More India!

Oh geez, I have been poky to post more pictures from India.

I have to admit to a gruesome case of jet lag after I

got back to Seattle.  The airplane always seems like it should be

a magic time capsule and that it shouldn't be that hard

to adjust.  But it sure was! At least for me.

Ok. So pictures.

I'll start with a picture of the beautiful chef

at Satsanga, Mani Shivadas.

Mani oversaw planning and preparation 

of three meals a day for 

us lucky retreat-goers.

I snapped these photos

during an informal cooking class.

Watching the kitchen staff work together was

really a sight to behold. There was no yelling

or ego-infused antics that we see on cooking shows

in the West. Instead, it was like a gentle ballet

of coordinated movements. One person would place a 

pot on a flame in time for another to put in freshly cut

ingredients. Or someone would season the ingredients in

another pot before someone else would move it to 

a back burner to simmer and place

a new pot over the flame.

Even the cooking was done with

a grounded, gentle energy. 

Mani's spice container. There's a lid that

goes over the top of the entire thing - very handy.

A sample of our beautiful, fresh ingredients.

Hand-shaving fresh coconut.

This was such a treat on fruit in the mornings!

Here's what our morning spread looked like.

Fresh strawberries,

oranges,

bananas,

pomegranate seeds,

grapes,

pineapple,

papaya,

coconut,

granola...

It was heaven!

This was a favorite dinner spot, beneath

a magical magenta canopy (the sun

was already too hot by breakfast).

Flowers, everywhere. Always. So lovely.

Flowers at the market.

And spices!

We visited a local orphanage in Goa.

Most of us brought toys and clothes

to share. 

The children were beautiful.

With or without teeth!

The coloring books were an especially big hit.

The kids each get assigned a number, which they

apparently used for logistical purposes. 

You can see the numbers above each of

the dinner plates here.

It was a well-coordinated facility! 

This sweet little girl insisted I stay

while she read every number out loud to me.

Which I did.

She was hard to refuse.

Such determination.

I have to think it will serve her well...

 

Peace.

Sunday Meditation

”When a man wantonly destroys one of the works of man 

we call him vandal. 

When he wantonly destroys one of the works of God 

we call him sportsman.”

- Joseph Wood Krutch

Mindfulness

I've been enjoying a much slower pace of life here in India.  

By contrast, I am reminded how much I normally rush through

my life back in Seattle.

I'm sure you all can relate.

Packed days where your brain is constantly

running through all the things that

still need to be done and checking off "to do" lists

while constantly keeping 

one eye on the time.

Sigh.

Something surprising that has been helping me 

be present in the moment is the simple custom of

removing your shoes before going into any indoor room - 

the dining area, your room, shared bathrooms 

and of course, yoga studios.

It's easier to remember to do when you have to step over

a cluster of others' flip flops to go into a shared space,

but I found it harder to remember when it was

just me going into my room.

My mind was always ahead of me.

What's next?

Slowly I'm getting better.

And it's become a sweet little practice 

in mindfulness. 

And

slowing

down.

Greetings from Goa!

I just finished a delicious vegan dinner here

at Satsanga Retreat in India.  

I'm tired from a day of yoga and sun.

I thought I'd share a couple of photos.

Below is a picture from the main studio, called Buddha. 

The beautiful flowers were from a 

special celebration after a teacher training.

We spread our mats out around them for a 

class yesterday - it was such a treat!

And here's the upstairs studio called Shiva.

It's on the 3rd floor and floor-to-ceiling windows open on two sides.

You feel like you're doing yoga in the trees.

Amazing!

It's a truly beautiful place with

a gentle spirit.

Ok - I'll have to share more later.

 My battery's about to die!

Namaste!

April 1st Workshop with Tara Sophia Mohr

On Sunday, April 1st I will be hosting two workshops being led by Tara Sophia Mohr, a life coach, poet, and regular blogger for The Huffington Post.  I've been reading Tara's blog, Wise Living, for many months now and have come to deeply appreciate her fierce yet gentle wisdom.  I am so honored to have this opportunity!


