Boxing Day Highlights

::working on the puzzle o' year

::reading new books, playing new games, nibbling chocolate -- bien sur!


::the Christmas cactus actually bloomed on Christmas!  I was stunned by its punctuality!


::sleeping under the Christmas tree = dreamy

Merry Merry Christmas to all!

::required line up photo -- blurry, gah!

::so happy to get a robot from his new brother-in-law


::they were both completely happy and occupied all day


::La La Land music was a hit -- listening to them sing and play piano is one of my absolute favorite things


::the sun was shining, the magic of Christmas morning was in full force, and Ella gave me the most scrumptious mug that has ever been created = bliss.  I was so enamored of this gift that I was holding it to my face and stroking it lovingly -- Matthew just looked at me and said, "I'd like to apologize in advance for knocking that mug off of the counter."

Festivating

::the annual Yule Log

::Nativity reenactment with the Clays -- and Ian

::always a photo shoot

::Christmas light viewing

Merry Christmas Eve Eve

::getting those gingerbread houses in right under the wire

::Final creation -- blurry


::two cuddle bugs

Hooray for Light! And Magic!

I am going to take a risk here and proclaim that Winter Solstice is my favorite day of the year!  It may not be completely true, but it feels like it.  The dark and cold feel so oppressive sometimes, but simply knowing that even though the worst of Winter is still ahead, at least the days will be getting longer and longer and longer -- taking us straight into the heart of Spring and Summer!  Big happy sigh.



Tonight is the women's circle that I attend and I cannot think of a single thing I would rather be doing than communing and chanting with my fellow witches on this mystical night.  I made some Sun cookies -- I only had a flower cookie cutter, but it was close enough.  There is orange flavor in the cookie dough and then orange zest in the frosting as well -- citrus is the flavor of sunlight.  We were asked to come with an intention for the new year so I started thinking about my new word of the year.  I had a few things rattling around my head, but nothing felt right.  I have been reading Eckhart Tolle's, The Power of Now so the idea of time -- chronological vs. psychological -- has been forefront.  I also recently heard a podcast with Richard Rohr -- on OnBeing my favorite! -- and he mentioned that in Greek there are two words for time: Chronos which is chronological time, and Kairos which is God's time, or the right moment.  This afternoon I suddenly realized that my word should be Kairos.  There is so much loaded into that word -- that I need to have patience for things to come to pass -- not when I want it, but when (or if!) it's supposed to happen, that I need to stop and just BE in every moment instead of regretting or fantasizing about the past, or longing and yearning for the future.  I find myself often wanting things to be over so I can have done them, not be doing them, haha!  It's no way to live!  So, I was so excited to finally have a word picked out, but I decided to do a tiny test to see if it was the right one.  I went into our little library and randomly plucked a book of poetry off of the book shelf -- it was Mary Oliver's Evidence.  I flipped it open and read the poem that was on that page.  

Deep Summer

The mockingbird
opens his throat
among the thorns
for his own reasons

but doesn't mind 
if we pause
to listen
and learn something

for ourselves;
he doesn't stop,
he nods
his gray head

with the frightfully bright eyes,
he flirts 
his supple tail,
he says:

listen, if you would listen.
There's no end
to good talk,
to passion songs,

to the melodies
that say
this branch, 
this tree is mine,

to the wholesome
happiness
of being alive
on a patch

of this green earth
in the deep
pleasures of summer.
What a bird!

Your clocks, he says plainly,
which are always ticking,
do not have to be listened to.
The spirit of his every word.

What??? Are you kidding me?  First of all, Deep Summer is a little ironic with it being deep winter, right?  And then I was already fully recognizing that the Universe was affirming my word with the instructions for pausing and listening, to the reminder to be happy and content, but then the clocks!  Always ticking!  Do not have to be listened to!  It was like being hit over the head with a hammer, haha!  I gasped and then let out a jubilant little scream.  It was too perfect.  Too magical.  I accept it.

Nutcracker Battles

Bauble Building

Firsts and Lasts

My baby lost his first tooth!

