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RENEWAL AND RESTORATION

Although the two things I love and practice most (Art and Yoga) don’t often intersect without intention, their special connection for me can’t be denied. I welcome their persistence, vying for my time and energy as they play so nicely off each other. A unifying purpose often comes into focus in these two realms for me.

As I wrote last week, renewal frames my January each year. It is a welcome celebratory dance of gratitude and gratefulness after the holiday season. I find the theme of renewal happily invading my art, my writing and my yoga practice. My mind races with enthusiasm about the possibilities ahead as the idea of renewal lifts me curiously into newness.

RESTORATIVE YOGA

So I find it interesting, that right on the heels of my renewal phase, a new focus came to my attention – restoration. Being “open to grace” I listened. I have become curious about learning more about restorative yoga practices. But in my current research I am also awakening an interest here in how my visual art can be part of the restorative process. This winter journey is encouraging a deeper yoga practice supporting renewal and rejuvenation as well as a creative path in my art practice.

ART RESTORATION

Restoration of art is of course an entirely different animal, but I am curious as to their intersection for me.

yoga + art = yoga-art (ha, ha) not yogurt

Many of you know I am an artist; I also journal and meditate, writing about my yoga experiences. As I continue my journey this month, I intend to explore combining these areas further. I will let you know what I discover! As funny as that “art math” above may look, I am referring to my mantra: cultivating an inspired, more artistic life… in this case, combining art and yoga in new ways.

Renewal and Restoration

AN ASIDE FOR THOSE ART LOVERS READING THIS:

Art restoration denotes the repair or renovation of works that have already sustained decay with the attempt to restore a work to its original, undamaged appearance, while conservation refers to the maintenance and preservation to safeguard against future damage and deterioration. I find these parallels on this topic interesting as well – again humans and art intertwine for me.

Art restoration is intended to preserve the integrity of an original work of art. The value of a piece of art can be deeply degraded if it is not kept in a safe climate but it is also paramount that any restoration be done by experts. Simple environmental elements such as humidity or dryness can wreak havoc on a painting. Water damage and wind erosion on outdoor sculpture or architecture can destroy all surfaces and recognition. The human body and spirit can have remarkably similar boundaries and challenges. How interesting, don’t you think?

Aside from the physical similarities and limitations, degradation of a previously created work of art, or human body has to be minimized and then gently restored. There is sometimes a need in our yoga practice to gently restore our physical bodies, nudge our consciousness and support our spiritual awareness just like in art restoration, preservation and conservation.

DISCOVERY

So renewal and restoration it is! Onward on this part of the discovery as the month powers on. The January practice to renew growth and restore inner peace with ourselves and with the world continues. What are some ways to work toward restoring our physical and emotional well being? Ways to preserve and conserve what is going well, and to begin to heal what is not. As winter moves on, I am going to add a restorative mindset to my journey of renewal and see where it takes me.

Join me?

Cindi

cultivating an inspired, artistic life

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Magic

Tis the season of magic! Even in the darkest times, with questions about our very humanity riding high, humans still celebrate their most beloved holidays with love and care. I still feel a sense of magic this time of year, even in 2020, even at my age, even when I feel jaded about the future. Magic is still a place of wonder where we discover possibility. It is where joy and hope and love live…

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Asana Glossary

Beginners guide to yoga poses, or asanas.

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Guide to yoga journaling

Guide to yoga journaling

The RAD Fresh Yoga Journey

Guide to inspirational yoga journaling

Sample yoga prompt to inspire YOUR weekly yoga practice!

Advice and suggestions on how to begin writing in a journal.

Inspiration and ideas on how to set an intention for your yoga practice and your day.

Articles and guided information on how to inspire your yoga practice to new heights.

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Daily yoga diary

Yoga Journey Daily Diary

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Growth

Growth Cultivating a healthy life

With so much distracting us from our health conscious lifestyles these days, it is easy to let our wellbeing go by the wayside. We are realizing that our basic needs are dramatically different than they were a year ago. It is challenging to even step back enough from our day-to-day lives to make basic choices. Many of us are just mindlessly surviving. Leaving the…

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National Yoga Month!

