Meditation/Medication

I love this "recipe card" by Julie Kirk of Notes on Paper.  "Medication" comes in many ways!

As always, I love Claudia...

Like Claudia, my cardio may consist largely of books and snail mail, but I have

renewed my yoga practice.  The longest I've gone so far is 10 consecutive days before skipping a day.  I started with a 30 min. practice on January 5, but quickly moved back into an hour practice.  For several years my regular home practice was an hour and fifteen minutes, and a longer, slow practice seems to work better for me.

I'm rolling out my yoga mat each morning and setting the timer for an hour which feels about right, although sometimes I go over the hour.  When I finish, I feel relaxed, but energized.  Tai Chi was the same way, providing that unusual combination of physical and mental relaxation with  a sense of energy.

My goal is to manage 30 consecutive days of practice, but in the 19 days since I started, I've only skipped 4 days and that is encouraging.  Maybe I'll make 30 days at some point, but if can keep up a regular practice, I will be happy.

 I just read through 11 Amazing Thank You Notes from Famous People--if you have time check these out; they are funny and heartwarming. :)

Boro Jacket Finished

I finished the boro jacket nearly a month ago.  I like it!  You've seen all the "in progress" photos, so this is the finished jacket--well, except for a fastening.  Jeogori jackets tie closed, but I'm not sure if I'll use ties or a button.

It is really quite warm!

Bryce Eleanor arrived in her PJs Monday morning and showed me some of her "awesome" gymnastic moves with a hulu hoop.

She tried to get me to do a handstand; I told her I was too old, but eventually complied (but unlike the days when I walked around the house on my hands--this time I used a wall).  Then she said, "Try  this...you're not too old for this!"  on several other moves.  Yeah, sure.

Another of the recent encrusted pieces this one mostly with coton a broder.

I'm teaching chair yoga at Horizon Bay, an assisted living facility.  My oldest student is 90, and she is in excellent shape; she says she played softball until she was 78.  She's my hero!

Today I'm going to introduce some qi gong exercise to the mix.  I love qi gong because working with the breath is so relaxing.  

Mid-week, mid-month already.  Where does the time go?

Asteya Prayer Flag

Asteya is the third of the yamas and means non-stealing.  Steya means to steal, asteya means not stealing.  Asteya means far more than refraining from taking physical objects--it means not taking what is not freely offered, i.e. attention, ideas, or time. 

When we impose on another by taking up their time or attention (when not freely offered), it becomes a form of theft.  I read somewhere about a yoga teacher saying that being tardy or late falls into this category of theft of time.  Of course, there are times when being late is unavoidable, but if it is through laziness or carelessness or done deliberately, then it violates the precept of asteya.  

You know what I mean.  Have you ever told someone to be present at a time earlier than you told everyone else--in hopes that the entire group wouldn't have to wait? 

Asteya also means we should refrain from taking another's ideas, thoughts, words, or techniques and claiming them as our own original ideas, etc.  Taking credit when it belongs to someone else is a form of theft.  When these things are freely offered, we can take advantage of that generosity, but not claim it as our own original ideas.  

Asteya is honesty, in any and all aspects, tangible or intangible.

There is so much generosity on the web, so much sharing.  Most of the people who share ideas and techniques aren't saying they "invented" it out of thin air, so to speak, but more that they have "embellished," "developed," "expanded," --have taken a technique further in some way and shared it freely.  We are all grateful for this generosity, and ideas and techniques spread outward, rippling through various communities. 

Building on a foundation is wonderful, as long as we don't claim to have built the foundation. 

2:37. When the yogi has subdued  the stealing tendency in 

human nature, material existence endeavors to serve 

him. Thus it seems that all precious things become 

available to him.   --Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

:) I got a little carried away on this one, and I have 2 more yamas to go!  Bear with me, and I'll skip the niyamas. 

Today, I hope to finish the AAQI quilt I've been working on.

Namaste.

Wednesday

Both of these are marvelous.

OK - I read a lot of yoga.  I have a complete library of yoga books, some of which I read from start to finish over and over.   I visit yoga sites and read Yoga Journal.  I do my morning sadhana and am getting back to classes after a long break for the holidays.  And yes, I over-do many things that interest me, including yoga.

