I took this one the other day from the yoga studio. :)
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Weird Shoe
Finally updating some more pics!!
Here's one from about a week ago. While walking in Mandeville to breakfast I saw this shoe on the sidewalk. The nice clean area of Mandeville, and yep this burned up sole of a shoe. Go figure.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Quote for Today
"Are you sure you know what you're doing? Because if not, you ought to think about what you're doing, realize the causes, motivations, circumstances, and intentions of why you're doing what you're doing. Then assess whether you want to keep doing what you're doing or do something else. If you don't intentionally discover why your life is like it is, how do you expect to ever customize it?"
-Keith Ryan
-Keith Ryan
Friday, July 31, 2009
From the mat tonight
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It's hard to believe I've been in Southern Louisiana for almost a month! And in this month, I've been super busy, super excited, and super inspired. There is really SO much to write and so much to say. One of my goals since the move is to blog more. :o) And even though I'm just now jumping back into it...I'm looking forward to much more.I could start out by telling you about my first impressions of the area. Or how exciting and scary a BIG move like this was for me. Or how I'm getting into my real flow. Or tell you what I think about the bugs.
But you know what? I think I'll leave you in suspense on all that for now.
Instead, I think I'll start by telling you about something I finally did last night.
With many moves, the movers feel so accomplished when the last box is unpacked. Surprisingly, that's not what I'm going to say.
In all honesty, I've really only unpacked two boxes. ONLY TWO!! And if you know me...that might sound CRAZY!
It's strange. But getting into the flow for me lately has been really learning to relax into things. To chill. And so far, that has been my greatest challenge. (Try going from 5 Google Calendars to Uno...it's a different way of being!)
Back to last night. What I finally did was this: I unpacked the suitcase I've been living out of since Crystal's wedding back in June. I'd wear the same clothes, wash them of course, and put them back in the suitcase.
I have my space almost set up. I have a comfy place to sleep that is SO peaceful. And now, my one suitcase of clothes has found it's home. And just that seemingly simple event helps me also feel more at home.
And you know what? Home isn't so much a physical place. It's more about the place where you are with it. Where you are in your mind, where you are in the world...and just how comfortable you are with it all.
Tonight I encourage to you explore just how comfortable you really are. Not simply how comfortable your home is. But how comfortable you are where you are right now. Where you are in your life...where you are in your heart...where you choose to plant yourself.
How comfortable are you with yourself and all your choices in this moment?
I think taking my time on unpacking really shows that I felt at home here from day one. Even with everything still in a suitcase.
I'm learning so much here. So much about myself it's going to be a journey just to share it on this blog.
Thanks to everyone that supported me in making this leap. And thanks to those that maybe weren't so supportive but still in their own ways, were there for me.
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From my mat this evening I send just a few pictures. My purple mat on the floor in my new space. And a picture of one view from my mat.
In love and light and truth,
Marianne
Sunday, June 21, 2009
More on the Hug Campaign
The Free Hug video really touched me. I'm sure you have had days when all you needed was a hug. Days where you didn't want anyone's advice, didn't want to talk about it, and just wanted someone to be there with a hug.
I just wanted to share some more on the Free Hug and how it started. Oh, and don't forget to hug you dad today! ;)
On how the hug campaign started from http://www.freehugscampaign.com/
How it all started:
I'd been living in London when my world turned upside down and I'd had to come home. By the time my plane landed back in Sydney, all I had left was a carry on bag full of clothes and a world of troubles. No one to welcome me back, no place to call home. I was a tourist in my hometown.
Standing there in the arrivals terminal, watching other passengers meeting their waiting friends and family, with open arms and smiling faces, hugging and laughing together, I wanted someone out there to be waiting for me. To be happy to see me. To smile at me. To hug me.
So I got some cardboard and a marker and made a sign. I found the busiest pedestrian intersection in the city and held that sign aloft, with the words "Free Hugs" on both sides.And for 15 minutes, people just stared right through me. The first person who stopped, tapped me on the shoulder and told me how her dog had just died that morning. How that morning had been the one year anniversary of her only daughter dying in a car accident. How what she needed now, when she felt most alone in the world, was a hug. I got down on one knee, we put our arms around each other and when we parted, she was smiling.
