EMILY PERRY:: ELEMENTAL

30 day sadhana:: day 11

{outside Cafe Gratitude, San Francisco, 2010}

Today is day 11 of the 30 Days of Yoga practice, a yoga sadhana organized by Marianne over at Zen and the Art of Peacekeeping.  There is something about doing yoga everyday that has really changed my approach to yoga.  it was clear right away that what i thought i needed out of this thirty days- and what i truly needed- were two different things.  this yoga practice has taught me to pay attention differently, to listen.

but it has also allowed me to meet my resistance in interesting ways.  

 

by meeting the resistance, i can breath into it, soften it.  i can discover why the resistance is there, dissolve into it, and discover all sorts of joy lurking, just waiting to be uncovered.

join in, or follow us over at twitter (#30dayyoga)

::namaste::

 

::sensation::

{knotted balloons in wires, San Francisco, 2010} 

...We also begin to understand that as sensations, thoughts, and feelings pass through us, they need not solidify.  They need not bunch up inside us as knots of tension.  We can be a person who occasionally feels tension rather than a tense person.  That is, all of these passing sensations need not concretize and fuse our identity.

- Donna Farhi, Bringing Yoga To Life

the flexibility of wood

{these roots, this tree here in the etsy shop}

there is a storm outside again today, and as i sit here i am watching the large pines sway in the wind and rain. 

i think at times we forget about the gift of the wood element, one of the five elements in classical chinese medicine (the others being fire, earth, metal and water).  wood needs to be strong to withstand the storm, and yet it needs to be soft and flexible to the changing winds so it is not broken by the elements.

today, think of how you might be flexible to the changing world around you, while maintaining your sense of being grounded with strong roots.

::on haiti::

like everyone, we are totally shocked about the quake in haiti, and are concerned about the situation on the ground there.  as someone that has lived in earthquake country since i was born, earthquake relief is a tender spot for me.  we have had big quakes here before, but nothing like the devastation haiti is facing:: the situation was pretty desperate before, and now it is a total disaster.

instead of reinventing the wheel, here are some great posts about how we can help:

the huffington post

six ways to help haiti

::on silence::

{Hayes Valley Mermaids, San Francisco, 2010}

 

By destroying silence, the legacy of our deserts, we leave no room for peace, the deep peace the elevates and stirs our souls.  It is the silence that rocks and awakens us to the truth of our dreams.

 

-Terry Tempest Williams, An Unspoken Hunger: Stories From The Field

 

big sky mind (stupa #2), 2010

i think i mentioned a couple of days ago how I figured out how to get some effects i want (i heart sandpaper!):: this is the result.  if you paint, maybe try something entirely new with what you have:: scrape it, sand it, wet it.  you never know what will happen.

day trip snap shot: BI-RITE

{BI-RITE market, San Francisco, polaroid SX-70}

 

 

holding up our vision

 {succulents, polaroid SX-70}

ah, the start of the new year.  here in the states, the new year begins in the middle of winter, with lightness in the dark growing, with short days, and chill.  energetically, this is really not a great time to be starting things that are new (that would be sping, really).  winter is a time for incubating, mulling, pondering, and chewing on our ideas.  this is a time for developing a mental vision of the energy we want to grow in the spring.  this is a great time for list making and planning.

when the light begins to return, we will have the energy to put the new into action.  late winter and early spring are when the energy begins to rise within us again, ready to animate us and bring us back into the world.  

so now, in the middle of winter, i am formulating my vision.  what do i want my life to look like this year?  what kind of parent do i want to be?  what kind of memories am i creating for my family and myself?  i think it really helps to define our vision, name it, call to it, birth it.  then, when we are ready, we can live it.

and while holding on to and becoming our vision carries with it a bit of risk, it is the only way to live authentically, true to our inner whispers.

happy new year!

 

{my first SX-70 shot with my new camera:: her rollers need to be cleaned, but other than that she is good to go!} 

so happy new year to you!  i hope that your new year, your new decade, is full of new creative energy, peaceful moments, and joyous times!