Yogi Island

 When you step onto your yoga mat, you are as on a deserted island. Although in reality there are mats to your left and to your right, and you anticipate brushing hands with a neighbor at some point during the next hour, you need only focus on what You are doing and where You are. No need to compare backbends with the guy next door; every reason to sit out a sun salutation in child's pose because you had a tough day. You carry who you are today into your yoga practice -- not who you were yesterday or who you will be tomorrow. If you feel open and energetic you can turn your Wild Thing into a Wheel; if you feel the need to nurture yourself, Tame Thing may be your choice (you can create that pose yourself!). No need to keep up or to hold back. If you resist judging yourself, you will find your best practice. If you resist judging your neighbor, they will respond in kind. 

But if you feel a giggle coming up as you attempt a seemingly impossible pose, let it out -- I'm sure your neighbors could use a laugh, too!

Autopilot, in a good way

It all begins with awareness: Awareness of your body, your surroundings, and your mental and emotional states. Knowing how you feel after eating a certain food, after practicing a particular exercise, after talking to a certain person. Has the experience left you tired and foggy brained, or do you come out feeling energized and clear-headed? Take notice of what your oh-so intelligent body is saying to you.

Awareness takes practice, though. Remember when you started yoga and discovered all sorts of body parts you didn't even know you had? They were always there; you simply never noticed them! Or like that tummy ache you get when you eat a second helping of tiramisu. In the back of your mind, you know the bellyache is coming, but you push the thought away and eat more anyway. 

You ignore your body’s signals, and satisfy an urge that goes against your own best interest! The next day you are kicking yourself, wondering why you couldn’t resist.

Wake up to what your body is telling you. When making a decision, be aware of whether your body sends you a zing to warn you away, or a wave of calm that indicates you are on the right road. Recognize that you have all the answers, but you need to find a way to access them.

Increase the strength of your intuition by practicing awareness of your body’s signals. It all begins with listening to your gut and heeding your instincts. As your intuition improves you will notice your decision-making skills being honed, and your gut instincts becoming more and more reliable. It’s all there; you just have to listen.

Ladybugs, Worms, and Dirt

Spring Equinox (Equinox = Equal Night)

It's coming, I promise. Actually, the promise is all around you, you just need to notice.

Look for signs of spring: Ladybugs, worms, birds chirping and the return of the geese. Feel your own blood rise like the sap of the sugar maple. Embrace the fresh new energies that emerge from far beneath the soil. Imagine the movement deep under your feet: Pale white roots reaching down as tender greens shoot toward the surface. Worms and insects begin to wiggle and squirm, eager for their first day of sunshine, loosening and aerating the dirt as they squirm. Larvae of every kind begin to uncurl, still dreaming of the tender leaves they will soon munch.

Watch for movement in the air. Ladybugs drop out of nowhere to land at your feet on the bedroom floor. The errant moth flutters by, and a sunny day wakens that fly you thought you were done swatting at last fall. Listen beneath trees and around bushes for the sound of birds celebrating the end of this long, hungry winter. Watch the skies for the return of our winged fair-weather friends.

Note the length of the day as the pale spring sun begins to shine more brightly and touch your shoulders more firmly

. Stand outside under the sun and again at night under the moon; lift your arms up to the skies and turn your face to the orb above you. Breathe in the spring air and imagine green gardens, warm breezes, and fragrant lawns. Imagine feeling the dirt beneath your bare feet or ocean waves tickling your toes. Know that it is coming, and smile.

Then, if it snows one more time this season, close your eyes and imagine it all again.