plow (with kitty) pose.

{ photo: gosia janik }


halasana (plow pose) with your kitty (or dog)!

i stumbled across this photo on austin eavesdropper that was taken by gosia janik (thank you Grace!) and fell in love with it....when i attempt a home practice, i'm always joined by my furry friend, miss izzy, who interestingly enough looks just like this cat...

icicle.

on my walk into work yesterday morning, i noticed this...

so strange, yet so beautiful.

i usually embrace the wintry weather, but these past few weeks here in new england have been brutal.

i've been keeping myself busy inside, however. i'll have some fun updates to share with you later this week.

stay warm friends!

no, no!

this video of a little girl named charlotte is just too cute for words. i keep watching it over and over again.

my top ten in 2010.

i can't believe it's already new year's eve. it's been quite a year filled with so many sweet memories and milestones. here are my top ten from 2010 (in no particular order):

1 :: finishing my master's degree (while working full-time!)
2 :: deepening my yoga practice...in a hammock of all places!
3 :: launching My Yoga Story Project (share your yoga story!)
4 :: skiing at Stowe with my sister and experiencing a "freshie."
5 :: going to the Brimfield Antique Show for the first time.
6 :: loving a handmade Christmas (more to come on this.)
7 :: vacationing with my girlfriends in hyannis.
8 :: investing in an electra townie.
9 :: spending the holidays with my family (thanksgiving with my feet in the sand in florida and christmas with my snow boots on shoveling mounds of snow in connecticut)
10 :: and most of all, giving back to the organizations that i am most passionate about throughout the year (Off the Mat into the World, Yoga Reaches Out, Everybody Wins, Share Our Strength, Heifer International, and Semester at Sea).

a special holiday greeting.

a yoga girl holiday greeting card (made my yours truly) just for you!

may you all have a joyous day where ever your travels may take you and a very happy new year! 

link love.

i'm headed to sunny san diego tomorrow to visit with family and welcome home my cousin from a trip around the world through the semester at sea program! i can't wait to hear all about her travels, especially her visits to south africa and india.

happy weekend to you all! here's some link love...


:: a holiday wreath

{image: pickles}

a friend of mine shared some link love with me this week. it's a blog called pickles and the latest post features a DIY felted wool wreath that is f-a-b-u-l-o-u-s!

:: frock

{image: frock}

this one-of-kind boutique located in chester, ct is on my list of places to visit this month. every garment that is sold at frock is made on site by independent designers, trish ginter and laura williams-larson. check out their blog and website and you will discover that they've redefined the meaning of "frock" into something totally hip and handmade for women of every shape and size.


:: soule mama's studio

{image: soule mama}

one of my favorite blogs to read is soule mama. she and her family recently purchased a big 'ol farmhouse and her new studio space is just lovely. it's exactly the type of space that i long to have for myself one day. view more of her studio pics here.


:: 1,000 awesome things

{image: 1,000 awesome things}

yes, i'm going to say it...this blog and book are AWESOME! each and every post reminds me of how much i need to stay present in my life and enjoy each and every moment.

#380 really spoke to me...

hearing someone's heartbeat
while lying on the grass, lazing on the couch, or relaxing in some crumpled sheets, you sometimes just fall into the moment with someone you love. after the conversation dies down and the background noise fades away you smile silently and melt into an arms-and-legs embrace. gaze into their eyes, push your ears to their chest, and then shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

just listen.

latte art.

the barista at my favorite local coffee shop brought a huge smile to my face this afternoon when he surprised me with some latte art.

yarn bombing.

last week while i was on my lunch break, i stopped dead in my tracks on the sidewalk to take a closer look at this:

and this:

it's called yarn bombing (or urban knitting)! i've read about this before, but i've never come across an instance of it myself. to see the ugly parking meter adorned with such color made my day, despite the fact that this is in some sense a form of graffiti. but really, who cares? it's not permanent like bathroom graffiti:

{image: flickr}

happy hallOMween.

pOMpkin carving...

 

my great pOMpkin lit up!

and we had to roast the pOMpkin seeds...

roasted pOMpkin seeds

- preheat oven to 375 degrees

- toss pOMpkin seeds in olive oil

- add a dash of salt & pepper

place seeds on greased cookie sheet in the oven for 30 minutes.

enjoy!!

happy hallOMween my friends!

super 8.

two of my super cool friends (and i'm serious. they are super cool!) got married out in california this past summer and had their wedding filmed in super 8.

i love super 8 films! especially since everyone these days wants to watch everything in HD. there's something so raw, so organic, and so very beautiful about watching a super 8 film.

i love the beginning of their video when van is walking down the stairs to albert and they are seeing eachother for the first time! congrats you two!

one week!

a short post here...

writing my LAST paper for grad school tonight! yippee!! i definitely won't miss you footnotes...or citations. i've enjoyed you for the past two years, but it's time for you to go!

as i mentioned in a previous post, i'll be back here full-time in a few weeks sharing all sorts of goodies. but until then i'll be catching up on some much needed sleep and spending some much needed quality time with my family and friends. 

oh, but wait, i should mention a fun little project that i will be taking part in over at a tale of two farm shares... i'll be guest blogging for a week (8/15-8/22) while denise, one of the authors, is away getting her own R&R. so if you're interested in seeing what i do with a weeks worth of vegetables from the farm, hop on over there for a visit and check out my posts.

saluting the sun.

