Ashtanga Yoga Retreat in Salento, Italy!

I'll be hosting an Ashtanga yoga retreat in Salento, Italy this coming September 8th - 15th! More information to come! Join us! 

Ahnu Shoes

I haven't really made a habit of promoting products on my blog, so when I do, it has to be something I  am pretty much in to, or strikes my fancy. I recently came across the shoe company Ahnu, which means the goddess of balance in Celtic mythology.  Struck by their sense of social and ethical responsibility, as well as, making really great shoes, I simply had to try out a pair. Funny thing is, it isn't really the weather for the sandals I went with. No matter, they're perfect for trips to India, and for as soon as the weather turns. Dreaming of Spring! I'm definitely looking forward to it.

Ahnu, has this really great concept of profit and philanthropy, giving over $250,000 to various charities since 2007. They not only give generously, but also, adhere to strict ethical supply chain guidelines. If this is something that holds weight for you, then when in the market for your next pair of shoes maybe give Ahnu a try.  I love hearing about companies making great things, and in turn, doing great things too.

 Of course I went with a black pair, haha. I'm not afraid of color, but for some odd reason it has been my color of choice since moving to Sweden.

Upavistha Konāsana A and B - Press Handstand Transition

Gamble Everything for Love

Taken in Mysore, India

Gamble everything for love,
if you’re a true human being.
If not, leave this gathering.

Half-heartedness doesn’t reach
into majesty. You set out
to find God, but then you keep
stopping for long periods
at mean-spirited roadhouses.

The sun is Love. The Lover,
a speck circling the sun.
A Spring wind moves to dance
any branch that isn’t dead.

Something opens our wings. Something
makes boredom and hurt disappear.
Someone fills the cup in front of us.
We taste only sacredness.

I have lived on the lip
of insanity, wanting to know the reasons,
knocking on a door. It opens.
I’ve been knocking from the inside!

Dance, when you are broken open.
Dance, when you’ve torn the bandage off.
Dance in the middle of the fighting.
Dance in your blood.
Dance, when you’re perfectly free.

Let the lover be disgraceful, crazy
Absentminded. Someone sober
Will worry about things going badly.
Let the lover be.

I would love to kiss you.
The price of kissing is your life.
Now my loving is running toward my life shouting,
What a bargain, let’s buy it.

When I am with you, we stay up all night.
When you’re not here, I can’t go to sleep.
Praise God for these two insomnias!
And the difference between them.

You that came to birth and bring the mysteries,
your voice-thunder makes us very happy.
Roar, lion of the heart,
and tear me open.

Out beyond ideas of right doing and wrong doing, there is a field. 
I'll meet you there.


- Rumi 

Re-entry

“From a relativistic subjective perspective, truth is but a resting place until the next revelation. The deeper truth itself is not relativistic. It is absolute. Yet within the absolute truth there are subjective, objective, intersubjective and interobjective perceptions of it. The bottom line is: “Know thyself”     - Valdimir Gvozden

So it takes a while to get back into the swing after India. I still have a bit of recapping to do in regards to my trip. In other words, it's still seeping in. I find this very true. Often there is a time period of integration. It doesn't happen overnight. I'm back into the cold. Winter can be bliss. Hahaha. This is what I tell myself to get me through. Really, it isn't so bad. We have snow. We have more light. I love being back to teaching. I missed all of the students. I felt like I was away for a century! They were left in good hands though. A good thing. The pic above gives me warm memories, which makes the chill not sting so bad. I'll be back with more. 

Like Crazy

I watched this movie on the plane ride leaving India. Out of the whole list of movies available this one was by far the best, most real, and intriguing. I kinda felt like a voyeur in this young couple's life. A great film, well acted, intimate, relatable . . . recommended to those who haven't seen it yet. 

Give Love

Happy Valentines Day. Whether you think it's a cheesy holiday or not, a reminder to give love is a good thing in my book.