Inspirational Yogis

I am so inspired by our chair yogis. 
All of these kind-hearted folks have come to our Tuesday morning Chair Yoga class because, for some reason or another, they are uncomfortable with getting up and down for work on the floor.  So we practice either sitting in chairs or standing beside them.  We work together to find ways to modify the poses for reconstructed hips, tender shoulders, and arthritic ankles, using the ties and the bricks and the chairs.

Today we sang "Happy Birthday" to Esta, who just turned 87.  She says, "You hurt as much if you stay home than if you come out, so you may as well come out."  Her philosophy: "Just keep moving." And she feels better at the end of class having worked out some of the kinks.

One of the most common reasons I hear for not trying yoga is "I'm not flexible enough."  Fortunately,  we don't begin with perfection in yoga.  You just start where your own feet are today, whether you are 87, just feel 87, or you want to be like Esta when you're 87.  

Today we watched the cardinals in the garden as we practiced our tree poses.  The crocuses are up and I'm happy we have this morning class. We enjoy sharing this morning of peacefulness and camaraderie, encouraging each other for the week ahead of us.

I hope that you all keep moving, that you decide to come out anyway and just start where you are today. 

Ashes to Ashes

I don't really go out dancing very much anymore - especially not on a Tuesday night.  But last night was Mardi Gras and I met a few friends for drinks where my friend's band was playing classic rock with a few New Orleans tunes thrown in for the holiday.  We had fun, people watching, singing loudly, and we even got up and danced for a couple of songs.  I left feeling happy, glad I didn't just hit the couch and grab the remote.

That mid-week merriment means that today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, the day of making a sacrifice that will remind you over the next 40 days of the suffering of Christ.  Lent was never part of my childhood tradition.  My Fundamentalist upbringing avoided doing anything that might be Catholic, so we never did ashes or Lent or even candles during worship.  My young observation of Lent was that the Catholics went out for seafood on Friday night.  I couldn't figure out how lobster related to Jesus. As I grew older, Lent seemed to be a bit like a renewal of failed New Year's Resolutions: I'm giving up candy, or soda, coffee, wine, fried foods.... Most sacrifices seemed dietary.

But considering how much I enjoyed just an hour and a half of fun with friends last night, I've decided to give up not making time to enjoy life. I'm sure, like all vows, I'll have lapses where I'm working all day, on the weekends, crowding out space for joy.  I'm going to count on my children and my friends to remind me - even if I do have to schedule it on the calendar weeks in advance.

But fortunately, joy doesn't have to be time consuming. I can find simple moments of joy when I release myself - even momentarily - from the tension that arises from expectations: expectations about the helpfulness & motivation of my children, expectations about my productivity, expectations about my body. Not that I won't nag or write lists or eat cake, but for Lent, I am giving up my attachment to expectations of perfection. I will breathe deeply, letting my exhale blow those expectations away.  I am an imperfectionist.  Much easier than it's opposite. 

Clearing mental clutter

I've been spending my mornings with a new friend.  Most every morning recently I've been having my coffee with a friend who let's me do all the talking, without judgment or interruption.  I've been able to share my worries about my children, my new career, my relationships. Together we've explored my evolving faith. It's like starting my morning with my analyst.

This morning meeting has been with my journal.  Writing in my journal is completely different from other types of writing, primarily because of the lack of an audience. I spent the last few years writing for a living, writing advertorials and editing general interest articles.  While that was interesting and sometimes challenging, it wasn't personally relieving.  No brain dump involved - in fact it added to by brain clutter.

And I have kept a few blogs, which is a great tool, useful for communicating and sharing, maintaining and finding friends. But the public nature of the blog limits the topics. Some information isn't mine to share.  Some feelings I don't want the world to know about.

Last weekend we had the first in our series of Journaling workshops. We shared many ideas for inspiring and expanding our practice.  We talked about how journaling let's us explore the darker sides of our selves. Our discomfort with our anger, our anxieties, our depression or laziness makes us want to pretend those don't exist.  Ignore them and they'll go away.  But in journaling you get to explore those and embrace them as part of who you are.  It is both our darkness and our light that makes us who we are. 