Spread the love during the National Yoga Month celebration of the practice of yoga and its healing properties during the month of September. And wow, do we ever need it! The challenges in our lives and communities may seem never-ending and overwhelming right now. What better time to delve deeper into your current practice or begin one of you haven’t taken the plunge? But honestly, if you follow my blog, you may already be asking what National Yoga Month and the visual arts have in common? My answer: both inspire, connect and speak to our minds, bodies and souls. Yoga and Visual Art are both a huge part of my RAD Fresh Creative Journey and RAD Fresh Yoga Journey. National Yoga Month is just another opportunity to share inspiration with all of you. My yoga story is probably a lot like yours and not at all unusual, but its connection to the visual arts is one I think you will connect with too. 

Most of us begin the journey of a yoga practice somewhat by accident. There is a class at your gym —may as well try it. A friend suggested you try it with her —so you go. Your doctor suggested it for your back issues—sure, why not. It looked like fun. A family member said you needed to learn to relax. And so on and so on. However the magic of discovering yoga does not lie only in beginning or enjoying the physical practice (although that is awesome as well).

Just like in the book by Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic “creativity lies in the relationship between a human being and the mysteries of inspiration.” I believe that place in the heart, the place where the mind and the soul come together to form a bond that leads us to a personal place of grace is where I grow most in yoga. It will take more than one call, one studio or one teacher to hook you. But if you keep practicing, you can find your magic too!

Spread the Love

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The RAD Fresh Yoga Journey

Asanas: the lifeblood of yoga

Hope, gratitude, healing…

Looking for balance?

Visual journaling and yoga journaling

Beginner’s Mind

History

I have been practicing yoga for well over 23 years now. The first few years were mostly about the physical benefits. I was lucky that my gym, The Women’s Club in Missoula, Montana offered yoga classes as part of their membership. The teachers were awesome, offering multiple levels of classes from Gentle Yoga to Advanced classes. During my first year of practicing, I began to realize that I wanted to know more about the entire practice of yoga —mind, body and soul.

The yoga journey has a beginning, but no end.

After my mom and I attended a yoga retreat with my favorite teacher from the club, I was inspired to grow my practice as I began to feel more deeply connected to myself. It was the beginning of my understanding that the practice of yoga, and the practice of creating art is connected for me. Just like two sides of a coin. One the shiny side of the other. Over time, the two became an integral part of my blog as well. 

Off the mat

The practice of yoga has helped me feel more confident off the mat as well. My growing yoga practice has helped me connect more honestly to myself and my art. Off the mat, I have learned to deal more calmly with personal and professional challenges. I have made lasting connections to my yoga community. Nurturing connections through yoga and art, I have found them to be forever intertwined in my work and personal growth. Yoga is more than a workout of course, it is a lifestyle. Over the years, I have developed a home practice to bridge the gaps between classes and my own schedule. The benefits of being able to “take it with me” when I traveled or to practice on my own when studio classes weren’t available was a given. 

Community

Built-in friends come with the yoga community. We meet truly inspiring people who are supportive and understanding and legitimately interested in each other as human beings. You can also take your friends with you to yoga and grow within those friendships that already exist. No matter where you are, there are yoga classes to be experienced – even online. You don’t have to know a soul to attend. There is also a universal language of yoga, and I don’t just mean Sanskrit. I mean that when you take your seat, and chant OM with those around you, a sense of unity happens. The room becomes a welcoming place, quietly supporting and holding you in its warmth and grace. The support of fellow yogis and your teacher can become a springboard for more.

For me, yoga began to grow as part of my creative endeavors, inspiring me, helping me to connect with my imagination. For you, it might provide connections for parenting clubs, dinner parties or further education in common interests. The possibilities are endless! So go out there and build a community through your yoga class. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed. 

