wedding day musings

After a ridiculously fun, memorable, exciting, and exhausting weekend my BFF is now a Mrs. Andy and I hosted about 40 of the bride and groom's family and close friends at our house. The Big Blue House held up exceptionally well. She did not burst at the seams. She held her own. Provided a place to to play cornhole for the adults, steps (with a landing) for kids to play on (fyi...kids love landings, all sorts of fun can happen here), a kitchen and dining room for drinking wine, eating vegetarian burgoo (and other meatie stuff I didn't partake in), and Derby Pie. The house was sprinkled with orange and brown balloons, candles, flowers, and photos of the bridge and groom, myself, and Andy.

The day of the wedding Liz and I woke at 7:00 and immediately got to making bouquets, arranging flowers, and pulling petals from orange and white roses. Liz took a flower arranging class in college. She is officially a pro now. She did the flowers for my wedding, her sisters wedding, and now her own. We had our nails painted, lunch, and our hair done. Everything was smooth as silk.
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We arrived at Chrissman Mill Winery, got ready, had some pics taken, and those of us that love the bride and groom crossed fingers, toes, and legs hoping that the rain would stay away. It was an outdoor wedding and reception. As we lined up to walk down a long path of steps, across the gravel, over the bridge to the gazebo....I saw lightning in the distance. I prayed. Yep, please hold off....even if just a short while. Give us 30 minutes. Puhhhhlease. I didn't know it but Andy was on Twitter sitting in his chair at the exact same time keeping updated on the weather. He read, "Severe weather storm alert. Surrounding areas of Lexington need to take cover. Now." I'm glad I didn't know that part.

The rained held off. The ceremony was really beautiful and touching. And rain free. Bride and groom were ready for this and it was really evident. We all celebrated the union, the kiss, and the declaration and husband and wifery with claps. And a bit o' cheers.

The rain came about 10 minutes after the ceremony was over. It rained buckets. And I must say here how so super impressed and proud of Liz I was. She never once frowned. She didn't say one single thing in a negative light. Not once. It's a testament to her. And the reasons for her marriage. It wasn't all about the details that she has literally poured her hands, heart and soul into for months. It wasn't about making everyone happy. It wasn't about perfection. It was about her and Tony. It was about them beginning the rest of their lives on a high note (rain or shine). It was about what she has waited for, not a union that is perfect or without flaws, but a union that it so very perfectly imperfect for her. These two are meant for one another.

Cheers to happily ever afters. We all deserve them.

my best friends wedding

I really enjoyed that movie. AND my best friend is getting married this weekend. This weekend! As in tomorrow!

The blog has been a wee bit neglected this week. We've been in full out wedding mode here at the Big Blue House. For my friends gift I took her out 15 days before her wedding day to celebrate our 15th year of friendship. Andy and I have been gifting one gift per day. It's been sooo much fun! Complete list to come. We're also hosting the rehearsal dinner so we've been at it all week. Andy even made his yummy vegetarian burgoo and I'm decorating the house with daisies,candles, and photos of the two lovebirds. :)

AND Eat Pray Love comes out tonight. Cant wait. I'll be spending the night with the BFF at her house. The groom will be spending the night here at the Big Blue Abode. If we get wedding duties under control Liz and I might hit the late showing. With Goobers (her have) and Reeses Pieces (my fave) in hand. Watching a movie with a happily ever after seems fitting for her happily ever after.

Wishing you a happy happy weekend. May it be a delight-full one. :)

retreat & return

Students and friends have been asking me about my re-entry from Mexico. Actually I think this was the easiest year yet for re-entry into "real life, real world" stuff. Maybe so for a few reasons:

1. I was there for three weeks. My longest visit yet. And while I would have been happy to stay longer, I was happy to come home. When Andy and I were driving home from Cincy from the airport, after gazing out the window and observing the scenery I said, "Ky is beautiful too. Different than Tulum, but so beautiful in a much different way." I quickly connected to how much I love KY. I haven't always felt this so soon in coming back.

2. I got to come home with Andy. And that made me happy, making that transition with him. It seems interesting cause one would think that being there without him would make re-entry easy. Not the case. Andy has always had a hard time understanding why it's such a challenge to me in coming home. The noise, the tv, the food, the driving, the traffic, the talking ;) ....in the past it's always been a little overwhelming for me. After being at Maya Tulum for a week and getting into this natural rhythm, enjoying no tv, no phone, and little interaction with people, Andy finally got it. It was even a challenge for him getting to that bus stop in Tulum, taking the ride with "all those people", AND THEN subjecting ourselves to all those people in Cancun. Uh oh. Tough. Tough. Tough. Now he gets it.

3. When our sweet student suddenly passed away I felt a deep longing to get back home. And particularly to the studio. It just felt like the place that I needed to be. And the place that I wanted to be. I missed the BW's teachers. I missed the BW's students. I missed walking into our beautiful studio. I missed the teaching. That being said, it took me a few days to get back into my teaching game. I felt really raw and emotional with the passing of L. But there is nothing like teaching at the studio when I've been away. It really feels like coming home. Cliche as that is.

4. The BW's teachers totally rocked while I was away. They made it so easy so step back into the studio and teaching. I was pretty amazed at how well organized everything was. Student accounts were good, plants were alive, the studio was clean, students were happy. Wow...pinch myself cause I'm pretty damn lucky to have such committed yoga teachers. Thanks to all of you.

5. My BFF is getting married. This coming Saturday! And we're hosting the rehearsal dinner at the Big Blue House on Friday! There was so much happening while I was away that I missed out on. I was excited to come back and be a part in the pre wedding festivities. Andy and I have waited a long time for her to meet Mr. Right (not that she hasn't, right ;) and we can't wait to have a big ol' partay and celebrate the nuptials. I'm giving a toast....and wondering if I'll get it out minus tears?

6. I'm going back to Mexico in October! It was totally easier for re-entry just knowing that I'll be back in Mexico. Usually when I leave there is a feeling of "Oh, I wonder when I'll be back....pfftt, pffft." And I get sad. Not this year! Cause I'll be going back to lead our first ever (and already sold out) 200 hour yoga teacher training in....drum rolllll....Tulum, Mexico! Sorry I couldn't resist.

Alrighty yoga and blog friends....
have a super sweet week!

creating

“The truly creative mind in any field is no more than this: A human creature born abnormally, inhumanely sensitive. To them… a touch is a blow, a sound is a noise, a misfortune is a tragedy, a joy is an ecstasy, a friend is a lover, a lover is a god, and failure is death. Add to this cruelly delicate organism the overpowering necessity to create, create, create — so that without the creating of music or poetry or books or buildings or something of meaning, their very breath is cut off… They must create, must pour out creation. By some strange, unknown, inward urgency they are not really alive unless they are creating.” - Pearl Buck

Pondering this and thinking it's going into "Sharon' new definition of contentment" file.

today's remedy

Today's remedy was teaching yoga....hands down. I had a pretty hectic, mind here, there, and all around sorta day. My day went like this:
7:00 - 8:30: wake, run, yoga, shower
8:30 - 9:00 respond to emails work on
9:00 - 12:00 walk to coffee shop in Nicholasville...work on august newsletter and checking in with teacher trainees for Mexico coordinating coursework prior to arriving in Mexico, talk with Teresa about a Sanskrit session on conf. call with said trainees, text Lisa about meditation call with said trainees.
12:00 - 12:30 walk home and enjoy a yummy lunch of toast, avocado, hummus, tomato, cucumber
12:30 - 1:00 finish and email newsletter, email with mexico trainees, process payments
1:30 - 2:00 review anatomy and physiolgy for ayurveda module. feel a little scared about today's talk with teacher.
2:00 - 2:45 skype with ayurveda teacher, review homework and quiz for module 2. goes much better than I anticipated.
3:00 - 3:30 leave for studio
3:30 - 4:00 happy to see Meredith, catch up, sign in students for teen yoga
4:00 - 5:00 go to Panera to do work while teen yoga is happening. Have a terrible cappucino (note to self never order this from here), work on breaking down nearly 200 pages of yoga teacher training material for Mexico into four documents to put on online forum. files are too big. or I'm in the wrong place. And there is a man at the table next to me gagging into a napkin what feels like every thirty seconds, making it really hard to suck down the nasty capucinno. I'm definately getting a little sick to my stomach. I get a break when he goes out to smoke. I try not to make judgements. It's hard. I want to tell him about ayurveda. I opt not to and continue with no success in getting manual uploaded.
5:00-5:15 arrive back at studio. chat with the cute yogi's, say good bye to Meredith
5:20 first student arrives for 5:45 class. It's time....lets do this!

