dance to express

i feel both of these couples embody both sensuality and strength
quite inspirational to watch...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wb5oKZExypo&feature=player_embedded

http://wn.com/Duo_MainTenanT__Benissimo

Tie the knot...

Fun do it yourself wedding blog and great photography...

http://ruffledblog.com/

wise words...

sometimes the body is a distraction...
sometimes the body is a limitation...
sometimes the body is an invitation...
sometimes the body is an opportunity...

PdX Here I come to visit...

A past life
An old life
A new life...

between the surface

Bridging the gap
Mind-body-soul
Each day the path becomes
more exposed
Noticeable to the virgin eye.
The rain washes over the frozen surface
Penetrating the ice and
Revealing the earth...
With each press
melting into one.
Tender to the bone
Looking to and being seen
Take me into your embrace
Hold me
Guide me
Into this foreign landscape-
Into this unmarked territory-
A reborn identity

The powerful winds wipe the mind clear
Drowning out chatter
Howling across the lake and
Vibrating the skin.
A play between strength and sensuality-
Weaving between the trees
Gusts reveal secrets
Drinking in spoken words of wisdom
Deep Deep breath’s of fresh crisp air
Open the insides
Clearing cobwebs from the corners
Freedom from the inside out.

Stepping forward
A comforting silence sweeps over every cell
Protected by the forest- By your presence.

At the crossroads
A stranger to the self
and never alone.
At the crossroads- a wanderer- a traveler- a seeker
Stop swimming so furiously to stay afloat
Stop searching so fiercely
Realizing the journey IS the goal
Fall to your knees
Lay down your hands
Unclench your fists
Arms wide open
Surrender
The vibrant stream carries you
purifies the terrain
Allowing the body to flow freely into
Unknown sacred places…

Wise words from yesterday...

"Drive fast and take risks..."

"People who are normal will never succeed...
if you are radical and different you have it made..."

"Stop swimming...surredner."

"My son, greatness is not in a golden seat. It's in one's character."

"Why are you hiding from the world and camouflaging your beauty..."

"There is a perfect timing when each piece of the puzzle is made to fit in, providing us with a clear view of the larger picture forming."

Fantasy Land

Snap
and she is off
heart beats rapid
running….
As fast as she can
Sprinting
into the wind
A race to the end.
Going…doing…being…
Each stride
Longer
Faster
Smoother
Traveling with the gusts
The breeze sweeps her away
A Fantasy land
across the dusty path
spirals form in mid-air
Swallowed in the movement
Trapped in the cycle
like a tornado
spinning from the inside
out
Taken away by this powerful force
Fuel that feeds this inner flame
The fire burns bright
caught
in the momentum
the blaze creates a foggy view
blinded and
unable to see
The wind carries her
Into the next
An abrupt change in direction-
another realm.
Realizing she is the only competitor-
A lone warrior.
The finish line is no where to be seen
let go…let go…let go…

In this new territory
Coming to a halt
Stop
Beginning to capture the breath
Listen
to the messages
the voice deep within
Calming the spirit
calling her back
beckoning her home.

This intense storm arrives quickly
and vanishes in the blink of an eye…
clearing the lenses
vision renewed
A new perspective
Beginning again and again and again…

The Grandma Tree

I am not in love with this (or my photo taking abilities)
Every so often this piece shifts
I do love visiting the grandma tree
For me this painting is an every day reminder that these things exist...

Grounded
connecting inside
uniqueness
power
wisdom
depth
listen
wonder
play
the unknown
truth
something greater beyond words...

Headphones Please....

Red Eye- The Album Leaf
RoygBiv- Boards of Canada
Terrapin- Bonobo
Parks -Four Tet
I know you are but what am I?- Mogwai
Tied Knots- The Album Leaf
Dancing Behind My Eyelids- Mum
Upward over the Mountain- Iron and Wine
Wild Tiger I have known- Emily Jane White
Le Voyage de Penelope- Air
Consequence- The Notwist
Your Own- Sarah Martin
Walking with a Ghost- Tegan and Sara
Mushroom (postal service remix)- Feist
Mount Wroclai- Beirut
Track 12- Morcheeba/Tricky

Owls and The Mysterious Ways of Life...

Owls keep appearing in my life when I least expect it.

After being greeted by one in the woods the other day and then coincidentally reading a passage speaking of owls in the book Yogini by Shambhavi Lorain Chopra I was inspired to write/share some thoughts about my own personal experience with these mystical birds.

