Who are you?

Who are you? When you think back to that kid called You in kindergarten, do you see her growing up as you did? Did she follow an expected path to Now, or did she shoot off in a different direction and land somewhere totally unexpected? My childhood and young adult friends may be surprised to see me now, leading a yoga class, practicing handstands and balancing in arm poses. I wasn’t exactly the most physical kid growing up (understatement of the year). It made me happy to discover this side of myself, and although it took some poking and prodding, some deep belly breaths and the confidence born only through experience, I now say, “I’m a yoga teacher” and truly believe it!

My brother landed smack dab at the end of a long line of sisters, and I’m sure he has both cursed fate, and wondered at it. When we were young he used to say he was going to have a family of football players; he ended up with three beautiful daughters. When people told him how lucky he was to have so many nurturing siblings, he’d growl about the trials of having so many women telling him what to do. Now he’s a teacher and coach and husband and father and the skills he developed through dealing with his five bossy sisters have served him well. And he really “gets” the female brain (though he still thinks we’re crazy and weird).

Picture yourself as a kid. Then follow that kid through life, with all the twists and turns, detours and backtracking, leaping and bounding, tripping and starting over. Are you on a roller coaster or a paved road? Probably stretches of both; and who knows what lies ahead? Whatever it is, it’s sure to be unexpected, exciting, nerve-wracking, and good. Lessons learned, yadda yadda. You have to smile.

The Buddy System

I’m recently returned from a trip to Kripalu, a yoga retreat center in Massachusetts. Can I just say, ahhhhhhhhhh. I went with two lovely women who did yoga teacher training with me. It was a luxury for us to spend an entire weekend together, as our usual meetings are squeezed in between teaching a yoga class and picking kids up from school. We did some yoga, participated in kirtan (call and response chanting), shared delicious meals, and talked a blue streak. I felt so relaxed, safe, and comfortable with them, and so lucky to have them in my life. It made me think about friendships, and how wonderful and varied they can be.

Hold tight to your friends!

As a kid, your best friend is usually a product of proximity, like a neighbor, or the child of your mom’s friend. As adults, we gravitate toward those with similar interests, and we often share different aspects of our lives with different groups of people. I have my church friends, my yoga friends, my sisters, my family. I belong to a meditation group and I have friends at work. It’s so nice to be able to share the different sides of myself with each circle. We all have layers, just like Donkey says to Shrek, and if we’re lucky we can express each of our layers with a friend or two.

So thank you, my friends, for being there. For sharing and accepting and loving and forgiving. See you soon!

What do we do now?

At the end of a yoga class, it is typical to bow to your fellow yogis and utter, Namaste. This loosely translates into, The light in me shines on the light in you; we are all part of the same light. As human beings, we are all flames of the same fire. For one to deny the light and refuse to shine is to make the bonfire smaller. Pausing to judge, complain, and blame only douses the flames some more. The remedy is to redouble our efforts to feed the flame and increase the light that encompasses us all, for we are all connected, together, as One.

Think of a candlelight service. It begins in darkness, but as soon as the first candle sparks, there is light. One candle ignites the next, and soon the light encompasses all. It takes one candle to begin, one person to hold the light for his neighbor who cannot bear it right now, one person to pass the flame. The light passes on to the next heart and the next, vanquishing the darkness and opening our hearts to compassion, forgiveness, and love. Especially love.

I take a deep breath and imagine this light glowing in my heart and moving out into the world, growing stronger and brighter with each breath. If you knew that was all it took to vanquish Darkness, wouldn’t you do that, too?

That’s all it takes. Do it.

How would you like to wake up to this gang every morning? I can't imagine what it was like for Mom, having to keep us dressed, combed, fed and relatively content every day, but I do remember how much fun it was being surrounded by so much commotion. There was always someone willing to play, and always a quiet place to escape when I needed to be alone with my Land of Oz series. Now that it's Christmas season, I keep thinking back to the mountains of gifts under the tree on Christmas morning, and the laden, tiered cookie tray, and tiny Santa Claus cups filled with eggnog. All during December I'd "play pretend" with the wax figures of snowmen, elves, and santas, or endlessly rearrange the painted manger figurines. Chris and I would start making Christmas Plans weeks ahead of time, and Chantal would warn us not to wake her up in the middle of the night, or else!

