Violet

Well, I did it! It may be hard to tell from this photo, but my hair is now chocolate with violet streaks. The stylist also straighten it, I am usually curly (and will be again soon) but I like the straight look now and then, just too much work for me personally.

I am pretty happy with it. It is my reward for 100 days of yoga.

My daughter took this picture yesterday at the River, which is where I have been much of the summer... it's why I haven't been posting much. Be back soon!

Summer's Here And the Time is Right...

~for 100 days of Guitar playing (minimum 30 minutes) every day!

~singing every day too... goes without saying

~swimming in the River as much as Possible! (2-3 days/week)

~berry picking!

~attending (rather than facilitating) a yoga class

~weekly trips to the Riverview Park and Zoo

~camping

~daily yoga (today is day 75!!)

~dancing in the street (I'll find any opportunity I can!!)

Happy Summer to All!!!!

Summer Challenges

Today is day 68 of my 100 days of Yoga Challenge. Yippee for me!

Today is also day 26 of Yogadiva's June Sun Salutation (Surya Namaskar) challenge.
And let me tell you, it has been a CHALLENGE in the true sense of the word...
I have even cursed the challenge at times.
But, I am getting through it.
There are only 4 days left!

In the beginning (June 1-10th), it was easy. But I usually practice a Sivananda Style of Sun Salutaions which means doing it first on the right and then on the left side is ONE sun salutation. Generally in my daily practice, I was used to doing 3-5 sun salutaions (so 6-10 times down and up again).

On about the 14th of the month, I was just about dying! So I decide to go easy on myself and count my style of sun salutaion as 2 (kinda feels like cheating... but the idea of the challenge isn't to beat yourself up, right?)

And there were a couple of days that I just didn't complete the required number before heading into some other yoga poses, because, well I just went with what was right for me that day.

Some days I would be pouty... "I don't feel like doing 20 sun salutaions", I would say to myself. Then I discovered a way to "trick myself". "Okay" , I would say (to myself-- cuz I do that talking to myself thing quite a fair bit!) "just try to do 10 then and see how that goes".

So I tried it.

The first day, I did half, then did some other asanas and then felt like, "hey, I can do the other half now".

And I did.

That worked for me for a couple of days and then something else happened. When I was being less hard and more gentle on myself, my stamina and determination grew!!

Once I had done half of the number of sun salutaions for the day, I wasn't "too tired" to go on. So I told myself "well I can do another set or two" And before I knew it, I was too close to the end to bother stopping. It has felt amazing!! Thanks go out to Leslie over at Yogadiva's Divine Life for an awsome and rewarding challenge.

Now, I've been having such wonderful and fullfilling success with my Challenges, that I have decided to take up another one.

In favour of no longer resisting my bliss and as part of the Wild Women Revolution that has been commenced over at BlissChick's, I publicly state here and now that I will begin on July 1, 2009, a

100 Days of Guitar Playing Bliss (I'm not gonna call it practice--cuz I don't like practicing, just playing ;-).

Anyone wanna join me on a 100 days of whatever your bliss desires?

Resisting My Bliss

I KNOW that I have been doing it. I've been feeling it for days. I've felt myself "resigning".
Resisting my bliss.

Over a year ago, I was working a 40 hour week in child care. I have been in childcare for 20 years. That's a damned long time to work with small humans. That's an amazingly damned long time to work with small humans and NOT be burnt out. The field of childcare has a notoriously high burn out rate.

The way that I have managed for so long, is that I recognize my need for breaks and changes in my job. Every three years I need some sort of shake up.
I went to Finland once to teach English for a year.
I took six weeks off once to travel Europe.
I got pregnant and had a year off with my own little Sugar Plum.
I did home child care for a while when Sugar Plum was very little.
I returned to a different job after being at home with her for 3 years.

Anyway, last year I was feeling at the end of my rope again (it had been three years in the same job) and I decided to quit and follow my bliss.

I wasn't entirely sure what my bliss was but I knew that it involved writing and singing.
And as it turned out, I didn't full-out QUIT, but compromised and started working part-time in September 2008.

Since then I have started teaching yoga. I love yoga and it makes me feel great! I feel wonderful when I am facilitating a class. It is not however, the bliss I was seeking.

I am now finally writing more, thanks to finally getting this blog going.
And I am doing some more creative writing as well.
My children's stories and songs though? Not so much.

In September, I joined a local choir. And I was Blissful!! It was awesome. Weekly practices leading up to an amazing Christmas concert with 4 sold out performances at 2 locations. My voice was in tip-top shape and I was very excited and happy.

Then, when the choir was to start back up again in February, I decided that I was going to be "too busy" to attend this session (yoga classes, Sugar Plums skating lessons...oh yes and we were having vehicle issues too). I decided that I would join in September 2009 again.