A more purposeful practice

I have written on this blog many times about yoga. As I expand my own knowledge and practice within yoga, I am beginning to recognize a broader purpose for myself and my blog. By expanding my knowledge and yoga practices through the RAD Fresh Yoga Journey I am growing a following and a deeper understanding of the entire experience. I continue to practice at a local studio, Montana Om, with my friends and our teacher Bonnie Kiser.

paddle board yoga on the water with friends

She has encouraged all of us to reach for more; get out of our comfort zones, and some to even prepare to substitute teach classes. Recently, I was asked to teach SUP yoga! I did and it was so much fun! It was nice to know that my paddle board obsession and my 20+ years of yoga worked together to form an opportunity. Who knew all those years ago that SUP yoga would be a thing?

There’s always more

To gain a sense of “more,” I dedicate myself to a home practice, including journaling. Because I spend lots of hours researching articles and references for the yoga journaling prompts, reading yoga articles has become a favorite online pastime. I am enjoying this process immensely as I expand my yoga knowledge and writing experiences. Adding to my knowledge through additional online class offerings has been fun and easy too. Even if you think that online classes aren’t up your alley – give them a try. Yoga teachers have gotten onboard with the online process and it is SO much better now than ever before. 

I guide the yoga journaling practice through weekly prompts. Although still in its infancy, the process is beginning to give me an expanded sense of the possibilities of a more well-rounded practice for myself and others. Researching, journaling and connecting my actual practice to learning and growing within yoga has led me to a range of new experiences and possibilities. I really think that yoga journaling is just the beginning of the next chapter of my yoga journey. Although MORE isn’t always better, MORE is always available. My yoga teacher laughingly reminds us all the time that there is always more. Through her, I have learned that yoga has an eternal flame that is forever growing and changing, morphing into what we need personally. We just have to be open to grace to find it.

National Yoga Month

The benefits of yoga 

As we roll into Fall, and we spend more time inside again, I will be adding a lot MORE to my yoga practice and you can too! Try applying what you learn on the mat more consciously to your daily lives. I hope you will consider joining me for yoga journaling to continue to grow your yoga practice in new and inspiring ways. Maybe with a little extra training, reading and researching new opportunities, you can discover MORE too. Check out the health benefits of yoga here in this pdf or read more about the general physical benefits.  There are many ways to celebrate National Yoga Month (or begin yoga) if you haven’t already gotten started. Check out a class in studio or online, read up on the benefits of yoga to your mind, body and soul, or join me for a guided yoga journaling practice to round out your practice.

We are only a third of the way through the month, and so I know you have lots of yoga practices still to be enjoyed. In the meantime, check out the links above and consider inspiring yourself to a happier, healthier, more mindful life through yoga and journaling!

Namaste,

Cindi

Spread the Love National Yoga Month! Spread the love during the National Yoga Month celebration of the practice of yoga and its healing properties during the month of September.

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There are so many ways to R and R. Rest and Relaxation is code for “anything but work…” But I like to add another “R” – Relax, Recreate and Recover. For some, R & R means getting away from the everyday – work, family obligations. For some this means enjoying much needed peace and quiet. Maybe turn on some good music; curl up with a book; drink a glass of wine or a cup of tea. Depending on the situation and timing, that sounds perfect to me too. But for all of us, R & R should also be about the outdoors –  a kayak trip down the river, snowshoeing, paddle boarding, hiking, or any other active outdoor activity could also be the ticket. No matter your take on the perfect R & R, consider the importance of it in your life right now. Ask some questions and then make a plan to get outside for some relaxation, recreation, and recovery from life’s challenges.

How do you discover what the best RRR activities are for you? How do you make them therapeutic instead of just more you have to do? Adding to the stress and busyness of our lives is not the goal of RRR. The purpose is to come home refreshed, ready to face tomorrow a little more relaxed, if not a little more tired and dirty. Here are some things I like to do and some people (and doggies) I like to do them with. What are your favorite RRR activities?

Leigh on her paddle board. Me in the kayak

Family hiking and biking

paddle board yoga on the water with friends

running and yoga

McDonald Lake

Dogs too!

