Ever since taking my yoga teacher training, I’ve been even more fascinated by the idea of body and breath as gateways to our inner wisdom. In my quest to discover more about these concepts, this weekend I took a continuing education course called “Yoga Asanas and the Emotions: Creative Exploration of the Body Self” at JFK University. According to the instructor, Sophia Reinders:

“Through attention to the kinesthetic experience, yoga allows emotions and feelings that have taken a silent shape in muscles, posture and movement to come to conscious awareness.”

We started off Saturday by spending a couple minutes drawing where we most live in our body. My picture came in stilted scribbles and crude caricatures. (I had to get over that the drawing resembles some sort of weird chicken.) Regardless of appearances, it represented my feeling of grounding and rooting along with expansive creativity in my heart and mind and expression through my arms. Looking back after having seen all my images together, it seems like I created this one more from my head rather than my physical experience.

Next, we sketched where we least live on our body. I can’t stand doing any kind of leg extensions that require internal rotation. They just kill me. I always feel like my torso caves in because I can’t stretch very far over and that I have no energy coming out of my feet. So, I avoid poses like the Prasarita series and Upavistha Konasana. I also depicted how my shoulders get really tense when I’m stressed out and when I don’t deal with my emotions of anger and sadness. My collapsed rib cage stifles the creative and loving energy from my heart and I’m left feeling very stuck.

Sophia had us explore different poses to see where we habitually resist and how we overcompensate to avoid going where we don’t want to go. By opening up the stuck places (in Prasarita, no less!), I felt my chest and back lengthen and my fourth chakra have room to expand. I also played with getting more energy into my lower body in poses like down-dog and Prasarita. This helped me feel more grounded and stable. By the end of the day, my drawing had evolved to something much more fluid and integrated. I tapped into a feeling of unfolding and radiating from my heart center.

My yoga teacher training taught me how powerful adjustments can be, and it was cool to now add on this new layer of shifting poses from the emotional field, too. Sophia said that yoga is such a great access point to our emotions because the variety of postures gives us the opportunity to move our body in all the different ways its capable of. That way we can find and play with our edge.

This morning, we explored shoulders (where we tend to carry the weight of the world!). I doodled this image to represent the knots I hold in my shoulders and the release of tension when I allow myself to stretch.

We also did some great guided meditations on our breath and also on exploring the different sides of our body. What a great reminder that just simply lying down for even just a few minutes to tune into my breath and body, I can feel so much more refreshed.

Then finally, through authentic movement (basically making up our own dance) we expressed the polarities of our different sides in order to learn how to integrate them better. For me it was seeing how to bring together the fluid, creative left side with the action/doing right side. So instead of having the “must do all these things” energy run me, I can ease into it and let my creative intuition allow things to manifest. The final exercise was to spend a few minutes writing a poem of our experience:

Fluid strength
Rises with creativity and action
Expansion, gathering, moving through space
Horizons widen like thick brush strokes
Coloring the canvas with bold shades
And smooth textures
A powerful force of grace and authority
Blend together in beauty and brilliance

By the end of the course I felt like I embodied both sides of me and felt much more integrated and fluid. Given how stuck I felt this past week, it was good to have a place to explore and release. I also enjoyed the change of pace with this class. In Ashtanga, I’m usually in the flow, moving fairly quickly in and out of poses. With this exploration, I can slow things down and be even more mindful. And now whenever I feel like skipping out on my yoga practice, I can notice that resistance and ask myself to just get on my mat and explore what’s there. As one of my fellow students said, “What’s in the way, is the way.” So, if I’m willing to look, there are many “ah-a’s.”

[tags]yoga, asanas, emotion, art therapy, creativity, JFK University, art visioning[/tags]

This afternoon, I took a long walk with my dog Emmett to destress from the week. We hiked through the redwoods of Joaquin Miller Park which is just up the road from my house. Actually, I let Emmett walk me. (Brian does this sometimes when he’s curious to see where Emmett will go.) I thought that it would be a good exercise in slowing down.

Dogs live so in the moment. What a great lesson for me as I’m usually in the past or future. My dog loves to follow his nose. He experiences his surroundings by smelling every nook and cranny. Under leaves, in-between branches, through blades of grass.

At first I was frustrated at how he would stop at what seemed like every tree stump to poke his nose around. Then, I noticed that as I slowed down with him… I could hear bugs buzzing about. The cool, damp air brushed against my skin. Different shades of greenery and textures popped out of the trees. I was experiencing the beautiful forest around me. I relaxed into it.

Blog ideas about my walk insights bubbled up (always planning ahead!). I just noticed and let it pass. Instead, I focused on how curious Emmett was. How he seemed to instinctively enjoy going wherever the scent took him.