And this is makes me laugh out loud (several times):


Now--who's going to make one about S*** Quilters Say?  What creative comedian out there can come up with one for fabric addicts, stitchers, and/or crafters.    I mean, for example:

a)  I just counted my WIPs.  Will I live long enough to finish them?
b) Hmmm, auditioning fabrics.  Do you think this hot pink will pop or what?
c)  I'm in heaven;  the kids are back in school, I'm still in my pajamas, and  I'm wearing my      
     Bernina out!
d)  What the...?  You mean, I'm gonna have to rip out all this stitching?
e)  I've got a coupon for Jo Ann's and it's burning a hole in my pocket!
f)  I can't find my rotary cutter.  I JUST had it.
g)  Call the doctor!  I just sewed my finger on the machine!
h) Of course, we don't drink at quilting retreats!  Well, maybe a little wine with dinner....
i)  I'm meandering.

Can you think of any?

Here's a new one for me:  "Sh**, I stabbed my palm with my embroidery scissors!"

 Very sharp embroidery scissors.  Bled and bled and still hurts!  No, I'm not explaining how it happened, but it was an impressive example of hand-eye coordination...or not.  No blood on the prayer flag, thank goodness.

The first stitch for Take a Stitch Tuesday is the fly stitch, and Rian asked what it looked like.

Here is the basic fly stitch (via Sharon's Stitch Dictionary).  An extremely useful and versatile stitch!

Have a great day, y'all!

:) Hair Raising!

You’re watching CuteWinFail Pets: Static Pup. See the Web's top videos on AOL Video

 

I've been AWOL lately.  Only one obsession at a time.  Or maybe two.  But I can't seem to keep up with things after that.  

For a while it was making pillows and home dec crafting, then another cycle of intense yoga reading, then the discovery of Feldenkrais and Anat Baniel, now I'm playing with my eccentric dolls again.  

 

Although yoga is about balance, I can't manage that aspect unless one considers that moving in a great circle of first one period of absorption in this area, then in another, and, another, then back to the first, then discovering something new--is a kind of balance.

A visit with my friend Suzie (two hour telephone visit), also had me back to thinking about the way the brain and body work.  We talked about how technology changes our brains and behavior.  The younger generations adapt so quickly to i phones, computers, e books, and whatever new innovations occur.  

Since she works with children with Asperger's Syndrome, part of her time is working with children who have problems with manipulative skills.  Evidently they can be competent with keyboards and computer skills, but lack the pincer grip that enables handwriting and drawing.  My SIL, the Adaptive P.E. teacher, deals with many of the same difficulties of mind-body coordination.   

Which leads back and coordinates, in synchronicity, with Feldenkrais and Transformative Movement and neuroplasticity--which also fascinate me.  So in and out and here and there and all over the map, I move from one subject to another and back again.

 

Now, I have to catch up with blog reading.  What happens when I do that?  There are so many interesting ideas, thoughts, and inspiring projects that new directions open up!

Wednesday and More Snow?

Ahhh, we are supposed to be due more ice and snow today.  I thought we had that all cleared up, but as Yogi Berra would say, "This is like deja vue all over again!"

I did all my errands and grocery shopping yesterday so staying in today would be more of a pleasure.  Bryce Eleanor didn't come last night and all the schools are closed today, but so far what was supposed to have begun last night...hasn't. 

Great giveaway over at So I Gathered.  I love this little encaustic house.  She's actually offered a choice, and I'm not really sure which one I'd choose if I won.

While out doing my errands yesterday, I stopped by Michael's and got more PaperClay.  There is a little image in my head that needs making.  And it may be time to try the Ice Resin I bought months ago and have yet to experiment with.

Or...I can finish The Film Club by David Gilmour, which I'm very much enjoying and is a great pre-Oscar read, although it deals with older movies.  It would be fun to put the films he talks about in my Netflix que and view them with his comments in mind.  The book is a memoir of Gilmour's time watching movies with his son.

I put a bunch of oranges in a white bowl to cheer up the house a bit.  The weather outside is so grey; I love the sunny contrast of the oranges.

 Lucy sprawls contentedly on Fee's chair.

Edgar loves Fee's socks.  He also loves to put his balls in Fee's boots as a nice surprise each morning.  A better gift than those some cats deliver!

