Today marks the first day of the new year on the Gregorgian calendar. But it doesn’t mark a significant new beginning or change for me. Yes, I welcome and celebrate the advent of 2012, yet I’m not done with 2011. 2011 offered three hundred and sixty five days of life. Every day I was given the gifts of breath, choice, love and light. Through my participation in receiving these gifts, I’m yoked to the consequences of being connected and engaged to their continous resonance. This is my thanks, my seva. This is the yoga of living for me.
Thank You 2011, Welcome 2012!
January 1, 2012
New Running Shoes for My Journey into Fitness
June 26, 2011
New running shoes for my new journey! I woke up this morning excited to go for my first full run in my new shoes! The weather was lovely and I was excited but not feeling as charged as yesterday. I ran with a tension headache and some fleeting nausea. I felt tight and heavy in places, but my spirit was light and my will strong.
Getting new running shoes yesterday was fun! I enjoyed running in different shoes to find the right fit and feel. And I appreciate the professional guidance of fellow runners at the Princeton Running Company to help me find a good, comfy fit!
These shoes are made by Brooks. And I’m delighted that the soles are biodegradable. I will admit, at first sight, I didn’t like the black and turquoise. Yet, I loved how they felt on my feet standing, walking and running. And I was pleasantly surprised by how good they looked on my feet! Two women I met at the store run in these shoes. And one of the women ran the San Francisco marathon in this model shoe.
Today’s running data
Total time running and cool-down walk: 48 minutes
Time in target heart zone: 34 minutes (30 minutes of running, 4 minutes walking)
Thanks for sharing my joyous journey with me!
Love,
Anna
A Vision in Action: I am a runner
June 25, 2011
Sitting in my cozy wing chair in the solarium, I am surrounded by windows, birdsong and plants. Depending on the sky, sunshine, shadows and rainbows dance around the room. I gaze at crystals, glass ornaments and flowers in bloom. Sometimes I catch a glimpse of woman or man running down my street. I often envision myself calling out to them and asking if I can join them for a run. Today the vision is in action.
Last Sunday in memory of Dad for Father’s Day, Colin and I ran the “Run for Dad” 5K at Mercer County Park in West Windsor, New Jersey. Fundraising proceeds benefit prostate cancer research. Dad died of a rare cancer called G.I.S.T. ~ gastrointestinal stromal tumor. We are delighted to support a worthy cause that benefits health and illuminates awareness.
Running the race was fun and exhilarating! We felt good doing it and felt super having done it! Now we are aiming to run at least four more 5K fundraising races before September.
This morning’s run felt natural and rewarding! I woke up with a stimulating bout of creative anxiety and asked Colin to join me on a healing run. My original goal was to run nonstop for thirty minutes in my target heart zone. We ran for an hour! I felt so good and was enjoying my surroundings that time didn’t matter. The atmosphere was lovely and the scenery fascinating! We saw favorite wildflowers, fledgling birds, friendly fellow runners and bunnies along the country roads & through the park. I caught my runner’s high and felt exhilarated by the refreshing air and warm sunshine on my skin.
I’m excited that today we go to Princeton Running Company for me to get fitted into the proper running shoe.
Perfect timing! As I write this at my dining room table, I look out into the solarium and see through the front windows, two neighborhood runners jogging in opposite directions down the street!
Please join me as I write about my running and fitness adventures!
Today’s run as per my Polar heart monitor:
Total time: 1 hour 11 minutes
In target heart zone: 55 minutes
Thanks for sharing my journey!
Brightest blessings, love & joy,
Anna
Running Down a Dream
June 22, 2011
I love the direction my life has taken with running. I just woke up intensely fired-up with creative ideas & energy. Rather than letting the feelings paralyze me, I’m nurturing them into fruition with a morning run. Birthing my dreams into being through movement like running has freed up & redirected a lot of misplaced energy. ♥ Running is an anti-anxiety elixir! ♥
Belly Medicine
June 11, 2011
Belly dancing is teaching me new ways to relate to my core.
Sharing the Love
May 1, 2011
Yesterday a woman in New Hope gave me three peacock feathers as I passed by. We crossed the bridge into Lambertville to enjoy the festivities at Shad Fest. I made two new friends, rekindled an old friendship & saw a friend. Two young girls merrily complimented the feathers so I gave them each one. <3 Hmmm… that's five new friends!
What will I give away today? I love it when the answer finds me! <3
How will you share love today?
Love lights the way. I view the world through the lens of love. <3
Every Day is Earth Day!
April 28, 2011
In celebration of Earth Day, I am blogging once a week to share my creative ideas & insights on a fun way to recycle: upcycling.
What is upcycling? Upcycling gives items new life transforming them into useful objects. Things you may consider garbage can be refashioned & given new purpose.
What am I gonna do with all these pretty brightly colored plastic Easter eggs? Here are 10 possibilities:
1. Store vitamins/supplements inside. Secure with a rubber band. I like the thick purple rubber bands that tag our organic broccoli.
2. Carry a hardboiled egg inside. Take the shell off the egg & insert. This doesn’t work with all eggs; a good fit depends on the size of the egg & the plastic case. It’s a fun way to brighten up your lunch box!
3. Bathtub toy. Fill with Epsom salts, sea salt, herbs & oils. Give a few away at a time with instructions to add the contents of two or three eggs to bath water. When empty, it makes a playful toy floating on the water. Maybe you can put a tealight candle inside the wide bottom half & let it float?
