YogaGlamGirl's Weblog

Words of Wisdom from an Incredible Woman

I generally hate getting chain mail. But maybe I'm getting softer these days b/c I just read something from my Mom that made me smile.

Photo: John Engstead /mptv.net
Below is a wonderful poem Audrey Hepburn
wrote when asked to share her "beauty tips." It was read at her funeral years later.

For attractive lips, speak words of kindness...
For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.
For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.
For beautiful hair, let a child run his/her fingers through it once a day.
For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone... People,
even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed,
and redeemed; never throw out anyone.

Wow. What an incredible woman.

To weed or not to weed, that is the question

I felt somewhat conflicted whlie pulling weeds in my garden yesterday. It had been a while since I played in the dirt and and hardy weeds had grown high and everywhere, making it clear that mother nature was tending my garden, not me.

In my survival course just a few weeks ago, we learned about weeds like these and their medicine. We identified several, talked about how they could be used for tea, poultices and food. Weeds are powerful medicine. In fact, not once did I even hear the term "weeds". We were exploring and learning about medicinal herbs and edible plants.
Yet as I crouched in the garden, I was overwhelmed. I did not recognize a single one of them. Could this tall green plant with pink on the leaves be a powerful remedy of sorts? In my ignorance, I did not know. So I pulled them up by the roots, feeling twinges of guilt. Waste. What we call weeds tend to be the hardiest, toughest and richest sources of energy. How could a true child of the earth do such a thing....But then again, on the surface, I was finally making the garden more beautiful, so I could impress my friends who will arrive for a Memorial Day BBQ, right?

In my inbox this morning I found a Daily Om article entitled: Messengers from the Wilderness: Weeds At the end of the article I received some advice on weeds that I'd like to pass along:

The next time you see a weed, you might want to look deeply into its roots, discover its name, its habits, and its possible uses. Instead of seeing an unwanted intruder, you might see a healer offering its leaves for a medicinal tea or its flowers for a colorful salad. At the very least, if you look long enough, you will see a messenger from the wilderness of Mother Earth, reminding you that, even in the most carefully controlled garden, she cannot be completely ruled out.

Good Skin, Good Food and Healthy Benefits of drinking Green Tea

While my honey and I were off in Japan 2 weeks ago we were shocked at how much water we drank. At first we thought we were incredibly parched due to the hot mineral baths (or onsen (sp) that we soaked ourselves in daily. This may have been partly true, however, now I realize that we drank a lot of water because of green tea. The tea made us thirsty…because it is a natural diuretic.

There are a ton of benefits to drinking green tea. The World of Green Tea lists cancer prevention and weightloss among it’s 7 health benefits of green tea and many other posts raving about this natural gem.

While staying at several Ryokans (traditional Japanese Inns) we ate traditional Japanese breakfasts and dinners. Before breakfast in the morning we were served Green tea and ume (a highly alkaline, somewhat tart, preserved apricot—usually called pickled plum). Then during breakfast (which often looked like this: )
we consumed 2-3 glasses of water.
We continued drinking water throughout the day, then we drank green tea again in the afternoon, around 3pm along with some kind of treat (like a wafer).

So now that I’m back, I’ve been told that I look thinner and my skin is glowing. No wonder, with all the good water, green tea and incredible food it’s hard not to glow inside and out.

Pic of tea growing in fields: Nara, Japan.

Yoga Practitioners and Yoga Warriors who Capture the Spirit of Yoga.

I have been in a bit of a yoga lapse the past several months. I had been teaching yoga for roughly 3 years and stopped so that I could focus more of my efforts and intentions on being a bodyworker. So I haven’t taught a class since December. In addition, I have been experiencing severe headaches from yoga practice, and they seem to be triggered any time my head goes lower than my heart. This means not only have inversions been a problem, but even simple standing forward bends or downward facing dog. As a result, even my home practice has dwindled the past few months and been replaced with Feldenkrais exercises, hiking, Zentherapy® Bodywork and sitting (Zazen).