Now to finish my coffee and make my way upstairs for my morning sadhana, which now includes a 12 minute kirtan kriya.  This meditation has been studied and some of the results: 

Another study, which was published in 2009 in the journal Nuclear Medicine Communications, examined 11 healthy individuals in both a resting and meditative state. The study found that Kirtan Kriya causes significant increases in brain activity especially in the posterior cingulate gyrus (PCG) compared to baseline. Both of these areas of the brain are central to memory. The PCG is a critically important anatomical area, because it is the first part of the brain to decrease in function when a person develops Alzheimer's disease. Perhaps it's possible, therefore, that if everyone did Kirtan Kriya and activated their PCG on a regular basis, the number of people who develop Alzheimer's would diminish.

 Not a bad exchange for a 12 minute a day meditation, even if it is only a possibility.

:)

When I got home from last night's yoga class, the house smelled wonderful.  Pizza in the oven!  Not the homemade pizza I'd planned to make, but Papa Murphy's Take & Bake.  Delicious!  While I'm always grateful for the things my sweet husband does, I really appreciated coming home to a Mediterranean pizza.

So... the house smells like great pizza, food is imminent, AND THEN 

Fee shows me my early birthday present (really early) from Amelia!  A Nook.  The Kindle is great, but you can't share books or check out library books with the Kindle...and you can with the Nook!  I read too much to have to buy books, so I'm selective in the buying. 

Books on quilting, crafting, yoga, history, psychology, popular science, etc., I'll read more than once and refer to frequently, and I am perfectly willing to purchase these.  Fiction, however, is usually from the library or from publishers who send me Advanced Reader's Copies.  Now I can share "borrow" books from Amelia and check out library books and read them on my New Nook!  What a wonderful daughter!

A little more progress on dolls:

 Yeah, it is going pretty slow, but I did get some more paper clay.  I keep getting sidetracked, in all kinds of ways. 

This morning's sadhana was a practice that emphasized inhalation.  My morning practices (which I love) had become a bit too routine, and I was doing pretty much the same thing every morning.  Adding a little variety for the last few mornings (emphasis on lower back, emphasis on scoliosis, and today, emphasis on lengthening inhalation) has been fun;  especially since the last two night classes have been strenuous, doing the slow and easy morning routines feel especially good.  I've been using Gary Kraftsow's practices for the past 3 days and enjoying the benefits.

Hearts & Flowers

My valentines didn't get the attention they needed to be completed in time.  Only two are done.  The one below is  almost finished, but there is still one in the studio that only has the applique pinned on.

flowers...

Yesterday, Marcia and I hosted free yoga classes at Lotus Studio to celebrate Heart Month and Valentine's Day.  It was a lot of fun, but the response might have been better if we had not been competing against the Krewe of Gemini's pre-parade parties!  :)

Hope all of you are having a wonderful Valentine's Day!

After another absence...

I have been a negligent blogger...again. Feeling rushed much of the time lately with more to do than time in which to do it. Excuses, excuses.

I'm over a week late in getting these pictures up. We had a nice time in Natchez, but it was cold and windy! In fact they canceled the balloon flights on Friday and Saturday, although they did get off on Sunday. Natchez is a lovely little town.

Fat Mama's tamales are well known...and so are her margaritas. Bryce Eleanor found the bath tub and crawled in.

Mila and her pink cowboy boots. We had to buy her a coat at K-Mart because it was too cold for her cowboy shirt alone.Chris, Amelia, and Erin.Bryce Eleanor loves foot wear. My boots were great fun.
Max and Mila enjoyed the rides. Before we bought her a coat, Mila was wearing my jacket.
View from our balcony.Max wore his shirt on Sunday, but I failed to get a picture of him wearing it. The color looked so good on him, I hate that I didn't get a picture.

I have begun teaching yoga at Lotus Studio and have 2 afternoon classes a week, but this week I'll be subbing for Marcia, whose son is ill. That means a 10:00, 4:00, and 6:00 class today, 10:00 classes on Friday and Saturday. I can use the experience! I'll have to get there early to warm up the studio this morning.

Miscellaneous Tuesday

I love this tutorial by Amy over at the b-line! Makes walking your dog even better when you have a pouch for those necessary clean-ups. There is a section called "let's make" that takes you to a variety of fun crafty tutorials. Amy also has an Etsy Shop with pretty things like this bracelet:We've been having lovely, cool mornings here; so unusual for August, but so appreciated. This morning after a short practice, I joined Fee outside for coffee; we watched the world move from dark to light.

Bryce Eleanor and Duckie.

A glance back to Austin--- Look at all the smiles, even after a full day of yoga classes.,
One day we had to move outside because the electricity was off...not a pleasant experience when every day is 100+ degrees.

