Building from the foundation...

We have all had those times in our lives when we feel in the flow... someone calls you right as your thinking of them... you show up at the perfect time to be a part of something special... someone just happens to be going through the same thing you are and you have someone to talk too... this is what happens when we are in alignment... these moments mean so much to us and can ultimately change our lives and our beliefs.

We build our alignment from the ground up just like we would a building, a home even our dreams...

Hip opening postures assist in preparing us for all other postures but especially help with establishing the foundation of a posture. Our bodies are built with a brilliant architectural structure, though begin with the same four corner base. When we find our best alignment we feel more connected to ourselves and ultimately to others because when we are aligned we flow with all the energy and beings around us.

Let's build our days, dreams and posture from the ground up. Hug in and root making space for growth and connection...

What makes home.... hOMe?

After traveling for almost a month and coming home to a disheveled house in which a water main broke, the oven was pulled from the wall and a hole cut out in the bathroom I was hit with the contemplation of what makes a home... homey and what makes home... hOMe?

A hug that covers your circumference
A cushion that you can sprawl your limbs on
A smell of your mothers hair and/or cooking
A taste of the spices your grandmother used
A place you went to over and over when you were a child
A friends smile framed with their support and confidence in you
and most importantly a channel for energy to flow...

The first thing I do when I get back from a trip is take a bath. There is something womb like about sitting in warm water with candles, essential oils, epsom salt and music that equalizes my mood and allows me to settle. This ritual for me is like cleansing the Puja (alter) before placing a Murti (statue of deity) for the first time in its new home. However, the alter has to get a cleansing as well sometimes.

When there isn't space for our senses to breath we notice it...

How good it is to be home but how I wish my home felt more like hOMe... You can name it whatever you want but it isn't home until it is.

Cupcakes and Community

In order to build community my hosts have been holding "goutes" which is like an early dinner snack with the intention of gathering locals to see their little store and enjoy conversation. So my host asked me if I would make cupcakes for this event. We made them in the morning and I showed them how to hoop, contact juggle and yoga in between batches. They both were naturals with both activities and I can't wait to hear and see how they progress when I do leave. While outside hooping a neighbor friend of theirs came over to discuss an exchange of support from one another. Knowing that this gentlemen has a tendency to spread the word quick through the town I handed him the hoop and invited him to show us his moves. He was great though he only did it once and wouldn't try it again.

Breakfast: Tea

Lunch: Lettuce & lambs quarter (poorman's spinach), tomatoes, assorted cheeses and berries in homemade yogurt.

Dinner: Lettuce & lambs quarter, tomatoes, assorted cheeses, baguette, slice of ham and cupcakes.

I guess the french like any excuse to eat. During the goute, which only a few loyal and adventurous people came to I busted out the hoola hoop again and gradually all of the girls tried it out. By the end of the fun they were practicing tricks and having a blast. The smiles on their faces were priceless! It is really hard for a small community to try something new because they have so much fear of each other judging them. There is a lack of city folk confidence and so they often coward under the spotlight of newness. However, today they conquered! With valiant effort and glorious swivels they shined so much the rain and clouds rolled into balance out the energy.

Since I haven't been near weather in a while it was strange that all of a sudden today I felt the rushing breeze turn into a cold front. I remembered the tornado show I watch on TV and so the hosts scrambled out to get the horses while I watched the shop and watched 3 mini funnel clouds poke out but not drop down thankfully. I love the wind but these fragile french villages would be devastated by a tornado.

Every community needs a heart beat... a hub of happening where they can all feel connected to the place they live and have a focal point to discuss. Keep your loved ones close and a good cupcake recipe in your pocket in the event you need to build some more community.

People are beautiful...

Today I did my usual morning routine (run then eat breakfast) then we went into Djon and shopped for decorations for cupcakes as well as other errands my hosts had to do. We ended up walking through town and I couldn't help but feel that I really wanted to get back out to the country. The drive was long to get anywhere, though we stopped at a jam making company and a grain making company. Both were organic, masters of their craft and took great pride in their products. Later that night we went to a village event for July 14th, the French Independence Day. It is pretty much the same as American Independence Day; BBQ, Kids lighting off fire crackers, people drinking a lot of wine in this case and sweet gossip about one another.

