Monday, December 29, 2008

DIA

Today we (my sis, our 4 boys and Nikki) went to the DIA. We made it through almost the entire museum, had lunch and made puppets. I am so whipped I can hardly move. My left knee is killing me, not sure why. I need to do more yoga! I have been out of the loop for a week and I am really feeling it. I am so pleased that Christmas was so nice and peaceful. Have a chance to seek some culture this week:) My students are the best it the world! I got a beautiful mirror from Dubai from a special yoga friend today. Her mom got it for me while on vacation there. She went through the trouble of picking it out and bringing it all the way back here! It was so nice of her to think of me.

Monday, December 22, 2008

Nice day out

I had a great afternoon. I attended a Christmas Party with the dance teachers that work at the studio that I teach yoga at. We had a nice lunch at Rocky's, then we swapped secret Santa presents. Miss Jill went to Lucy for my gift, she is so awesome! I met Miss Peggy, who is a fellow yogi and Mr. Kest fan. She is so pretty and tiny! Gawd, I felt like an elephant next to her. I am lucky to know so many nice people. I am always an optimist and people prove me right time and time again. My back is finally feeling better (it's been really sore since Wednesday). It's so cold my nose and fingertips have permafrost! Please stay warm and drink lots of tea!!

A thought on attachment, that little inconvenience that keeps us from seeing and accepting the truth. Attachment plagues us in many ways including: expectations of what others should do (as if they are psychic), the ensuing disappointment that is a product of our maladaptive thoughts and demands, clinging to the anger that is produced, the sense of entitlement regarding what society and the world at large "owe" us, the inability to accept situations for what they are to be at peace with whatever is.

Let life happen, take it for a joyride!

Smile and sing really loudly or my favorite is to do "pirate talk" at the grocery store when I'm shopping with the kids. Just have fun and relax!

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Hello out there, anyone gonna plow this?

This is the main road through which we must drive to reach our subdivision. It snowed on Friday, still no plow!

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Salutations


May the love and Light in your life serve as a constant reminder of how lucky you are! Merry Christmas, Happy Hannuka, Happy Kwanza and a peaceful New Year to all!
Love, Tricia

Friday, December 19, 2008

Merry Christmas





Nikki and the boys decking the halls

Frankemuth Fun



7 axioms to live by

My teacher shared these truths with us, and with his permission to share I set them out to the universe for all those who seek greater insight.

I developed a mnemonic deice to remember them, so they are in a new order but none is more important than the next, it is LEFTYEE

Laughter and play are life's fountain of youth
Exercise and rest are essential for good health
Fear and pain are life's greatest teachers
Touch and intimacy are basic human needs
You are exactly where you should be in your life and in your practice
Everything is connected
Everything is impermanent

Let it snow, Let it snow, let it snow!

Horray! The plow company finally came to dig our sub out! I tried to drive to the highway in the morning and got stuck several times. I am so glad that LTF decided to let instructors cancel classes if they couldn't make it to the club! Every time Vic snow blows the sidewalks, the snow just fills back in. We have over 2 feet in our front yard! My yoga program is finished, I am so thankful for my family and their support. When I got home on Wednesday night, there was a candle on the island counter. I turned the light on and Vic jumped out and yelled "surprise" there was a huge congratulations banner, champagne, chocolates and a big Lucy bag (my fav yoga clothes store). I started to cry harder than I already was. He asked why I was crying, I said I felt so loved, my back was killing me and I'm so tired I could die. My "holding it togetherness" over the past three months just fell out like a waterfall. We sat eating chocolate and drinking champagne. He said the boys tried to stay up but fell asleep two hours earlier. They even helped clean their toys out of the family room! Vic got me a jacket from Lucy, he actually went shopping, at the mall and picked out a really cool jacket the fits me like a glove. He by the way doesn't shop much, never at the mall! That was a really special effort on his part.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Quote of the Week

When you are inspired by some great
purpose,
some extraordinary project,
all your thoughts break their bonds;
your mind transcends limitations,
your consciousness expands in every direction,
and you find yourself in a new, great and wonderful world.
Dormant forces, faculties and talents
become alive,
and you discover yourself to be
a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be.

