Wag-a-Yoga: Healing & Revitalization with Kay T Ananda Yoga Therapy – Page 518 – Oneness Yoga & Healthy Lifestyle in Silicon Valley/Bay Area

Rose is a rose is a rose, II

Post author By Kay T. Ananda
Post date March 4, 2015

Various rose water bottles on display beside the olive oils at a shop in Tokyo.

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.

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.

Can you guess the name of this rose ?

So surprised …

It’s called “Samurai”!

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.

“Pink” Cymbidium

“Lemon Heart” Cymbidium

grown in Shiga-prefecture, this one is from Sugimoto Rose Garden…

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…

Beautiful People

Girls Day…Today

Post author By Kay T. Ananda
Post date March 3, 2015

Here’s what I wrote about it last year … Click here:)

Girls’ Day – also called “Dolls” Day as traditionally, dolls handed down from mothers to daughters for generations grace the central spot in the home almost like an alter.
So thought about Hinamatsuri celebration – will post unusual for Hinamatsuri but cute dolls and some traditional sweets in the Japanese blog:) Take a look if interested.

Why grown “girls” still love her…look up to she who still keeps reinventing
herself after 20 years at a place where teen idols don’t usually last longer than a blip in time…matured from “Sweet 19” but …a lovely lookback:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOwm5CUbvHw

Just reminded that there’s about team of 10-30+ creating that “image” – an illusion – it’s not real, all an illusion …but …everything is an illusion anyway – Sweet.
Teen idol then and now matured and still adored:

Girl’s Day – yes, but what does this have anything to do with Yoga?
To some, these videos may be an antithesis of a yoga practice as you are trying to GET AWAY from the fakeness and materialism? The imposed idea that we have to cake on layers of makeup, wear the latest in fashion and wear break-legs high heels that ruins your natural posture – to look on the outside – beautiful?
She is like a doll? (and it’s called Dolls Day too…) Actually, I heard she’s overcome a lot of hardship, but a wonderful single mom to a teen son AND does yoga before dance training – all this gossip while getting a hair cut from a fan/stylist in Shibuya couple of months ago but … maybe I misheard it ??? as I was groggy from a jet-lag (getting vertigo in Shibuya is not a good thing – too many people rushing around.)
So not sure if it’s really true or not; but seems possible as a warm up before dance practice? After all, she is the Madonna, Japanese version.

So girls – young and old and in-between, Y O G A … (Hi Anna:)

Can you celebrate it? Can we celebrate being a “girl” especially, today, and everyday?

* To be fair, May 5th is Boys’ Day:)

Healthy Living