Lady Yoga Comic Strips. She's Two Years Old!!!!!!

PhenomeMOM 2012

Today is Mother's day.  Whether you have a strong mom in your life, you are a mom, you have no mom, you are mom to a pup, you are a dad or whatever, today is celebrating MOM - the idea that the nurturing nature of MOTHER is strong within us, guiding us towards our passion and purpose, taking care of us so that we can take care with ourselves and everyone around us.  

Let's tap into that strength, the strength of the mother as we practice or go through our days. 

Strength...

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger

Stand a little taller

What doesn't kill you makes a fighter

Footsteps even lighter- Kelly Clarkson

So tenderly your story is

nothing more than what you see

or what you've done or will become

standing strong do you belong

in your skin; just wondering

Jamie Cullum

"If you don't take care of your body, where will you live?" -- Anonymous There is a light that shines beyond all things on earth, Beyond us all, beyond the heavens, beyond the highest, the very highest heavens. This is the light that shines in our hearts -- Chandogya Upanishad Let your life lightly dance on the edges of time like dew on the tip of a leaf  -- Rabindranath Tagore If we could read the secret history of our enemies we should find in each man's life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility. --Longfellow What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly.  -- Richard Bach You are a child of the Universe, no less than the moon and the stars; You have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, No doubt the Universe is unfolding as it should. -- Max Ehrmann 'There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep yourself open and aware to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open. -- Martha Graham Should you shield the valleys from the windstorms, you would never see the beauty of their canyons. -- Elisabeth Kubler-Ross Just think out for yourselves, if a man who was good yesterday has become bad after having come in contact with me, is he responsible that he has deteriorated or am I?   -- Mahatma Gandhi Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves. -- Carl Jung Think of all the beauty thats still left in and around you, and be happy.  --Anne Frank Your own mind is a sacred enclosure into which nothing harmful can enter except by your permission. -- Arnold Bennett The thought manifests as the word The word manifests as the deed The deed develops into habit And habit hardens into character So watch the thought and its way with care, And let it spring from love, Born out of concern for all beings --Buddha Enlightenment means choosing to dwell in the state of presence rather than in time. It means saying yes to what is.  --Eckhart Tolle Who can tell what miracles Love has in store for us if only we have the courage to become one with it? Everything we think we know is only the beginning of another knowing that itself has no end And everything we now can accomplish will seem derisory to us When the powers of our divine nature flower in glory and act through us  --Iqbal, Sufi Mystic "The Sun Never Says" --Hafiz Even after all this time the sun never says to the earth, "You owe Me." Look what happens with a love like that, It lights up the Whole Sky. "Your Mother and My Mother" -- Hafiz Fear is the cheapest room in the house. I would like to see you living in better conditions, For your mother and my mother were friends. I know the innkeeper in this part of the Universe, Get some rest tonight, come to my verse tomorrow, We'll go speak to the Friend together. I should not make any promises, but I know that if you pray Somewhere in this world -- something good will happen God wants to see more love and playfulness in your eyes For that is your greatest witness to Him Your soul and my soul once sat together in the Beloved's womb playing footsie. Your heart and my heat are very, very old friends. "A Great Need" -- Hafiz Out of a great need We are all holding hands and climbing. Not loving is letting go. Listen, the terrain around here is Far to Dangerous for That. "Desiderata" Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly andclearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love, for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy. -- Max Ehrmann "The Guest House" This being human is a guest house. Every morning a new arrival. A joy, a depression, a meaness, some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor. Welcome and entertain them all! Even if they're a crowd of sorrows, who violently sweep your house empty of is furniture, Still, treat each Guest honorably. He may be clearing you out for some new delight. The dark thought, the shame, the malice, meet them at the door laughing, and invite them in. Be grateful for whoever comes, because each has been sent as a guide from beyond. -- Jelaluddin Rumi We have come into this exquisite World to experience ever and ever more deeply our divine courage, freedom and light! --Hafiz Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a Judge of Truth and Knowledge is shipwrecked by the Laughter of Gods - --Albert Einstein If you could only keep quiet, clear of memories and expectations, you would be able to discern the beautiful pattern of events. Its your restlessness that causes chaos. --Nisargadatta Maharaj What we are is God's Gift to us; What we become is our Gift to God. -- Eleanor Powell A light is bright and guides the way but it also attracts the flies.  Just keep shooin so you can keep movin' N.P., Conductor

Cheers

On May 20, 1993 - The final episode of "Cheers" was aired on NBC-TV.  Cheers was an American institution, a sit-com that ran 11 seasons from 1982-1993.  It was a staple that stood the test of time.  The theme song included the lyrics ..."You wanna go where everybody knows your name."  It emphasized community.  We are in each others business constantly and connected in ways that were unheard of in the 80's and 90's but we long for that community of coming together in one space, no matter what our background or what kind of day we came from. We long for a place to come where everyone knows our name and can share in the community of movement, a great frothy beer or some laughter.  