Dogs are family

sibling fun

hiking

Jobe crew at TBM

snowshoeing at Blacktail

paddle boarding the lake

        Time to get outside

Right now, most of us are finding that outdoor activities are safer, easier to manage, and more fun than time at home. We have all spent a lot of time at home the last few months, so getting out and about feels like a respite well earned. Living in Montana in the summer usually means spending lots of time outdoors with family and friends. Sunshine, warm evenings, and cool nights equal time spent hiking, camping or doing fun things in or on the water. Most of us don’t even wait for the weekend to recreate. These long summer days mean there is lots of daylight available even before or after work. Here are some suggestions from Outside Mag online if you are looking for suggestions. But as you can see by the pics, my friends and family enjoy the outdoors all winter long as well. These activities can be done inexpensively if you just remember to think outside the box a bit. Go with activities close to home, seasonal, that don’t take a lot of gear. Day hikes, a swim in the river or lake, camping close by are all cheap and readily available to everyone. In the city, you may have to take a short drive, or stay over. But getting outside can fit into ANY budget with a little imagination. You don’t have to get on a plane to enjoy a little RRR. Consider switching an indoor activity, like your yoga practice outside.

Stepping up and out

I don’t know about you, but I have always loved the outdoors. I grew up in a home where we hiked, camped, canoed, swam or fished in the river. We recreated our way through every summer. There was just my sister and I growing up first in the Midwest and then later moving to Montana. My parents made sure we were either outside with them, the neighborhood kids, our cousins, or other family. As we grew older, I guess we also chose friends, and eventually boyfriends that liked to “do” things outside. You could say we were “outdoorsy”. But it was also a time to forget our problems and the complications of being in a family. None of us are perfect. Humans are messy. Just a little time outside can cure a host of concerns and change our perspective for the better. We discover more about a person when we hike with them, but also more about ourselves.

Time recreating was like that for me. I found that if things were challenging at home, I looked forward to outdoor activities to relax, forget my problems and recover from anything too challenging or difficult in my life. Welcome distractions were how I saw outdoor activities. Over the years, I realize I nurtured that when I had my own family. It helped us to bond, but also to escape a little from the world. Recovery felt good. Outside time began to mean being healthier physically and mentally. Those activities helped us to grow into a happy, healthy family. So when the complications of life came knocking, we had a place to go for respite, recovery and recalculation. More than once, RRR saved my soul, my body, my heart from life’s entanglements. I see the same need in my children. Doing something outdoors is their go-to. It makes me so happy to know I had a small part in that.

Family time

As we get older, we all seem to do more reminiscing more about the past. As we age, there is a lot more that has already happened in our lives than there is ahead. Plus we learn not to wish away time or look forward to things too far in the future. Early on, as kids, we established friendships based on “doing” things together. Usually these activities involved things our friends also liked to do. As we established our adult lives, the process continued to work. Add children? Continue to grow the process. We would hook up with other friends and family that liked the same activities and share the time together. We went skiing in the winter, hiking in the summer, spent time on the lake waterskiing or jetskiing. Almost always with family or a few close friends, including all the kids and their friends. The RRR grew to be a necessary part of life. Not just a pastime, but a necessity.

There never seemed to be enough time to get in all the fun things, especially working around coaching summer sports or those sports our kids played. But we managed a fair amount of outdoor time in between it all over the years. Unknowingly, without a real plan to do so, we taught our our kids the value of RRR. By setting the example of RRR, we taught them to step away from jobs and responsibilities for some much deserved recreational time. In doing so, we gave then a very important gift: the gift of recovery. Recovery, just like sleep allows us to recharge and get back to the important work of living our lives.

Mini vacation

I am actually one of those lucky people who has almost always liked my job. My careers in education and the arts have provided a constant recharging of my soul. I also like doing projects around the house. What might be deemed “chores” by others, is just an art project to me. When a friend or family member asks if I would like to go along for an outdoor activity, I try to make the effort to go. I used to weigh the pros and cons, trying to talk myself out of going. But as I have gotten older, I have realized that saying yes always brings with it a basketful of memories that brighten my days and make me feel more alive. I borrow the necessary equipment or try to have it on hand so there are no excuses not to go. There is just something about getting outside that allows our mind, body and soul to recover, even if we don’t realize we need it. WE DO!

