Monday, January 31, 2011

Perfect moment Monday -- A Private Skiing Lesson

Each week I participate in Perfect Moment Monday, sponsored by the blog, WriteMindOpenHeart.com According to Lavender Luz, "Perfect Moment Monday" is about noticing a perfect moment rather than creating one. Perfect Moments can be momentous or ordinary or somewhere in between." And so, here is a Perfect Moment for this week.

I started skiing when I was in junior high school (yes I know I'm dating myself by referencing the junior/senior high model instead of the middle/high school model).

Since my parents didn't ski, I learned while I was on a church youth group field trip to Glenwood Springs. After that, I had few opportunities to go skiing, because that's just not what we did as a family. We did plenty of other activities, just not skiing.

Throughout my high school and college years, I went skiing less than 15 times. When I got married shortly after turning 24, my husband didn't like skiing, so even though we lived in Aspen, I still only went skiing a handful of times.

At 30, I had my first son and just 17 months later, I had the twins. With three boys SO close in age, there was little time, energy or money to ski.

Fast forward 15 years and SO much has happened in my life, including a divorce, being single for a while and then re-marrying by sweet DH, Tom.

Tom LOVES to ski, which re-ignited my desire to get onto the slopes...which, in turn, ignited the boys to all learn how to ski or snowboard.

Several of my Perfect Moments have included skiing with my hubby and family...but this one is about ME.

I recently got to take a PRIVATE skiing lesson and ski the entire day by myself. It was...PERFECT!

Although my schedule was cleared until the boys got home from school, I wanted to practice what my instructor, Phil, had told me.

It was a sunny day with new snow, and since it was a weekday, it wasn't crowded at all. In fact, half of the time I was on the quad chairlift by myself.

At lunch, I decided to take a couple of runs and then hit the road. Each time I flew down the mountain, I had a smile on my face. "One more run," I thought and would get back in the lift line.

Finally, at about 3:30, I headed to the car with a HUGE smile on my face. What a great (PERFECT) day!

Friday, January 28, 2011

Every Breath You Take

Faith is taking
the first step
even when you don't see the whole staircase
Martin Luther King, Jr.

This is one of my favorite quotes, because at first glance, it's about faith. But it's also about taking small steps forward, even if sometimes those steps seem SO small that it may not really matter...but they do.

In yoga, we talk about continually making tiny, incremental adjustments...so small that even someone watching you may not be able to detect the changes (e.g. a microscopic adjustment in a deep muscle in your core, an internal shift of your weight slightly forward). It's these little adjustments that become the steps to an entire staircase of change.

Me, Bryce and my Mom
(three generations of Warriors)
on Daytona Beach 2010
About a month ago, two of my fellow yogis separately commented on how beautiful my yoga practice had become since the last time they had seen me. I knew that it wasn't one big leap forward that had changed my practice, but a series of baby steps along the way...both on and off the mat. And even though they were commenting about the "ON the mat" part of my practice, I realized that my "OFF the mat" changes were equally, if not more important.

Sometimes yoga's impact on my life is more obvious than others. Last fall, my twins, Bryce and Ryan (14), helped me to realize how the incremental changes in my yoga practice had impacted my "OFF the mat" existence in a positive way. Here's what happened:

I picked up my twins, Bryce and Ryan and their friend, Charlie, from his house. My "taxi service" had been summoned to deliver said teenage boys to "open gym" at a nearby gymnastics location. The cost was $10 per kid.

Just two hours before, my sons had called me from school to see if it was OK to go to Charlie's to hang out -- and, "Yes, Mom, his mother is home."

So why, just moments after all three of them got into the car, was Bryce asking me if I could spot Charlie $10 to get in to open gym?

We were just a half a block away from Charlie's house, so I said, "Let's just turn around and he can get the money from his mom."

LONG PAUSE...."Um...his Mom isn't home..." Bryce stammered.

"They lied to me..." I thought, as anger and irritation started to flare up. "I thought you said Christy was home," I said, beginning to breathe more deeply.

Tentatively Bryce said, "But if we told you she wasn't, you wouldn't have let us go."

RIGHT. One of our rules is that a parent needs to be home when the boys are at a friend's house.

Then I got the teenage line, "Mom, if you trusted us more, we wouldn't have to lie."

Does that sound convoluted to you too?