Let's bring that community on the mat and move together in that community...on the blog or in the studio. 

Cooperation is the thorough conviction that nobody can get there unless everybody gets there. Viriginia Burden

You can make it, but it's easier if you don't have to do it alone. Betty Ford

Without community, there is no liberation. Audre Lorde

One man may hit the mark, another blunder; but heed not these distinctions. Only from the alliance of the one, working with and through the other, are great things born. Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Keep in mind that our community is not composed of those who are already saints, but of those who are trying to become saints. Therefore let us be extremely patient with each other's faults and failures. Mother Teresa

What cannot be achieved in one lifetime will happen when one lifetime is joined to another. Harold Kushner

The good we secure for ourselves is precarious and uncertain until it is secured for all of us and incorporated into our common life. Jane Adams

I am a part of all that I have met. Adam Tennyson

We don't accomplish anything in this world alone ... and whatever happens is the result of the whole tapestry of one's life and all the weavings of individual threads from one to another that creates something. Sandra Day O' Connor

In every community there is work to be done. In every nation, there are wounds to heal. In every heart there is the power to do it. Marianne Williamson

One generation plants the trees; another gets the shade. - Chinese Proverb

Independence"... [is] middle-class blasphemy.  We are all dependent on one another, every soul of us on earth.  ~G.B. Shaw

On this shrunken globe, men can no longer live as strangers.  ~Adlai E. Stevenson




I nod to a passing stranger, and the stranger nods back, and two human beings go off, feeling a little less anonymous.  ~Robert Brault

We cannot live only for ourselves.  A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men.  ~Herman Melville

Insert attempt at a song here...

Making your way in the world hot 8 (where we practice)

Takes everything you've got;

Taking a break from all your worries

Sure would help a lot.

Wouldn't you like to get away?

Sometimes you want to go

Where everybody knows hot 8,

and they're always glad you came.

You wanna be where you can see,

our troubles are all the same

You wanna be where everybody knows

Your hot 8!

Yours on the page and on the mat,

Lady

3.2.1....Happy new year...

We're very confident.  No miracles have to happen here.  Just focus on the business and get your results.  There's a long way to go, but we're on the right path.  ~Dick Clark.
Not a yogi but a yogic sentiment.

Resurrection, reinvention, rebirth!

Funny that when you think of Resurrection you think of Jesus. When you think of Reinvention, you think of Madonna...the singer.

Today is Easter and although not all of us celebrate we are Hallmark bombarded by pink bunnies and blue eggs.

It doesn't matter whether you are religious or not - the feelings of the season are upon us. We are in the belly of Spring - a rebirth of flowers and grass - a great time to re-engage in your resolutions for the year, your intentions for life and your passions. Spring fever (and hay fever for some!) fill the air, days are longer and sun shines brightly.

Spring springs forth ideas of cleaning - removing clutter from your physical and mental space, eliminating obstacles so you can remain clear and focused for the months ahead.

I love this time of year and even though the story tells us that Jesus waited three days, I'm not wasting any time preparing for a time to re-invent my practice and passion for yoga.

Think about something you would like to re-ignite in your life. For me, it's all about returning to my roots in Ashtanga/Vinyasa Flow - moving with the spirit of music and breath. It feels good to come back to the mat, balance on my hands and come back to postures that scared me, saved me or renewed me.

If you are religious or not, believe in the Easter bunny or not - resurrect your fervor for the thing that brought you to the mat.

Earn your chocolate bunnies and have fun and don your bonnet.

Here's some fun history to get you started and some great quotes to keep you in the moment.

Easter, which celebrates Jesus Christ's resurrection from the dead, is Christianity's most important holiday. It has been called a moveable feast because it doesn't fall on a set date every year, as most holidays do. Instead, Christian churches in the West celebrate Easter on the first Sunday following the full moon after the vernal equinox on March 21. Therefore, Easter is observed anywhere between March 22 and April 25 every year. Orthodox Christians use the Julian calendar to calculate when Easter will occur and typically celebrate the holiday a week or two after the Western churches, which follow the Gregorian calendar.

Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection occurred after he went to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover (or Pesach in Hebrew), the Jewish festival commemorating the ancient Israelites' exodus from slavery in Egypt. Pascha eventually came to mean Easter.

Where did the whole Easter egg thing come from?

Christians consider eggs to be "the seed of life" and so they are symbolic of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

In Medieval Europe, eggs were forbidden during Lent. Eggs laid during that time were often boiled or otherwise preserved. Eggs were thus a mainstay of Easter meals, and a prized Easter gift for children and servants.

