You know, it's funny how we move through different shifts and trends in our lives. A couple of years ago I bought this fabulous Shiva Rea yoga DVD called Yoga Shakti; filmed by the same DP who shot "Memoirs of a Geisha" so it is visually luscious, and filmed in exotic, breathtaking locations, the DVD itself offers almost 4 hours of yoga chapters you can either do in preset classes or you can create your own class, with or without verbal instructions and always with some of the coolest and loveliest music around. So I would put it on and watch it and listen to it and think "wow, that looks like fun." But did I actually DO it? Nope. For some odd reason, I loved watching it but would then turn to other DVDs for practice, go figure. Until now. :)
Maybe it's the unspoken influence of my new boss, who is good friends with Shiva and considers those her favorite classes on earth. Maybe it was just time for a shift towards more of the powerful feminine energy of Shiva. But suddenly recently I absolutely LOVE creating my customized Yoga Shakti class. Last night I knew I wanted to experience a good class but felt a bit tired and drained from my cycle, and knowing it was the weekend of the full moon I wanted to honor that energy as well. I did the lunar cycle yoga; a more yin energy vinyasa flow class that begins with some wonderful fluid warmups you could do anytime, followed by a lovely moon salutation set, then about 20 minutes of forward bends and deep twists for rejuvenation, then meditation and shavasana. I literally passed out at the end; not from over-exertion, but from pure yogic bliss.
The days prior when I felt more energetic I did my own version of a solar cycle; vigorous ashtanga a&b warmups followed by a few Dancing Warrior segments (basically vinyasa with leg extensions and fluid movements within warrior stance), back bend series, followed by the same delicious forward bends and twists, sometimes the inversions chapter as well (a lengthy series of shoulderstands and plough positions). There is quite a variety to be had here; anything from very approachable and gentle yoga to options that can make you sweat your toxins and cares away. Now I love DOING this more than watching it.
This morning my love and I dove headfirst back into green smoothie heaven after sharing a lovely Indian meal last night. It was incredibly tasty, that meal, but we both found ourselves terribly thirsty from the salt and really clogged today from the dairy. But a brekkie of a green smoothie has me feeling much better.
Here was my morning recipe:
1 cup of spring water
an entire head of romaine lettuce
2 stalks of celery
generous handful of fresh mint leaves
4 medium sized ripe bananas
Wow, that was tasty and loaded with minerals, electrolytes and valuable carbs and enzymes. We had slowly but surely drifted away from our progress into the fruitarian way, but now we're both feeling called back to what makes us feel the most radiant and energized; fresh fruit, leafy greens, minimal raw fats. Pure and simple in every way. And with my increasing connection to a daily yoga practice, I feel the deep need for a life-giving diet to support this important aspect of my life. When eating even "healthy" cooked foods I feel less flexible, have less energy and take longer to recover. With greens and fruit fueling my body I feel and can do anything. I want to fly within these asanas that I love, I want to glide beside my love on our ivory bicycles and I want to feel fearless and inspired to explore this world...but to do that I need some things to come alive for me. On this sunny and gorgeous morning, I feel those things coming to life.
There is NO doubt in my mind or my cells that what we eat creates our experience of life on this earth and in these bodies. Eating cooked foods, devoid of enzymes and life force, is a tasty slow death. And like drug addicts who know what they are doing will ultimately kill them but cannot seem to stop, leaving cooked food behind forever is a very big adaptation to ask of oneself. In the end, I suppose it comes down to which "wants" in your life are more powerful, more urgent. My life is so full of joy, love and endless blessings, I want to be here as fully as possible as long as possible and to feel complete freedom within the human body, rather than feeling trapped and heavy in this temple as I await spiritual liberation. I want spiritual liberation and freedom within the body to exist simultaneously, united every moment. True yoga. I want to explore life with my beautiful partner, my furry children, my dear family and friends, and ultimately with our own children. To express my soul's song through my creativity and my work, to see and feel the world and to create a sacred space called home that exceeds even our dreams. And right now, mercifully, nothing is stronger than that.
Om Shanti. :)
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Monday, June 14, 2010
a whole new life
It's sunny, breezy, absolutely beautiful and about 80 degrees in LA today. It's a day off for me, and lately my schedule is really my own, exactly what I've always wanted; to work when I want and for whom I wish, doing things I enjoy with plenty of time off to really enjoy my life. Somehow I have managed to create something very new and very special. My new job will grow from part to full time very soon, but I am able to set my own hours and once I am up and running with these new tasks I can work mostly on my own. That means anytime I want I could be working at a beach-side cafe from a laptop! How amazing is that? I'd said for ages that I wished I could find a way to make a good prosperous living just sitting in cafes, people watching and writing...this job will afford me that luxury. :) I also have a boss that I adore, who has already inspired me to change my living space into something far more open, airy, clean and magical, and for whom I will enjoy working together when we need to.