5:30 - 9:00 teach yoga class and go over teacher evaluation. Thank you sweet students. Thank you for coming to the studio and working to bring peace and ease to your body, mind, and spirit. On a day like today in which I felt so scattered and so all over the place you provided me an opportunity to get outta my thinking head (in a way that wasn't feeling so good) and focus on you.

You gave me a job, a very fulfilling and rewarding job....and once again I finished teaching yoga and felt such peace. I love my job so much. Thanks for the reminder. It's truly appreciated.

avoiding discomfort

Last Thursday after I finished at the studio at 7:00 I went downtown to a student visitation. She was a student of the studio that suddenly passed away while I was in Mexico. It was important to me to go meet her husband and her children and pay tribute to her.

By the time I arrived over 2000 people had been in to see her. I got into the line and waited patiently. It was interesting to hear people around me talk about Lucy, her family, and her peace filled ways. At that moment I felt very lucky to get to know Lucy. I felt lucky that yoga brought her into the studio, therefore into my life.

Before reaching Lucy's husband I wondered what to say to him. "I'm your wife's yoga teacher." "I was your wife's yoga teacher." I simply wasn't sure of the best way to address it. In the end I'm not even sure what I said, but I do remember the look that washed over his face. Our hand shake evolved into an embrace. He told me how many times he saw her looking over our schedule, wondering when she could make it in. He said she loved yoga. She loved the studio. And she loved me. I moved over and met three of her four kids, all males. I was astounded by both their strength and the struggle of being there. It took all I had to keep the tears in.

I made it to my car and the tears flowed freely. I felt such sadness for her family. Such sadness that people that are needed so much get taken quickly, without reason. I went to reach for my phone, to check it....see if I missed a call, a text message, anything.

And then I got it, I was simply distracting myself to avoid the discomfort of dealing with my emotions. Checking my phone was a lot easier than staying with the feelings of sadness.

Rather than zoning out I checked in with myself, first my body. I felt a lot of sensation on the left side of my abdomen. There was lots of energy buzzing in this space. I noticed my breath. My breathing was shallow and I could feel my chest rising and falling with the inhale and exhale.

I began to work on evening and deepening my breath. And when I did so I felt the sensations in my abdomen subside. I relaxed my face, my shoulders, my belly, hips and thighs.

Then I allowed myself to check in with my emotions. I felt a wave of sadness wash over my whole body. I let myself experience the grief I felt for my student and her family. I didn't try to censor myself, or hold it in, or hide it. I allowed myself to be present with all of it.....anger, frustration, sadness, confusion.

Now I'm thinking about how often we do this in life....both on the yoga mat and off. On the yoga mat we might avoid discomfort by fidgeting, scanning around the room, coming out of a pose early, or completely drifting off to another place or time.

Off the yoga mat we might avoid discomfort by simply removing ourselves from a situation (this use to be my all time fave way and I still resort to it now and then), we say mean things, we shrink down, we eat, we drink, we shop, we give up.

So today I'm thinking of healthier ways of being with discomfort. For me, the most readily accessible ways are checking in with the body and the breath. So much to learn here. And some other things I do:

1. Write....get it out of my mind and onto paper.
2. Talk to someone....for me it's not about someone having an answer for me, but just listening, holding space the yogi's, life coaches, and new agers would say. :)
3. Get outside.....connecting with nature it always helpful for me.
4. Listen to a song that helps me to feel whatever emotion I'm feeling...ranging from a sad song, angry song, inspiring song, and a song to express joy by shaking my booty.
5. Take a bath.
6. Scream into a pillow. And perhaps hit it a time or two.

Do you ever find yourself reaching for the phone, the radio, the computer, chocolate, or a drink when you are feeling strong emotions?

As many times, the first step is awareness. We have to cultivate listening to the part of us that's usually quieter and stiller....but oh so wise. The one that whispers and says....hey wait a minute, let's just pay attention to this, we don't have to act right now.

aliveness

that day I saw beneath dark clouds
the passing light over the water
and I heard the voice of the world speak out,
I knew then, as I have before
life is no passing memory of what has been
nor the remaining pages of a great book
waiting to be read.

it is the opening of eyes long closed
it is the vision of far off things
seen for the silence they hold
it is the heart after years of secret conversing
speaking out loud in the clear air.

it is Moses in the desert fallen to his knees
before the lit bush
it is the man throwing away his shoes
as if to enter heaven and finding himself astonished,
opened at last,
fallen in love
with solid ground

- david whyte

I just read this poem in an email I received and got goose bumps. A clear sign of it's power for me. With the sudden death of a dear student I'm thinking a lot about the spirit of life. Thinking about how short life really is, even if we live to be 100. As I told Teresa today, our time here on earth is like the blink of an eye. We are only blips in this universe.

It's time to truly dig in, celebrate, dance up a storm and enjoy this earth party. The words "urgency" and "aliveness" keep coming to mind. To live life day to day with a sense of urgency. Cause to me it is urgent. Urgent to life fully. To dare. To take risks. To open our eyes. Our hearts too. To do good. To be good. As a sign I recently read says "aspire to inspire before you expire".

And this sense of aliveness comes not from extravegant gifts, or big trips (not even those to my beloved Mexico although they inspire aliveness), nor marriages, or jobs. It comes from a deep rooted place in your soul. It is the fire in your heart. The knowingness in your belly. It is known not only by monks, gurus, or poets, but also those living quiet ordiary lives, day in and day out.

Living with this aliveness doesn't require you to quit your job. Or even change your job. It doesn't require a monthlong silent retreat. Or a trip up the Himalayan Mountains. It requires that you let your defenses down. That you recongnize your fears and vulnerabilities. It demands that you wake up. That you say (or shout or dance) YES to the immensity of life.

And when you do this saying, shouting, or dancing of YES....when you truly believe that you are deserving of the beauty and the power that exists in life...Well, I am willing to bet that your life will unfold in such a way that it will shake you to your core. In the most delicious of ways.

That's all I got for today. Amen. Namaste. Peace.
Love to Lucy. The world weeps without you. And rejoices the days you walked this earth.

adios mexico, hola kentucky

Andy and I had such an easy and enjoyable trip home today. I even got a bunch of work finished on the flight. Created the packing list for teacher training in Mexico as well as five pages of notes for a packet of info I'm creating for the participants. It will include ways to prepare for the training physically, energetically, mentally and emotionally. I really love this stuff so I'm super excited about pulling it all together.

We've only been home just over an hour. We've unpacked our bags, put some laundry on, gone through the mail, and purged some unidentifiable things from the fridge.

I've cozied myself into my bed that I love so much. Burning copal incense, listening to relaxing tunes, and gave myself a little foot massage with tridoshic oil to prepare for the winding down and settling in. It's all part of the effort of easing back into life, into my routines here at home.

It still seems crazy to me that you can be in one country in the morning and hop a flight and land in your own bed later in the evening. We live in a pretty amazing world don't we? Kentucky and the Big Blue House are looking particularly beautiful to me. Funk in the fridge and all. I sometimes take all of "this" for granted.

I'm also feeling drawn to getting back to regular posts on the blog. Feeling like I've neglected her for a while. Hoping that will change as I make a true effort to exercise my writing chops. ;) I have lots of discoveries I want to share. Like my very own way of defining contentment and the nasty little mind gremlins I encountered about giving myself three weeks in Mexico.