Spring symbolizes new life and rebirth; eggs were an ancient symbol of fertility.

What's the deal with the Easter bunny?

Hares and rabbits have long been symbols of fertility. The inclusion of the hare into Easter customs appears to have originated in Germany, where tales were told of an "Easter hare" who laid eggs for children to find. German immigrants to America -- particularly Pennsylvania -- brought the tradition with them and spread it to a wider public. They also baked cakes for Easter in the shape of hares, and may have pioneered the practice of making chocolate bunnies and eggs.

Overcoming Obstacles/Reviving/Reinventing

Above all the grace and the gifts that Christ gives to his beloved is that of overcoming self.

Francis of Assisi

Acceptance of what has happened is the first step to overcoming the consequences of any misfortune.

William James

Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.

Helen Keller

Be willing to have it so. Acceptance of what has happened is the first step to overcoming the consequences of any misfortune.

William James

Families are about love overcoming emotional torture.

Matt Groening

Fresh activity is the only means of overcoming adversity.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

One who gains strength by overcoming obstacles possesses the only strength which can overcome adversity.

Albert Schweitzer

The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it.

Moliere

“Sometimes we stare so long at a door that is closing that we see too late the one that is open.” Alexander Graham Bell quo

“The greater difficulty, the more glory in surmounting it. Skillful pilots gain their reputation from storms and tempests.” Epicurus

“Acceptance of what has happened is the first step to overcoming the consequences of any misfortune.”

It is neither wealth nor splendor; but tranquility and occupation, which give you happiness. Thomas Jefferson

But what we can do, as flawed as we are, is still see God in other people, and do our best to help them find their own grace. Barack Obama

“The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value. I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress and grow” Thomas Paine quotes

“Opposition is a natural part of life. Just as we develop our physical muscles through overcoming opposition - such as lifting weights - we develop our character muscles by overcoming challenges and adversity.” Stephen R. Covey

“In times of great stress or adversity, it's always best to keep busy, to plow your anger and your energy into something positive.” Lee Iacocca

“Art begins with resistance-at the point where resistance is overcome. No human masterpiece has ever been created without great labor.” Andre Gide

People who cannot invent and reinvent themselves must be content with borrowed postures, secondhand ideas, fitting in instead of standing out. Warren G. Bennis

It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad. C. S. Lewis

Don’t worry when you are not recognized, but strive to be worthy of recognition. Abraham Lincoln

Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear. Mark Twain

It always seems impossible until its done. Nelson Mandela

Action is the foundational key to all success. Pablo Picasso

Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success. Dale Carnegie

I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody. Bill Cosby

Positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking will. Zig Ziglar

The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing. Walt Disney

When you're finished changing, you're finished. Benjamin Franklin

Become so wrapped up in something that you forget to be afraid. Lady Bird Johnson

Paas Out,

Lady

Happy Birthday 27!

Today's the 27th running of the LA Marathon and the third time it ends the race right here in Santa Monica. The longest yoga mat in the city - 26.2 miles where tens of thousands of runners come together and pave out their path as one - YOGA.

I love it and you can't help but feel it in the air - the excitement and camaraderie.

Whether it's a runner's first time or 101st time, it's always exciting because the support and preparation meet.

The love is abundant from family members, friends and strangers cheering runners on and warming them with hugs at the end of the race.

Today is yoga and we get to meet on the mat and do our yoga.

Running, like yoga, can be very self competitive. You may see the person beside you, pass you, or beside you achieve a posture that you are struggling with, but ultimately, it is you, up against yourself WITH others who are up against themselves.

It’s not really about the full expression of a posture or passing someone on the road, it’s about coming together to accomplish something for yourself. When you accomplish something for yourself, you are able to, in turn, help others accomplish.

It’s impossible not to think that every mile we train or every pose we put our bodies into has a result outside of ourselves. Every time we tie our laces or take a deep breath in and set our intention to practice, we are creating an energy that is pure and good for ourselves and those we come in contact with.

Life is often compared to a marathon. It’s a process of transformation. It isn’t destination. It’s not even journey. Its who you become after you prepare. It’s time and preparation. It’s the building of endurance and the knocking down of walls of fear that afford you and opportunity that is created solely by you. Yes there is a date, a deadline, but YOU have created that opportunity with your one still point focus and intention. YOGA.

Our yoga practice is like a marathon. Sometimes you are in the zone. Sometimes you need to rest. Sometimes you wonder what the heck got you into this. But you are always glad you did it.You are always glad to try your best.

It might not be 26.219 miles, but it is always a lesson in training for the great marathon of life.