Passage from Yogini:
“The Owl symbolizes great wisdom and intelligence because of its ability to presage events. The owl is the penetrator of the darkness. It is the symbol of the feminine, the Moon and the night, being a bird of magic and darkness, of prophecy and wisdom. Symbolically, the owl remains as a powerful metaphor for inner wisdom and the regenerative powers of the feminine principle…faith will unfold the way in the form of the owl. Birds are complex dream symbols. Flying birds represent movement, symbolizing physical or mental freedom…flying birds in colour are auspicious omens. Birds also symbolize the higher self.”


Mysterious Ways of Life:

The wise owl watches from afar.
An old soul from another life.
From the tops of the trees
You can hear his calls in the distance
vibrating the entire forest.
You can feel his presence before he appears
Curiosity draws us closer…

Studying your movements
each step
your body
all the secrets spoken from your mouth.
Listening and hearing every prayer
that has rested on your lips.

The wild search has come to an end
and
when you least expect it
the threads of life draw you near
being greeted by his sacredness

he observes from above
Coming out of the shadows
exposing his unique color
All parts of the self.
Chic and Courageous
Power beaming from the eyes.

In the light
A seeker, a knower
an unexpected treasure.
In silence…
In stillness…
Subtle shifts allow the mind to set free.
Taken over by this creatures inner wisdom
Being showered by his blessings

As quickly as he appeared
time continues on…
Taking flight
and expanding in all directions.
Beyond the unexpected
Soaring gracefully over the mountain tops
guiding me into the unknown
His wings whisper soflty
…Spread your wings and fly...

Need...Want...Desire...

"Your destiny is under your control..."

What are you hungry for?
What do you crave?
What do you long for?
What do you want?

Connect to the instinctual self...the source...the soul...inside the self

To choose just because something mouth watering stands before you will never satisfy the hunger of the soul-self
And that is what intuition is for;
it is the direct messenger of the soul...

Make your desires.....Reality

Thoughts from the book:
Women Who Run With the Wolves By Clarissa Pinkola Estés

Cooking Obsession...

New favorite foods that make my belly happy...

- Brussel sprouts
- Okra
- curry, curry, curry
- maple syrup and yogurt
- dates and figs
- chicken Marsala and mushrooms
- lentil soup
- toast and butter
- Eggs Florentine and Bloody Mary's
- Danny's Tahini
- curry cashews
- Ghee
- Avocados and hummus
- dumplings
- garlic
- Rainbow chard
- Spanakopita
- Leeks
- coconut ice cream
- Asparagus
- Basil Hayden's Bourbon

The beginning of the end to the starting line…

A forbidden landscape
Unraveled ground
Weaving through the thick forest-
beside the rolling hills
up to the mountain peaks
and into the clouds
and back down to the valley
to the depths of the sea…

This foreign land keeps calling me back-
yet feels so far away.
Paths merging
Our souls collide
Being drawn together like magnets.

As we become intertwined and woven into one
The heart gradually softens
Allowing you to see all of me
Naked to the core…

Engulfed in the pulse-
In the touch
In the beat…
Breathing into an unknown journey
I only see half the story
part of the story
none of the story…

Dancing between worlds
Spinning round and round
In a split second the heart takes over
The creature within releases
Breaking free from the walls that bind her
Mind- body- heart- and soul
…Reunited
into one whole being
Growing tall and
building strength.
Expanding in all directions
Footsteps moving into the horizon
There is so much more to see…

Non-Attachment:

To be with life as it is...
without fear
distortion
attachment
force, or fantasy...

"If you realize that all things change, there is nothing you will try to hold on to." -Zen Proverb

“The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.” -Buddha

Lentil/Veggie Soup

A hearty winter soup
Eat with family…friends…community…

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons Ghee
2 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
2-teaspoon cumin, coriander, and turmeric
1 small shallot
Lots of garlic cloves
2 carrots large chunks
1 daikon sliced
Handful small cherry tomatoes cut in half
Shitake mushrooms sliced thin

1 1/2 cup organic dry red lentil
7 cups H20 or veggie stock

Sea salt and pepper

A few fresh lemon squirts

Preparation:
Heat Ghee over medium heat in soup pot
Add mustard seeds on low-stir until they start to pop…be careful not to burn them
Add cumin, coriander, and turmeric- sauté a few seconds
Add garlic and onion- sauté 5 minutes
Stir in carrots and daikon- sauté few minutes
Add lentils and H20/veggie stock
Bring to a boil

Reduce heat to medium/low
Cover and simmer until lentils turn yellowish
About 25 minutes
Add sliced shitake mushroom and tomatoes at end
Sea salt/pepper to taste
Stir in a few squirts of fresh lemon juice
Stir everything
Turn off heat- allow the soup to settle and the flavors combine.

