40 days of yoga - days 26, 27 & 28

i'm falling behind as of recent, in blogging and my yoga practice. :(

friday the 26th i did a bit of yoga at home after attending one of my best friend's wedding.

saturday the 27th i got up at 6am to travel to charleston, wv to do some wedding dress shopping for my other best friend (HER wedding is next september just in case you were getting any ideas!!) after traveling 2.5 hrs there, dress shopping for some odd number of hours, visiting my parents for about an hour or hour & half and spending another 2.5 hours back home i was exhausted! i'm not gonna lie, so instead of doing my yoga practice, i laid in front of the fireplace and read for a while before i crawled in bed and passed out!!

today the 28th i had a cleaning mood hit me pretty hard today. so i organized some things that i haven't organized since we moved into this little house. in between cleaning spurts, i took a break and did some restorative yoga on the floor (didn't even roll out my mat). this evening ryan & i went over to the new blissblissbliss h(OM)e and helped put a few finishing touches on the place. it. is. amazing!!

i also got a sweet surprise in the mail this weekend too! i got a fabulous little package from the sweet elisse from fur elisse. (thank you SO much elisse!!) here is what my package included:

a sweet, hand made bag that is reversible. both sides are gorgeous!!

a cute hand made owl card & adorable hair pins!!

all photos by me

40 days of yoga - day 18

i had a hell of a day planned out: up at 7am, to take a yoga class by 8, take pics of another yoga teacher at blissblissbliss for our upcoming newsletter, two clients in the morning, nice lunch break for 2 1/2 hrs then back to bliss for 2 more clients and 2 yoga classes.

but then sometimes life throws you a curve ball.

i woke up queasy as anything and feeling very under the weather. so i text yoga teacher and tell her i can't make it & go back to bed. an hour and half pass by at the blink of an eye because i pass out that hard!

wake back up - still feeling rough so decide to cancel my two clients this morning rather than push myself through it like i normally do.

back to bed only to wake up at 1pm, yes, 1pm only to realize i don't feel much better. so i cancel my other 2 clients and both yoga classes. i really hate canceling clients & classes like that. i feel like i've let so many people down. :( everyone is so understanding though, and thank god for that!

it's almost 4pm and the only thing i've had to eat is 2 pieces of toast and some homemade chai.

i don't know if it has anything to do with the cleanse or not. maybe the cleanse is really working something out of me. i took the day off from taking any of the gaia herbs supreme cleanse products. as long as i am better tomorrow i will resume the cleanse. as far as yoga for day 18 goes. it's restorative all. the. way. baby!!

after a bit of playing around on the intertubes, i found this lovely article about how to create and maintain a daily yoga practice. very good advice, be sure to check it out!

be well, hugs & namaste

image credit credit credit credit

40 days of yoga - day 17

today i did a 20 minute home practice dvd with natasha rizopoulos. she's the beauty you see in a lot of the beautiful yoga journal pictures and videos. what a beautiful lady inside and out. truly inspiring. i would be honored to take one of her classes/workshops one day.

a bloggy friend is doing a month of yoga for november. be sure to check liz out over at simply by the sea.

hugs & namaste

image credit

leave only footprints and peace rocks

this past sunday, ryan and i took the dogs to cooper's rock for a small hike. all 4 of us love spending time in nature.

the peace rocks left behind are from my dear friend sasa. sasa's mission is to "spread peace one rock at a time." love that!!

here are a few photos i took along the way...

inside a broken tree

the beautiful details of a fern

the inside of a fallen tree

a baby fern (my index finger for scale)
cadyn on top of a big rock (queen of the mountain if you will lol)
leaving a peace rock behind
precariously placed peace rock
careful to keep dry

finding my crow

for the longest time i've wanted to soar in my crow/crane pose but kept falling flat... sometimes literally! i've been working & working until my right wrist screams at me - NO MORE!! so then i try once more for good measure and then give in to my screaming wrist.

so to the internet i go, reading different tricks & tips on how to make my crow/crane soar. i came across a fabulous post at the lovely yoga to go blog on just this topic!

here she is soaring high and making it look completely effortlessly gorgeous!

so of course, i tried out her tips and was able to fly a little bit longer than my usual few seconds. so i decided for the time being that i would attempt a baby crow and work on building my upper body strength and balance.

my baby crow as cadyn looks at me like i'm nuts :)

a better view with my sweet girl out of the way

when i teach my yoga classes i let my students know that we all have limitations and that they are temporary, to honor them and work around them and that one day it will change. i decided to take my own advice to heart.

instead of getting caught up in the 'i'm not good enough' 'i'm a yoga teacher and i can't even do crow' negative self-talk i turned it around and accepted where i am right now and will enjoy the journey of one day flying my crow high. (and yes, once i get it to where i don't fall flat on my face i'll be happy to share a pic of my crow with you ;) ).

