Isabela Phoebe

I'm still, STILL, working on finishing up the hours I need for my Restorative Partner Yoga certification from Bodhi Yoga, but I am definitely getting there!  I think I only need three more!  Oh my goodness.  I am so so good at procrastinating!  It is indeed my greatest talent.

In my desperation I have turned to my family to be my guinea pigs.  I worked on Ibby for the first time in December and then she let me do it again the other night and there was something so sweet about it!  As I worked the sen lines on her legs and pressed the marma points on her arms I was reminded of when she was a baby and I'd rub her little body while she nursed.  I enjoyed her infancy so much!  We had just moved to this house and I finally felt settled after moving around for many many years.  We finally had enough room to stretch out and run around so we didn't feel so much like we were right on top of each other.  I also was taking my happy vitamins -- really it is fish oil -- but I was so so worried about experiencing postpartum depression again.  I had had it quite badly with both Charles and Lucinda, so I was dreading that baby time.  I had read somewhere that fish oil would help so I began to take it quite faithfully and lo and behold!  The dreaded depression and panic attacks never arrived!  It made such a difference!  And she was such a chill baby!  But I always wonder if it is a chicken and egg situation.  Was she chill because I was more calm?  Or was I more calm because she was chill?  She still is pretty mellow!  It is her personality for sure.  And the other two, are, shall we say, not, haha!

Anyway, it was really nice for me to be able to go back to that time, as it were.  Through the sense of touch I was able to recall that time so vividly and it was beautiful.  She is such a sweetie and I am trying to cherish these last couple of years with her home (sob, sob, sob).

Snowy Night

Here's to snow and not having the answers ❄️🌨️❄️

Snowy Night by Mary Oliver

Last night, an owl
in the blue dark
tossed
an indeterminate number
of carefully shaped sounds into
the world, in which,
a quarter of a mile away, I happened
to be standing.
I couldn’t tell
which one it was –
the barred or the great-horned
ship of the air –
it was that distant. But, anyway,
aren’t there moments
that are better than knowing something,
and sweeter? Snow was falling,
so much like stars
filling the dark trees
that one could easily imagine
its reason for being was nothing more
than prettiness. I suppose
if this were someone else’s story
they would have insisted on knowing
whatever is knowable – would have hurried
over the fields
to name it – the owl, I mean.
But it’s mine, this poem of the night,
and I just stood there, listening and holding out
my hands to the soft glitter
falling through the air. I love this world,
but not for its answers.
And I wish good luck to the owl,
whatever its name –
and I wish great welcome to the snow,
whatever its severe and comfortless
and beautiful meaning.

Valentine Sparkle

I hope that everyone had a sparkly day!

Robin Egg Blue

When I was doing my Restorative Partner Yoga training at Bodhi Yoga I really enjoyed the immersive aspect of the experience.  (I did a 10 day intensive course, and Syl Carson, the owner, also offers a course that meets on weekends over a few months).  I probably could have stolen away and gone back to my mom's house or had lunch with family, but I loved staying really close to the studio and not getting into my car for the whole day.  On the last day of the training, I walked across the street to my favorite little soup place.  It felt cold and loud inside the restaurant -- I can never really adjust to air conditioning, brrr!  So I took my food outside to have some quiet time (near the road, haha) and feel the sun burrow into my bones.  As I sat down, a small blue object caught my eye.  I bent down to see what it was and found the remains of a robin's egg!  I looked around and could not imagine where it possibly could have come from!  It was just lying in the rocky ground cover all by itself.  Don't they usually fall from a tree?  But there weren't any trees nearby.  So, I concluded that it must obviously be a message from the universe!  Of course.  I took the egg back to the studio and presented it to Syl as a gift, adding it to the objects on the main altar.  Later I looked up what the meaning could be and found this:

"Robin will incite new growth in all areas of your life, areas that have become stagnant and out-dated. You must believe in yourself as you move forward for if you do, barriers will disappear, and confrontations will be for show only. Robin will show you how to do this with joy in your hearts. Their song is a happy one, reminding you to let go of your personal drama and learn to laugh with life.
The robins eggs are powder blue. This colour is associated with the throat chakra in man and is also linked to heavenly inspiration. As the throat chakra’s main function is use as an expression of All That Is and the egg is symbolic of new life, you will be taught how to express yourselves positively in all you do. You will be lead to new beginnings without fear by restoring trust in yourself and your soul. Meditate on Robin and the right path will be shown to you."

I thought that was very applicable as I was ready to start out on this new path -- growing, the need to believe in myself, learning to laugh with life, and finding my voice in this new modality.  I still don't see myself as a healer, but as I have gone through this experience of getting my practice hours in, I have loved hearing how good it makes people feel, how restorative the sessions are, and yes, how incredibly healing this Partner Yoga can be.  Plus, it's my favorite color!  So, that is also a little kiss from heaven telling me I'm on the right track.