Everyone has problems and for sure mine haven't compared. But to see someone who was once frowning, smile even for a moment, is worth it every time.
I just wanted to share some more on the Free Hug and how it started. Oh, and don't forget to hug you dad today! ;)
On how the hug campaign started from http://www.freehugscampaign.com/
How it all started:
I'd been living in London when my world turned upside down and I'd had to come home. By the time my plane landed back in Sydney, all I had left was a carry on bag full of clothes and a world of troubles. No one to welcome me back, no place to call home. I was a tourist in my hometown.
Standing there in the arrivals terminal, watching other passengers meeting their waiting friends and family, with open arms and smiling faces, hugging and laughing together, I wanted someone out there to be waiting for me. To be happy to see me. To smile at me. To hug me.
So I got some cardboard and a marker and made a sign. I found the busiest pedestrian intersection in the city and held that sign aloft, with the words "Free Hugs" on both sides.And for 15 minutes, people just stared right through me. The first person who stopped, tapped me on the shoulder and told me how her dog had just died that morning. How that morning had been the one year anniversary of her only daughter dying in a car accident. How what she needed now, when she felt most alone in the world, was a hug. I got down on one knee, we put our arms around each other and when we parted, she was smiling.
Everyone has problems and for sure mine haven't compared. But to see someone who was once frowning, smile even for a moment, is worth it every time.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Gearing up for great change
Wow...just 3 days left of work at the "job job". Can you believe it? Then I have all next week to see friends, get packing, party...oh and did I mention PACKING?
It's amazing to think that soon enough I'll be heading to New Orleans to help open a yoga studio. What a blessing! I cannot begin to tell you just how cool it is to begin to really follow my dreams!
I've been so fortunate in this life to find what it seems I'm most passionate about. And I've been fortunate enough to be teaching yoga part-time here in Raleigh for the last 6 years. But even doing something part-time while working a "job job" can wear you thin at times.
Feeling the shift of my passion for teaching moving from the back burner as a profession to the front is so inspiring. I can't even begin to explain how it feels at times.
BUT....I'll try to update the blog with how it all goes. I feel as if I'm in for an awesome journey.
Thank you all for your support....and encouragement.
My last class here in Raleigh is next Saturday. We have the yoga mala THIS Saturday the 20th from 10:30am to 1pm. Hope to see you there!
It's amazing to think that soon enough I'll be heading to New Orleans to help open a yoga studio. What a blessing! I cannot begin to tell you just how cool it is to begin to really follow my dreams!
I've been so fortunate in this life to find what it seems I'm most passionate about. And I've been fortunate enough to be teaching yoga part-time here in Raleigh for the last 6 years. But even doing something part-time while working a "job job" can wear you thin at times.
Feeling the shift of my passion for teaching moving from the back burner as a profession to the front is so inspiring. I can't even begin to explain how it feels at times.
BUT....I'll try to update the blog with how it all goes. I feel as if I'm in for an awesome journey.
Thank you all for your support....and encouragement.
My last class here in Raleigh is next Saturday. We have the yoga mala THIS Saturday the 20th from 10:30am to 1pm. Hope to see you there!
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
On Pattabhi's Passing
Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, founder of Ashtanga Yoga, passes away at age 93.
by elephantjournal.com on May 18, 2009
Update: A new post, one of the best yet. Yoga Dork just added their “This Too Shall Pass.” Yoga Journal just weighed in.
News: Sri K. Pattabhi Jois died at his residence following a brief illness. He was 93, not 94.
गते गते पारगते पारसंगते बोधि स्वाहा Swaha! We got word this morning, via Twitter, that Sri K. Pattabhi Jois has passed away. Updates to be added every few minutes.
“Do your practice and all is coming.”
“If we practice the science of yoga, which is useful to the entire human community and which yields happiness both here and hereafter - if we practice it without fail, we will then attain physical, mental, and spiritual happiness, and our minds will flood towards the Self.”
Update, via Cora Wen’s friend, Kino MacGregor:
In Honor of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois: 1915 - 2009Ashtanga Yoga Guruby Kino MacGregor
A Guru is a person whose very presence imparts truth and awakening in the disciple. When I traveled to Mysore for the first time I asked Sri K. Pattabhi Jois where I could find the illusive state of inner peace that all yoga practice seeks to instill. He said, “You take it practice many years, then Shantih is coming… no problem” and my heart opened to the grace of his teaching. It was the depth and power of Gurujii himself that inspired his students to have faith in themselves and in Ashtanga yoga. It was my great fortune to consider him my teacher and I attribute the depth of my personal practice and teaching to the light that Guruji’s fire ignited within me.
Sri K. Pattabhi Jois taught Ashtanga yoga for more than 65 years before passing on May 18, 2009. Each day of his life marked a relentless devotion to the lineage he carried. A humble man born before both world wars, Guruji’s lifelong dedication to yoga transformed the lives of countless people around the world. Coming from a small village called Kowshika in Southern India, Guruji discovered yoga at the age of 12 when he saw the man who would become his teacher, Krishnamacharya, give a yoga demonstration at his school. After devoting himself to his studies and earning the title of Vidwan (professor emeritus of Sanskrit Studies) Guruji taught yoga for nearly 30 years in a small room on the first floor of his modest house in Mysore until the first Westerner came to study with him in 1964. Yet it was not until Jois made his first trip to California in 1975 that the worldwide legacy of Ashtanga yoga began to spread. He lived to see Ashtanga reach more than 30 different countries, transform thousands (if not millions) of yoga practitioners and sprout centers all around the world.
Always joyful to see a new student, Guruji carried the torch of Ashtanga yoga while it grew over the last 34 years from a few disinterested students into a flowering, international community of dedicated, passionate practitioners. We have the practice of Ashtanga yoga today because of Guruji’s unwavering dedication to sharing his wisdom. At the moment of his death there is no greater way we can honor Guruji’s life than to get on our mats and practice every day. He gave us the gift of Ashtanga yoga and now it is our responsibility to practice.
General biographical excerpt via Yoga Lounge:
…the popular system of “Ashtanga Yoga” that is widely practiced today, traces its more recent origins back to the sage Vamana, who is accredited with writing an ancient manuscript called the Yoga Korunta. The teachings of this manuscript were passed down to the great yogi, Sri. T. Krishnamacharya by his guru, Rama Mohan Brahmachai, over an eight-year period of intensive study in a cave in Tibet. When Sri. K. Pattabhi Jois became a student of Krishnamacharya in 1927, he was also taught this particular method of practice. In the present day, these traditional asana sequences have been translated into the primary, intermediate, and advanced series that make up the Ashtanga Yoga practice.
Sri. K. Pattabhi Jois, who is affectionately called Guruji by his students, was born on the day of the full moon in July1915. He left home to embark on a twenty-five year period of study with his guru Krishnamacharya when he was only twelve years old. From 1937 to 1973, he taught at the Sanskrit College in Mysore, and in 1956, earned the title of Vidvan, or Professor. In 1948 Pattabhi Jois established the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute from his home in Laxmipuram. He took his first trip to the West in 1974, when he was invited to deliver a speech on yoga, in Sanskrit, at an international yoga conference held in South America. The following year, sponsored by a group of his North American students, Guruji traveled to California with his son Manju Jois. Over the last thirty years, as a result of his several trips to different parts of the world, and the efforts of his many dedicated students, the teachings of Ashtanga Yoga have spread, and its popularity persists…for more, click here.
Update via John Friend on Twitter: @anusarafriend To honor Pattabhi Jois today Anusara yoga students should do 11 Surya Namaskars - (A) form.
Update: an informative article re. Sri K. Pattabhi Jois on Drishti Yoga:
Jois’ health had been unstable for the past few years, and he was in and out of the hospital more than once. However, the exact causes of death have not yet been made public. Along with B.K.S. Iyengar and T.K.V. Desikachar, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois can be credited with carrying along the lineage of T. Krishnamacharya, who is largely regarded as the founder of modern yoga practice. Jois was one of the most prominent figures in yoga, having taught thousands of students over decades as the founder of the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute in Mysore, India (known today as the Sri K. Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute). Many of his students are now among the most well-respected teachers in the West today.
Sharath Rangaswamy, Jois’ grandson, who has studied and worked closely with Jois for many years, is expected to take on the role as the head of the institute his grandfather founded.
Jois was born July 26, 1915, in the village of Kowshika, South India…
Update: a nice article on Ashtanga News. Excerpt:
Deeply mourning the loss of my sweet Guruji. He passed away in the presence of Sharath, Saraswathi and the family. Such a mixture of thoughts and emotions flow through me as I remember what this great man and spirit meant to me and to the world.
I am reflecting now on how deeply and radically Guruji touched so many of our lives. I know that, for me, his touch was the beginning of a whole series of events that led me to a life that I could have never dreamed of. Guruji will continue to live on in everything that I do. His spirit and his heart will continue to inform the work that I do. Thank you dear, sweet Guruji for being such a light. Govinda Kai
~ ~ ~
by elephantjournal.com on May 18, 2009
Update: A new post, one of the best yet. Yoga Dork just added their “This Too Shall Pass.” Yoga Journal just weighed in.
News: Sri K. Pattabhi Jois died at his residence following a brief illness. He was 93, not 94.
गते गते पारगते पारसंगते बोधि स्वाहा Swaha! We got word this morning, via Twitter, that Sri K. Pattabhi Jois has passed away. Updates to be added every few minutes.
“Do your practice and all is coming.”
“If we practice the science of yoga, which is useful to the entire human community and which yields happiness both here and hereafter - if we practice it without fail, we will then attain physical, mental, and spiritual happiness, and our minds will flood towards the Self.”
Update, via Cora Wen’s friend, Kino MacGregor:
In Honor of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois: 1915 - 2009Ashtanga Yoga Guruby Kino MacGregor
A Guru is a person whose very presence imparts truth and awakening in the disciple. When I traveled to Mysore for the first time I asked Sri K. Pattabhi Jois where I could find the illusive state of inner peace that all yoga practice seeks to instill. He said, “You take it practice many years, then Shantih is coming… no problem” and my heart opened to the grace of his teaching. It was the depth and power of Gurujii himself that inspired his students to have faith in themselves and in Ashtanga yoga. It was my great fortune to consider him my teacher and I attribute the depth of my personal practice and teaching to the light that Guruji’s fire ignited within me.
Sri K. Pattabhi Jois taught Ashtanga yoga for more than 65 years before passing on May 18, 2009. Each day of his life marked a relentless devotion to the lineage he carried. A humble man born before both world wars, Guruji’s lifelong dedication to yoga transformed the lives of countless people around the world. Coming from a small village called Kowshika in Southern India, Guruji discovered yoga at the age of 12 when he saw the man who would become his teacher, Krishnamacharya, give a yoga demonstration at his school. After devoting himself to his studies and earning the title of Vidwan (professor emeritus of Sanskrit Studies) Guruji taught yoga for nearly 30 years in a small room on the first floor of his modest house in Mysore until the first Westerner came to study with him in 1964. Yet it was not until Jois made his first trip to California in 1975 that the worldwide legacy of Ashtanga yoga began to spread. He lived to see Ashtanga reach more than 30 different countries, transform thousands (if not millions) of yoga practitioners and sprout centers all around the world.
Always joyful to see a new student, Guruji carried the torch of Ashtanga yoga while it grew over the last 34 years from a few disinterested students into a flowering, international community of dedicated, passionate practitioners. We have the practice of Ashtanga yoga today because of Guruji’s unwavering dedication to sharing his wisdom. At the moment of his death there is no greater way we can honor Guruji’s life than to get on our mats and practice every day. He gave us the gift of Ashtanga yoga and now it is our responsibility to practice.