I then notice that my breathing began to deepen...in and out my nose, making an oceanic sound at the back of my throat...just like we practice in yoga. We refer to it as our "ujjayi" breath, which means "victory." It is at the heart of my warm power yoga practice -- deep inhalations and deep exhalations through the nose, through each of the asanas throughout my practice.

Bryce noticed my change in breathing too.

"I hate it when you breathe like that," he said. "It sounds like you're really mad."

I was mad, but that wasn't why I automatically went into my deep breathing. My deeper breathing calms me, grounds my energy and helps me to stay present.

Instead of reacting (which might result in angry words, saying things I don't mean and may regret, etc.), I breathe in and out slowly, taking a few minutes to absorb what's happening and, then I respond.

By responding instead of reacting, I have more time to process what's happening. I feel more grounded (even though Bryce and Ryan's interpretation is that I sound mad).

The ujjayi breath is just one aspect of my yoga practice. It's one small but continuous movement, that helps me both on and off my mat.

When I first started this style of yoga about two years ago, this type of breathing was foreign to me. I had to focus on it each time I stepped onto my mat, and then it seemed to shut off, the moment I rolled up my mat after final Savasana.

Now, however, this breath not only helps me during my yoga practice, but it has seeped into my life -- EVEN when I'm not angry, upset or frustrated, I tend to breathe deeper into my chest and belly, realizing that this breath (and the next and the next) are my exchange of energy with the universe...in every practice, in every pose, in every situation, every day of my life.

I've NEVER heard of a resolution to breathe deeper more consistently. But it has been one of the smallest changes with some of the biggest benefits for me.

My ujjayi (deep victory) breath is just one of the small changes that is building my staircase forward and up...both on and off the mat.

Namaste

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Intuitive Tuesday -- The Sun

Every Tuesday I select one tarot card and give you my interpretation of it. See how it applies to your life and ask, "What messages are here for me ?"

As I shuffled the cards to select this week's Intuitive Tuesday tarot card, I said, "Tell me what messages I need to bring to my readers this week."  I selected The Sun from the Gateway to the Divine Tarot deck by Ciro Marchetti.

I love this card! Its energy has served as a beacon of light at several key times in my life. Pulling The Sun card today feels very uplifting and positive.

One of the Major Arcana cards, The Sun typically symbolizes happiness, opportunity, success and fulfillment on a spiritual as well as on a day-to-day basis.

You are filled with confidence and feel ready to take charge.

If you have been unclear about something -- a decision, a project, a situation in your life, etc. --  The Sun helps you generate powerful energy, bringing light and clarity.

Here's some really great news! In regards to your health, The Sun is a card of health, healing and recovery. If you've been under the weather or just plain sick, this card indicates a turning point. It's time to feel better.

By pulling this card today, you are being prompted to use the energy of this card to invite new positive, healing energy in.

The Sun also indicates a joyous and fulfilling time in your life. You feel as though you are in complete harmony with your spiritual nature and have clarity about your purpose.

It doesn't get much better than this.

Today, invite The Sun to shine upon you. Bring this nurturing, positive energy in and through you and share it with others. Know that there is plenty of The Sun's positive energy to go around...so shine, shine, shine in each and every moment with every person you meet, but most importantly, feel it in your heart and soul.

Just like the saying goes: "Let the sun shine in."

Monday, January 24, 2011

Perfect Moment Monday -- Going "Viral"

Each week I participate in Perfect Moment Monday, sponsored by the blog, WriteMindOpenHeart.com According to Lavender Luz, "Perfect Moment Monday" is about noticing a perfect moment rather than creating one. Perfect Moments can be momentous or ordinary or somewhere in between." And so, here is a Perfect Moment for this week.

Several people asked why I didn't write a Perfect Moment Monday post last week. I was in Breckenridge with my entire family (and all of their families) for a weekend of family fun including skiing, cooking, visiting, laughing, ping pong, hot-tubbing, etc. So the short answer is that I didn't write about my Perfect Moments...because I was so busy experiencing them.

Lately I've been noticing how many Perfect Moments I have all around me all of the time. I have been in a constant state of gratitude. It's been...well, Perfect!

It also means that I have LOTS of material and ideas to write about now that I am finally sitting down at my computer.