Buesos noches amigas. I've got a new Kriapu catalog calling my name. I'll see you soon....

the sucky and the sweet of being in mexico for three weeks

Hola friends! As I write this Andy and I are sitting in the hotel lobby in Cancun. We've checked out of our room and we're waiting to get to the airport for our flight home today. I thought this would be a good time to write about the good and bad of my trip as I don't want to be that annoying person that only reveals the rainbows without honoring the rain too:

THE SUCKY
**Losing my purse in Tulum. After putting a hold on my credit cards, catching a taxi back into town, and visiting the stores we had been in the previous night my purse was no where to be found. I made peace with it being gone and the coffee and cake with Rhonda certainly helped. I was ecstatic when Rhonda found it in her luggage when we got back. But boy, what a terrible feeling?

**My mama making the statement that she'd rather go to South Carolina to visit the beach than Tulum. What??? Oh hell, did she really say that?! Yep she did. I had to understand that this wasn't exactly an easy trip for her.

**A harmless comment that a retreatee made that brought some old insecurities directly to the surface.

**Andy and I adapting together in paradise. For me in Tulum I walk slowly and bow often. Everything feels like God to me here. Andy runs into the waves tackling and bows to margaritas.

**Having a freak out moment during teaching a class. It had been a while since I have experienced that. Quite humbling....after the fact.

**Losing my key to my room and safety box.....permanently. They had to cut open the safety box and replace it. I see a theme with losing things on this trip.

**Missing my best friend. And she's getting married in August. So I was away during a pretty crucial time.

**Leaving the sweetness of Tulum for the chaos of Cancun. Andy and I have certainly realized that the all inclusive Cancun thing is, well, not our thing. Now we know. We'll never leave Tulum early again. Ever.

**The suckiest, most terrible thing ever...hearing of a student passing away just yesterday. I hoped. And I prayed for her when I heard she was in the hospital. I got an email that she had passed. I cried. And I prayed for her family. This news broke my heart.

THE SWEET
**Sleeping in the same room as my mom and sis. It's been a long time.

**Making breakfast with Joel....fruit salad, grilled tortillas with avocado and tomato, and coffee made in french press pot. So simple. So good.

**Seeing two students from the studio at Maya Tulum with their eyes sparkling and hearing "This place is magical. I can see why it's hard to describe this place." yes hard to describe, but easy to love.

**My sister meeting and having a treatment with Fabian. Now she knows of his special-ness and healing ways.

**A long dark walk up the beach with Rhonda underneath a blanker of stars.

**Teaching and learning from a pretty amazing group of yogis at Maya Tulum. YES to this group, this place, and this thing called Yoga.

**Seeing two (yes two!) turtles make their pilgrimage to the beach, dig a hole in the sand, lay tons o' eggs, cover the hole, and return to the sea. Holy moly, that was special.

**Our whole yoga group (14 total) doing temazcal (sweat lodge) together.

**Witnessing strangers form deep deep everlasting friendships.

**Doing yoga in the sea with Sarah.

**Granola. And more granola.

**Getting treatments. Sweet sweet healing treatments. And walking the sandy treatment path, smelling copal, and knowing that someone was getting a delicious and healing treatment.

**Singing and dancing with retreatees. And running into the sea. Tackling the waves. Ala Andy.

**Showing and experiecing Tulum with Andy. My home away from home. He now sees what all the fuss is about.

**Snorkleing with Andy at Xel Ha, natures own aquarium. Walking the labrynth together. Exploring the town, eating with the locals at Don Cafetos. Eating ice cream. Doing yoga.

**My solo hour long walk on the beach after breakfast. Just me, the sea and Michael Franti singing about seeing you in the light.

**No blow drying or make-upping for 21 days.

**Discovering skype.

**Being barefoot and fancy free for ten straight days.

**Knowing that when I get home it's time to buy another ticket back to Mexico for our yoga teacher training here. :)

I'll be getting in Cincy around 6:30 tonight and back to the studio tomorrow teaching. This is certainly a sweet part of returning home. I've missed you. And can't wait to see you.....

mexico love

Hola Yoga Amigas!

I haven't been quite as diligent as I thought I'd be here in Mexico about the blogging. Sometimes the intentions don't quite manifest,eh?

I still cant quite believe that I've been here nearly two weeks. That my fam was herre, that the retreat has come and gone, and that Andy is here....and getting a hot stone massage now as we speak.

The retreat went so super well. I know I say it each year....but it truly keeps getting better. I continue to be amazed at the beauty that unfolds when you bring open and like minded people together in a magnificent natural setting and explore yoga and self reflection.

The week with the group went super fast. Everyone seemed to love the food, the yoga, the people here, the beach, the treatments, and of course they loved our fave healer/shaman Fabian. In fact our whole entire group did the local sweat lodge, temazcal. We all set beautiful intentions, hung in there for all four rounds, and were rewarded with an outdoor shower where we were individually covered in a big fresh sheet and invited to lie down on the ground and gaze at the most beautiful sky filled with billions of stars.

As the retreatees were leaving Saturday Andy arrived. I was so happy to finally get to share this place that I love so much. He is pretty amazed by the beauty here. The wonderful people too.

We've been spending lots of time on the beach, eating at different places, getting massage, and I'm doing yoga daily here at Maya Tulum. Today we went into town for lunch and shopping. I bought the cutest white skirt that was made in Cancun.

Tomorrow we plan to go to Xel Ha, the open sea aquarium with tons of nature lovin activities. We hear it's the natural equivalent of Disney World. I'm sure it will be fun and while I know that I should be ready to see lots o' people, still not sure I'm quite ready. I put shoes on today for the first time in nine days. Sandals, but they were shoes nonetheless.

I just spoke with Teresa and she lovingly assured me that all is well at the studio. Makes me feel very happy. I cant help but feel super duper lucky being here in Mexico for three weeks and having teachers that I know are taking good care of everybody. Blessed. I. Am.

And still feeling over the moon that my mom was here. And I got to hang out with the fam here in the tropics. Read. And laugh. Revel in the joy of it all.

maya tulum retreat - day 3

Hola Amigas (and amigos too)!

We're into day three of our retreat here in paradise....otherwise known as Maya Tulum. All but one person from the group arrived on Saturday. I have to say that it's really a great group. Although I think I'm pretty lucky in working with yogi's. It's pretty hard to complain about em". ;)

We have 14 total people in our group. Myself and Sarah as teachers, four BW's yogis, two gals from the Lexington area, two from Arlington Va, Toronto, Orange County, Miami, and Playa Del Carmen. Ten yoginis and two yogi's. Good peeps.

I had tons o fun being here with my family. I left them on Saturday to come to Maya Tulum (about 25 minutes down the beach). Was very happy to see them yesterday briefly. Rhonda came down for a holistic massage with Fabian (she too now knows what I mean about him), them mama and Joel walked down to have breakfast. I got to show them my home when I'm here, and introduce them to people I've gotten to know over the years of coming here. Plus they got to meet some people from the studio which was fun.

After they left I felt a tiny bit sad. But then commenced with a dance party in my cabana to celebrate that my mom was actually in Tulum! Crazy. Happy. YES to mondo beyondo dreams when they come true.

I will be going down to visit the folks at Cabana La Lunas today also. This is where we'll have the training in the fall. Sarah is going to come along.

I'll teach two sessions today and Sarah one tonight. I don't have any treatments scheduled for today, so it's gonna be me and the sea today. On a date.

I do miss all the sweetness of the studio. The students , the teachers, the familiarity. But I must say that being here feels so easy, so natural, so good. And t Leaving me feeling very happy today that I still have two more weeks here in Mexico. I must take a photo on my phone of the yoga hall we practice in so you can see how much it looks like the studio. We dont have the bright flowers of Sunshine Grown Shop, but we can see and feel the ocean and hear the loveliest of birds chirping. Lucky lucky gal.