~ Patanjali
Responsible for coding the yoga asanas in the Yoga Sutra ancient texts

Monday, December 15, 2008

My experience with yoga school

1. It has been way more normal than I could have imagined (visions of treacherous poses and strange chanting were no where to be found).
2. I am completely taken aback at how much I have allowed myself to change and grow.
3. I am so absolutely thrilled at the prospect of the rest of my life being even better than it was because of this experience.
4. Really understanding and appreciating the impermanence of life is a gift, as one doesn't dare take a minute for granted.
5. It has been the most difficult endeavor I have ever embarked on and lived to tell about my journey.
6. I am really sad it is coming to an end, which really surprises me due to the fact that I really hated it for a while!
7. If my teacher had told me that I could/would be able to undergo such an amazing transformation in 12 weeks, I would have told him that "I didn't think so". Luckily I didn't limit myself and had no expectations.
8. I am happy I presented my teacher with a "tabla rasa" (blank slate) upon which to write his wisdom upon.
9. I am so eternally grateful for the friendships we forged during this experience. I am blessed and filled with joy to call these people my friends.
10. I am grateful for the equanimity I have developed and how it has helped me in so many ways (emotional stability, less impulsivity, more concentration and focus and a clearer and broader, more horizontal approach to daily life).

I feel so open and aware and quietly alert. I feel completely in control and have a new found ability to really stop and think before I act! Wow an old dog can learn new tricks!!

Thank you Mr. Kest, Jason and all the teachers who have inspired me and allowed me to attend, observe and assist with classes. Your shadows are tall and I humbly walk in them as I tread toward new experiences!

In Love and Light~
Tricia

Cooking tip

I made a huge batch of miropoix (celery onion, carrot and garlic) and sauteed it for a while with olive oil. I used half to make bean soup and saved the other half for fried rice that I am making tomorrow. All the messy work (food processor) is done once and I can whip up the rice tomorrow a little faster.

Sunday, December 14, 2008

What this teacher training had taught me

Where to begin?

I am exactly where I am supposed to be.
Meditation and breath control are real tools for self transformation.
I am truly blessed to be able to learn these and many other truths and to share them with others.
Concentration and focus are improved when one opens themselves to growth and introspection.
I am a small part of a large equation.
Calm mind and body are linked by calm breath.

Monday, December 8, 2008

Vegan pumpkin muffins

I made these for my fellow yogis in training. I changed my original recipe to vegan choices. Our palets have been accustomed to low sugar foods for a while, so I barely use any sugar. An old friend told me that they needed more sugar, my response was "my kids eat them without it, so why should I add it in?" You may want to increase the amount of sugar to 1/2 c otherwise they may not taste good to you. Eventually if you reduce the sugar in your diet, you won't miss it. Yesterday I made these with a 1/3 c of brown rice syrup instead of sugar. They were moist and delicious.I use almost all organic ingredients, but these work fine with conventional foods as well.

Vegan Punpkin muffins:

preheat oven to 400 degrees

1/2 c oats pulverized in blender
1 1/2 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c ground flaxseed
1/2 c coconut
1/3 c sugar
2t baking powder (rumford brand)
1/2 t salt
8 prunes and 1 c almond milk and one avacado pulverized in blender
1/3 c oil (expeller pressed if possible) I use sunflower, safflower, olive or canola.
3 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
2 t vanilla
1 15 oz can pureed pumpkin- not pumpkin pie filling

Optional crumb topping to be sprinkled over tops before baking4 T smart balance spread 6T flour1/2 t cinnamon 3 T sugar. Mix until crumbly.Mix all wet in 1bowl, mix all dry in another. Dump dry into wet, mix until just blended. Line muffin tin with liners, add a scoop in each . Makes 24 muffin. Bake 400 for 20 to 25 minutes.

Enjoy!

Tired

I am so beat I want to lay around, but my lovely family trashed our home so badly this weekend I have to clean! So on that thought, off I go...

Thursday, December 4, 2008

too nice for nasty thoughts

I can't think of anything!

A new chapter

Well, I; am nearing the completion of my program and I have very mixed emtions. I am sad that it is ending but so happy to have more time to practice and expolre my connection to yoga. I plan on taking many classes over the Christmas break and beginning to tackle teachbacks. I am excited to begin teachig the Hockey families in Brighton. The players have taken to it so amazingly and I feel so blessed to have the experience and ability to work with them. So as this little bird nears the edge of the nest, ready to take the plunge I look back with no regrets!