That Indian Yoga Guy

The last time my young yogi group met, 3 weeks ago, I talked about Ghandi because 3 of my students are very interested in war. One had recently written a beautiful poem about how her grandmother felt during WWII right here in our community, as she had to pull down the window shades in fear at night or worry about what she would eat for dinner. I don't remember being so interested in war in elementary school but such is the world we live in. I had decided we would talk about friendship a bit this week...what makes a good friend....because I had "inside knowledge" that two of my students, sweet, bright little girls, were having friend problems. As we sat in a circle and opened class, and I mentioned our topic, I asked for questions. One of my yogis requested, "Can you tell us more about that yoga guy from India." We had talked about Ghandi and peaceful war....such a contradiction..peaceful war.... They wanted to know more. We went on to talk about how Ghandi used total non-violence (ahimsa), non-cooperation, boycots, and peaceful resistance as a means of resisting social injustice. He led organized protests and always spoke the truth. I could see the wheels turning in these young and open minds...in their world, how do you remain peaceful and stand up for yourself? How do you do that when somebody you think is your friend pushes you down and makes you cry? Difficult but important lessons for these young souls to learn :)

Where's My Wife?

My husband told me about the funniest dream he had last night. This is significant because he rarely remembers his dreams. He was walking around a local town, at night, in his blue plaid pajama bottoms with his pillow under his arm. He felt like a little kid. In his dream he didn't talk to anybody but people stared at him. He felt embarrassed but eventually found me. Whatever does that mean? They say when you don't dream much, every dream you recall is important. Furthermore "they" say that we actually dream all the time which is why the ones you recall carry such importance. Neither my husband nor I could really figure out the deep and hidden meaning in his wandering the streets, pillow under arm, looking for me, but it was pretty funny! Here I'm "lost" on the beach in Seattle....dancing around :P

What is Yoga?

At the very moment my yoga mentor posed the question, What is Yoga?, I noticed the smallest of creatures, an ant, I think, crawling around on the hardwood floor. He crawled to the right and then to the left of my mat. As I watched him, all I could think about was how tiny his body parts are....a mouth I'd need a microscope to see, a miniature eye, teeny weeny legs, an itty-bitty ant heart pumping fluid throughout his little bug body!

What is Yoga? was the question presented last night during my monthly yoga teaching training seminar. I answered that it is believing in something bigger than myself. I added, “It’s understanding the big picture without getting hung up in the minutia.” Others answered that it is the breath, prana, energy.... When I began my yoga training some 5 years ago I would have answered, “Yoga is about getting into downward dog, making sure my heels are flat on the ground and learning how to breathe using the 3-part breath.” I knew nothing about yoga then and I know a little about yoga now. Without a doubt, the physical moves and learning about my breath are essential components of yoga. But to me, now, yoga is really about how I am in my life. Am I kind, centered, self-aware, mindful, organized, disciplined, generous or am I not? Do I take care of my body and my home and those around me or not?

Today I was reading the Bhagavad-Gita again (one of the texts we study in training). The warm and wonderful sun was shining through my bedroom window. As I lay on my bed engrossed in the story of Arjuna's enlightenment, I thought again about that tiny little ant crawling around the yoga room on this and then that side of my purple yoga mat. If there is a God I like that idea that he or she is everywhere (as the Bhagavad-Gita tells it) and in that I think I would change my answer to What is Yoga? Today I might answer, "Yoga is like this little ant. I am like this little Ant. We are both alive and connected to one another, as are all living things. And yoga, for me, is about being present enough to notice the tiny little insect with it’s tiny little beating heart, circumnavigating my yoga mat as I sit in a group of budding yogis pondering the deep meaning of yoga." Yoga and the Ant......the latest book on yoga philosophy! Coming soon :P

From one Joy to Another

Shortly after my mom (who's name was Joyce) died, I lay in bed at her house early one morning. To my astonishment and then a little fear, I smelled the most distinct scent of roses in the air. It happened one other morning. I looked high and low. There were no roses in the house. Roses were especially important to my mom. My dad has always had a rose garden. Every morning roses were in bloom, he would bring her several fresh cut flowers that she would proudly display all around the house. As my mom lay in her pink casket on that last, sad day I sprinkled pink roses petals from dad's garden over her finally peaceful body. Miss and love you mom...

