5 things

5 things to make your tuesday more tranquil

surround yourself with like-minded spirits

drink enough water

do yoga (not just on the mat)

write out your thoughts and dreams

tell someone thank you

image credit, credit, credit, credit, credit

monday moment of zen

"the dream begins with a teacher who believes in you, who tugs and pushes and leads you to the next plateau, sometimes poking you with a sharp stick called 'truth.'"
~dan rather

image credit

yoga in the park

hey there morgantown yogis and yoginis!!

i am starting my second annual 'yoga in the park' and wanted to extend an invitation to you to join me!!

our first outdoor yoga adventure will happen this coming sunday, may 22nd 10-11am.

i am hoping to meet at least twice a month for the rest of the summer (or until it gets too cold outside!). if it IS RAINING then class will be canceled. if there is a CHANCE OF RAIN class will still be on until we get rained out. :)


yoga in the park this summer will be held in the beautiful jack roberts park on the corner of madigan ave and leonard st in the first ward of morgantown. (pics are of actual location.) there is plenty of parking - in the parking lot & also free street parking. there is a playground so if you have kids they can play while you play. :)


these all-levels classes are FREE to all. donations are appreciated but never required.

please bring your mat (or towel if you don't have a mat) some water and anything else you need. be sure to pass this email along to your friends and family - the more the merrier!!

and yes, you will receive my signature neck massage during your savasana!!! :)

if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email me at melitamollohan@gmail.com. i hope to see you on sunday!

hugs & namaste,
melita

image credit me

bed day

yesterday my body screeched to a halt. i knew that at around noon when i wasn't out of bed (and wasn't planning to leave my bed) that i needed to make a decision that i didn't want to make.

i cancelled my yoga class & my clients.

i. hate. doing. that.

but i knew, it was for the best. for days on end (and yes, weeks on end as well) i've been pushing my body & pushing and i knew that eventually she was going to push back. yesterday was the day.

so aside from feeling like crap, i laid around, enjoying the comforts of my bed - with pets joining in on the bed day as well. i've written about having bed days before, but this one was very different as i wasn't feeling well at all.

nonetheless, rest was exactly what my neglected body needed. and that is what she got.

i continued to stay in bed until just now (yep, am writing this from bed). i've gotta pull myself up now and get ready to go give a bowenwork session. and then i'm onto lakeview resort & spa for the monongalia county child advocacy center's "girls' night out" event.

if you are local you should come. indulge yourself on some chair massage, bowenwork, reiki, yoga, meditation & much more. and it's all for a good cause. not to mention good karma!!

hugs and _/\_

image credit

the wise woman's stone

the wise woman's stone

a wise woman, who was traveling in the mountains, found a
precious stone in a stream.

she reverently placed the gem in her bag.

the next day, she met another traveler, who was hungry.

the wise woman opened her bag to share her food. the hungry
traveler saw the precious stone in the wise woman's bag,
admired it, and asked the wise woman to give it to him.
the wise woman did so without hesitation.

the traveler left, rejoicing in his good fortune.

he knew the jewel was worth enough to give him security for
the rest of his life.

but a few days later he came back, searching for the wise
woman.

when he found her, he returned the stone and said,
"i have been thinking. i know how valuable the stone is, but
i would like to exchange it in the hope that you can give me
something much more precious. if you can, teach me the
secrets about the power you have within you, the power that
enabled you to, without hesitation, give me this precious
stone."

~ author unknown

i can't get enough of this. as you all know, i love quotes (hello monday moments of zen!!) :) i always share a quote as students are rousing from savasana and lately i have been sharing this. i hope you all enjoyed as much as my yogi(ni)s do.

hugs and _/\_

image credit

5 things

5 things to make your tuesday more tranquil

adopting a greyhound (or any pet you wish)

a car ride after a nice hike in the woods with these two beauties - ok, 3 if you count ryan ;)



taking 5 minutes to meditate. using a meditation cushion like this one makes it more fun - i love mine!!


stopping and smelling the flowers


tell someone you love them

hugs and _/\_

image credit credit credit (rest are by my phone)

monday moment of zen

"yoga is seeing life the way it is."
~ patanjali's yoga sutras

image credit

dogs on parade

enjoy my silly little video of us taking our dogs out for a run (while we are being lazy on our bikes). :)

namaste!

monday moment of zen

"there comes a time in life when you have to let go of all the pointless drama and the people who create it, and surround yourself with people who make you laugh so hard you forget the bad, and focus solely on the good. after all, life is too short to be anything but happy."
~ karl marx

image credit

mother's day

happy mother's day mom. i am eternally grateful to have you in my life! i love you!!

image credit

necklace giveaway winner!!