Happy Birthday

Happy happy Birthday to my dear husband! He really really really doesn't like having his picture taken so it was difficult to find a photo, nor does he like much attention at all... but if you happen to see him today, wish him the best 

Sunday Shoot

Thanks Fuyuhiko for sharing this pic of my babies when they were known as Ellie and Charlie ❤️Vermont, 1998

Noro Obi

I finished this granny square last night and I must say that I am smitten!  I love this yarn so much -- and I certainly had to work hard enough to obtain it!  The noro obi yarn has been discontinued, but a few retailers still have some in stock so I had to buy a few here and a few there... As I googled, stores would claim to have some, but then they didn't.  And some retailers had their last few skeins on discount, while others were (smart, mean) and had increased the price, if you can believe that! 😲 . But at last I found 11 skeins or so and I am so so happy with how it turned out.

Silver Wedding Anniversary

I still like this guy a lot -- Happy 25th Anniversary! I feel so young, but then I see old pictures and realize we really have aged 😁

Butterfly=Metamorphosis

It is said that the butterfly is one the most symbolic animals regarding the power of personal transformation and I feel like I really have grown and changed in the last week or so as we have dived deep into the practice here at Bodhi Yoga.  Being able to dedicate so much time to it is a wonderful gift and I was so grateful to catch a glimpse of this beauty, as it fluttered around the zinnias, to remind me of my blessings and also to lead me forward instead of back.  I have loved attending the yoga classes in the mornings and then spending the entire rest of the days in study and practice.  

We have learned about the Sen lines -- another completely new concept for me!  According to Yogic philosophies, there are 72,000 threads that run through our bodies which are called Nadis. They are there to be a pathway for the energy that is required to make up life! Working with these channels is on a much more energetic level than working with the marmas was and it is so interesting to learn how to "sense" where they are.  At first it seemed so difficult, but soon, with a pause, the intuitive feeling was there.  As people become more aware of the energy fields that we have (that we are!), we can transform into the beings of light that we have been all along!

Marma Mia

Marmas.  We all have them, but do we know what they are?  I had never heard of them before I started the Bodhi Yoga teacher training and we only talked about them for a minute then, but now my eyes have been opened!  Most people have heard of acupressure points, so that is a good jumping off point in explaining what they are.  In Ayurvedic philosophy, it is said that the marmas are where the spirit and body lace together.  Each marma holds the potential for balancing the body and serves as a bridge to the mind and the soul.  Marmas are located at places where there are physical intersections -- veins, arteries, tendons, bones, joints, etc. and there are 107 of them in the body!  

We have been learning techniques for "activating" the marmas and it is amazing how good it feels to have them pressed and massaged.  We had a great time today practicing on each other!  And I'm so glad that now I know about my marmas!  I am going to use this new knowledge in my yoga classes...

Graduation!

I had to skedaddle up to Rexburg and miss one of the training days to attend Ella's graduation!  I can't believe that I have a child old enough to graduate from college!  I drove up with my mom and then we met Matthew and the kids who had driven the north route from Illinois.  Everyone was tired, but it was a beautiful day and all of the talks were great.  We wanted to go out to dinner afterward which was a huge mistake.  There was nowhere to go!  So we ended up in Idaho Falls and got home way way too late!  We survived! 
 

Ladybug Luck

In the Bodhi Yoga training we've been talking about the art of balance -- Prakruti is a state of balance, with Vikruti as its opposite.  Each person can find their own space where their balance resides and then develop lifestyle wisdom to make that happen.  I love the Ayurvedic philosophy at looking at the whole person and the whole picture -- food, sleep, exercise, seasons, weather, relationships, work -- all of it contributes to whatever may be happening in someone's life.  In my experience with doctors here in the U.S., they concentrate on their one specialty and tend to ignore the fact that there could be other factors.  And sometimes a new problem could be created by a solution to the first problem.  Years ago I was having trouble with my tail bone.  I went to a traditional doctor who told me to take tylenol!  I couldn't even sit and it was noticeable progressing year by year!  So taking pain medication not only wouldn't solve my problem, merely mask it, it also would lead to other issues -- digestive, immunity, etc.  I had never been to a chiropractor, but I decided to take a chance and I am so glad that I did!  I had to pay out of pocket, but being completely healed and returning to a state of prakruti was so worth it.