For that matter, there is nothing wrong with making outdoor activities part of our daily individual activities either. Walking, running, cycling are all easy to do by ourselves. No friends needed. Sometimes the relaxing and recovering parts are easier to enjoy alone. Especially if we begin to use these activities as our daily workout or just as importantly as therapy. Even if it is a quick walk around the neighborhood in a spring rain, a walk in the park in the snow in January, or taking the dog to the dog park in October and enjoying the crisp leaves under your feet, get outside!

Get out there!

Have you ever stopped to question as an adult why you should make time for outdoor activities? Is it simply because these pastimes allow you to be distracted from the boring requirements of life like work, errands or chores? Or do you make time for these activities because you truly enjoy them? Gain something in return? What about those of us that always “say” we are going to go play that round of golf, or get out on the river but never do? Do we not get around to it because we are truly “too busy”, or is it a matter of setting priorities? Could it just be a matter of scheduling so we make time, or is it a form of avoidance, fear or apathy? Do you say yes when that friend asks you to join the float on the river? Or do you make excuses because it is too much trouble? Is there fear? Pressure to go? Pressure at home not to go? There is a lot more to consider than we might think. Consciously considering the “why” behind our choices allows us to choose with more thought, confidence and assurance that we are being true to our own needs.

I encourage you to say YES more to the outside, to breathing that air, to moving that body. Say more NOs to sedentary activities like watching tv and gaming. Say YES to friends that ask you to go on outings, but also reach out to them with ideas. You will gradually find a core group of people that are willing to join you. Remember – it is perfectly alright to take some me-time that is purely alone time too. With others or alone, get outside. Make memories. Relax. Recreate. Recover. Repeat. RRR and R. There is apparently no end to the possibilities…

Cheers to being outside!

Cindi

            R and R and R? There are so many ways to R and R. Rest and Relaxation is code for "anything but work..." But I like to add another "R" - Relax, Recreate and Recover.

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How to Lead a More Inspired Life

How to Lead a More Inspired Life

How to Lead a More Inspired Life

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Those who inspire us...

Those who inspire us…

I could make a very long list of people who inspire me. I am sure that you can to. Some daily, some from afar, and some all my life. If I did make an actuallist, it would include of course parents, and siblings, my own children, friends, extended family, colleagues, writers, artists, people still with us, and people already gone, who have graced this world with a presence that will live on in our…

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Labor of Love 

  Have you ever painted your house?

I believe all worthwhile projects are a labor of love. We are painting our 1910 Craftsman house this summer. It had been badly neglected for years before we bought it. Neglected like humans are neglected. To the point of not knowing who she was anymore. Lost in a land of discontent, shame and embarrassment. Many of us have known that feeling. But the good news is that we can choose to recalculate, re-evaluate and reinvent ourselves. I am choosing for her. I think she will be thrilled!

The plan from the moment we bought the house last summer was to paint her this summer. Now that we are close to finishing the project, I am finding I can take a breath and think (and write) about the process. Not unlike human processing, this has been a bit overwhelming and anticipatory. I changed my mind or questioned my choices of color and placement numerous times before, during and after the painting began. Although I knew that I would become impatient as we went along, just like any art project, I kept wavering. Will I like it when it is done? What if it doesn’t go well. What will people think? The usual misgivings that for me at least, always end in some version of satisfactory if not complete assurance that I made the right decisions. Sigh.

It’s about the process

It always seems to be about the process with me. You too? I am often more obsessed with the process than the result. Whether it be a journal entry, a painting, a yoga practice or my garden. I just love getting in there and making a mess. I get nervous as the project transitions, and then at some point completely hate where I am at. But eventually I finish; am thrilled with the results, and realize that I miss the process the most. That leads me to the next project or being willing to do it all over again!

Don’t get me wrong. The final result is satisfying too. Even the planning. Although I am not the most patient person with a long process like painting a house, the bigger picture is important to keep in mind as well. Her (the house’s) renovation and preservation is always on my mind and remains simply a labor of love. I like thinking about the next step and the next and the next. Planning colors. Problem solving how we are going to get to the top of the eaves, where to go to get window screens, what are the best tools for the job. I think obsession is the right term at this point.

