One of my favorite phrases lately is "deep cleansing breath". It's funny how the phrase itself can almost be as calming as the action it describes. I was speaking to my friend Persephone's Gate about the subject recently, and we had an interesting discussion about easy it is to NOT breathe deeply. She pointed out that many of us probably breathe very shallow through most of the day. Just think of how much better we'd all feel if we breathed more fully each day.
Taking deep cleansing breaths has also been an important part of my yoga practice, especially since becoming pregnant. As my yoga instructor says, deep breaths are going to be an important factor throughout pregnancy, birth, and being a parent. Focused breathing is helpful in becoming more relaxed, and I'm hoping that by starting my practice now, it will be second nature to me to focus on deep breathing when labor comes.
In everyday life, taking a few moments to breathe deeply can do wonders for your attitude. It's relaxing, yet it also recharges your brain and blood with fresh oxygen, making you more alert. Taking deep cleansing breaths is an easy way to bring a little calm into your life.
Showing posts with label Spirituality. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Spirituality. Show all posts
Monday, August 4, 2008
Friday, May 23, 2008
being green in early spring
We have forgotten our former states, except in early spring when we slightly recall being green again.
-Rumi
Another great quote, as seen in a Mutts comic strip here. Hope everyone's having an enjoyable spring so far.
-Rumi
Another great quote, as seen in a Mutts comic strip here. Hope everyone's having an enjoyable spring so far.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Keeping Up With Yoga, If Not With My Blog
My 'online presence' has been lacking lately, due to some 'real life' factors, and I apologize for that. My blogging will pick up soon, I hope. In the meantime, I've been doing a new series of yoga poses and stretching that I thought I'd share. I try to do it in the morning and before bed, as well as whenever I need a quick mental break.
As always, look into this stuff yourself to learn the proper way to do it and whether or not it's right for you...this is just what *I* do....
I start in a Seated Forward Fold to get myself focus and centered. I loop my index and middle finger around my big toes to hold the pose and breathe. Sometimes I use my fingertips to push my toes towards my body, one at a time. I started doing this because I once had a massage that included some stretching of my toes, and I was shocked how good it felt just to stretch the toes around. I think it must help with circulation or something. Perhaps someone knows about reflexology and can fill us in?
Next I do the Bound Angle Pose. I do the variation where I also fold forward from the hips for a deeper stretch.
From there, I ease my body back into the Reclining Bound Angle Pose (I've also heard it called the Goddess Pose), using my hands and arms to get into this position, not my ab/back muscles. I like this pose because it makes me feel very grounded, and when I think of it as the Goddess Pose, I feel like I can relax into the pose in a more spiritual sense. I just find it really calming.
Here I do a couple stretches that aren't exactly yoga (I don't think), but they just feel good. Still lying on my back, I keep one foot on the ground with my knee bent, while stretching the other leg straight up. I hold the back of my thigh and pause for a few moments for a hamstring stretch, then switch legs. Then, with both feet on the floor and knees bent, I let my knees fall to one side while I look to the other side, then switch.
Then I sit back up and move forward onto all fours so I can get into the One-Legged Pigeon Pose. I do it slightly different from the image, with my lower leg at an angle behind my hand, rather than in front. I've always liked this pose because it just plain feels good to stretch out the hips.
Finally, I sit back into the Easy Pose to become centered, focused, and relaxed.
Namaste~
All images from www.yogajournal.com, a great source for all things Yoga.
As always, look into this stuff yourself to learn the proper way to do it and whether or not it's right for you...this is just what *I* do....
I start in a Seated Forward Fold to get myself focus and centered. I loop my index and middle finger around my big toes to hold the pose and breathe. Sometimes I use my fingertips to push my toes towards my body, one at a time. I started doing this because I once had a massage that included some stretching of my toes, and I was shocked how good it felt just to stretch the toes around. I think it must help with circulation or something. Perhaps someone knows about reflexology and can fill us in?
Next I do the Bound Angle Pose. I do the variation where I also fold forward from the hips for a deeper stretch.
From there, I ease my body back into the Reclining Bound Angle Pose (I've also heard it called the Goddess Pose), using my hands and arms to get into this position, not my ab/back muscles. I like this pose because it makes me feel very grounded, and when I think of it as the Goddess Pose, I feel like I can relax into the pose in a more spiritual sense. I just find it really calming.
