As far as the sun knows, it is now giving us, the inhabitants of the Northern hemisphere, a little more light every day. Every day will have a few more minutes of sunlight than the previous one.

I wonder if we notice this.

Do you notice this subtle change each day?
Or do you realize at some point that the sun is setting later than it was a month earlier?

Becoming aware of the subtle changes around us, as with the sun’s movement north, is a perfect reference point for an understanding of the amount of attention we apply to all things. What kinds of change attract your attention?

Do you notice changes in your family members, or with your friends? Do you notice a new sign on the street, or that the trees are starting to bud in late winter?
Do you notice changes in your mood, your health, your desires, your appearance?

What things stand out for you when they shift and change?

When you notice a change, does it feel harmonious to you or discordant?
Do some changes please you while others are disturbing?

If you like, make a short list of some of the things that you see change and how you perceive these changes. Notice how you feel about these things. Notice whether you become more centred, or are thrown off balance by certain events and things changing.

There are clues in your feelings about change, that describe you as an individual.
As you become aware of change, and of the ebb and flow of your life, it can be easy to see where you hold onto things that you don’t really need anymore.

The sun’s light diminished for us, and it is now returning.
Changes occurred in our lives, which have either diminished our brightness or brought us into a state of greater light and well being.

Which is it for you?

Let the sun’s return signal the return of your own light.

Is there anything that you want, or need to do to live in a ‘brighter’ way?
Shine away, this is what we are all here to do!

Blessings for a fantastic new year of Light!

Tags: sun, changes, more light, equinox, mood, ebb, flow, vernal

Inspiration struck at the grocery store. I was heading for the checkout counter when my eye was caught by a photo on a greeting card: a darling baby with her bright, sparkling eyes peeping over the top of a bucket, above the words, “Give us dreams a size too big so that we can grow into them.”

I bought that cute card.

Dreams are never meant to be toned down to what is reasonable, comfortable, and in a size that fits you now. Dreams need to be bulky, unwieldy, a bit too big to hold, with plenty of room for a growth spurt or two.

Dreams are meant to be bold.

For some reason, growing up seems to translate into growing out of big dreams. Youth seems well suited for energizing pie-in-the-sky thinking. Growing up usually means replacing big thinking with “being realistic” — a known killer of creativity.

Like Goldilocks looking for just the right fit, reaching out for your dreams means trying new things on for size so that you are constantly stretching your heart and head. Dreams don’t need to be limited by anything as mundane as geographic or financial constraints. They just need something simple to be nurtured — they need a “yes” from you instead of a “no”.

Saying “yes” to a dream means answering the call. Dreams are always calling, whispering of a new way, a creative possibility, a grand adventure. Dreams require many “yeses” and “I do’s” along the way. Just like any committed relationship, you don’t say “I do” once and walk away. Everyday actions either solidify that “yes” or break it apart.

Your dreams are worthy of that daily “yes,” aren’t they?

Tags: dreams, unwieldy, big, yes, stretching, heart

Hubby and I were in the mall the other day and came across an Apple store, so of course we had to go in and brave the crowds. I couldn’t believe how many people were there – mostly teenagers and young adults who were looking at the latest iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch or whatever (what’s with all this “i”, “i”, “i”, by the way?) for their coming school/university year.

Of course, Hubby was in seventh heaven – the Apple store for him is what a book store is for me. And since he’s spent more than enough time humoring me on our many visits to various book stores over the years, the least I could do was show some patience while he browsed and admired the latest offerings from Apple.

Within five minutes of entering the store, Hubby zoomed in on the iPad. Well, maybe not “zoomed in” – he had to wait his turn as there were at least half a dozen others waiting to try it out. When it was finally his turn, he started waxing poetic to me about its many amazing functions. Now, I’m a self-professed technophobe who only knows what I need to know (and even that’s dubious sometimes) – but I’ll admit that even I was impressed by this nifty little gadget…ummm, I mean “tablet computer”. The salesman sidled up to us and explained that the iPad is a “platform for audio and visual media such as books, periodicals, movies, music, and games, as well as web content”, which left me none the wiser until Hubby started demonstrating it to me.

He was so enthusiastic that he must have forgotten who he was talking to when he explained, with an excited gleam in his eye, that “you can even read newspapers, magazines and books online”! Well, all that comment did was earn him one of my “looks”. Read online indeed – he knows exactly how I feel about that (so many books so little time)!

After a while, when it looked like he was going to handcuff himself to the iPad, I decided to leave him in peace for about half an hour, convinced that that he would have purchased one by the time I returned.

To my surprise, he hadn’t. After going on ad nauseum about the incomparable benefits of the iPad, he then did a complete turn-around and decided to hold off until the next version is introduced, as it will probably have “even more apps to play with”!

Whatever. It makes no difference to me – until Apple comes up with a tablet computer that makes coffee, I’ll stick to my real books, thank you!