And Andy will be arriving Saturday! Saturday...yep Andy will be here. :)

I'm gonna sign off and prep a bit for this mornings class. I hope that each of you are feeling blessed and lucky today....no matter where this message finds you.

Un abrazo.....

todays highlights

Doing yoga on the front porch at 6:30 this morning and have the cutest dog join in and immediately demonstate a perfect up and down dog. He then proceded to nibble Joel's ear in cobra and my big toe in standing forward fold. We decided to cut the session short and take Chipitali for a walk down the beach.

More mango deliciousness. Yummmmm.....

Three dips in the sea for jumping into waves, floating atop the waves, and getting smashed by them too. One that slammed me into Rhonda and during the flailing of her arms she punched me in the lip. Got a wee little swelling in the ol' liperoo.

Tomato and avocado sammies. And real coka cola. With real sugar.

Reading/reviewing materials for the retreat in hammock.

Studying ayurveda seaside.

Delicious dinner with wine, bread, nuts, pasta, hot tea, chocolate mousse... followed by a dark walk up the beach with Rhonda in which we wondered if we would see our lil cabana. It is super dark on the beach, which is a big plus to me. It is simply beautiful. We found our sweet little cabana. We waited outside with Joel and mama caught a taxi back.

I sit. And gaze at the stars. And gratitude unfolds.

made it to mexico!

Hola! As I sit here typing, this is the view I see! Yeah, pretty amazing. And I'm not taking a second of it for granted. :)

Travels yesterday were uneventful. Thankfully so since it was my mom's first flight. She was a trooper. She started in the window seat then ended up swapping with me for the middle seat. Turns out she didn't like looking out so much. But she did want to see out the clouds so I took some on her camera.

We are stayling at Playa Selva in a traditional cabana that is two stories. The living space, bathroom, and small bed are downstairs (where Joel is sleeping) and a nice big bedroom upstairs with a kind and single bed for myself, mom, and sis. And we have a porch and a balcony to enjoy view like above.

Yesterday and part of today have been stormy. Something was brewing out in the sea that they thought might turn into a hurricane. Happy to say it didn't. We did have some rain and high winds. The water was a bit more green. But now it's back to the Carribean blue (which makes mama a happy gal) and a great ocean breeze that is refreshing.

I woke at 6:30. It was too cloudy to see the sun rise. I did spend about an hour doing yoga and meditation. We made a delcious fruit salad with mango (oh myyyyy, so good), pear, apples, and banana. It was a sweet surprise to have all this tasty fruit at our cabana.

We took a long walk on the beach and got ready to go into town. The owners of Playa Selva were going into town so they offered to take us. Again, it's the small touches like this that make me love it here so much. We went to an Italian restaurant and had great pizza and orangeade. It was right next to Tulums only supermarket. We loaded up on goodies for the week and caught a taxi back.

Spend time on the beach, a little splashing in the water, then Ayurveda studies. I am skyping (first time) with my teacher tomorrow to see how I'm progessing. My sister sits next to me, my mom is reading in front of me on the balcony, and I hear Joel chattering Spanish downstairs as he in getting a private lesson. Life is good. :)

Hugs, kisses,and sun salutations from Mexico.....

subs & book clubs!

I'm very thankful for the sweet and talented yoga teachers that will be subbing while I'm away. What a great time for you to get to learn from other teachers?! I know that you'll appreciate them as much as me.

You can view the classes and teachers here.

I also left info about book club out of the email newsletter. Thanks to Jeanne for the info...

This month, we're back to our regular time of noon on Sunday, July 25. Our book, "The Prophet" by Kahlil Gibran, proves to be another inspiring read. K will be leading the discussion. The Morris Book Shop will have copies available for us -- or will be able to order them with a quick turn-around.

See you there -- and bring a friend and a veggie snack, if you wish. And remember, you are welcome to attend even if you haven't read the book.

Off to visit a place so warm, so tropical, so magical, so full of yoga love that they hang yoga mats out to dry on a line. :)

retreat theme & bathing suit story

I just finished all of my materials for the retreat to Mexico! Yay, so happy! Now all I've gotta do is get them copied and stuffed into the folders for retreatees. This year's theme is "Journey into Bliss" and we'll be working through the koshas.

Yoga classes feel so divine for a reason. The reason being that we are much more than a body. Much more than mind. The practice of yoga lets us touch on the other aspects or layers of oneself.

Essentially they are
*body
*breath
*mind
*wisdom
*bliss

They start at the outermost level (physical) and work more inward (to spirit). Each day we'll start with a short talk about the kosha of the day, have a practice geared to this kosha, and in the handouts retreatees will have notes about ways to explore and bring the kosha into balance. I've also got a list of journaling inquiries for each kosha.

Hoping this will give enough form to learn about the koshas in a group setting and also freedom for those wanting to explore the koshas in greater depth. That's all for now. Don't want to give too much away since some of you reading will be attending. But there will be a few surprises.

Must go now and get to packing. One exciting thing from the weekend was finding the perfect bathing suit that I was looking for. Andy and I were in Owensboro this weekend. I always love going cause Andy's mom has every magazine under the sun. And well....I'm a sucker for mags. I was looking through Health and flipped to the section for bathing suits. You know the bit, "find the perfect suite for you."

I browsed through and saw a really sweet one piece. I looked at the brand (Caribbean Joe) and the price ($75) and thought...."that would be perfect!".
But knew I didn't have time to order and was only hoping this late in the game that I'd find a new bathing suit period.

BUT I went shopping with Andy's mom. We went to TJ Maxx first. I went straight to the bathing suits...flipping through the racks....then coming straight to the exact bating suit I just saw in Health magazine. I tried it on. Purchased it for only $19. And walked out a super happy camper. :) Still can't believe it!

**Pic is of my brother and sis, her first flight to Mexico last January. Next up is my mama and her first flight! Love being a part of it.**

yoga classes

Greetings Yogis!

Just wanted you to know that we are having all of our regularly scheduled classes this weekend. You can enjoy yoga today at 10:30 and tomorrow at 4:30 or 6:00. Enjoy!

Wishing you a day filled with sunshine, sparkles, and happy summer moments. :)

slow down summer

How can it already be July? Dear sweet July, how did you come so quickly? This morning I was thinkin' about how terribly excited I am about going to Mexico for three whole weeks.

Three whole weeks.... Yip,Yip, Yooray!!

But you know what I find myself so very task oriented that the days just breeze on by. I complete one task. Then another. Then another.

Doing all the things I need to do before leaving the country for three whole weeks. Which makes me feel like I wish my life away. Like I'm not really present with what I'm doing at the moment.

Case in point, last week I retreated at a local b&b to get all my work completed for the upcoming training in Mexico. It felt so very great to be there with the intention of getting serious work done for this training. And it felt so very good to be there, to feel in the flow, to have uninterrupted time to devote to something that I loved working on.

I would stop and go out walk around the horse farm, hop over to my yoga mat and do some yoga, sit on the balcony and have a snack, talk to Andy. Then back to work. Happily back to work.

As soon as I finished it was on to do work for the upcoming retreat. Again super fun work. More goodness. More stuff that I love. But I'm getting the feeling that summer is slipping away and I want it to linger longer.

So rather than blame myself and my tendency to fill myself with stuff to do, I'm gonna cut myself some slack and think about ways to find more space in my life. And my planner too. Andy will be back in school shortly and summer will be over sooner rather than later.

Things I could do:
**Give myself a day or two between projects to not jump right into something new.

**Schedule play time into each day. I'm seeing a reoccurring theme of the importance of play for me. This could take form of a dance class, or dancing in my entry foyer, hula hooping (we do have some at the studio thanks to Lisa, playing a video game with Andy, using the fabulous Shift Deck from Grace, blowing bubbles, etc.

**Explore not talking work stuff with Andy, my family, and friends for a week and see how I feel afterwards....better or worse?

