moments of joy

1. flying down Presidio hill on my bike
2. practicing yoga that connects me deeply to Mother Earth
3. meaningful work for a new client
4. becoming a neighborhood CSA hub for Suzie's Farm
5. hearing about a childhood friend's aspiration to become a priest
6. seeing the return of Barn Owls to our canyon

saul david raye

Saul David Raye led an afternoon of yoga, and an evening of kirtan with Ram Dass and at Studio Maui in Haiku. He suggested kneeling to touch the Earth and to connect our hearts with the heart of Mother Earth. It reminded me of a gathering of friends where Laura suggested that because Amanda had hooked her light to Divine Light, she was eternal and invincible, and when Saul spoke these words about Gaia, EVERYTHING felt connected in Radiance.

That was late October, and this holiday season has been an ever expanding understanding of the Divinity of all creation. I had the beautiful opportunity to be in the presence of Saul once again from Hawaii via the Cosmic Webstream to celebrate the Winter Solstice, and now I'm between classes as I participate in his virtual New Year's weekend practice from Kauai.

As the holidays have unfolded, I have had family time, connection with our homeless brothers, labyrinth walking time, powerful live music, yoga, and a day of Buddhist practice at Deer Park Monastery. Consistently, the message is to keep opening up my idea of God, of Holiness, and to always dwell in Divine Light.

winter vacation

We visited with our Mount Hood friends over the weekend, and did group yoga practice with my teacher... she gave me some excellent reminders and ideas to fuel my home practice. Now the guys are up on the mountain hoping for good snow. I'm here alone in the peace and quiet of winter, watching a flock of quail on the seed platform outside the dining room, and enjoying the silence. I have a simple red wool hat on my knitting needles, an interesting novel to explore, and super-comfy bed for napping. Ahhh.

Lucky Four

You know when people ask you to pick a number between one and whatever? I've always picked four. Honestly, as long as I can remember, I've always chosen four, or fourteen, or twenty-four. I'm one of four children in my family. The first and only move in my young life was at age four. The year I moved to San Diego I turned 44 (my husband was 55, and my mother-in-law 88...a bit of numerological synchronicity to consider another day) and it was one of the most blessed years of my life.

I was able to bring my job with me and work remotely for the first three years. I got married, enjoyed being a honeymooner, luxuriated in the sun and surf, and generally lived in gratitude for all the good food, and the love and support I have in this new place. But in many ways, I've been a tourist.

In April [the fourth month!], I'll begin my fourth year here and I'm noticing deepening roots and spreading branches. I'm launching house and garden projects to feather my nest, building spaces to nurture my creativity. I'm meditating and practicing yoga more often. We have a new website that wants to expand, and I started this blog...it's calling to the writer in me every day.

Year four is going to be excellent.

my yoga teacher is an angel

I find more and more that I meet angels on my path. Sometimes you'll just go to a yoga workshop and someone will walk through the door with a special glow...a combination of sparkle and humility...a grounded quality and a big, bright spirit. Then you'll be shopping for natural body care things at your neighborhood boutique, and there she is again...saying do you take yoga at our center? And before you know it, you have a new yoga class and a wonderful new teacher who is both young and fresh, and sharing something so much bigger...an eternal, beautiful, encouraging energy. The room is filled with Love and you know what is means to "be the change."