it is hard to balance.  When we are too loose, non-committal, it is hard to balance.  When we shift too far in one direction, it is hard to balance.  When we move too fast, it is hard to balance.  When we are centered...ahhh...balance is not too far away.  But where is center?  Center is a place that feels right.  It is comfortable, easy, open. You usually know when you are in the center.  Its instinctive.  We need to listen and feel.

Balance.  Feels right.  Easy.  Comfortable.  Instinctive.

So, all I can do over and over again is to simply begin with my feet and feel.  Once I can feel it is easier to move slowly in the direction of the whisper that I hear.  It is these faint whisperings from my self, my instinct, that brings me closer to my center. 

Ahhh...balance is not too far away.

 

~Robyn

 

 

New Beginnings

New beginnings can come at any time and in many forms.  I thankfully feel the sense of new beginnings many times during the year. 

Always I feel this in the spring...freshness...the spring rain washing away the grey... the salt... the muted tones.  Watching the miracle of the ground and trees waking up.  Seeing the tender new buds emerge. Spring is about opening windows and breathing a little deeper. 

September is also a time that is full of newness with its crisp clean air, the promise of routine, new school clothes, clean sneakers, fresh backpacks, the smell of a new pencil case (yes, I have small children but the memory of my school days are still fresh in my mind!). 

And January...the New Year.  Changing of the calendar (and hoping that I find a calendar with just the right size of square).  It is a time of internal cleaning of the body and mind.  Thinking of the future...making plans for the self...hoping and believing in the possibility of new start.

And finally, I find my new beginnings on my mat and in my yoga practice everyday.  It is my mat that helps me keep coming back to the idea of renewal.  Beginning again and again and again. 

Every morning I wake, I am new.  Everytime I come to my mat, I am new.  My body has changed.  My mind has changed. 

My yoga practice will change for that day and I discover that my yoga is there once again for me to experience anew.  Maybe my practice will tell me that I am closed, tight, sluggish, uncompromising.  Maybe the practice will tell me that I am open, soft, more free today, more spacious.  Wonderfully, every time I come to my mat, it is a new beginning.  My new beginning.

This January, the mat has brought me close to the reality that so much has changed for me.  The month of December was busy, exciting, tiring, hectic and full of gratitude.  The transformation of the studio forced me to realize that the studio is real.  It has moved away from me in a sense.  When I started this studio it began with "I just want to teach a few classes".  Watching the studio transform this month made me realize how this studio has grown up around me.  It has grown with the guidance of our amazing teachers and our inspiring students.  It has grown with the belief that it just will happen.  It has had its own source of renewal.

And so it is a new beginning for me, for you and for the studio.  I move into this time of change with an open mind and a sense of softness and gratitude.

 

~Robyn