In February, I joined a local Snowfest Committee and committed myself to lead the song and story time for a snowfest event in our town and then I NEEDED to learn some songs to play on the guitar with the children (you think I may have done this over my 20 years in child care considering that I have owned my guitar for 20 years as well, but no. I have been resisting this bliss for a LONG time!)

So the Snofest experience was great! I actually (finally) learned some simple songs to play for children (Itsy Bitsy Spider, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, I'm a Little Teapot etc.). It was so easy, I don't know why I resisted for so long.

Then I decided to carry over my new-found talent and finally take my guitar to work and play for the preschool children. They loved it! They are great fans! They think I'm a rock star!! Children really are the best audiences! I was doing this once a week for months.
Not sure why it has been over six weeks since I've taken the guitar to work

For some "unexplained" reason, I have stopped playing and singing. It was gradual at first. I didn't even really notice it happening.

I also found myself thinking about soon having to return to full time work and just GIVING UP any more pursuit of music. I've been looking at course calendars for colleges, looking for something that I can "make money at".

One big thing that looms over my head, is a music project that I started and have yet to complete. I decided to make a children's c.d as a fundraiser for the child care centre where I work. I have a friend who came and recorded me and a group of children singing circle time songs.... last March (2008). And that's as far as I got. The next step was supposed to be to go to his studio and finish recording some more songs.

I feel like I MUST complete this project to move forward.

Then last night... I remembered something that I told myself to do when I was getting "in a rut". I listened to music!! I was listening to Sarah Harmer: You Were Here. (I haven't actually watched this Youtube clip cuz it's 4 min. long and that would take for ever here in no man's land). There are a couple of songs on that cd that I have learned to play and I was all of a sudden, inspired!! I turned off the cd, picked up my guitar and played and played and played!!

Fishguy sat here smiling, saying "it's about time!"
And my fingers hurt like hell since my callouses have worn off.
But did it ever feel good!

Now today I think I need to think about making another 100 day challenge for myself. I see that I have been using all sorts of excuses (including my 100 day yoga challenge) to resist my bliss... and as BlissChick and the Borg say.... Resistance is Futile!

Day 17 of 100 Days of Yoga; Getting Pulled up by the Hair

I have accepted a dare! Christine over at BlissChick issued a dare to her readers a couple of weeks ago.

Pick one thing to do every day for 100 days. Pick THE one thing that you know you should be doing or not doing but you’ve been avoiding it because it’s something you’re really attached to (or unattached to).

I had a long list of possibilities. Here is what I posted in BlissChick’s comments:

Yikes! What a challenge.

How, how, how do I narrow down my long list of self improvement possibilities to....
One Single Thing? I've been in deep contemplation since yesterday morning. Even though I teach yoga three times a week, my personal daily practice has been stagnating. Therefore, that is my first thought, to renew my dedication to yoga. But would that be something "Really Hard"?

There are so many things I could benefit from committing to for 100 days.

-stop picking at my fingernails and cuticles and take care of my messed up hands

-eat totally vegetarian

-recommit to walking 20 min. every day

-No Junk Food!!

-Stop swearing

-play guitar and sing

Well, I am still working on a decision. On Monday I will post my vow.
Pardon me, for taking up so much space in your comments section Christine.

Also coming Monday... my very own blog!!! There. I've publicly announced it. Now I will follow through.Thank you again for helping me to achieve it.
April 18, 2009 10:08 AM

I did things a little backwards, taking up the challenge and then starting my blog and now posting about the challenge- but I’m a do things differently kinda gal!

So to follow up now, I will tell you that I chose the daily yoga practice. I have just been feeling too much guilt over letting my personal practice slip away since I started facilitating yoga for others.

I also figured that those other things on my list above would be easier for me to work towards if I have a solid foundation of daily yoga in which to set my intentions for the day.

Here is a report of my routine and progress thus far:

• Every day I set my timer for 20 minutes first thing in the morning and take it to the mat.
• I light a candle.
• I sit quiet for a moment or two to just “get present”.
• My practice follows a Sivananda flow (watch for it in a future post).
• The timer ringing signals the end of my physical practice.
• I reset for another 10 minutes.
• I use this time to meditate and get quiet.
• I then focus on my intention for the day.
• I finish with a small chant or mantra which just raises my vibration and sets me on my way.
• I have been faithful to this for 17 days now.

Some days I feel I don’t have a full 30 minutes to dedicate to this practice. On those days I set my timer for 10 minutes of stretches and maintain my 10 minutes of meditation/intention setting. 20 minutes is better than nothing. That has only happened 2 or 3 times and I usually end up closer to the full 30 minutes when I am done because once I get started, IT IS HARD TO DO LESS!

That’s what I find so fascinating about this challenge. Getting started is more than half the battle. It reminds me of a quote I read in the sidebar of Yoga Diva’s Divine Life. The quote is by Vanda Scarvelli in which she says “ In the beginning you have to make room for yoga in your daily life and give it the place it deserves. But after some time, yoga itself will pull you up by the hair and make you do it!”