Pillow hair ...

Okay that was just a teaser, this isn't really about pillow hair ... though it is about waking up. I recently came across a Chinese proverb:

When sleeping women wake, mountains move.

My heart quickened at the truth found within this simple phrase. I've read and heard many, many quotes throughout my life (some of which are written on the walls of my home), but don't recall ever hearing this one. Maybe I had heard it, but wasn't ready to listen to its meaning. I have been asleep for a long time.

I'm awake now ... and ready to move some mountains.

There's a scene in the movie Thelma and Louise where Thelma says to Louise:
"Are you awake?"
Louise responds, "I guess you can call it that ... my eyes are open."
Thelma says, "Me too. I feel awake.Wide awake. I don't remember ever feeling this awake. Know what I mean? Everything looks different."

This woman has been roused. I hope you're ready.

Sweating my ass off

and I mean that literally!

Soooo ... I've been talking about getting back into yoga. I should mention that my experience with yoga, while limited, is also quite intense. If you've heard of the P90X program, you know that YogaX is one of the hardest 90 minutes you will ever endure ... and I wasn't able to endure it many times. Forty-five minutes on my hands was killer for the wrists and pretty much eliminated the ability to complete the rest of it. I swapped out the YogaX for the XStretch while doing that routine. With all that being said, I did not do that version of yoga tonight, because honestly ... *shaking my head* I simply can't do that program again.

Anyway, my holiday stocking contained Jillian Michael's "Yoga Meltdown" (I have a photo, but for an unknown reason, Blogger won't let me post it ... bastards) and I just did it for the first time this evening.

Of course I cranked the heat up -- to I don't know ... Dante's Inferno! -- because it's winter here in Michigan! Just the thought of stripping out of my usual three layers of clothing to don yoga pants and top and NO WOOL SOCKS made me shiver. It turns out, upping the thermostat was completely unnecessary.

This DVD contains two 30-minute workouts and I went with Level 1. All I can say is, yes, the moves are traditional yoga poses ... but that's about it. This is a cardio workout and it kicked my butt. My hair was soaked and sticking to me. I was also slightly nauseous at the end, but that could have been from having my face buried in my filthy carpet. As I type this, my arms are still trembling. I loved it.

Not sure if I'll be able to do it again tomorrow, but the goal is every other day. Hell, it's a half an hour! It takes me longer than that to eat a decent meal. I've made bigger life-style changes than moving my body in ways that will improve my strength, flexibility, and mental well-being. I can do this for myself.

*rolling shoulders* Christ though ... my arms (and probably every other major muscle) are gonna be sore. *grin* I love it!!

Welcome Winter!

Yule. Winter Solstice. First Day of Winter. Shortest Day of the Year. Longest Night.

You can almost feel Nature taking that deep breath in ... pausing.

This is typically what I do during this time on the Wheel. Take that deep breath in, way in ... all the way to my pelvis ... release slowly, then hit pause. Repeat several times. Reflect on all that has happened during the past year. There's been great joy ... as well as heartrending grief. Extreme bliss ... and terrible loss. Yin and yang. Ebb and flow. I close my eyes and let the memories wash over my mind ... savoring wonderful moments ... and releasing the rest.

Winter may indeed be a time of quiet stillness, but it's also time for planning. The earth is barren and may even appear lifeless, but that's only on the surface. Nature is never completely idle. We could benefit from Her example. By all means, rest and regroup ... but also be planning for spring.

The darkness won't last. Already the days lengthen ... stretching toward the promise of spring.

Getting it right!

I've spent years trying to figure out where I'm supposed to be, what I'm supposed to be doing ... you know ... desperately seeking a true authentic self.

This would be an awesome blog post if I could shout "Eureka!" with conviction and share all the wonders of my discovery. Alas, that isn't exactly the case ... but I may be getting closer. *shrug* And really, isn't forward momentum an important element in finding our true self? I choose to believe so.

In addition to engaging in fun, intelligent conversations and surrounding myself with words and music and people who genuinely care for me, I've been eating well and walking daily.

There's also an unwanted squatter that I've been trying to evict ... my inner masochist. Maybe you have one of these in you as well. That rotten little voice that seems stuck on Repeat as it recalls all that you've done wrong, said wrong, thought of doing wrong, or actually did right, but perceived as being wrong, ad nauseum ... you know what I'm talking about. What a vile entity THAT is! No one -- and I literally mean not one person living or dead -- can beat me up like I can. *shaking my head* It is not a pretty trait ... and not one good thing will ever come of it.

Several months ago I managed to somehow fall into a website that has helped bring things into a more positive perspective and quite often has provided a bit of validation for the things I've been "getting right" all along!

So a shout-out to the creators and contributors at MindBodyGreen! What an inspiring website!



http://www.mindbodygreen.com/

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thirteen things I'm grateful for ...

1. Good health
2. An eccentric family that drives me crazy, but who are all decent humans I'm proud to call mine
3. Friends who are always in my corner fighting for me, even when I feel like throwing in the towel
4. Our growing business
5. Healthy food in my pantry and refrigerator
6. Fingerless gloves
7. A creative mind
8. Clean water
9. Technology (specifically IT) -- for better or worse, it has changed the way I live
10. To have been born in the United States
11. Daily walks that keep me sane
12. Words
13. Laughter

Broken

Fun photo shoot.
(Paying homage to one of my favorite songs and videos.)



Masks

With Halloween just a week away, it seems like an appropriate time to mention masks. There are all sorts. Mardi Gras masks. The silly plastic Halloween masks of my childhood.

And the grease-paint masks of clowns. So often, clowns are shown in such an unfavorable light that the vast majority of people find them terrifying ... myself included.

Most of the time.

The ones that always tug at my heart though are the truly sad ones with their painted on smiles.

By the way, if you follow me on Facebook, I'm taking a break from that social networking site for a while as I concentrate on finishing up some works in progress. So if you send a request or such, please be patient.

I'll be back though.

Annoyed

My yahoo account got hacked and appears to have sent out bizarre emails. I apologize if you received anything strange from me via email. =( Technology can be a pain in the ass sometimes. Passwords have been changed, etc. Again ... apologies.

Right now

Haven't done this in a while. Five things I'm into right now:

1. Hula-Hooping (What's not to love, right?)
2. Twisted By Love by Jasmine Haynes (Fascinated by reincarnation)
3. Kenny Chesney's Come Over (Well ... it's KChez without a hat ... and a sexy chick without much of anything)
4. Sudoku (for pre-beginners!)
5. Non-scary Halloween movies ('cause I'm a wimp)