sunday (equinox) grace: how to spring detox

how to detox•mixed media on wood•lisa parks

i'm already seeing them:  the inevitable reminders that now is the time to detox our bodies with three-day juice fasts and foregoing coffee (um, no way).  i understand there are good intentions here and that some humans may benefit from these measures, but when i am inundated with these reminders, i often start to buy into the myth that there is something very dirty about me.

i'm wondering if you are like me and get really excited about the idea of a clean slate.  you may also be like me and get very motivated on "official start days" like january first, any given monday, or the first day of the season (tomorrow is a double:  a monday and the beginning of spring!).  you may also be like me and notice a rapid decline in said motivation about four days in...

i have to figure out ways to stay present with my "improvement projects".  i prefer to greet the change of seasons with a transitional approach, rather than the burn-it-all-down-and-start-anew tactic.  (plus, for many people, radical nutritional plans and even mainstream juice fasts are not designed for or are healthy for their particular body.)

for me, this softer transitional approach is needed.  here are some possibilities:

• the most critical poison to eliminate from your body, heart, spirit, mind, and life is the toxic human. you likely know who they are, but sometimes it's hard to tell.  pay attention to that inner whisper of "that feels weird"/"hmm, they said that, but did this..."/"well, now i just need to take a big ol' nap and never talk to another person ever again"/"maybe it's me....."   there is no better time than now to set the boundaries.

• write a farewell haiku to winter.  or write a story about something beautiful that happened this winter.

• unhibernate.  unfurl limbs.  move the body.  scrub the skin.  breathe the air.  see the light.  dip your toes in a running stream of melting snow.  find the blossoms.

• turn hope into action:  plant wildflower seeds, collect or purchase books for a children's club in an underserved neighborhood (here are some great recommendations), donate useful and beautiful things to your local domestic violence shelter.

• ask yourself, how can i be more awake?  the spring equinox heralds physical awakenings, but what about the awakening of the mind and spirit?   explore limiting beliefs.  conduct a values inventory (if that sounds weird to you, hit me up in person, facebook, etc. and i'll share a simple way to clarify personal values that i teach in workshops).  are there areas of knowledge and discernment that could use fine-tuning?  how do you value and respect and love and express in this sea of humanity?

• consume the foods of spring that celebrate where you live.  if you live in an area without a year-round farmers market, attend opening day.  i'm inspired to make a grilled flatbread pizza topped with arugula and kale pesto, appalachian cheese, garlic scapes and morels.  or maybe roasted radishes.

• ponder the ways you can bring more lightness to your life.  that may mean switching out flannel sheets for cotton.  that may mean giving all the windows in the house a good cleaning. that may mean wearing clothing that is lighter in both texture and color.  that may mean transforming that mass of heavy long hair into a pixie cut or coloring your hair robin's egg blue. that may mean losing five pounds.  that may mean beginning a process of releasing a pattern of thought or being that keeps you heavy and dark.

• make space.  this could done be in your physical environments such as your home or yard or office by editing out stuff and curating a more open space. or it could mean opening up your body; you might have the tendency to curl in and hug tight during colder weather so your body wants to expand.  warm up your body and try some yoga postures: pigeon to open the hips, ardha chandrasana to give your body that amazing wide open feeling, supported supta baddha konasana to open the heart and the hips.  

have a magical spring moonbeams.

a midsummer's day

painting under the pergola.  i started this a few months ago and was unhappy with it.  i pulled it out today, added minor painty mojo and now i love it.

this mimosa tree was backlit by the rising sun.  there were about ten tiny hummingbirds flitting around it.  it's blooms looked like fairies.

i made jam!  blackberry-chia-kombucha-basil-rose jam.  the basic recipe is here and i added the basil and a dash of rosewater.  it's beautiful, delicious and healthy.

this day is beautiful, delicious and healthy.

inspiration

i designed this piece for the child protective social workers and supervisors i train.  (you may recognize it...it's the background of my karma garden sign.)  these words pretty much sum up the broad range of qualities needed in this work.  i plan on making magnets and badge wheelie-bobs to use as giveaways.  this is just one little part of my new job that i love:  creating and inspiration are considered as important as delivery of training and other technical bits of the work.

this way

doubt has a way of quietly creeping in.  it's been one of those weeks.  i'm having to softly remind myself to continue to trust my intuition and keep moving in the direction i've chosen.  even when the destination is not quite clear.

what is clear is that i want to lead a life of authenticity, spaciousness, wildness and peace. 

this way, brave girl, your aim is true.

our lovely yoga studio asked yogi students to create art inspired by asanas.  this is my piece inspired by dandayamana-dhanurasana, standing bow pose.  kicking and stretching, that's me.