Tags: iPad, apple, tactile-feel-books, technophobe, technology-heaven, love bookstores

One night, after everyone else had gone to bed, my cousin Jo and I had a wonderful chat about yoga – the whole mind, spirit and body aspect of it and how it has helped both of us so much. “I make it a point to find time to practice my yoga every day”, she said, “because I know how beneficial it is for me”. Then came her big question: “How often do you practice”?

Ummmm…

“Not often enough because I’m always so busy” was my feeble response. Well, that set my cousin off. “Make time – I’m busy too but I make time for my yoga because it’s important” she said. “There’s no point dieting and exercising on your treadmill if you don’t practice your yoga as well.”

She’s right. I’ve been so busy making sure that I eat the right foods and get my exercise on the treadmill that yoga has fallen by the wayside. No wonder I’ve been feeling so out of sorts lately – I’ve been focusing only on my physical health and have neglected my mind and spirit.

My cousin’s suggestion was all the incentive I needed. The following morning, we woke early and practiced our yoga, loving every second of it.

They left a few days ago but I’ve been continuing my morning practice (miss sharing that special time with her). What a difference it’s made! So thanks, cuz, for nudging me in the right direction…

Tags: morning yoga, yoga practice, time for yoga, make time for yoga practice, exercising, dieting, benefit of yoga

It was my privilege to host Laura and eight other speakers in a preview event for the upcoming Virtual Yoga Conference. During her session, Laura introduced some of the postures and the theory behind the Moon Salutations.

Her full workshop, called “Moon Salutations: Awakening the Healing Wisdom of the Feminine”, will be held during YogaHub’s Virtual World Conference from February 8-12, 2011. The doors are now open. Go check it out.

Many people are familiar with the Sun Salutations—that active, invigorating series of postures most often done in the morning to awaken and enliven energy. But the Moon Salutations are quieter, more subtle. That particular flow is a tribute to the feminine energy in us all.

Each night, and during the day when it’s visible, I now notice the moon. It is constantly changing. To my eyes, it seems to come and go, although I know it’s always there. I trust that it’s there even when I can’t see it.

The moon is a good metaphor for the Divine. Sometimes I feel very connected to Source, comfortable and secure in our relationship. Other times I feel isolated and disconnected. That disconnection usually happens when I get too busy to even say hello to the Divine.

Like the moon, I just sometimes forget to look.

The moon (and the Divine) has a pull and an effect on our life, even if we don’t take the time to notice it.

What can you unequivocally trust to be there for you, even if you can’t see or feel it, or you forget it’s there? How does that trust affect your thoughts and actions?

May you know that the sun is always shining, even on rainy days. May you know that the moon is ever-present, even when it’s dark and silent. May you have a sense of presence that fills you every time you need filling up.

Tags: moon salutation, sun salutation, Laura Cornell, Virtual Yoga Conference, Awakening the Healing Wisdom

What happens to us when we get too comfortable in our situations? When there are no changes or shifts, or when we stop noticing them?

We become familiar, lazy – stagnant. In the flow on things, we begin to miss steps that we would usually do.

It’s like feeling so comfortable and complacent with the individual you are sharing your life with. We begin to take advantage and not notice what they do so well and how they contribute to our lives. Instead, we only notice all the things about them that irritate us.

I have noticed that, on a daily basis, we tend to do this with our work as well.

Our practices in life.

When we begin to notice changes or choose to make them, we are often met with procrastination – which is, of course, a manifestation of fear. Fear of making the shift.

For myself, I am all too familiar with changes. I get reminded of them every day. It’s difficult not to come to terms with constant changes when one has the responsibility of a child and of a company. Fear rears its head on a daily basis. It shows up in all forms. It’s very challenging to keep positive and productive while staying in balance with choices being made. Choices that I cannot blame someone else for if they don’t flow. And even though I attempt to learn from them, it is not always easy.

My yoga practice helps me focus in the same way as I would through an asana. My meditation practice, especially during my acupuncture treatments, has been very powerful in keeping me grounded yet open to changes and shifts. Combining Pranayama breath during the treatment helps me to connect with the internal shifts so that I can better understand the daily shifts that enter my life.

Tags: Changes in our lives, make choices in life, asana, yoga practice, daily yoga practice, meditation, acupuncture treatment

As I mentioned in my last blog, Hubby’s cousins from Portugal stayed with us recently – seven in all, which made for a full house (mild understatement)! Hubby hadn’t seen them for quite a few years and I’d never met them, so it was a matter of getting to know one another. They’re all lovely and we got along remarkably well right from the start (just as well, seeing they were staying with us for two weeks).

One morning, I was chatting with one of the cousins, Luiza, who mentioned that she’s a yoga practitioner and enthusiast. Well, that connected us both pretty quickly – and off we went on our own yoga journey.

It turned out she was missing her daily practice as well, so we decided that we would carve some time out in the morning to practice. We agreed to take advantage of the lovely weather by having our yoga sessions in the garden every morning.

So that’s what we did – we met in the garden every morning, unfurled our mats, and went through a restorative yoga routine. Neither of us put any pressure on the other – by the second day, we both seemed to be able to just flow into our practice. After our yoga, we would prepare our cappuccinos and have some breakfast out in the garden – bliss.

