Monthly Archives: November 2010

Veteran’s Day

Darlings,

In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day, "To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…"

Pride, gratitude and heroism. It's something we see in the news. It's something we see everyday. Today, we celebrate it as our collective intention, celebrating lives lost, victories gained and down to the simplest form, showing up.

To those who have shown up, stepped up, fallen down, picked up, won, lost, taken and given, succeeded and failed, we use this class, this blog, this time as an anthem of allegiance. Heroes reveal themselves but are often hidden in the smile at the check out counter, the person that let's you go in their lane, the person that picks up your mail when it falls to the ground.

Be a hero every day by choosing to be good, choosing outside of yourself for a moment in offering.

For the fallen heroes and the everyday heroes too, we celebrate you and us as we cross paths making each other stronger and in turn, ourselves...with our right action and right words.

We have a choice.

In pride, gratitude and heroism, we salute.


How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes – Maya Angelou

Pride is a personal commitment. It is an attitude which separates excellence from mediocrity. – William Blake

Show class, have pride and display character. If you do, winning takes care of itself. – Paul Bryant

Generosity is giving more than you can and pride is taking less than you need. –Kahlil Gibran

Disciplining yourself to do what you know is right and important, although difficult, is the high road to pride, self-esteem and personal satisfaction. –Margaret Thatcher

With the pride of the artist, you must blow against the walls of every power that exists the small trumpet of your defiance. Norman Mailer

A hero is one who knows how to hang on one minute longer – Novalis

The hero is the man who lets no obstacles prevent him from pursuing the values he has chosen. –Andrew Bernstein

Self trust is the essence of heroism. Ralph Waldo Emerson

The world is moved along not only by the mighty shoves of its herors, but also by the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker – Helen Keller

The beauty of the soul shines out when a man bears with composure one heavy mischance after another, not because he does not feel them, but because he is a man of high heroic temper. Aristotle

Nurture your mind with great thoughts. to believe in the heroic makes heroes. Benjamin Disraeli

Take what you want, steal my pride, build me up or cut me down to size, shut me out, but I'll just scream, I'm only one voice in a million, but you ain't taken that from me. -Natasha Bedingfield

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. John F. Kennedy

Veteran’s Day

Darlings,

In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day, "To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…"

Pride, gratitude and heroism. It's something we see in the news. It's something we see everyday. Today, we celebrate it as our collective intention, celebrating lives lost, victories gained and down to the simplest form, showing up.

To those who have shown up, stepped up, fallen down, picked up, won, lost, taken and given, succeeded and failed, we use this class, this blog, this time as an anthem of allegiance. Heroes reveal themselves but are often hidden in the smile at the check out counter, the person that let's you go in their lane, the person that picks up your mail when it falls to the ground.

Be a hero every day by choosing to be good, choosing outside of yourself for a moment in offering.

For the fallen heroes and the everyday heroes too, we celebrate you and us as we cross paths making each other stronger and in turn, ourselves...with our right action and right words.

We have a choice.

In pride, gratitude and heroism, we salute.


How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes – Maya Angelou

Pride is a personal commitment. It is an attitude which separates excellence from mediocrity. – William Blake

Show class, have pride and display character. If you do, winning takes care of itself. – Paul Bryant

Generosity is giving more than you can and pride is taking less than you need. –Kahlil Gibran

Disciplining yourself to do what you know is right and important, although difficult, is the high road to pride, self-esteem and personal satisfaction. –Margaret Thatcher

With the pride of the artist, you must blow against the walls of every power that exists the small trumpet of your defiance. Norman Mailer

A hero is one who knows how to hang on one minute longer – Novalis

The hero is the man who lets no obstacles prevent him from pursuing the values he has chosen. –Andrew Bernstein

Self trust is the essence of heroism. Ralph Waldo Emerson

The world is moved along not only by the mighty shoves of its herors, but also by the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker – Helen Keller

The beauty of the soul shines out when a man bears with composure one heavy mischance after another, not because he does not feel them, but because he is a man of high heroic temper. Aristotle

Nurture your mind with great thoughts. to believe in the heroic makes heroes. Benjamin Disraeli

Take what you want, steal my pride, build me up or cut me down to size, shut me out, but I'll just scream, I'm only one voice in a million, but you ain't taken that from me. -Natasha Bedingfield

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. John F. Kennedy

Sesame Street and The Rainbow Connection…

Darlings,

It is with great joy that I share the anniversary of one of my favorite shows, Sesame Street airing on television on November 10th, 1969. It is also the anniversary of one of the greatest songs of all time, The Rainbow Connection back in 1979 in The Muppet Movie, performed by the fabulous, Kermit the frog. This song, a kid's song really, crossed many barriers producing love from young to old and stayed on the top 40 charts for 7 weeks. Not bad for a frog with a hand up it's rear epitomizing the ideals of dreaming, passion and living love. Um, living yoga!!!!