When I was ready to turn around, I’d get impatient when Emmett was just sniffing around for what looked like no apparent reason. Again, I just noticed and stopped walking or slowed down behind him.

On our way back, I bumped into someone I had just met last night at a gathering to explore the concept of accountability and support groups for projects. If I’d been intent on having my walk be my workout for the day (with Emmett merely tagging along), I might not have recognized this new person. I would’ve probably just zoomed right by.

I have Emmett to thank for a wonderfully refreshing walk in the woods and, more importantly, for reminding me to follow my nose and to relish in the simple pleasures of each present moment. It’s the journey, not the destination.

[tags]dogs, hiking, Joaquin Miller Park[/tags]

The past several days I’ve woken up with a tense jaw. Ever since returning from vacation, I’ve been going non-stop. It’s all good stuff - signed on several new clients last week, visited with friends, am working on cool opportunities, etc. I’ve been more focused on other people or external things and I haven’t regularly taken time to truly be quiet and still. Sure, I’ve done my morning yoga practice to varying degrees, however my body is clearly telling me I’m needing something more to fully recharge.

I’ve never considered myself religious, yet I do believe in some form of a higher power. One of my previous coaches was a spiritual coach. Our work started me on my journey to exploring more about my own higher self and how it’s connected to everything around me. In addition to helping me take the leap to pursue my dreams, she also guided me in developing a regular practice of quieting, journaling and tapping into my inner peace and knowing.

My grandparents were Buddhist. As a kid, I thought their chanting and incense were just a little too weird. Now, I wish that I had learned more about it from them. Especially, the meditative art of shodo that my grandpa used to practice daily (the image is a portion of one of his calligraphy scrolls that hangs in our house).

More recently, probably since my yoga training, I’m noticing that Buddhism has been showing up in different parts of my life. My friend Brighid studies Buddhism, especially the practice of the Middle Way, and often times shares her learnings with me. This past weekend, Brian and I watched the inspiring movie “Peaceful Warrior.” Many of the film’s messages (especially of “taking out the trash” - the mental garbage that clutters our minds and prevents us from fully living in the present moment) are inspired by Buddhist teachings and also remind me a lot about what life coaching is about.

What I’m learning about Buddhism is that it’s more of a philosophy, a way of being or a practice. The concepts naturally resonate with me. I even think back to how many times friends and colleagues have commented on how “Zen” I am.

As I read “The Zen of Creativity” in bed last night, I shared with Brian how I’ve noticed these theme of Zen and Buddhism lately. I even mentioned that the last book I read happened to be written by a local spiritual teacher who has a Zen center in Oakland which I’m considering checking out. Brian joked that it should be called a “Zenter.” Anyway, that term grew on me. As I laid awake not able to sleep at the crack of dawn this morning, I thought to myself that in the midst of my stress and clutter, I’m finding my own “Zenter.” I’m cultivating my own practice of quieting down, emptying my mind and letting creativity flow from there. I’ve even been incorporating these ideas into the new branding for my coaching business.

So, speaking of quiet, creative time, I’m planning on spending the rest of the afternoon clearing my head and then creating from that.

[tags]Zen, Buddhism, spirituality, shodo[/tags]

Friends. Food. Fun. What could be better on a gorgeous, warm and sunny San Francisco afternoon? The book club ladies (sans Francisca) gathered at Kristen’s house in the Sunset to revel in Elizabeth Gilbert’s fantastic memoir “Eat, Pray, Love.” While discussing the author’s personal pilgrimage through Italy, India and Indonesia to find her true self, we feasted on antipasti including caprese salad, grilled asparagus and scrumptious figs with blue cheese. We shared how we related to her journey as we devoured to-die-for orecchiette pasta with chicken sausage and red chili flakes smothered in a tangy cream sauce. We pondered how the she might be integrating all her learnings into her day-to-day life post-travels as we gobbled up chocolate, vanilla and hazelnut gelato dripping with gooey chocolate ganache. Obviously, we had no problem taking a cue from the Italy indulgence theme from part one of the book.

Since the book club ladies weren’t able to attend my Freedom Party a couple of weeks ago, they gave me a heartfelt present. It brought tears to my eyes (there’s always some laughing and crying at book club!). Each gal picked out a special stone carved with an inspirational word like “Dream” or “Courage.” The fifth rock simply read “Friends” symbolizing the enduring strength of our friendship. Whenever I’m reading in my hammock in the backyard, these precious pebbles will be there to remind me that these four wonderful women will always be there for support and love.