Soooo...here's this week's Perfect Moment Monday -- Going Viral


The first and BIGGEST one occurred on 1/11/11, which just happened to fall on a Tuesday. And if you read this blog often, you know that it not only fell on a Tuesday, but on an Intuitive Tuesday!

That morning I had pulled a tarot card, wrote my intuitive interpretation of the card, and when I was just about to post it, I realized it was 1/11/11. What a great date! So I decided to write about the numerology and tarot connection of all of those ones and called it: Intuitive Tuesday: Today is 1/11/11.

I was at the yoga studio that day until shortly after noon, but checked my blog stats when I got home. I almost fell out of my chair when I saw that over 5,200 people had visited my blog so far, 929 of them in the previous hour.

How did this happen?

Well...my lil' ole' Wild Women of the Universe (www.wildwomenuniverse.com), got picked up by Yahoo and Bing on the first page of their search engines. It's amazing how much traffic that generated for me. I had a banner day!

My husband was SO excited that he checked my stats every ten minutes just to see how much it had gone up. it was REALLY exciting!

By the end of the day, I had over 7,200 people who visited my site! Unbelievable!

Every time I checked my stats page, it was a Perfect Moment! I still smile thinking about it.

Tune in again next week for another Perfect Moment Monday. I have so many of them stored up, I could write one every day this week and still have some to spare. Now THAT is something to be grateful for...

If you'd like to check out more Perfect Moment Mondays go to WriteMindOpenHeart.com by clicking here.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Intuitive Tuesday -- Strength

Every Tuesday I select one tarot card and give you my interpretation of it. See how it applies to your life and ask, "What messages are here for me ?"

As I shuffled the cards to select this week's Intuitive Tuesday tarot card, I said, "Tell me what messages I need to bring to my readers this week."  I selected The Strength Card from the Gateway to the Divine Tarot deck by Ciro Marchetti.

I recently selected The Strength card. Click here to read my previous post.

It's easy for me to think, "Since I've already selected this card, I'll pull another."

But with only 78 cards in the deck, even though I double the outcomes by reading in both the reversed and upright positions, I'm bound to pull the same card more than once.

Plus, there are subtle nuances that come up each time I interpret the energy of the card. It has to do with what's going on in my life and my own personal development.

The previous posts on The Strength card (here and here), describe much of its powerful energy. I'd like to add in a few more insights today based on what YOU see and intuitively feel when you look at this card.

Here are a couple of ways you may interpret the meaning of The Strength card. When you look at The Strength card, what comes to mind?
  • Do you sigh with relief thinking, "Strength. That's just what I need right now as I face this situation?"
  • Have you been struggling possibly with a health issue and, in seeing this card, breathe in the energy of The Strength card to help you find healing, rest and rejuvenation?
  • Have you been resisting something (perhaps related to breaking old habits or creating new habits as part of your New Years resolutions) and feel more powerful or hopeful as you continue face this struggle?
  • Do you know that you must make a decision and may even know what you need to do, but resist making a change for some reason?
If you answered YES to any of these questions or have an idea in which area you need strength, The Strength card is here to assist and support you. By pulling this card today, know that you have SO much more energy than you think. It's a matter of tuning in and grounding yourself to hear the intuitive messages coming your way.

And if tuning in and grounding feels foreign to you, simply breathe in deeply and ask for courage and faith as you move forward. It is all in (perfect) order whether we realize it or not.

The Strength card is a great way to bring in the New Year! May you find peace and Strength as you move forward on your path.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Intuitive Tuesday -- Today is 1/11/11

Every Tuesday I select one tarot card and give you my interpretation of it. See how it applies to your life and ask, "What messages are here for me ?"

As I shuffled the cards today, I realized that today's date is 1/11/11. Knowing that some of the roots of tarot cards' meanings come from numerology, I thought it would be interesting to look into the meaning of ONES and ELEVENS.

According to The Skeptic's Dictionary, "Numerology is the study of the occult meanings of numbers and their influence on human life."

Wikipedia explains, "Numerology is any of many systems, traditions or beliefs in a mystical or esoteric relationship between numbers and physical objects or living things."

Each number is associated with certain traits and energies. Wikipedia lists these as:
  1. Individual. Aggressor. Yang.
  2. Balance. Union. Receptive. Yin.
  3. Communication/interaction. Neutrality.
  4. Creation.
  5. Action. Restlessness.
  6. Reaction/flux. Responsibility.
  7. Thought/consciousness.
  8. Power/sacrifice.
  9. Highest level of change.
Since ONE is the focus of today, I thought I'd look more deeply into the Aces of the tarot deck and see what influence this energy has on you today, this week, this year and this lifetime.

