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And So It Begins Anew

ByElizabeth

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At Eastern Market metro stop in a patch of brown grass surrounded by concrete–brave and bold these delicate yet hardy blooms.

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    The Photographer’s Dilemma (and “Morning Sprout Sandwich”)

    ByElizabeth

    At which point I put down the camera and ate.  Uma turned her back and looked out the garden.

    Morning Spout Sandwich–whole grain toast, tahini, avocado, assorted homegrown sprouts, fresh herbs picked the moment before garnishing (dill shown here), a sprinkle of sea salt (optional)

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    New Year’s Greetings (Web Version of E-Newsletter)

    ByElizabeth

    Dear  Friends,

    Despite being in the warm and comfortable bed for which I am grateful every day, I woke up sore-hearted this morning.  I’d been dreaming first of dodging bullets in a shootout and then striving to escape rising flood waters.  I did not suffer any physical harm to my person in these dreams, but felt scared and lost and unable to save those around me at greater risk.  With the morning wake-up call, I got out of bed and followed my cat Uma down the stairs for our morning ritual.  I changed her box and fed her.  While she ate, I did some gentle asana to unknot the sleep from my body.  I took my seat for pranayama and meditation, and Uma, as is her practice, immediately curled herself up against me. After meditating, I prepared a healthful and tasty breakfast and then got to work.  After a few hours of working, the charged emotions of my dreams faded into the background.

    I’ve had dreams like this before, and it is not surprising I would be having them now.  Gunfire and flood waters and other violence (man-made and “natural”) are our daily news.  For the most part, even those events that hit closest to home such as Hurricane Sandy have not caused irremediable harm to those I know, even those who were impacted.  I find myself asking what I, as an ordinary person without special insight or extraordinary ambition, should or could be doing in the face of apparently ever-increasing societal rancor, divisiveness and violence and destructively extreme weather and increasing environmental degradation.

    Can the yoga practices help in this?  I think so.  At its most insidious, much of the core elements of the yoga philosophy served to justify keeping in their place without protest those without power by virtue of gender or social class.  I believe that in our Western context, though, these same practices can be used to help us to better handle and accept what comes our way without requiring us to be idle and complacent in the face of injustices or harms that we can change.  I might not be a visionary, but I can be a good citizen.  I might not be able to radically transform, but I can be responsible for taking care of my health and home in ways that minimize my impact on the environment and others and give me the most strength to take care of those with whom I am in relationship.  I can practice going deep into challenge with the yoga with the intention of being able to live with greater grace and beauty whatever comes.

    I invite you to join me in this endeavor (and to share any concrete ideas–especially those of you who have visions for making things better; I’ll listen and contemplate).

    The yoga offerings continue on the same schedule:  William Penn House (pay the suggested donation or whatever you can), Tuesday nights from 6:30-7:45pm; house class for charity on Wednesday nights (email me if you want to join); Friday nights gentle/therapeutics at Willow Street Takoma Park from 5:45-7:15.  For immediate news of a change in class schedule or special offerings when I am substitute teaching or offering a workshop, please like my Facebook page.  If you haven’t already, please consider subscribing to my blog to enjoy photos and musings about the yoga life and join in the dialogue.

    May the new year bring you, along with the inevitable challenges, joy and peace at heart.
    Peace and light,

    Elizabeth

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    State of the Garden

    ByElizabeth

    I went out into the garden right after I sat for meditation this morning.  Even at 7 a.m., the air was hot summer thick.  I harvested cherry tomatoes, a handful of green beans, a cucumber, a red onion, and some garlic greens, basil, and a jalapeno pepper.  Then I went back inside and practiced some asana and cleaned house in anticipation of a guest arriving for lunch.  I weeded a little, but did not fully plunge into all that could be done.

    I have lots of  epazote.  Anybody need some for planting or for cooking?  I let only a little go to seed  many years ago, and it comes back in force every year.  I let it grow wild between the bricks of my patio, but keep it out of beds and containers.  It could be a real challenge in a more open garden, but in my constricted, urban setting, inviting the useful, invasive plants to grow where nothing else will grow is a  good use of  space.

    garden 1a garden 1b garden 1c garden 1d garden 1e garden 1f garden 1g garden 1h

     

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    Urban Wildlife

    ByElizabeth

    When I was out gathering vegetables and herbs and doing basic tending for the day, I realized a cardinal, who is a regular visitor, had let me get closer than ever before. Then I saw that he was about to try and swallow a praying mantis. I got almost face to face before he let go.

    At first the praying mantis was turned upside down, and I wasn’t sure if it was ok. Then I realized it was holding on to a bee.

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    February News–Bring on the Light (Web Version of E-Newsletter)

    ByElizabeth

    Dear Friends,

    Brrr.  It’s cold out there.  And if it is seeming colder than usual, you are right.  There have only been five winters on record with fewer days above 50F in Washington, DC.  Perhaps, like me, you have noticed that you are feeling just a tad sensitive or edgy or maybe a little blue.  I recognize the symptoms; in my distant past, a therapist suggested that I might have “seasonal affective disorder.”  My prescription for myself when winter has me feeling down?  Do more yoga, keeping a focused intention on cultivating the light of inner awareness.

    The form of meditation I practice is intended to allow the practitioner to rest in the light of inner awareness.  One of the aspects of the Anusara principle of “opening to grace” for me is to open to the light in myself and others.  On a more physical level, backbends will open up your heart and make room for the light; core work will warm you up by stoking the agni, the inner fire; forward bends will help you go deep inside to find your own light.  There is a light-filled practice for every day of the week, every time of day, and every mood you are in.

    Avoid the temptation to huddle inside, eating too many carbs and hiding away.  When the sidewalks are passable, bundle up and take a long walk.  When you come back inside, do a good therapeutic and restorative practice–it’s as good as hot chocolate (and no one said you couldn’t have the hot chocolate, too).  Invite friends over for a potluck.  Cook bean soups.  Have hot cereal for breakfast and perhaps for dinner.  Balance the warm food with the freshest of fresh food by growing sprouts on the kitchen counter.

    Want to light up your yoga fire, sun, inner light with company?  Join me and your friends and neighbors at William Penn House classes on Tuesdays at 6:30.  Need a little R&R or found you have tweaked something shoveling or walking on the ice and snow?  Drop ins are always welcome at the gentle and therapeutics class at Willow Street, Takoma Park, Saturdays at noon.  Give yourself something to look forward to by signing up in advance for the second “Relaxing Into Optimal Alignment with Anusara Restoratives” workshop at Willow Street on Saturday, February 26th.

    And plan for Spring with “Yoga for Gardeners,” the weekend of the Spring Equinox–yes, it is only weeks away.  As has been my practice in previous years, my profits will go to support the Youth Garden at the National Arboretum.

    Looking forward to sharing, expanding, and delighting in the light with you soon.
    Peace and light,

    Elizabeth

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    Ganesha’s Vahana

    ByElizabeth

    I don’t have much family, and I know little about the family I have. I am the one living with this photograph (the only one I’ve seen) of my maternal great grandmother because we are the only two with frizzy hair. The story I heard about her was that she gave birth to my grandmother en route from Eastern Europe and carried her across the ocean to the lower East Side.

    This Ganesha makes me think about that level of determination –what we can do when we figure out how to turn a rat into a ride.

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