Day 208 February 28, 2011

On this last day of February we had another winter storm.  It was brief but intense.  Ice pellets, blowing snow, terrible visibility, slippery road conditions, police warning people to stay off the roads, the full deal.  It lasted about four or five hours.  Now it is still again.

That storm is a little bit like our life.  We'll go along with our life and then wham, something will hit us full force and we'll have to really deal with it, if we are to survive.  Then things will quiet down again and we get to put things back into place, literally and figuratively.

It is our job to sail through the storms we are presented with in our lives, and accept them.  Even more than accept them, laugh along with them.  Embrace them.  Celebrate them.  It's our life after all, so why not celebrate?

This is when I talk about being an optimist.  Did I mention that before?  I am an eternal optimist.  That is how I get through the challenging days.  Try it yourself.  You  might be surprised at how much it helps :)

Day 207 February 27, 2011

 Ah, there is no feeling like having just finished a ten hour yoga intensive.  Your body sends you all kinds of signals, like:

a. this is a new body, I haven’t been in this body before

b. lightness

c. awareness of imbalances in your habitual posture that you now feel a strong sense of being able to address in your home based practice

and of course,

d. inner calmness

On another note, I can feel spring approaching.  Can you?

bleeding heart

Day 206 February 26, 2011

detail of birch bark

Today I was supposed to be in Fredericton, NB at a yoga workshop with Pam S.  She is a brilliant Iyengar yoga teacher with a studio in PEI.  With her guidance the lucky students she will lead will do ten hours of yoga asana practice between Friday at 8pm and Sunday at 11 am.  There will be lots of time for laughter, good food and friendship too, for this group has been studying together in workshop settings for a few years now and after the yoga asana work we often share a meal together. 

A serious winter storm forecast prevented me from going to Fredericton for this yoga workshop.  I just erred on the side of caution and decided to stay put instead.  A little over a week ago David and I narrowly avoided a collision on the highway due to bad driving conditions. Eight other cars weren't so fortunate that morning; the good news is that there weren't any fatalities.  Sometimes you just have to listen to those weather forecasts to avoid a dangerous situation.  Despite the change in my plans, I will focus on a lot of yoga this weekend anyway.  I will do a long home based practice and see where it takes me.

I wish you all a wonderful weekend too.  Spend some time doing something that you just love to do, whatever that might be.  Let that love of your work nourish you.

Namaste.

Day 205 February 25, 2011

Cape Breton Island

One of my dearest friends from Cape Breton, Carolyn, once brought me to her favourite comfort spot.  We walked and walked up a narrow trail that wound its way through a dense forest and then followed the cliffs that overlooked the ocean.  It was a bit mucky down low on the trail due to recent rains, but up high the forest floor was resilient and dry. We came upon a tiny cleared space near the trail and sat facing the ocean. 

The ocean's nearly blank surface, except for the line of breakers that hit the shore, appeared quite far away and the entire view was so vast that it made me feel very small in comparison.  We were so high even the sound of the waves breaking on shore was muted.  Sitting there, as we faced the blazing sun and the wide blue ocean our lives were put into perspective.  The worries we expressed to each other seemed tolerable for we both offered each other support, just as all good friends are apt to do for each other.

It was the breathtaking view that calmed us both and centered us.  We were only two very small animals on a very large beautiful planet called earth.  The air and light offered us a pure moment that was worlds away from traffic, noise, and any other human obligation.  This respite held us deeply until we realized it was time to go.  To return.  The trip back was much lighter, even though the sun had started to drift towards the horizon, for it was our full spirits that carried us down the steep trail and our memories of the sun glinting off the water and the hazy clouds whispering through the sky.

Day 204 February 24, 2011

Holland Tunnel NYC

Are there days when you feel like you'll never get out of the tunnel?  Just head down, nose to the grindstone, and you're not sure if you're going to make it out the other side?  Breathe.

Perhaps you need to look up and inwards.  Embrace the fact that yes, there is something called tunnel vision and that is where you are right now.  Recall that there were moments in your life when you were not in this tunnel.  Breathe.  

Consider that if there were moments in your life when you were not in this tunnel, then the chances are  good that this will happen again.  Breathe.

The only thing in life that you can really count on is change.

Breathe.