If you've never tried journaling before, consider getting yourself a notebook and writing in it - every day if you can. Don't go overboard.  Limit yourself to 2 or 3 pages a day.  You'll be amazed at the relief you create for yourself.  Getting those thoughts out of your head creates space for creativity and growth.

First SoulCollage® Reading

Some things are better experienced than explained.  I was reminded of that yesterday at my first full SoulCollage® workshop

I have been on the fringes of SoulCollage® for a few years now, hearing Linda and others talk about this artistic self-exploration program.  I even built a card and came close to witnessing a reading, but was too busy and had to step away.

At yesterday's workshop, I was caught off guard by how revealing it was.

So let me back up.  SoulCollage® is an on-going program where participants create collages on big cards, using pictures from magazines or personal photos. Participating artists create cards that have a uniting theme that is sometime apparent to anyone, and sometimes more ambiguous.  As with the images in a tarot card deck, the interpretation of each card is in the eye of the beholder and is unique to the present circumstances.  The cards eventually sort themselves into four suits. (For more on the suits, read here.)

I had fun creating cards, letting my creativity have a chance to come out and play.  I admired the cards of the collagers who had built sizeable decks.  I was soothed in the meditation portion of the afternoon.  But the time came to read the cards and I was skeptical since I had to use someone else's cards.  How personal could it be using cards created for personal use by another person?

My skepticism was squelched by a reading that was almost too authentic to discuss, my emotions welling up to make speaking a bit tricky.  But the artists around the table were patient, allowing me to collect myself and share what I saw.  They were familiar with these encounters and how emotionally revealing they could be.

Here is a picture of my reading, although I can't convey the intensity of the moment with my words.  But I invite you to experience it yourself.  You will learn more about yourself than you thought you could. 

And I will never look at a magazine the same way again!

Happy New Year!

We had such a wonderful time today in our new center, filling both our "wondrous blue" yoga studio and "amazing violet" workshop room with beautiful yogis.  Linda and I are so grateful to have had our center blessed with such positive yoga energy. Many thanks to so many of you who contributed your efforts, energy, time and prayers into making this dream a reality.

In January we hear much talk about New Year's Resolutions, which often feel like unattainable goals.  I prefer to think them as my best intentions. The beginning of a new year is a great time to think about what has been working for us, what hasn't, and what we are willing to do about that.

I have recently been meditating on the Reiki Creed:
Just for today, I will not worry.
Just for today, I will not anger.
I will do my work honestly and diligently.
I will show kindness to all living things, and
I will be grateful.

I think it's the Just For Today part of of the creed makes it feel more possible - although sometimes I think "just for this moment" is a big enough commitment.  The whole year seems too big.  I know I will worry. I know I'll get angry, but maybe I can lay those aside just for today, just for right now.

 And "doing my work honestly and diligently" isn't the same as doing my work perfectly.  What a relief that is to realize.

Barry reminded me about showing kindness to all living things today when he was ushering a fly out of the yoga studio before our big opening today. Sometimes flies are easier to be kind to than people, but just for today, I will show kindness. 

And I have so much to be thankful for, so many people, so much love. Today I am deeply grateful.

Everyday Yoga

Do you find yourself in yoga poses in your daily activity? Or do you ever turn your task at hand into yoga?

I recently had a relatively minor basement flooding problem that required some creative rescue plumbing (thanks Mark!), some fans and my wet-vac.  I don't know if you've ever tried to suck water out of a carpet, but my carpet vac works best if more pressure is applied.  So there I was on Saturday afternoon, on my knees in my basement, pressing my vacuum into my spongy carpet, wishing I was wrapping presents or editing my business plan or organizing my upcoming Sunday school class.  Basement flood-sucking was not my plan.

So I decided to connect the movement to my breath in a type of soggy sun salutation.  In a moment, my irritation evaporated and I was doing yoga instead of bailing my basement.

Have you ever had this happen?

