A Beginner's Mind

I love this video of Anusara teachers Elena Brower and Ally Hamilton in practice with their yogamunchkins.

These yoginis are having fun together in yoga and the yoga is beautiful.  How cool is that awesome handstand and drop back or the little effortless jump forward from plank?  These moms, both respected teachers, have practiced a long time and their practices are beautiful to behold.

How cool is it that their kids are jumping in and on, whenever the opportunity arises? They are so playful and willing to do what they can and so open to possibility.

My sister Helen, who had never done yoga before, went on a yoga retreat in Tuscany with me.   It was our first trip alone, together, and an adventure I will always treasure.  Helen wanted to share yoga with me and she was happy to begin something new.

True, Kripalu style teacher Priti Robin Ross was not teaching handstands and drop backs.  Her yoga is gentle, engaging, challenging, healing and fun. Her teaching is to always be present in your breath, listen to your body and ask yourself, "What is the loving thing to do, in this moment?"  There's lots of inner work to do when you practice any yoga or learn any new thing.

Priti teaching morning yoga at Castello Melito

Helen & Me, 2nd & 3rd in the first row, in savasana at the end of an amazing yoga class

This picture shows me doing yoga with my sister.  A video would look pretty much the same as this picture does.  We were resting in Savasana, Corpse Pose, after practice.

I love that the yogamunchkins are game to do what they can and enjoy their moms to the max.  I love Helen's fierce bravery trying something new so we could too.  It takes confidence, compassion, trust and mindfulness,  which can be practiced, just like the yoga postures.  As you live an expansive life, talk to yourself like the kindest most fun mom would.  Some of the most important learning may be about attitude and taking chances; invisible to others and life changing. 


Mahatma Gandhi said Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever. 


Try developing your relationships doing the things you each love to do, together.
Live an expansive life by having a beginner's mind.  Practice being playful, confident, patient compassionate and aware.
                                  
To share Priti's upcoming retreat, Refilling Your Well, this June at Kripalu with someone you love  go to www.kripalu.org/program/view/yogamed/ROW-111

lifeasyoga.com                                            Priti Robyn Ross

virayoga.com                                              Elena Brower, NYC

yogisanonymous.com                                Ally Hamilton, Santa Monica

Tending The Garden, Digging the Weeds

When we first gave up our city loft and moved into our vacation home in the woods of Shohola, my nephew Rick sent us an image of Eva Gabor and Eddie Albert (posed like the couple in American Gothic) from the TV show Green Acres.  Yes, it was a big change and no Rick, I do not wear an evening gown when I garden.

Me and my friend Tomme, the day Larry, Phil, Tomme and I put in the first raised bed for my vegetable garden 

I love gardening, hands in the dirt, listening to the bird sounds.  So funny for an ex-city fancy pants to say. Today I plan to celebrate my birthday by playing in the dirt.  I'm going to quickly post this and get out there.  It is beautiful!

Perennial friends keep helping my garden grow with contributions like Tomme's columbine and irises, Pam's shasta daisies and more irises, Linda and Ralph's veggies and herbs from seed, Nancy's rhubarb.  
Some suggestions for the gardener in your life:

a manicure (just kidding)

Eliot Coleman's book,  "Four-Season Harvest," which offers alternatives to wistfully staring at seed catalogues so many months of the year.

Dig something out of your garden for a gift.  The gift that keeps on giving, as they regrow, reseed and return each spring.

Go to lunch and a greenhouse together

Show up willing to weed and plant for a day or present a coupon for a day in the garden.

Some of my favorite websites have e gift cards or will ship:
www.peonysenvy.com          (yes you read that right) 
www.mastergardening.com   Great tools, cold frames
www.seedsavers.org               for Heirloom seeds
www.whiteflowerfarm.com     dependable and beautiful bulbs and plants


Significant others: Diamonds are a better gift than bags of composted organic matter (Thanks Phil.)


Great At Any Age: Give a Gift That Supports Your Friend's Growth.

Me and my friend Bonnie in our own version of American Gothic

      

I Was So Much Older Then, I'm Younger Than That Now

"Still cute enough to kiss," said my friend Maris, who actually did kiss Roger McGuinn backstage, back in the day.  Back then, Phil and I brought our toddler Jill to a Byrd's concert in the ballroom of the New Yorker Hotel and she kinda slept throughout on a pile of our coats, with lullabies like "Turn, Turn,Turn," "I Wasn't Born To Follow," and "8 Miles High."