As we wrapped up the day and I got into my car, the clear view of the ocean beckoned. Instead of heading straight home, I spontaneously drove out to the beach - one of my favorite spots when I used to live in the city. Just like in the book, I felt pulled to have some time just for me. I cast off my flip flops and waded in the cool, salty surf. I just love how the sound of crashing waves is so meditative. Even in this calm, peaceful place I noticed, though, that my mind still wandered. And since instead of berating myself for mind chatter I’m practicing holding myself with compassion, I just went with it. Riding the wave. I recalled how about seven or eight years ago I performed a letting go ritual on this same stretch of sand. I had written down things that were frustrating about my job, my life, etc. and then tossed them into the sea.

In that moment of reflection, I really related to a quote from the book, “I think about the woman I have become lately, about the life that I am now living, and how much I always wanted to be this person and live this life, liberated from the farce of pretending to be anyone other than myself.” My heart swelled with gratitude. This book has opened my eyes even more to my own personal journey and to deepening my own spiritual path. And by following an urge to do something nice just for me on this sunny afternoon, I gave myself the gifts of enjoying the present moment and of honoring who I am now and who I am becoming.

[tags]book club, Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat Pray Love[/tags]

We returned from our Alaskan cruise on Sunday. Since I hadn’t had a chance to post yet about our final port visits, I thought I would do a quick catch up from where we left off… in Ketchikan.

Plus Brian just posted some amazing pictures from the trip that I wanted to share. That’s him on the whale watching boat with his monster lens. He also used that to get super close up shots of the glaciers, so check it out!

On Friday we spent a short stay in Ketchikan which is Alaska’s first city and the salmon capital of the world (according to the sign!). Since the zip line excursion and lumberjack show were sold out, we ended up taking the “Duck Tour.” What is a “Duck Tour” you ask? Well, it’s a ride around the town’s streets and waters in an amphibious bus/boat. And to make it complete they have quacking duck whistles for purchase on-board. Needless to say, we didn’t partake in the raucous! Not surprisingly, Ketchikan, like the other ports we visited had it’s share of totem poles and brothels. There seemed to be a theme!

In Victoria we only had time to grab a nice dinner with our friends Julie, George and their son Jaden (that’s us eating dinner together on the cruise ship a couple nights before). Wow, non-cruise food never tasted soooo good! We wished we could just stay ashore and hang out in the beautiful downtown Victoria a bit longer. We peeked in a couple of shops on the main street before things closed down for the evening.

Definitely seems like a wonderful place to come back and visit again when we could have more time to explore. I had visited there with my parents when I was about seven. The street lamps flanked by flower pots are still as charming as I remember.

Before heading off to the airport in Seattle on Sunday, we were able to get in a couple of hours at Pike Place Market. A feast for the senses, the market overflowed with fish mongers, colorful flower stands, piles of fresh, organic produce and other gourmet delights. We also saw the original Starbucks coffee shop which, like all other Starbucks, was a hub of activity. And we enjoyed a delicious bowl of chowder and a crab sandwich before dashing off to catch our plane.

Back on land, I’m glad to be home. I enjoyed the natural beauty of Alaska’s landscape. Yet, it’s really nice to be in capris, a t-shirt and flip-flops again enjoying the famous California sunshine!

[tags]travel, Alaska, cruise, Ketchikan, Seattle[/tags]

One of the highlights of cruising Alaska is viewing the magnificent glaciers from the boat. This morning we floated along Glacier Bay in the southeastern part of Alaska.

We saw Marjorie Glacier up close and even witnessed some calving. A thunderous boom was then followed by chunks of ice falling into the water. It was amazing to see the cracks and crevices of this giant masterpiece of nature.

Later we saw John Hopkins Glacier from a distance. With its winding path of ice it’s easy to imagine it carving away the valley between the tall rocky mountains.

There are 14 glaciers total in Glacier Bay park and we were fortunate to see four of them in this beautiful, pristine sanctuary.

It was pretty chilly on deck, so I was glad that I brought my super warm parka and bundled up! And that Brian was there to keep me warm!

He was using his huge telephoto lens and got some really nice detail shots of the glaciers.
[tags]travel, Alaska, cruise, Glacier Bay[/tags]

Today we docked in Skagway, an old gold rush town that was once full of brothels. Brian and I strolled the quaint main road in the morning. Since we weren’t really into buying furs or jewelry, Brian shots some photos of the town while I got in some quick painting.

In the afternoon we headed off to our musher’s camp and sled dog adventure. I’d been looking forward to seeing the pups all day!

The chorus of dog barks reverberated from the musher’s camp as we approached the entry way. Although we didn’t do the grand tour that takes you on a helicopter to see the dogs on a glacier, I still enjoyed the carriage ride through the woods. These working dogs, eager to run, jumped in the air raring to go. According to our guides, they are pound for pound as strong as horses and getting pulled along the trail by 16 Alaskan huskies, we could sure feel their power.