**Let the sand and sea work their magic while I'm in Mexico. To plan less, to play more. To sit with the mystery of life. Be open to magic.

Then summer might slow down.?
It might not.
But either way, maybe I'll be ok with it?

**No photo today. I'm on my "pink book" (netbook) at the hair salon. Gettin a cut and how some new hi-lights. That says summer, right

usa

This is pretty great. Watch the guy at 3:30. Sheer excitement.
Happy Friday my friends. Have a magical day.

Sarah and I will be making eye pillows for the Mexico retreatees today.
Pretty excited about some creative fun. :)

just plain happy

Greetings Friends!

I'm at the studio enjoying a full plate of work. Right now I'm preparing for a four hour long session I'll be teaching in Louisville this weekend to a yoga teacher training group. Topics include intro To ayurveda and yoga therapy.

I'm looking through some of my books and manuals and compiling my information. I ran across the passage by Henry Miller and wanted to share:

"It's good to be just plain happy;
it's a little better to know that you're happy;
but to understand that you're happy
and to know why and how.....and still be happy,
be happy in the being and the knowing,
well that is beyond happiness, that is bliss."

I spend a lot of time debating happiness, satisfaction, fulfillment, bliss, and the idea of contentment. This statement is really sticking.

To believe with our whole heart that we can indeed create the things we need to fulfill our needs, hopes, and desires is blowing me away these days. And to find happiness and freedom within those places....the exciting and the ordinary is the thing I'm looking for most these days.

How about you? In what ways are you just plain happy these days?

**Photo of baby Zoey born one day before my birthday last year....a happy day indeed.

ordinary feats

"This is my practice. It is not anything special you need to learn. It is not some new information you need to get. It is nothing you haven't heard before. It is just a turn you might not yet have made, or made again, and again, and again. A turn toward intimate engagement with the life you already have.

The instructions are in your hands. And when you follow them, you arrive clear and fresh - free of heartache, failure, fear, anger, and judgement - into a ready made life of deep peace and genuine satisfaction. Fulfillment derives not from lofty achievements, but from ordinary feats. It arrives not once in a lifetime, but every moment of the livelong day." ~ Karen Maezen Miller, Hand Wash Cold

I just finished this book today and I highly recommend it. It's a quick yet deeply satisfying book at only 169 pages. The subtitle "care instructions for an ordinary life" and book content in general speaks to my cute and restless self. :)

PS - This time in exactly three weeks I'll be meeting new students from across the US and greeting students from KY at our yoga retreat to Tulum, Mexico! And enjoying that beautiful Caribbean water. :)

owning all of mySelf

I've been thinking a lot about the many "selves" that exists within each of us. This started a couple weeks ago when life coach Grace came into town and presented to our teacher training group. It continued on as I began my readings for my Ayurveda course. My first chapter is on Philosophy, and it's really juicy.

I enjoyed a section in which it speaks about health and disease. The American Heritage Dictionary defines health as, "the state of an organism functioning normally without disease or abnormality. Any state of optimal functioning, well being or progress."

In Sanskrit (the language of yoga and ayurveda) the word for health is svastha. "Sva" means self and "stha" means established. So svastha means established in the self. This really appeals to me much more than our western definition.

In most Vedic literature there are two "selves". There is "Self" spelled with a capital S, the one which signifies our highest self, the part that is connected to a higher power, the one that expresses our highest virtues.

Then there is "self" spelled with a lower case "s", signifying our lower self, the part that is ego based. This sense of self would be called "self esteem" in the West.

Ayurveda says that to enjoy perfect health we need to bring each of our “selves” to the table. We need our higher Self to be awake, aware and connected to a higher purpose thus guiding us towards self realization. We also need our lower self to have a healthy outlook, a positive self esteem, to interact with the world in supportive ways, to teach and guide us on journey towards bliss.

See...so juicy!!

This led me to think about one of the sessions with Grace on personas. We explored them in a playful, identified different personas, understanding that who we are can be quite complex and that at different times in our lives we need to call on different personas.

We identified personas that have brought recognition.
Personas that have gotten us into trouble.
Ones that have brought success and so on.

I am seeing these as my "subselves".

Some of my personas I identified were:
**Tender Foot (the one that is reeeallly sensitive)
**Rebel Girl (the one that is resistant to authority)
**The Dreamer (the one that believes anything is possible)
**The Wise One (the teacher, thinker, philosopher)
**Cute & Restless (Lisa shared a reading one day in yoga class and all I recall was something about "acutely restless", which I immediately resonated with. Upon telling my Yoga BF Shelli whom is equally restless, she thought I said "cute and restless" which is much more fun)
**Mrs. Fix It (the one that wants to take save everyone and immediately wants to take their pain away)

Upon first working with this I had to think about how it resonated for me in terms of being authentic. That's a word I use a lot. And an idea that is important to me. More so now that I continue to bring forth who I am without wanting to change me.

I looked up the definition of authentic. Merriam Webster says:
Authentic mean being actually and exactly what is claimed. authentic implies being fully trustworthy as according with fact.

Wikipedia says that in the study of communication persona is a term given to describe the versions of self that all individuals possess. Behaviours are selected according to the desired impression an individual wishes to create when interacting with other people. Therefore, personae presented to other people vary according to the social environment the person is engaged in, in particular the persona presented before others will differ from the persona an individual will present when he/she happens to be alone.

I came to the conclusion that owning all of my "selves" is an authentic expression of who I am. And that acting in accordance to who I am (which may mean accessing one of my personas) is being authentic.

Not expressing my authenticity would be acting from the role of "The Wise One" when inside I was wanting to express "Rebel Girl"....not owning my truth, and not fully expressing what I was feeling.

I'm just in the beginning stages of thinking/playing with this. I'm sure there is much to be said!

So, what do you think? About how health is defined, what it means to you, all of your "selves", etc. Would really love your thoughts on this one. :)

PS - Photo above is during one of my rebel girl moments...hence the look on my mama's face.

yearning for good

I, the fiery light of divine wisdom,
I ignite the beauty of the plains,
I sparkle the waters.
I burn the sun and the moon and the stars,
With wisdom I order all rightly.
I adorn the earth.
I am the breeze that nurtures all things green.
I am the rain coming from the dew
That causes the grasses to laugh
With the joy of life.
I call forth tears, the aroma of holy work.
I am the yearning for good.

~HILDEGARD OF BINGEN (1098 - 1179)

saying yes

I'm not sure where I first learned the idea of....
"Every time we say yes to something, we're saying no to something else." And vice versa.

I imagine that I really got the idea of this during those times of being really busy. Times of saying yes to so much, not really getting what I was saying no to at the time. If that makes any sense.

Teacher training just ended on Sunday. We met for four intense days straight. Plus Andy and I had company for five days. Even before the training had ended I had decided to go to Louisville to participate in a yoga workshop Friday and Saturday. Tracy was even going with me.

At one point during the weekend I told Andy of my intention. The one of going away for the night to a yoga workshop. Andy is always wonderfully supportive of me, my dreams, and the things I want to do. He looks at me and says, "Is that really what you're needing?"

Hmmmm, good question. I hadn't allowed myself the time or the space to think about that. The trouble with doing something that you love so very much (as in yoga) is that you just want to keep doing. Or I do anyway. That's my nature. I love to learn. I love to experience. And I felt like a great teacher was going to be close by (Doug Keller at Yoga East) and teaching on a topic I want to learn more about (yoga therapy).

I realized that he had a point. What I needed was to stay put. To let myself decompress. To take a yoga break of some sort.

That's what I did today....well a yoga break for me. And I've had such a fabulous day. I taught a private session this morning that felt really rewarding. A sweet yogini from my "neck of the woods". I was pretty amazed by the amount of body awareness she had, the grace she possessed in her practice, and the reason she was wanting to learn more about yoga....which was for a spiritual practice. And the bonus was she bought a house in Whiteburg AND met my brother Joel yesterday at Summit City. What a small world?

