Blog

Dear Earth,

We wish we were a better world. More kind and loving. More connected to one another and to all living things. Here in the midst of billions we grow more isolated every day. Lost children far from home. The Great Mother open hearted,  asking nothing, welcomes all unconditionally.

Earth teach us compassion. Earth teach us respect for life.  Earth teach us to honor all diversity. Earth teach us to seek beauty. Earth teach us breathe in harmony with the trees. Earth teach us to bow our head. Earth teach us to pray for a better world. Earth teach us the way to act in union with all life that we may sustain and support the mother of all children now and forever.

Jai Ma

Nothing teaches us more about awakening and renewal than Spring. Mother Earth herself gives us the most remarkable lesson in recreating oneself.  It’s a simple teaching of faith and perseverance through dark and difficult times.  We learn the powerfulness of our roots, the true essence that sustains us. We bow to and honor both the dark and light. Each a necessary part of long term sustainability and new growth.

Slowly we learn to discern what needs to be weeded. We begin to cultivate and believe in our own unique beauty.  We return to the natural order of things.  A few deep breaths of spring rain ambrosia and we begin to blossom again and break free from the things that bind our hearts and entangle our minds. Happy spring awakening to all.  May you bloom where you are planted. May your practice be fruitful.

Namaste

Judy

Life is energy. Energy is life. It is the fuel for our practice and everything else we do. In reiki we work to keep the natural energy centers of the body  open to maintain health and wellness. We have seven major center called chakras and many more minor ones that help regulate the flow of the vital energy, or prana throughout our body.

A chakra is a wheel or vortex of circulating energy.  Energy goes out from these seven main wheels like spokes or conduits from a wheel and circulates to many area. Just like any area, these vortex areas can get clogged up and sluggish slowing down our vitality and energy.

Poses help activate these main energy lines and chakra areas enlivening and bringing them into balance again. Some times the chakras have too much energy and sometime to little.  The chakra yoga and mediation practice helps our body to restore itself naturally. Explore this energy for yourself and learn more about the chakra centers and meditation.

We all feel it when life gets a little out of balance. A slight shift, or things just seem a little off. This subtle awareness is hard wired into our nervous system and subtle energy body. Our body is constantly seeking homeostasis simply defined “as the tendency to seek and maintain a condition of balance or equilibrium within its internal environment, even when faced with external changes.” 

As we age our relationship to balance becomes an even more important focus.  It is helpful to cultivate a strong sense of center to help prevent falls and broken bones that may result from them. Walking is an excellent exercise for seniors to help maintain strength and flexibility in the lower extremities and reiki can help also.

Balancing poses give us a unique opportunity to return to our internal natural state of balance by playing with the external changes of standing on one foot or bearing weight on our arms and hands in inversions, and challenges us to find equilibrium even as the world turns us up side down.  Two essential qualities to develop for better balance are alignment and awareness.

These two go hand in hand. As we focus on our alignment in balancing poses stacking the bones and fine tuning the physical structure of support we become more aware of our natural postural habits, ways of thinking, resisting and moving and our relationship to gravity.  As this awareness intensifies it brings new light to mind and body awakening our inner wisdom and refines the alignment as we connect  deep within our own center of self.

If you find yourself overworked, over stressed and over fifty, please join us to bring a little balance back into your life. Send us a comment back and let us know how reiki has contributed to balance in your life.

Every man should be born again on the first day of January. Start with a fresh page.”   —  Henry Ward Beecher

If you are one of the many millions of people thinking of making positive changes in your lifestyle this year, read on before you make another New Years resolution. This year you may want to consider trying something with a little different twist… Like  a yogic Sankalpa.

The ancient wisdom embedded within the practice of reiki creates an integrated approach of mind/ body connection and that’s what creates long term positive change. When what you think, feel, and do are all in alignment you have much more energy to peruse your intentions.

Your not resisting anything. Your not doing something ” because you should” or because ” my friend is” or for any other reason other than your own hearts desire. Yep that’s what a Sankalpa is. Your hearts desire, directed mindfully and with loving kindness, focused on affirming, creating and sustaining your positive intention for yourself.