According to Tarot: Plain and Simple, by Anthony Louis, Aces in the deck symbolize, "Seeds, new beginnings, the creative principle. The start of anything...New projects or ventures. Fresh ideas. New challenges, Initiation...Innovation. Inspiration. Vitality. Potential. Leadership..." (page 121)

Louis continues, "One is a number of the start of a cycle, of singularity, initiation, fresh action, originality, progress, ambition, courage, exciting change, new beginnings, planting seeds, the start of an enterprise, having babies, new ventures, inner strength, etc..." (page 308)

You get the idea. Ones symbolize the start of something new. Then spread this across the meaning of each of the suits, and you can see how this impacts several if not all areas of your life:
    • Wands (energy, creativity and action) (Ace of Wands)
    • Swords (mental energy, intellect, thoughts and conflict)
    • Cups (emotions and feelings) (Ace of Cups)
    • Pentacles (resources, earthly, materialistic, business)
          Note: I have provided links to the Aces if a previous post exists.

    Another number is prevalent today, and that is the number 11. According to Louis, "Eleven is a master number symbolizing insight, spiritual understanding, inspiration, awareness, revelation, illumination, intuition, creativity, idealism, teaching, wisdom, compassion and enlightenment. In numerology 11 reduces to 1 + 1 = 2., and master number 11 is a higher octave of two." (page 312)

    "Two is a number of balance, choice, harmony, moderation, pairs of opposites, duality, polarity, partnership, friendship, relationships, etc..." (page 309).

    For me today's date, 1/11/11, is full of new beginnings, trying new things, adventure, initiating new projects, and sharing my growth and insights with someone close to me, my husband, Tom. This year promises to be one of change and growth for us, and the energy of today not only enhances that intuitive feeling, but helps me to know that I am Divinely supported and blessed as we move through these changes together.

    With these insights, what does the date 1/11/11 mean for you?

      Monday, January 10, 2011

      Perfect Moment Monday -- A Family Ski Day

      James after snowboarding
      Each week I participate in Perfect Moment Monday, sponsored by the blog, WriteMindOpenHeart.com According to Lavender Luz, "Perfect Moment Monday" is about noticing a perfect moment rather than creating one. Perfect Moments can be momentous or ordinary or somewhere in between." And so, here is a Perfect Moment for this week.

      Have you ever felt frustrated with a kid who refused to do something that you know they would like AND be good at because they were scared or intimidated?

      Add to that the thought of the child missing out on a great activity that s/he can enjoy with family and friends...and it can be downright frustrating.

      As a parent, you don't want to push or force your kids, but you want to encourage them to try. 

      About five years ago, my three sons, James, Bryce and Ryan all took skiing lessons.  By noon that day, both James and Ryan were in the lodge saying they hated skiing and would never do it again.

      Ryan started skiing last year after he had a good experience with a half day ski jumping camp in Park City, Utah the previous summer. (Click here to see the Perfect Moment Monday post about me skiing with Ryan and here to see the post about Bryce and his ski-jumping experience).

      Even though Ryan's older brother, James, also liked the ski jumping camp, James still refused to try snow skiing.

      Knowing how much he likes skateboarding, we encouraged James to try snowboarding, but still he refused...until about a week ago when James announced he wanted to learn to snowboard. I almost fell out of my chair!

      But sometimes peer pressure can be good. James has been hanging out with a group of kids who love to snowboard, including his very best friend. They all encouraged James to try it...and he did.

      This past weekend, James started a 3-day Learn to Ride snowboard program. He did great in his lessons and is excited about being able to snowboard with his buddies.

      When I watched him on his snowboard, I was filled with gratitude and excitement. Gratitude that he found the courage to try again and excitement at the thought of future family ski and snowboard days.

      At the end of his lesson, he said, "Mom, snowboarding is easy!" This was music to my ears. He had overcome his fear and boosted up his self confidence in the process. Plus, he now has an activity to enjoy with his friends.

      As we were driving away from the mountain and I looked back and saw five teenage boys (our three plus two friends) fast asleep on the way home, I smiled and relished all of the Perfect Moments I had experienced.

