snow day = slow day

Ever since I moved to this colder and more snowy city, I have to admit that I have a tendency to obsess over the forecast on weather.com. Being the control-freak-in-recovery that I am, knowing the hour-by-hour forecast is somehow very...comforting.

I have to remind myself not to stress out about it, because 1) I am back home this afternoon and have no other reason to go out driving; 2) it's pretty toasty warm in my apartment; and 3) I have the luxury of sitting in my room and looking out the window to watch the falling snow.

(If you are out and about and have to face the roads tonight, I'm sending you some positive energy.)

The other thing about snow days is that it reminds me to slow down. I am working mostly from home today but I just took a nice 10 minute break from work to get up, stretch, and enjoy a short tea ritual.

For me it always has to start with boiling water in a real kettle. No microwave water here. Microwaved water makes the tea taste flat.

Then I take this wonderful green tea blend from my favorite tea place in Cincinnati. I'm glad I got a refill when I went back for a visit a few weekends ago.

I take in the scents as I open the canister. Wine connoisseurs swirl their wine in their glass and take a sniff. I like opening canisters of good quality loose tea to take a whiff.

If I can make this a scratch-n-sniff photo I would. Just smelling it is an experience in itself.

Here's the description:

"Luminous green tea infused with cheerful mango-apricot flavors and flower blossoms. Evocative of a sunny spring meadow."

Isn't it beautiful?

Had this with some Meyer lemon bars which I made last Sunday. The tangy-sweet citrus flavors of the Meyer lemon bars complemented the tea nicely.

I sat in the kitchen to watch the falling snow. I sipped tea, took deep belly breaths, and felt thankful for being safe and warm today.

I have an even greater respect for those who drive the snow ploughs, who go out in the elements to keep us safe. Another reason to be thankful.

I send out positive energy to my loved ones who have to drive home from work tonight. I wish for your safety. You know who you are. :)

live in balance

"Live in balance between the head and the heart by filling your feelings with wisdom and your decisions with love." - Innerspace

the heart chakra

I've been reflecting on the heart chakra lately. I don't know if it's because Valentine's Day is coming up, as cliche as that sounds. I prefer to call it El Dia De Amor Y Amistad--the Day of Love and Friendship-- which is how February 14th is celebrated in other countries, as a good friend of mine told me (thanks, RZ).

Back to the heart chakra. This excerpt is from Yoga Journal:

"Through the heart chakra, we open to and connect with harmony and peace. The health of our heart center registers the quality and power of love in our life. In Sanskrit, the heart chakra is called Anahata, which means “unstruck” or “unhurt.” Its name implies that deep beneath our personal stories of brokenness and the pain in our heart, wholeness, boundless love, and a wellspring of compassion reside." - Barbara Kaplan Herring

I thought that was a beautiful definition.

It reminds me about what yoga really is - union. That yes, even with pain, sadness, and brokenness, we are all capable of offering love and compassion. And we are capable of receiving it too. It's all part of that oneness. We are also capable of being compassionate towards ourselves. Which I think is harder sometimes.

It makes me think about the thoughts, experiences, and memories that may keep me from being open in my heart's center. All these things that we hold on to, we feel in the tightness in certain areas of our body, when we contract and tighten to protect ourselves, or to keep from letting go of something that we need to let go of. Which is why backbending, a great heart chakra-opening pose, can be so challenging sometimes. I know it because my body doesn't lie. It's right there in my hip flexors. Ouch.

*Play background music here: "Fear... can stop your love and...love...can stop your fear..." (Morcheeba, Big Calm)*

I am reminded of how easy backbending is as a child. I remember doing it all the time as an 8-year-old, with hardly any discomfort. I wonder if it has to do with the fact that children are fully present. They let go. They may get into fights among themselves, and then not long after that they are fine. Well, life isn't that simple anymore. As adults, we tend to hold onto things longer.

 

(photo taken by Dad in New Hampshire, summer 2006)

 

I went to a challenging yoga class a few weeks ago. The instructor had us hold Warrior II (photo above) for what felt like a REALLY long time. Not only that, she had us go deeper, till your front thigh was parallel to the floor (still keeping knee above ankle). And this was after several sweaty sun salutations. And yes, we had to breathe deeply and fully (of course, right?!). Then she said, "Think about something that happened that is causing annoyance that you are holding on to. Sometimes it's something so petty, sometimes it's more serious. Visualize where your level of annoyance is. As you sink your hips lower into your Warrior, deepen your breath, and with every exhale, lower that level of annoyance. See the level go down with every exhale."

