Springtime

Springtime

4.29.22

Oh the long and dreay winter

Makes me feel a little bitter

I wait for blue skies and green everywhere

Buds aplenty nothing bare

Then it finally starts to happen

Shapes colors sounds, leaves are Kraken

It gives me great joy every time

As the season flows, divine

Messy dandelions pout and flare

I basically just don't even care.

Will wait for seeds to fly

mow stems down by the by

Time to think of pools and sun

Time to hear the rooster run

Snakes lay low in thick jade grass

Ants work hard on homes of glass

Bird are cackling, chirping, calling

Dead pieces of last year finally falling

Now is time to run and play

Before scalding summer sun does slay

Will always treasure this annual show

Soaking up the windy glow

Even though my nose says no

I'll sniff the lily of the valley 

Of each bloom make mental talley

Nature's display IS forever fresh 

So winter I will tolerate you

Only because you give great hue

To life rebounding clean and new.

Your Authentic Tribe: A Costa Rica Yoga Experience in April of 2023

 Greetings! 

My last writing found us just before an epic journey. I thought my journey would be to Costa Rica in March of 2020. Instead, we plunged into a worldwide pandemic of epic proportions, and ripples, and consequences. That said, we held the course. We homeschooled. We pickleballed. We masked. We vaccinated. We endured. And in March of 2022, the retreat which had been in my mind eye since early 2019, finally came to fruition, blossomed so beautifully, and has already dropped to the jungle floor, it's roots churning down, it's nutrients recycling, and hence, a new retreat has already sent up a tender shoot toward the sun. Here are the details. We still have room for folks to join us, yes us, this time I'm leading with a dear friend.

WHO: YOU (and friends, or family, or just wonderful YOU!)

WHAT: An amazing yoga retreat and vacation to the lovely laid back, serene Tierra del Suenos retreat center just across from Playa Chiquita, East Coast, Costa Rica, south of Puerto Viejo and north of Punta Uva, truly one of the most lovely places on earth.

WHERE: Your hometown, flying to San Jose, then a quick flight or shuttle across the country to the east to Tierra Del Suenos.

WHEN: April 9-16, 2023

WHY: Because we all deserve to find our Authentic Tribe, through self discovery, through adventure, through challenges, and through the triumph that comes with being yourself, and finding those that love and accept that true self, no matter what. Life can be isolating, pandemics can be isolating, and so in this experience, we will figure out how we relate to others, how we can find our tribe in a grateful and honest way, and how we can SHINE BRIGHT!

HOW:

Go to the link on Kat's Link Tree on the previous page and get signed up! Cost is $1650 through Square and that includes lodging based on double occupancy, all delicious mostly vegetarian meals, and all yoga classes (typically 2 per day, one more active, one more reflective) led by Kat and Jenn on alternating days. The chakra energy concept will be used as a framework to guide our weeklong journey of gratitude and self-wisdom. This does not include airfare to Costa Rica, optional excursions, or shuttle/flight from San Jose.

Questions, Comments, concerns? Please email Kat at : yogamar.connect@gmail.com

Namaste,

Kat Tomlin & Jenn Van Campen

2020: Find your vision

Almost March of 2020 and some time has gone by since my last post. I have become pretty involved with the pickleball world, which has created a new joy in my life. We have traveled and I have grown as an athlete and person as I attend clinics and tournaments and I took a course to become a certified coach as well, which is pretty awesome!

On the yoga front things have continued to evolve. In 2019, I added hot yoga to my class schedule,and enjoy teaching a warm flow. I also added a Pilates certification and although I do not teach that right now, I do find that it has contributed to my thoughts as a yoga teacher related to the core and how extremely important it is for lifelong balance and health. I continue to teach three other places and have found my niche between motherhood and yoga, teaching around 5 classes a week. As Spring heads our way, I am looking forward to sunshine and action. I sit here typing this on a rainy Monday, but I am dreaming of our yoga retreat in just a few weeks. Costa Rica beckons and I know it will not disappoint us with it's rich culture, biodiversity and climate. Our theme for this year is Choose Joy, and I know that will be unique to each of the amazing ladies that is attending. As I sit hear mentally formulating and creating our retreat guide, I cannot help but think that Joy is within us, if only we are willing to explore the best way to cultivate it.

So as we plug ahead in 2020, my vision as a human and teacher continues to grow. Life is fun, because something new is often just around the corner. Keep finding your mat, and keep exploring your joy. You deserve that. Life is short, and precious.

Namaste,
Kat

Eastside

Once again, I have let some time go by on this blog! Life as a busy mom of two, with my Perfectly Posh job plus teaching yoga three places has kept me busy! I became a dog mom about a year ago as well, and Roxie the Australian Shepherd is my third child! I currently teach an all levels flow, a gentle yin yoga, and a basic yoga less often.