thanks to all who entered my first ever giveaway!!



and the winner of this beautiful handmade necklace is.......

the analyst

congrats!! i know you will enjoy your beautiful necklace!

please remember that mandy can do custom jewelry. please visit her etsy account and peruse what she already has made up or send her a message to create a one of a kind piece as per your specifications!

hugs and _/\_

monday moment of zen

"always give from the overflow of your well, not from its depth."
~ sufi saying

image credit

monday moment of zen

"in the end we are all separate: our stories, no matter how similar, come to a fork and diverge. we are drawn to each other because of our similarities, but it is our differences we must learn to respect." ~anonymous

image credit

handmade necklace giveaway

this is my first ever traditional giveaway (besides my annual tea trade giveaway) on gussying up the tuttle and i'm so excited that it's from my very best friend, mandy!!

this handmade necklace giveaway is just in time for mother's day (or you can keep it for yourself!)

necklace is 19 inches in length

there are many different ways to enter - each way gets you one entry:
remember, leave a separate comment on this post for each entry. if applicable, please leave the link to your facebook/twitter/blog in the comment you leave me. only the first entry is required. all the others are optional but increase your chances of winning:

1. visit mandy's etsy page and leave a comment telling me which is your favorite piece and why.

2. become a follower of gussying up the tuttle with google friend connect (choose to follow publicly). you get 2 entries for this so leave 2 separate comments.

3. follow me on twitter. you get 2 entries for this so leave 2 separate comments.

4. friend me on facebook. you get 2 entries for this so leave 2 separate comments.

5. spread the word about the giveaway. share on twitter, facebook or your blog. leave a comment for each.

note: if you already follow me on twitter or facebook or google connect, you can still use those entries, i.e. you do not have to be a new follower to be eligible. be sure when you enter that there is a way for me to get in touch with you – i.e. whether through your blog or email.
DEADLINE TO ENTER THIS GIVEAWAY IS SATURDAY, APRIL 30, 2011 AT 11PM, EST.

winner will be announced, sunday, may 1, 2011.

mandy can also make custom orders as well so please be sure to contact her if you want something specific made.

good luck!!

hugs and _/\_

monday moment of zen

"the first duty of love is to listen."
~ paul tillich

image credit

thankful thursday

today i'm thankful for:

getting the majority of my taxes done yesterday (with the help of my friend tamara who is a godsend!! thank you tamara!!)

still feeling awesome from a 90 minute massage yesterday - i especially enjoyed the reflexology part

gearing up to go teach a hot vinyasa class 6-7pm tonight at blissblissbliss

as well as give a few bowenwork sessions


and seeing my favorite flowers blooming all over morgantown

what are you thankful for on this beautiful thursday?

hugs & _/\_


image credit credit credit credit credit

monday moment of zen

"our deepest calling is to grow into our own authentic self-hood, whether or not it conforms to some image of who we ought to be. as we do so, we will not only find the joy that every human being seeks -- we will also find our path of authentic service in the world." ~ parker j. palmer

image credit

monday moment of zen

"the ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned."
~ maya angelou

image credit

monday moment of zen

oh please do forgive me. i was out of town and i missed my monday moment of zen post. so here it is, better late than never. :)

"if self-responsibility is not at the core of healing a person's situation, then the method being applied is just a bandage over the wound".
~ geoff gluckman

image credit

monday moment of zen

it was one of those march days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.
~charles dickens

image credit

monday moment of zen

"life lived for tomorrow will always be just a day away from being realized."
~ leo buscaglia

image credit

meditation during negative times

the other day i had a comment on my blogging in waves post about how meditation is the last thing on your mind when you are in the thick of a negative situation or crisis.

do you, lovely readers, also feel this way and have any thoughts and/or suggestions as to how to get back into the groove of meditation when your mind doesn't seem to be in the right space?

merci in advance!!

image credit

for a friend

hey all you fabulous people out there!!

one of my dear friends turned 39 last month and made a "39 things to do before turning 40" list. one of the things on her list is to receive 40 post cards by the time she turns 40.


well.... we can help her with that now can't we?!?!

please send a post card to:

"Carrie McCarthy"
1425 Cedar Lane
Green Lane, PA 18054

and hey, while you are at it, tell your friends. i'm sure we can surpass 40 before she turns 40!! :)

image credit

blogging in waves

it seems as if i've had a lot to say recently. :)

sometimes my blogging comes in waves - a whole lot at once and then it goes down to a trickle (aka only monday moment of zen posts).

just like the moon has an impact on the ocean, it also has an impact on us as well.

last friday, march 4th was the new moon. with the new moon our energy can also be slower and we can be more reflective and pensive. the new moon is the perfect time to create new goals or dreams for yourself. it's also a time to give up anything that no longer serves you.


