Pod Sisters and Paula's Wedding

Good morning! The weekend has begun! Three Pod Sisters arrived yesterday - Ann, Sara, and JacqueB are in the cottage and I'm enjoying the cabin for a change. I always feel like I'm on vacation when Pod Sisters arrive - especially if I move up to the cabin for the weekend. Haven't done this in a long time, and it's fun - get my writing done, which I would not if I were with them. Besides, they're all still asleep! ------ Tomorrow we're off to Carlisle, SC to see Paula and Jimmy get married. They were best friends when they were children and a year ago found each other again - yep, via the internet. We are all so excited and happy for both of them. I'm eager to meet Jimmy - from his photos he looks a bit like Bob - especially his beard. At any rate, today will be spent in spiritual pursuits - the four of us will do some meditation, check-ins and certainly a yoga session. We're also going to spend some time discussing a poem - yet to be chosen. Altogether, today and tomorrow will be a time of bonding that is rare - we are all so grateful to have found each other through the Claritas Interspiritual Mentor training program a few years ago. If you haven't yet found such a group - let me know and we'll start another one!

A Hidden Wholeness - Change

Hello! It's almost nine o'clock. I slept long and well. Woke to a lovely warm morning so I'm on the porch in my rocking chair watching the water move. Leaves are now floating on the Pond and taking rides on the tiny wave motions. A fish just jumped. I see one turtle head above the surface. The colors are beginning to be more dramatic - I must stop and take photos before the sunlight changes. ----- It changed from bright colors to dull ones in just that moment or two. So like life. Change. All around us and within us, change is constant. I guess that's an oxymoron! How can change be constant? Perhaps continual is a better word or is it continuous? I could never get those two words straight in my head. ---- Last evening's yoga class was delightful. I have graduated to doing more teaching and both I and they like this. At least, I do! ----- Today is a free one. Nothing scheduled except evening yoga. I will spend much of today contemplating my spiritual direction phone session with Joan yesterday. She always opens my heart and head to different ways of seeing. We talked about Parker Palmer's books and style of writing and messages. The past ten months of studying A Hidden Wholeness produced a closing of the gap of my two selves - learning to live an "undivided life." There is more work to do, and there always will be, but the door has opened and I like what I've seen.

CSA weekend and Yogatorium

Good morning! I'm home by the window again. It's overcast and may rain more and will be just fine. I need quiet time inside. The weekend at Center for Spiritual Awareness was very helpful. Good yoga sessions each morning at 7:00 with an Indian woman who taught me several new movements we can use in our sessions here. It's always so rewarding to me to attend yoga classes taught by someone else. I always learn new things that add to my enjoyment of my own practice as well as my teaching. If you're interested, go to csa-davis.org to learn more about the place. It's very near Tallulah Falls in the North Georgia mountains. -------- Seven students attended yoga session at the Yogatorium last evening. A wonderful community is forming. I feel so blessed to have this opportunity. My life is enriched beyond words by this association with these beautiful budding yoginis! The space was designed to accommodate 20 students, so come join us - there's lots of room left! Come early to enjoy legs-up-the-wall with us before class begins.

Fall Cleaning

I think I'm getting ready for winter. Began cleaning house yesterday with my bedroom. More like redecorating. I have a hooked rug Lil (Bob's mother) made for us many years ago while she was confined to home with emphysema and oxygen. She had a great sense of humor. My favorite words of hers are "The UFO man brought me a package yesterday." I still refer to him mentally that way. The rug has never had a proper home. The colors are all fall colors: brown, orange, yellow, off-white. I made needlepoint pillows years ago in the same colors and pattern. The last couple of days I painted one dresser deep chocolate brown and the other dusky orange. (Not Clemson bright!) Now the rug looks like it belongs. It has some company. ---- It's interesting how inspired I get to decorate - it's rare - usually I'm quite content with things just as they are - simple, off-white, with a bit of red here and there. But, I've lived here now four years, so it's time for some change. The Santa Fe bright colors inspired me this time. Besides, winter is coming and I'll be inside much more and need the brightness to light up my surroundings a bit.----- I'm spending this weekend at Lakemont in the North Georgia mountains at a Center for Spiritual Awareness - a new experience I'm looking forward to - yoga, meditation, and some inspirational talks as well as vegetarian food. I'll give you a report next week. Have a great weekend!