Two of my biggest life changes in terms of fitness have been starting up pickleball about one year ago, and weight lifting about 6 months ago. I have seen some pretty substantial changes in my fitness and strength. I don't see myself ever competing in weight lifting, but I'm hopefully I'll continue to improve my range and weight level. I'm excited to start competing here and there with my pickleball game. After all, it's a lifelong sport!

What sort of topics would you like to see on this blog? Hope you are all doing well!! As always, make sure you are following your BLISS!

Namaste!
Kat

Summer Sparkler!

Wow! It's been a while since I've visited Blog-Landia. Are you still out there my friends?? Now I'm a mom times two!! Can you believe that? Life really does go faster every year and even faster with my busy boys! The last time I posted, for me, feels like it wasn't that long ago, but at the time I was still expecting baby two. Well, he came with a loud roar into this crazy world and he has been a great addition to our family and life. It has been fun to watch the boys grow together this year, and now we are on the verge of an entirely new chapter: Kindergarten and PDO! Clay starts this week and I think we are both really ready. I don't know exactly what all lies ahead, but I have high hopes that the experience of school is going to be a great one for him!! I'll also be placing our little guy Everett into a PDO program a couple times a week. Over this year, I have learned something important. I need to make time for ME too, (and it is good for children to be away from their mother). Not just a few moments here and there between naps and loads of laundry. I need actual set time to be alone, but also to focus on something besides being a mom. Being a stay-at-home-mom (and a parent in general) in and of itself is amazing and sacrificing and beautiful and fun, but it's just not enough for me at this point in my life to have that as my only focus. I need my own career, my own story, my own flow of energy as I move through this life and this world. I have always kept yoga dear as well, but that is something that so far has been a somewhat compartmentalized experience as a stay at home mom. I cannot often get away from the hustle and bustle to a quite and steady yoga place, but I hope to grow in this area as well as I move forward.

This past fall with a newborn baby, I took a small leap that would end up as a paradigm shift in my life. I asked for some fun Perfectly Posh samples from a fellow mom in our August Moms group (we all had babies due around the same time) after she offered them up to our tribe. The samples came, I don't really remember the exact moment too well. But I recall thinking about the mask she had sent, and giving it a try, and realizing that it was really fun to do something new and different and it made me feel good to stop and for once only think about me, not the baby, not the 5 year old, not the hubby or the cooking and cleaning and the schedule and what's for dinner. Just moi. I didn't love every single item, but a couple of them were so fun and effective that I wanted more. And so I purchased a few things, and they came and I do remember that moment, of trying out my fun new Posh, and realizing it was bringing actual joy into my life to take a moment to smell my citrus hand creme and wash my face and feel so fresh and clean with the aroma of my Porefect Chunk clearing the air and my skin and my mind. I realized that Posh is not that different than yoga in some ways. It emphasizes an exploration the present moment. You have to be present to apply the charcoal mask, you can't help but breathe in the spearmint deliciousness as a tingle spreads across your face and your soul. So moving forward on this blog, I will be connecting Posh to some of my yoga philosophies and ideas. Because to be honest, Perfectly Posh has helped me realize several things about myself, just like yoga has for many years. I have a lot of talents. I know that I am an intelligent woman with diverse skills and I have found a company and a job that let's me be with my children during their young and precious years, but also lets me explore the world, build new friendships and my own new business skills and ideas and discussions and plans. So stay tuned friends, because this is going to be another fun journey with yours truly! Thank you for your support!

Namaste,
Kat

https://KatTomlin.po.sh

Too...

So many thoughts running through my head, so little blog writing since November! Which was around the time I starting cooking up baby boy #2!! January and February were less than delightful, but summer is here and my flowers are back and life is looking oh so lovely again, most of the time. He's growing and doing well and so am I, and for some reason lately lots of thoughts about mommyhood have been coursing through my brain, I wonder why ;)... perhaps the hormones are coursing as well?

I even considered the idea of a mommy blog, but let's face it I'm about to have TWO young boys to care for (as well as you know, 4 cats, a tank full of fish, 3 acres of garden, 110 acres of farm etc etc) so I will work on keeping it simple for now. I've realized of course, motherhood affects yoga! So this is still relevant to yoga, but for a while my posts may diverge here and there into tangential life topics, hopefully you can find a way to relate. I've continued to teach some gentle yoga, but as I enter trimester three I am paring back, and I hope to start taking a weekly class myself just to work on my inner mental landscape and not to mention a little nice stretching and resting, as my exterior physical landscape is changing and morphing by leaps and bounds each day. My blood volume is gargantuan, so is my appetite, and I'm getting kicked and explored from the inside of my abdomen on a daily basis, this is not for the faint of heart! I love you little one!! I've noticed that you seem to be rather feisty on the fetal motion front. I wonder if your personality is going to match, mellow is fine by me as well for the record. Two feisty boys may push us parents to our limits, but I know I will handle whatever happens.