My 85-year old dad! Still alive and well :) And, still loving his roses!

Sent to me from my very thoughtful friend...For my mother in heaven: If roses grow in heaven, Lord pick a bunch for me , place them in my mothers arms and tell her they're from me. Tell her that I love and miss her and when she turns to smile, place a kiss upon her cheek and hold her for awhile, because remembering her is easy, I do it everyday, There's an ache that will never go away.......Happy Mothers Day In Heaven

What, No Bike?

So, I like to think of myself as calm and yogic most of the time. After all, I am a 200 level yoga instructor, working on my 500 level certification. I am certified to be a kids yoga instructor and certified to teach yoga in the schools. I teach yoga to kids on Fridays. And I have a Ph.D. in psychology. Calm should be readily accessible to me. But sometimes, my reactions shock me because they are so not how I like to think of myself. Take yesterday morning. Now I knew that my spin class started 15 minutes earlier. I think it is a bad idea because that spin class is always jammed packed. This is because Hilllary, who is in charge of the class schedules, has changed the weekend morning spin class times for some illogical and maybe even emotional reason. Well, that's my thinking after talking with everybody. So, spin started, as of yesterday morning, at 7:15. I knew everybody would now get to the gym at 6:45 when the gym isn't even supposed to open until 7:00. And they all did! Well, everybody but me. My fall back was counting on a very nice woman who has offered to sign me up for the class. I arrive at 7:03. No more space on the sign-up sheet! "I'm pissed," I must have said 12 times as I stomped around the gym trying to tell everybody how unfair it all was. Whatever is the matter with me? Where is my yoga-self? Fortunately for me, the woman who usually signs me up wasn't there (I later found out she was sitting in her car afraid to come in for fear of throwing up all over... food poisoning) so her friend, who usually signs her up told me I could have her spot. I was happy but not really. I was glad I had a spot but kind of puzzled at my own nasty behavior. As a result I was able to spin but not so happily and it wasn't such a good workout. I'd have been better off going with the flow and going for a run. Ah...life! Always so much to learn :)

What's that in Your Ear?

"What do you want a hook for?" I asked Billy, completely puzzled. "Well," he went on, "I have a staple in my ear." WHAT THE $#@ I thought to myself. In the most calm and centered teacher voice I could muster I responded, "Uh, I don't have a hook but I bet the school nurse does."

"So why did you put a staple in ear," I asked the obvious question on the way to the nurse's office. "Because, duh, my ear itched!" Working with students with significant behavioral problems has always been interesting; certainly an adventure and most definitely unpredictable. At lunch I happened to mention the errant staple story to a staff member. I explained how the school nurse had instructed me to hold the flashlight at just the right angle so that she could carefully navigate her mini forceps into his ear canal and with great skill release the staple. "Whew, there was ear wax in your ear so no damage done, " the relieved nurse told Billy and me. "Remember," she went on to Billy, as she showed him the staple, "putting things like this in your ear can damage your hearing." "Oh, that's OK," Billy told us with confidence, "I can always hear out of my other ear."

A teacher listening to my lunchtime story had known Billy for a long time. "This is nothing new. Billy has been known to put erasers, staples and even little sticks in his ears. And, he does this for the attention." And in that moment, it all made sense to me. His father was being released from jail and there was soon to be a custody shift. Kids scream out for comfort and attention and love in any way they know how.

When I think back on Billy, I truly hope that he found his way without losing his hearing in the process! I also think that somebody along the way should have told Billy what my mother (who was a nurse) told me some 50 years ago, "Never put anything smaller than you elbow in your ear." But he probably wouldn't have listened to that advice...or maybe he couldn't have heard it with all those sticks, erasers and staples jammed in his ear canals!

