grateful for:

sunstreaming mornings / my fast as lightning scooter / a little extra time with my boy / yooooga/ my kick ass job & coworkers / spring / the little bundle of joy headed my way - artichoke (arty)




a·bun·dance /əˈbʌndəns/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[uh-buhn-duhns]

1.	an extremely plentiful or oversufficient quantity or supply: an abundance of grain.

2.	overflowing fullness: abundance of the heart.

3.	affluence; wealth: the enjoyment of abundance.

4.	Physics, Chemistry. the number of atoms of one isotope of an element divided by the total number of atoms in a mixture of the isotopes.

shifts.

change isn't always comfortable. even when it's right. and even when it's ohsogood. sometimes it's like squeezing out of very tight jeans and into a pair of yoga pants, but sometimes it's putting those jeans back on again. just for second. because you forgot you could wear your yoga pants. it takes some getting used to. some movement. some shifting of weight. and at times a little of this:

rules to live by.

i have a choice

from dancing mermaid:

"every morning i have a choice.

i can live in a run down beach hut
with chipping paint and tiny closets

or i can live in an enchanted cottage by the sea,
with the waves at my doorstep and soft sand
in between my toes.

i can worry about money
and think about the worst case scenarios

or i can wake up and create,
and believe that abundance is easy
and within reach.

i can get mad
at unpleasant things i don’t think i deserve

or i can trust that this is part of the process,
and manifest new things that better serve my needs.

i can look at my modest studio space
and scold myself for not doing enough

or i can let loose with some bright, thick happy paint,
my ipod, no shoes and a really kick ass bagel
and get on with it.

i can be jealous of those
who are seeing new places

or i can look outside at my own paradise,
be present, and know everyone has their time.

i can be catty
or i can be compassionate.

i can hold on really tight
or i can do a cartwheel in the grass.

i can bitch
or i can smell the jasmine growing
up and down the street.

i have been called a dreamer,
spacey, and not in “reality.”

i have been mocked for
believing in magic and good.

but you know,
the alternative is not so appealing
to me anymore.
this is my reality.
and i like it.

so there."

now my monday is my sunday.

so today is my first day where i would've been at work but now i'm, well, not.

it's sunny and fifty degrees. bright blue skies. perfect walking-around-with-a-latte and soon to be cruising-on-the scooter weather.

i've made a list of things i want to do with my newly acquired free time: buy some beads, go to a museum, write letters, hit up tons of yoga classes.

ahhhhh.

change

i haven't written much as of late. i'd say it's because i'm too busy, but i think it's also a bit of self-preservation. so much change is occuring in my life right now. a friend told me that if i followed my heart, the universe would conspire to make this happen for me, and since i've made the leap i feel as though one thousand little blessings have occurred.


don't ask what the world needs. ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. because what the world needs is people who have come alive.
howard thurman

from yoga jillian:

Up Your Joy
1. Today, take 15 minutes to do something you enjoy. William recommends: “Do art, paint and color. Listen to music. Dance. Catch butterflies. Pick flowers. Walk outside. Take a bath. Have a play date.”
2. Tell someone how much you appreciate them. Pick up the phone, write a letter, or even send an email now. The sharing and receiving of kinds words is an amazing stress reducer and heart opener.
3. Smile. That’s it. Just smile. Try it for a few minutes. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.
4. Spring Clean in any moment you become aware that you can get rid of something that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful. Donate it or recycle when ever possible. Be Ruthless and release it.
5. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about. Envy is a waste of energy and time. You already have all you need. Smile and have a moment of gratitude for all you have in your life.
6. Take three deep breaths. Then visualize some one, some place, or some activity you love!
7. Add Brightness. Wear more color on your body. Incorporate more color into your diet such as oranges, beets, avocados, asparagus, baby greens, lemons, and limes. Get up and see the sun rise! Position your mat to face the rising sun during yoga or meditation.

from my friend lindsay's blog:

"when spring came, even the false spring, there were no problems except where to be happiest." hemingway / a moveable feast

rasa

though i'm usually writing about my life, or at least my emotional life, i've gotten away from writing about yoga on my blog and in order to deepen my own practice i think i should start exploring the philosophy of yoga and what it means in my life.

i took a class at flow yoga on thursday night that focused on spring and how spring brings more "rasa" into our life. rasa is literally translated as "juice, essence, taste, plasma, or transformational state" and is pretty much the nourishing juice or energy that fills us with life. so when spring rolls in we feel a burst of energy - the days are longer (but this time in a good way..), we feel lighter and more playful and even more hopeful. to increase the rasa within us, we need an energetic yoga practice. in my class our teacher had us incorporate 108 chaturangas into our vinyasas that were full of energizing poses - triangle, chair, twists.

"in order for the rasa state to arise, we must first become aware of our bhava, or 'true feeling state,' which is thought of as the soil of rasa," writes shiva rea. "without being true to our feeling state, it's easy to feel as if we're going through the motions of life. a lack of connection is all too common in this fast-paced world; we sometimes find ourselves eating without tasting our food, listening without being truly present, and doing yoga without experiencing the feelings that arise in us."

and even if you aren't doing yoga there are plenty of other ways to tap into this energy - taking a logn walk to work, going for a run, eating lots of fruits and vegetables.

"existence without juice is dry and tasteless. rasa is life's fluid reality, life's juice, in every sense of the word."
robert svoboda

scootin' in the springtime.

tonight the only thing i have to do is go to yoga and ride my scooter. i d e a l. i'm pretty exhausted. i'm working two jobs until the middle of april, plus teaching yoga, working on a little freelance, and trying to spend some time with my boyfriend who i LIVE with. (you'd think it would be a litter easier to see eachother once you're under the same roof.) but all of the things i'm doing are things that i absolutely love (except maybe the job i'm leaving) so it's pretty painless. just a bit tiring.

today during lunch my friends christina and stefan and i went for a scooter ride down 16th street to check out the movie brad pitt is filming. there was a full blown marching band performing on the front steps of the freemason's building and about 30 policemen on bikes. one of them said pretty loudly, "there are a lot of violations going on on those scooters.." (like stefan's lack of a helmet, my missing mirror, my flashing hazard lights..) yep, probably time to scoot away from that group. so we took off down 17th street and back to work. damn, that scooter is so exhilirating. i think it might make this summer the best one i've ever had.

i named my scooter too. it's 'ollie juice' after my grandma, elizabeth ollie barnes, who loved dirty martinis and having fun. when she passed away she left me a little money, and though i highly doubt she anticipated me buying hell on wheels with it, i'm pretty sure she would have enjoyed one at my age too. she did always say that she wished she could've learned how to drive a zamboni. this is close enough. i can't afford one of those.