A White Christmas - Count your Blessings

Here's a lovely song for a white Christmas, from the 1954 movie, "White Christmas" by Irving Berlin!


When I'm worried and I can't sleep
I count my blessings instead of sheep and I fall asleep counting my blessings
when my bankroll is getting small I think of when I had none at all
and I fall asleep counting my blessings.

I think about a nursery,
and I picture curly heads,
and one by one I count them
as they slumber in their beds.

If you're worried and you can't sleep,
just count your blessings instead of sheep
and you'll fall asleep counting your blessings.

Merry Christmas everyone, may you be warm and sleep well!

Tempus Fugit

The title of this post is Latin, thank you Romans, thank you Virgil perhaps. It literally means "time flees". I think to another saying, "time flies". I noticed this Latin phrase mentioned on a yoga blog I like to read. It makes me think of my dad, he liked to quote things here and there, in Latin and other languages too.

In some ways this pithy summation is true of 2009, and all years before really. My second niece was born this year, my father passed away. Makes me think of another saying, "time stops for no one". That draws me to a book I read today, The Music of Dolphins by Karen Hesse. It is the story of a young girl raised by dolphins when she is lost at sea. She is taken from this oceanic family to civilization and named Mila, miracle. There are well-intentioned people around her, but her own wisdom is so very strong. She loves music and they share Mozart with her, which she adores. She wants to meet him. As her doctor explains that he is dead but his music lives on, the doctor shares that their research on her and of her life will also last beyond the present, "It will not wash away like the waves on the sand." Mila reflects on this deeply and replies:

"Each sunset, each wave is something to see once and never again. Is that not special too?"

Namaste,
Kat

5 Firefly Thoughts for These Moments

December is moving along and here we are approaching the week of get togethers, family gatherings, gift-giving and Christmas. Lately I've been reflecting on the message of the moment. Charlie Brown's Christmas comes to mind (I gotta watch it soon), today at school a poem was shared about not losing sight of what honestly matters. How easy it is to get sidetracked though. What are a few wonderful things we can do to make these days with family very special? Considering the yoga philosophy I have a few, I'm sure you guessed I would tie this to yoga ;).

1. Stay in the present moment. It might be delightful or difficult to relive the past, but in both cases, it is over and done. Let's enjoy THIS present moment by turning off the cell phone, and turning on our listening ears. What's new with people, good or bad?

2. Practice ahimsa. Sure Christmas dinner and cookies are beckoning, but will two heaping piles of mashed potatoes make us feel better than one? Enjoy the food, luxuriate in the tastes and smells, but honor your body by knowing what you need and not harming the body by overwhelming it. Also, don't overbook yourself. Allow time for laundry, a cup of tea, a walk.

3. Namaste. Honor others by helping them. If we are hosting, give someone a small job that will make them feel essential. If we are visiting others, offer to help until you are taken up on it. When no one feels totally overwhelmed, the energy of the space is balanced and peace will emerge. This might even mean picking something up on the way over, or baking your own favorite treat to share generously.

4. Shanti. Find peace with the past. Let negative thoughts or words drop away and bring your powerfully positive energy with you. Pull out a photo book, picture or game to get the group on the same page and playing together happily.

5. Be thankful. Appreciate your parents, siblings, extended family, significant others and friends. "Life is as the flash of the firefly in the night, the breath of the buffalo in winter time." ~~Blackfoot proverb

Wishing you peace, happiness, love, and a very happy New Year! May 2010 bring us all that we need.

Kat

Algonquian poem

As we gaze upward at the cold, clear and scintillating sky this December, we may see meteors abound, and shimmering stars winking down on us. We might reflect on this Native American poem.

We are the stars which sing,
We sing with our light;
We are the birds of fire,
We fly over the sky.
We look down on the mountains
This is the song of the stars.

Om Shanti, (Om means the sound of the universe, Shanti means peace)

Kat

yoga day usa!

JANUARY 23, 2010 Yoga Day USA

http://www.yogadayusa.org/

What should we do? I'm still thinking about it, but I'm guessing something fun and something to do with free yoga!! Let me know your thoughts!

Om Shanti,

Kat

Concerts

Going to a concert allows you to explore the world through music. You may hear it or feel it or dance it out, but you are absorbing the atmosphere in a group, hopefully with friends and kindred spirits near. Tonight I saw the Cranberries downton at the Midland and was taken back to a long time ago, when I first bought a tape (wow) by them, probably about 1993. I loved their sound and equally importantly the lyrics that discuss family, war, pain, and peace. Dolores O'Riordan has recently released a new solo album, The music continues to move me, I hope you can find that which moves you in life, it makes mine feel so much more worthwhile. She told us the song below is about those that carry us through the tough times in life. She's recently had 4 children, so perhaps a few difficult moments. What a blessing friends are! I consider her my friend :)

Namaste,
Kat

The Journey (lyrics) by Dolores O'Riordan on No Baggage (2009)

When I was lost
I saw you pointing towards the sun
I know I am not the only one standing here
And in the darkness I was walking through the night
I could see your guiding light, very clear

This is your life
This is your moment
This is your life
This is your moment

When I was weak we both went walking on the sand
We were walking hand in hand it appeared
One set our footprints when you carried me along
It was then that I abandoned my fears

This is your life
This is your moment
This is your life
This is your moment

This is your life
This is your moment
This is your life
This is your moment

This is your moment
This is your life
Your life
This is your time

Thankful Yoga Class for a Family

Thankful Yoga will meet Sunday at 3pm @ BFF in Prairie Village at our regular location. This is FREE class, however, if you would like to donate towards our family in need, any amount or item is welcome and all of it will go towards the family listed below. There are six children and they live in Kansas City, KS. I was able to "adopt" them through my school district.

2 months old boy.... size 6-9 months. Needs a baby bouncer, diapers size 2, gift card to Walmart

4 yr. old boy - wears 4T shirt, 5T pants - likes drawing/coloring materials

7 yr old girl - wears 12/14 girls top and bottom - likes Hanna Montana, Twin comforter, playing cards

10 yr old girl - wears size 7 girls - likes high school musical, twin comforter, playing cards

16 yr boy - Lg. mens shirt, 32/22 - pants - MP3 player or IPod, headphones

11 yr. old boy - med. boys shirt, 8 boys pant size .,...Bakagon balls, remote control car

Hope to see you Sunday, let me know if you can make it! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Kat