Day 203 February 23, 2011

The highlight of my morning was to walk the doggies out onto the dykes on snowshoes.  Both dogs were excited to be out there for it had been a while.  Since we received so much snow, it took a few weeks and a few days of above freezing temperatures for the snow to compact enough for the dogs to stay on top of the now hardened snow surface.  Recently our dog walks have been on the pavement which meant the dogs were leashed.  They much prefer running free out on the dykes.

The snowshoes worked like a charm.  I breezed right along on top of the surface of the deep snow, perhaps sinking only a few inches every so often in a drift of powder soft snow.  The sun was brilliant and the wind strong, especially once we cleared the trees and entered the vast flat stretches of the dyked pasture lands.  My winter gear protected me perfectly.  The depth of my hood kept my face completely protected from the winds that otherwise would have created instant headaches on bare skin.

The dogs held their tails high, a sign of their happiness.  Being Labrador retrievers, they barely noticed the cold and wind, but the older dog kept looking back at me, to check that I was doing all right.  Such a sweetie, that Mr. Bear.  It was an exhilarating walk.  I loved the patterns in the snow, the blankness of the white fields, the solitude of being in nature.  Nary another human in sight.  It is good to get away into nature and it is good to return home.

Do you have a favourite getaway in nature that rejuvenates you?  A favourite spot that lets you feast on its beauty and calms you all at the same time?  Or perhaps your favourite spot in inside an art gallery?  Or inside a vast library?  Or aboard a boat, or inside a car?  Or upon a yoga mat?  We all have our comfort spots.  Spend some time in your comfort spot today.  It will feel great.

Day 202 February 22, 2011

porcelain 'Paix'  moon flask

Is it just me, or are there an awful lot of number 2's today?  It's day 202 of this yoga and art blog journey  [yes, dear Denise, we're getting there].  It's the 2nd month, the 22nd day and the year 2011.  Lots of 2's indeed.  Is there any meaning to grasp from this obvious repetition of the number 2?  Gee...  Maybe not, at least not right at this moment, the moment of my writing.  I can hear the laughter out there from you, oh delightful readers that you are. 


Maybe the only apparent meaning is that I'm the kind of person who notices patterns.  As you know, I am an artist.  Currently part of my art practice focuses on decorating square plates with acrylic paint.  I  create patterns and designs on these plates.  No conceptual issues at all, at least if there is any conceptual content, it is so subtle I'm not too aware of it yet.  So I've taken a technique that is new to me and used it to recreate a very old fashioned idea, a potter's plate.

Perhaps you can see that I am the kind of artist who works backwards sometimes, meaning, I work intuitively and then stand back to see what I've done.  I derive the meaning of the work after it's created.  Then there are the times I work with great intention on an idea I've already fully realized and then I simply execute it.

Just thought you might enjoy peeking inside an artist's mind.  Now I wish I could peek inside of your mind today, oh gentle reader.

Namaste.

Day 201 February 21, 2011

New York city

What do you see when you look into a mirrored glass?  Here in an image I've posted from New York city  you see the mirror like reflection of a building across the street on the exterior of a high rise condo.  Since I live in a rural setting, there are no mirror like exteriors of high rise condos nearby, the only mirrors nearby are inside my house or attached to my car.

Mirrors reflect a sense of yourself back to you.  They let you know where you are and what you see around you.  But how about looking within yourself?  That is something a mirror cannot do.  When you look inside yourself it is always a new journey, it is always a surprise.

In art, you are sometimes inspired by your inner vision.  In yoga asana practice you contact your inner awareness of the self.  A different kind of mirror is used here.  Your life experiences, filtered by your senses, present themselves as raw inspiration for new visual creations, or for new bodily movements.  Sense, exploration, it's a new world today.

Trust yourself to lead the way.  Try something new today.

Day 200 February 20, 2011

Day 200  sculpture clay, acrylic paint

Today is day 200.  Hurrah!   As I unplug my iphone after charging its battery I notice the time is 5:55.  Does this happen to you?  Several times a week when I glance at the clock it is 3:33, 4:44 or 11:11, or some other repetition of similar numbers.  I make sense of this repetitive co-incidence and think that the numbers play with me, to cheer me up about their very existence.  