Today I felt that it was time for me to begin again with yoga, so I went to a nearby class taught by a teacher named Marti Foster. Fortunately, the class was primarily a hip-opener, so we rarely went upside down. Though I do have a vague feeling now that there is too much blood in my head, overall I feel good physically. My hips are well-oiled and indeed more open.

I want to share a bit about the teacher I experienced today, because in her class I encountered more than just physical change. Her teaching touched my spirit. My soul felt the presence of a woman who embodies what she teaches.

Before the class began I heard her responding to a question about class levels…a level 2 class vs a level 3 class, for instance. Her response was that most people tend to think that the class level is an indication of physical practice (ie: doing headstands, handstands, etc). But she explained that a good example of a person who is a level 3 is someone who actually knows when not to push themselves physically.

The mantra we chanted before class was a call to the teachers within us. She said, “I do not want you to lean on me as your teacher. I am here to help assist you in finding the knowing of your own internal teacher.”

She referred to us as Yoga Practitioners. Not students. Practitioners. A subtle naming, that made a big difference to me.

At the end of class she shared a very personal experience. She had put out her intention to serve and help someone who had fought in Iraq. It turns out that within a week, she has been asked to do so. Today she will work with a man who has lost his legs and is back home now. I sensed that she is afraid. She will need to be strong for him. She will need to dig deep within herself and confront her own frustrations about the war in Iraq.

So here I pause, and give thanks to this teacher who inspired me today. And I put my own intention out to send healing light and strength to her, a yoga warrior, as she in turn reaches out to help another yoga warrior today.

Bits About Lil Ol' Me...

Here's a little bit about me since I was tagged by Nicole.

4 jobs I have held:
1. Founder of a Non-Profit Mentoring Program
2. Yoga Teacher
3. Kickboxing Instructor
4. Product Manager w/ multiple high-tech silicon valley companies
5. Bodyworker (I wanted to include the present jobbie job too)

4 movies I can watch over and over:
1. Dhoom2 (b/c I'm obsessed w/ the soundrack right now)
2. When Harry Met Sally (the story of my honey and me)
3. hmmmm, memory fails me at the moment so I'll stop after 2...

4 places I have lived:
1. Singapore
2. Pennsylvania
3. North Carolina
4. Washington DC

4 Categories of TV programming I enjoy:
(Since I don't watch TV, here are movie categories I love)
1. Hindi/Bollywood movies
2. Japanese Animae
3. Inspirational, get-me-off-my-butt-and-do-good/ feel-good movies
4. Comedy

4 Places I have been on Holiday:
1. Japan
2. India (& the Himalayas before terrorism hit there hard)
3. Bali (Indonesia)
4. Italy

4 of my Favorite Dishes:
1. Japanese "Curry Rice" w/ Tofu
2. Kobe Beef (if you're gonna eat meat, why not eat the best)
3. Mochi (squishy baked rice treat)
4. Cheese. Especially from France or eaten while in France, for that matter. My belly doesn't usually like dairy (especially American dairy), but sometimes I try to get away w/ French cheese anyway.

4 websites I visit daily:
1. email (I have 5 or 6 diff email accts that I use almost daily)
others I visit sporadically
2. my blog friends
these days I'm actually trying to get offline more often....

4 places I would rather be right now:
1. Watching a sunset on the beach
2. A "sacred place" in the woods
3. More here, right now

Here are 4 other blog friends that I'd like read about from this meme:
1. Everything Yoga (Diane)
2. Creative Everyday (Leah)
3. My Marrakesh (Maryam)
4. Total - Health - Yoga (Kris)

Love affair with Japan...and talk of toilets

I recently returned from a trip to Japan and I am in love.
Here's why:

This really made me giggle.
Only in Japan....
--they take the time to inform us "gaijin" (outside people) how to use the "old school" type of toilets. The above instruction was found above the public "squatty potty" outside the Imperial Palace.