General biographical excerpt via Yoga Lounge:
…the popular system of “Ashtanga Yoga” that is widely practiced today, traces its more recent origins back to the sage Vamana, who is accredited with writing an ancient manuscript called the Yoga Korunta. The teachings of this manuscript were passed down to the great yogi, Sri. T. Krishnamacharya by his guru, Rama Mohan Brahmachai, over an eight-year period of intensive study in a cave in Tibet. When Sri. K. Pattabhi Jois became a student of Krishnamacharya in 1927, he was also taught this particular method of practice. In the present day, these traditional asana sequences have been translated into the primary, intermediate, and advanced series that make up the Ashtanga Yoga practice.
Sri. K. Pattabhi Jois, who is affectionately called Guruji by his students, was born on the day of the full moon in July1915. He left home to embark on a twenty-five year period of study with his guru Krishnamacharya when he was only twelve years old. From 1937 to 1973, he taught at the Sanskrit College in Mysore, and in 1956, earned the title of Vidvan, or Professor. In 1948 Pattabhi Jois established the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute from his home in Laxmipuram. He took his first trip to the West in 1974, when he was invited to deliver a speech on yoga, in Sanskrit, at an international yoga conference held in South America. The following year, sponsored by a group of his North American students, Guruji traveled to California with his son Manju Jois. Over the last thirty years, as a result of his several trips to different parts of the world, and the efforts of his many dedicated students, the teachings of Ashtanga Yoga have spread, and its popularity persists…for more, click here.
Update via John Friend on Twitter: @anusarafriend To honor Pattabhi Jois today Anusara yoga students should do 11 Surya Namaskars - (A) form.
Update: an informative article re. Sri K. Pattabhi Jois on Drishti Yoga:
Jois’ health had been unstable for the past few years, and he was in and out of the hospital more than once. However, the exact causes of death have not yet been made public. Along with B.K.S. Iyengar and T.K.V. Desikachar, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois can be credited with carrying along the lineage of T. Krishnamacharya, who is largely regarded as the founder of modern yoga practice. Jois was one of the most prominent figures in yoga, having taught thousands of students over decades as the founder of the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute in Mysore, India (known today as the Sri K. Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute). Many of his students are now among the most well-respected teachers in the West today.
Sharath Rangaswamy, Jois’ grandson, who has studied and worked closely with Jois for many years, is expected to take on the role as the head of the institute his grandfather founded.
Jois was born July 26, 1915, in the village of Kowshika, South India…
Update: a nice article on Ashtanga News. Excerpt:
Deeply mourning the loss of my sweet Guruji. He passed away in the presence of Sharath, Saraswathi and the family. Such a mixture of thoughts and emotions flow through me as I remember what this great man and spirit meant to me and to the world.
I am reflecting now on how deeply and radically Guruji touched so many of our lives. I know that, for me, his touch was the beginning of a whole series of events that led me to a life that I could have never dreamed of. Guruji will continue to live on in everything that I do. His spirit and his heart will continue to inform the work that I do. Thank you dear, sweet Guruji for being such a light. Govinda Kai
~ ~ ~
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Freeform THIS thursday!
It's that time of the month again! For freeform that is! Send me your playlist requests so we can rock it out freeform style!
See you at Golds NH at 7pm on thursday. Oh yeah, don't forget the concert series has started so try to come early! Parking is a mess!
See you at Golds NH at 7pm on thursday. Oh yeah, don't forget the concert series has started so try to come early! Parking is a mess!
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Partner Yoga this evening!
I just wanted to thank all the lovely yogis that came out to partner yoga tonight. Thanks for trying something new, for playing and doing a different type of yoga.
I really enjoyed your energy!
Those that couldn't make it, I do hope to see you in class soon!
Love,
Marianne
I really enjoyed your energy!
Those that couldn't make it, I do hope to see you in class soon!
Love,
Marianne
Sunday, April 19, 2009
25 ways to reuse your YOGA MAT!!
