Last weekend my yoga studio, Hot House Yoga, brought in Rolf Gates for a weekend long Intensive. Our instructors have trained with Rolf for a number of years and this was my second time participating in one of his workshops at the studio. To say that it was phenomenal is an understatement. He is so very real and approachable. He began each of the 4 sessions with a talk centered around a theme (karma, spiritual practice and transformation) and then we would have a pretty intense yoga practice for between 1 1/2 to 2 hours. sidebar: I would come home completely wiped out and Corey would say, "What did you expect? It's called and Intensive."
Friday was about Karma and conditioning. This was very relevant to a lot of what I am dealing with in my life now. Particularly 'conditioning'. Simply put, conditioning is how our past shapes our future. We have been trained through our past experiences to respond in a certain way to both positive and negative stimulus and by changing our attention, we change our direction and thereby change our destination. So by becoming aware of our patterns of response, we can change the outcome by noticing and responding differently until the new, positive response is our new conditioning. Make sense? I have an example.... there is a posture that I have never been able to do. Reclining hero. When that posture comes around, my reaction is to proceed to exactly the point that I go to every time and I do not try to proceed farther. I have convinced myself that this is as far as I will go and so it is. After Rolf spoke about conditioning and we began our practice, I really made an effort to notice the roadblocks I put in my way. When it came time for hero, I consciously shifted my attitude toward it and wouldn't you know it I was able to do it. It was a shock really. I did not think I was physically able to do it and yet there I was. During final savasana, Rolf was talking about doors (see post below) and our perception and attitude toward them. He said it was our nature to view a door as an obstacle and approach it with aggression when all that was really need was to gently turn the knob and step through. He ended our savasana with this statement..."If you take one step toward the divine, the divine will take ten steps toward you. Just open the door and take that step." I feel a 'door' necklace brewing to the surface....
Friday, October 31, 2008
Friday, October 24, 2008
Happy Birthday Lane!
Today you are 12. I can hardly believe it Lane. Seems like yesterday this was you....
And now....
You have grown into an exceptional human being. Kind and gentle with a fierce wit and wisdom that I have seldom seen in grown ups. Sometimes I look at you and still see that wee boy that you were. It could be a glance you shoot my way or something you say that reminds me that even though you are almost as big as me that you are still a boy. But, if I am honest there are days when I look a you and squint my eyes really tight and I can already see the man you will be. You are honest, fair and just and Lane the way you think about things....really think about them amazes and delights me. The way you devour whatever subject interests you is fascinating. Never lose that. One of my recent favorite moments was watching the debate with you. I couldn't believe it when you asked to stay up and watch it and I almost said no until I realized that at age 11 I would have no sooner asked to watch a Presidential debate as to have a dinner made up of nothing but liver and onions. Watching it with you and listening to your comments was eye-opening and quite funny. You observations were thoughtful, insightful and wise. You know that Meg is sure that you will be the President one day (she has been saying that since you were 7) and watching that debate and listening to you I couldn't help but wonder myself. Personally, I think you are destined for far greater things than that. You will make a difference whatever it is you decide to do. People listen to you already. They respect you and what you have to say. You make being incredibly smart look wickedly cool baby. So to say that I am proud of you doesn't even come close. I can't begin to find words that are adequate to describe what it has meant to me to have you in my life. You made me a Mom and you made us a family on October 24th, 1996. Thank you. Thank you for all the beautiful gifts you have given me every day since then by just being you.
Sidebar: You just woke up (7:15am). Why do you get up early on the days when you can sleep late and on the mornings you need to be up I need a bull horn to raise you? You did say something funny though when I was giving you a hug. You said, "It's the perfect day for my birthday. When I first opened my eyes and looked out the window, the sky was purple, which was my old favorite color, and when I looked again it was blue which is my new favorite color AND we don't have to go to school today."
Happy Birthday my love. I hope your day is all you want it to be. I love you more than I can say so I will close this post with what we started saying to each other when you were 2.
"Buddies forever...pinky promise."
And now....