Okay. This is when I tell you that in grade 9 I had a verbally abusive teacher who humiliated me daily in math class.  I have math anxiety.  I get blocked using numbers.  I can balance a budget and do simple numerical things but alegebra and beyond makes me fearful.  Did I remember to say that I cried every day in grade 9 math class?

So now, many, many years later, it seems that numbers try to convince me to lighten up.  I'm grateful for this.  And I think it might be working.  The reason why I'm telling you this story is that it has a happy ending.  Surprise, surprise, I worked for 18 years as an educator teaching in the middle school mostly.  English and art.  I was one of the nicest, kindest teachers I could possibly be.  So the moral of this story is that sometimes when difficult things happen to you the difficulties teach you to make a new way for yourself.  I definitely knew how important it is to not humiliate a student.  I'd already lived through that lesson myself.  So if you find yourself in the middle of a difficult situation, hold on to the idea that you will become stronger from that challenge.  You will prevail and things will get better.

Day 199 February 19, 2011

Connection.  Would you agree that the foundation of a building is crucial?  Especially if the building wishes to stay upright, you might say.  So here I post an image of the roots of a corn plant.  Notice the strong roots that encircle and connect to the stalk and pin it down into the earth.  So too is your foundation important in yoga asana practice.

And not just your foundation is important.  In each yoga asana you practice you must feel a connection to your skeletal framework in order to find the strength to acheive the asanas.

Today in class with David we learned the importance of shoulder blade connection to the back body and the connection of the arms firmly extended in the asana Virabradhasana III.  In this pose you end up standing on one straight leg, while you stretch the other leg straight behind you and the arms straight ahead of you.  The lifted leg must extend and not interfere with the position of the hips.  The hips remain as level as possible.  Of course, none of this is possible without the strength of the standing leg firmly rooted to the floor.

So in your own yoga asana practice, if you feel a bit of a challenge as you attempt a pose, check your foundation.  Check your connection.  Are you hanging out and relying on your inherent flexibility?  Do you feel connected to your entire body?  If not, where does your connection stop?  If you are in a standing pose, are your feet firmly rooted?  Become aware of yourself, and take this feeling with you as you walk out of your practice space and enter the rest of your life.

Day 198 February 18, 2011

sushi

Here is what really helped me today.  Perhaps it would help you too?  I awakened not feeling 100%.  The winter cough.  It was trying to get my attention again.  So, instead of eating my normal hot oatmeal with raisen for breakfast, I drank 3 cups of liquid.  Cup One was Japanese reishi tea, honey and Korean ginseng extract mixed together.  Actually this 'cup one' is the first thing I drink each morning in the winter.  Cup Two was Japanese brown rice green tea with some extra green tea mixed in and honey.  Cup Three was warm water.

Then I proceeded to do yoga, paying great attention to my posture in seated poses and in a psoas stretch with one foot up on a high stool, the other leg firmly planted on the floor with my supporting leg straight.  In one of the seated poses I encouraged my shoulders to open and move back with a belt for support.   I also supported my uneven shoulder blades with blocks in savasana.  I didn't hurry.

Then I was ready to eat.  I made Japanese miso soup using blonde and brown miso, wasabe seaweed and kombu seaweed with shaved bonito in the dashti stock.  Cubed miso and well browned onions and my own home grown organic garlic, and lots of it, rounded out this soup.  One more cup of brown rice green tea helped me get through the cooking.  Whenever I feel a little off I make miso soup.  It is my comfort food.  It tastes soothing.

When the soup was done I sat down and had four large servings, one right after the other. By this time it was 1:30pm.  Satisfied, I realized that I was starting to feel a little better.  No more coughing since the tea I drank before yoga.  No weakness.  The warm liquids and the supportive yoga had done the trick.

What is your "I'm taking a sick day" regimen?  If you aren't a fan of yoga, perhaps returning to bed would do the trick for you.  Read a great book.  Drink clear soup.  Lighten the load on your digestive system so that more energy can be directed to your immune system.  Listen to music.  Rest.

Namaste.

Day 197 February 17, 2011

Ophelia and Arlo of Glencoe, Cape Breton

Share yourself today.  Connect.  Rub shoulders with someone.  Or in Arlo's case, as seen in this photo I've posted, rub your head against their shoulder.  Size can make a difference.

Did you get enough hugs today?  If not today, make that a priority for tomorrow.  The best way to get a hug is to give a hug.

Namaste.

Day 196 February 16, 2011

A cold day is made warmer with soup.  A too quiet day is made richer with honest conversation.

Today is made calmer by lifting your sternum and rib cage which creates an actual physical response, it takes a small weight off your heart.  We can all benefit from that, lifting our hearts.  We can feel gratitude that we are strong enough to do that task.  Lift our hearts.  Not everyone has such strength.  There are days when I couldn't lift my heart, but today I can.

Open yourself to the possibilities right in front of you.

Day 195 February 15, 2011

Today it is bitterly cold.  The world feels severe.  Our driveway is sheer ice.  I only walked the doggies for 20 minutes today.  That was enough.  Nose and mouth covered with a scarf, I protected my eyes and forehead from the wind with my mitten for its icy blast had already given me a headache in only a few minutes.

Of course the harshness of this day made today's yoga class feel heavenly.  Just to be barefoot in a warm room where the focus was to stretch and be strong made my walk with doggies recede into a distant memory.  The colours everyone wore at yoga cheered me up.  Seeing a dozen other people there who shared at least a curiousity for yoga, if not a long held passion, made me very happy.

glaze and carving detail of plate 

I hope that you all felt a ray of joy at some point in your day today.  I know.  I know.  Not everyone feels joy every day.  I know.  Maybe you felt just a little tiny bit today?  And if not today, well then, mabye tomorrow?  Namaste.

Day 194 February 14, 2011

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

 So we have another gray snowy day here in Nova Scotia, BUT, it's warm.  We still have acres and tons of the white stuff, BUT it's warm.  It is three degrees above freezing which feels absolutely balmy. Sometimes life is all about the day to day stuff.  When you have acclimatized yourself to bitter winds that hurt your face when you walk outside for only half an hour, then a day with moist, still air that caresses your skin without freezing it, is all of a sudden downright heavenly.  

 You go outside without your coat, boots, gloves, hat, and scarf, just for five minutes, and you're fine!!!!!  You find yourself counting in your head.... okay, it's six weeks till April, which is pretty much the start of spring......  sure we'll still get lots more snow and maybe a blizzard or two, but still, only six weeks till spring....

Enjoy your day everyone :)

Day 193 February 13, 2011

cleared brush in a field

Some things just cannot be rushed.  I find that reassuring somehow.  For example, I don't have to hurry up in order in to learn yoga.  My body can only absorb so much new information about yoga asana practice each day.  In Iyengar yoga you are retraining the nervous system and that can only happen with repetition; it cannot be done like a sprint, in only a few seconds.

As a beginning yoga student you cannot announce to the world, today I will stand on my head effortlessly for one hour.  Well you could make that announcement but it would only prove that you are a bit of a lunatic.  No, in yoga asana practice you must earn your rewards of finding ease in some of the poses through steady attention to details and through steady application of your willingness to practice.

This reminds me of when a young student working with clay on the potter's wheel for the first time would tell me, I want to make a vase with a small neck.  They may have wanted to make a vase with a small neck but they didn't realize that the skill required to make such a vase would not magically appear during their first lesson.  It would only come with much practice.

Just like creating a field out of a forest.  Clearing a forest of trees to begin the transformation of the soil into a fertile field takes a lot of effort.  It doesn't happen in twenty seconds, or even in one day.  So slow down and relax while you make your art work, slow down and relax when you work on your yoga asana practice.  It will come.  Find your patience.  And remember to laugh at yourself.  We humans are very funny.

Day 192 February 12, 2012

Soybeans

Sometimes we need to stand far away and look into the distance to see what has been right in front of us.  Our eyes are built for a fine focus, because we evolved from predator animals.  This is great for keeping us 'on task' with a sharp focus.  Unfortunately we tend to lose sight of the big picture.

We can lose sight of the big picture when we feed ourselves, especially if we are North American.  I watched a wonderful film yesterday on Edward Espe Brown, a revered head cook of the Tassajara Zen Buddhist Center in California, it is called How to Cook Your Life.  Brown taught cooking and he spoke on how our food reflected our culture.  His teacher, Shunryu Susuki, author of the classic text Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, told Edward Espe Brown to treat food with the same reverence and preciousness that he felt for his own eyes.