Salvage

For those of you who don’t know me well – I save everything. I don’t mean like hoarding. I mean literally I try to save things from dissolving into nothingness. That includes our house, inanimate objects, antiques, plants, clothing, you name it, I am willing (and sometimes able) to salvage it. Human beings are no different to me. I always think that every human has a lighter, kinder, more empathetic side, and I work to bring that out in others around me. I hate waste and I love problem solving. I am happy and willing to take on a “project.”

The littlest cutting from a plant gets put in water or propagated in soil to grow roots. I re-match earrings to a new partner when I lose one. I save and reuse whatever I can. I am a saver, a repurposer – a recycler. I hate to throw things out. And houses are no exception. I love our old house and I want her to shine again

Back to the process of salvaging and saving her. This old house is still charming. She has “good bones” as they say. But even so, she needed some serious prep work before we could even begin to paint. Removing old gutters, scraping, sanding, caulking, replacing sections of rotted siding, the list went on and on. Four full days just to get her ready for paint. And then lots of TLC as we went.

Choices

And unlike most people. I can’t just use a color for the body and one for the trim. I have to add detail and accent every dang part so she has personality. Her previous owners had chosen hideous colors years ago and she had been stuck “wearing” it shamefully ever since. The neighbors told us that the old colors were ugly. And asked immediately last year if we were going to paint.  (We expected that question) They had nicknamed the house the “cappuccino cowboy.” I thought the old colors reminded me of Halloween candy corn . All orange and brown and tan and yellow. Horrible colors that didn’t go together for any purpose. Hideous in fact.

Before and After

When you see the “afters” it will make sense. But she needed more than just a spit-shine, she needed a complete make-over. Like those people on the morning shows, where they take them backstage, cut and color their hair, do their makeup, put them in new clothes and they look 10 years younger. It has been a long couple of weeks, but she is about ready for her debut. Someone asked my husband if we were still painting. “What is taking you guys so long?”  He answered. “Do you know how many colors we are using?” and “You know my wife…” I think that is a compliment. Really I do.

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Color List:

Body- light gray

Trim – white

Windows – black

Upper shingles and lower trim – dark gray

Screen doors and accent molding – light grass green

Main doors and porch accent  – deep Bordeaux wine

There is always more!

Outside we have also salvaged the landscaping. Fixed and recouped the lawn. Trimmed perennials back to tame and separated bulbs to replant. We brought in starts of lilacs, tiger lilies and peonies from the family lake place and gathered rocks from the lake bed over the winter for pathways through the garden and larger ones for accents throughout the beds. We brought in over 5000 lbs total of sand, gravel and river rock to make paths and create water runoff areas under the eaves. We even recreated the lattice under the porch. We rebuilt and reattached flower boxes and added hanging plants and other planters from found objects. All in all, most things, other than exterior paint have been foraged, reused, or repurposed saving so much money! It has taken time of course – most of my husband’s vacation, but we are close to the finish line as I type this.

Inside, over the winter we pulled carpet, painted, removed and replaced lighting that didn’t fit the decor and in general gave the interior a facelift. We uncovered a window that had been paneled over, and completely redid the screened in porch as well.

Icing on the cake

But the outdoor painting project this summer is the icing on the cake. Really thick buttercream frosting kind of icing. She is finally going to be pretty again. A proud old lady with a new haircut, color, mani and pedi. All the things any girl needs in her life, old or young. And I think she might be the most exciting art project I have ever created in my life.

So when you look at the befores and afters, and  even though we still have many more projects to do, remember that this old lady is getting younger every day. Like humans, who get to grow and change and learn no matter how old we are. I believe houses also have a long life; a story to tell; inspiration to lend. Both houses and people need others who love us, respect us and nurture our souls. Those who will share and support us as we age – our village. Those that can see through the age and experience to see the beauty inside.