Still the Senses

I felt lucky to get one of the last stationary bicycles for spin class on Saturday. Class starts at 7:30 but you have to get there at 7:01 to get a spot. Spin is a class in which you sweat.... a lot. Spin is a class in which you breathe deeply for 45 minutes. Not 2 minutes into the hour long class I noticed a nasty body odor emanating from the "biker" in front of me and I knew....this is only going to get worse as we pump away on our bikes to the sound of blaring rock music under the flashing lights of the disco ball and I am breathing like a marathon runner nearing the end of her race. And, it did. What to do? One of the techniques I have learned from my yoga studies is pratyahara. Basically, you use your mind so that sensations (sound waves, smells) don't turn into perceptions. The annoying clanging in the background as you try to quietly read your book fades into the background as you purposely don't hear it. As I knew would happen, the more sweaty our stationary pack of bikers got, the more the smell intensified (geez, this person needs a bath I think to myself). Then I think...pratyahara! So, there I was for rest of the class, being as mindful as I possibly could in such a way to block the ripe and hideous body odor. Intentionally not thinking about it. Strange way to "think", but it worked and I no longer smelled the offensive odor! Spose this is an odd blog entry but I am honestly amazed at that ways in which my yoga studies make my daily life easier :) I have written about pratyahara (intense philosophical pieces for my yoga mentor) but who knew how useful it'd be in a spin class on an early Saturday morning. Had I not thought...pratyahara!.... I would have most definitely hopped off my bike as the first fly wheels whirled and ran for fresh air :)

p.s. this is a picture of a fractal! Cool, huh?

Mrs and Me - Mistake of the Week

My husband told me the funniest story. Some 30 years ago he used to come into the Mrs and Me, a local ice cream shop on Route 1 in Kittery, ME. He was struggling financially but knew he could always stop in for the price-reduced Mistake of the Week. Pistachio ice cream minus the pistachios or cherry ice cream sans cherries. He'd order the ice cream and the forgotten ingredient(s) would be sprinkled on top! Love it. He remembers that Mrs and Me used to employ a lot of students and, apparently, they had a little trouble following the recipes :) Kind of funny you'd leave out the main ingredient but love the idea of admitting it and selling it anyway!




Before Mrs and Me. Rural Maine!

The re-opening after closing in 2000.

I'm guessing butter pecan, maple nut, and lemon souffle are all automated today so ice cream mistakes are uncommon. But, what a great memory for my husband :)

For more information, check out this 2007 article http://www.seacoastonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070622/BIZ/706220427

Out of the Mouths of Babes

One of the things I pride myself on is eating and promoting healthy food. In fact, I'm a bit obsessed with it of late and maybe a little snobby. I eat chocolate but only dark chocolate. I drink alcohol but prefer red wine. The last time my granddaughter had a sleepover, I made stuffed peppers. Of course, I used ground turkey and added bulgar wheat, spinach, onion, carrots, tomatoes, and squash. Feta cheese melted on top while they cooked. I was sure my 4-year old granddaughter would turn up her nose to my healthy stuffed peppers, so I made her, although it killed me, Sponge Bob mac-n-cheese in a box :( I bought the boxed mac-n-cheese just for her because, once, several months ago, I took a long time and some expensive ingredients to make homemade mac-n-cheese and she hated it. So, boxed it was! To my astonishment, however, while the dehydrated Sponge Bobs were plumping up in the pot on the stove, my granddaughter looked at my turkey meat and veggie pepper sitting on my plate and announced, "I'd like some of that." "OK," I thought "but I bet she'll hate it...too many veggies." Her grandfather barely gags down my ground turkey and veggie stuffed peppers. He's looking for the nice greasy ones stuffed with beef, sausage and white rice. Love him deeply but we are are different planets when it comes to food some times. Anyway, after eating two servings, my granddaughter clearly loved my healthy stuffed peppers.