During my last pregnancy, I met my doula-to-be at prenatal yoga through a strange twist of fate. My doula was supposed to be someone else, but with a health issue suddenly arising there, my doula ended up being the perfect person to help us welcome our first son into the world. Sadly that doula is no longer practicing, but I understand and will welcome the help of my doula from before, barring any catastropes, which almost anything appears to be when you are 38 or more weeks pregnant! Another little soul to nourish and care for, a consuming task so I am relishing my bits of personal freedom this summer as my son attends his preschool and a summer camp. I feel mostly ready for the baby, but I'm looking forward to a bit of down time to reflect on life and prepare for our growing family to add an entirely new member. I've greatly enjoyed our dear family of three over the last 4
+  years, but I believe our family of 4 will create a circle of love that is even bigger and better. Just today my son boxed up a prized fan of his, and said it was a present for the baby. What a sweetheart. I'm amazed by his growth this year, and so proud of him, I know it will be some adjusting for us all, but we'll handle it and we'll grow together through this new experience.

Perhaps in yoga, just like in life, we have large shifts in our thinking, in our viewpoint, in our freedom to explore the self and to simply breathe. At times, we can feel that we are barely treading water in our yoga practice, we are frustrated, tired, and overwhelmed. And then those moments of clarity burst forth, where we sense the energy around us, the love, and the peace that exist if we can clear out the monkey mind long enough to perceive it and let everything go. My hope as I have another child to care for is that I can overlook the day to day stresses and focus on the sheer joyful experience of having a baby and a preschooler to love and care for, and I can continue to also make room in life for yoga here and there. I know I will make the space where I can, and it will be good, very very good.

Namaste,
Mama Kat

These are a few of my favorite things.

Another holiday season is upon us. I find myself thinking about how to simplify, but also how to make it special and memorable. I'm planning on getting a real Christmas tree this year, it will be the first time I am the adult making this happen. Cool. I did just read the other day, keep in mind a holiday is just one day out of the year, each day is special in it's own way, and I do agree with this world view. This time of year, I start to reflect a little, looking back at the ups and downs of the year that is closing down. I've been on a bit of a health journey this year after feeling extremely fatigued this past spring. In fact, I came down with a bad tummy bug that almost made me pass out cold on the bathroom floor. That scared me. After checking in with my doctor for a physical, I found out I have a decent case of iron deficiency anemia. I had no idea how common it is, and felt foolish for not taking more iron into my body for the last five years of high need time, although I do eat a pretty healthy and varied diet so I also felt surprise. I feel like this has been going on for a while under the surface, and it was great to get the knowledge that I can do something about it and hopefully gain back energy I have been missing.

Long story short, taking iron has not totally corrected things yet (but it has helped some), so I find myself realizing I can't just take the easy way by popping an iron pill, it's not working.  So I have been pouring over articles and we've ruled out a few things, it appears for some reason I'm not absorbing/retaining iron all that well, so I am upping my vitamin C and my natural iron sources from diet and will up my iron supplement a little bit as well. Did you know oysters, mussels, parsely, pumpkin seeds, dark chocolate and black strap molasses are rich in iron? Also spinach, prunes, black beans, lentils and iron skillets. They're all in my plans although to some extent they have always been there. I might draw the line at liver. Ugh :) The topic of health makes me realize how lucky I am that I have a treatable and relatively mild condition and access to good health care. I think back over my life and the moments (or months) where a friend or coworker or family member dealt with something so much more difficult. And so I feel thankful. In that spirit, here are a few of my favorite things from 2015.

• Watching Clay play by the ocean on his first ever visit to see it. He seemed to prefer sand over surf but got in the water a little bit, and it was a lovely chance to take the sun in during gloomy February. We also met our nephew Rowan for the first time so it was fun to watch the cousins play.

• Picking out four baby chicks to care for and raise. It has been a fun journey and now we have our own eggs. Alice, Marigold, Moonflower & Willie and their hilarious antics have been a unique addition to country life.

• MOPS- A cool time to meet, eat, and learn and reflect on key life issues with other moms. Pretty awesome!

• Teaching yoga to tots at the KC ZOO. Lots of fun visits with the little man to see such a variety of animals. My mom was able to come several times so we definitely got our steps in!!

• Running a 5km race while pushing the little guy up and down the numerous hills of Watkins Mill State Park. I was exhausted (*see anemia above ha*) but it was exhilarating to finish the race up a hill, and then rest!

• Driving up to Pikes Peak, watching the big horn sheep frolic, enjoying Garden of the Gods, Estes Park, and RMNP with Ed and Clay.

• Stand Up Paddleboarding for the first time ever with three of my lifelong girlfriends. Amazing. Splash, climb, repeat. Foot burn to the extreme, in such a good way.

• Watching a bona fide bagpipe player share his talent on the front porch of Breath Deep. Experiencing and guiding yoga there has been such a great flow, and I love the healthful facet this lovely place has added to Kearney. 

• Reading the Outlander series. Such a great and epic story. Still going but on the last book, not exactly sure when I began but I'm sure I'll get more sleep when it's over. Life changing.

I wish you happy "holi-days" but also happy every-days!
Namaste,
Kat