chakra meditation

Coming off a horrid but blessedly short-lived stomach virus this week, I began easing back into yoga with a short, easy podcast on the beach yesterday afternoon.  It felt wonderful.   There is nothing quite like the roar of the waves and the soft sand underfoot to enhance your sense of being connected to the Earth.  

I want to share a very brief chakra-balancing meditation that I came across recently - it's led  by Alanna Kaivalya (the JivaDiva) and is only about 10 minutes in length but leaves me feeling grounded and refreshed every time I practice.  I also love it because, and let's be honest, we don't always have time for a 45 minute - 1 hour meditation session.  Kids, life, dinner, phones, errands, etc etc.

Balance ye chakras while ye may.

more on the beach

Oh, and just to keep it real?   I headplanted myself BUT good while attempting Crow on the beach on Friday night.   Up into it, thinking "Yesssss!  I've got it!   Oh...um..... *boof*   Ouch."


Yoga, she be a practice of up's and down's.  Literally.

partner yoga

My husband's cousin came into town this weekend, and we were able to enjoy a lovely few days with him.  He has newly begun to practice yoga and we both loved the idea of a sunset session on the beach.   Afterward, he showed me some of the poses he'd learned when he and his girlfriend went to a Partner Yoga class this Spring.  I've never really tried Partner Yoga, and it was a lot of fun.   The one time that my husband and I tried a Partner Yoga DVD, it was more of a "yeah, I'm doing Yoga beside my partner, but we're not really doing it *together*" kind of thing.   This was totally different;  we leaned into each other to better reach our depths in each pose.    My husband took all of these (while offering wry, amusing commentary....).  Anyway, it was a perfect night for Yoga on the beach & all the more fun to enjoy it with someone else.

mala

my new string of rosewood mala beads arrived this week. ♥

I haven't had a chance yet to add them to my meditation practice, but love the feel of them in my hand and I think they'll be a big help in directing my focus. (plus, they're just really pretty. heh.)

Multiple "Me's"

I'm deep into Stephen Cope's "The Wisdom of Yoga" right now. I happened upon this book at the Library when, seeking another book which turned out not to be on the shelf as catalogued, this one seemed to jump right out at me. Kismet. I'm learning so much.

The latest section that I've been pouring over has to do with the multiplicity of selves -- the question of "Who am I?", or how do all of the different "Me's" come together? I gave this some thought yesterday as I stole away for a delicious hour of quiet (and Americano sipping)... who are the multiple selves in me - at times cooperating with one another, and at times seemingly so at odds?

Here goes ...