in my yoga classes last week i asked my students while they were lying on their sides, before coming back up to an easy seat to end class, to think of one thing that they want to get rid of. it could be anything from a negative relationship, to a job or project that they no longer want, to that last 5 pounds. i asked them to imagine that as they sat up that was left behind on the floor. to actually picture whatever was no longer serving them being left behind so that something newer and better could come in it's place.

i also showed them the shivalingam mudra.

the shivalingam mudra is an energizing and powerful mudra when your energy is down, when you feel as though you need more power over a specific situation or just in general, to help break negative thought patterns, and to help boost self-confidence and self-esteem. perfect for the new moon!!

image credit, credit

to always look on the bright side?

first off, i want to thank you guys SO much for reading and for all of your comments on the blog recently. you guys make my heart swell with joy & gratitude!!

secondly, happy fat tuesday everyone!!

and now onto the situation at hand...

blogging is a peculiar thing sometimes, isn't it?

it's as if sometimes we feel the need to only share or blog about the bright side of things. we don't want to let people know about the messy little situations that come up in our life for several reasons; you might be embarrassed about your situation, people will think you are complaining, people won't care cause they have their own shit to worry about, etc, etc, etc...

but indeed, we are human, we ALL have good days and we all have bad days and we all survive both!

just as there is no need to dwell on the negative, there is no need to only focus on the positive. that makes us seem less real. good or bad, i'm about as REAL as it gets.

:)

i try to find that middle ground.

i try to see both sides of the coin.

do you?

image credit

foot in mouth, almost, but not quite

my "un-yogic" blog post caused quite a stir. i got a lot of comments on both the post itself and on my facebook page.

while i was writing this from a point of view of me being un-yogic some others feelings got hurt in the process.

this was not my intention - ever!!

when i started this blog (3 years ago the 16th of this month!!) i laid some very basic ground rules:

would i want people to read this if is published on the front of the new york times??

** yes - proceed ** no - definitely do not publish ** maybe? - still, do not publish**

and i still stand by this today.

when i re-read what i wrote for the umpteenth time i thought that maybe something that i had written might be taken wrong. but as always in the publishing world, it was too late...

so, i say this out of complete sincerity - i never meant to hurt anyone's feelings and since that i know i did, please know that i am very, very sorry!!


it's not about one specific person, incident, situation, etc. it's about the shifting of energy as a whole. i am reminded of the quote i put up a couple of monday's ago for the moment of zen.

"in the entire world, there is not one human being who is free from pain. even in favorable conditions, a person encounters struggle. the external form of struggle appears to be cruel. some describe it as a horrible demon, but its nature is not malicious. in fact, it is proper to welcome struggle, for its arrival is always auspicious. struggle keeps us from growing sluggish. it changes an animal into an ideal person. it transforms an ordinary human into a spiritually-awake person respected by the world... it is alright if we cannot receive struggle with love, but struggle should never be discarded. to discard struggle is to discard god's grace."
~ swami kripalu

although it may be hard to welcome struggle when you are in the midst of it, try to remind yourself that it is there for a reason. you will take away a lesson from it. for each time there is struggle there is also a shift of energy that helps us grow. and yes, i have to remind myself of this exact thing when i'm in the midst of struggle. :)

one of my favorite mantra's is lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu

which translates to "may all beings everywhere be happy and free. may the thoughts, words, and actions of my own life contribute in some way to that happiness and to that freedom for all."

with an emphasis on the thoughts, words, and actions of my own life being key.

so what about you guys, any mantra or quote that you go to when in the midst of struggle?

image credit

introducing babaji bones

i've tried to keep this one under wraps but with only 1 week left i can't keep it secret any longer!!

i went with a dear friend to wheeling to check out the retired racing greyhounds because she was looking to adopt one. while i have always wanted to get a greyhound (one of the many dogs on the list of must-own before i die) i went not with the intention of bringing one home but just the opposite. i said to several people "i will not bring a dog home!!" HA!!!

i was saying that out loud to try to be strong. oh sure, i knew i was weak but i didn't realize how weak until one look at this face....

i sent ryan a photo text of this pup with "gotta be bold" as the title. that was his racing name however ryan told me i was getting weak as he thought i was the one that had to be bold. :)

and so, you know where the rest of this story goes...

next monday, one week from today, the lady from the greyhound rescue/adoption will make a home visit with him and if all goes well, he will get to stay!!

and so i know you are thinking to yourself 'why in the hell did she name that dog babaji bones?!'

well... babaji is a beloved yogi who is known as "the deathless avatar." he learned to overcome all physical limitations. and babaji was the one who encouraged paramahansa yogananda to teach yoga to the western world as a way to spread enlightenment. pretty cool, eh?

