This is lululemon’s January ad, which I think is funny…
I also *love* it because, just like Obama, yoga is all about taking action for change…
Anything is possible, but you can’t sit back and expect someone else to do it – you’ve got to act. Action brings progress and change. We’re all in it together, with a phenomenal leader. Let’s go for it!
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I went for it. And I love it. And it’s perfect. And I’m so happy. Before & after…
i live somewhere where the air is fresh and fog is a consistent presence. there are beautiful trees just a short distance from my modest home, with a small barn out back, perhaps big enough for one or two horses. it is a short drive to the city. my husband and two children, one boy and one girl, sit outside in the hammock under the trees contemplating life or creating home-made plays which they perform for me on weekends. our home is soft, fresh, clean, cozy, beautiful and understated. there are bright pink flowers growing in the yard, a small vegetable garden with corn growing in it and perhaps a strawberry patch. family photographs line the hallways of our home and show us all enjoying frequent excursions to places both near and far. my extended family isn’t too far away.
my movement studio is thriving, offering a variety of classes that stimulate the mind-body-spirit connection. i teach several classes per week and strive to provide a space for community and growth. i spend at least two days at home with my family and frequently help my kids with their homework. i spend one night per week on a date with my husband where we get out of the house without the kids.
i get outside to enjoy nature at least once per week, where i am able to sit or walk alone allowing time for reflection and meditation. we take two vacations per year, one as a family and one as a couple. at night, a cat is always there purring beside me. together as a family we strive toward greener living and we spend time talking about current events. i am lucky to have friends both near and far with whom i am in frequent contact.
we don’t get everything we want, but this might be what my life would look like in ten years if we did.
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I am finally getting around to adding some holiday photos…and some other things.
I did most of my shopping on December 23rd when the sky in Santa Monica was so beautiful I had to photograph it…
I worked on Christmas Eve day and December 26th, but I was still able to jump on plane for a short visit with my family. I enjoyed a mellow Christmas morning with my parents and then we had a sweet dinner at my Aunt Carole’s house, where everyone wore fun paper crowns. Here I am with my Grandma who was being particularly cute…
Upon my return R and I went to Akasha’s birthday {R’s brother Casey’s girlfriend} at the bowling alley! I heart bowling so much and it turns out despite unusual style, I am not that bad…
Akasha did a birthday bowling dance and thought I was taking a picture when I was really making a video…notice her start to wonder what’s happening.
We had a ton of good old fashioned fun…
We also spent New Year’s Eve with Casey & Akasha, but unfortunately I forgot to take snapshots of our chilled out celebration over pizza and cocktails.
All in all, it was a great couple of weeks of holiday celebration!
Happy New Year!
After a lot of processing, I have decided to keep most of what I learned about myself while doing yoga in Hawaii to myself so as not to “end” the growth by tying it up in a little bow and presenting it in words. What I will say is that I had a fantastic time, learned a lot about myself & about yoga and happily gobbled up the amazing and healthy food they cooked (3 square meals per day, which is something I never have). I did this while listening to the frogs sing loudly and proudly ~ the little dreamers who shout their desires out into the night enthusiastically. While there were several warm rainstorms, there was enough sun to feel like I was actually on a Hawaiian island, although I never made it onto a beach. (This was surprisingly ok with me and I kept busy on land).
I did, however, sit by the pool, where clothing was *optional*. Personally I chose option B: to wear my bikini, while doing my best to act nonchalant whenever anybody who chose option A walked by. (Kirsten, you would have died). And then I would pretend later that I hadn’t seen that person naked when I met them again doing yoga in their clothes. This was a very new experience for me and while I consider myself to be fairly progressive and liberal, I can say for sure that I will never sunbathe in the nude, unless I am deserted on an island by myself and my bikini is lost at sea. It’s not that I am offended by nudity: if you’re up for it, go for it! I was less uncomfortable that these other people were nude and more uncomfortable that I seemed to be in the clothed minority.
On the morning of my departure I rose at 5am to go to the edge of the island where the active volcanic lava pours into the ocean. We woke up early in hopes of catching this awesome sight in the dark, but we unfortunately got lost and didn’t make it there until sunrise. Luckily this was still a once in a lifetime sight. It was impressive to watch the red hot liquid of our earth pouring into the powerful waves of the ocean. I’ve included my photos of the whole trip right here, most of which are from this excursion…
I am so glad I gave myself the gift of this vacation and I hope to get the chance to experience more Forrest yoga in the year to come. I have narrowed it down to two different kinds of yoga training that I am interested in doing: Forrest & Anusara. Both of these styles inspire me in exciting ways and now the choice is which one to do first…I’ve set my goal to be teaching yoga by November 2009!
And I leave you here with this quote that I found at work the other day which seemed to beautifully and simply describe what I learned in Hawaii…
“Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.”
~Chinese Proverb
NAMASTE.
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