Writing and Painting and Sirsasana

Guess who!

First bright red maple leaves!

Good morning! What a nice day yesterday - finishing with a Netflix movie "Into the Silence." An intriguing movie - no dialogue and few subtitles - fantastic photography - the opportunity to watch monks as they go about their days. Certainly not for everyone, but I was very comfortable with it - probably because I had experienced Mepkin Abbey near Charleston - actually nearest Moncks Corner. During those silent retreats my day began at 3:30 (or was it 3:00?) in the morning in the chapel participating in all the worship activities throughout the day. A truly memorable experience.-------Today I'll continue my writing and perhaps try two sessions rather than only one. Learning to write is another intriguing experience. This time, I am fulfilling a request from Jim, but also one my sons and their families will enjoy one day, too. Maybe not until they are older, but one day. ---------- In between writes, I'll put the second coat of paint on my dresser covering the black and gold antiquing I put on it probably 50 years ago. It's a solid oak three-drawer dresser for which I paid $10 in Riverside, California, the first year Bob was a university faculty member. -------- I'll try to add a couple of photos, but image uploads can't be added until later, some kind of maintenance going on. I guess most folks aren't up until 7:00.

Brother and Sister

Jim is here. We have a wonderful venture together - producing a book. I am the writer and he is everyone else. So far we've done very well. He outlined the kind of book he thought we should produce and I totally ignored what he said! I wrote the kind of book I know how to write and now I will rewrite it. I won't throw away what I did, of course, but I will attempt to produce what he had in mind originally. The awesome thing about this experience is that we both admire each other and accept that each of us is smart, capable, and necessary if this project is to come to fruition, that is a published, marketed book. Respect for each other is absolutely essential for this to work. And, we have that. How exceedingly fortunate we are! So, stay tuned for further developments. And, if you have suggestions, please pass them on. Neither of us has any experience in producing a marketable book. We're learning as we go. Oh, the tentative title is "All By Myself." Probably I already told you that? That's me, I'm living all by myself now. And, loving it.

Take a Deep Breath

Sam took a deep breath.

I woke this morning at 2:00, got up at 3:00 and began my day. Strange, but sometimes I understand those who rise early regularly on purpose - like the monks at Mepkin Abbey - 3:00 in the morning is a lovely time. I will be looking out the window watching the light come. How reassuring it is to sit here and know that the light will come. -----My approach to Hatha Yoga now is to seek the light, the truth. The route is well defined and described in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras which are one pada (portion) of my current study. (Excuse me for inserting Sanskrit words in my writing, but I am working on adding some familiarity with these words and writing them is an assist.) Until this morning I thought pada had to do with the foot, and maybe it does? ----- Meanwhile, back at the ranch: What I am thinking of this morning is the overall yoga philosophical approach. In order to reach the truth, we learn to control (1) physical body (2) movement of the life force (breath), (3) then the senses (4) and finally the mind. In that order, more or less. There is some overlap. Here's an interesting observation: the breath and mind are interconnected, interdependent, related. Think about that. If we slow down the breath, we calm the mind. If the mind becomes agitated, the breath does too. Since breathing is a physical phenomenon, it is easier to work on controlling it and thereby the mind, rather than the other way round. Everyone knows this: "take a deep breath" means calm down, right? And, the mind does calm down when we take a deep breath. Of course, it may take several, not just one deep breath. Be grateful for your ability to breathe!

Potential of Stillness

Photo taken last fall, not this year.