Embroidery, My Tranquilizer

I've returned to this piece, enlarging the circle. The process is relaxing, and I just improvise as I go.


While in Austin, I had everyone in our class sign a sheet of paper and draw a stick figure of one of their poses. I've had to enlarge some of the signatures to be able to embroider them, and now I'm just working through the list. I'm not sure exactly what will be next after finishing the names and stick figures, but hopefully, it will turn out well and be a sort of souvenir of our class for Sadani, our teacher.

Camille - prasarita padottanasana; Elisha - vimanasana; Isabelle - jathara paravritti. Each person wrote the name of the asana next to their stick figure, but I'm not sure I'll try embroidering all the sanskrit names....


Bryce Eleanor loves her yoga mat; I'm hoping for some little yogis and yoginis among my grandchildren. Have encouraged Erin to look for a children's teacher in Baton Rouge, but Mila will have to decide where her interests lie (I'm keeping my fingers crossed).
Amelia, Brcye Eleanor, and Bryce Eleanor's favorite toy, her box of alphabet books.

Last Day!

This is the last day! My computer has been slow and has frozen frequently, but I haven't had much time for blogging anyway. Day classes until 5:30 each day, and as many night classes as I could work in, between assignments and preparation.

I've taken 4 or 5 Kundalini classes at night, Hatha and Hatha Flow classes on the weekends, and one wonderful Yoga Nidra class (deep relaxation--and believe it, deep relaxation, indeed!) You are not supposed to fall asleep, but I heard snores and lots of breathing that indicated having slipped over the edge of consciousness into sleep. I slipped over a couple of times and had to bring myself back from that hypnogogic sleep into paying attention.

Graduation after lunch, then a party at 4:00 (and another one tonight that I doubt I'll be able to attend as Fee should be here this afternoon). I'm not sure how I'll adjust to being home without so much yoga packed into my daily schedule! I do have several ideas on projects that I hope to get started on, though.

Ooops! Time to get back.

Austin and YogaYoga

Orientation for the Hatha Yoga Intensive at YogaYoga began last Friday, July 9. Saturday and Sunday, the classes were from 8:00 AM - 6:30 PM. Then on Monday, we began getting out at 5:30--wonderful!

There is so very much to learn, and at first, I was overwhelmed. We are all (all 20 of us in the class) in the same boat, however, and at some point during the week, I accepted that I couldn't learn and absorb so much information at once.

Once I arrived at that realization, I relaxed and began enjoying the experience. And it is a fantastic experience in so many ways! My classmates are so friendly and interesting and interested in what the course has to offer. The teachers are all knowledgeable, skilled, enthusiastic, funny, and kind. Teaching by example, providing great models, they are giving us inspiration in so many ways above and beyond yoga asanas, history, and philosophy.

Here are some photos of my room:

I brought ARCs to read and review, embroidery, and some hand work, but I've had time for none of it. By the time, I've finished class and walked back to the room, eaten, returned for another yoga class from 7:30-8:45 (I've actually only done the 7:30 class twice), showered, and relaxed a little, it is time to fall in bed.

We have this weekend off, which I certainly need -- a chance to wash clothes, get some more groceries, read for pleasure, and relax. I do plan on attending a couple of yoga classes, but mostly just plan to enjoy some down time.

I've eaten my spinach salad and am now going to pull out a book completely unassociated with yoga and indulge myself.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Flowers

I've made a couple more flowers using Calamity Kim's tutorial. Lack of rain and high temps don't bother these flowers at all (wish I could say the same for my hydrangeas!).Yesterday, after days of 99-102 temps, we were finally blessed with rain for the scorched yards and real life gardens!

I'm trying to get chores and duties done because next week I'll be leaving for a month in Austin. Oh, yes, it will be HOT there. Hotter than here--Austin was 106 degrees yesterday, although they've had some thunderstorms to cool things down, too.

Amelia, Chris, and Bryce Eleanor; Erin, Mila, and Max (coming up from Baton Rouge); and Fee and I are the only "for sure" participants for a July 4th celebration at the cabin, but these things often expand.

Today - a doctor's appt. to check on my swollen shoulder (the result, I believe, of a rather hasty move into side plank--and a foolish injury right before intensive yoga training in Austin...), then lunch with Thomas, a visit to Laddie, and hopefully, the library and grocery store. However, it would not surprise me at all if the last two are postponed due to laziness.