Today I got to sleep in with my love, who worked a mid shift, come home, sip fresh squeezed orange juice and do a truly glorious kundalini yoga set while basking in the breezes on this perfect day. I could hear the trees dancing on the wind as I moved and breathed and sweat to a set designed to give you core power; that means power to do anything you set your intention to, giving you that extra bit of energy and tenacity to follow through. It's one of those kundalini sets that is hard to describe and to an observer would look very simple or slow. Far from it, this set had me shaking, focusing on specific muscle groups, stretching while I strengthened, and at the end I now feel tighter, taller, lighter and totally blissed out. The meditation at the end is fabulous as well; a powerful chant with special breath and movement that I feel I could do forever, and I felt it in my core as well. I believe Ravi and Ana are so on the money when they say that core power is the missing element in so many peoples' attempts at self-improvement. I agree! The core/navel/solar plexus area is so crucial to so many aspect of our lives, both physically and metaphysically. This is a set I HATED when I first bought the DVD a few years ago, but now I feel called to it and I really enjoyed it today. Admittedly, since I have been so inconsistent in my own practice and eating some acidic cooked foods, I found myself to be rather weak, stiff and achy. The miracle of this yoga is that it works so fast! Within minutes I felt aches dissipate, I felt areas of tension open up and allow movement and flow, and I felt energy coming from my center. I would like to make this a daily sadhana for me for a while, until I feel called to another set or feel like rotating this with others like the Warrior Workout, Solar Plexus Set, Beauty Body, etc.
I also decided recently to let go of the attachment I have to becoming a teacher of yoga and just focusing purely on cultivating my own daily practice, so my yoga practice becomes as much a part of my everyday life as breathing. When I get to the point where I would no more skip my yoga practice than skip brushing my teeth in the morning, I will know I have created something truly special in my life that will serve me for all of my years on this earth. Singular focus, sole intention...soul intention. ;)
Sat Nam
Today I got to sleep in with my love, who worked a mid shift, come home, sip fresh squeezed orange juice and do a truly glorious kundalini yoga set while basking in the breezes on this perfect day. I could hear the trees dancing on the wind as I moved and breathed and sweat to a set designed to give you core power; that means power to do anything you set your intention to, giving you that extra bit of energy and tenacity to follow through. It's one of those kundalini sets that is hard to describe and to an observer would look very simple or slow. Far from it, this set had me shaking, focusing on specific muscle groups, stretching while I strengthened, and at the end I now feel tighter, taller, lighter and totally blissed out. The meditation at the end is fabulous as well; a powerful chant with special breath and movement that I feel I could do forever, and I felt it in my core as well. I believe Ravi and Ana are so on the money when they say that core power is the missing element in so many peoples' attempts at self-improvement. I agree! The core/navel/solar plexus area is so crucial to so many aspect of our lives, both physically and metaphysically. This is a set I HATED when I first bought the DVD a few years ago, but now I feel called to it and I really enjoyed it today. Admittedly, since I have been so inconsistent in my own practice and eating some acidic cooked foods, I found myself to be rather weak, stiff and achy. The miracle of this yoga is that it works so fast! Within minutes I felt aches dissipate, I felt areas of tension open up and allow movement and flow, and I felt energy coming from my center. I would like to make this a daily sadhana for me for a while, until I feel called to another set or feel like rotating this with others like the Warrior Workout, Solar Plexus Set, Beauty Body, etc.
I also decided recently to let go of the attachment I have to becoming a teacher of yoga and just focusing purely on cultivating my own daily practice, so my yoga practice becomes as much a part of my everyday life as breathing. When I get to the point where I would no more skip my yoga practice than skip brushing my teeth in the morning, I will know I have created something truly special in my life that will serve me for all of my years on this earth. Singular focus, sole intention...soul intention. ;)
Sat Nam
Monday, June 7, 2010
a very good day
Something in me has made an important connection; that eating lots of raw leafy greens really does build muscle and makes your cells very happy. I'm feeling called to lots of green smoothies right now, and here's what I've had today so far:
green smoothie- red leaf lettuce, water and bananas (about 6 and I split the blender with my honey)
banana smoothie - 5 or 6 bananas in water (didn't finish it all, but had most of it)
1/2 large ripe cantaloupe (wow this was yummy!)
green smoothie - most of a head of red butter lettuce, water, about 4 or 5 bananas
I'm not sure what I'll have tonight, but this is a lovely day of green goodness that I will repeat as long as it feels this good. I need more water, ran out, but I'll be all over that tonight and tomorrow. And keeping the caloric intake up is definitely key, which usually means eating or drinking before I feel the need and being well stocked with ripe fruit and lots of greens.