Finally Christmas Eve would arrive. I'd invariably have a stomach-ache from the excitement, and would lie in bed listening for hoofbeats on the roof. The top bunks were coveted on this night, especially, because chances were greater to hear Santa land his sleigh if you were closer to the ceiling! At some point, someone would wake up and we'd tiptoe to the top of the stairs. Sometimes we'd hear a warning, "Go back to bed!", but eventually Mom and Dad would be asleep and we were free to peek through the railing at the glowing tree and the treasures underneath. We were allowed to get our stockings down from the bannister, and would sneak into the bathroom to turn on the light and examine the contents. Didn't want to wake Chantal up! Then back to bed until someone was able to wake Mom and Dad to bring us down to The Main Event.

Hey, Christmas, for kids, is about presents. We might enjoy the stories about Baby Jesus and the drummer boy, but for those few early morning hours, the magic is all about presents and lights and cookies. And red flannel nightgowns.

Wish List

Thanksgiving is behind us, and ahead looms the spectre of Christmas. Is it a friendly ghost or a wicked one for you? Let’s shine it up, turn on some sparkly lights, and make a list of what we want for the holidays this year, to ensure a good time for all!

I’ll take some of that old standby, Peace on Earth, please. And a sprinkling of snow, but not too much, I don’t want to be greedy. Glittery ornaments and some fresh-smelling greens would be appreciated as well. Send me some marvelous stories in the newspapers, full of compassion and good will. Remember that feeling of empathy we discovered during the Hurricane? You can keep that going for a while, too. I’ll take some star shaped cookies, and don’t tell anyone, but I also like fruitcake!

In the spirit of the season, I’ll ask for too much – you can decide what to choose for me. Let’s add good health and prosperity for all, and a barrel of laughs. There’s no such thing as too much hope, so put that on my list, too. Oh, and red wine. A pinch of silliness goes a long way, and will go well with the wine! I already have reindeer antlers (see enclosed photo) but maybe some elfish shoes?

I’ll leave it at that, with the caveat that I get to add more, later. Do you have a deadline? Don’t worry about timing on my end, you can deliver the Peace and Prosperity any time! Thank you, Namaste, Aloha, Shalom, Asti Spumanti, and so it is!

What’s on your list?

Extreme Peace

While watching a video of extreme athletes doing their thing on YouTube, I found myself feeling a little jealous of them. The exhilaration they must feel while flying through the air on skis, or balancing on a board as a tremendous wave drives them forward! The amazing strength, speed and balance demonstrated as the parkour guys leap from pillar to post! And the sight of rock climbers high up on a sheer face simply took my breath away.

As I watched these crazy folks, I realized that extreme sports demand intense concentration. For me, moving from Wild Thing to Full Wheel in yoga class takes attention and a certain amount of courage; but really, if I failed I would only have a headache and maybe a lump on my head. A double flip on a snowboard turns out badly and, well, I’d rather not go there . . . And although there are plenty of physical factors that need to be in place during an extreme challenge, I am sure the mental and emotional factors are at least as important.

There is nothing in my system that would allow me to do any of those things. If you’re like me, preferring the safety of a yoga mat over the perils of a mountain bike, I recommend adding meditation to your routine. I know that sitting in a chair with your eyes closed doesn’t seem to be on par with flying through the snowy air, but I assure you that both activities concentrate and focus the mind in a beneficial way. Extreme sports and meditation each encourage your mind to move away from the thousands of tiny details of life to focus on one thing. While surfing, you’ll focus on what the water may do next; during meditation, you’ll focus on a mantra, your breath, or nothing. In the end, everyone will feel clear, healthy and released.

Your choice: ski-jump or meditate. Result: Peace.