What do you run for? What is your race? What is your goal?

The key ingredients are time and preparation of not only the mind but the body and spirit. You have to believe you can do it for the rest to follow. Endurance is a result of that effort.

And, anyone can do it, regardless of age, size or physical limitation. The only thing you need is to believe.

It’s commitment and follow through, accountability and responsibility. It’s accomplishment and celebration.

Let us use the words of great runners and leaders to inspire us on our course today.

Whatever you can do, Or think you can, begin it. Boldness has power, and genius, and magic in it. - Goethe

"Pressure is nothing more than the shadow of great opportunity." Michael Johnson

"Tough times don't last but tough people do." A.C. Green

"If the word quit is part of your vocabulary, then the word finish is likely not." - B.G. Jett

“The essential thing in life is not so much conquering as fighting well.” – Baron De Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympic Games

"The woods are lovely dark and deep, but I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep." - Robert Frost

“We will go to the moon. We will go to the moon and do other things, not because they are easy but because they are hard.” - John F. Kennedy, Jr.

"Your toughness is made up of equal parts persistence and experience. You don't so much outrun your opponents as outlast and outsmart them, and the toughest opponent of all is the one inside your head." - Joe Henderson

“To be great, one does not have to be mad, but definitely it helps.” – Percy Cerutty

"If one can stick to the training throughout the many long years, then will power is no longer a problem. It's raining? That doesn't matter. I am tired? That's besides the point. It's simply that I just have to." - Emil Zatopek

”I'm a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.” - Thomas Jefferson

"Relentless Forward Motion!" - Tom Riley

"Everyone who has run knows that its most important value is in removing tension and allowing a release from whatever other cares the day may bring." - Jimmy Carter

"Runners just do it - they run for the finish line even if someone else has reached it first." - Author Unknown

"The obsession with running is really an obsession with the potential for more and more life." - George Sheehan

"A runners creed: I will win; if I cannot win, I shall be second; if I cannot be second, I shall be third; if I cannot place at all, I shall still do my best." - Ken Doherty

"There are clubs you can't belong to, neighborhoods you can't live in, schools you can't get into, but the roads are always open." - Nike

"The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit. The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are." - Marcus Aurelius

"The Chinese use two brush strokes to write the word 'crisis.' One brush stroke stands for danger; the other for opportunity. In a crisis, be aware of the danger - but recognize the opportunity." - John F. Kennedy, Jr.

"Some of the world's greatest feats were accomplished by people not smart enough to know they were impossible." Doug Larson

"If you ever get a second chance in life for something, you've got to go all the way."

- Lance Armstrong

"Anybody can do just about anything with himself that he really wants to and makes his mind to do. We are capable of greater than we realize." - Norman Vincent Peale, author

"Running is the greatest metaphor for life, because you get out of it what you put into it." - Oprah Winfrey, talk show host and marathon finisher

The man who can drive himself further once the effort gets painful is the man who will win. –Sir Roger Bannister

The marathon is not really about the marathon, it's about the shared struggle. And it's not only the marathon, but the training.
- Bill Buffum

Concentrate on small segments of your race at a time. For example, rather than obsessing about the distance that remains, simply complete the next mile in good form...try another, then another, until the race is done.
- Jerry Lynch

“To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.” Steve Roland Prefontaine

“Being a runner means you are now "free" to win and lose and live life to its fullest.” Bill Rodgers

Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit. We are all the same in this notion. The potential for greatness lives within each of us. –Wilma Rudolf

"Man imposes his own limitations, don't set any" -Anthony Bailey

"Human beings are made up of flesh and blood, and a miracle fiber called courage" -George Patton

The greatest pleasure in life, is doing the things people say we cannot do. - Walter Bagehot

Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.- Confucius

All it takes is all you got. -Marc Davis

The five S's of sports training are: Stamina, Speed, Strength, Skill and Spirit;

but the greatest of these is Spirit. -Ken Doherty

Don't bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors.

Try to be better than yourself. -William Faulkner

You have a choice. You can throw in the towel, or you can use it to wipe the sweat off of your face. -Gatorade

Ability is what you are capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do.

Attitude determines how well you do it. -Lou Holtz

When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on. -Theodore Roosevelt

It is a rough road that leads to the heights of greatness. -Seneca

Do a little more each day than you think you possibly can. -Lowell Thomas

Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed. -Booker T. Washington

Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss it you will land among the stars - Les Brown

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. - Martin Luther King, Jr.

Nothing gives one person so much advantage over another as to remain always cool and unruffled under all circumstances. -Thomas Jefferson

"Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going." - Jim Ryun

“Now bid me run, and I will strive with things impossible.” – Shakespeare, Julius Caesar