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O G A L I C I O U S #36
— April
2004
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Namaste Yogis and Yoginis, Spring is a time of change and transformation.
It’s also my favorite season in Hoboken! If you visit Hoboken
in May, you must walk down 10th street between Garden and Park avenues.
Each side of the road is lined with magnificent cherry blossoms
forming a soft pink canopy. When the sun flows through these flowers
a rosy glow transforms the street. It’s a pure joy to stroll
down this spring wonder lane. |
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IN THIS ISSUE ——
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| WORDS OF WISDOM |
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Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. — George Carlin |
| WILLIAM 101 |
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"Life is transition, movement, and growth. However solid things may appear on the surface, everything in life is changing, without exception." My son William is now 8 months. For the first 4.5 months he cried about 75% of his waking (and sleeping) life. The crying wasn’t only painful for him, but terribly painful for my husband and I since we could not do anything to alleviate his discomfort. I must add, it was also quite testing to be around relentless crying. But as yoga and meditation teach us, things are changing at every moment. If we are present and fluid in the moment, we don’t get ‘stuck’ in the fear or anticipation. The more I practiced paying attention to my breath during the hard times, the easier it was to relax with the situation, to be present to comfort William, and to have faith that things will get better. Well his crying slowly began to drop to 60%, than 50, than 40. I think we are down to 10% now! Yes! (although, my husband says it’s more like 13.5%) back to top |
| FLOWING WITH CHANGE IN ASANA |
| We often get stuck in our idea of what an asana should LOOK like or even FEEL like. Many of us are used to practicing with the goal of trying to control our breath and body, like a sailor who sits in a rowboat and thinks that he is moving the ocean beneath with his paddle. Instead, think of the way a good sailor learns to understand the tide and navigate using the energy of the water rather than control it. When we approach our asana this way, we learn to practice not to gain "control" over our breath or body but to enter into deeper levels of awareness and participation with it. One way I've been playing with this, is with the vinyasa flow of Cat Cow pose with the emphasis be on loosing the "knowning-ness" of how long or deep a breath might be. Instead, listen openly to how the breath actually is. Study each breath. Wait for the inhale to guide you into to cow, arching you back, opening your heart and gazing up. Allow each exhale to lead you into cat, rounding your back to the sky. Take your time. If you happen to find a pause at the top or bottom of a breath, allow the stillness of the pause to guide you deeper into the shape you are making at that time. Feel more in that moment; it's not just a "stopping point". Receptively move your body on the waves of your breath, the way a wise sailor flows with the tide. back to top |
| RENEWAL |
| "In our every deliberation we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations." -- From The Great Law of the Iriqouis Confederacy |
| EARTH DAY – April 22 |
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We are often daunted with
feeling like there is nothing we can do to help protect and ‘clean
up’ the earth. It seems as if things are already so out of
control, that one person can’t really make a difference. But,
even modest efforts can help minimize our impact on nature's cycles.
We can make simple choices everyday regarding the food we eat, how
much water and energy we consume, how we dispose of our waste and
old items, the types of cleaning products we use, or even the kind
of car (and how often) we drive. It seems overwhelming, but even
changing one habit for this month can make an impact. My new habit
for the month is simply ensuring that all unneeded lights and house
hold electronics are turned off and not used thoughtlessly. Below
are great sites with EASY ways to help make the earth healthier,
and ultimately our selves and generations to come: |
| NON-TOXIC TIMES |
| Subscribe for ideas, news and resources for a clean home, a healthy family, and a safer world. http://www.seventhgeneration.com/page.asp?id=1111 back to top |
| WHERE IS YOUR OLD CELL PHONE? |
| For tips on recycling your old cell phones, computers and electronic equipment http://www.earth911.org/ back to top |
| FORGIVENESS |
| "Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heal that has crushed it." -- Mark Twain back to top |
| PARADISE |
| I just got home from an amazing trip to Mexico where I taught a week-long Spring Cleaning Yoga Retreat. It’s an honor work with the same people for seven days and witnesses their transformation. I am already eager for next year’s retreat - March 19-25, 2005! One my students (who is also a yoga instructor) Donna Miskell shares her recount of the trip: "As I was searching the Internet for yoga sites, I just happened to come across Jillian's web site and read about her yoga retreat in Isla Murjeres, Mexico. Not having her as an instructor or knowing anything about her, I decided to take the leap of faith and go on the retreat. It was everything that I was looking for. I've been on a retreats to Cabo, MX and also the Yoga Journal cruise in 2003. Jillian's personality, youthfulness, and expertise was in every class - from the slow flow intense morning sessions to the restorative, meditation sessions in the evenings. We ended the week with a walking meditation to the beach sitting in meditation watching the sun set. It was very heart-touching and spiritually uplifting. NaBalam is truly a wonderful place to do yoga - in a real tree house -- you hear the ocean waves, feel the tropical breezes and are occasionally visited by an iguana. It was definitely "Yoga in Paradise". Thank you Jillian for sharing your family, time, and expertise. You are a wonderful teacher. I hope to come back next year and bring one of my students." back to top |
| Lastly, date
your calendar’s for my next retreat – A Fall Foliage Weekend
Yoga Retreat in the Mountains! Oct 1-3 As always, thank you for joining me here. Please feel free to send me any feedback or contributions you may have to offer, I love hearing from you. If you enjoyed this issue, send it along to a friend or sign them up for Yogalicious. OM Shanti, Jillian |