I’ll be guiding this group weekly on a drop in basis ($20 or donation; cash) weekly at ABC’s of Building Better Lives Therapy, located at 4320 Dexter Avenue, right off of Pine slightly north of Grandview (by the Dairy Queen).
Grief is not just about losing someone to death, of course, and this group is open to anyone challenged by any sort of grief or trauma.
Ganesha Chaturthi: Rituals for these 10 Days
September 2nd through September 12th is a ten day celebration of the “birthday” of the Hindu God, Ganesha, the elephant headed God who removes obstacles.
First thing I did was go and get a new Ganesha statue (after having gotten rid of all my statuary when we moved to Vermont 3 years ago today, not realizing a) we’d move home again and b) I’d really want those darn statues!). I then took him to the lake’s edge and performed some simple ablutions. I also picked up a rock for my altar.
This year, I set up a really simple altar on a table in the main flow of our house so it’s always in a sight line and so I’m constantly thinking about my intentions around this time.
My altar includes: my new Ganesha statue, an incense burner, three candles, some favorite stones that are targeted toward my intention, the rock from the ablutions at the lake, and my mala that was handmade for me for my wedding.
My intention this year is about emotional obstacles — mainly whatever it is that is blocking me from really claiming my happy life. I don’t need to articulate it any more clearly than that. We don’t always need a million words of explanation for our feelings. They just are and eventually then can just change.
Each day, besides my focus on my intention, I’m spending time chanting to Ganesha, and I’m doing that by simply following along with this chant to him by Deva Premal.
My point is that none of this needs to be complicated. Do what feels right and good and have some consistency so you can naturally grow your devotion muscles.
First Fall Session in Erie at Pranayoga!
This is just a reminder that the fall session is UP and you can STILL REGISTER OR you can DROP IN!
YEP! You can DROP IN!
I haven’t had the space to allow for that in the recent past but now we do! YAY!
Go here for all the details.
Taking Care of My Pain Body
For a lot of reasons, over the past few months, I've been in more body pain than I have been since I started dancing again 11 years ago. 15 years ago, I was in so much pain that I thought I needed a cane (and I still need to write more about that…).
Dance took all the pain away. But over time and with a ton of daily work and deep devotion and awareness.
Now a lot of that pain is back... sigh...
But luckily I realized that I'm not doing some of the basics that I used to be very passionate about...including simply doing slow, circular, flowing movement earlier in the day to awaken everything.
I'm super stiff in the morning so this isn't about dancing but about getting things going.
It's about deep body listening.
And here you get to see me just PLOP against the wall at one point...because this is the work of it and sometimes we do things that aren't very graceful.
Here We Go Again...
See that beautiful #treester #nutbag behind Craig and me? The one holding the book? The one who MARRIED US? That's how important she is to me... she MARRIED US.
And now, finally, because I don't know why we haven't just done this already... ((BIG ANNOUNCEMENT))...
Erin Lea and I will FINALLY BE STUDIO PARTNERS.
Shakti Movement Arts: Sanctuary of Embodiment will officially be joining up with Pranayoga - a little breathing room and will be living out of and working out of Erin's beautiful space starting with the new class session beginning Sunday, September 8th
LET THE CRAZY BEGIN!!!! <3
The space I've been in for the summer is lovely but there's nothing like working with a best friend.
And we have been working together but we've been doing so back and forth between our spaces... which is silly.
NOW WE ARE JOINED!
The Home of the Soul is Playful
I’ve had quite the summer, as evidenced by my lack of writing. I moved into a new and beautiful and tech-heavy and modern, gym-like studio space, only to figure out that I desperately need windows and that it’s more about the FEEL of a space than the look. So there’s more change coming there but I’ll write about that another time.
For now, I wanted to briefly write about something I’m learning on a deeper level than ever while I’ve been observing/working with a bunch of women in private sessions. (Remember that you don’t have to be local to have a private session with me. I do them locally AND via Zoom/etc. Go here)
I’m learning, yet again for the millionth time, that joy comes from being in the body, and that only when we work from a state of wonder and curiosity and play do we really settle into ourselves, into this home, into our very souls.
Here’s the thing: no matter what women come to me for — balance issues, pain of one kind or another, overwhelm, anxiety, and on and on — they are really coming to me to rediscover this essential and original form of themselves.
Here’s another thing: It doesn’t take much.
I have new private clients who have only worked with me for maybe 4 sessions who come in and can’t get over how much they’ve been spontaneously dancing to the radio again for the first time in far too long to remember.
Or they are finding themselves SINGING at the drop of a hat.
Or they come in and their face has completely changed and there is LIGHT and smiling and no more hiding behind a veil of “I’m so EXHAUSTED by all the TRYING.”
This work is not some instant fix, nor will it work in the long run if we do it for a short time and then stop. This work is a practice, for sure, and it is meant to be a lifetime companion…but who doesn’t want a companion who simply wants to play?
Our Studio...Blessed
When I suddenly got the new studio, I immediately knew we’d have to do a blessing of the space.
When you teach out of your home, it so very easily creates a sense of temple because you’re opening up your most personal space to people. Over time, as they come and go, the students imbue that space with even more sacred and peace and intention.
You can’t just move into a new space, especially one that’s a bit more… sterile, and expect it to have the same feeling. It takes time.
But it also deserves a marking of the transition into the space, a setting of intention for the space and the people who will be in there, and an acknowledgement that we are now starting to take this space for our own sacred temple of community.
So we did that. A small group of people came together, each with their own gift to give — whether it be creating sound, making and sharing scent, saying words, being with us, bringing sparkle balloons, and so much more!
It was perfect and I hope when you first walk in here that you can feel how we are taking care to make this new studio special for you.
Happy Healthy Feet
As I say in the video, everything is about the feet because that’s where it all starts.
This is just a simple, quick, few moves practice that, if done every day for a month, will change not just your feet but your sense of ease in your body overall.
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