:: ashley h., ryt at south end studio, vt ::

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

with hands in prayer i face the sun, feeling love and joy in my heart.

i reach out and let the sun fill me with warmth.

i bow before the sun's radiance and place my face to the ground in humble respect.

i lift my face to the sun and then remember, to achieve such heights,
i must be as the dust of the earth.

i stretch up toward its light trying to reach the greatest heights, and again surrender.

i stand tall as i remember the true sun is within me.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

i see this poem hanging on the wall every day i walk into yogabody studio, where i practice yoga several times a week. most days i don't stop to read it line by line, but the other day i gave a copy of this poem to my sister, which is from the himalayan institute, for her to hang on her wall, and i found myself reading it, and appreciating it all over again.

the photo above is of my sister's good friend, ashley, who teaches ashtanga yoga up in vermont. when i came across this picture of her, it seemed so fitting to post along with the poem, and she so graciously accepted my request to post it here to share with you. enjoy and namaste my friends!

my purple shamrock.

i had only heard of green shamrocks until a recent road trip with a friend led me to this beauty in a greenhouse. she (yes, it's a she!) seems to be doing very well by the window in my kitchen.

i'm amazed that she's still alive and that my cat, izzy, hasn't chewed off any leaves yet. i don't think izzy is a fan of the shamrock as much as i am.

i'm hoping to have more of a green thumb this summer so i can plant some herbs, both inside and outside.  until then, i'm content on just admiring my purple shamrock... 

p.s. i would LOVE and appreciate any recommendations for websites and/or books about growing your own herbs. i'm currently reading, edible herbs, a book that i got with a friend. but i'm on the hunt for more resources. so send me your suggestions!

10 thoughts.

1 :: find a few minutes each day to completely unplug.

2 :: giving to others is the most powerful thing we can do for ourselves.

3 :: see physical fitness as a practice, not a goal.

4 :: make it a point to heed your need for solitude.

5 :: the secret to beautiful skin starts with what you put inside your body.

6 :: try doing even the menial tasks mindfully and with grace.

7 :: the quality of your connections with other people will carry you further than you think.

8 :: just because a no-frills home remedy is simple doesn't mean it won't work.

9 :: if you want to eat healthier, try giving yourself the benefit of better choices.

10 :: home isn't a place. it's a state of mind.


from the nov. 2009 issue of body + soul. 

cherry blossoms.

one of my favorite things...

...about...

...spring!

feet.

"breathe through your feet!"

this is what my yoga instructor (and dear friend!) said during the vinyasa class she was leading at her studio the other day. and it got me thinking differently about my own breath.

if you actually take the time to visualize inhaling new oxygen or renewed energy through the crown of your head all the way to the soles of your feet as you practice yoga or if you don't practice yoga you can visualize this while you are standing in the shower or even walking around, you just might discover (the way i did the other day) an opening of sorts in your body...and a whole new way to manage the flow of your own breath.

on this same note, i realized after taking this picture on my way to work this morning...

...that, for some odd reason, i take a lot of pictures of feet!

so i thought i would share a few favorites from my photo archives.


(it's important to note that not everyone or every culture has the same playful approach to feet as i do. in fact, in thailand, feet are considered not only the lowest part of the body physically, but also symbolically. they are dirty with the earth and dust. on the other hand, they perceive the head to be the most sacred and highest part of the body. and therefore do not touch the head of another. so with that said, i respect all of the different meanings and interpretations of feet.)

:: on a bench ::

 

 :: by candlelight ::

 

 :: in the caribbean ::

  

 :: on the 103rd floor of the Willis Tower ::

  

:: in my apartment :: 

:: at a football game ::

:: at the beach ::

snow day.

what a beautiful snowfall we had last night! on my walk to work this morning, i was very distracted by the beauty of it all on the branches, on the ground, everywhere!

love.

...it's a crazy thing!

ode to the olympics.

tonight i'll be watching the opening ceremonies of the 2010 winter olympics that are taking place in vancouver, and i can't help but be reminded of my time there with my father...just about ten years ago. he flew out to seattle, washington to greet me (and the ship!) that i studied on during my junior year of college, which was through the semester at sea program.

it was his idea to spend a few days driving up the coast to vancouver, bc before heading back home. and what an amazing drive and experience it was! my time in vancouver was brief, but it was long enough to realize that it's a pretty fabulous city in canada to visit.

so let the games begin!

 photo credit :: emshim's flickr photostream

photo credit :: emshim's flickr photostream

photo credit :: emshim's flickr photostream

homemade valentine.

homemade valentines are by far the best type of valentine to receive. some of my best memories from when i was a child was crafting with my mom. she would always have us making things at the kitchen table, especially homemade greeting cards.

i came across this homemade valentine that i made for my great aunt when i was a little girl. it's nothing but a simple piece of construction paper, and pieces of fabric cut into heart shapes. i must have picked out the fabric but let my mom do the cutting. :-)

even though valentine's day is just a two days away, you still have time to make your loved one a homemade card. here are a few last-minute ideas for you:

block print valentines
hand-stitched valentines
necktie valentines
yes, it's true, a homemade valentine made from onions!
and my favorite...a pop-up valentine's day card

also, if you would prefer to not make a card, check out this adorable tutorial on a jar of hearts. such an easy and unique way to express your love!

 photo credit :: craftzine blog