and... bones comes from a cute name i had picked out for a future adoption of a pit-bull (which is just a silly name). i thought, why wait?!

so there you have it - babaji bones. you can look forward to reading more about babaji in the future. :)

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5

monday moment of zen

"we all seek happiness and shun suffering, but as human beings we are distinguished from others by our intelligence. if we allow it to be controlled by negative emotions like hatred, the consequences are disastrous, but if we use it positively, we can not only recognize our predicament but also train our minds and ways of thinking, which enables us to transform ourselves into better, happier people."
~h.h. the dalai lama

image credit

un-yogic

do i.....

cuss (sometimes like a sailor)???

occasionally eat meat???

speed thru yellow lights (or even occasionally run red lights)???

vent to my boyfriend about how frustrated i am over how un-yogic some things are at my yoga studio???

get angry or defensive over stupid shit???

have to have things my way???

be sarcastic so much so that sometimes it seems rude???

sometimes have a short temper???

get selfish and put myself first???

you betcha!!!

so tell me... what sort of un-yogic behaviors do you sometimes indulge in?

image credit

thoughts

in a recent yoga class that i was lucky enough to attend focused the class on half asana and half meditation. the teacher (and a dear friend of mine) had us to set in a circle for the meditation portion of the class. as she was leading us to our find our stillness she said something to the effect of not letting other people put us in boxes that label what we are, that we are much more than that. while at the time it didn't really sink in until after the mediation was over and we shared any experiences we had and spent a little time talking. it was at that point another student said she really enjoyed what she had said about that. and i thought to myself, "yeah, exactly, why do we let other people dictate what we do or who we are?!"

sure we all have labels of what it is we do: mother, daughter, friend, lover, accountant, lawyer, landscaper, cat person, lover of frogs, francophile, and on & on. but those labels are just that... labels. they can describe us but they aren't who we really are. and why do we feel the need to fit into these labels or boxes that others put upon us? sure, we want people to like us but you can't make everyone happy all of the time. and if you try you will certainly go mad!

so why not be who you are and own it?! it will make things a lot easier in the end, don't you think??

image credit

monday moment of zen

"the only zen you find on tops of mountains is the zen you bring there."
~ robert m. pirsig

image credit

monday moment of zen

"in the entire world, there is not one human being who is free from pain. even in favorable conditions, a person encounters struggle. the external form of struggle appears to be cruel. some describe it as a horrible demon, but its nature is not malicious. in fact, it is proper to welcome struggle, for its arrival is always auspicious. struggle keeps us from growing sluggish. it changes an animal into an ideal person. it transforms an ordinary human into a spiritually-awake person respected by the world... it is alright if we cannot receive struggle with love, but struggle should never be discarded. to discard struggle is to discard god's grace."
~ swami kripalu

image credit

monday moment of zen

"you must love yourself before you love another. by accepting yourself and fully being what you are, your simple presence can make others happy."
~ anonymous

happy valentine's day everyone! may you love yourself as much as you love everyone else.

hugs & namaste!

image credit

life lessons from being sick

hello loves! you might have been wondering why i haven't been blogging recently or have noticed my absence on my beloved twitter. well, i've been down and out with some sort of silly bug. it's been going around and just when i thought i had skirted around it... it got me.


in fact, i'm blogging from my comfy bed with homemade chai, pets, pillows, books, magazines and my trusted vic mac-key nearby. (yes, i was a big fan of shawn ryan's the shield. therein lies the name of my macbook pro.)

i've had to cancel massage clients, bowenwork clients, yoga classes and the end all - be all my yoga & creativity workshop i have scheduled for tomorrow. (sigh!) it's given me a chance to catch up on some things though (between bouts of sleep that is): some fabulous articles online, and the 2nd & 3rd of this trilogy (love!).

but in ways, i guess i had this little life lesson coming. i've been going non-stop for i can't remember how long. with a long line of "yes, i can fit you in" "sure, tomorrow is fine" "it's ok, don't worry about it." and the list goes on & on. but one thing you have to remember is if you don't take care of yourself first, then you can't take care of others. at least not properly anyways.

so life's little lesson has made me slow down even though i didn't want to. but i can say that i've taken a lot away from this lesson. just to name a few:

#1 take care of yourself first
#2 learn to say no when it's best for me
#3 learn to better prioritize tasks (and people for that matter)

i'm hoping that you stay healthy & well.

hugs & namaste

image credit

monday moment of zen

"i still find each day too short for all the thoughts i want to think, all the walks i want to take, all the books i want to read, and all the friends i want to see."
~ john burroughs

image credit