Just stumbled upon this on Jade Yoga site. SO awesome! I bet I could add a few. :)
From the site:
Thanks Jolene Bennis Dimitroff of Yoga Tree in San Francisco for the following list of "25 Ways to Reuse Your 'Old' Yoga Mat"
1. Donate to homeless shelters as sleeping pads.
2. Use as a seat liner for the back seat in the car while taking your dog to the vet or groomer.
3. Place under an area rug for no-slip gripping.
4. Drop off your old mat at an animal rescue group. Most of these places need soft, durable mats, rugs, towels, & blankets to line crates.
5. Use an old mat in the garage or shop to keep from slipping on the workbench while using power tools on them.
6. Line kitchen shelves to prevent glasses from slipping and scratching.
7. Cut the mat into squares and use them as "bases" while playing baseball with the kids. Easy to carry and easy to clean!
8. Use to kneel on in the garden to protect your knees!
9. Use as kitchen drawer liners.
10. Cut it up to make a mouse pad.
11. Use it on the beach instead of a towel.
12. Use as grip pads to open jars.
13. Cut to size and use as foot pads for the bottom of furniture that is on a wood or ceramic floor. Glue on pieces with a non-toxic adhesive.
14. Place it under your sleeping bag as a sleeping pad while camping.
15. Make covers for sharp corners like in a parking garage or school.
16. No more messy packing peanuts! Old yoga mats get a new life as a protector of valuables while moving or shipping.
17. Make children's toys: cut holes and create masks, hats, costumes and props; cut into shapes and letters for tub and pool toys.
18. Cut and put down in front of the kitty litter box to stop the litter.
19. Plug up drafty places, windows, doors, & under window air conditioners, and save energy!
20. Great for those hard bleachers when watching sporting events.
21. Makes a great liner under house plants, you can even cut it to fit each plant!
22. Donate to nursing homes so that residents do not slip while getting in and out of bed.
23. Place between your surfboard & car to protect both from abrasion.
24. Lay it over the dashboard and steering wheel to keep the sun out!
25. Keep in the car for those spur of the moment picnics, keeping groceries from sliding around in the trunk, or for a myriad of other uses limited only to your imagination!
From the site:
Thanks Jolene Bennis Dimitroff of Yoga Tree in San Francisco for the following list of "25 Ways to Reuse Your 'Old' Yoga Mat"
1. Donate to homeless shelters as sleeping pads.
2. Use as a seat liner for the back seat in the car while taking your dog to the vet or groomer.
3. Place under an area rug for no-slip gripping.
4. Drop off your old mat at an animal rescue group. Most of these places need soft, durable mats, rugs, towels, & blankets to line crates.
5. Use an old mat in the garage or shop to keep from slipping on the workbench while using power tools on them.
6. Line kitchen shelves to prevent glasses from slipping and scratching.
7. Cut the mat into squares and use them as "bases" while playing baseball with the kids. Easy to carry and easy to clean!
8. Use to kneel on in the garden to protect your knees!
9. Use as kitchen drawer liners.
10. Cut it up to make a mouse pad.
11. Use it on the beach instead of a towel.
12. Use as grip pads to open jars.
13. Cut to size and use as foot pads for the bottom of furniture that is on a wood or ceramic floor. Glue on pieces with a non-toxic adhesive.
14. Place it under your sleeping bag as a sleeping pad while camping.
15. Make covers for sharp corners like in a parking garage or school.
16. No more messy packing peanuts! Old yoga mats get a new life as a protector of valuables while moving or shipping.
17. Make children's toys: cut holes and create masks, hats, costumes and props; cut into shapes and letters for tub and pool toys.
18. Cut and put down in front of the kitty litter box to stop the litter.
19. Plug up drafty places, windows, doors, & under window air conditioners, and save energy!
20. Great for those hard bleachers when watching sporting events.
21. Makes a great liner under house plants, you can even cut it to fit each plant!
22. Donate to nursing homes so that residents do not slip while getting in and out of bed.
23. Place between your surfboard & car to protect both from abrasion.
24. Lay it over the dashboard and steering wheel to keep the sun out!
25. Keep in the car for those spur of the moment picnics, keeping groceries from sliding around in the trunk, or for a myriad of other uses limited only to your imagination!
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