The other day I made a lovely dish of fettucine, fresh basil, fresh parsley, sauteed mushrooms and onions, goat cheese and some parmesan....tasted wonderful, I ate one nice portion, Bri had two big portions, and for some reason that dish kicked my ass! I ended up purging just to stop the discomfort in my belly. No bueno. It could have been the cheese being too much or the bit of sauce maybe...who knows, but my body very loudly and clearly said NO. Then when I had fruit and smoothies it was fine. Had a veggie sandwhich later and that was fine too. And obviously the food was all fresh and good or Bri would have felt it too. I chalk it up to my body really wanting and needing the simplest, lowest fat, living foods; things that are easy to digest and loaded with energy. The pasta, while tasty, was none of those things and I guess after months of transitioning I've passed a point of no return. I think that's wonderful! When I eat fruit, greens, simple things, I feel terrific. I can handle that! :)
green smoothie- red leaf lettuce, water and bananas (about 6 and I split the blender with my honey)
banana smoothie - 5 or 6 bananas in water (didn't finish it all, but had most of it)
1/2 large ripe cantaloupe (wow this was yummy!)
green smoothie - most of a head of red butter lettuce, water, about 4 or 5 bananas
I'm not sure what I'll have tonight, but this is a lovely day of green goodness that I will repeat as long as it feels this good. I need more water, ran out, but I'll be all over that tonight and tomorrow. And keeping the caloric intake up is definitely key, which usually means eating or drinking before I feel the need and being well stocked with ripe fruit and lots of greens.
The other day I made a lovely dish of fettucine, fresh basil, fresh parsley, sauteed mushrooms and onions, goat cheese and some parmesan....tasted wonderful, I ate one nice portion, Bri had two big portions, and for some reason that dish kicked my ass! I ended up purging just to stop the discomfort in my belly. No bueno. It could have been the cheese being too much or the bit of sauce maybe...who knows, but my body very loudly and clearly said NO. Then when I had fruit and smoothies it was fine. Had a veggie sandwhich later and that was fine too. And obviously the food was all fresh and good or Bri would have felt it too. I chalk it up to my body really wanting and needing the simplest, lowest fat, living foods; things that are easy to digest and loaded with energy. The pasta, while tasty, was none of those things and I guess after months of transitioning I've passed a point of no return. I think that's wonderful! When I eat fruit, greens, simple things, I feel terrific. I can handle that! :)
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
opening the floodgates
It seems the old saying "when it rains, it pours" it true. A few weeks ago I was a bit nervous (ok, very nervous) about my untethered employment status; I had left my old job, had nothing permanent lined up yet and my temp agency had yet to call with anything for me, beyond a long term gig that would mean working until about 9pm every night, to which I said "no thank you." I started to wonder if I had erred in that one but it felt all wrong and my whole reason for the leap of faith was to create something wonderful and new, not take a job with worse hours, the same pay and the same industry environment. No, I decided to trust my choices and do more yoga or laugh more with my love to get me through the doubting moments.
Well, my horoscopes all said that late last week things would suddenly flow for me in terms of jobs, etc and that seems to have been an understatement. This leap has afforded me some MUCH needed downtime at home, a little "staycation" for the gal who hasn't had a real vacation since 2005 when I went to London. It has also allowed me to see just how strong the relations are that I formed with former employers. When a prospective employer called 3 of them yesterday for references, she said they could not have been more glowing and wondered how much I had paid them, lol. I knew those references were sound and that I had done good work at each position, but I get a bit misty actually at the thought of just how lovely those old connections are. So much laughter and fun with each and every one, and it's so beautiful to hear that they feel the same way about me. I just want to hug them all; Jonathan, Michael T and Brett. :)
This week seems to be high tide for me; I now have a few plumb choices as to what my next job/s will be and to whom I hitch my wagon for a while. I'm pretty sure I know who and what that is already, but tomorrow I will know more with two live interviews, one of which is really to seal a deal. But having this bevvy of choices and people all vying for my talents makes me feel amazing! When I was at my last gig, I felt as though that company valued its staplers more than its employees, despite my wonderful supervisor. Now I feel truly valued, which is exactly what I wanted to create. And I see something totally new, NON-industry and really exciting lining up for me, finally. At the same time, I will be able to work for one of those marvelous old bosses for a week for some quick cashola, and I know my temp agency can keep me busy and very liquid at any time. The feeling of freedom this gives me is incredible!