Here I do a couple stretches that aren't exactly yoga (I don't think), but they just feel good. Still lying on my back, I keep one foot on the ground with my knee bent, while stretching the other leg straight up. I hold the back of my thigh and pause for a few moments for a hamstring stretch, then switch legs. Then, with both feet on the floor and knees bent, I let my knees fall to one side while I look to the other side, then switch.
Then I sit back up and move forward onto all fours so I can get into the One-Legged Pigeon Pose. I do it slightly different from the image, with my lower leg at an angle behind my hand, rather than in front. I've always liked this pose because it just plain feels good to stretch out the hips.
Finally, I sit back into the Easy Pose to become centered, focused, and relaxed.
Namaste~
All images from www.yogajournal.com, a great source for all things Yoga.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
The Charity Table
We went out for lunch over the weekend, and the restaurant had such a great idea for charity that I had to share.
We were about to be seated when I asked if there was a window seat available. She said there is one table open by the window, but it's the charity table.
The what?
The charity table is a 6 person table by the window. It costs the party $5 to sit there, with the $5 (tax deductible, of course) going towards a local kids' charity. It's also the only window seat they'll take reservations for. We said we'd be quite happy with that, so we got a nice view, a semi-private table (it's slightly walled off, decorated with pictures of the kids it benefits), and gave a little extra. Not bad!
I thought this was such a brilliant idea. $5 sounds like such a small add-on when you're going out to a restaurant, especially if you're at a table with 4-6 people. What an easy, quick way to raise money for charity!
We were about to be seated when I asked if there was a window seat available. She said there is one table open by the window, but it's the charity table.
The what?
The charity table is a 6 person table by the window. It costs the party $5 to sit there, with the $5 (tax deductible, of course) going towards a local kids' charity. It's also the only window seat they'll take reservations for. We said we'd be quite happy with that, so we got a nice view, a semi-private table (it's slightly walled off, decorated with pictures of the kids it benefits), and gave a little extra. Not bad!
I thought this was such a brilliant idea. $5 sounds like such a small add-on when you're going out to a restaurant, especially if you're at a table with 4-6 people. What an easy, quick way to raise money for charity!
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Connect and Laugh
Longevity seems to be a hot topic right now - it's all over Martha Stewart, 20/20, the Internet, and I'm sure many other news/talk shows. The qualities that always stand out to me for increasing longevity are connections, humor, and positive outlook. If you don't care about living a longer life, then you probably don't care about these things either! But I think those are all things to live a more fulfilling life, not just a longer life.
I don't think people were meant to live solitary lives. Some people may be more solitary than others, but I don't think that means they should deprive themselves of any connections with others. Staying connected with others (and nature) makes us feel more like we have a place - our place that only WE could occupy. We also need others for support, feedback, enhancing experiences, as well as returning all those favors and giving back.
Mental outlooks greatly affect us physically, and having a positive outlook and the ability to laugh and enjoy life makes it that much easier for our bodies physically. Stress and negativity can manifest itself in aches, pains, illnesses, etc. Laughing just plain makes you feel good (unless your abs are sore from working out as mine have been, in which case it's quite painful to laugh ;P).
What do you think? Does this stuff matter? What else contributes to a long, fulfilling life?
I don't think people were meant to live solitary lives. Some people may be more solitary than others, but I don't think that means they should deprive themselves of any connections with others. Staying connected with others (and nature) makes us feel more like we have a place - our place that only WE could occupy. We also need others for support, feedback, enhancing experiences, as well as returning all those favors and giving back.
Mental outlooks greatly affect us physically, and having a positive outlook and the ability to laugh and enjoy life makes it that much easier for our bodies physically. Stress and negativity can manifest itself in aches, pains, illnesses, etc. Laughing just plain makes you feel good (unless your abs are sore from working out as mine have been, in which case it's quite painful to laugh ;P).
What do you think? Does this stuff matter? What else contributes to a long, fulfilling life?
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
the life cycle
Birth and death are not two different states, but they are different aspects of the same state. There is as little reason to deplore the one as there is to be pleased over the other.
-Gandhi
-Gandhi
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Why I learn from Astarte
Astarte was the goddess of fertility, sexuality (love), and war for Semitic tribes. She was also known in other regions as Ishtar, Inanna, and later as Aphrodite and Venus. I love the duality: the combination of what we might consider 'feminine' (love) and 'masculine' (war) traits. I think everyone has some of this duality to some degree, and I don't think women should be expected to be all feminine, all the time (and vice versa for men). I also think it's better to see sexuality, love, and conflict as natural aspects of humans and deal with them accordingly in balance, rather than trying to suppress any one of them. Astarte is one of the lesser known of the aforementioned goddesses, in my opinion, and that's part of why I chose her. I wanted the emphasis to be on the goddess and the complexities that she represents, rather than a romanticized focus on love and beauty. I still love (sorry) that part of her though - I love depictions of Venus in art and have a copy of the Rokeby Venus in my bedroom.