We met at Syl's house so that we could walk the labyrinth.  Oh, how I love that place!  And as I was making my way around, I was visited by a lovely little ladybug sitting atop a cairn.  Ladybugs are a symbol of luck and I do indeed feel so lucky to be able to be here and take this time to learn and grow.  It also told me to enjoy life and live to my fullest!  The best way to do that is find my balance.  Feeling good is joyful!

Day Two -- Balance and Siddhartha

It is the second day of the training at Bodhi Yoga and I am enjoying it so much!  We have been spending time talking about the Gunas and the Doshas which is really helpful!  I hadn't ever heard of either of those things until I took the first teacher yoga training with Syl last summer.  Since then I have spent more time researching them -- mostly so I can understand myself more, but also I can see so much value in being able to identify the best methods for working with different types of people.  I have also looked into more Ayurveda lifestyle changes that I can implement in my life -- eating food with more prana, or life force in it, following a schedule that is more in tune with what is happening around me, going to bed closer to the sunset and waking up with the sunrise.  It is all about rhythm and tuning in.  As we work with the partner aspect of yoga, it is so helpful to look at it in terms of bringing everything into balance -- mind, body, and spirit.

During our lunch break I was able to go sit by myself, in the sun, next to the flowing Provo River,  feeling like Siddhartha receiving messages from my Mother, nature, to enjoy, to inhale, these precious days of being able to concentrate fully on this beautiful practice.

RPY Day One and the Snail

I started the training at Bodhi Yoga this morning and I already know it is going to be something special.  There are only three of us!  So it feels intimate and cozy, which I love.  I kind of regret that my teacher training was such a large group -- although that was fun, too, of course!  But this makes up for any residual judgement -- a completely different experience!  

We talked about the yogic origins of partner yoga and how it differs from more traditional Western massage.  The biggest difference being that it is a more energy healing and spiritually based practice, versus solely being about the body.  We also talked about the benefits of partner yoga, obviously for the receiver -- such as relaxation, releasing emotional blocks, stimulating circulation, improving digestion, and deepening spiritual insight.   But also the giver experiences benefits as well -- a moving meditative state, strengthened yoga practice, and counter pressure, to name a few.  

Having never experienced a restorative partner yoga training, I am embarrassed to admit that I was not even fully aware of what it was when I signed up!  So today was very eye opening for me.

I went outside during a break and noticed a snail winding a glistening trail around my feet.

I decided its message was telling me to slow down.  When I got home I looked up the symbolism and this is what I found:

The snail symbolism is letting you know that you have to use your time wisely. However, you also have to realize that you do have time for everything. Thus, you should divide your priorities and set up a block of time each day so that there is steady progress in all of your projects.  The whole process is a simple exercise in time management. In other words, snail symbolism reminds you to stay in the present so that everything gets done.

Oh!  Perfect!  I will take this into my training -- to use my time wisely, to know that there is plenty of time, and to make steady progress in the present moment!

Another Yoga Training

I am headed out to Utah again to start another 200 hour yoga training!  It will be at Bodhi Yoga in Provo again, and I'm so excited!  It is called Restorative Partner Yoga -- henceforth to be referred to as RPY and is in depth hands on adjusting, 52 partner yoga poses, and learning about Ayurvedic Marma point and 10 sens energy line alignment.  It is only available to students who have already completed her 200 hour yoga teacher certification, so obviously very exclusive 😁

I made Syl this Chakra mandala -- based on a pattern from Attic 24 

Not the best picture, haha!  But hopefully she'll like it!