We enjoyed Roger McGuinn again, this time in solo concert at Bethel Woods, Friday night.  His virtuoso skills are honed from years of playing folk, rock and classical forms.  He shares  personal history and historic context with his songs.  AND let's face it, we share many of the same  "...Back Pages."  Some irony, as he enters playing his famous Rickenbacker Electric Guitar and singing "I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now" to this is a very mature audience...many with their grown kids and grandkids along for the ride. His stories were fascinating and the music as beautiful and fun as ever.  The night flew like an elusive chestnut mare.

No kisses this time though...Roger is happily married for 33 years to Camilla, who tours with him and keeps her camera lens on him for beautiful shots like this one...and of course we were there with our husbands of so many years and more.  Love those endings,...and they lived happily ever after doing what they love to do.

His concert dates are many and there are some videos on youtube.com and Roger's Folk Den website, where he posts a new folk song that he's collected every month (free downloadable music), if you'd like a peek before buying a ticket or CD.  Singing along to The Byrds Boxset as I write this post.

www.ibiblio.org/jimmy/mcguinn
www.ibiblio.org/jimmy/folkden-wp
www.pandora.com

***Great At Any Age: Keep Things Around That Inspire You to Live the Life You Want Now.

Be an archeologist in your own home and ask yourself , does your stuff inspire you and represent who you are now?

Our Mom displayed a trivet on the kitchen wall:  "We are Too Soon Old and Too Late Smart."  One of those keepsakes, we did not keep.   I think she got rid of it.  It's message is hopeless and sad.  She had many regrets and lived a long time suffering from bitterness.  I remember when she hung this excerpt from "The Serenity Prayer," instead.  BIG CHANGE!  Lord, grant me the serenity To accept the things I cannot change, The courage to change the things I can, And the wisdom to know the difference.

Suffering from regret, is debilitating.  I know.  Instead, try this: Acknowledge your feelings.  Learn from your experience.  Make amends if possible.  Live differently, based on your current values.   Forgive and Let Go.  Yes, life might have been different if (fill in the blank here with your true regret.)  Work with the easiest ones first as they arise, and then take on the more difficult regrets.  Yes, you might have applied yourself more in Junior High and that was when?  Do you apply yourself to living your life TODAY?

A BIG TRUTH about Regret:  As we grow and change, and wish we had done things differently in the past, this represents learning which can help us NOW and real Life is NOW.  Getting rid of things that make you sad can help you get unstuck.  Creating a home that represents who you are today or who you want to be will support the change and growth that you wish to embody.

Personal Power

***Great At Any Age...Create change by being kind and loving to yourself. Create an inner life which provides safety, happiness, health and ease. Inner change will empower you to create change in your outer life, if you want to do so.

Do you know how to emotionally power up?

Does your inner voice bring you clarity, calm and comfort?

Have you built a life, home, body and spirit that support and empower you?

An honest assessment, please. Big Questions. If you know your own truth you can make choices which enhance your power and help you to create a safer inner life, a sanctuary within and without. Think of your life as a continuum and ask yourself:

Where are you now?

Where do you want to be?

How do you get from here to there?

If you think of your life as a journey, and agree that the present moment is where we live our lives, then bring your focus back to the present, trusting that introspection will keep you on track,  in your story, every moment and every step, navigating your chosen path.

www.greatatanyage.blogspot.com

Almost two years to the day since my last post. My thought was and is to create a blog and a website rated GAAA (Great At Any Age.)

First the blog, www.greatatanyage.blogspot.com

Great At Any Age is about Living a Great Life, comfortable in Your Own Body and Style. I think of children borrowing from Mom's closets, because there's cool stuff there...or using Mom's words because there's ageless Wisdom there.

I want to share ideas about fashion that fits real bodies... fun places to go and things to do. Look for tidbits about food, yoga, knitting, art, film, music.

Sign up. I promise to post again soon.

New Beginnings.  

Can a kick in the ass propel a person to a better way of living?  Is it possible to turn loss into freedom and creative energy? Hell,yeah.

Lots of years and careers into this life, and once again unemployed, I want to use my newly found free time to live better and share what is great and healing and fun in my journey.   

By the way, that's me with the largest garden Gnome in the World, Route 209, Kelder's Farm in Kerhonkson, NY( in case you have to take a picture like this for yourself.)

Thanks for stopping by greatatanyage.blogspot.com.

Till soon, Fi