I've always been interested in world religions and mythologies, as well as the anthropological history of women. It seems as though a lot of the ancient (and 'female') deities have been demonized or cast off by more recent cultures, so I think it's interesting to learn about the original meanings and beliefs in these deities. This is also why you might see me posting about the pagan (or other) histories of holidays. It's a good time to talk about the goddess of fertility, considering we're moving into the seasons of Spring, Easter, and fertility! Plants and animals will be seeing new growth and life, decorations with brightly colored eggs will be all over, and we'll all start to wake up out of our winter naps.
I've always been interested in world religions and mythologies, as well as the anthropological history of women. It seems as though a lot of the ancient (and 'female') deities have been demonized or cast off by more recent cultures, so I think it's interesting to learn about the original meanings and beliefs in these deities. This is also why you might see me posting about the pagan (or other) histories of holidays. It's a good time to talk about the goddess of fertility, considering we're moving into the seasons of Spring, Easter, and fertility! Plants and animals will be seeing new growth and life, decorations with brightly colored eggs will be all over, and we'll all start to wake up out of our winter naps.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
New Profile Pic
I whipped up a simple little profile pic. The 8-sided star is a symbol of Astarte. Then there's lil ol' me prancing around on the ground underneath it (and purple's my favorite color). In real life, I don't prance. Then again, I'm not long and lithe either. ;)
Monday, March 3, 2008
finding the divine
If you don't find God in the next person you meet, it is a waste of time looking for him further.
-Mohandas K. Gandhi
We all have something, call it "God" or "goodness" or "the divine," that gives us the ability to be more. Finding that in everyone (including ourselves) is not easy.
-Mohandas K. Gandhi
We all have something, call it "God" or "goodness" or "the divine," that gives us the ability to be more. Finding that in everyone (including ourselves) is not easy.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
It's OK to Be Happy
As I've mentioned before, I'm currently reading Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. Right now I'm in the Eat/Pleasure/Italy section of the book, and the following paragraph in Chapter 21 really struck me, for multiple reasons:
This paragraph was part of a discussion of how to experience pleasure without feeling guilt. Gilbert talks about how much Americans seem to struggle with enjoying simple pleasures and how hard we work (and seem to enjoy working). Once she's in Italy, however, they think it's perfectly acceptable (and good!) to take time in your life to do nothing but experience pleasure! She still has to fight her ingrained guilt about being self-indulgent, but Italians certainly help with that fight. She discovered a market near where she was staying in Rome, bought some asparagus from a woman and her son, and the above paragraph followed.
I, and I'm sure many of you, can sympathize with the concept of feeling guilt over being too self-indulgent. But once you are able to figure out that seeking pleasure and being a productive member of society are not mutually exclusive, you can do some of those self-indulgent things that make you happy AND productive in your life. At least, that's what I try to tell myself.
I love the idea of "making something out of nothing." The lunch sounds like such a simple assortment of things you might have sitting in your cupboards, but the sum is greater than its parts. What a great way to go through life - taking the ingredients, parts, qualities you have access to and turning them into something more!
This paragraph also paralleled an incident early in my first year of college. I was feeling that strong sense of "existing in a bubble" that comes with living in a dorm on campus. One Sunday, my roommates were both gone, so I took the opportunity to get out of the bubble and do something on my own. It was a very small thing, and it will probably sound very silly, but to someone in my position, what I did made a big difference. I walked to the nearest Subway to get myself a sandwich, bought a Sunday newspaper at one of those little stands on the street, took it all back to my dorm room, and dug in. Sprawled across the floor, I think I read every word in that newspaper because I was so starved for information outside of campus (this was before I had internet access - my computer ran Windows 3.x). I enjoyed that sandwich that I bought BY MYSELF (remember - this was at a time when none of us did anything by ourselves - you had to do everything with SOMEbody to BE somebody). It was quite liberating - being OK with the idea of doing something without my roommates.
So if you've been kind enough to read this whole thing, you can see why that paragraph struck me. Eat, Pray, Love has been excellent so far. I don't identify with Gilbert in many ways, but I identify with many of her questions and desires. I'm not the adventurous, gregarious person that she is (I'm much more like her sister), so I will happily experience the journey through her eyes.
