Category: Beautiful Places

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Joyful

じょいふる：）Girl POWER in Japan … Cute and … “JOYFUL”, From LOUD crescendo to hushed … diminuendo and then the volume goes up again.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsvNsfPZPiE

They are just having fun being … JOYFUL in “matsuri” mode. Their idea of an idol might be a little different from a standard set here so wanted to share. No cleavage necessary, no high heels, no revealing skin showing or tight clothing basically needed to sell yourself … to be an idol there:) What a relief for moms of daughters…

I miss the participatory group energy – love the caller-response exchange and the comic touch. It probably looks a bit odd to the Westerners how the fans have a cheering section who dance along (same movements kind of like bon-odori at a festival…) – anyway, I don’t know why I am posting this (so unrelated to … yoga) I must be getting home sick… last year New Years and Christmas was in Tokyo but this year … not. sob.

No matter how long I have been here, I still consider where my mother is, where my father is buried, my home. But this adopted home is lovely too – in gratitude. America is a beautiful country too where the girls can truly shine, not just on stage but off the stage. I respect so many of the women around me who are so beautiful here.

America is a country of immigrants – If you can’t jump on the plane to go back to the old country to see your mother or your sister or ….. Then create a family here & be the seed … you can get “there” (where?) through the practice of yoga.

So sorry this post is not very ZEN:) but wanted to debunk Asian women’s stereotype of shyness (its dependent on a person not race) abroad and share this study in contrasts, where the opposites – the loud and the hushed silence (shh…) are … separate and one.

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Beautiful People Beautiful Places Beautiful Things

More karaoke please…

simple, uncomplicated …unadorned gratitude.

Her voice is delicate, not powerful and her breath-to-breath intake is pleasantly audible … her whole singing is “resistance breathing” in action? Practically fading out, yet, the audience wants to hear her so badly, swept over in total silence as we put down everything to turn our ears to her. Each word fully enunciated, with great care and …tenderness. It’s not the Broadway singing … it’s almost like poetry reading – breathy whisper…Goro Miyazaki must have his father’s sensitivity to have discovered her.

This is an Irish folk song melody with … Japanese lyrics.

Breathy, feathery … fragile and yet purposeful … “arigato”… in gratitude.

あなたがいる　　You are here
やわらかな光みちる家 in our home filled with soft light

あなたがいる何気ない毎日の中に you are here, in the ordinary day to day

あふれる緑ときれいな水 there’s abundance of greenery spilling over, there’s clear water
そしてあなたがいる and … you are here
それだけで幸せになれる that’s all …you are here and that’s all I need to be happy

そばにいるよ I am near (I stand by you)
風の日も、心迷う日も on windy days and even on heart wrought, confused days

そばにいるよ I am near (I stand by you)
寄り添えばここはあたたかい it’s warm here when we snuggle
あなたの笑顔が私の宝物 your smile is my treasure

こんなおだやかな日々が私の喜び my joy lies in days spent in peaceful harmony

ともに生きていく　明日を守りたい To walk this journey together, protecting our tomorrow
あなたとそしてすべてのいのちのために。 With you and for every life and all lives.

– lyrics by Hiroko Taniyama
– English translation by me

I know to some, it’s corny and for the sad people, maybe even kitsch but … I love corny and kitsch.

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Beautiful Places Beautiful Rituals

Winter Solstice

is coming up THIS SUNDAY – the 21st in Northern Hemisphere. Indeed, this Sunday is Winter Solstice as well as a New Moon – quite an auspicious day:)
Specifically if you are in San Francisco/Silicon Valley Bay Area … note the exact time of Winter Solstice to be 3:03 PM PST,
but most people celebrate the whole day as the Winter Solstice as I would:) In reality, I have come to learn that the Solstice occurs at a specific time – when the Sun is exactly overhead the Tropic of Capricorn.

StonehengeNightSnow

– photo credit to http://theartof12.blogspot.com/2013/12/winter-solstice-december-21-2013.html – beautiful photos to sigh over.

“The Sun Stands Still” – The term “solstice” apparently comes from the Latin word solstitium, meaning the Sun stands still. This is because on this day, the Sun reaches its southern-most (or northern-most during the June Solstice) position as seen from the Earth. It seems to stand still at the Tropic of Capricorn (and Tropic of Cancer during the June Solstice) and then reverses its direction.
– excerpt from time & date.com http://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/ten-things-december-solstice.html

So now that you know Sunday is Winter Solstice, what are you going to do?

Celebrate !

Of course:) Will share some ideas with you in the post that follows…

Uji-Bridge
– photo credit to http://www.wattention.com/archives/ise-jingu-shrine-2/

NOTE: In Japan, Winter Solstice = 冬至＝ “TOUJI” = literally the characters reads “Winter” “Comes” or “arrives” … The most famous celebration may be the one held at Ise Grand Shrine where apparently if you stand on the Uji-bridge, the sun rises from the middle of the Torii, the gate of the temple …and awash you with the sense of renewal – ridding self of the past, to bring in a fresh start with the coming of light…a reminder that suffering and pain may bring about darkness, it may even appear that shadows overtake BUT shadows are there because there is light, bright light whether hidden and underneath the layers and veils … light returns … BRIGHT & there’s renewal and rebirth.

It is believed from the old Eastern calendar that October is laden in Yin-energy, in November, subtle Yang-energy revitalizes … and Winter Solstice marks the lengthening or the strengthening of the Yang-energy to bring about a “balance” which is ironic because it’s the shortest day of the year … but a re-start of a cycle. This is a sign that a new year is coming along with the hope of sun rising on the horizon, warming our souls. There’s a spiritual meaning signifying the message of the faith in the cycle of coming season – that of rising sun, lengthening days coming ahead – that no matter how wrought with pain and suffering the past year may have been, any bad luck of the past year – its all to be washed away and there remains the purified Self – a NEW DAY of restored hope … a turning point from darkness to light and as always, Japanese celebrates with foods of significance to mark the day …

Yes, I am looking around for “Yuzu”… for the bath; making red beans rice risotto; and kabocha… Golden Orange … is the color evoked. Sun, sun, sun – Love.