Rainbow Dreams and Art Blog

Endings and Beginnings

Today I received some timely reminders that while there are sure to be endings, such as the Autumn weather arriving, the leaves falling, the flowers fading…there are always fresh beginnings. One of the most influential daily reminders I have, is our new Golden Retriever puppy, CJ. At only nine months old, his behavior can be challenging and even downright frustrating at times. But it always helps to remember that he is “new” and everything is new to him. He is seeing the leaves fall off the trees for the first time. This morning I watched him chasing falling leaves into a giant puddle in the street, and while he made both of us soaking wet, I could not help but smile. How new the world is to him every morning when he awakens with his new puppy enthusiasm!

I had the unexpected joy of spending a part of my day with a 2-1/2 year old girl. She was dressed in her leggings and pink tulle skirt, for “dress shopping” with her mom and my sister and friend. She had on this cute t-shirt that said, “Mommy’s Little Monkey.” I marveled at her trying to assist with straightening out the wedding dress trains for my sister. How new and shimmering and sparkling the bridal shop must have been for her! Even when we had lunch, I couldn’t help but be amazed at her creativity in dipping her cantaloupe slice into some ranch dressing. So much of her life is made up of brand new experiences every day. Why not jump in feet first?

Then, even when my own life can seem discouraging or dismal at times, here is my sister with a fresh, new, exciting beginning ahead of her. Seeing her in a beautiful diamond white wedding dress for the first time, took my breath away in more ways than one. A bright new beginning to a new life with someone you love, what could bring more optimism and joy than that? Even the dreary, cloudy and cool weather could not dampen the joyful spirits we felt in that bridal shop today.

Finally, there’s the new beginning of teenage children transitioning into adulthood. Certainly, it is full of endings and goodbyes to things such as the jungle gym in the backyard. Seeing them succeeding, growing and embarking on new adventures, reminds me of when everything was new and exciting to me too. I was their age once. This day was full of endings, but it is the beginnings I am very grateful to have experienced.

Tags: Art by Lisa
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Relieving stress

Although the weather is still quite hot, the summer is coming to an end, and with that comes the ending of fun summer activities, and also some beginnings, such as the start of another school year. No matter how I want some things (such as summer) to stay the same; change is inevitable.

I feel these changes lately, in my own breathing, as I suffer through another hay fever season. It certainly is better than in years past, but it is worse on the days that I allow stress to come in. That is when I really notice how much life’s daily stresses can affect my breathing if I allow it. So many changes have taken place in the past few weeks as the summer draws to a close. I realized that I need to do more yoga and restorative work to help get me through these transitions peacefully. I have felt great sadness at some losses and great joy at happy moments such as my parents’ 50th anniversary, and other exciting news. Staying calm and centered has been a challenge with all the ups and downs. At times, my breathing has felt a bit strained when I was upset, and at other times it even felt as though my heart hurt when I shed a tear, as if that tear could take my breath away. Other days I feel like I am being stretched in a thousand different directions…

“The diaphragm, according to yogic science, is the seat of the intelligence of the heart, and the window to the soul. During stressful situations, however, when you inhale and exhale, the diaphragm becomes too taut to alter its shape. Yogic exercises address this problem by developing elasticity in the diaphragm, so that, when stretched, it can handle any amount of stress, whether intellectual, emotional, or physical.

The practice of asanas and pranayama helps integrate the body, breath, mind, and intellect. Slow, effortless exhalation during the practice of asana brings serenity to the body cells, relaxes the facial muscles, and releases all tension from the organs of perception, the eyes, ears, nose, tongue and skin…” B.K.S. Iyengar

After years of practice I begin to notice how yoga is helps me stretch myself with getting tighter and more stressed. I am only now just beginning to allow the exhalation to teach me about serenity. I still find myself succumbing to the stress at times, however, I have tools to let go of it again and as the muscles of my diaphragm soften, so does the stress begin to melt away.

It’s a good thing too, because I have two seniors in high school this year, my last year of being a home school mom. Here it is, the first day of September, and I am ready to face the challenges and rewards of my final home school year. Time to EXHALE….

Tags: Art by Lisa
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Family Yoga

Another session of Family Yoga just ended, and although I am enjoying the short break, I can’t wait for the next one to begin. I love how Storytime Yoga methods have helped me reach out to touch families through yoga and story.
It was wonderful to see how the parents and the kids seemed to look forward to class each week. The girls in one family chose yoga class over a birthday party at a pizza place. They didn’t want to miss a yoga class, which made it even more of a privilege to teach them.
One of my favorite poses each week, was Community Boat, where all of us gathered in a big circle and held hands, and attempted to assist each other in getting all of our connected feet off the floor at once, as we laughed and breathed together.
One of my favorite story themes, was “The Roar of the Awakening,” when one five year old girl did Lion’s Breath pose and roared playfully another Dad. It was so cute, and we all laughed together. The sense of community, and the warmth of our hearts when we were together each week was something I will cherish for a long time.
I look forward to sharing Storytime Yoga with many, many more families in the days to come!

Tags: Art, Health, Storytelling, Storytime Yoga, Yoga by Lisa
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My Favorite Things List for January 2010

Welcome to January 2010! I hope that it is a healthy, happy one for us all!

Like most everyone, I have made my own personal list of resolutions for the New Year, and I have created a list of favorite things, and of course this includes resources related to health and fitness, art, and storytelling. These are all things and people I feel passionate about and that are helping me get off to a great start this January.