"I walked home to my apartment and soft-boiled a pair of fresh brown eggs for my lunch. I peeled the eggs and arranged them on a plate beside the seven stalks of the asparagus (which were so slim and snappy they didn't need to be cooked at all). I put some olives on the plate, too, and the four knobs of goat cheese I'd picked up yesterday from the formaggeria down the street, and two slices of pink, oily salmon. For dessert - a lovely peach, which the woman at the market had given to me for free and which was still warm from the Roman sunlight. For the longest time I couldn't even touch this food because it was such a masterpiece of lunch, a true expression of the art of making something out of nothing. Finally, when I had fully absorbed the prettiness of my meal, I went and sat in a patch of sunbeam on my wooden floor and ate every bite of it, with my fingers, while reading my daily newspaper in Italian. Happiness inhabited my every molecule."
This paragraph was part of a discussion of how to experience pleasure without feeling guilt. Gilbert talks about how much Americans seem to struggle with enjoying simple pleasures and how hard we work (and seem to enjoy working). Once she's in Italy, however, they think it's perfectly acceptable (and good!) to take time in your life to do nothing but experience pleasure! She still has to fight her ingrained guilt about being self-indulgent, but Italians certainly help with that fight. She discovered a market near where she was staying in Rome, bought some asparagus from a woman and her son, and the above paragraph followed.
I, and I'm sure many of you, can sympathize with the concept of feeling guilt over being too self-indulgent. But once you are able to figure out that seeking pleasure and being a productive member of society are not mutually exclusive, you can do some of those self-indulgent things that make you happy AND productive in your life. At least, that's what I try to tell myself.
I love the idea of "making something out of nothing." The lunch sounds like such a simple assortment of things you might have sitting in your cupboards, but the sum is greater than its parts. What a great way to go through life - taking the ingredients, parts, qualities you have access to and turning them into something more!
This paragraph also paralleled an incident early in my first year of college. I was feeling that strong sense of "existing in a bubble" that comes with living in a dorm on campus. One Sunday, my roommates were both gone, so I took the opportunity to get out of the bubble and do something on my own. It was a very small thing, and it will probably sound very silly, but to someone in my position, what I did made a big difference. I walked to the nearest Subway to get myself a sandwich, bought a Sunday newspaper at one of those little stands on the street, took it all back to my dorm room, and dug in. Sprawled across the floor, I think I read every word in that newspaper because I was so starved for information outside of campus (this was before I had internet access - my computer ran Windows 3.x). I enjoyed that sandwich that I bought BY MYSELF (remember - this was at a time when none of us did anything by ourselves - you had to do everything with SOMEbody to BE somebody). It was quite liberating - being OK with the idea of doing something without my roommates.
So if you've been kind enough to read this whole thing, you can see why that paragraph struck me. Eat, Pray, Love has been excellent so far. I don't identify with Gilbert in many ways, but I identify with many of her questions and desires. I'm not the adventurous, gregarious person that she is (I'm much more like her sister), so I will happily experience the journey through her eyes.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Happy Valentine's Day!
We've all heard the usual story about Valentine sending a letter to the girl he loved while he was in jail and signing it "from your Valentine." History.com has an article about the history of Valentine's Day. I found the theory about the day being in the middle of February to sort "convert" a Pagan holiday into a Christian holiday to be interesting - it's certainly not the first time that is thought to happen. The festival, Lupercalia, started on Feburary 15, and it was considered the beginning of Spring, a time for cleansing, and a fertility festival dedicated to the god of agriculture. Old habits die hard I guess because that all sounds familiar to what the current season means to many of us - spring cleaning and preparation for the growing season.
Have a nice Valentine's Day, whether it's spent with someone else or a day of some much deserved self-pampering!
Have a nice Valentine's Day, whether it's spent with someone else or a day of some much deserved self-pampering!
Thursday, February 7, 2008
What I'm Reading...And More
Currently I'm reading eat, pray, love by Elizabeth Gilbert. I know I'm a bit behind the bandwagon in reading this book, but from what little I've read, I'm thoroughly enjoying it and would recommend it. I'll write more about it when I've finished or almost finished - I haven't even made it to Italy yet!
Posting all these quotes from Thoreau is making me want to read Walden again. I read it in high school for a Junior Thesis and was fortunate enough to visit the pond while working on the project.
I was in Boston for a high school trip, and two friends and I decided to skip the usual tour of Harvard for a trek out to Walden Pond. We took a train from Boston to Concord, then walked the rest of the way to the pond. Did I mention this was in February? There was so much snow - it definitely added to the experience for me because not only did we walk past some beautiful old houses, but they were even more remarkable in the snow.
