Little yoga routine

Belly breathing

Sphinx

Wide legged forward bend

Single leg forward bend

Happy baby pose

Goddess pose

May you be peaceful

May you be well

May you be happy.

Mayama's Niçoise salad

I had the best Salad Niçoise in a little cafe in Australia. A French man was the owner and cook and he put love into that salad. My mom and daughter had something else and had almost eaten their lunch when mine arrived. The owner and cook served my lunch with a wonderful smile on his face. I felt like the only woman in the cafe as he served my salad and said Bon appetit. That salad is remembered as perfection.

Here is my version. It pales in comparison. I love the element of hot and cold together especially when it doesn't feel hot enough to have a salad for a meal but am wanting crunch and freshness.

Fry a potato.

And boil an egg.

Poke around in the fridge and cupboard for what you have.

For me it's a necessity to have a potato and an egg, some tuna (Italian solid in a can is awesome), something green like steamed green beans, and some kind of salad greens. Oh yes, some olives.

Here I had a lonesome avocado and a tomato and some Parmesan cheese to sprinkle.

I only use some oil from the tuna can and salt and pepper to sprinkle.

Et voila!

The windows of the soul

Eye exercises

Ideally these are done with no lenses.

Gaze gently straight ahead. Look up then down. Only with eyes keeping neck and head relaxed. Continue for a minute or so. Up and down.

Then rub hands briskly together and cup hands over eyes. Feel the soothing warm energy flowing into your eyes. Hold for a minute or longer.

Continue:

Gaze straight ahead and then look to your left and then to your right. Continue side to side.

Again, rub hands and cover eyes. This is important.

Now pretend there is a huge clock in front of you. Look at 12 o'clock then 1, then 2, and so on around the clock, taking your time. Three times around. Then reverse direction and repeat  three times.

Again, rub hands and cover eyes and relax here for a while.

Lastly, bring a finger below the level of your nose. Look at the tip of your finger. Then look at a single point out in the horizon. Look back and forth. Finger tip. Point in horizon. Do this for about one minute.

Warm hands and cup them over your eyes.

Lie down with your legs up the wall. Or come into shoulder stand and then a gentle twist on your back.

Be still now.

Little routine for the 6th Chakra - Ajna

This chakra is about the areas of the eyes, forehead, and pineal gland. It represents seeing.

I have long been fascinated by eyes. Clarity of seeing. Is what I see all there is? 

I've always felt I see more without thought. 

When I'm looking for something I can't see it well. 

I see more when I don't try to read but let the words "come" to me. (I'm working on never having to wear glasses). Vision is about so much more than eyesight.

My favourite book on sight is "Take Off Your Glasses and See". Most folks get annoyed when I tell them about it. It's about new ideas. It's about expanding eyesight and insight. But it's a great book for everyone. It's by Jacob Liberman, O.D., Ph.D.

The practice of yoga for this chakra is less about vigorous movement and much more about slowing down both body and mind in preparation for stillness. Here we experience union. This is Yoga.

Love tree pose.

Side angle pose.

Downward dog.

Legs up the wall.

Rest here for 10 minutes.

You can put folded blankets under your pelvis for a more inverted posture.

If you can do shoulder stand easily and lovingly you can do it instead or before resting in legs up the wall.

You see, but you do not observe - Sherlock Holmes

Humming and a little routine

Making sound is great for balancing the throat chakra.

Humming is easy. No tune or song necessary. Just a hum. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

It's great for breathing because you only can hum on exhale so the exhale gets longer and longer.

I hummed for 30 minutes each day for two years. My voice changed to a lower rumble. I wish I had done an audio of before and after. My voice can carry far if I want it to and I'm not as fearful of speaking. I used to be super shy especially with talking to people. The whole experience was amazing too because I followed through on something for two years without missing a day. Very empowering.

OM 

It's a Sanskrit syllable.

It is the essence of all sound, all energy, all matter.

It can create any new thing.

It is the clearest representation of the force or power of creation.

It is the first manifestation to come from silence. The beginning of everything.

The first ripple from the source. And all movement builds on that.

OM Shanti, shanti, shanti.............

Make some sound today.