At the camp, one musher hailing from Massachusetts shared with us his tales of 140-mile a day runs with his dogs. His passion for these pups really came through and it was cool to hear about his experiences out on the tundra.

And then of course, the moment I had been waiting for… the chance to cuddle with puppies! I got to hold a really adorable Huskie/hound pup who really loved chewing my scarf, jacket and even earrings! What a cutie.

This picture is of a young dog named Silver. I’ve been studying how Brian shoots pictures of Emmett!

[tags]travel, Alaska, cruise, Skagway, dogs[/tags]

We started our Alaskan cruise on Sunday. Granted this is our second cruise in less than a year, we are NOT cruise people! I repeat we are NOT cruise people! We had booked this trip with our friends Julie and George before we went on the Mediterranean cruise with Brian’s family in the fall of last year when we learned we don’t really dig the cruise lifestyle. Anyway, it’s pretty funny, though, because even though we’re on a different ship since it’s the same cruise line the ship is almost identical to the one we were on for nearly three weeks. So the good thing is, we know our way around. Plus, it’s fun to be hanging out with friends this time.

After a day at sea, we docked in Juneau. Our adventure for the day was whale watching aboard a really fast jetboat. We spotted sea lions swimming in the water and some lounging lazily on a colorful buoy. A mother humpback and calf surfaced and we caught sight of them briefly. Although we didn’t get too close to the whales, it was cool to see them spray up water with their blow holes (our guide said at rates of something like 320 mph!). We learned about their migration patterns between Alaska and Hawaii. They come up to Alaska during the summer months to feed on the rich algae-filled water and then migrate back to the warmer oceans of Hawaii to mate and then later to give birth. One interesting factoid that he shared was that you can tell the age of a whale by looking at its ear wax. Gross but kinda cool! Much like the rings in a tree trunk, the layers of wax indicate years of age on a whale. The darker rings are from the six months when they are in the Alaskan algae rich waters and the lighter wax from the six months when they are in Hawaii.

During our tour, we also spotted several bald eagles. These majestic birds can have wing spans up to 7 feet! Alaska is definitely teeming with beautiful wildlife and lush scenery.

[tags]travel, Alaska, cruise, whale watching[/tags]

Before embarking on our Alaskan cruise, Brian and I visited one of my dear friends from Leadership, Lisa and her family in Seattle. I hadn’t seen Lisa in about a year and a half, so I really enjoyed catching up in person and hearing about how well her life is going. And I hadn’t seen her daughter Willow in more than two years. She is a real sweetheart and has the cutest smile and laugh.

We went to a park near Washington Lake where many families were barbequeing, swimming and having a good ole time. Willow peddled her Radio Flyer tricycle around the trails and played on the slides and swings. Lisa even showed us the Willow tree she and her husband Kelly planted for Willow on the banks of the lake. Kelly is a helicopter instructor and while we were playing with Willow at home, we heard a helicopter hover over the house. At dinner we found out that it was indeed Kelly circling overhead to say “Hello!”

On Sunday, Lisa took us out to the Fremont fair where we browsed many booths of unique and artistic wares. Fremont is a funky little part of Seattle. It even boasts a neon Rapunzel sign with blond hair hanging outside the window of the draw bridge leading into the town. I loved the neighborhood tour of the city and getting a taste of Lisa in her element. What a treat.

[tags]travel, Seattle[/tags]

While assisting a Process coaching course at CTI this past weekend, I got some great coaching on my life purpose statement. I had created one several years back that I have since outgrown and revised, yet something was still missing.

My coach commented on how wise I seem despite my age - something I’ve heard before as well. So we played with the combination of wisdom and playfulness. After skipping across the room, we noticed the energy seemed lighter and my coach offered up the word sparkle. At first I resisted saying it didn’t feel like me, but said that I would try it on.

By the end of the afternoon I had truly stepped into my new life purpose statement, “I am the Sparkling Sage who creates space for beauty, breath and being.” Even the participants and leaders commented on how the new statement resonated with who they saw me being.

This morning, I was inspired to paint something to help me further explore the idea of Sparkling Sage. I knew I wanted it to have green and some pink and definitely an iridescent sheen. I also knew I wanted to include the mantra “Lokha samastha sukhino bhavantu” which means in Sanskrit, “May all beings everywhere be happy and free.” I hadn’t painted something in quite some time, so it felt good to have the creative juices flowing again.

And I’m happy to have a new life purpose statement to fit how I’m showing up now and where I’m moving toward. A life purpose statement serves as an internal compass to help guide me on my path. It helps me know when I’m living my life “on purpose.” What is your life purpose? What is your impact? Who are you becoming?

[tags]painting, life coaching, The Coaches Training Institute, life purpose statement, art visioning[/tags]