mmmmm, coffee filters...stamps and water colors...will be filling me up in the coming weeks.
In yoga class,
what color do you envision at your heart center
it engulfed me...the color of Monarchs, Mangos and Marigolds
Mango light in the studio keeping me warm in this frigid arctic cold front.
Ghost Ranch...
art...
yoga...
and meditation retreat.
How is a retreat different than classes or workshops? I may not have fully grasped what I was part of in the year of planning this event...
a retreat is a practice, is it wholly encompassing, it is a container of space, people and experience. I liken the down time built into the retreat schedule as shavasana to the yoga practice. A time to assimilate the experience, to let it build and bloom.
I experienced a retreat....
I will share with you a few moments that stood out for me...
gathering elements to add to our altar after a hike in the amazing landscape
the energy created when we were gathered to make art
a storm building reflected in the windows of our artwork...this storm brought diamond like raindrops that made the landscape glisten.
women...many of whom I knew...
a few new friends made
lessons learned of attachment, of letting go...tearing up, sharing a piece of our artwork with the group
talented women savoring the place
my mom...
the EVER CHANGING LIGHT...
of sunrises, sunsets and every moment
the dance of the flames...
and all the women who joined us on this maiden voyage...
The full Harvest Moon pours into my bedroom window, it coincides with the autumnal equinox in the northern hemisphere...
Fall is here....
daylight hours balanced with night time hours...
in addition to the fall harvest moon, Jupiter is very close to earth and appears as the brightest light in the sky, it will not be this close to earth again until 2022.
This fall time is a time for grounding, balancing and celebrations, the farmers markets are full, the Chinese celebrate the Moon Festival, it is the start of Sukkot...giving thanks for the fall harvest. We talked in yoga about this balancing effect, eggs that balance on their ends...day and night in balance... do we feel more balanced?
I will marvel at the moon light, practice my balance postures and visit the farmers market, I'd love to hear how will you celebrate this fall harvest time and celestial event...
Saturday yoga to start the long holiday weekend...how to find a place of rest, of quiet, of breathe while in a particularly challenging asana. How too to find this place of rest while living in this world and our own hectic lives...perhaps a new perspective, like this photograph that Mr R took of my reflection in a Botanic Garden pond.
I started my Sunday with a bike ride with the girls that went from quite cool, to intensely humid and hot to gale force winds within in a couple hours time.
Off next to Denver and a most wonderful dim sum restaurant in one of Denver's Asian neighborhoods. This is a peek in the To Go Door...we went in the Eat In Door and were immediately met with carts of every conceivable type of bun and dumpling. Not always sure what we had placed in front of us but game to try it all...and not a single disappointment.
Another visit to see Moore at the Gardens...reflective scenes of textured lily pads
that resemble outer space views....
tray like lily pads...can't you just picture a frog prince floating by?
Moore viewed in the ever changing landscape of the Botanic Gardens...
and Mr R capturing some of the creatures that this landscape attracts.
Saturday yoga...diving slowly and deeply
within
to open, to allow breath to free the stuck
restorative yoga, feeling fully supported
allows the heart to expand
the more support the more freedom to breathe and to heal
please send support and healing thoughts here
I needed a gentle reminder from my yoga teacher today...enjoy winter's invitation...to slow down,
to settle in the cozy nest of home...immerse yourself into this quiet contemplative time
and listen to the seeds you'd like to plant in 2010
my journal pages search for spring....but my heart knows I have a wait
and that it will be joyous when it finally arrives...
Cultivating balance in yoga and in life....balance of mind, body, spirit
one spills over to the other...
One breath at a time
I am excited to announce a retreat of Art, Yoga and Meditation at Ghost Ranch near Santa Fe in New Mexico with Katharine Kaufman and me.
Join us for 4 days of exploration of how contemplative lineage based practices like Yoga and meditation touch contemplative arts. How that touch ripens our intuition and shifts our concepts of our selfs and others and sparks deep and real intelligence. The retreat is not until late September 2010 but registration is this month.
Click the Ghost Ranch button on the left hand side bar for all the information...or click HERE.
Saturday yoga arrives along with soft rain, feeling fall like, color still saturating the Mango Studio. Embracing Samatha, breathing to calm and focus the mind and Vipassana, clear heart wisdom.
In addition to the protective elements of the hamesh/hamsa hand the yogic philosophy of the hand mudra represent the 5 elements....
water, wood, earth, fire and chi....all represented in this piece
The hand conveys powerful intent and thought...secret languages, symbols, gestures...
open hand, open heart