i hope that you have a wonderful weekend. namaste

image credit yoga to go

keep calm and practice yoga

i think it should be "practice yoga and keep calm" ;)

i found this via the lovely yoga to go's tumblr account. check out her beautiful & inspiring blog yoga to go. created by julierenee.tumblr.

little lovely melita

introducing the little lovely melita

this amazing piece of art was done by a chica very close to my heart. connie, i love you!! you are the coolest chica i know!!

watch the making of the little lovely melita



check it out on her blog

AND

you can get a little lovely of your own

i truly love my little lovely and i know you will love yours too!

simple joys

this friday was a delicious treat. i had the morning off and had planned on going to class this afternoon but due to a scheduling mix up at school i ended up getting the entire day off! this was a welcome surprise as it's the first friday i've had off in months & months and it's the first day i've had off in over 3 weeks.

today i enjoyed:

*sleeping in
*watching the beautiful snow that fell all day (i know a lot of people are upset about more snow but not moi, i love it!)
*a huge nap
*watching a little food network (food network & the travel channels are my favs)
*looking through my newest cookbook "eat taste heal: an ayurvedic guidebook and cookbook for modern living"
*enjoying h2o with a slice of organic lemon
*writing with my new sakura souffle 3-d opaque puffy ink pens (thanks for the recommendation stephanie)
*snuggling with my kitties and pup
*relaxing around the house not worrying about the to-dos (they will be there tomorrow)
*noshing on some tagalongs (girl scout cookie time!)
*observing the ongoing kitteh antics....

dooty snuggled up on the couch

intruder alert

sanjay always wanting to be near his brother

good thing dooty is so accepting

tranquil tuesday gratitude

today i am thankful for:

*it being tranquil tuesday

*knocking out a lot of to-do's
*snuggling with my cuddly kitties
*being interviewed on life breathing
*hot tea on a cold & rainy day
*connecting with all of you

image credit ici

goodies in my mail box

i got something in the mail today that totally made me smile. i got a beautiful new year's card from the adorable chelsea b from pencil skirts & pearls. she was thanking me for the holiday blogger gift exchange present that i sent her.

along with the card was an adorable peace coin. i love it! thank you so much for being so thoughtful chelsea b. hugs!!

tulips & tea interview

i was absolutely filled with glee to come home and find that the darling and adorable analiese from tulips & tea featured moi on her "blogging with heart" series.

the blogging with heart series in analiese's words "is a series of interviews with bloggers whose voices resonate with authenticity, sparkle, and soul." she has features absolute blogging gems such as the adventurous kaileen elise and the heart warming soul lauren of everyday revelry. i am absolutely honored to be among these fabulous ladies.

read my interview, check out previous interviews and be completely inspired by analiese's tulips & tea blog.

if you know of any "bloggers with heart" be sure to nominate them by sending analiese an email ambendorf(at)gmail(dot)com.

thank you SO much analiese, you made my week!! much love & hugs to you sweetie!!

image credit ici

peace rocks

i was the lucky winner of some peace rocks from the lovely sasa. my beautiful package included six hand painted peace rocks, several christmas cards, a peace rocks calendar for 2010 and a lovely note.

i added a peace rock to my collection of rocks, seashells, candles, lavender and buddha statue that is the centerpiece (now it's the centerpeace) on my kitchen table.

i added another peace rock to gussy up ryan's first bonsai tree. rawkus is peeking out from behind the bonsai tree.

thank you so much sasa for the lovely package of peace!

if you'd like a peace rock be sure to visit sasa's etsy page to purchase your own.

blogging holiday love from kylie grethen

i was happy to have participated in a blogging holiday love exchange that was organized by the fabulous kaileen elise, chelsea and carolyn. i am absolutely amazed at the blogging community that we have built online. i love these amazing ladies!!

now onto the goods ;)

i was so happy to come home from a tiring 12 hour day of class and massages to a fabulous holiday package from kylie grethen.

i was so excited to see this package sitting on my table just begging for me to open it. and when i did.... the smell of lavender bloomed out of the package as i opened it. i love love love lavender!

everything was so beautifully wrapped in pretty pink and purple tissue paper

and everything inside was absolutely perfect!!

my package included:

~ an adorable card (the mouse painting the candy canes - so cute).

~ a copy of eat, pray, love which i wanted due to giving my copy away. i am so happy to have it back in my book collection.

~ a note pad with a sparkly effiel tower - perfect for toting around in my handbag.

~ $5 gift card to starbucks - perfect for a gingerbread latte!

~ lavender bath bomb - i love bath bombs and it smells so good!!

~ flower power botanic extract lavender soothing facial mask - i can't wait to use this!

~ aura cacia lavender harvest aromatherapy mineral bath - such a perfect company - love their products and can't wait to sink deep into the bathtub for some quiet solo meditation time.

~ a grow your own pink poodle - this is so hilarious - i love it! according to the package it "makes you an officially 'classy' person." it's ironic because one of my nicknames for cadyn is "poodle." i really love small things so i think i will keep my pink poodle small because it's just so darn cute!

