Yoga routine

A yoga routine for this week:

1. Yawn and stretch on your back. Knees bent, hands under head, lean knees to the left and stretch your right elbow towards the floor. Yawn long and loudly. Repeat on each side until all yawned out.

2. Rest in goddess pose. Knees bent and feet together.

3. On Hands and Knees. Inhale cow pose chest sinking down towards floor and then towards the wall in front of you and exhale drawing back toward ceiling into cat pose. Move deliciously to open up chest and back.

4. Thread the needle. Still on hands and knees bring right arm through the left side between left arm and left leg, turning slightly to look up toward ceiling. Repeat on the other side.

5. Downward dog.

6. Chair pose.

                                                                      7. Warrior I

8. Squat

                                                                        9. Child's Pose

10. Savasana - flat on your back or at the wall with a bolster under hips and an eye pad.

Being free

In a few days I'm leaving home for a month long visit to see my teacher and to meditate for much of that time. I've been asked if I'm excited. Excited? And I really don't know. There is so much to organize when going anywhere. I really like being at home. I think I will be more excited to come home. It just seems the right time to go.

I know what I want more than anything - to be free of the little me, the voice (actually many voices) in my head which continuously tell me how things are, how they are supposed to be, what I should be doing, what I should have done, etc. Bossy, bossy, bossy. I have come a long way though. I can now chuckle and even laugh out loud at the stupidity that flows through my mind.  I remember Anthony de Mello, in his book, Awareness, saying that he is crazy, I am crazy, we are all crazy, and the sooner we realize that the happier we will be. I like to think that we are all absolutely sane, naturally, innately, but we pay attention and believe the voice in our head. So, I am going away to continue to learn to not take the voice or any thoughts seriously. I've been there before yet I want more and more to rest in peace. Wuhuu!

Snow ghosts

Blankets of snow everywhere. The beauty of the season is inside too. A great excuse to hibernate -  watch television - drink hot chocolate with a little brandy - write - read. 

If it is seasonally cold where you live today, well, that's good

I have a Finnish friend who has a wealth of information in all things Finnish.
She said it's great that we have a really cold day today. Huh? What's that. Everyone else is shivering with annoyance.
In Finland there are name days. At one time people placed more importance on the name of the day you were born rather than your birth day. An almanac or calendar has all the name days listed and sometimes new names are added as they become popular. Paavo (a man's name) is given to this day, January 25th. And the saying is that if today is very cold then summer will be warm. But if today is unseasonably warm then the summer will be cool. Who knew?

A routine for a wintry day indoors.

Knees and feet wide. Gently let knees fall side to side. Let the spine soften and follow.

Bring one ankle over the opposite thigh. Lift legs. Relax head and neck.

Stretch back into puppy or extended child. 

Aah, downward dog. Soften the knees to relax and lengthen the back.

Warrior II. Stretch thighs away from each other.

Side stretch. Forearm on thigh lengthen through the side.

Warrior I

For some awesome stretch....slightly drop back knee toward floor. Breathe.

Downward dog

Pigeon

Bridge

Side lying twist

Legs up wall or Savasana