At the window again - a bit cool on the porch. Mist is moving across the Pond again this morning. The sun is up and illuminating all the trees on the far side. There is an oak with a small patch of yellow and a few yellow leaves scattered among the green. Yesterday I noticed a hickory in the woods with bright yellow. Hickories, I think, are the best yellows. There is still mostly green in evidence, but dulling now. Leaves flutter to the ground when the wind blows, but no wind now. All is still. My favorite place - stillness. Only the mist is moving. The refrigerator motor is running - it's very old and very loud! And, the heat is on so its fan is also running. Even so, it is still and relatively quiet. And when the motors stop, the sudden quiet is beautiful. It's almost as if a gate or a door opens into a different place, a place of quiet and stillness. What do I find in there? It varies. Sometimes I don't even enter. Sometimes I get distracted and wait for the next sound. Occasionally, I venture into the quiet space and sometimes, rarely, it's true, I can stay for a while. Peace is what I find. What does it feel like? Still. Quiet. Emptiness - but with potential. Potential what? Just potential.

Meditation - Object Gazing

Meditation is on my mind this morning. For the past several weeks I've been concentrating on learning to sit on my mat with and without a cushion training my legs to relax and keep the knees lower than the hips. That has taken my attention. Now I'm ready to go back to the mental training. In the past, my most pleasant experiences involved gazing at a candle flame, my childhood photo, or a mandala. So, my practice now is using an object to gaze at while sitting. The interesting thing to me is the need for fine-tuning my meditation practice. Is this a life-long practice? I suspect so. I doubt seriously that I will perfect meditation, whatever that means. Certainly for now, I need much more training of both the body and the mind. And, I haven't even begun to get to the senses, but I will soon. ------- As most of you know, yoga has become my lifestudy for now. I almost wrote "lifestyle" but that would be a misnomer. At best, I am a student. Yes, I teach also, but the teaching itself is a tool for study. How fortunate I am to have discovered, rediscovered, my love of yoga physical practices and now, with excellent teachers, moving forward into the mind and philosophical work. ------ I am truly blessed to be in a position where I can do this. ------ This is a morning for gratitude! I'll insert a photo you might enjoy. If you click on it and enlarge you'll be able to read - the first part of St. Francis' Prayer - my favorite. Sara brought this for the center of the labyrinth - and there it remains!

Church social groups

Once again I've been negligent of blog writing. Today I feel much better. My energy level is rising! I finish the antibiotic today and it seems like good timing. So, I'm back to my old self. Last night's yoga class at the church was good. I did more teaching (only three students) individually and each one seemed to really enjoy the individual adjustments and suggestions. They are truly good, eager students. ------ Today is JOY group meeting and I'll enjoy being with the group. After that, I'll concentrate on getting ready for Jim's visit this weekend. ------ My essay writing this morning got pretty heavy - concerned with social groups connected with the church. I did a bit of soul-searching and came up with the notion that there is much for me to learn from the people in the group and I'm looking forward to being with them. I'm not eager to take on duties connected with groups any more. Somehow I'm more interested in my yoga, teaching, learning, studying, growing in truth understanding. I feel a bit uneasy NOT assuming some responsibilitywith groups, but that's the way it is for now. Perhaps that will change later. ----- I'll try to find appropriate photos soon - I know that makes the blog more interesting!

A Slow Day

So, it's Sunday morning. Yesterday was a slow one. Today will be another slow one. I'll skip church and do my spiritual work here. I think the mole removal has shifted my body resources toward healing that spot and leaves the rest of me tired. Drained of energy may describe the feeling more accurately. Truly it is marvelous watching the body take care of itself - in spite of what I may think or wish or hope for, it does its own thing expertly! The trick is to enjoy the process. So, I'm cooking my steel cut oats - takes about 30 minutes - and getting set for a lazy, laid-back day again. What is wonderful about this type of day is that contemplation is easy, natural. Going inward is easier. There are fewer distractions from just being. ------- I am trying a new spot for writing - at my table where I can watch for birds at the feeders. And, lo and behold they are returning! One is on the bluebird box and another at the sunflower seed feeder. Just two days ago I refilled the feeders after being gone for over a month. I'll be surprised if I don't see many birds within the next couple of days. Now I'll have to get out my bird books and relearn who they are - Oh, a red cardinal just showed up - don't have to look that one up! It's the tiny ones I have trouble with. The less colorful ones. What a joy to have my bird friends join me. You know they are ideal pets! No vet bills - no messes to clean up - take care of themselves when I'm gone - just ideal pets for a woman like me who travels as much as possible! One day I'll get another dog - but not yet. Too confining - and I'm enjoying my freedom! In so many ways.