art and life

chakra:  a work in progress.

on the table.

and in life.

every now and then pretty often i have the feeling like i don't belong.  i've come to trust this feeling over the years as a clue to pay attention to the only place we can ever truly belong, within our own souls.  my own spirit always welcomes me with delight.  i am always invited.  always wanted.  always missed when i go away.

paper scissors paint glue

my myers-briggs type is intj.  this means that my dominant preference is intuition (n) and my inferior preference is sensing (s). 

when it comes to art i can dream (intuit) about it all day long:  the idea of art, the multiple layers of story behind any given piece, the process of creating, what color, aesthetic and form mean to the existence of humankind, the complexities of the artistic life.  the art world inside my head is mindblowing. 

my physical senses need to be engaged (the doing) to step outside my preference (the daydreaming) and bring balance to my artful life.  which means i have to get out of my head and step up to my art table.  this is uncomfortable for me.  all those supplies, tools and techniques are daunting.  but to be an artist, not just think like one, i have to see and choose color, hold a brush in my hand, dab paint with my fingers, scribble, hear the tear of the paper, choose the spot on the canvas, do too much, paint it white, start over, keep the message simple, quit before i overthink it.

this concept of approaching art through myers-briggs is changing everything for me.  i can't wait to share it with you. 

later i'll talk a bit about the reverse process for artists who prefer sensing.

in the meantime, live brightly.

paint and paper and pencil

i got a little carried away making a sign for our plot at the organic garden.  it will read "good karma garden."  i like that:  happy sun and good karma.

{brave+beautiful}

grateful for sunny fall weekends full of art, chai, reading, naps and yoga to balance out the ugly.

{optimism}

so i had one of those great weekends where everything seemed possible.  everyone's energies were in sync and the mood was clear and bright.  i had space and time for yoga, art, cooking, photography, cuddly naps and talks.  it was effortless.  i am so grateful for these gifts.

i painted frog girl on the cover of my 2012 planner and in a wildly enthusiastic fit named it 'the year of extraordinary things'.  i am so very grateful to mindy; she taught me to paint and gave me the courage that goes with it.  the courage to play and make mistakes and try again.

i am also grateful to pixie.  in her class about animal spirits at serendipity, i pulled the frog card.  at first i was slightly disappointed in my selection.  i was hoping for something a bit more majestic, like bear or mountain lion or wise like owl.  maybe something beautiful like peacock.  nope.  frog.

but the more i learned about frog spirit, i realized she is exactly the totem i need at this time in my life.  she is about metamorphosis and transformation and cleansing and healing.  she is about joy, creativity, abundance, voice.  frog clears negativity from space, internal and external.    frog is sounding quite nice now, isn't she?

so on this monday morning, i'm pulling on my imaginary frog hat to see if i can hold on to the optimism throughout the day once i leave the beauty of my little magical pond.

happy monday friends.

the story of my heart

if you've done bikram yoga before, you'll recognize the line 'like a flower petal blooming' from the dialogue spoken in half-moon posture.  it's a bit of encouragement to unfold and open the shoulders and chest.  i have to repeat it to myself in all postures that require me to open and expose my heart:  half-moon, standing bow, camel.

a few years back i was on vacation and chatting up a woman in a little shop.  she was looking at me funny and asked if she could make an observation.  she said that i confused her because my eyes and face and smile and voice were so vibrant and yet i kept my arms folded over my chest and my shoulders folded in.  she told me i looked like i was protecting a wounded child in my arms but acting as if i didn't want anyone to know.  her statement stopped me cold.

several weeks after this, i made my own observation in a yoga class that every time i went into any kind of backbend, i felt nauseous and had to fold forward immediately.  i asked my teacher about this and she said simply, "your heart is defended."

shortly after that, in the woods of new hampshire, i sat by the fire in one of jen lee's story workshops, surrounded by loving and trustworthy souls, and was amazed at the power of my defended heart.  i had so many words held captive inside, it was literally impossible to speak them.  they stayed where they were, safe and unspoken, hidden behind my smile.

it was after that when i made the commitment to be more brave with love and trust.  it has been a slow journey, risky baby steps all the way.  i still hear a voice that tells me to stop and shield, but many times i push through that with trust.

bikram yoga has presented new challenges to me with regards to opening my heart.  each time i try to get into camel, i feel that old nausea and dizziness set in.  this is my body's cue to stop and protect.  each time i push a little further and find a little more courage to open and expose, risking the release of those things held tight for so many years.  i can be a warrior, a hero, a flower petal blooming.

just because

i often need a reminder to trust that things will work out as they are supposed to.