I have several hours to spend in the Chicago airport -- which I don't mind.  I always enjoy people watching!  I love how this woman takes off her shoes to put her feet up on the chair -- treating everything with respect, but also not able to shake her upbringing even when she's in a probably not very clean place.  I mean, really, how many people have sat in that chair???  It boggles the mind.

African Flower Blanket

Ta-da!!!! The first blanket that I made for myself (and Matthew) is finally finished! It took over a year, but I did make about six other blankets in that same time 😁 I should've waited for better light to take pics, but I was too excited. 378 flowers -- each of them unique, done pretty randomly, and I just happened to have the exact right amount as I was finishing my last row -- so serendipitous! Can't wait to cozy up in it, haha! Perhaps in the fall?  









I first saw this blanket on pinterest linking to a blog in the Netherlands -- I'll include it here:  (african flower blanket) and I was distressed to find no information on a pattern or colors -- not that I usually include those sorts of details in my posts either, haha!  But I'll turn over a new flower petal and include some of those specifics.  I found a pattern and tutorial at Heidi Bears and just did the first four rounds.  I decided to used Lucy's hexagon join as you go method so I saved the gray section for the joining stage.  All of the yarn is Stylecraft from Wool Warehouse and I used these colors:

✽ sherbet ✽ turquoise ✽ empire ✽ grass green ✽ petrol ✽ violet ✽ spring green ✽ duck egg ✽ lobelia ✽ cloud blue ✽ aster ✽ bluebell ✽ aspen ✽ lemon ✽ teal ✽ white ✽ silver ✽


I did it all very haphazardly -- more organized people would probably cringe at my method, or lack thereof.  For a while I would do a pile of centers of one color, and then change the next rounds and then I did piles of using only two alternating colors instead of three... pretty random.  And then with joining I never even figured out ahead of time how many I would need in each row!  I just had all of the flowers in a bag, pulling one out at a time and only putting it back if the colors were too similar to what was directly around it, hoping I wouldn't get to the end and have only bright green left!   I joined them by doing a sort of herringbone pattern back and forth while the rows got longer in each direction.  I thought I might have to go back and do a few more, but as a mentioned above, I miraculously ended up with the exact right amount!  How freaky is that?  I love magical things.  I first thought I would have a curvy edge, but then decided I liked the look of straight edges better so I did have to hurry and do some half hexagons in the silver before I could start the border.  I used the border from a blog called dover and madden.  I did the first five rows wrong at first!  It was so frustrating!  At first I couldn't figure out why it didn't look right, but by the time I did realize I was very far along -- this blanket is humongous!  But I knew that I would be happier if I started over and did it correctly and it is true!  I always have to tell myself that it is not about finishing a project -- it is about the PROCESS!  So, it is fine if I have to spend a little more time.  It's not like I had a deadline hanging over my head. I think it is one of my favorite borders ever.  There you have it!  If you have any questions, I'd be more than happy to answer them!

Yoga Friends

We're finally getting into the swing of things in our kids yoga class!  I think at first they didn't know what was expected of them.  I always joke that secular homeschoolers are the worst -- they haven't learned how to sit quietly at church or school, haha!  I am just kidding, I love them, of course, but sometimes our math and yoga classes get a little rowdy!  Anywho, back to saying that it isn't going so badly!  We start by getting settled and then go over some of the poses we've learned in past weeks, then we learn some new poses.  I'm still using the ideas from the Bodhi Yoga manual, and the theme for this week was friends.  We talked about ways to be kind and acted out some scenarios.  We read a book about friends and then we did some partner yoga poses, because you can't do those alone!

Kids Yoga II

Once wasn't enough punishment so we came back for more!  I shortened the class this time, so that made it a lot better.  Using the ideas from the Bodhi Yoga manual, we started with the kids doing a tug of war with scarves.  It started out okay, but very quickly got out of hand!  These kids just aren't sitting there docilely like the pretend children in the example lesson!  I pretty much had a non stop running reminder that there is no talking in yoga and we have to stay on our mats... It might sink in eventually?  

My friend snapped a picture of a calm moment.  Is a picture worth a thousand words?  Or just a lie in image form?