Village

We have experienced such support by all the people who have literally pulled over to compliment our project while in progress. Even taking care to social distance! As if somehow they already knew we would be successful in our monumental endeavor. People have honked in support, walked or biked past and even stopped to give thanks for what we are doing. Admiring. Encouraging, complimenting and sighing. The support has been downright awesome! What a lovely experience to live in a small town where people have taken the time to care. Today a women stopped to invite me to join the “garden club!” She’s not finished yet. I will add more to the slide show later this week but you get the idea. I think this labor of love was worth every part of the process.

Depth

Process this: the depth and breadth of it all is that we long to be more, do more, and ultimately be our best selves. To do that, we need support. We just need a hand up, a little nudge, some inspiration and a paint brush to get us started. Then one day, when the process has run its course, we have sloughed off our old skin and we are new again. I think she appreciates that we cared enough to see beyond the surface and search for the beauty that still lies within. Process leads to discovering what you knew was there all the time. You just have to jump in and do it!

P.S. Next we are tackling the carriage house!

Labor of Love Labor of Love  Have you ever painted your house? I believe all worthwhile projects are a labor of love.

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Change and Acceptance

“I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept.” – Angela Y. Davis

Change and Acceptance

In light of the current state of the world, I have been wrestling a lot lately with my role. What is the best way to be a role model? How can I increase awareness in my own tribe, reach out, stand tall in my own truth, and listen to others. This quote from Angel…

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The Muse Within

The Muse Within

We strive to cultivate our lives in ways that grow our creative endeavors and honor ourselves just as we are; encouraging our passions and creating good habits is our focus. Messy and undeniably complicated, we can struggle as we try to manage our experiences and limit fallout. It can be challenging to trust our inner selves these days. Not just in terms of making daily…

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RAD Fresh Yoga Journey Introduction

Protected: RAD Fresh Yoga Journey Introduction

(click this link to open your pdf) RAD Fresh Yoga Journey

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Balance

Looking for Balance

How do we define it? Balance. Is this idea of lifestyle “balance” universal? Even though we would like to think it is, we have to find our individual balance in our own way and our own time. We are told to “find balance” in our lives, to be present, to practice self-care. But how? Where do we go for the answers? Why is it so important to be balanced?

Go inside

It is suggested…

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 Do you need a little more Namaste in your life?

The answer is YES you do. You may not know it. But you need a little more Namaste and a little less stress. A little more of all that Yoga offers? YES! YES! YES!

If you answered YES or you already practice yoga and want MORE, I have a suggestion for you —begin a yoga journaling habit. You will just find a little more OM in your day, your week, your month, your year. A little less stress. A little more connection to your yoga community. A little more understanding of yourself, and your practice. You will learn to reflect, observe, explore and express yourself more fully within your yoga practice. 

Here is my story…

   Life happens, so there is yoga

Life happens. The kind of happenings that make us question our choices and decisions, but also make us ask WHY!? me? We all recognize that uncomfortable feeling of dread. Sometimes happenings creep up on us like a cat after it’s prey. Only to pounce on us, as we realize we weren’t ready. But what if instead, we WERE ready for it after all! We were ready because we had learned the tools to cope. Like many of you, my coping skills have been learned through my practice of yoga. 

 My yoga journey

My “yoga journey” happened that way. Creeping up so slowly over nearly twenty five years that I didn’t even notice the progression. So slow, steady and pure in it’s pace that I didn’t realize the habits I had formed or the growth I had made. Yoga began as “exercise.” Seriously. I had no idea it’s power and strength at first. I just went from treadmill or step class to yoga. It was part of my healthy regimen at The Women’s Club. I loved it. But back then, I didn’t realize it’s gifts. That can be enough. That is the beauty of yoga. It is to each of us what we need. No more and no less. A port in a storm or a warm hug. A kick-ass workout AND/OR on any given day, a restorative exhale. All things to all people. The greatest gift I have every given myself. The gift that keeps on giving. 

Eventually, as time went on, I added a home practice to my guided studio practice. Something to “fill in” on days when there were no classes or I was traveling or the weather was too bad to drag myself to the gym. I chose good music; I got on the mat for 30 minutes; I felt better. Mission accomplished. End of story, or so I thought. 

