Rise Up and Shine Again

The recent and rather abrupt change in the weather from mild warmth to a somewhat more bitter chill made me start to think of the way in which we draw with in during the winter months. The earth settles down from the height of summers warmth and draws in to rest and renew during the fall and winter. Some people draw in during this time of year and use up there reserves of energy re-emerging somewhat dull and listless. Others draw in using the time to revitalize themselves, filling up with new energy and renewed creative spirit. 
As the chill in the air begins to get more pronounced allow the breath to become full and free, warming you from the inside out. Take some time each day to do something for yourself,  if it is sitting quietly with a cup of tea or talking a walk in your neighborhood. You will feel more revitalized.

Soup

I love soup, I would eat it everyday, at every meal if it was available. The rich variety of soup is limited only by your imagination. Of course the classics are always appropriate French Onion, Minestrone, Leek and Potato, Five Bean, Vegetable, Chowders of all variety, Tomato Basil, the list goes on and on. Why should we shun soup to the cold winter months or times of illness? Soup can be created out of almost any ingredients that you have on hand and with a little creative paring take classics and update them to your special tastes. 


As I become more sensitive to foods and how they affect my body and my mood I have been playing with ingredients to see what harmonizes with me and what does not. One thing I have noticed is that I seem to have an almost unquenchable thirst. There are days when no amount of fluid will keep that dry mouth feeling at bay. This is more pronounced the more dry foods I eat (breads, crackers those sorts of things) but a bowl of soup will help to add water to the desert. 

Soups also lend a sense of home to most meals. The warmth from the bowl, the  complex aroma can trigger a feeling of warmth and togetherness. Take a moment before you have your next bowl of soup to appreciate the simplicity of the meal. There is no reason that the most expensive and extravagantly prepared foods must be your favorite things, try to slow down and let simple be the guide for the day.

Lift Me Up

As I reached the end of a long day of teaching students began to trickle in for my last class of the day. The first student to arrive was a stout woman named Omaria with a lot of fire in her eyes and a little life experience in her pocket. She rolls out her mat front and center in the room and proceeds to go about her pre-class stretching and settling. We begin a casual conversation where she revels that she was going to go walking but decided to come to another yoga class instead that day. She then begins to tell me that she has been working on Crow pose and that it has been eluding her and she is at the point of frustration and about ready to give up. She then begins to rattle off a list of poses that she can do, ones that she has been working on and has succeeded with. She then shows me her crow attempt. Her form was nice she seemed balanced (if for only a few seconds). My suggestion was for her to bring her feet together and squeeze them together, hugging into the mid-line. So she immediately jumps back into it and eureka! Balance and confidence!
As other students began to trickle in and take there places in the room there was a mellowness to the class that fit perfectly with the lazy Sunday afternoon. As I normally do I ask if there are any requests for the class and as was expected Crow was requested. There were some murmurers from other students about that being a challenging pose that was scary at times thinking that face-plant-asana was very likely. So we worked hugging the mid-line and trying to get the shoulders firmly on the back to support the lift safely. Then before they knew it we were at Bakasana. Not one person backed down from the challenge, most were able to balance and fly for more than just a few seconds! It was lovely to suddenly be in a room full of birds flying so gracefully.
At the end of class as we are gathering up our stuff to leave and the remaining students are chatting about there experience in class, Omaria revels that she will be 63 in September. I hope to have her zest for life and fire to learn at that age. For Omaria I say thank you for your gift of determination, perseverance and sharing your enthusiasm for life!

My Quest for Curry

Ever have one of those days where your out running errands and realize that our are hungry? Looking around at the food options that are available and come up with bland over processed food that makes your tummy turn at the thought of it. Then suddenly you realize just exactly what you want. So you set out for that particular restaurant only to find that it has closed. This happened to me the other night and since then I have been on the quest for curry. I am not one of those people that backs down from a good cooking challenge having made some fairly good curry's at home before I went home and went directly to the spice cabinet. Gathering up all the spices necessary to make Garam Masala. Begin with toasting the whole spices and then grinding them. The aroma filling my kitchen was sweet and spicy. The recipe that I have used in the past marinades the meat in a yogurt spice  mixture. This is where I deviate from the original recipie. I add lots of chopped veggies and saute the meat rather than cooking on skewers over a fire. My quest for curry being complete I can now sit back and enjoy my feast.

New Years

It's January which means that New Years resolutions are being created and questioned simultaneously all around the world. This got me to thinking, who created the calendar that we use and why did they have the year begin in the heart of winter. Why not begin the year in spring? Then after some more thought it occurred to me that the heart of winter might actually be a better time to begin the year. During the dark months of winter you can begin to plant the seeds of intention that will lead to new habits. By planting a seed of intention rather than jumping full force into a complete lifestyle change you can be more gental with yourself if you have "a slip-up".

While considering resolutions for the new year it also occurs to me that generally people set resolutions from the end of the road. Many people set resolutions like: loose weight or stop spending money. These are fairly big ideas. Why not make small intentions that will set you on the road to the bigger goal.

Almost anyone can benefit from a smile. Perhaps there is something that happens fairly regularly in your life that just instantly gets under your skin, allow your self a moment to acknowledge the feeling of irritation then try to smile. Try to create an intention of greeting moments of irritation with a smile, perhaps a smile will being to spread to more aspects of life.

Threw the Looking Glass

Lets just get it out there now, this year has been horrible. Most of the people that I talk to have agreed with me on this point. There has been one or sometimes two major events in everyones lives this past year that have had  a made major impact on the quality and tone of everyday living. Even with all of the stress of the past year I can say that I am truly enjoying the ride so far. I get up in the morning and wonder at what the universe has planned for me for today. There are so many things to be excited by and in wonder and amazement of that I can't sit around and feel sorry for myself for too long. 
After this past weekend in Asheville I am seeing things in a new and fresh way. I can see that there are opportunities just around the corner that I haven't even dreamed up. Some of it will be hard and I am willing to accept that. I have never been one to back down from a challenge, perhaps change tactics and sneak up on it but not back down. 
Once we realize that there is more than what we can see with our eyes or feel with our skin we can really begin to feel alive and feeling alive is great!

Falling in Love with Fall

I love fall! Who doesn't really? The landscape changes color, the air gets crisp, and you are almost willed to be outside to soak up the last bits of summer. When the sun begins to set around 6 pm I am usually astounded to find myself still awake since the rest of the natural world has gone to bed. This year I have noticed the shift to fall was a bit more dramatic than I remember it being in the past. It almost seamed like I went to bed one night during the summer and the next morning it was fall. There the thought also occurs to me that we seem to be working in opposition with nature since we create our "busiest" season just as nature is telling us to take a break and relax a bit.Since we are a over connected, ultra caffeinated society we must keep up the busy pace that we set for ourselves during the summer right threw to January. 
I am of course not immune to the hectic scheduling of the holidays but this year has been one of hectic scheduling. I almost don't know what to do with myself if I'm not bouncing from one thing to another at this point so I am looking forward to trying to slow down and maybe take some time for myself. I have a feeling that my practice will grow in leaps and bounds threw this fall and winter. One of the side effects of being inside so much more is that I am one of those people that "needs something to do". I often find myself jumping up and wondering around the house usually aimlessly. If I have something to do that can calm that inner restlessness then perhaps I won't find myself wondering aimlessly.