As she got ready for bed after her tub swim (see previous post), the book of her choice was, Berenstain Bears and Too Much Junk Food. Mama Bear, noticing Papa and Baby Bears are getting a little chubby, locks all the junk food away and forces the family to take up jogging. Delighted, I read this book to my granddaughter with much enthusiasm. The educator in me is hard to contain sometimes. After all, I recently joined Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution to transform school lunches and I never join causes.

The next morning I drove my sweet granddaughter to preschool. I had given her a candy cane before we left the condo. She was quiet for a little bit and then announced to me 1/2 way to school, so she had been thinking about this for awhile, "Grandma, isn't this junk food?" Oh my....called out by my own little granddaughter. "Well, yes. Candy canes are junk food. But, we can have a little junk food now and again." Guess I should have acted like I preach and given her a banana :) Humbled once again by youth :)

Swimming in the Tub

So, here is my granddaughter the last time she spent the night. She loves the giant bathtub. I have no idea why she did this but she would lay flat under the water, holding her breath, repeatedly. She was having a ball. I stood nearby hoping mouth-to-mouth would not be required but it was all fun for her. What crazy memories this girl will have of sleeping over with Grandma and Grandpa!

Art with My Grammie Joy

So, the first thing you do is put on Grandma's shirt to cover up your beautiful clothes. Do you think I'm fully covered?

Next, you take florescent paint and get crazy with the wooden flowers. Don't you LOVE my painting.

What'd ya think? These flowers stand up!

Younger Next Year....We'll see!

I've read this entire book...well, I skipped a lot of pages as I was eager to get to the meat of it...but I "read" this book, pretty much cover to cover, over my last two vacation days. I'll go back later and read some of the chapters I skimmed just because it's so much fun to read and so full of information. OK. I know I sound like a commercial but I'm taken by this book and all it's advice. Finally I understand WHY I am supposed to watch what I eat (nothing white, little red meat and lots of fish along with tons of veggies, fruit and grains), exercise like an athlete six days a week, watch stress levels and keep a healthy family/social life going. Makes so much sense. After my workout session with my trainer this morning I am good to go with exercise (well, I will try, anyway!). I spin twice a week, run once a week, workout on the elliptical once a week (all for 45 minutes) and now I'll add in twice weekly sweaty weight-lifting workouts.

I'm getting older by the minute. Fragile bones, weakened eyesight and even more wrinkles on my half-a-century face. Yes I see that all. But, perhaps, at least now I have a good chance of being much more healthy and happy in the upcoming second half of my life (right...I'm going to live to 110!).

Vacation

So, this year, vacations have been.........interesting. By the end of Christmas/New Year's vacation, I was exhausted. So much leading up to the 25th. And then, it was just so subzero outside that it made me tired. During February vacation I was recovering from Fifth Disease and felt like crap much of the time we were in chilly Florida. I had no energy and the joints in my hands made me feel like I was 107. I now completely understand the constant pain my husband suffers from. Got it. April vacation, right now, seems the best of all. I feel really, really good physically, emotionally, spiritually. And, I have a lot of time to myself. Well, pup is nearby but she's perfect company for me in this state-of-mind. And, I love it when my husband comes home in the evening. But, during the day....I am free! Honestly, I love being busy and I am happy and extremely grateful for my very full and wonderful life but I crave long stretches of alone time. And, that's just so hard to find working full-time. When I work full time, all my other time is spent getting ready to go back to my full-time work.....and on, and on, and on.........

Today I think, hmmm, I can paint, make jewelry, read, write, workout, do yoga, just sit and look out the window and I don't have to talk to anybody or solve anybody's problems. I don't have 75 balls in the air, all at random heights. I can stay in my pajamas all day and drink tea! I can meditate all morning on the beauty of a single green leaf! This is definitely the perfect vacation for me.