In the Marin Headlands hostel, we did not know there’s such a place to organize a gathering … Live music by The Barefoot Quales – these little boys are so talented on the strings. If they are already so good at this very young age, wonder how they are going to turn out when they are a bit older… so promising if they keep practicing. So talented already.
The appetizers table with mouthwatering international dishes so fitting a celebration of a person so adventurous and well traveled.
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Being Human
This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all
even if they’re a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture.
Still treat each guest honourably,
he may be clearing you out
for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.
– RUMI
(1207-1273)
Green Tea Barista C-san:) 
Assisted by “Princess Leila”:)
Just whipped – Impromptu tea ceremony Western style by C-san. Casual tea time @ Rumi’s … gratitude for generous souls 2016.
Wondering what this new year 2017 will bring – myself, hoping to whip up something frothy and light. Being human!
I have been visiting a zen retreat every month and … while I wait for a certain program to be over with, I chat with others who also wait …hike in the gardens and woods and eat their vegetarian lunch. On such a day, my head is clear as a crystalline azure lake … so lucid, so empty… so pure. As long as I have a guide, I am sure I can fast and not really feel deprived … yet the kitchen staff is baking breads and muffins and …so, I will just meditate on that thought instead:)
I post this super “boring” looking photo of me in Seal pose (upward facing dog if I had my thighs off the mat, fingers pointing forward, wrists under the shoulders …that lift lift lift:), as opposed to a more pretzely or some wow-inversion because … some people think “meditation” is so … boring. I beg to differ.
It’s all about the mindset, approach and technique. If sitting is not possible, engage in a yoga pose statically and dynamically – eventually, you will come to appreciate this practice where your mind has a chance to clear, reset and refresh. Clean oxygen helps! Here at this farm, the scent of the earth is so grounding, tranquility is an easy set point. After a short practice, walk to the beach … that would be my destination. Here’s my fox as she plays with her own … reflection. Her own shadow follows and glistens in the waves… looming larger … she gets more and more excited about this shadow, even though it’s only a reflection of Self. She starts barking at her own shadows much to our amusement … that silliness is so earnest, it’s funny. As the great teacher says, pretty soon, we can mirror back and look deep deep into that funny silly unknowns. In this case, the shadows loom larger than the Self but …as she moves, the darkness disappears, and the dog recognize that the shadow is nothing to be afraid of. With self knowledge, her playful dance with the flow and ebb of the waves resumes. She now dances with her best friend as the waves crash onto the beach …she has befriended her own shadow and it’s … fun.
Will be covering year in review this month and wanted to share what one of our teachers, Baxter Bell, MD, went over in our Yoga Therapy sessions and at his workshop on aging …(remember whether you are 26 years old or 46 years old, you are both … aging; each day we are a day older than we were yesterday, it is what it is.Let’s celebrate each day!). According to him, the following quote is just one of the many many theories and mysteries BUT sure, it helps as do the actual physical practice of anything yoga. With therapists, it’s more pinpointed and effective but any yoga can be helpful. If done with the kind intentions, you live your yoga.
Baxter Bell is working on a book on this topic and … I can’t wait to get a hold of this book when it gets published:) In the meantime, just one of many theories out there:
