The Kingdom of Butterflies

My family has arrived and I constantly having to check my patience and reactions. They only come for a visit to Florida once a year.

There is a fine balance between living my life alone and having company. This time I spend with them is allowing me see where I am falling short on my yamas and niyamas especially when I am tired or have a lot on my mind. That's when I need to pay attention to how I am treating them or reacting.

The yoga of family kicks in and I take a deep breath. Remember to be grateful that I can actually be in such close quarters with my family for this period of time.  I love having them close to me and it is such a treat to have them staying three weeks. I realized how much I honor my space and quiet time. I forgot what it is like to have a full household.

I also forgot what it is like to have a child around on a full time basis. My niece Bella just turned seven years old and she is full of beauty, health, intelligence and a heart of gold. Waking up to her smiling face is a gift. Children bring a radiance of sunshine, curiosity, inquisition and most of all they bring us in the present moment.  Suddenly there is nowhere to do my practice and there is part of me that wants to play hooky from work. Balancing work and family is a unique juggling act. I can only imagine what all you parents go through on a daily basis.

The day I have a child will be the most remarkable time of my life but until then I am so thank-full for all my private time. The other night I experimented doing my practice in the living room while they all were home. It was not as distracting as I thought it would be. When you are near people you love, it is easy to find a balance of respecting one another’s space. My niece was so respectful. She intuitively knew to be quiet. At times she came in the living room and observed for a moment and then began doing the yoga poses she knew. It was so satisfying to turn my head, silently catching her in tree pose with her eyes closed,  balancing  with ease and grace. She opened her eyes, shot me a loving smile and then disappeared.

It brings me so much joy to come home to my family. The house is slightly messy but that means nothing. The love and energy of my family fills my home. Sometimes we need a good dose of love. When you are used to living alone, it is a warm feeling to have loved ones in your space.

There is a magical spot in Boca Raton, called Butterfly World. I have heard many great things about it but was waiting to go with Bella. It is amazing the things you don’t end up experiencing if you have no children.

On Bella’s birthday, we made a trip to the enchanted land of butterflies. It was its own place of enclosed paradise. Butterflies have a very short life. They come and go. They have a 12 day cycle of becoming a butterfly and only live for 2 days. Can you imagine only living for 2 days?

I believe that butterflies are a godly sign of good luck. Every time I see one, I saw a “thank-you to nature and God”. There were hundreds at Butterfly world. Every color imaginable and so many varieties. There were unique flowers, and a variety of plants all around. As we walked along the pathway, butterflies were all around us. It was an environment you could spend hours just being among the butterflies.

When I found out how long their live span is it made me think about how lucky we are as human beings. We have an immense amount of time here on this planet. I began to think “How I would spend two days if that is all I had. What would I do, who would I want to be with, what thing could I do of great importance.”

We are so lucky to be alive. To breath, to Love, to have children, to laugh, to dance, to cry, to be creative, to heal, to achieve, to taste marvelous food and to become…….Every day is one of new beginnings.

Ground yourself, strip yourself down

To blind loving silence.

Stay there, until you see

You are gazing at the light

With its own ageless eyes.

Warmth and Smiles,

Look for the butterflies dancing around you.

Om Shanti,

Sara.  

April Newsletter With Seane Corn!

Sara snagged an incredible interview with Seane Corn. She is so busy traveling the world it took nearly six months to schedule this interview. In addition, Harlan does a video critique of Shiva Rea's website.  Don't miss it. Subscribe now. 

Last Call For Restoraflow Retreat

What if you could finally do what you love - teach yoga - and get paid so well for it you could spend your free time doing yoga, in meditation, or caring for your family.

Now, all your dreams become possible.  With Restoraflow™ you can help people with all sorts of problems.  Last week, as I was sitting with a group of friends all around 50, 3 out of 4 of them all had shoulder issues.  Not one of them had ever considered yoga.  When I told them about how I healed my torn rotator cuff with yoga, you bet they were listening.

This week is the last call for the Restoraflow Retreat. There are just two openings left.  Will you be one of them?

You can find out the details here...

You Have These Two Books, Correct?

The Scientific Keys of Hatha Yoga  This book was on the list of Shiva Rea's teacher training.  I found that Volume Two just came out as well.

The Key Poses of Hatha Yoga is about the anatomy of each pose.  It is a detailed study of the muscles of each pose.

Check these books out at the links above.

And while you are there, did you realize how little support the typical yoga mat gives you?  Find out why top yoga teachers are switching in droves to the Manduka Yoga Mat It is also truly environmentally conscious.

Giving Up on Yoga

In Yoga Mala, Pattabhi Jois remarks that as the body ages, the poses the body can do changes.  He advises a more limited practice for someone just starting yoga at an older age.  However, if you have been doing yoga for a while, he recommends continuing your usual practice until it becomes too difficult for you.

My aunt used to be a yoga student long before it was popular.  She gave it up about ten years ago and now she is in to her 80's and her body is weakening.  I asked her if she thought to start yoga again - at least chair yoga.  She thought it was too late.

In January, something weird happened to my back and it made practicing very difficult.  For someone who did a vigorous power yoga practice in the morning and first series Ashtanga in the afternoon, this was very depressing.

My back hurt most of the time.  I tried massage, acupuncture, hot baths, cold baths, compounds and liniments, but my back still ached.  I went to a local chiro for trigger point therapy, cranial sacral work, you name it, I tried it.

Nothing helped.  I was having a great pity party for myself when Sara said, "This slow healing practice is your yoga right now. Just be in it."

The funny thing was - just as soon as I allowed those words to sink in and to look forward to SLOW yoga sessions, my back began to heal due to the Restoraflow sessions and now I'm on the road to recovery.  Today, we did a Shiva Rea type fire-practice so I know I'm on the mend.  But the lesson I learned will stay with me.

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