Over time however, I realized there was more. Again, slowly I began to become interested in the philosophy of yoga, the Sanskrit names, the types of yoga; there WAS so much more to know and ponder and discover. I began to read about yoga, mostly to learn about “how to” become a more informed yogi about poses and flows, how to sit, how to breath. Not really studying it, just informing myself. More or less admiring its story, I searched out retreats and new classes. I began making notes in the books, asking questions, wondering about my own practice, but also what it meant to be “open to grace” or “present” or grateful. I grew in new ways on and off the mat, only beginning to understand the impact on my life.

Eventually I became aware of yoga’s healing powers because I needed to lean into that aspect of my practice. The MIND + BODY + SOUL pieces became inseparable over time for me, supporting me in hard times, guiding my decisions without needing to think or answer hard questions. I had learned how to apply what I learned on the mat in my day-to-day life and I didn’t even consciously realize the growth. Yoga was a constant, unwavering part of my life. It served as exercise for my body, therapy for my mind, and support for my soul. 

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Still I didn’t realize the complete picture of yoga’s profound effect on my life until I was over 50. Truthfully it was there all the time. Nurturing me. Supporting me. Physically, emotionally, spiritually, yoga was bonding me to a lifestyle, to a great friendship with myself on and off the mat, to something intangible but substantial. But like the practice of yoga, the most important “moment” for me yet in my “yoga journey” snuck up on me. The next “step” for me in my yoga journey wasn’t something I was searching for, or striving for, it was something I needed, and it found me.

Life Lessons

As humans we don’t always realized we are absorbing –learning something that needs to be honored and shared. I knew from teaching visual art for almost twenty years that this could be the case. Sometimes important information seeps in slowly or unawares, guiding us without our conscious acknowledgment. And then when we need it most, the “thing” we learned and needed is there. There for the taking, using it depends on the needing of its knowledge. A need to sustain us.

But there WAS still another aspect to yoga for me that I hadn’t encouraged or acknowledged- journaling about my experiences. Keeping visual journals had become part of my life. But I hadn’t realized that my yoga practice could be one of the themes. Then one day I did; I tried writing about my yoga experiences. My curiosity about the “study” of yoga, MY study, became a new passion, and it was life-changing. Literally like a clap of thunder, I jumped at the shock of the sound in my head. I experienced that “ah-ha” moment when we realize we have discovered an answer to a question in our life we didn’t know needed answering.

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Writing about the journey

Hope, gratitude, healing…

Yoga Journey 2020

RAD journaling

Journaling day…

Yoga Journey 2020

 Yoga journaling

Journaling became a way for me to process and apply all the positive ways yoga was manifesting in my life. Learning about the asanas, Sanskrit, philosophically challenging myself about the pillars, chakras, mudras, meditation. I was enthralled. Who knew? A lot of people knew. But I hadn’t put the practice and the study together before in my own life. I was mesmerized and distracted by its powerful nature. I decided that others might be interested too. And guess what? They were.

So I shared about yoga journaling in posts on my blog. I shared in a yoga journaling group in my local studio, Montana Om: how to create a journal, what to write, how to study, and how to take what was taught by our teacher and practiced by us, engaging more with it in a journal format. And then I began sharing within a Facebook Group. It drew a small following.

This yoga journaling process came to me slowly over almost twenty five years, yet blindsided me like a cat catching a bird. But I WAS ready, and that cat has become my confidant. I have taken flight instead of being trapped. I am loving the connections, the opportunities to share and learn, and the peace I find in the process.

I hope that some of you will join me. It’s pure perfection in the way yoga is pure perfection. What we need but different every time we step on the mat. We never find nirvana. We don’t have to. It was there all the time in the practice (and the journaling about the experience). Here’s to learning on and off the mat.

Namaste

Cultivating a more inspired life…through yoga Do you need a little more Namaste in your life? The answer is YES you do. You may not know it.

[repertoire-art-design]

Yoga Journaling with SOUL - world map

Yoga Journaling with SOUL – world map

Yoga Journal – world map

RAD Yoga Journal – world map

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