Reheat when ready to serve…

Enjoy with fresh bread and roasted brussel sprouts and garlic.

Planning is priceless...

Plans are useless...

Vulnerability

The susceptibility of a person…someone who lets down their guard- leaving themselves open to censure or criticism. A person’s state of being liable to succumb to manipulation, persuasion, temptation. Capable of being physically and emotionally wounded, attacked, exposed….

“At the heart of any real intimacy is a certain vulnerability. It is hard to trust someone with your vulnerability unless you can see in them a matching vulnerability and know that you may not be judged. In some basic way it is our imperfections and even our pain that draws others closer to us.” (and we also draw closer to ourself)
- Rachel Naomi Remen

October Skys...

A few words from October 2010...

The forrest sheds layers of protection
Red, Orange, Yellow, Green
A colorful rainbow across the mountainside

The soul...limbs, heart, branches
become exposed and vulnerable.
Preparing for a new experience.

The crisp air awakens the body
Tiny steps of courage
of curiosity
of faith
uniting with the rhythms of nature.

The changing seasons
become changing inquires
become a changing being...
inside and out

Diving within to the internal landscape
A foreign world...
yet stillness invites the spirit in.
Evolving and growing into a new pair of shoes.
Each footstep a little more stable.
Chasing the sun as it slowly
drifts behind the rolling hills.
The cycle of change begins again...

Stillness

To lay deep with in the body
Traveling with the breath
into the muscle
into the bone
down to the core
watching from the inside out.
Exploring the internal landscape.


Peeling through another layer
small breaths of air
into the darkness
into the shadows
into the mysterious...
Space
Love
Perseverance
Opening doors we never knew existed
shifts and cracks
breaking chains
to merge the severed selves
mind body connection

The soul becomes free
The soul begins to fly away
Soaring
into the mountains
A new beginning...

once a day...

Can you tell your self one genuine kind-loving thing every day...

movement

Will and Surrender
Push....pull
One eye in and one eye out...
A dance around the room
Releasing
fully letting go
shedding layers
setting stories aside

We become one
seeing ourselves in eachother.

The ice begins to crack
open
In the chaos
Can you allow yourself to be seen?
stilling the body...
Traveling deep into the muscle
Can you allow yourself to be vulnerable?
Open
and
Exposed

Stepping in a new direction
What is it like to weave
in and out
in and out

A right of passage
The river flows...
Swimming with the current
A new breath
A new stride
A new body...

Yin Style/Kripalu Yoga YTT

(Thank you Kripalu YTT November/January 2011 students for the inspiration)

Two blocks, blanket, pillow

1. Open the heart
---to new opportunities-new relationships-to the truth-to the unknown
2. Soften into back
---allow others to hold you/support you-breathe into back body
3. What does it mean to fully soften into a posture?

Supine 5-point star
---full body stretch
1/2 Frog
Pump to Bujangasana (Cobra) to Sphnix
Garbasana (child)
---Walk hands right/left (hold)
Table (rock hips side to side)
Anahatasana (melting Heart)-
Table
Thread the Needle w/arms
---Right/Left-pause
Meditation in motion
Sukasana (one leg in front of other-fold forward/twist)
Open heart
supported bridge (setu bandasana) with block
---raise legs(inversion)- shake legs-roll out ankles
Knees to chest-hug-1 affirmation
Full body stretch
Wind relieving pose (pavanmuktasana)
---right/left-head to knee
Supine Spinal twist (matsyendrasana)
Meditation in motion
Shavasana
Restorative
(open heart with block/supine baddha konasana) or pillow under knees
1-minute sit-Metta

Poem- Dana Faulds…Just For Now

Go In and In
Be the space
Between two cells
The vast resounding
Silence in which spirit dwells
Go in and in
Turn away from nothing that you find

Poem...Dana Faulds...Just For Now

Just for Now, without asking how, let yourself sink into stillness.
Just for now,
lay down the weight you so patiently bear upon your shoulders.
Feel the earth receive you, and, and the infinite expanse of the sky grow even wider as your awareness reaches up to meet it.
Just for now, allow a wave of breath to enliven your experience.
Breathe out what ever blocks you from the truth.
Just for now,
be boundless, free,
with awakened energy tingling in your hands and feet.
Drink in the possibility of being who and what you really are.
So fully alive that the world looks different, newly born and vibrant,
just for now

