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    Waiting for the Bus

    ByElizabeth

    Is it benign multitasking or a sign of being too attached to social media that I am writing while I am waiting for the bus home? I have taken my moment to appreciate the beauty of the Dome.

    Tonight, I think it is the former. I have twelve minutes to spare. Writing now means that I will not even be tempted to turn on the computer when I get home. I will pet the cats and wash and sit for meditation before getting ready for bed.

    I can pause, here, thinking about the synchronicity of the centering Batya used at the beginning of class I took tonight (level 4 at Willow Street, Takoma Park). She told us of a story she had heard on a podcast about a woman who described having a stroke as freeing her mind from its incessant chatter when the language center of the brain was temporarily immobilized. That quiet is, in part, what comes from a deep and consistent meditation practice. The synchronicity was that I am reading Ram Das’s “Be Love Now” (hot off the press), which is inevitably leading me to think about the interconnection between yoga practice and facing a stroke. It is not something I think of often.

    The more we are open and aware, though, the more we will see connections and synchronicities. The more consistently we practice, the more likely we are to experience the good in even the greatest of challenges.

    And now, the bus is here, and I am on my way home.

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    Sharp Knives

    ByElizabeth

    This week, after having let it go for far too long long, I had my cooking knives professionally sharpened.

    How often should I be getting them sharpened, I asked the expert. It depends was the response, along with the question how much time I used the knives. Professional chefs get them done every couple of weeks. I would need something less, but for the knives I use most often, more frequently than I have been doing.

    Then I was offered this: a knife needs to be sharpened when it takes unnecessary effort to cut something with it.

    Same guidance applies, I think, to living in balance. When work/activities are taking more and unnecessary effort than usual, it’s a sign we are run down and need some maintenance.

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    Lunchtime Idyll

    ByElizabeth

    I did not have much time for a break today as I had a meeting scheduled for 1:30 pm. I always try to take at least a short break from work in the middle of the day, including a walk and some time to sit quietly. I am far more productive and have a better day all around when I do.

    One of my favorite places to go is directly across the Mall to the US Botanical Gardens. When I sit and close my eyes, it feels and smells like I have gone someplace warm, beautiful, and exotic. I had only time to take a few good breaths and write a couple of sentences in my journal, but that brief interlude can be all that I need to bring renewed enthusiasm to my work.

    Do you have an idyllic place you can go for a few moments? If you cannot leave your office, do you remember to close your eyes and breathe or engage in other simple meditation?

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    Boycotting Arizona?

    ByElizabeth

    Having just returned from Arizona (yes, Sedona is in Arizona, as hard as that may be to believe from any perspective other than cartographically) from a meditation retreat, and having two more scheduled with my teacher at the same location during the year, I have pondered with my usual degree of self-questioning about the potential impact of my choices the suggestions to boycott Arizona.

    I had decided — perhaps because continuing to study with my teacher, including on retreat is so important to me now — that as I pretty much go straight from the airport to the meditation retreat and back without shopping, I am probably supporting people who did not support the immigration law.  On previous trips, in addition to paying for the food and lodging at the retreat (my teacher lives in California, so the tuition goes to California), we ate at a Mexican family-owned restaurant and a raw foods restaurant and bought some supplies at the natural foods store (eschewing the Whole Foods in favor of the local natural foods store).  I’ve decided it is OK — perhaps even a good thing — to support those who clearly were not in favor of the immigration law.

    What does it mean to engage in a boycott?  Who does it hurt and help?  What impact could the Arizona boycott have? Have you thought about whether to boycott Arizona?

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    October Newsletter (web version for those not receiving mailings)

    ByElizabeth

    Dear Friends,

    What splendid fall mornings we are having.  The neighborhood dogs are frisking in the park and the fall colors are starting to show.  It is time to make tomato sauce and pickled peppers with the last of the summer harvest and continue planting greens (containers are great if you don’t have much space) for some fresh eating through December.  Now is also the time to start shifting to a more introspective practice, seeking inner illumation as the days get shorter and the nights get longer.

    This Fall, classes will concentrate on refining the principles of alignment to more sweetly and deeply appreciate your own inner light.

    Join us any Tuesday night on a drop-in basis at William Penn House — bring a friend for a delightful all levels experience.

    It’s not too late to join the Willow Street Fall session — Saturdays at 8:30 level II or, if you need a gentler practice, including a therapeutic focus, try the noon Gentle/Therapeutics class.  Drop-ins always welcome.

    October Serenity Saturday (October 17th, 3-5pm) is just around the corner.  Sign up early to get the Capitol Hill Yoga early bird discount!

    Starting to plan the holidays?  If you’ll be in town, make sure to plan to join me for the 7th Annual Thanksgiving Day Fundraiser for Oxfam, which will again be at Willow Street in Takoma Park Thanksgiving morning.  It is a great way to start the day and bring a focus of gratitude to this day of abundance.  As always, in or out of town guests, friends, and family welcome whatever their experience level.

    For the Wednesday night practice, October’s charity will be the Whitman-Walker Clinic to honor its work in providing health care in some of DC’s neediest communities and to help send energy for universal health care.  I’ve decided that I have so much fun with these practices that in addition to donating all the proceeds, I will donate to attend too!

    As always, feel free to email me with questions, comments, suggestions, or just to be in touch.

    Info on all classes and workshops at www.rosegardenyoga.com.

    Peace and light,

    Elizabeth

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