Namaste Yogis and Yoginis,

Welcome to Yogalicious 41!

This city girl has been savoring the autumn brilliance. In October I led a weekend Yoga Retreat in the colorful foliage of the Berkshire Mountains. Then I went to the beautiful Omega campus upstate and participated (as a student) in week-long retreat with John Friend, Krishna Das, and Sharon Salzberg. I assure you that days filled with yoga, meditation, and wholesome food surrounded by nature’s incredible gifts can inspire the most heartfelt gratitude in any one. But how do we connect to this deep appreciation during the hustle of daily living? This Newsletter is filled with inspirations for taping into your well of thankfulness each moment of your day.

With gratitude,
Jillian
www.yogajillian.com

"Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful."— Buddha

"You can complain because roses have thorns, or you can rejoice because thorns have roses." – Ziggy.
My son William is now 15 months! Just after his initial 8 plus months of industrial strength colicky crying, we discovered that he is highly allergic to wheat and gluten (as well eggs and seafood). After a trip to the emergency room, followed by allergy testing, I began the journey of researching gluten. Gluten is the protein component in Wheat, Rye, and Barley. It’s in all products that contain these grains and it’s extracted and used as a binding agent in an endless list of foods and products like malt, soy sauce, spices, flavorings, MSG, Carmel color, beverages, toothpaste, cereals, ice cream, vitamins, medicines, stickers and envelopes, and body lotions. And, this list is just the beginning. The meticulous awareness needed to create a diet and life style for William was totally daunting. (Plus since he is breastfeed, I need to follow the same my diet). Dreadfully, I began to fantasize about our challenging future: other toddlers innocently offering him cheerio’s; researching restaurants foods and cooking procedures (his food can’t even touch surfaces that have wheat or gluten crumbs); birthday parties; having to pack our own food when traveling; no pizza, etc… And there I was, somewhere in the middle of thinking that no pizza or birthday cake was a tragedy when something clicked. I just woke up and began to realize how lucky we were. My son is healthy! We don’t have to go through years of trying to figure out his condition. And I’ve learned so much about the quality foods, my whole family is going to benefit from a healthier diet and life style. In actuality, I am graced with this opportunity and, more than ever, I am grateful for the food we can eat! Wow, these thorns do have beautiful roses!  back to top

For my Berkshire Retreat, I asked students to bring photos of loved ones, religious relics, or objects that inspired them to feel their deepest sense of gratitude. Then they drew pictures of the sun and within the center of the sun wrote a personal mantra (word) that inspired their gratitude to flow and shine outward. Using these objects, they each created an altar at the head of their mat. Through our practice, the room radiated with warmth and joy as each student was continuously reminded of their deepest gratitude. Try making an altar at the head of your mat. If you go to group classes, bring a photo with you, a piece of jewelry, or a special leaf, flower or stone. Or for a daily reminder, create an altar in your home – a perfect space is by your bedside, in an area you spend quiet time, or even in a corner where you get dressed in the morning.    back to top

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow." ~ Melody Beattie  back to top