Goodness! I just realized I hadn't written since Tuesday! Where did the week go? I have been neglectng my blog! I have a good excuse, though. I am writing 600 words each morning now toward the creation of a second book - I did this in Santa Fe and just couldn't stop. And, sometimes it takes a couple of hours to get that many words down. -------Anyhow, today is an absolutely beautiful sunshiny day! I love it! I'll get to spend several hours on the porch with my knitting. I'm working on a "blankie" for grandson Sam which is really fun - designing it as I go. The other project is hard fine cotton thread on tiny needles for a summer sweater for myself - probably be next summer before I finish it! ------- Yesterday I had a mole removed from my upper arm and now I've got a good excuse for sitting around doing nothing! I hate having to change the dressing twice a day and look at the stitches! But, by the time I've done it twice a day for a few days, I'll be OK with it.------- I'm inserting a couple of photos - one of the Pond I took yesterday and another of my newly reupholstered chair - bought the fabric in Santa Fe. I promise to do a better job of communicating daily! Hugs to each of you who share my space with me!

Renewing Friendships

Yesterday was a busy one - all kinds of little things that needed to be done and kept me in the road - to Greenwood and then to Ninety Six. Today will be another busy one, so I'm glad I woke early for my ritual beginning. This evening I get to restart my yoga classes at the church and I truly look forward to seeing everyone again. It's been a long month or more since we met. -----the Pond is lovely this morning - a mist floating from east to west away from the dam, no direct sunlight yet, just lighted sky, but the sun will soon peep through the trees. It's 46 degrees so I'm not on the porch. Seems like fall came on suddenly! And, that's OK. I'll get back onto the porch later today. ----- I checked the labyrinth yesterday and found four huge fire ant hills! So, I'll have to treat them. How I wish we could live with them, but we really can't safely walk the area with them residing there. So, we'll have to ask them to move. ------ Time for breakfast and a shower. This morning I'm off to Circle meeting. Haven't seen these women since May - so looking forward to renewing these acquaintances. One of the fun things about coming home after a long vacation - everything seems new!

An Introspective Look

This morning I finally feel like I'm home. I've spent a couple days in Atlanta, done a bit of work at the church, gotten into my yoga practice routine in the evenings, and now, finally, just this morning resumed my breath work and meditation upon arising. This final adjustment feels right. I began the morning work in Santa Fe and now realize how truly important it is to my wellbeing. This is something I've been trying to establish (twice a day yoga/meditation) for more than a year. Is there something like this in your head? What is it you know you need and want but just can't quite break loose? Why not indulge yourself today?

Art and Yoga

I'm back from Atlanta - great time with families. Fun stop last evening in Greenwood to see Deb Granquist's art displayed at Meridian. Will be there all month, so stop by. Her work is truly delightful. I like all of it! From yogini to railroad tracks! -----It's now time for yoga sessions at the Yogatorium and at ILC. Thought you might enjoy a photo or two of me in teacher training in Santa Fe. Surya Little taught me some exciting new ways to work on my back - and legs, and neck, and head, and arms, and WHOLE BODY! It's hard to believe, but I actually lost an inch from my waist in the month. ------ So, come on out and I'll help you work on some of the same poses. All of you can begin working on the shoulder stand, for sure. We'll wait for the head stand - although, even though I hadn't done but one - during training in Asheville - I now am doing them daily - against a wall, but soon free standing! Just watch! Sorry I don't have a photo yet.------Have a great day!