I got to enjoy an hour long yoga class at the studio taught by Lisa Miller. I was so happy to see the yoginis filing into the studio for class and I was looking forward practicing alongside them. Many times I find it a challenge to slide into student mode at the studio, but today it was so easy. The practice felt good. The space felt perfect. The students and the teacher....just perfect.

I left the studio to meet Sarah at Stella's. We had a great lunch then walked down the street to Cuppa for my first visit. Oh my....what a sweet place?! I loved every single thing about it. The paint, the decorations, the teacups you get to choose, the smell of the scones, the tea of course, and the delightful owner that was there. It's really clear that this is a place and a business close to her heart. I love when you can get that the moment you step into a place, a business. Sarah and I spent over two hours together catching up and talking about our upcoming retreat to Tulum. I'm so very excited that Sarah is coming along as an assistant for the retreat.

We talked about the teaching schedule, possible themes for the week, the needs of the group members, goodies and extras to take along, and of course the food, the treatments, and the general special-ness of Tulum. I so love that Sarah gets how special Tulum is to me. And how special Tulum is in general.

I come home and spend some time on our front porch reading over my materials for my Ayurveda training. I received my materials this week along with an email from my master teacher who is based out of CA. I've already dove into the textbook and started my homework. The chapter I'm reading now is on philosophy, and it's so juicy. I just love this stuff. This weekend I'll start making flashcards of all the Sanskrit words and phrases that are new to me. Feels good to be in student mode in this way. I have my first phone conversation with my teacher tomorrow at 3:00. Looking forward to that!

Andy and I decide to go to the Movie Tavern and see "The A Team." And guess what?! It was so good. Neither Andy nor I enjoy action flicks. But we both grew up watching The A Team. It was clever, funny, and exciting. I dined on the ALT (avocado, lettuce and tomato), laughed, and held hands with Andy. Plus Bradly Cooper is in it. Need I say more?

Now at the end of the day I find myself feeling so happy that I chose to say no to the workshop and yes to....
time at the studio teaching and practicing
time with Sarah
time with Ayurveda
and time with Andy.

So happy that my husband was brilliant enough to ask me, "Is that what you're needing?" Cause that question allowed me to stop and think about it. What I was most needing was to stay connected to the yogini, friend and wife within.

Have a happy happy weekend my friends. :)

oil spill

I received this poem below from a dear friend. Mary Oliver always has a way with words and putting things into perspective....most of times which make sense to me. While I'm still completely heart broken about what all is happening with the oil spill these words offer some hope....

Lead

Here is a story
to break your heart.
Are you willing?
This winter
the loons came to our harbor
and died, one by one,
of nothing we could see.
A friend told me
of one on the shore
that lifted its head and opened
the elegant beak and cried out
in the long, sweet savoring of its life
which, if you have heard it,
you know is a sacred thing,
and for which, if you have not heard it,
you had better hurry to where
they still sing.
And, believe me, tell no one
just where that is.
The next morning
this loon, speckled
and iridescent and with a plan
to fly home
to some hidden lake,
was dead on the shore.
I tell you this
to break your heart,
by which I mean only
that it break open and never close again
to the rest of the world.

~ Mary Oliver ~

**AP Photo/Charlie Riedel
***More photos here

mind spill

I've got lots floating around on my mind. Things I want to think about, practice, and write about. This is a total spill. Stay with me if you can. Here goes:

I'm thinking about how yesterday my BF (as in best friend, not boyfriend as in Jon Bon Jovi)totally called me out about not posting on the blog since last Tuesday. "Geez, how am I supposed to get my enlightened moments?" Or something along those lines. I report back to her about the business and the mind clutter (which of course she already fully knows)

Which then led her to make a comment about she can tell when I'm posting just for the sake of posting. You know the posts that have absolutely no heart. No real meaning. There just there to occupy space. And to keep me from feeling like I'm slacking on the blogging job.

Which leads me to think about quantity vs. quality in blogging land. And where I fit in.

I'm thinking about the finale of our yoga teacher training. Meeting nearly 40 hours over the course of four days. I'm thinking about how far they've come in such a short amount of time. And how this training is over, but it's really just the beginning in so many ways. For them. For me.

Thinking about how it was them, and their joy in learning about yoga, and being a part of this group that inspired me to study Ayurveda.

I'm thinking about our emotional closing. How I cry each and every year at the closing. Something so bittersweet, so touching about these moments in a circle and acknowledging each other and the journey we've been on. Definitely thinking about the Mexican chocolate cake Jennifer made, the gift they shared and the sweet words written on a card. Reading what they wrote was so moving. Such kind words, addressed to me.

To which I shared with Liz and Tony. Tony reports that he wants to do something to help people. And Liz thinks it's a brilliant ego booster that should be placed on the fridge to see everyday.

I'm thinking about having Grace at my house and teaching at the studio. The odd chance that we were connected from here in KY all the way to CA with three connections between us.

Thinking about her work. And the amazing teacher that she is. Thinking about the one question I have that led me to Grace. Thinking about how happy I am that Andy could join in for one day of her sessions. And learn about ease and flow, playing the part of victim, villain, and hero. And the personas. Ahhh the personas. Who knew we had so many? I'm now identifying mine and giving them names.

Thinking about three weeks in Mexico. My moms first flight. The house we'll stay at on the beach of Tulum. The food we'll eat. The laughs we'll share. Thinking about the ten days I'll share with Andy in Mexico. Our first time together in Mexico since our honeymoon over nine years ago. Thinking about our plans to renew our vows next year for our 10th.

Thinking about how I've been wanting to grow my teaching, expand my teaching and attract people from different places. The people coming to retreat in Mexico from the studio, FL, CA, VA, and others. And the emails and calls that keep coming from people for the teacher training in Tulum. Canada, New Mexico, New York, California....so cool.

Thinking about taking it a little easy and enjoying the summer. Sitting on my front porch. Cooking more. Thinking of celebrating our 100 year old house. Spending time with my family. Thinking of Liz and Tony's wedding. And the most beautiful wedding invitations I've ever seen that were made with hand. And heart. And the shoes for the dress.

Teaching. Reading. Studying. Writing.

Thinkin...
Thinkin...
Thinkin...

How lucky I am.
And what a charmed life it is.

mind clutter

Greetings Yoga Friends,

Today was a busy day. The kinda busy day where all day long you're puttin out little yoga fires.

First off the cleaners that were supposed to be at my house at 9:00 didn't show up. This was the very first time Andy and I have ever called extra help in. We're super excited to be hosting yogini/life coach extraordinaire, Grace. But that also meant that the big blue house really needed some love. So yes, first time calling in house cleaners....and they don't show. Hmmmm, is that a message I hear from the universe, "Dont be a lazy ass. Clean your house."

I call Andy explaining to him all the stuff I needed to do for work, and now we had to add cleaning the house to the list. Thank god Andy doesn't mind gettin' his hands dirty and cleaning house. He tells me to get rid of the dust (he's really allergic) and he'll do the rest.

I had two privates scheduled today and one group class. This morning somewhere between dusting and sweeping I realize that I've booked a private during the teen yoga class.

Run upstairs and email both privates. Try to re-schedule for earlier today and next week. Note to self....it may be time to start using the fancy software to book privates and such. So it tells me things when I'm not smart enough to know. :)

Back to cleaning and I get phone calls from two of our darling teachers that will need subs for today. Totally totally understand their reasons. Neither needed to be teaching today.

Run back upstairs to send an email to Jeanne (who is officially my angel at this point). Check in about book club date for June and subbing. She is totally on top of it. And she can sub not only one, but three classes this week. I **love** you Jeanne. (Pssst that's her above chillin' in Tulum).

Run errands to get some things for this week. Work a bit on the June newsletter. Get to studio. Somewhere between cleaning the studio, fixing student accounts, working on the newsletter, trying to find a sub for the Thursday morning class (which has now been cancelled for this week, fyi), locating/reviewing teaching notes for the final four days of yoga teacher training......