Music Play List (with headphones):
- Talisman….Air
- I know you are but what am I?…Mogwai
- Wild Tigers I have known…Emily jane White
- Summer Fog…The Album Leaf
- New Moon (the Meadow)…Alexandre Desplat
- Upward Over the Mountain…Iron and Wine
- Track 2…I don’t know the artist?
- Heartbeats…jose Gonzalez
- Junesong…Talk Demonic
- My Ladys House…Iron and wine
- Vermillion…The Album Leaf
- Breathe Me…Sia
- Blank Pages…The Album Leaf
- Possibility…Lykke Li
- We Have the map to the piano…Mum
- Track 4…Snatam Kaur
- Ram Chant…Vandita

Thinking...

It is very easy to get swept away
Always bringing it back inside to the process
what part can you get closer to
A constant practice
Can we slow down
Can we begin again with fresh eyes

When we rush through life we miss the simple things…
The people
The messages
The feelings
The journey

What does it look like to slow down
To surrender a part of ourselves
Our heart
Our soul
Our entire being becomes exposed

Can we make love to one part of our body
In and out
Back and forth
To and from
What is it like to stay at the edge and look to the horizon
To watch
To listen
To explore…

Can the breath touch those places of discomfort
Down to the raw bone
Beginning to massage the muscle
The fire burns
Warming the heart
Shedding a layer
Being reborn again and again and again…

Some things that touched my heart today...

- Our beliefs create our reality...

- The root cause of suffering is lack of knowledge of the inner self

- Despair, pain, shattering wakes us up to ask the bigger questions

- The most spectacular thing is the mysterious...the unknown

- Can we allow ourselves to fully experience life
without resistance, without running away...without distortion?

- The opposite of love is fear

- Holding, Hugging, supporting, tears,
witnessing the process of letting go and touching a feeling

- A shift in consciousness happens with practice...
a dedication to practice

- Can we be in awe with life everyday...
LOOK...AWAKEN to this place...this life...?

wise words...

"the only way you could "fail" is if you allowed your fears to get to you...

People always talk about fearlessness.

It's feeling fear etc..."stomach in knots"...

and still doing what you need to do

- that's fearlessness!"

Lessons of Injury

- How to slow down
- How to sit still
- How to be with yourself
- How to listen to your body
------What is it saying- feeling-needing-wanting
- How to care for yourself.... setting limits and boundaries
- How to ask for help
- How to move differently in your body
- To receive
- To become friends with yourself and your body
- To trust in your own body to heal it self
- The realization that i cannot always fix something
- To breathe into the discomfort...
- To be careful what you ask for...

Some thoughts ...

Hiding in the shadows
fighting through layers
unable to emerge
holding on...holding in...

A single tear heats and boils to the rim.
The mask slowly melts away
Allowing the true self to shine...

The day will come...
Walls begin to crumble
doors unlock
deep....a deep breath of crisp fresh air
opens the insides
frees the constricted mind
fill the broken heart.

Stepping forward
a comforting silence takes over
Melting into the forest
trudging a new path
dancing with the unknown
toward the vast horizon
Surrendering...

This rocky trail
through valleys...along the ridges...to the peaks
offers the opportunity to dig deeper and deeper
Courage
Strength...

At the crossroads
the mind races...the body becomes heated
something inside begins to burn
the embers fire red
the soul begins to fly away
a stranger to the self...yet never alone.

At the crossroads
A Wanderer...A Traveler...A Seeker
running to and running faster in the opposite direction
Forward and back
Forward and back...

The whispering trees reveal their secrets
breathing into the skin
into the body.
Growing closer...growing stronger

There is no turning back
The war is over
its time to come home
to step inside
Like a magnet our energies collide
Becoming united...mind.... body...soul...

Becoming One

With each footstep there is something new to see
This undiscovered and endless journey has just begun

Not only will we survive...
But in the end we will
Thrive...

music suggestion

A resoritive/yin inspired playlist (with headphones)...

Talisman...Air
I know you are but what am i...mogwai
Wild Tigers I have Known...Emily jane white
Summer Fog...The Album Leaf
New Moon (The Meadow)...Alexandre Desplat
Upward over the Mountain...iron and wine
track 2...i dont know?
heartbeats...jose gonzalez
junesong...Talk Demonic
My Ladys House...Iron and wine
Vermillion...the album leaf
Breathe Me...Sia
Blank Pages...The Album Leaf
Ram Chant...Vandita

When you can...You will...

