Daily Archives: April 10, 2012

Resurrection, reinvention, rebirth!

Funny that when you think of Resurrection you think of Jesus. When you think of Reinvention, you think of Madonna...the singer.

Today is Easter and although not all of us celebrate we are Hallmark bombarded by pink bunnies and blue eggs.

It doesn't matter whether you are religious or not - the feelings of the season are upon us. We are in the belly of Spring - a rebirth of flowers and grass - a great time to re-engage in your resolutions for the year, your intentions for life and your passions. Spring fever (and hay fever for some!) fill the air, days are longer and sun shines brightly.

Spring springs forth ideas of cleaning - removing clutter from your physical and mental space, eliminating obstacles so you can remain clear and focused for the months ahead.

I love this time of year and even though the story tells us that Jesus waited three days, I'm not wasting any time preparing for a time to re-invent my practice and passion for yoga.

Think about something you would like to re-ignite in your life. For me, it's all about returning to my roots in Ashtanga/Vinyasa Flow - moving with the spirit of music and breath. It feels good to come back to the mat, balance on my hands and come back to postures that scared me, saved me or renewed me.

If you are religious or not, believe in the Easter bunny or not - resurrect your fervor for the thing that brought you to the mat.

Earn your chocolate bunnies and have fun and don your bonnet.

Here's some fun history to get you started and some great quotes to keep you in the moment.

Easter, which celebrates Jesus Christ's resurrection from the dead, is Christianity's most important holiday. It has been called a moveable feast because it doesn't fall on a set date every year, as most holidays do. Instead, Christian churches in the West celebrate Easter on the first Sunday following the full moon after the vernal equinox on March 21. Therefore, Easter is observed anywhere between March 22 and April 25 every year. Orthodox Christians use the Julian calendar to calculate when Easter will occur and typically celebrate the holiday a week or two after the Western churches, which follow the Gregorian calendar.

Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection occurred after he went to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover (or Pesach in Hebrew), the Jewish festival commemorating the ancient Israelites' exodus from slavery in Egypt. Pascha eventually came to mean Easter.

Where did the whole Easter egg thing come from?

Christians consider eggs to be "the seed of life" and so they are symbolic of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

In Medieval Europe, eggs were forbidden during Lent. Eggs laid during that time were often boiled or otherwise preserved. Eggs were thus a mainstay of Easter meals, and a prized Easter gift for children and servants.

Spring symbolizes new life and rebirth; eggs were an ancient symbol of fertility.

What's the deal with the Easter bunny?

Hares and rabbits have long been symbols of fertility. The inclusion of the hare into Easter customs appears to have originated in Germany, where tales were told of an "Easter hare" who laid eggs for children to find. German immigrants to America -- particularly Pennsylvania -- brought the tradition with them and spread it to a wider public. They also baked cakes for Easter in the shape of hares, and may have pioneered the practice of making chocolate bunnies and eggs.


Overcoming Obstacles/Reviving/Reinventing

Above all the grace and the gifts that Christ gives to his beloved is that of overcoming self.

Francis of Assisi

Acceptance of what has happened is the first step to overcoming the consequences of any misfortune.

William James

Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.

Helen Keller

Be willing to have it so. Acceptance of what has happened is the first step to overcoming the consequences of any misfortune.

William James

Families are about love overcoming emotional torture.

Matt Groening

Fresh activity is the only means of overcoming adversity.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

One who gains strength by overcoming obstacles possesses the only strength which can overcome adversity.

Albert Schweitzer

The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it.

Moliere

“Sometimes we stare so long at a door that is closing that we see too late the one that is open.” Alexander Graham Bell quo

“The greater difficulty, the more glory in surmounting it. Skillful pilots gain their reputation from storms and tempests.” Epicurus

“Acceptance of what has happened is the first step to overcoming the consequences of any misfortune.”

It is neither wealth nor splendor; but tranquility and occupation, which give you happiness. Thomas Jefferson

But what we can do, as flawed as we are, is still see God in other people, and do our best to help them find their own grace. Barack Obama

“The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value. I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress and grow” Thomas Paine quotes

“Opposition is a natural part of life. Just as we develop our physical muscles through overcoming opposition - such as lifting weights - we develop our character muscles by overcoming challenges and adversity.” Stephen R. Covey

“In times of great stress or adversity, it's always best to keep busy, to plow your anger and your energy into something positive.” Lee Iacocca

“Art begins with resistance-at the point where resistance is overcome. No human masterpiece has ever been created without great labor.” Andre Gide

People who cannot invent and reinvent themselves must be content with borrowed postures, secondhand ideas, fitting in instead of standing out. Warren G. Bennis

It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad. C. S. Lewis

Don’t worry when you are not recognized, but strive to be worthy of recognition. Abraham Lincoln

Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear. Mark Twain

It always seems impossible until its done. Nelson Mandela

Action is the foundational key to all success. Pablo Picasso

Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success. Dale Carnegie

I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody. Bill Cosby

Positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking will. Zig Ziglar

The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing. Walt Disney

When you're finished changing, you're finished. Benjamin Franklin

Become so wrapped up in something that you forget to be afraid. Lady Bird Johnson

Paas Out,

Lady