I got it....what some people experience much of the time.
The mental loops.
The mind clutter.
Racing thoughts.
Loss of focus.
Overwhelm.
Vata imbalance. Ick!

No fun.
Certainly not healthy.
Thank goodness Meredith brought has sun-shiny self to the studio. And well....she's just as good as a rainbow, as refreshing as they come.

And she brought me back two seashells from the west coast.

As she was starting her teen yoga class I excused myself to Starbucks for a latte AND a brownie. Yep, that's right. It was oooey goooey and delicious. I didn't have a journal on me but as I was leaving the studio I grabbed three sheets of blank paper.

As I ate and drank I folded my pieces of paper into a little book where I proceeded to make notes about myself like:

"I am sensitive. And tender too. I have to be careful because it's really easy for me to take on the pain and suffering of others. Not good. Not healthy for me. Must learn to be supportive...to the ones I love and to myself."

For nearly an hour I wrote.
For nearly an hour I got away from the to-do's, the tasks, and worries.

It was just what the yogic doctor ordered (so maybe she wouldn't have prescribed the brownie, but whatever). I went back to the studio with a smile on my face and excited to teach.

And guess what the theme of today's class was...
Yep, the mind clutter and how our practice is an invitation to be truly present, use our mind in a more healthy way, and go with the flow of life....even when the cleaners don't show up.

dance, dream, chant and other weird things i do

Today I'm thinking about the things I do that help me feel balanced, that bring me happiness, and serve as general goodness. Things that help relax me, help me stay calm and carry on:

• Read a magazine (yoga journal, people, and body & soul are faves)
• Take a long bath with a lush bomb
• Walk (and sometimes skip) in the cemetery. As my brother Joel says, “it’s impossible to skip and feel sad at the same time.” We most recently skipped together at Kripalu. I highly recommend you try it.
• Bust a yoga pose….down dog & yogic squat are faves)
• Spend time in my yoga room
• Go to a bookstore
• Get a cup of coffee and write in my journal
• Go to bed early
• Pull weeds (this is something I don’t necessarily like, but it does help relax me)
• Sing positive mantras, chant, recite poems and engage in other things considered weird by lots of Kentuckians.
• Riding on a country road
• Dance wildly in the foyer of my old home
• Enjoy a glass of wine while cooking and listening to Pandora
• Dream of Mexico
• Listen to music
• Teach a yoga class. Nothing makes me focus as much as this. And when I’m focused and present, I’m usually calm and relaxed.
• Go through magazines and pull words and images out to update my vision board
• Use scents that remind me of good things and help invoke relaxation (fave candle I discovered years ago in TX, copal incense from Mexico, sandalwood incense from Chopra Center, yummy Chakra body mist spray Tracy gifted me with from Aveda, and another aromatherapy oil from Whole Foods.

How about you…..What's on your list?

mondo beyondo update

Some of you may recall that last fall I took the online Mondo Beyondo course (which I highly recommend). It's an online class full of other dreamers and the sole purpose is to dream any little thing your heart wants to dream. To "put it out there", right? Then sending a lil' message to the universe to bring only the dreams that are "divinely right for me and the best thing for the world."

I love the last part. I love the idea that the dreams that do come to me are divinely right for me, my heart, and the world. Because lets face it...sometimes dreams don't come true. So for me rather than becoming cynical about the process of dreaming I can simply rest in a place knowing that perhaps that for whatever reason, that is not a dream that's divinely right for me. For a dreamer and believer like myself, that was a really important part of the process.

My Mondo Beyondo list has been underneath my bed since last September. I only shared what was on my list with Andy. No one else. It felt right to keep my little dreams more private. Last Wednesday on my birthday I took my two pieces of paper from underneath my mattress. In the cafe at Joseph Beth I took my list out to review. I was pretty happy to see the dreams that have come true and the ones that are in the works. Here is a rundown:

**Learn more about Ayurveda - will begin my studies with California College of Ayurveda within the month

**Learn how to prepare delicious vegetarian food - this has greatly improved with the help of retreating at the beginning of January where I learned great tips and recipes from an Appalachian vegetarian. Plus learning more about Ayurveda and Indian cooking at Kripalu is greatly helping too.

**Be serenaded by Jon Bon Jovi - so it wasn't a one on one deal, or a small gathering as I have dreamed, but it was a concert in Atlanta with Andy and thousands of other fan. ;)

**Spend one to two months per year in Tulum working and playing - this is in the works for this year. Have myself scheduled to be there for over six weeks this year.

**Go on retreat to Kripalu - check, did Ayurveda Spring Cleanse in April

**Go to Mexico with my mom and sister - place tickets are purchased for July! This is actually a pretty big one since my mom has never flown and never been out of the country. Been so exciting to watch all of this unfold. Can't wait!

**Feed my body foods that support and nourish me physically, mentally, and emotionally - again with cooking more, making more green smoothies, juicing more often, doing cleanses, and learn more about cooking, the foods I'm eating are much better.

**Connect and learn from my father. Inspire him to be more healthy - I haven't put this on my blog, but three weeks ago today my dad was in the hospital in ICU. It was really scary for me. Since that day I've called him nearly everyday, I'm getting to know more about him, sharing Ayurveda, and encouraging him to make healthier decisions. And he's doing really great. 40+ years of smoking and he hasn't smoked in over three weeks! Yippee! Needless to say when I saw this on the list that I made last September, it was an eye opener.

So there they are....the dreams that I put out there last fall that have or are becoming a reality. If you haven't allowed yourself to dream in a bit, I highly encourage it. :)

PS - the pic above is a note I wrote at the beginning of the Mondo Beyondo class and have taped on my bathroom mirror. It's a daily reminder to dream. :)

thank you

I've had quite the delight-full birthday. Greeted the day with self massage (abhyanga). A practice I brought back from the ayurveda spring cleanse at Kripalu. Followed by neti pot, shower, then 30 minute meditation. There is truly something special about starting the day in this way. Giving myself time and engaging in self care.

I got ready and took myself to one of my fave places in Lexington...Joseph Beth. I got there when they opened at 9:00. Went to the cafe and treated myself to a cappuccino and lemon poppyseed scone. I sat down at a table and pulled my Mondo Beyondo list out. It's been chilling underneath my mattress for months now. I thought today would be a great day to review it. I went through my list and was totally surprised and happy to see some of my Mondo Beyondo dreams coming true (plan to dedicate a whole post to this). I also browsed through a new book I recently purchased and thought about the theme for the free yoga classes I would be teaching.

I spent over two hours at Joseph Beth. Perfect. I went over to Whole Foods and purchased myself some aromatherapy oil to keep in my purse. I've been playing with this idea of practicing santosha (contentment) as often as I can, as often as I think about it. Truly hoping to embody this word someday (which somehow seems a little counter intuitive to the whole idea of contentment...but). I purchased a scent with the hope that every time I use and smell it it will take me to a place of contentment (perhaps another blog too). Also got some treats to share with the yogis today post class. Little baby bundt cakes and two bite brownies. Yum

Classes were really good for me. We talked about the idea of purna, which in Sanskrit is this idea of wholeness and completion. Since I'm always trying to improve myself and always striving for more, I thought my birthday would be a great day just to Be. And feel perfect, complete, and whole....just as I am. Also played a sweet cd gifted to me by Anne Dean, darling yogini she is. :) It was titled "A Yogi Birthday." Love it.

Andy gifted me with exactly what I've been wanting, a new blender. During our cleanse in which I was making 12 drinks a day, I quickly realized it was time for a new one. Can't wait to try a new green smoothie out with it.

Andy and I went for a yummy dinner to Asian Wind. I've only been here two times now. And oh my it is so very delicious. The vegetarian food is so perfect that even Andy opted for a veggie dish. Also got ice cream from Graeters. Andy and I are a bit of ice cream fanatics. This was definitely not a ayurveda eating sorta day. Back on the wagon tomorrow.

