Friday, February 25, 2011

when the DOG is your keeper...

its 6:30 am, I decide to meditate in my room instead of going to the yoga studio... who comes looking for me, Acha, the beautiful dog at the ranch.  I open the door, wagging his tail he comes over, lays himself across the doorway, his face nuzzling inside the door frame...Acha, the beautiful golden retriever really is beautiful...

we all share a similar story,  he wanders over to different people, gets attached to them and hangs on their porch, never spending a night in the same place, he has many lives to guard and this is his way of telling us, "do not fear, I am here for you"...


Acha is outside the yoga studio, sometimes barking at an invisible energy that only he feels, and sometimes lying outside the door of the studio, waiting for us to come out...Acha has grown from a dog that liked to play, run and jump into the lake, to becoming a being who shows he cares.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

when the ground shifts...

doing yoga under the sky, surrounded by the stillness of the mountain, the quietness of the pond and the silence of the trees...i find the vibrations from the music moves the cells, as the body flows through different asanas (shapes)...the awareness of the breath is my anchor...

i am in a backbend and look up to see the gliding eagle, my spirits soar, I spread my arms in a swan dive...the rain falls, and I am laughing as I continue the practice...

 the clouds move and the sun comes back out, the warmth on my skin is nurturing,  I lie in savasana...

a converation with a friend, and the question comes up of feeling "ungrounded", yes its a feeling we all share...stay with the feeling, it will pass... we agree that  the yoga practice, with the breathing awareness and meditation, helps one to find that ground beneath the feet.

Yoga by the Dead Sea
shifting sand

Thursday, February 17, 2011

on a full moon night

Moon - symbolic of cycles, of life, of seasons, of the ebb and flow...the yantra of the second chakra.
the Ida, where the energy flows of thoughts, feelings, the feminine, the yin...are you the Goddess?

Reassuring as the day follows night,
Illuminating our path,
Providing  light and guidance, your coolness is the warming of the hearts...

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

its been a while, but here i am...


This last month has been a month of muchness…the passing away of a friend, Neem you will always have a place in my heart, thank you for being who you were.  You had an impact on me that has helped me in being who I am.   Thank you.

Anwar, my uncle, he spent a wonderful life, and my childhood is strongly connected to many fun summers spent with him and his family.  My love for trains, has at its source the link to his lifelong career in the railways…Thank You.

2011 brought with it a beautiful soul to study yoga, as we practiced, and discussed the philosophy on which yoga is based, she opened and revealed her fears and challenges…as we shared, she questioned, and at times doubted, but kept scraping the surface and the depth, to unleash her trust in herself and the connection called love that binds all souls…

Barbara and Robyn, what a delight to have met you.  Thank you Robyn for opening your heart and surrendering in the yoga session.  Your connecting me to Kuramba, will manifest...and yes Barbara we both recognized that we had met before.  I look forward to seeing the wonderful photo shots you took.  

Jo-Ann, thank you for presenting your wonderful Yoga book to the ranch and dedicating it to us here.  Your practice was beautiful, I appreciate your asking me to review the upcoming book and allowing me  to contribute some thoughts.  Your book will be good reference material for the yoga training manual that we are compiling for the ranch. 

February rolled in, with more sunshine, as I found myself often singing Bob Marley and "The Sun is Shining"...through the busy days, of yoga teacher training and the sharing of the two daily yoga sessions at Rancho Margot, I found my energy riding on the crest of the waves of the flowing river,  and "I say to myself, what a wonderful world"...

Brian came in with a desire to find his clarity, and allowed himself to open up to us.  Brian your emails are an attestation to the transformation you carried form here.  

Horseback rides to the Mirador, with an amazing soul who seemed to have dropped into my life here...Mark, I have no words to describe the week we shared..spending time with you and Anayancy, was all fun and laughter,.  I enjoyed your presence at the yoga sessions, with the shaking and all!!! It has been "a while" since I enjoyed such an interaction and sharing as I did with you.  Thank you, it reinforced my belief in souls who know each other and meet again as they journey through this beautiful life...trust we see each other again...

Daniel, our new yoga teacher, has come to the ranch with much freshness and his sessions are being enjoyed by all...

February 14 and the Valentine day brought to culmination a philosophy I have been sharing, of letting go of all conditionings and belief in the "shoulds" of life and living life as one truly wants to...letting go of the fears and doubts that robs one of the pleasure of enjoying each moment to its fullest.  So it is befitting that the day brought a magical moment in Brianna's life, in more than one way, and we have not stopped laughing since last night...

In the darkness of the soul a light glimmers,
I pause, and I look…
Is that the fire in my soul, or the light in your eyes…
I feel the lightness of the breeze, the softness of your breath,
You speak, I listen and the music plays on...