Saturday, March 31, 2007
Home for the Holiday
Its Passover, Easter & for many...Spring Break, a time for spring cleaning, new beginnings & travels! My family invited me home for the Jewish holiday, to be together as we always do. My heart said yes, my head said no - simply because I have plans to travel in April to Seattle, May to Baltimore & June to NY, all for work. I've only lived in Cali for 10 weeks now & traveling so much, I know for me - is challenging physically & emotionally.
BUT...OWTF, Life is happening NOW and I live in the present. Who knows what tomorrow brings, I do not take life for granted, I live life fully! This all came super clear to me too, after speaking on the phone with my lil neice this afternoon. I decided today, the day of, to get on a flight & go home for the holiday. I choose to follow my heart & be with my family, and not let the story of how I could/may/might feel in the future when its time to travel again.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
I Design the Life I Desire
Again today, I am in gratitude for being in love & at peace with the life I have created for myself. This morning I woke up after 3 days of NGY TT and catching a cold, I spent my Sunday morning composting, planting 4 different kinds of tomatoes, yummy strawberries, colorful flowers & local succulents. All the while in the gorgeous weather, quiet in the yard within southern Cali nature: birds singing, wind breezing - the angel-water fountain running. OK, OK, I can hear a slight murmur of the 5 - but I like to think of it as the eternal sound of Ohm :)
Of course, my dog, Chants is right by my side. He is, dogs are, the best company a human can have. He keeps me entertained & laughing out loud! Today he found a fallen avocado, a lil rotted, but he nibbles, licks & mouths it until he can find the good spots to eat away! Yes, Chants too loves the avocado tree!
I give thanks to a humbling experience I had last summer when my boyfriend & I broke up. It was he who opened my eyes to gardening. We planted lots together, I realized what an earthy woman I am. I got the love & peace of gardening. I offer thanks to this man who led me to this path. Ahhh, and in my choice to recreate a home this year - I designed an amazing life I desired.
They say that moving is up there as the top 3 biggest stressors in life, along with death & divorce. Lonely am I? Of course, the natural amount anyone would have with a move across country away from home, family & friends. I am so happy here with this new & exciting life! And I am confident & clear in where I am at, no looking back! In fact, this time in my life is a once in a lifetime moment. Never again will I have this day. I am present and trust that in time, at the right time, I am in abundant relationships. including a deeply romantic & connected one. Until then, I live in the present & love my life as it is today!!
Of course, my dog, Chants is right by my side. He is, dogs are, the best company a human can have. He keeps me entertained & laughing out loud! Today he found a fallen avocado, a lil rotted, but he nibbles, licks & mouths it until he can find the good spots to eat away! Yes, Chants too loves the avocado tree!
I give thanks to a humbling experience I had last summer when my boyfriend & I broke up. It was he who opened my eyes to gardening. We planted lots together, I realized what an earthy woman I am. I got the love & peace of gardening. I offer thanks to this man who led me to this path. Ahhh, and in my choice to recreate a home this year - I designed an amazing life I desired.
They say that moving is up there as the top 3 biggest stressors in life, along with death & divorce. Lonely am I? Of course, the natural amount anyone would have with a move across country away from home, family & friends. I am so happy here with this new & exciting life! And I am confident & clear in where I am at, no looking back! In fact, this time in my life is a once in a lifetime moment. Never again will I have this day. I am present and trust that in time, at the right time, I am in abundant relationships. including a deeply romantic & connected one. Until then, I live in the present & love my life as it is today!!
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
I had the most wonderful visit from my mom this past week - YES, she is healthy! The Bells Palsy lasted a mere 3 weeks & she gratefully attributes her quick recovery to acupuncture & prayer. Thank YOU for your love, emails & prayer, it clearly made a difference. Rookie, Ruby, Rainbeau is my moms name, and just like that you never know what to expect from her. I was honored & blessed for her visit, so early on in my move to San Diego - she totally embraced, supported & loved my new home! She LOVED it & I believe she even said "I could live here!" a few times.
Other bonding time was spent in a NGY Family Yoga class, Kobey's Swap Meet, multiple Home Depot runs, dinner with new friends, planting herbs & of course walks on the beach! Unfortunately, she did experience coastal fog full on, luckily she missed NYC snow storm.
I'm offering a Teacher Training for 8-13 yr. olds tomorrow - 1st one on the west coast ever.
Yahoo! Im psyched for the demo classes which will happen in a Cardiff Public School. Should be an awesome experience & I plan on doing the theme: Avocado yoga with the kids!
More soon!
More soon!
__________
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Life is Good
I love the weekends here in San Diego - everyone is out and about doing something in the great outdoors. So full of life & YAY we have more sunlight to enjoy!!!Here's what I did...