Brown commented on how much hard work North Americans are willing to do just to avoid confronting a potato.  You hold a raw potato in your hands and say to yourself, what am I supposed to do with this?  I'm hungry now!  So then you go to the store and buy frozen french fries or you go to a restaurant and order french fries.  As you can probably tell, Brown prefers to work directly with the whole potato right there in his hands.

Whole foods.  They help to nourish our whole life.  Cook some whole foods and see for yourself.  Feel the connection to the earth, to the planet, to your own life.

Day 191 February 11, 2011

Zucchini blossoms

Luscious zucchini.  Tender little baby squash that I saute with olive oil, onion and a generous amount of raw sunflower seeds, then season with tamari soy sauce.  Definitely a delightful lunch.

What is your favourite lunch?  Soup?  On a wintry day like today, for my lunch I had a blueberry buckwheat flour pancake with vegan butter that was leftover from breakfast.  Yum :)

Day 190 February 10, 2011

Port Hood beach, Cape Breton Island

Oh yes, I still dream of the beach.  The sound of the waves hitting the shore always helped me to relax.  The repetition of the water hitting the sand was soothing.  As a kid, my favourite place was the beach.  I'd play for hours right at the edge of the water.  I'd drift in and out of the warm saltiness, examining the sand, the stones, the seaweed, the shells, the snails, digging holes, building sand castles and exploring whatever else drifted by my vision.  I could tell that my mother loved the beach too.  I think one of the reasons was because she could just relax, stare out at the large expanse of water, swim a bit, and let the kids just hang out.
Those precious beach days were sometimes few and far between, but they really mattered.  They made up for the rainy gray days and for the days when you couldn't go to the beach, even though the weather was perfect.  The beach taught me about rewarding myself.  It was all about me and my experience.  No one else mattered.  Just me and the water, and yes, okay, the sand, the shells, etc. they mattered some.  But mainly it was all about that magical element of water.
You became a different creature in water.  You moved in a different way.  You felt different.  You were different. All of a sudden your feet didn't carry you.  Instead, your shoulders, arms, and hands pulled you.  Well you got the small motorboat effect from the kicking of your legs and feet.  And diving!  Now that was exciting stuff.
What was your favourite location as a child?  A treehouse?  The woods?  The city?  The farm?  Drift back there and live it all over again.  Rub shoulders with that child you were.  Feel how good the good times were.  For it is those childhood good times that ready our adult selves for living a life of purpose, but also a life of pleasure and contentment.

Day 189 February 9, 2011

Dyke Road and icy windshield

It was an electric kind of day today.  The air was very cold and crisp.  Lots of snow.  The frost pattern on my windshield was a bit odd, so as David drove, I photographed it.  I hope you enjoy it.
The bright blue sky lifted my spirits.  So did the headstand and shoulder stand in my yoga class.  Inversions and backbends, now those are my kind of asanas.  What is your favourite yoga asana, or yoga posture?
Or if you don't do yoga asana practice, what is your favourite physical activity?  Hockey?  Skiing?  They are popular, for sure, during the Canadian wintertime.  Whatever your favourite activity is,
enjoy it thoroughly.  Get all you can out of it :)

Day 188 February 8, 2011

Day 188  the living room

Put your feet up today, even if only for a few minutes, just to nourish yourself.  When you take care of yourself you are then in a much better position to take care of anyone else you meet today.  Saying 'yes' to yourself help's you to be genuine with others.

Day 187 February 7, 2011

Old. Young.
If you are old can you make yourself young?
If you are young can you make yourself old?
Perhaps it depends on your life experiences?
Your intent, your playfulness, your seriousness,
your ability to accept change.

Ah.... such glamorous musings.  I must have
a full stomach, a place to stay warm,
a place to cool off, and knowledge of a few things.

There is much for me to be grateful for today.
And for you, what are you grateful for today?

Day 186 February 6, 2011

I've posted a photo of the fresh cherry blossoms in the lobby of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City that I took a few year's ago.  Okay, I'm dreaming of spring. You caught me.

What did you dream of on this wintry day?