4. Cat toy. Put a marble inside, snap close & roll!
5. Make a deviled-egg platter. Take the plastic eggs apart. Arrange the halves on a platter or dish. Play with different patterns, height & color combinations. Glue egg halves to the platter. Let dry. Cut hardboiled eggs across the middle, not up & down. Prepare & serve in the egg halves.
6. Arrange to make a paint palette. Follow the directions for making a deviled-egg platter. Add paint to the egg halves rather than deviled-eggs.
7. Add a string of lights. Drill a hole the bottom half of a plastic egg large enough to insert a mini light. Add a touch of glue inside the base of the egg to seal around where the light sits. Snap the egg shut. LED lights make the eggs glow brighter than standard bulbs. Variation: Using a hot nail (hold the tip of a nail over a candle flame), poke a pattern of holes into the larger half of the egg so light shines through.
8. Seed germinator. Follow the directions for making a deviled-egg platter. Fill the egg halves with soil, seed & water. Place in the sun. Let it grow!
9. Wind chimes. Use a hot nail to poke a hole in the top half of the egg. Thread through fishing line or string. Tie a bell to the end of the string. Let the string & bell dangle inside the egg. You want the bell to sway & hit the bottom edge of the egg. Add a drop of glue inside the egg on the hole to fasten the string. Leave the string long at the top of the egg so you can tie it to a stick. Play with arranging the eggs along a stick. Leave the bottom halves off to hear the bells ring, or experiment with the sound & close the egg.
10. Gift boxes. Use to give a ring, earrings or other jewelry. Give away flower seeds. Fill with power snacks: nuts, seeds & raisins.
Enjoy using your imagination!
#reverb10: Reflecting Beauty Differently
December 8, 2010
December 8 – Community Prompt: Beautifully different. Think about what makes you different and what you do that lights people up. Reflect on all the things that make you different – you’ll find they’re what make you beautiful. Author: Karen Walrond
Being mirrors for each other, let my friends & family answer:
“What makes Anna different & what does she do that lights you up?”
My friends say…
Anna – you seem like a faerie woman out of time; you are a hippie chick but it doesn’t seem like an affectation or attempt to recreate the past – you are genuine and real and totally comfortable in your skin. You seem to find joy and wonder wherever you are, and see beauty all around you, even in the smallest things.
You are kind and wonderful and loving and unique! I love the quirky way you dress and how you see the world. I love how you love nature. In other words you are just amazing! ♥
You are who you are and that is a wonderful person. You never are out of joy and happiness. The smallest things in life you find and take a picture of it. The Earth is your playground and you never stop playing.
Anna, there is an intense warmth and openness to you, and a fearlessness in being so open. You always seem hopeful even when life is hard. You have a very grounded, but radiant joy.
My husband says…
You have a generous and creative spirit… funky, colorful, and illuminating in a true and authentic way. Your self-expression is organic and unpretentious. You have a profound spirituality without self-consciousness that bubbles and shines out naturally. Your strength and honesty are refreshing. You inspire me to grow into my higher self.
Thank you friends & Colin!
Love,
Anna
xoxo
#reverb10: Co~creating Community
December 7, 2010
December 7 – Community Prompt: Community. Where have you discovered community, online or otherwise, in 2010? What community would you like to join, create or more deeply connect with in 2011? Author: Cali Harris
Wherever I am, wherever I go, I have discovered community. I’ve been discovering community in every day angels; in the people I meet along the way. Just as I feel that wherever I am is sacred ground, I also feel that wherever I stand, I am home. Being a part of it All and grounding in Divinity, I know there is no separate Anna. Letting go and yielding, I adapt and find community in the sphere surrounding me.
Feeling this connection, it’s easy for me to love & feel loved. It’s natural for me to smile & offer a kind word to folks around me. Sometimes I pray & bless others. Other times when I’m feeling off-center, I find reaching out recenters me in new levels of grace & understanding. My community is wherever I am. My community – no matter how new or alien – is a part of my sphere. My responsibility is to relax & merge with it. Being accepting & open on the outside helps me find balance when I’m feeling conflicted & murky on the inside.
Reflecting on Community in 2010…
When we camped out with Dad in hospice & lived in Pennsylvania for 4 weeks in August 2010 everywhere I went felt supportive & like home. We found nurturing & nourishing community every step of the way! My husband, Colin, and I gave thanks throughout the day for the miracles & every day angels that graced our paths. I remember the profound loving-kindness & support we were offered each day. The world seemed to sparkle & radiate during this journey. As I walked Dad Home, we both experienced an initiation into new communities. I feel grateful & blessed that we shared this experience.
Home & family are my core community. I am utterly blessed for my harmonious, loving & inspiring tribe! The abundance & joy we share is divine!
My students & school family are a source of profound & fulfilling joy! My home away from home… I am blessed to be a part of this community!
~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~
Manifesting community for 2011…
through Yoga.
Wherever, whenever…
I’m going to be ever present in the Yoga studios,
On the mat, off the mat… I am Yogini.
My word for 2011 is Yoga; so it is my community.
As the limbs of my Yoga tree grow, I notice which limbs need pruning, sun, room to stretch, shade…
I rededicate myself, my time, my resources… to Yoga!
Giving to Yoga means giving to All.
When I reach out & practice with others, teach others, learn from others…
all the worlds, spheres and spiritual communities I travel will converge & blend into a new entity through my daily Yoga practice.
Let the gestation, the manifestation…the celebration begin!
I will practice Yoga with different teachers.
I will teach Yoga.
I will share Yoga via my blog, “Seasons of Yoga”.
I will write, sing, paint, sculpt, doodle…be Yoga!
I will create Yoga works of art through sculpting my spirit, body & service to others!
Brightest blessings!
Love,
Anna
xoxo
