Behind the Leaves

Being aware is somethings we often talk about in yoga class. Being aware of your breath, your body and other places you need to check in. While this is great and a vital part of knowing your self, I think there is more to it. Sometimes you have to step back and be aware of life. Situations that arise, some of which simply slide on by, but then those situations that keep tending to come up... those are the big ones, the ones that show up over and over and over again.
I recognized one of those situations today, every fall it tends to come up, and every fall I wonder what I can do about it and think that there is not a lot I can do but apparently there is. I don't know what it is yet but finding out is part of the process.

As the leaves change and fall, take a moment to notice what they reveal, not only about yourself but about those who you love. Once the leaves fall, the sun will shine through the branches and encourage the roots, your roots, to grow strong.

Surprise

As you may know, I recently recovered a box filled with love letters between my grandparents when he was in bootcamp and then in Germany during the Korean War. I have laughed and cried as I read through each of them. Their love is amazing. There was this one piece of paper, I unfolded and began to read which made me laugh and warmed my heart! Enjoy...

"Surprise"

The boss of a medium sized office had hired a 'steno who was out of this world. She has looks, personality and clothes. After looking at her for a few weeks, the boss, a married man, decided that he was going to take her out some night. He approached her and asked if she would like to celebrate his birthday with him at some secluded night spot: she said that she would have to think about it. The next day she consented to go out but offered that they go to her apartment instead of out somewhere. To himself-as any other normal man would, he commented; better than I had planned. Then the night of his birthday, they went to her apartment and had coctails., appetizers dinner, ad some drinks afterwards. A short while after she said : "I'm going to my bed room now and you can come in in five minutes." After four minutes had gone by, the boss started to disrobe. Totally naked by this time, the five minutes were up. He knocked on the bed room door. The voice from behind the door in a sweet tone said come in. A twist of the door knob, the door was open - only to find the rest of the office singing: Happy Birthday to You.



And this pictures just makes me laugh! Love a stingray :)

Ohh Fall

Fall is upon us and for my Kapha self it is not my most favorite time of year. Yes I like the colors that change, and the cozy clothes that cooler weather calls into my closet but.... emotionally its a different story.
In my world fall signifies a time of change, where I embrace change it is a very scary time in its own rights. Fall signifies the collapse of my energy levels, an emotionally unstable time, and a quest to fill my schedule to the brim-keeping buys so the time flies and before I know it there is a warmth on my skin again.

Ayurvedically I am so very kapha, which typically would show up as big and slow. Where on the outside I may not look that way, I do find comfort in those spaces. Moving into this kapha time of year is scary. How do I keep myself going with out an overly stacked schedule?

Cue Capricorn Characteristics...

I begin to plan.
Look for great things to come for this spring and summer. I can say that a retreat is in the works, and scouting places abroad is also on the docket... Now those are things that make my soul smile, that warm me inside and move me. They activate the pitta and vatta characteristics that need to take over this time of year!

As the days progress and get colder and colder I will keep my soul warm with the love of great friends and family, plus a hot chocolate with chai.

Day 3

Feeling better and better, to say that it feels like stinging nettles is what comes instinctually, however Im not really sure what a stinging nettle really is and I may have made it up from Harry Potter? Regardless, things are on the mends which makes me smile! Taking this as a sign for the future that when I feel my skin tingle that my immune system is low and I best get my rest on. I hope I dont have to blog about a day 4, lets lay this pup to rest-goodnight shingles

Day 2

Today is our big equinox celebration at the labyrinth, and as much as I would like to help everyone who is running around getting things set up I'm inside, watching movies. After sleeping just a few hours last night and getting up every 5 hours to take more medicine I thought I would be in the mood for napping today, but no... I find it almost midnight and I'm still awake. The itchy and burny feeling has begun, and even thought I felt pretty good today I took an Aleve. I'm ready for this to be over with...

Happy Fall ya'll

Day 1

After about a week of feeling like someone has been stabbing me in the back and the prickly pain running down my arm and the lovely rash that developed on the left side of my chest and back it was decided to have Dr Jim come to the house and check it out. Who gets shingles? This girl does-apparently those 25 mosquito bites that left scars that I had as a kid were actually chicken pox. So this is my journey because I won't be doing a thing for the next few days until these horse pills are gone. Yes the horse pills I have to take 5 times a day... so far, so good... lots of water, and lots of snacks including fudge stripe cookies.

Honorably Creative

You walk in, and the pews are wooden, the walls are wooden, the floor a non noteworthy color, there is a large bench at the front of the room with a chair... Your mind tells you that you are in a safe space. You are being judged and charged right off the bat except here there are no little baskets passed around. You have been directed in written for to this room, you're not sure whether to feel safe or on edge. After a few hours you are asked to join a group of people at the front of the room... your heart beat accelerates as you say your last name...

"Williams"

They look and you're not listed... You show the paperwork to them, they say you are in the wrong space. I'm sorry if they write you a letter and tell you to go to the blue room and you have the options of blue or red one would pick the blue right? <Just checking in case I was taught wrong and blue was actually red>

Where do I go? We don't know... 

Alright off to the office where the 'secretary' sits <note "secret-ary" as she was both>

"Ohh you're supposed to be in the red room"

"Ok wheres that?"

Across the breezeway, in the glass doors, around your ass, up the elevator and in the secret mystery room on the right...

Half way there I ask directions again... Aha! I find it, a bit more cozy, call it the Methodist church vs the Presbyterian if you will.

Ohh you were not here and the discussion has already happened. Have a nice day.

NO! NO! and No! I'm livid.... I have travels 6 hours to get here, took 2 days off of work THIS is not okay. 

What is this anger that I am feeling... and what do I do with it? 

Wash it away first, a a few tears well up in my eyes, I let them go. Now that is done so time to study up, feel the 2nd and 3rd chakras, find your will power and get creative.

"I'm going to need a note that I am here today please, and no is not an appropriate answer, and you can bet I will be back for this is not over."

They shifted the energetics over towards me, I am tossing it back

How do you deflect your energy from manipulation? When you know without a shadow of a doubt that you have been hoodwinked, what do you do? How do you honorably find that creativity and the will to enact it. 

"Who is a man that does not make his world a better place"