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Beautiful Places Beautiful Rituals Beautiful Things Healthy Activities

Kindness Matters

says a sign at the window of a yoga studio in Mt. Shasta – this is my kind of place – so dropped in on a snowy morning…after slip and sliding on the snowy road…
sm_IMG_6406Snow quietly falling outside – it’s so cozy:)
sm_IMG_6414The studio looked up happened to be by my favorite grocery store…
sm_IMG_6450 with the best veggie wrap I ever had – so fresh! Trying to recreate at home:)
sm_IMG_6447No cell phones in the cafe – nice:)Here’s the inviting entrance…
sm_IMG_6385Again and again, Kindness Matters – really.
sm_IMG_6386adults and children, mixed-level community class taught by a lovely teacher who modified the poses for a child and a very expectant mother and others at various levels of experience and needs – very kind indeed. Fascinating talk on bone density and alignment – Iyengar school trained… should have known. My stiff tight shoulders from 5+ hours of non-stop driving just melted away…it was a right amount of movement vs. rest, that balance. Loved that floating sensation – is it just me?
sm_IMG_6419 Snow covered walkways – snow no longer falling…
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Some city-dweller girl getting excited over … a crystalline spring water stream…it apparently dawned on her that this is the start of Sacramento River…
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Next day… snow has mostly melted and spring is here.
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Lonely as God and White as a winter moon.

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sm_IMG_6616 Blessed water …
sm_IMG_6674 Clear and pure water to wash away whatever needs cleansing emotionally and spiritually… icy coollldd to awaken you:)
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Beautiful Deeds Beautiful People Beautiful Places Beautiful Rituals Beautiful Things

Recognizing What’s Truly Beautiful:)

Beauty is not superficial; Beauty is ‘resonance’ with the Universe.

– Kevin Ashton

“When we create something that is truly going to work and succeed, we always see that resonance and we’re going to recognize it.”

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Beautiful Places Beautiful Things

Rose is a rose is a rose, II

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Various rose water bottles on display beside the olive oils at a shop in Tokyo.
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Meant the above for the Japanese blog… It reads “Rose water distilled by steam process; Like those aristocratic Europeans, add to wine for noble flavoring and sublime scent; add to milk, tea … and also add to your pastry baking.” It is a customary ingredient in Baklava as I learned from Middle Eastern cooking teacher. Here’s more ideas for you.
Aromatherapy related store called “Aroma Bloom” – love, love, love.
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Nice diffuser – still don’t think I will carry it back in a suitcase…but for only about $45 and made with wood… cannot be found in US I don’t think. Was torn but gave up.
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Can you guess the name of this rose ?
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So surprised …
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It’s called “Samurai”!
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Really? Had no idea there is a variety of rose named Samurai. Samurai translates to Warrior so seemingly so in-congruent … Apparently I have become Americanized – last time, names of red roses were I remember distinctively, “Darcy” and “All for Love” – then, this time, red rose is called Samurai? What happened? I did a double take but noone else seems to think it’s odd…Just me, the Americanized going ? Was reminded that Samurai wasn’t all about bloody battles or fighting … but their code was about honor, loyalty and respect for life because they knew it’s so fleeting:

In Japan, flowers and flower-giving are not exclusively for women. As you might have known, the samurai is an aesthete. He treasures flowers and take them as a part of life as a warrior. This concept is different radically from what Western people think about flowers.

– from Hanakotoba = Japanese Flowers & Their Meaning

There’s always a single stem flower in a vase, changed every couple of days with information on where the flower was grown and the name of that flower shown. Lovely touch that warms your heart and lifts the spirit.

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“Pink” Cymbidium
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“Lemon Heart” Cymbidium
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grown in Shiga-prefecture, this one is from Sugimoto Rose Garden…
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back to a single rose splashed in peachy creme color named “Juliet”…
Next post, will cover the benefits of rose water and rose oil as I was asked after class. To be honest, it’s probably not my favorite kind of flower … the thorns, the thorns…but cannot deny that the scents are sublime. AND there’s medicinal value to some so will share later on…