Saturday I went on a fun-kid filled hike with new friends Debbie & Paul, Kai & Shae - & of course Chants & his new pal Lai Lani. I met them about 1 hour inland at an ecological reserve in Crest - this 3 yr. old reserve was started after a fire swept through SD county, the oak trees are endangered. Its GORGEOUS and oh so QUIET...
I started my Sunday at Del Mar dog beach - I think it was 80 outside, sun & few clouds... the beach was super crowded, a taste of what it will be like during the summer! Chants (and every dog there) are in heaven running around on the sand & waves crashing. I...am amongst the few who brave the ocean with the dogs, I find it incredibly delicious!! I run with Chants into the water crashing, he hops over the waves - he & I both love it!
This afternoon I climbed my avocado tree & collected A LOT of avocados - tomorrow I make my 1st time guacamole. They are the yummiest avos Ive ever had, I am so blessed - especially because I get to pick them! By far, my favorite thing in the whole wide world is to eat food straight from the earth - that I picked, grew - fresh growing fruits & veggies. I began composting today.
Tonight I taught with Tom & Trish at the Soul of Yoga - so fun. We had lil toddlers in the group. We did lots of hammock swinging & carpet rides...I loved being with the moms & dads and their beautiful loved ones. Truly the look on their faces as their kids did anything was so full of light! Joy, joy, joy we have joy, we have joy is the chant that Tom played on the harmonium tonight!Life is good!!
Home
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Cece on the FRONT PAGE of the NY Times
As I walked to the beach this morning...I passed a news stand & saw the front page of the NY Times – there she is Cece Nealon-Shapiro, featured for being adopted from China & now celebrating her 13th Birthday & Bat Mitzvah!
Cece was one of my 1st students at Next Generation Yoga & studied with me for 4+ years! I remember her fondly, as she & her friends from Rodeph Shalom School (UWS) were a consistent, strong focused group of yoginis! I have recently bumped into Mary & Vivian, her parents, on the street in NYC & learned that Cece continues to thrive in school, extra-curricular activities and has MANY friends. She is SO loved by her family, a truly SPECIAL youth – which is why she made the front page of the NY Times.
You can read about her here: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/08/nyregion/08batmitzvah.html
Or watch a video clip about her here: http://video.on.nytimes.com/?fr_story=d16d953534fc2024e7106436011f78923f85452e
Monday, March 05, 2007
NGY in Cardiff Public School - TODAY!
I was buzzing all day from the experience I shared with 19 3rd graders in a Cardiff elementary school today. A new Friend & NGY Student Teacher, also a retired school teacher, Marci (Miss) Pilati brought me to her former school to introduce yoga to a group of 9 yr. old kids.
As we moved & warmed up our bodies I asked & shared with the children what is yoga, where it comes from & why we do it. They experienced firsthand their breath, controlling it - one boy even found it gave him a headache! LOL!!
I felt like I was in a room full of sponges soaking up yoga!
We did a NGY Yoga & Music Routine to the Airplane Song - which they LOVED! I wasn't sure cause they were 9 yr.'s old but boy Laurie Berkner rocks!
Here is feedback from the teacher: "The kids loved the yoga. They talked about it all afternoon. One little boy asked if they could do the corpse pose everyday. (Keep in mind he made up that name, I never say "corpse pose!") The kids who were most enthralled were the Mexican children. Thank you."
Friday, March 02, 2007
Welcome to Paradise!
That is the sign that I will hang in my new home! It truly is breath-taking here & to say I am loving California livin' is an understatement!
Chants & I just got back from sunset at “dog beach” which has become a daily ritual for Chants & I. Think beach, tons of dogs off leash swimming, fetching, frolicking...and the gorgeous golden sun settling down in to the ocean. Ahhhh, makes me take lots of deep breaths , get present, & simply love living life!
I have landed in a GORGEOUS funky lil surfer town called Cardiff by the Sea. It's part of Encinitas county just north of Solana Beach. I am walking distance to the beach which I have found a PERFECT way to begin the day! The place I am renting is a 1-bedroom free-standing house behind another. It has 2 avocado trees, 1 lemon tree, a huge front yard (fenced) for Chants & I will plant a flower & vegetable garden. I got exactly what I wanted! Oh & best of all I am paying just less than 1/2 of what I was paying in NYC.
I have also been blessed to connect with the Soul of Yoga where I will be starting up a NGY program and also offering Teacher Trainings this spring & summer! The community at SOY is so loving, open, embracing & supportive! Everyone has been so gracious with my arrival. Did you know that Encinitas has the most yoga studios per capital than any other place in the world? Email me to find out why!
I am particularly excited to work with Trisha & Tom (founders of SOY) and newly trained NGY Teachers!
OK, so much to do, so little time, I'm off! Who else cant wait for day light savings!!!
