Saturday, April 30, 2011

in case you haven't noticed


i enjoy a picnic.

and lately i'm weirdly obsessed with thermoses.

what would you like to bring?

{see picnic components on my polyvore.}

Friday, April 29, 2011

randomness

  1. last class of the semester was last night!  while i'm glad it's over, it was a pleasure teaching such a bright group.  i like to teach.
  2. i enjoy the sound of words spoken in sanskrit.  i'm attempting to learn my yoga postures by their original name.
  3. purple globe alliums!  quite possibly a contender with peonies as my favorite bloom.  all that backbreaking bulb-planting last fall?  totally worth it.
  4. i have to go to a work meeting this morning to discuss creating an informative and positive unit presence on facebook.  not really sure how i feel about this?  would you "like" child protective services?
  5. the royal wedding hoopla made me nostalgic for that other royal wedding that i watched through 16-year old sleepy eyes and literally uttered my very first "wtf?".  (never been a fan of the whole over-the-top-wedding-princess thing.)
happy weekend friends!  embrace the royalness of you!!!

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

{nourish}

*

the prompt for this inaugural week of bella's 52 photos project is "nourish".

when i first read the prompt, i got all giddy with plans of photographing luscious images of food.  but the more i thought about it, the thing that has nourished my body and soul the most over the past five months is bikram yoga.

i started doing this challenging class (90 minutes, 105°, 40% humidity) five months ago and now i'm hooked like so many others.

bikram yoga nourishes me in so many ways during class; what i love the most is how what happens in class translates into life outside the very hot room:
  • it never gets easier, just better
  • there are endless opportunities for awareness, growth and improvement
  • the unique relationship with the mirror in a bikram class moves me to previously unknown levels of self-awareness and self-acceptance
  • it's true that my body is different every time i walk in the door, this knowledge has brought me to a new understanding of "go with it"
  • i greet and dismiss resistance before each and every class, practicing peaceful warfare with this thing that cripples me most in real life
  • following directions and relinquishing control and authority is fun
  • the only decision i have to make is "try the right way"
  • my nemesis posture, ustrasana, the heart-opening camel, has become one of my favorites
  • tense does not equal strong
  • the gallons of sweat and the many many exhales of breath empty my body, allowing space for health and newness
in may, i am starting a 30-day challenge:  a class a day for thirty days (if i miss a day, i get to do two classes in one day!).  i'll post my progress here.  i'm sure there will be setbacks as well.  i'm a wee bit daunted by this challenge (and the thought of all that laundry!).  but i can't wait to meet the girl staring back at me in the mirror on june 1.

*my classmate isabelle, totally rocking dandayamana-bibhaktapada-paschimotthanasana.

Sunday, April 24, 2011

picnic {№9}


the first picnic of the season!  the beauty of this spring day inspired me to keep it simple and indulge in things i love.  hint:  there's rum in that thermos.


cupcakes and mojitos!


pretty little sugar butterflies (sugar robot).


the sunshine was spendiflorous.  the new baby green leaves on the trees cast a pale aqua tint to everything.


i am a happy girl with a mojito in hand...add some tiny cupcakes, sweet birdsong and a gentle breeze and the afternoon is perfect.


(i am so pleased to be picnic-ing again and enjoying the amazing outdoors.  if you'd like to see last year's picnics, click here.)

birth and rebirth


it's really difficult for me to imagine a life in which i could not count on another opportunity to let go, surrender, forgive, peel off another layer that has served its purpose, reset, restart, reinvent, switch up and try on a different bloom.  i am so grateful for the many times and many ways i have begun anew.

this is the spirit of today. 

and tomorrow.

and the day after...

happy easter.

Friday, April 22, 2011

Saturday, April 16, 2011

oh hi there


i've been quiet over here...not sure why.  i seem to be in a state of soft and easy exploration, an exquisite incubation of sorts.  sometimes i just want to be in it, not necessarily photograph and document it.  you know what i mean?

i wanted to pop in and share some friends' work that fills me with joy and pride and that is partly responsible for my retreat:
  • sarah's book arrived a few days ago and i can't stop looking at it!  it's so gloriously beautiful.  i've been lucky enough to take sarah's mixed-media art class in person and her book really does make you feel like you are in the room with her.  i can't recommend it enough.
  • and the very lovely jen lee has a new multimedia workbook to guide you through discovering and telling your own amazing story. 
i hope you are enjoying spring my friends!  see you here soon...

Friday, April 8, 2011

white

Thursday, April 7, 2011

lavender

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

pink

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

yellow

Monday, April 4, 2011

green


it's poppytalk's colour week friends. 

Sunday, April 3, 2011

sunday grace


on a positive note:  the intensity of my resistance makes the actual letting go feel so much more momentous.