~ a fabulous black & white damask bag - which was perfect for toting my massage sheets to school the other day!

everything from kylie was absolutely perfect! it was as if she's known me for years. she couldn't have done a better job picking things out for me. thank you from the bottom of my heart kylie. huge hugs!!

feasting

the last week of the joy diet is upon us and it couldn't have been better timing for the chapter on feasting as we all still probably have tons of thanksgiving leftovers.

while feasting isn't necessarily all about eating food - let me tell you about my thanksgiving...

ryan and i always split our holidays up between our parents. this year we went to his families house's for thanksgiving and will go to my parents for christmas. we took our dear brazilian friend bela with us this time so that she could experience her first american thanksgiving. we first stopped at ryan's mother's house and ate thanksgiving lunch there. next onto ryan's dad's house and had a late lunch/early thanksgiving dinner. finally onto ryan's best friend families house for a peruvian thanksgiving dinner. we all had a fabulous time at each dinner. bela had a great time. i was so grateful that she was able to share in her first thanksgiving holiday with us.

here's to feasting!!

check out jamie ridler's the next chapter for other musings on feasting.

image credit ici

connection

i simply adore connecting with like-minded individuals and i am delighted to say that in the past few months i have done just that!

i have connected with fabulous fellow bloggers & tweeps. i have connected with lovely ladies that are massage therapists, mentors & role models. i have connected with teachers & classmates that i admire and adore.

i feel so lucky to connect with such wonderful people - each and everyone of you!!

find more wonderful connections by visiting jamie ridler's the next chapter.

image credit ici

laughter

i read somewhere recently that laughter provides a massage for our organs. i truly believe this. if you think about it laughter is really a cure-all. no matter what is ailing you, once you start laughing you feel immensely better. you choose your happiness so when you are feeling bad, watch a comedy, read comic strips, have a conversation with an upbeat, jokey friend and see if you don't feel better.

ryan and i watch funny movies and tv shows to get in some laughs. we play with our pets - that is always good for lots of laughs. we also check out lolcats to get in daily laughs. we are both jokey people and hang around jokey friends. i have always been a very upbeat and funny person. anything for a laugh. i know for sure that my lpd (laughs per day) is way beyond 30. see how other lovely ladies get in their daily laughs by visiting jamie ridler's the next chapter. what do you do to get in your giggles?

image credit ici

swapping delights

sofia, one of my darling tea traders hosted her 2nd annual autumn swap this year. well of course i participated! what joy to send a darling little package of autumn comforts to someone and to receive a lovely package from another. i gathered up some teas, coffee, a book about new york, and some other trinkets and sent them on their merry way to spain to ibb.

i received the most fabulous package from the marvelous micaela. what i got in my autumn swap package couldn't have been more perfect. i am amazed at what a fabulous job she did picking out things to send to me. let me share with you my most perfect autumn swap package...

not one, but two packages

have you ever seen a more beautifully wrapped package?!

in the big package

the autumn swap package in all of it's glory

it honestly, couldn't have been more perfect! i love every single thing in the package. thank you so much micaela. you made my heart sing!! many, many thanks my darling!!

play

i want to first apologize to my lovely readers. i have been mia recently because i have been very busy with massage therapy schooling and yoga teacher training. at least it's a good busy. i am enjoying myself immensely every single day.

now, out of all honesty, i've been playing with the joy diet in it's entirety and i've been having a great time. during the risk chapter i wrote in my post about wishing that i had read this book earlier when i was unhappy in the current career path i was in and wanted to do something else that i had always dreamed about. but as sherry lee said, timing is everything and that reading this book now is an affirmation. she is completely right and everyday it just solidifies it for me that i took the right risks and made the right decision.

here is a shot of my new brazilian friend bela and i trying on some fabulous shades while doing some winter clothes shopping. we had such a great time shopping and playing.

to check out the way some other lovely ladies play, visit jamie ridler's the next chapter.

treats

i've been fortunate to have tons of treats in my life recently. i feel as though the last month has been one giant treat.

here's a sneak peak at some of my most recent treats:

~ the indian summer we've been having

~ a birthday jubilee teavana present

~ teaching yoga to people who have never taken a yoga class before and seeing their faces light up with delight and hearing them say how much better they feel afterwords

~ cherishing solo time this weekend while ryan is in philadelphia

~ connecting with tons of fabulous readers - you all make my day - everyday!!

~ halloween - my favorite holiday

~ my first day of massaging clients tomorrow - i'm SO excited!!

check out what other treats by visiting jamie ridler's the next chapter.

photo credit ici

risk

life is full of risks. whether we realize it or not, we take risks everyday.

martha beck said "what's safe about not being who you were meant to be?" that completely resonated with me.

i wish i would have read this book a year ago. reading it now makes me realize that when i took the risk of switching gears from accounting to massage therapy and yoga was exactly what i needed.

sometimes the risk we most need to take is pushing ourselves and i am so grateful that i did.

follow along with other risk takers by visiting jamie ridler's the next chapter.

image credit ici