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!

New adventures

So I have been given a new opportunity that could either fizzle out or take off and become something new and exciting. Since Jan. my hours wt work have been cut down to almost nothing and I am beginning to wonder how the bills are going to get paid. Then I thought why don't I teach canning classes. People want to learn how to do that and they want to save some money on food bills. It's a win-win!

More info to come as I get something finalized and figured out.