Yoga is about connecting the body and the mind, the breath and the spirit. In the hustle leading up to the holidays, it is easy for us to let our practice slip, busy as we are putting everyone else first.  But whenever you take a moment for even one intentional breath, you have taken your yoga practice off the mat in class and into your life. 

I hope you are able to maintain your practice during the holidays.  We are still having class this week, at 4:30 & 7 on Monday and Thursday.  And if your family holiday plans prevent you from attending class, I hope you make some time to go to a quiet place and practice - even if it is only one intentional breath with your eyes closed in a check-out line.  

I am looking forward to our Readings for the Seasons tarot party this afternoon.  They always generate such interesting conversations.

Have you ever had a tarot card reading?  I was raised in a conservative Christian church and had been taught to fear tarot cards, without even really knowing what they were.  But I had heard from other sources that they did reveal deep truths to those who tried them, that the cards act as a mirror to your thoughts and feelings.  When I was in a failing marriage, I did not want to look into that mirror. I wanted to pretend what was happening wasn’t happening.  So I never tried them.

But once the worst was behind me, I decided to give them a try and was fascinated.  I began to look into them more.  

No one knows for sure where tarot cards originated.  They more likely evolved out of several card games in ancient Egypt, India, Persia, and Greece. These mystical decks were shared around the world through the crusades and by gypsies.  By the 14th century, 4-suited playing cards were common in Italy. 

The language of a tarot deck is symbols, which convey much meaning in a glance. The classic Rider-Waite deck, or universal deck, made popular in the late 1800’s has much Christian symbolism with priests, angels, and devils. Now you can find a deck with any kind of symbolism, ranging from the Zen deck that I know best, to fairies, or I’ve even heard of an Elvis deck!

A tarot deck is divided into two major sections: the Major Arcana and the Minor Arcana, which translates to “Big Secrets” and “Little Secrets.”  The Major Arcana is comprised of symbols that reveal major human archetypes like the Fool, the Rebel, Lovers, or the Wheel of Fortune. The Minor Arcana is divided into four suits that represent our emotional journeys, our passions & vision, our minds, and our physical journeys.   

Tarot is beyond good or evil.  A tarot reading is a synchronicity of the participants and their reaction to the images at that moment.  The same cards would hold different meaning for each person, or for the same person at a different point in their lives.  

The gift a tarot reading offers is a chance to pause in our busy schedules and reflect for a few moments on your journey. 

Linda or I would be happy to schedule a private reading for you, or you are welcome to come to one of our quarterly tarot events.  Sign up for our newsletter to keep up to date on the latest plans.

Welcome to our new blog!

Linda & I have been hard at work transitioning Yolinna Spirit into Imagine Yoga & Wellness Center. So many details to attend to!  We thank you for your loyalty and patience as we work on streamlining our registration processes and expand our offerings. Linda & I will both be posting on this blog and we invite you to join the conversation.

Although many of you know me from Linda's yoga classes, many of you I am meeting for the first time. Let me tell you a little more about myself.

I am a hometown girl, having grown up in the Kenilworth section and graduating from Bowie High School in 1982.  My first career was as an English and special education teacher in Prince George's county.  After having three beautiful kids, my career evolved into journalism, writing and editing and even selling ads for several local publications.

The stress from those jobs, three kids, and a divorce are what led me to try yoga in Linda's classes at my church, CCPC.  Before long, I became addicted to the relaxation and deep stretching that comes from a regular yoga practice. As my strength and flexibility increased, so did my friendship with Linda. Through her encouragement, I began to pursue yoga teacher certification and continue to hone my skills as a Certified Yoga Teacher.

With Linda's guidance, I began exploring other avenues of self-awareness like tarot cards, studying with Linda, reading books, and attending workshops. I have met many of you at the tarot events I have hosted in my home.

Before long, I tried reiki healing with Linda and felt the balance that reiki provides.  When she began offering her attunement series, I signed up and am growing in my practice as a reiki healer.

So now I am on to exploring SoulCollage as Linda and I have joined in this business partnership.  I look forward to sharing my thoughts as I continue on my journey, and I look forward to hearing from you too.