Sesame Street was created by Joan Ganz Cooney, a former documentary producer for public television. Her goal was to create shows for youngsters that was both educational and entertaining. We see a lot of that these days but it started with her and Sesame Street. It's part a staple of our nation's growing up experience. I can mention it to anyone and we all have that in common. I grew up in NY so I thought it was directed straight to me with it's ethnically diverse characters and positive social messages.

I looked for little green monsters in garbage cans!

The show broke ground and was a pioneer in education and television. In fact, I don't remember my kindergarden teacher but I remember Big Bird and learning my alphabet and how to count with, um, the Count.

Over 74 million Americans have watched, 8 million tune in each week in the US alone. It has aired in more than 120 countries for over 4 decades and it continually celebrates and revisits the idea of starting at the beginning.

Even my mommy friends watch with their kids and rediscover with their children, the joy of beginning at the beginning. And if that isn't yoga...I don't know what it is.

So in celebration of Sesame Street and The Rainbow Connection, let's start, at the beginning, idealistic spirit and all. Let's fall down and laugh. Whether you've practiced yoga for 10 years or 10 minutes, arrive at each pose like it's the first time and if it feels like habit to go somewhere physically or mentally, stop yourself and rediscover each feeling like new love, like the taste of a good meal or sweet smell or sunset at the end of the day.

In honor of puppeteer Jim Henson, Ernie, Bert, Cookie Monster, Oscar the Grouch, Grover and Big Bird, Om, Om, Om....

In the Hot practice, we use the first set to set up safety, as the building blocks and foundation to find freedom and liberation and push past the limits in the second set. In our flow class, we explore each move with an openness to all possibility to whatever comes next, inside and out.

Play is the beginning of knowledge. – George Dorsey

Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success. - Henry Ford

There are two mistakes one can make a long the road to truth…not going all the way and not starting – Buddha

Every new beginning comes from some other beginnings end. Seneca

There are no classes in life for beginners – right away you are always asked to deal with what is most difficult. Rainer Maria Rilke

There will be a time when you believe everything is finished. That will be the beginning. -Louis L’Amour

A journey of a thousand miles must begin with one step. –Lao Tzu

To have begun is to have done half the task. Dare to be wise. Horace

All glory comes from daring to begin. – Eugene F. Ware

The beginning is the most important part of the work. – Plato

Beginning is easy, continuing is hard. –Japanese Proverb

What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from. T.S. Elliot

He who chooses the beginnings of the road chooses the place it leads to. It is the means that determines the end. Harry Emerson Fosdick

Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal. - Henry Ford

If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything. It is open to everything. In the beginners mind there are many possibilities, in the expert’s mind there are few. – Suzuki Roshi

All great deeds and all great thoughts have a ridiculous beginning. Great works are often born on a street corner or in a restaurants revolving door. –Albert Camus

Sunny Day, Sweepin' the clouds away, On my way to where the air is sweet –Sesame street theme song

Winning starts with the beginning Robert H. Schuller

The beginning is always today. – Mary Wallstonecraft

He has the deed half done who has made a beginning. – Horace

In the beginning there was nothing, which exploded – Terry Pratchett

Keep on beginning and failing. Each time you fail, start all over again and you will grow stronger until you have accomplished a purpose – not the one you began with perhaps but one you’ll be glad to remember. – Ben Stein

There is no end. There is no beginning. There is only the passion of life. Federico Fellini

Fight till the last gasp – William Shakespeare King Henry the 6th

The strongest of all warriors are these two – Time and patience – Leo Tolstoy

Today we found it, the mind body connection, the lovers, the dreams and me, all of us under its spell, we know that its probably magic. –Rainbow connection riff for yoga class!!