Whoa. Now that was intense.

But that's what the physical practice of yoga helps us with. It helps us recognize those areas in our life that we need to face and work through. Those things that cause us to tighten, contract, and close up. Those things that we need to let go of to move forward, so that we can be open, so that compassion can flow in and out of our hearts more easily. When we ease gently into a challenging asana and let go through the breath, or decide to let go of something that holds us down, we create space. We create space in our bodies, and we create space in our hearts and minds for more positivity to enter. That's what is so transformative about yoga.

A thought has been forming in my mind about a yoga practice of asanas for opening the heart chakra. More on that later...

chocolate for breakfast

 

 

Chocolate French Toast from this local restaurant. Three thick slices of chocolate bread (which had chocolate chips baked into the loaf). I order one plate, eat one slice, then take the other two slices home for breakfast for 2 more days. Quite an indulgence for $5.99.

I love this place.

is this heaven or what???

 

This local yoga studio is hosting a yoga + chocolate workshop this February, three weekends from now. The Saturday workshop is entitled "Yoga + Miracles: There's Nothing a Little Chocolate Can't Fix" and the Sunday workshop is "Chocolate-Covered Happiness". Two hours of vinyasa yoga for blissful stretching, followed by chocolate tasting. Sigh...

What could be better??

Find out more about the workshop here, and read more about the concept in this article here.

courage and inspiration

I've gotten into a habit of "naming" each year. 2009 was about TAKING ACTION. I have decided to name 2010 COURAGE and INSPIRATION. Courage, for the path ahead, and all its unknowns. Inspiration to keep going.

I've stepped outside my familiar, comfortable place -- professionally and emotionally. But it's all good. Really good. No regrets. But courage is still needed.

I realized that all my major decisions - of wanting change, of wanting more - have been guided by a need to be inspired. And I write about wanting "more" not in terms of things, but in terms of becoming.

I want to be able to inspire as well, however that may be. But I can only inspire another if I am inspired myself.

I've been revisiting this book lately - a translation of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. She writes about the sutras, or "threads" of yoga philosophy in such a thoughtful, yet accessible way. She makes it real.

Here are some of her translations of the yoga sutras:

Slow, peaceful exhalations can be used to restore and preserve balance.
Or engage the focus on an inspiring object.
Or cultivate devotion to the supreme, ever-blissful Light within.
Or dedicate yourself to anything that elevates and embraces your heart. 


- Nischala Joy Devi, The Secret Power of Yoga

I do think that our life's work is exactly that - dedicating ourselves to that which elevates and embraces our hearts.

What inspires me?
What elevates and embraces my heart?

In my "work" world:
- Solutions
- Committed teachers and professionals
- Better outcomes for children and families

In my "yoga and wellness" world:
- Balance
- A healthy body
- A clear, steady mind
- A compassionate heart
- A peaceful spirit

In my "photography/art" world:
- Visual images that can uplift and silence me

In my "food" world:
- Creativity: creating something from nothing (well, not really "nothing"... you always start with a foundation of good, fresh ingredients. But you know what I mean.)
- The need to nurture

I've decided that I can't let go of these other pieces. I just need to keep seeking out sources of inspiration, wherever that may be. Seeing the resiliency of a child. Reading a great article about an issue in my profession. Talking about solutions. Being in movement. Finding strength and focus in a deep belly breath. Tasting an explosion of flavors. Finding beauty in random, everyday moments. Nurturing love and friendship.

I know what inspires me. So the next question in my "life's work" is - how do I take these sources of inspiration and inspire the next person?

life's work

Gypsy Dancer
Cincinnati, OH, 2006

"Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart to give yourself to it."
- Buddha

This led me to think: Which one of these will it be?

- Early childhood intervention/special education
- Yoga & wellness
- Photography
- Food

I feel like each one of these is a little "world" in itself.  Each is a piece of a larger puzzle, and if one is missing, the puzzle won't be complete. But the question is -

Can I do all of them, and how do I do them equally well, without compromising one or the other? Or is there a conflict of interest going on here?

I'd like to hear from you: how do you balance it all? How do you put all the pieces of your life's work together?