A small town is full of beautiful people. So small yet that when they get bored they resort to gossip. I define gossip as the comments that are not life affirming or nice about others. It is much more delightful and pleasant to talk about someone else in a way that affirms their goodness. At the same time I notice these simple people are so beautiful and normal. Each is full of insecurities and fear as well as a gift and life in the right setting.

It comes back time and time again to the highest... see the good in people first!

Breakfast: Poppy bread, jam, sweet thin tea cookies and tea.

Lunch: Ate out and I choose a salad that had a pasta salad with tomato sauce under arugula and goat cheese along with a tiny bottle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Dinner: Happy 14th of July - Village Dinner! Beef sausage, Pork Sausage, Pork on some bone, Lard (french specialty), Cucumber and Tomato salad w/mustard, oil & vinegar dressing, baguette, Camembert cheese and a chocolate drumstick.

Lots of fireworks and lots of laughs... even the speculation of what gossip was going to go around the next day. Including the chatter about "the american."

Simplicity is Precision...

This morning I awoke before the sun... that is extremely rare for me... and just before the rooster started to cockadoodle doo! I put on my running shoes and began to run thinking I had a route, though I missed the road I was supposed to turn on and instead I simply ran down this hill with forest on both sides. On the way I passed 1 large pig and a baby pig... a heard of white cows that decided to run with me as I went by... and a pack of wild boar were digging for truffles. Hardly any cars were on the road though one stopped and asked me if I could give him directions... lol hillarious, right! Later we cleaned the horse stalls, picked weeds to feed to the chickens, watered the garden, painted the doors for the store and went into Largnes which is a close larger town to walk around and see the castles, churches and view of France.

Breakfast: peach/mint cake, poppy cake, fresh currants (black & red), raspberries, blueberries from the garden, blackberry jam they made homemade last year and ginseng tea.

Lunch: baguette like bread, cheese plate, mixed berries from the garden with homemade yogurt, couscous blend with pork and zucchini from the garden.

Dinner: blend of pork & fat in the form of a paste smeared on toasted baguette, polish whiskey, red sparkling champagne, shrimp in their shells, tomatoes and couscous.

It is odd that we call this type of lifestyle the "simple life." It is completely simple in some aspects such as using whole foods, tending to the tasks at hand, eating 3 square meals and sleeping at least 8 hours a night. Though have you ever tried to make homemade bread before? I noticed that she weighed the ingredients and so I asked why not just measure them and she replied its not as precise and you have room for error. When things are so simple precision is key! She mentioned that the garden would typically be a lot larger though due to the late ending winter she actually had to buy some vegetables since they aren't ready. There fore, the slightest imbalance in the weather affects the regular precision of things. The simple life is exciting... what do you do when the plan doesn't unfold? Luckily, the simple folk are masters of being resourceful as well and the French not only are resourceful but they can make damn near anything taste amazing! Simplicity with Precision...

Language

It is amazing how attached we are to our language until we are plopped into a place where no speaks it or even if they do there is a translation process happening that doesn't always work. Sub-text doesn't translate exactly! This just proves that language or mantra is an equal manifestation of the heart and the mind. These two aspects of us marry to create an artistic baby of unique expression.

At first when you are hanging around with people who don't speak your language you feel like you can't wait to get out of there. However, you can't because you don't want to be rude and deep down you want to learn their language so you just be patient. Catch the little words here and there that you can or simply soften to observe and drink in the mannerisms and gestures.

The mind wants to resist just like meditation, it wants to do anything but be still like the mouse Ganesh sits on. Though if the mind is simply placed in this situation and the heart and body stay steady for the mind. The mind gets bored with fighting and decides to join in because again it wants to move and flutter and play. So the mind starts to figure out anyway it can to understand, learn and communicate.

This process was amazing to me today and was so in the French mind flow that beginning this post in English I had to remember the flow of English. By the way this place is so simple they make their own bread and yogurt, and I get to learn how to do this.