A few days later, we were joined by Luiza’s sister, Marianna, a willing “newbie” who, after some initial reluctance, took to yoga like a fish to water! And of course she joined in our post-yoga breakfast, which is when we got to learn more about each other and share memories of their growing up with Hubby, some of which were hysterical (and will be filed away for later use on Hubby)!

What a difference that morning yoga practice made for all of us! It helped Luiza and Marianna shake off the jet lag that had been plaguing them and gave me a renewed energy and enthusiasm. We all felt rejuvenated, energized and ready to go out and have fun!

My newly found friends have gone home now but we’re continuing to keep in touch. Hubby jokes that, considering they’re his cousins, I’m in contact with them more than he is but, thanks to yoga, I feel blessed to have been given yet another gift of two new friendships to cherish.

Tags: yoga connection, yoga in the morning, yoga in garden, yoga daily practice

I like the blank pages bound with a beautiful cover. It holds potential. It’s unencumbered with rules, responsibility and “shoulds.” It’s filled instead with “can-be’s.”

We all need a pathless place to explore—like a coloring book without lines, an empty book, a blank canvas, a walk through the uncharted woods.

Maybe the infamous mid-life crisis comes when we deprive ourselves of a space to just create. When we keep reaching outward for satisfaction – a fancy new car, a thrilling young relationship – we miss the creative inner spark that is the sustaining, interesting and intriguing juice of life. We ignore the capacity to be led from inner motivation versus outer expectations. It’s not easy to meet the blank page; it’s scary and at times cumbersome. But it’s infinitely more satisfying over time and is a consistent validation of who you are. The satisfaction lasts longer than the fleeing high of the shiny new thing used as a distraction.

If you looked at your day today, would you find space for a blank page? Is there room in your mind for creative expression without boundaries? What would you do with that space if found?

Tags: blank page, mid-life crisis, creative expression, my life

Did I listen? Of course not. I immediately started pushing myself – 20+ minutes on the treadmill to make up for the time I didn’t go because I was sick (I usually warm up with only 10 minutes so who knows what I was thinking). Then 15 reps of each exercise she’d given me, followed by another 15. I could feel myself getting tired but I continued to push on with some ball and weight exercises.

When I finally finished exercising, I did the mandatory stretching and cooling down. By this time, I was feeling exhausted but I convinced myself that it was just that my body was getting used to the exercise routine again. It was all good, right?

Wrong. The next morning I woke up and was aching all over –my legs felt like jelly, my head and neck hurt, and there was a black spot in my eye (the one with the glaucoma). Oh-oh…not good.

I decided the best thing for me to do was just lie low and relax. So that’s what I did – or rather, that’s what I tried to do. But work kept nagging at me, so I tried to do some of it on the computer. Unfortunately, I couldn’t do as much as I wanted to because of my eye strain, so I decided to stop and…what? I tried reading but with my eye bothering me, it wasn’t one of my better ideas. So I turned on the TV to watch some mindless TV program – and ended up falling asleep…TV has always had a soporific effect on me.

When I woke up, I realized that I’d slept for three hours, which immediately made me feel guilty. Then I decided to smarten up, let go of all that unhealthy guilt and just go with the flow. I was feeling so much better and it was obviously just what my body needed…a little rest and relaxation.

Lesson learned – the hard way (as is usual for me)!

Tags: routine exercise, relaxation, treadmill, weight exercises, stretching

I’m fine when I’m exercising – but the day after that? Those aches and pains…oh my. A couple of sessions ago, I told Paula I was convinced that one of the requirements of being a personal trainer is to have a bit of a sadistic personality. She just laughed and increased the weight on one of the machines, telling me that I wasn’t even breathless when I said that (serves me right, too)!

Seriously, though, I’m already starting to feel the benefits of my workouts. The first couple of times I exercised, I felt incredibly sleepy for the rest of the day and couldn’t sleep at night. Now that I’ve established a routine, however, the reverse has happened – I have all this boundless energy during the day and am sleeping like a baby at night, which is bliss because I can’t remember the last time I slept so well!

I intersperse two days of exercise a week with two days of yoga practice – and I’ve already noticed that my arms, legs and abs and less flabby (although it may just be wishful thinking). I never thought I’d say this but I’m actually enjoying myself!

Here’s the kicker, though. I’ve used up my sessions with Paula and am now going to be left on my own to exercise, using all the equipment and training she’s given me. I’m not worried about being able to stick to the routine – my concern is one of perseverance. I know myself well enough to realize that I can’t miss a session because, once that starts, I’ll miss another and another…just like my Neti Pot cleansing!

Last Thursday, when my mother went to her exercise class, I already thought about skipping my workout and going to the bookstore instead, but in the end I forced myself to go – and am really glad I did.

So here’s hoping I’ll have the mental toughness to continue. I guess it helps that Paula’s usually at the gym and says she’ll keep an eye out for me and call to give me grief if I don’t show up!

Tags: workout, routine exercise, training, daily yoga, breathless, gym