Reconnection

/
Reconnection

You are loved by a God that is as close as your breath.

These words were hanging from the ceiling of a class I attended. They had nothing to do with the class. They were just part of the room in which it was held.

The class took place at night, a couple hours after work. I had already decided to stay home and had changed into my evening get-up, a funny striped long tee with a half sweater overtop and grandma peds on my feet. It is the outfit no one sees me in but in which I am most comfy.

For whatever reason, soon after I changed my mind and my get-up and left the house.

I arrived at class, sat down and looked up.

Each word was written on a card and hung from a string across the ceiling. The first word, You, was missing, and the cards were not aligned. They zigzagged, and it was difficult to decipher. Throughout the class, I kept looking up, trying to line up the words.

Before the evening's end, I had it.

Read More

Neil Young

/
Neil Young

Neil Young spoke to me the other day.

Not directly and not exactly, but I did hear him!

It was an unusual day which allowed for midday yoga, a rarity and a treat.

Earlier that day, I caught an interview on television with singer/songwriter Neil Young.

I had forgotten all about him and how much I love his voice!

I made a mental note to download some of his songs.

The interviewer asked Neil Young about his life. Were his songs autobiographical?

The singer hemmed and hawed, explaining that the songs came from inside, so inherent in each was indeed some truth. And, he admitted, not all his songs were so rosy.

The interviewer pressed further but received a cryptic answer.

It’s not all great, Neil Young said, but I’m sure glad to be here while it’s happening.

Read More

Motivation

/
Motivation

I have given my daughter an assignment.

And that is to send me photos of Buddhas from her travels in and around New York City.

I figure I need them for my blog, and they have become an item of interest for me, anyway.

Hopefully, just knowing they are on their way will help motivate me to write.

My daughter understands this, as she happens to be a yogi, too, and so I have gotten pictures like this from her in the past.

But, like with all of us, sometimes, it is just hard to get up and go; to actually start the day.

It might be raining. It might be too hot. There might be hiccups like not enough sleep, too many customer orders, or some daunting tasks.

Or, there could be just too much humidity like the other day when I received a photo of my daughter, a mass of curls atop her head with a text that simply said, Help!

Read More

Religion

/
Religion

I grew up in a fairly observant household.

My father’s grandfather was from Russia, and his parents raised him in an Orthodox Jewish home. There were strict rules on the Sabbath.

No driving, no work, no writing, no telephone.

And the men and women sat separately in synagogue.

But, my father was a bit of a rebel in his younger years regarding religion and its related rules.

As a child, the day he broke his wrist, my father was supposed to be sitting safely in Hebrew school and not falling out of a cherry tree where he had chosen to sit, instead.

Read More

Standing Tall

/
Standing Tall

Standing on your hands in class does not make you a better yogi; instead, standing on your feet in the chaos of the street is what makes you better.

These were the words of the New York City yoga instructor one summer morning when my daughter finally, triumphantly, nailed a Handstand.

Surroundings can impact us.

Read More

Arrivals and Departures

/
Arrivals and Departures

Leave your mind and arrive in your body.

These were the words of the yoga instructor that opened the class on a snowy Saturday afternoon.

It was the end of October, and the snow was unexpected.

For some reason, snow and, especially, rain, make me want to step outside and go somewhere.

This snow was mixed with a bit of rain which prompted my venture out of the house.

Read More