At home I took a nice long bath (with a Lush bomb) in the dark, no lights, no music, none of the extras I typically love. Just closed my eyes. breathed, and felt so very thankful for the celebration of another birthday. For being surrounded by such kind people. So much love today. Really really special.

Now off to bed early to watch "The Lovely Bones". I really have no idea what it's about. But totally looking forward to slithering into bed early and watching a movie.

Again thanks to all of you. You fill my heart with much gladness. Much more than you could know.

PS - Silly pic of my brother during our time at Kripalu.

birthday treat

"Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you'll find one at the end of your arm... As you grow older you will discover that you have two hands. One for helping yourself, the other for helping others."
-Audrey Hepburn

I'm pretty excited to be celebrating my 33rd birthday today! I consider myself so very lucky for many reasons. One big reason being that each of you support me in doing what I truly adore.

I recently heard this quote, "When asked what gift he wanted for his birthday, the yogi replied: "I wish no gifts, only presence."

Today I am welcoming each of you to join me in celebrating my birthday with a FR*EE yoga class. I teach at 12:00 and 4:30. Would love for you to be present.

Cheers,
Sharon

PS - Andy has field day today and tomorrow! Such a BIG BIG day for him and the kids. Asking the weather to kindly cooperate with him. :)

baby zoey

It's easy to forget the stresses
when I look into her sweet sweet eyes
and see her smile.
A smile that lights the room up
from far far away.

There is a sense of such joy
with this little babe.

On the day before my birthday
I celebrate this sweet little gal.
Am thinking I can learn a thing or two
from her.

daily affirmation

Feeling quite inspired by this young gal. Never too young to begin. :)

mesmerized

by this idea....

"Each day I do the dirty work, the effort that attracts no notice but my own, and in this very place I find the ordinary ingredients for genuine fulfillment."
Karen Maezen Miller

I read this quote (it's from the Book Hand Wash Cold) on a blog a couple of days ago and I'm pretty blown away by it. Definitely not there most days, probably not most moments. But I'm holding the idea of it close to my heart. And reveling in the beauty and simplicity of the thought of it.

how knowing my values helped me make a big decision

I've been debating on something for a couple of weeks now and still hadn't come up with a clear answer until today.


I tried all of my "old" tricks for making decisions....

Getting input from trusted people that know, love, and support me.

Setting an intention of getting clarity during my yoga practices.

Meditating on it.

Making a list of the pro's and con's.

Journaling about it.

Asking the universe for a sign, then flipping open a book and seeing what I land on (I know you've tried this?!).

Nothing seemed to be working. I still couldn't make a decision.

At 6:30 this morning I was up in my yoga room at home. Incense and candle lit, a soft glow just outside my window, nice soothing music playing in the background. It was a beautiful morning, a beautiful moment. I glanced over at one of the few items in my yoga room, my vision board.

I scanned the images and the words, all of which have some sort of meaning for me. Then I asked myself, "Is this the right time to embark on a new training?"

One at a time my eyes landed on the values that I identified for myself the last time I retreated to Tulum, Mexico. I saw them there on my board....

personal growth
wisdom
service
spirit
freedom
abundance
creativity

I thought again about my desire to learn, study, and practice Ayurveda (the science of life, also known as the sister science of yoga).

One by one I went through these values that I had identified for myself. I got a clear "Yes" on each one. Becoming a student of Ayurveda aligns with each of these values. I love how these values are a compass of sorts for me. As I'm navigating life and making decisions I keep coming back to them and they continue to guide me.


I just sent my application in to the California College of Ayurveda. If accepted I'll be participating in distance learning and hands on training that equals 545 hours of study. I'm super excited in taking this next step and learning even more about the "whole" person - physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually and how creating harmony and balance with each leads to a vibrant and healthy life. And of course I can't wait to share what I'm learning with all of you!

PS - Above pics of me and my friend Debra in Tulum, writing our biggie word in the sand.

PSS - If this sounds like something of value to you, join me this Saturday from 11:00-2:00 and explore your own values!

what propels you forward?

That's the question I'm asking myself today. I looked up the definition of propel and it says...
To cause to move forward or onward.
To impel, drive, or cause to move forwards.

I got to thinking about what propelled me forward in the earliest days of my teaching career. It was all about a vision I held dearly for myself. One that included embarking on a journey of healing on a physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual level. A vision that allowed me to be creative and flexible in my job and how I spend my days and time. And a huge part of my vision was being surrounded by other like minded, good hearted, soul-full beings that want to be healthy in the fullest of ways and wanting to live life with passion and purpose.

I have also spent time asking myself what continues to propel me forward today....day by day. I'm feeling like some much of it continues to be about my own personal journey. A journey towards sound health in body and mind. A journey towards wholeness in every sense of the word. It's in this process of discovering, learning, and living, that I heal a bit more(on a good day:). Then sharing this with others with the hope, the wish that it helps them in their own personal journey. Living, learning, sharing....that's what is propelling me forward.

So I ask you the ever important question...what propels you forward?

may goodness

Mark your planner for these events!

Free Mother's Day Yoga Class
Sunday May 9, 4:00 - 5:00
call 859-433-7787 or email
barefootworks(at)hotmail(dot)com to
reserve your space!

Radiant Yogini
with Sharon Tessandori
Saturday May 15, 11:00-2:00

Community Yoga
Sunday May 16, 4:00
Free

Beauty: A New Definition
with Sat Purkh
Sunday May 23, 1:00 - 3:30

Barefoot Works Book Club
(our knitting group is breaking till fall, but we've replaced with a book club!)
Sunday May 30, 12:00





Barefoot Works Book Club
The Untethered Soul

The Barefoot Works community is starting a book club! Our plan is to meet monthly to discuss books that are relevant and resonate with the Barefoot Works community. We will read and discuss one book per month.

Come join us for our first session on May 30, 2010, at noon. At this meeting, we will discuss our first book, "The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself" by Michael Singer. We will also select books for upcoming sessions, so come prepared with your suggestions.

Bring your book and a vegetarian snack, if you wish, and join us for interesting discussions. We hope to see you there!

"The Untethered Soul" is widely available at local booksellers or online. Amazon has it for $11.53 - http://www.amazon.com/Untethered-Soul-Journey-Beyond-Yourself/dp/1572245379/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1272630557&sr=8-1.


More details here!!

hellllooo

Greetings Yogis!

Feels like I've been away for a really long time. My trip to Kripalu last week with my brother was pretty amazing. I have pages and pages of notes and things I want to share. I met some special people and the teacher was phenomenal.

Since returning home I'm dealing with some challenges that have thrown me for a loop. When this happens I find myself needing to get quiet and deal with the rawness of emotions.

Which isn't easy for me (staying present with the sadness part). But I'm trying. And really making a conscious effort of applying so much of what I learned last week like waking early, doing a self massage, netti pot, cooking nutritious food, connecting to the earth and so forth. Doing the things I know I need to do to have a healthy mind and body.

So looking forward to getting back into the groove of things and getting back to teaching my classes. I do miss them....and you too. :)

Have a beautiful Tuesday.

PS - I still want to share about the last days of mine and Andy's cleanse which really worked out great in the end!

last night's kirtan

it was pretty darn cool. and special too. :)

magic moment

I just saw this over on Superhero blog and it took my breath away....had to share with you.

"Every day, God gives us, as well as the sun, a moment when it is possible to change anything that is causing us unhappiness. The magic moment is the moment when a "yes" or a "no" can change our whole existence. Every day, we try to pretend that we do not see the moment, that it does not exist, that today is the same as yesterday and that tomorrow will be the same too.

However, anyone who pays close attention to his day will discover the magic moment. It might be hidden in the instant that we put the key in the door in the morning, in the moment of silence after supper, in the thousand and one things that appear to us to be the same.

This moment exists, a moment in which all the strength of the stars flows through us and allows us to perform miracles." Paulo Coelho

Wow...happy Friday.

PS - Detox details coming later. :)