You have grown into an exceptional human being. Kind and gentle with a fierce wit and wisdom that I have seldom seen in grown ups. Sometimes I look at you and still see that wee boy that you were. It could be a glance you shoot my way or something you say that reminds me that even though you are almost as big as me that you are still a boy. But, if I am honest there are days when I look a you and squint my eyes really tight and I can already see the man you will be. You are honest, fair and just and Lane the way you think about things....really think about them amazes and delights me. The way you devour whatever subject interests you is fascinating. Never lose that. One of my recent favorite moments was watching the debate with you. I couldn't believe it when you asked to stay up and watch it and I almost said no until I realized that at age 11 I would have no sooner asked to watch a Presidential debate as to have a dinner made up of nothing but liver and onions. Watching it with you and listening to your comments was eye-opening and quite funny. You observations were thoughtful, insightful and wise. You know that Meg is sure that you will be the President one day (she has been saying that since you were 7) and watching that debate and listening to you I couldn't help but wonder myself. Personally, I think you are destined for far greater things than that. You will make a difference whatever it is you decide to do. People listen to you already. They respect you and what you have to say. You make being incredibly smart look wickedly cool baby. So to say that I am proud of you doesn't even come close. I can't begin to find words that are adequate to describe what it has meant to me to have you in my life. You made me a Mom and you made us a family on October 24th, 1996. Thank you. Thank you for all the beautiful gifts you have given me every day since then by just being you.
Sidebar: You just woke up (7:15am). Why do you get up early on the days when you can sleep late and on the mornings you need to be up I need a bull horn to raise you? You did say something funny though when I was giving you a hug. You said, "It's the perfect day for my birthday. When I first opened my eyes and looked out the window, the sky was purple, which was my old favorite color, and when I looked again it was blue which is my new favorite color AND we don't have to go to school today."
Happy Birthday my love. I hope your day is all you want it to be. I love you more than I can say so I will close this post with what we started saying to each other when you were 2.
"Buddies forever...pinky promise."
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Favorite Words
I love words...love them. Some words I like just because they are fun to say, some because of the feeling they provoke (ooh, that's a good one) Here are some of my favorites...what are yours?
ethereal....lucid...levity...provoke...sassy...handsome...sereptitious...
vapid...sublime...begin...
elucidate ...true...OM.....vessel... dogma...quagmire...commit....surrender....grove...completion...stillness....
alchemy...moxie...journey...mediocrity...molecule....boundless...dare...
authentic...energy...meander...flamboyant...amoxycillan...quirky...benefit...
tincture...balance...velocity...
Too many to list. I have to stop now before my head explodes.
ethereal....lucid...levity...provoke...sassy...handsome...sereptitious...
vapid...sublime...begin...
elucidate ...true...OM.....vessel... dogma...quagmire...commit....surrender....grove...completion...stillness....
alchemy...moxie...journey...mediocrity...molecule....boundless...dare...
authentic...energy...meander...flamboyant...amoxycillan...quirky...benefit...
tincture...balance...velocity...
Too many to list. I have to stop now before my head explodes.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Doors and Keys
"You suppose that you are the lock on the door, but you are the key that opens it." ~Rumi
I love this quote. I have been contemplating it a lot recently as some 'doors' seem to be stuck while others are flinging wide open.
As I was leaving yoga last Thursday, I came out to my car to find my cell phone with about a million missed calls from Kathy (owner of Simply Selma's). There was a lady who was a rep for a several jewelry lines there at the store and Kathy felt that I needed to see one of the lines in particular. She told me the name of the line at which point if I could have climbed through the phone and into the store I would have. It is only about a minute from the Hot House parking lot to Selma's parking lot. I got there in about 30 seconds.