Know why!

A good musician doesn't just play the notes... they know what the notes and song means. As yoga instructors we are given the opportunity to contemplate teachings that involve all aspects of being... mentally, physically and spiritually. They are all interlinked, there for it wouldn't be yogic if it was just a work out class. Don't get me wrong I can't help but feel spiritual in those moments of a sweaty and grueling class especially by the time we have made it to savasana but in order for us to take ourselves beyond our own limited ideas of ourselves it takes a heart quality and tangible meaning. I realized that speaking of spirit, god and soul are all to abstract for me to feel that deep connection. It needs to be about relationships and relationships to and from things, experiences and people. We as humans bounce our experience off the feedback of the universe and the universe is constantly giving us feedback and meaning. For whatever reason we don't always notice it even though it is as close as the pulsing gift of breath and heart beat.

So what if we applied this metaphor to everyday life... the notes are the things we do (karmas) day in and day out... and the meaning of the song of life is what we FEEL it is and if we don't contemplate this perhaps we aren't living as rich of a life. So know why and experience the wealth and riches of every moment of this life.

The United Nations of Anusara Yoga

The Teacher Intensive with John Friend 2010 was a collective of yogis from 17 different countries representing and gathering together in the American Church in Paris to help one another become better teachers of yoga. The training was given in 3 languages, English, French and Spanish and it was the first of it's kind. Though we all tended to cluster together by countries we would blend more and more by the 3rd day. Some of us even would pair up with people who didn't speak our languages only to find that we all speak the same language of the heart and that we all had the same struggles to find the world to explain the truth of our hearts. It is all about contemplation we discovered that the themes of classes and heart qualities of life are not something we can read about or study. We realized we have to find them in the dark and silence of our meditations and contemplations. We would have to remember the experiences that touched our hearts and made us feel more connected to ourselves and then hunt down the perfect words that reflected that experience with respect.

The challenges of this training united and strengthened our bond as Anusara Yogis as we would help each other after the practice with homework type exercises. As we would practice creating concise 5 minute openers for classes we realized that when we each would express the "why" or meaning of the theme it would touch each of our hearts. Some were so good we could feel the truth and authenticity start to rumble the akasha (fabric of life or space). Oh what a sweet gift to not only to be able to find the words to speak how we each feel but to listen to one of your friends who speaks their version and it lifts you up as well. This is how we as "the united nations of Anusara yoga" can inspire our students, friends and our communities.

Remembrance

Remembrance creates consistency. Especially when we give a personal meaning to something in order to expand it towards the universal. Remembering all of the levels of friends in your life, from your teachers, parents and mentors all the way to your enemy or "not friend right now."

We all have these relationships and are these type of friends to others. When I think of my teachers I have the utmost respect for them and so I listen and open to hear their wisdom. When I think of my close loved ones who are suffering and my students I feel compassion and yet determined to be strong for them. When I think of my friends I am sympathetic and supportive, for their success only strengthens our trust. Lastly, when I think of the people I don't consider my friends anymore, I think of creating space and dissolving the charge I have for them, this protects me and allows for the other person to be as they are without giving up any of my energy.

Perhaps if we address how much we really do care for others we will awaken to how much others care for us and how much this love truly connects us all.

Worthiness

After hearing that there was over 100 people on the waiting list to get into the teacher training in Paris I felt humbled that I was chosen to be able to attend. John kept saying that we are all worthy and this was very hard to receive. I thought it was strange that it moved me so much to just be in the space of worthiness. I kept telling myself I am worthy and would melt my heart. I am not a person who lacks in confidence usually so it is odd that some part of me wasn't feeling worthy of this gift.

So what if we all just put ourselves in the place and space of worthiness just to give ourselves a chance to see what happens. Perhaps our greatness just gets greater and our ability to evolve as a being is possible. Yoga is definitely a spiritual practice... it allows us to experience ourselves and we are worthy of experiencing ourselves and the fullest and greatest life that we can imagine.

You are worthy! You are allowed to feel good! You are allowed to have fun! You are worthy of receiving meaningful gifts all the time! Open to this experience!