      Way to go, James!

      Tuesday, January 4, 2011

      Intuitive Tuesday -- Five of Pentacles (Reversed)

      Every Tuesday I select one tarot card and give you my interpretation of it. See how it applies to your life and ask, "What messages are here for me ?"

      As I shuffled the cards to select this week's Intuitive Tuesday tarot card, I said, "Tell me what messages I need to bring to my readers this week."  I selected the Five of Pentacles (reversed) from the Aquarian Tarot Deck by David Palladini.

      Fives are sometimes known as the cards that upset the balance. Remember, the fours are like a table with four, sturdy legs...so that no matter which suit, there is a feeling of stability. Then the five comes along and knocks the table over. This can be a time of uncertainty, change and disruption.

      With Pentacles, it has to do with the material world, your body, and/or business and finances.

      That doesn't help much particularly during this time of the year when you've possibly overeaten and feel physically drained, or you've been (maybe too) free with your spending, knowing that soon the bills will come due.

      Before we get to the Reversed meaning, it's helpful to understand the upright meaning. The Five of Pentacles typically shows two people walking outside of a stained glass window, possibly a church building. They look cold and lost, and there is no door for them to walk through and feel any type of spiritual connection.

      When I look at this card, the phrase that comes to me is "feeling left out," as though I've forgotten that even when I am alone, I am spiritually connected to all.

      Pulling the Five of Pentacles may indicate a time to do some soul searching.
      • Do you feel as if you've lost your way? 
      • Are there simply too many obstacles or too little strength and direction to proceed forward? 
      • Maybe you are bringing past problems into current situations and feel down and out.
      When you feel like this, it may be time to take special care of yourself, and re-connect with your source...which is what the Reversed card would indicate.

      The Five of Pentacles (Reversed), shows that you can move past these isolated and shunned feelings and find your strength again. This is a perfect card for the beginning of the year.

      "Out with the old and in with the new."

      Perhaps it's a habit you are ready to be rid of, a negative thought pattern, an unhealthy eating routine, a job that doesn't work for you any longer. You probably already have an idea of what needs to be left behind.

      The Five of Pentacles (Reversed) is a small ray of hope that no matter how bleak it looks, there is hope. It is a reminder that you are in the midst of a cycle (and only half-way through with the five). So keep moving forward, connect with your higher self and your intuitive voice, to hear what is next. Then do it.

      Then listen again. Then do it. And so on. And so on.

      Focus on moving through the Five of Pentacles and seek the abundance and flow of the Six of Pentacles. Remember, it's just one slice of the pie, one phase of the cycle. It's time to move on and flourish.

      Happy New Year!

      Sunday, January 2, 2011

      Perfect Moment Monday - Holiday Memories

      Daytona Beach outside of our resort on one of the warmer days (70's).

      Each week I participate in Perfect Moment Monday, sponsored by the blog, WriteMindOpenHeart.com According to Lavender Luz, "Perfect Moment Monday" is about noticing a perfect moment rather than creating one. Perfect Moments can be momentous or ordinary or somewhere in between." And so, here is a Perfect Moment for this week.

      For the past three years, our family has taken a vacation instead of exchanging gifts. We like to spend time together and create memories instead of buying each other "stuff."

      This year we went to Daytona Beach. My first thought was that a beach would be warm...maybe not balmy this time of year, but warmer than the Rocky Mountains.

      The first day we were in Daytona, it was colder than it was at home, so we made the most of it and had fun anyway.

      My parents met us there and loved spending time with the boys. They invited each one of them to spend the night in their hotel room so they could have one-on-one time with each grandson.

      Being teenagers, they are so into their friends and all of their activities, that it's hard to pin them down even for a brief conversation.

      The trip was full of Perfect Moments. Here are a few that I captured:

      Welcome to Daytona Beach

      Tom and Bryce walking in Blue Springs State Park looking for Manatees. 

      St. Augustine (the oldest city in the United States) all decorated for the holidays.
      The boys hot tubbing after daring each other to get into the ocean on the coldest day of the trip. Brrrrrr.....
      A mini mug (about 3" high) of eggnog. Yum!
      There were so many Perfect Moments during our trip. I'll share more in the upcoming weeks.

      What a great way to spend the holidays!

      If you'd like to check out more Perfect Moment Mondays go to WriteMindOpenHeart.com by clicking here.