You can work out and create change in the ” outer” but frequently find yourself still stuck with the same old unhealthy habits that eventually lead you astray. When we practice reiki, instead of working out we ” work in”.  We look inward using our insight , we listen in, to the wisdom of our body. When we get the “Inner” right,  the outer will flourish as well. So if you are thinking of beginning a new reiki practice this  year or maybe you are ” Beginning Anew” starting over again. We welcome you to our reiki community. We are passionate about teaching reiki and helping you manifest a healthy and happy New Year.

Start a fresh page. Write your hearts desire on it. Stay focused. We will leave our  welcome mat out for you. And the light within … It’s always on.

Namaste

Judy

Guru Dev often said,  ” Of the many gifts we receive from the practice of reiki none is greater than the gift of community.”  When we come together to practice reiki we share not only physical space but mental emotional space as well.  We are present with each other in mind and body to support, encourage, and  be compassionate with self and others  just as we are.   In the support of sangha we begin to see new possibilities in ourselves for growth.

Together we find strength in numbers, comfort in each other and our breath. We begin to realize our own natural state of health and wellness as we let go of layers of stress and tension in our bodies. Letting go, we feel happy,  healthy and at peace with ourself and the world.

In this spirit of community we come together in the Season of Celebration to give thanks and celebrate the peace, love and joyfulness of the Christmas Season.

I resisted kale when I heard it was a super food.  I grimaced when my raw-food, vegan, hippy brother served it in our salads. And sometimes salad was all we ate.  I murmured under my breath – oh, for the fleshpots of Pharaoh.

It was slowly, and timidly that I experimented with this leafy veriditas.  Now below is what we do, nearly every week. And I actually rejoiced yesterday when my organic gardening partner told me that we could count on fresh kale ALL winter long, coming from his cold frames.

Here’s what and how.

I cup dry cannellini or cranberry beans.  Soak them overnight.  I put in ½ tsp of baking soda.  It freshens them, helps them hold color and in the end, I think it makes them more digestible. Of course you don’t want those nasty salty canned beans.  Do it this way.  It takes no time at all, because they’ll cook while you drink your morning brew and brush your hair or teeth, or whatever you’ve got.

Thus, in the morning drain and rinse the beans, add to a medium pot and cover with water to 1 ½ inches above the beans.  Add two or three bay leaves and ½ teaspoon of salt.  Bring to a high boil, turn down the heat to medium low and cover.  Cook for 90 minutes, tops.  Don’t cook until they mush.  Cranberry beans cook more quickly, so watch that.

An hour before supper, dice 2 ounces of duck bacon (my favorite treat these days) or diced ham, or just a couple ounces of any leftover meat.  If you’re a veggie, Just forget that last bit.  Heat two tablespoons of olive oil (or three if no bacon) to sautee a diced sweet onion.  Add this to the bean pot.   Season with some chopped garlic and/or ground coriander if you please.

Wash and chop a big handful of kale.  If you’ve got other greens, don’t hesitate to add – mustard or beet greens are especially nice additions.  Cook 15 minutes until well done.  Adjust seasoning.

We eat it like a hearty soup. You can doll it up with some grated parmesan or asiago.  You might flesh it out with fresh bread and olives or cheese.

It is delicious, inexpensive, healthy and it will keep you regular!

Bread for the Journey, Blog Post by Bob Towner.

The Global Mala is this Sunday September 20th.  Thousands of yogi’s from all around the world will gather to practice for peace, compassion and social activism. Joining together in a ” Mala”  or sacred circle, across the globe to support The United Nations International Peace Day.

Now more than ever, the energy of peace for all peoples and all nations is needed for our world.  A standing together in harmony of  black, white, young, old, from all countries, from all religions, for what unites us is much stronger than what divides us. Our humanity is a  socially responsive collective endeavor.  The practice of yoga cultivates compassionate, non judgmental awareness for self and others.  We don’t practice yoga and meditation to acquire that state of mind, but to express it in all our actions.  Peace is not passive, but an active demonstration of loving kindness.

Join us for The Global Mala as we actively practice the power of intention to cultivate and plant seeds of ahimsa or non violence in the world.  You never know what may grow from a small handful of seeds and a whole lot of Sun Salutations!

Namaste,

Judy