In Tara's words, the workshops "will be intimate small-group workshops for only ten women. This is a day of self-care for the soul, amongst kindred spirits, a beautiful environment, healthy food, and the ideas that I love to live, and love to teach." 


You can attend both or just one, and either way stay for lunch in between. To register, click here and go to the bottom of the page to make your selection.  


If you're in the Seattle area I hope to see you there!


Laura

MORNING WORKSHOP: FINDING AND FREEING YOUR INNER WRITER

10am-1pm, Seattle home of Laura Henderson (location details will be sent to you with your registration).

If you….
…want to write, but aren’t writing
…or if you already write, but with more struggle, self-doubt, procrastination, clunkiness and ickiness than you’d like
….or you write with joy, but get stuck (or scared, or unsure what to do) when it comes to sharing your writing with the world or getting it published

then this the gathering for you.

If you are called to writing, for personal healing, creative expression or professional reasons, join me for this special gathering. I will share the framework that most helped me recover my writing life after a ten-year hiatus from writing, and that today most helps me keep creating, day in and day out. This is also the framework that allows me to be a good advocate for my work with editors, agents, the biz folks. Yes, it’s an amazing framework and I’m really excited to share it.

This will be a particularly valuable workshop for women who 1) want to recover or loosen up their writing practice or 2) are struggling to combine the creative/art side of writing with the biz side of sharing their writing in the world.

The workshop will run from 10-1pm. From 1-2pm, stay for lunch and conversation! 

AFTERNOON WORKSHOP: PLAYING BIGGER IN YOUR WORK AND LIFE

2pm-5pm, Seattle home of Laura Henderson (location details will be sent to you with your registration)

If you know you want to play bigger in sharing your voice in the world, this afternoon is for you. You’ll learn:

…how to quiet the voice of self-doubt so that you can take greater risks and leaps in your work and life
…how to access your own natural wisdom – whenever you need it
…how to ensure that fear of failure, criticism, or “not being good enough” don’t get in your way

During this afternoon workshop, we will come together as women who want to play bigger for the sake of serving the world in a big way. You’ll get clear on what is standing in the way of your own playing big, and learn a variety of tools that you can put into practice right away to help you play bigger.

The women I’ve worked with have used these tools to launch new ventures and businesses, increase their earning power, reclaim their passions and creative pursuits, and find more contentment and fulfillment in their everyday lives.

The workshop includes a package of take home materials that will allow you to continue practicing the concepts in your daily life.

The workshop will begin at 2pm. Come early at 1:15 pm and join us for lunch! 

Click here to register! 

India

I'm off to India!

I'm going to Goa for a yoga retreat.
I'll be staying at Satsanga Retreat, 
which looks heavenly.

I'm looking forward to seeing how my body

feels after doing yoga for 10 days in a row.

I also am committed to meditating every day.
This will be a new for me,
and is something I'd like to integrate
into my "real" life when I return.

I hope to post while I'm there, but in the event

that I don't, I will look forward to sharing pictures

and thoughts when I return.


Until then, I'll leave you with some of
the beautiful translations of
 "Namaste", the traditional greeting in India:


The God/Goddess within me acknowledges the God/Goddess within you.
The Divine in me recognizes and honors, the Divine in you.
The spirit within me bows to the spirit within you.
I greet that place where you and I are one.
I honor the place in you which is of love, of truth, of light and of peace.


Yes.

Sunday Meditation

"I would look at a dog and when our eyes met, 

I realized that the dog 

and all creatures 

are my family. 

They're like you and me."

-Ziggy Marley

Going Green

Can you believe it's March already?

The days are getting a little longer

My lawn is starting to grow.

And I'm seeing little green sprouts of

flowers poking through the dirt.

Spring is on its way!

To celebrate all the green goodness 

that's starting to emerge

I thought I'd share some fresh

new handbags from Matt and Nat.

Gorgeous. Vegan.  Yes!

Of course you can be stylish AND kind!

Buddha

Nelly

Elba

Devo