This is all further proof that my leap of faith was rewarded, as I believe they always are, and that none of us ever need to be resigned to a life of compromise and mind-numbing jobs we hate. Never! Life is precious and we are powerful beyond measure. I am positively busting with gratitude right now, mostly to my love, who supported this experiment and bold leap with his whole heart and soul, making it possible for me to do this. Angel, I love you soooooo much! Miracles happen every single day, all day long and you are living proof! ;)
Well, my horoscopes all said that late last week things would suddenly flow for me in terms of jobs, etc and that seems to have been an understatement. This leap has afforded me some MUCH needed downtime at home, a little "staycation" for the gal who hasn't had a real vacation since 2005 when I went to London. It has also allowed me to see just how strong the relations are that I formed with former employers. When a prospective employer called 3 of them yesterday for references, she said they could not have been more glowing and wondered how much I had paid them, lol. I knew those references were sound and that I had done good work at each position, but I get a bit misty actually at the thought of just how lovely those old connections are. So much laughter and fun with each and every one, and it's so beautiful to hear that they feel the same way about me. I just want to hug them all; Jonathan, Michael T and Brett. :)
This week seems to be high tide for me; I now have a few plumb choices as to what my next job/s will be and to whom I hitch my wagon for a while. I'm pretty sure I know who and what that is already, but tomorrow I will know more with two live interviews, one of which is really to seal a deal. But having this bevvy of choices and people all vying for my talents makes me feel amazing! When I was at my last gig, I felt as though that company valued its staplers more than its employees, despite my wonderful supervisor. Now I feel truly valued, which is exactly what I wanted to create. And I see something totally new, NON-industry and really exciting lining up for me, finally. At the same time, I will be able to work for one of those marvelous old bosses for a week for some quick cashola, and I know my temp agency can keep me busy and very liquid at any time. The feeling of freedom this gives me is incredible!
This is all further proof that my leap of faith was rewarded, as I believe they always are, and that none of us ever need to be resigned to a life of compromise and mind-numbing jobs we hate. Never! Life is precious and we are powerful beyond measure. I am positively busting with gratitude right now, mostly to my love, who supported this experiment and bold leap with his whole heart and soul, making it possible for me to do this. Angel, I love you soooooo much! Miracles happen every single day, all day long and you are living proof! ;)
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
high fat IS the enemy!
At least it is for me! If I ever had any doubts about the validity of the benefits of LOW fat raw vegan, or cooked vegan for that matter, as opposed to HIGH fat of raw or cooked anything, my body has voted in no uncertain terms. Within minutes of consuming anything high fat, raw or cooked, I feel queasy, tired, and bloaty. Blech! Conversely, when I stick with lowfat vegan, even cooked (like my delicious veggie stew!), I feel light, energetic, young and strong. When I up the ante there to lowfat raw vegan, meaning fruit really, I feel like superwoman! And while I always thought I was more of a sweets person, I'm seeing that it is tough to get off the high fat wagon. Tough, but not impossible and WELL worth it. :)
This week things they are a-changing! In so many wonderful ways. I'm working a 2 day temp gig, have a couple of lovely part-time gigs lining up for me, started a 40 day sadhana again (this one better stick, lol!) last night with my love and Yoga Beauty Body (amazing overall set that kicked both our asses, and felt great), and we have a whole new direction in life together. No details on that one, don't want to dilute the magic at play, but we're happy campers. :) So much can change in an instant.
Friends around me are going through some horribly difficult times and it serves as a bold reminder to love every moment, express and feel gratitude every day and really cherish our time here on earth. One day, we will miss it, even if that's hard to believe sometimes. Mama earth offers us a truly unique and wondrous experience.
I cannot wait for day 2 of our sadhana tonight; nothing makes for better sleep than kundalini yoga before bed! And man did I wake up easily and with lovely energy this morning because of it.
It's a breezy, beautiful day in LA; highs in the low 70s, lows in the mid 50s...so perfect. I am enjoying my time here while it lasts. xoxo
This week things they are a-changing! In so many wonderful ways. I'm working a 2 day temp gig, have a couple of lovely part-time gigs lining up for me, started a 40 day sadhana again (this one better stick, lol!) last night with my love and Yoga Beauty Body (amazing overall set that kicked both our asses, and felt great), and we have a whole new direction in life together. No details on that one, don't want to dilute the magic at play, but we're happy campers. :) So much can change in an instant.
Friends around me are going through some horribly difficult times and it serves as a bold reminder to love every moment, express and feel gratitude every day and really cherish our time here on earth. One day, we will miss it, even if that's hard to believe sometimes. Mama earth offers us a truly unique and wondrous experience.
I cannot wait for day 2 of our sadhana tonight; nothing makes for better sleep than kundalini yoga before bed! And man did I wake up easily and with lovely energy this morning because of it.
It's a breezy, beautiful day in LA; highs in the low 70s, lows in the mid 50s...so perfect. I am enjoying my time here while it lasts. xoxo
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