I was both excited and curious when we finally reached it. I walked around the pond area, thinking about what I had read so far and trying to memorize every moment for when I got back to my book. It certainly gave me a new perspective when finishing the book and writing the paper.
I visited the Thoreau Society Shop as well. I still have the items I purchased (a t-shirt, book, and picture) and remember picking them out with care.
I think Walden will be my next book after eat, pray, love. It will be interesting to read it again when I'm a bit older, a bit wiser, and perhaps a bit more in need of it.
Posting all these quotes from Thoreau is making me want to read Walden again. I read it in high school for a Junior Thesis and was fortunate enough to visit the pond while working on the project.
I was in Boston for a high school trip, and two friends and I decided to skip the usual tour of Harvard for a trek out to Walden Pond. We took a train from Boston to Concord, then walked the rest of the way to the pond. Did I mention this was in February? There was so much snow - it definitely added to the experience for me because not only did we walk past some beautiful old houses, but they were even more remarkable in the snow.
I was both excited and curious when we finally reached it. I walked around the pond area, thinking about what I had read so far and trying to memorize every moment for when I got back to my book. It certainly gave me a new perspective when finishing the book and writing the paper.
I visited the Thoreau Society Shop as well. I still have the items I purchased (a t-shirt, book, and picture) and remember picking them out with care.
I think Walden will be my next book after eat, pray, love. It will be interesting to read it again when I'm a bit older, a bit wiser, and perhaps a bit more in need of it.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Venus, Jupiter, the Moon, and Beyond
Venus and Jupiter are coming together as you read this and will be closest around dawn of February 1 (not sure if this is relative time). They are bright enough that I think we'll be able to see it with the naked eye, though I'd like to see it through my telescope. The moon will join the party soon after. I can say I'd love to see it with the best of intentions, but dawn is so, so early. We'll see.
More information from space.com can be found here.
I was curious about the astrological take on this kind of convergence, so I asked my friend Persephone's Gate to give me some insight on what's going on in the skies. She told me that a Mercury Retrograde starts today:
You can find out more about Persephone's Gate at her website, where she offers pottery she has made and tarot readings. I've had a tarot reading from her and it was thoroughly interesting and enjoyable! The site is under construction, but you will still find out a little about what she does and how to contact her.
More information from space.com can be found here.
I was curious about the astrological take on this kind of convergence, so I asked my friend Persephone's Gate to give me some insight on what's going on in the skies. She told me that a Mercury Retrograde starts today:
Basically it's a good time to finish anything that you have left undone.....it's also a good time to revisit issues that previously you didn't feel complete about, because if you don't they will just rear their heads again later when the energy shifts again. On a more mundane level, it's a time to double-check any kind of written agreements, instructions, etc. Travel is likely to be delayed - have a Plan B in mind, you may need it! Communications in general are more challenging under a mercury retrograde.
You can find out more about Persephone's Gate at her website, where she offers pottery she has made and tarot readings. I've had a tarot reading from her and it was thoroughly interesting and enjoyable! The site is under construction, but you will still find out a little about what she does and how to contact her.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
My Little Black Book
I'd like to formally welcome you to my new blog, Under the Myrtle Tree. I've thought about writing a blog for ages and decided now's the time. My Little Black Book is moving online, a place I spend a lot of time and do a lot of work. My Little Black Book is not what you think - when I was in my early teens, I started collecting thoughts, quotes, book excerpts, etc. in....you guessed it....a little black book. I quit/gave up/lost interest in doing so around college. Then I started using a computer regularly and briefly got back into collecting the same types of things. It was sort of like taking snapshots of things I thought were special or interesting enough that I'd want to be able to look back on them later and remember what I liked about them or find new meanings from them. I guess this blog is the natural progression.
The title represents two of my interests that I think you will get to know better as this goes on: nature/gardening and Venus (in all forms of the goddess as well as the planet!). I like new and interesting plants, and I don't have a myrtle tree or know much about it yet, aside from the idea that it's a symbol often related to Venus/Aphrodite/Astarte. More on that later. :)
The title represents two of my interests that I think you will get to know better as this goes on: nature/gardening and Venus (in all forms of the goddess as well as the planet!). I like new and interesting plants, and I don't have a myrtle tree or know much about it yet, aside from the idea that it's a symbol often related to Venus/Aphrodite/Astarte. More on that later. :)
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