Also only in Japan....
--a local person immediately notices me as a confused tourist in a crowded train station and stop and ask if I needed help.
--trains, planes and automobiles are on time
--cab doors open automatically and drivers wear suits and white gloves
--crowded city streets are CLEAN and free of graffiti (If you haven't already read it, I highly recommend Malcolm Gladwell's book: The Tipping Point)
--food is prepared seasonally...so I only ate things that were fresh
--the most perfect (insert fruit or veggie name here) can be found (even though it is expensive!).
--everyone bows to say hello, to say goodbye, to show respect (I even watched as cleaners bowed before entering the train)
--if you ask for directions in a large department store you will probably be politely escorted to the place you need to go. (rather than just told where to find it yourself)

Japan also seemed to have some of the cleanest bathrooms I've seen and the most incredible, technologically advanced toilets complete with seat warmers, fancy bidet features and sometimes, even a clock!

Having noticed this, along with countless other technological wonders (like the bullet train) I must confess, I began to feel a twinge of frustration with my home country (good ol' Us of A). I wish it was engrained in our culture to be on time, be clean and be deeply respectful in every-day actions. Why don't we have those speedy trains and fancy toilets and taxi drivers dressed in suits?
I am sure that Japan is far from perfect, but damn, it left a good impression.

Picking Up the Pen (or keyboard)

Lately there have been so many delicious happenings in my life that I wanted to write about here that I seem to have gotten writers block simply b/c I'm overwhelmed w/ what to write and as usual, short on time.
I also have been having a dickens of a time with a shoddy satellite internet connection. ick. Uploading pictures...um....not a chance.
So I'm writing today mostly just to break the ice or block so that I don't have to write the perfect post complete with all the beautiful pictures I've taken recently that frustratingly won't upload b/c of my connection speed.

There.
I'm feeling better already. Like I just jumped back into the pool and discovered the water's not icy but rather cool and refreshing.

I also wanted to mention that I just stumbled upon a new blog called Left Coast Ahava. I really like the tone and raw truth I just read in About this blog. Refreshing. and I am humbly grateful for the link.

In Honor of Mothers on Mother's Day

Erika Lenkert is a beautiful mother that I know who writes a blog called GlamNest. I love her post, written by a mother.

Making Fire with Twigs and Sticks

A few weeks back I mentioned that I was going to Tom Brown's Tracker school. I'm finally getting around to posting about it. Sadly...I have to use satellite for internet where I live. That means that uploading pictures to my posts can be a somewhat painful process. and delayed process. but anyway, here's what I wanted to tell you about Tracker school:
I found out about this school b/c a teacher of mine suggested that I read Awakening Spirits, by Tom Brown. He suggested I read that book b/c I had been seeking more guidance in the realm of Medicine, Native American Shamanism, and Healing with Medicinal plants. In the book, I was delighted to learn about Tom's teacher, "Grandfather", whose real name was Stalking Wolf. Stalking Wolf was an Apache Indian who taught Tom since Tom was a small boy. He taught Tom how to tune in to nature so deeply as to notice the 20 unique spots on a robin, or to know and follow a bobcat through the woods and know which direction it turned its head, just based on a footprint made in the grass. If you're curious about these things, then I highly recommend reading the book and looking into the courses at the Tracker School.

To give a little perspective, the standard course and all courses of Tom's revolve around 3 different principals: Survival, Awareness and Philosophy (of living with the Earth). I must say, this week of learning was very heavy on survival techniques...but never having been a boyscout or girlscout, I was intensely curious of what I might learn.

On the first day we were given instructions on how to make fire using a bow drill. Here's what we saw.

By the 3rd day I had tweaked my bowdrill enough

And made fire on my own!

wheeee! lookout girlscouts, move your cookies here I come.

Daily Practices and Tips for Travel

I spoke with one of my teachers today asking for tools or practices that could help me stay centered amidst my hectic travel schedule. One of her suggestions was to get up early, say 4:30am or so every day. That way I can always be prepared for an 8am meeting. It is true, I get frustrated when I don't have time for my daily practices of sitting zazen, doing feldenkrais or practicing yoga each day. Being up at 4:30am also means that a 6am flight to the east coast won't effect me as much; nor will I need to sleep til 9 or 10am once I get there.

I have been wondering about my fatigue too. I asked if it was true that with Zazen I would be able to manage with less sleep. Yes, she replied. The more one practices zazen the less sleep is needed.

To me, that sounds good. really good.