Just for now....

Just for now
without asking how,
let yourself sink into stillness.
Just for now,
lay down the weight you so patiently bear upon your shoulders.
Feel the earth receive you, and the infinite expanse of the sky grow even wider as your awareness reaches up to meet it.
Just for now,
allow the wave of breath to enliven your expierence.
Breathe out whatever blocks you from the truth.
Just for now,
Be boundless, free, with awakened energy tingling in your hands and feet.
Drink in the possibility of being who and what you really are-
so fully alive that the world looks different, newly born and vibrabnt,
Just for now...
---- (Dana Faulds)

What does your yoga look like today...

- Everyday can i fall in love with myself
- Every day can we tell ourselves one conscious positive thing?

- Music in my ears
- Singsong

- Yin yoga
- Teaching a class and coming up with 5 positive things to tell yourself before the critic takes over

- Meetings and phone conferences
- data and numbers
- writing and editing

- watching life from the inside out
- keep showing up...
even when things are uncomfortable, foreign, unknown...

- finally...getting back on my snowboard
- play

The mind is a fake and a cheat...

You are not who you think you are
you are only scratching the surface
go deep
there is so much more
inside...
coming closer to the truest self
connect
what keeps you from being your most authentic self...
what inside is already whole and complete...
-- (discussion with Shobhan)

Headphones Please....

M83...
Couleurs
Up!
We Own the Sky

The XX...
Intro
Crystalized

Lykke Li..
I'm good, I'm Gone
Little Bit

R/D...
Face of god

Magnetic Man...
Flying into Tokyo

Phantogram...
when I'm small
mouth full of diamonds

Stars...
the beginning after the end

30 years of life

words to ponder
again and again
from a dear friend
a teacher...a guide...a princesss...
a new jersey fairy...

-------------------------------------


Lady of beasts
relationship
i desire union
in ways comfortable and appropriate
knowing that it will take me
to all the places i fear
some of the places i love
many of the places that need healing.
I listen with the ears of my heart
and communicate from a place of self knowing
i consciously give myself away
and know how to take myself back
i see myself reflected
so perfectly in the other
that i begin my most important journey
to seek out and claim
more of who i am

spring spirals...

old september thoughts...

worlds slow
colliding under trees
time become obsolete
the vibrant forest
engulfs the entire being

unfamiliar noises startle the insides
questions begin to arise
fear emerges
with every step the feeling dissipates into the earth
pushing...pulling...farther, faster, harder, further...
only to realize this journey never ends
with every vista there is a dry spell
every dream there is a challenge...

Having faith in the path as it meanders into the unknown
the pace begins to steady

each step coming closer to home

plugging in- a direct connection to the source
simple gems come into focus
comfort spreads like wildfire

winds scream secrets in the night
remebering to live the process
not the outcome
the experience
not the goal...

some new year intentions...

to receive
to be held
to be loved
to be special
to be cared for
to be playful
to challenge and be challenged
to cry
to be myself...to be me
to say no
to fully embrace community
to be seen...all sides of me
to soften
to be affectionate and passionate
to speak my truth
to teach
to accept
to take risks
to travel
to ask questions
to be uncomfortable
to fall in love with myself
to express...create...sing...paint...dance

Sweet Pics from 2005

wise words...

"Love is passion, obsession, someone you can't live without.

If you don't start with that, what are you going to end up with?

Fall head over heels.
find someone you can love like crazy and who'll love you the same way back.

Forget your head and listen to your heart.

Run the risk.

If you get hurt, you'll come back.

Because the truth is there is no sense living your life without this.

To make the journey and not fall deeply in love - well, you haven't lived at all.

You have to try.

Because if you haven't tried, you haven't lived." ...MJB

Oldies but Goodies...

My Front Yard...

Breathe and Release

Tea Time...

connect...disconnect....reconnect

breaking free...

Growing...

Hiding Inside

Skate

the mind becomes cloudy
with negitive thoughts
clear and empty the brain
do the things that make you
smile...

Lonely rainy days

set yourself free...

mind/body wars

Bliss

fire flys in NY

under the stars

Living in a box

neurotransmitters

Floating Skeleton

drowning...

for the little ones

parting ways...

Buttons...

pom poms

CrocheT

Confusion

mOre HaTs

Lets Go For a Sail...

I love that my friends just bought a sailboat!

FreEdom

Which WAy?

made this one when i got back from hiking the pCt

trapped

life is what happens while we are making plans...