Day 185 February 5, 2011

meandering patterns in snow

In a book on patterns in nature I once saw two photos side by side.  One was an aerial view of a meandering river.  The second was an aerial view of a derailed train wreck.  The pattern that the derailed train cars created was pretty much a direct copy of the path the meandering river had taken.  

Then there was the scientific explanation having to do with physics and force and some other weighty topics like gravity maybe.  That part bored me.  It was the visual that captivated me.  A train wreck and a river had something in common?  Cool!

The meandering patterns I see in snow have inspired me at times.  Below is a photo of one of my art works, inspired by wind-carved  snow.  The word Sanaguaqti means carver in Inuktutut, the language of the Inuit.  The art work of the Inuit of Cape Dorset inspires me also.

What inspires you?  Whatever it is, comic books, horses, dance, books, cooking, etc....let it lead you on the dance through your life.

Carved Snow Sananguaqti

Day 184 February 4, 2011

What a beautiful day in the neighbourhood we have today in this corner of the world.  This morning the newly fallen snow sparkled as if diamonds rested on top of it.  Hundreds and hundreds of diamonds reflected light, tiny prisms that twigged your sensibilities.  The winking lights on the snow teased me to reach out and get very happy.  I obliged.

Check out the sunset photo I posted.  Golden rimmed clouds.  As clouds go, these are some of my favourites :)

Day 183 February 3, 2011

Miss Maddie

Oh, to have the energy that Miss Maddie has for life!  Her energy is boundless.  No matter that the snow is deep today, she just swam through it if necessary.

I think I'll go swim on my yoga mat now.  Actually there have been a few times I wanted to dive into my yoga mat.  That's the swimmer in my nervous system remembering the release I get from diving and swimming.  Now I get the same release from practicing yoga asana.

Today I also painted.  Hurrah!

Cheer about something that you did today.  Celebrate your good fortune on having another day on this planet.  Come on, you know you want to....... :)

Day 182 February 2, 2011

Today marks the half-way point of this blog.  Yeah for Denise and I!  In case you are just starting to read this blog, Denise and I are each blogging for one calendar year.  Her blog discusses yoga and daily routine and mine discusses yoga and art.

I seem to write about diverse topics.  But hopefully you, the reader, can see that art and yoga help me immeasurably in my life, and therefore, they help me immeasurably in my blog.  We all need something to lean on.  Remember that great song, Lean on Me?  Well yes, leaning on people is really important too, and if you ask my advice, leaning on something within your own life is also crucial.  So there you have it. 

Today, we have a large snowstorm over the Maritimes.  I took a few photos of my young dog with her Frisbee in the snow, but she ended up looking like a crazed Goth dog, so I’m not posting them.  She is black and her eyes became a dull green in the dusk light, and if you know anything about Labrador retrievers, her face contained a certain intensity that was nearly alarming.  She is the kind of dog who would actually exercise too much if I let her.  I teach her how to calm down and save something for tomorrow. 

Do you calm down and save something for tomorrow?  I used to burn it pretty hard, too hard.  I’m happy now to pace myself.  Try it!  You might like it too.


Oh yes,  Mr. Bear [see yesterday's blog] is doing well.  He loves his meds, his soupy food and in a week or so, hopefully, he'll be back to full power.  For today, he's taking many, many powerful naps.  Do you allow yourself to do that, when you need it?  Just checking :)

Day 181 February 1, 2011

Mr. Bear

At the end of this day we brought home our senior dog from the vet.  He was in pain from the recovery of a surgerical procedure.  Sometimes I share my very deepest feelings with this dog Mr. Bear, the feelings I might hesitate to vocalize aloud. 

When we are in deep pain or deep worry, we keep up a brave face for our family, for our friends, and for ourselves.  But it is important to really face our fears; that is why I would talk to Mr. Bear.  He listened impassively and prompted me a few times by coming to sit next to me on the sofa late at night when he knew I needed to talk to him.

Last night he was the one on the sofa and I sat on the floor below him; I let him talk to me about the pain he felt.  He did with deep, previously unheard of tones and sighs.  I listened patiently and stroked him and waited for him to fall asleep.  It was a very special conversation and I was honoured that Mr. Bear shared his feelings with me when he was in need.

Our pets…..oh, how they help us.