I have wanted this line of jewelry for our store for about a year but when I inquired about it was told that we couldn't have it due to the proximity of another store who already carried it. Now, if you have taken the time to read my previous posts or you just know me.....not a big fan of "No"....not at all. I will turn into a 4 year old before your very eyes. So....still sweaty and completely wrung out from yoga, I beat feet over to Selma's to meet for the first time, Charmaine...a wonderfully funny, no-nonsense lady from New York who reps several jewelry artists from Connecticut to Virginia. For the next 90 minutes we sat in our tiny back room pouring over the Pyrrha jewelry line and carefully selecting our first order. At one point, I sat back in my chair and it hit me....I had really wanted this and now almost a year after asking for it, I got it. So, not my time frame but the universe's instead. That was a big lesson for me.
After gleefully wrapping this order up, Charmaine says, "so you mentioned that you make jewelry...show me something." I showed her a couple of things, told her about my silk-wrap line and she wants to see that as well. I am sending photos and a couple of pieces to her this week. She could begin representing me to her stores as early as January. This is definitely the lady that you would want to represent you. The whole 'selling ice to eskimos' phrase springs to mind. So...look at that would you...doors opening and me being the key....how about that? Thanks Rumi.
I love this quote. I have been contemplating it a lot recently as some 'doors' seem to be stuck while others are flinging wide open.
As I was leaving yoga last Thursday, I came out to my car to find my cell phone with about a million missed calls from Kathy (owner of Simply Selma's). There was a lady who was a rep for a several jewelry lines there at the store and Kathy felt that I needed to see one of the lines in particular. She told me the name of the line at which point if I could have climbed through the phone and into the store I would have. It is only about a minute from the Hot House parking lot to Selma's parking lot. I got there in about 30 seconds.
I have wanted this line of jewelry for our store for about a year but when I inquired about it was told that we couldn't have it due to the proximity of another store who already carried it. Now, if you have taken the time to read my previous posts or you just know me.....not a big fan of "No"....not at all. I will turn into a 4 year old before your very eyes. So....still sweaty and completely wrung out from yoga, I beat feet over to Selma's to meet for the first time, Charmaine...a wonderfully funny, no-nonsense lady from New York who reps several jewelry artists from Connecticut to Virginia. For the next 90 minutes we sat in our tiny back room pouring over the Pyrrha jewelry line and carefully selecting our first order. At one point, I sat back in my chair and it hit me....I had really wanted this and now almost a year after asking for it, I got it. So, not my time frame but the universe's instead. That was a big lesson for me.
After gleefully wrapping this order up, Charmaine says, "so you mentioned that you make jewelry...show me something." I showed her a couple of things, told her about my silk-wrap line and she wants to see that as well. I am sending photos and a couple of pieces to her this week. She could begin representing me to her stores as early as January. This is definitely the lady that you would want to represent you. The whole 'selling ice to eskimos' phrase springs to mind. So...look at that would you...doors opening and me being the key....how about that? Thanks Rumi.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
The Light...
I can see the light at the end of the tunnel in my application process for the Buyer's Market of American Craft in Philly. It is a fairly intense process that has felt very daunting to me at times. Fortunately I have a lot of support so whether or not I make it there this time or not, it will be alright. This is a phenomenal show...one I have been to for several years now as a buyer for Simply Selma's. I buy all the jewelry for the store and have recently branched out to buying for the entire store as well. Of all the shows that I have attended, Philly is the one that would best seem to suit what I do. I have met some incredibly talented and wonderfully kind people who have been very helpful in this precess like this girl and this one as well. Those who know me know that I don't hear "NO" very easily but I feel very centered and determined regarding this show so if they tell me "NO" this time, they should know that it will only make me more persistent.
Here is one of my heroes that is present at many of the shows I attend...
As you can see I have a problem:
Which is only a problem in the sense that I need to branch out in my color pallette of Alexis Bittar AND get a bigger bowl to keep in in. I'll keep posting on my progress in my quest for a
10' x 10' section of floor in Philly.
Here is one of my heroes that is present at many of the shows I attend...
As you can see I have a problem:
Which is only a problem in the sense that I need to branch out in my color pallette of Alexis Bittar AND get a bigger bowl to keep in in. I'll keep posting on my progress in my quest for a
10' x 10' section of floor in Philly.
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