Hallelujah!

Update (see post below)

On the way to church today, the reindeer were back up to their old tricks. (Maybe next year there will be a third, baby reindeer?) I laughed out loud and send a metaphorical high-5 out to the powers that be.

Kieran: What’s so funny?

Me: Those reindeer!

Kieran (laughing): Yea… they’re playing leapfrog!

Me (snatching up any opportunity to educate): Actually, they’re mating.

Kieran: What?

Me: They’re mating.

Kieran (face scrunched, eyes squinted, head cocked) What?

Me (louder now): They’re in mating position.

Kieran: Is that a yoga pose?

I’m proud to report that we had the most glorious of meetings at church today. Fabulous, joyful singing, music and lots of joy. The 2nd and 3rd hour of meetings were canceled so we could party in the gym and really enjoy each others’ company. No merry Smithmas (thanks for that term Cheryl!) this week. Well done.

Christmas Leela!

Ah, Leela. The Cosmic play of the universe. I’m so grateful for the little snippits of humor I find in the reality around me. I love it when humans enter into that cosmic flow of playfulness and join in. This week, I need it. And so, I pause from my huge list of things that must be done by tonight, to bring you a touch of the Leela in my life:

Sunday I was driving home from church a little bit bummed. It was the last lesson before Christmas and I really wanted to connect with all that is Christ-divine. I got to know some awesome sisters in the hall, and then went into RS for a lesson on…. Joseph Smith. (cue the violins) Sadly, I drove home wanting more. The drive home is stunning, a back road that winds through Blackhawk along the base of Mt. Diablo. This road accesses some of the most posh, swanky neighborhoods in the area and right now the homes drip with tasteful Christmas decorations and white lights. Very proper and elegant! I passed one of the gated community entrances, and I saw something very similar to this:

That’s right folks, humping reindeer! Just what I needed, I giggled all of the way home. I immediately assumed it was some of Brandon’s friends from the high school – you know, those wild ‘n crazy kids. Sadly, Brandon was home the night before, so I couldn’t congratulate him for some fine creative leela. As I thought about it though, I began to wonder, am I the only one who needs a laugh today? The only one stressed out? Am I the only one who has to hit the yoga mat to get any relief? Then, I thought of the wealthy and famous people who live in Blackhawk who must be feeling just as bummed as I am. Was it the CEO of Safeway sneaking out at 3am to create a little reindeer hanky-panky? Was it a member of the A’s, or the Raider’s who wanted to let off a little steam? Or maybe it was the people who are famous for handing out 5 lb. bags of M&M’s on Halloween. Personally, I like to think that it was some millionaire, straight-laced, bored business man, tip-toeing outside late at night in his 3-piece suit past all of the manicured yards to create a little mischief and perhaps, to turn his nose up at all that is proper.

Those laughs lasted me until the next morning when I took Brandon to school. We were all prepared to snap a photo, but alas, the reindeer were back to their proper elegant position. So, I was forced to google search for a photo to show you and found the Facebook group: Reindeer Humpers Anonymous – check it out.

It’s the thrill. The adrenaline. The creative bursts as the reindeer are piled four or five reindeer high! The beauty of perfectly aligning the rotating heads to match perfectly. The satisfaction of humping the same house so many nights in a row the owners put them away. The challenge of motion sensor lights and dogs in the side yard. The genius of groundbreaking positions and artistic arrangements. The sene of accomplishment when entire neighborhoods have been humped, with no reindeer or lighted ornament left untouched. The bond that forms between reindeer humpers that no one else can understand. The balls it takes to hump reindeer with front lights on and curtains wide open. The scars from being impaled by the pegs that attach the reindeer to the ground. The grass stains that cover your jeans. The camraderie of working with your accomplices to conquer the one house with the most reindeer in the city – and taking that one inspiring moment that makes time stop to look at your reindeer ornament orgy masterpiece.

No matter what makes you addicted, celebrate this beautifiul sport all holiday season. Spread the joy and cheer of reindeer humping to everyone who will appreciate it.

Shall we join?

Then, as if it couldn’t get any better, today I saw this:

I really needed that joy! I’ll be looking for more much needed leela throughout the week.

Gorgeous

Thank you Karma Club members and teachers for spending Saturday with me and producing such beauty. You really are amazing models. My job really is too much fun…

something better

What could possibly be better than the OmSwing? (I really should get paid for all of these gratuitious OS posts…) I’ll tell ya what could be better —

Yogi Jamie.

Drew and I worked the front desk at The Dog last night (best job on the planet), and had the joy of flying with Jamie. Jamie teaches the last class of the night. He came out during the closing savasana for a prop and Drew was in the hallway so in she went to do “angel pose” with the class. She came out so happy to be included and I told her “Jamie flies people!” I flew her a bit and then she was too intimidated to fly with Jamie, so I jumped on his feet for a bit of aerial, therapeutic yoga.

OMG. What could be better than the OmSwing? Hanging like a bat while somebody else tractions your body in every direction and gives you thai massage at the same time. Ah, it felt so damn good. I’m afraid I made Jamie late for the airport, but it was definitely worth it.

Stay tune, we’re running a 3-part series on partner, aerial and therapeutic yoga with Jamie in October. Can’t wait!

Here he is in the park with a girl he met 30-seconds before. Jamie used his now-famous pick up line: “Hey, ya wanna fly?” If he uses it on you, trust him and say yes!

I still want one

Lisa thinks it will be hard to develop a WHOLE class based on this thing. Something tells me I’ll never get bored with it.

I want one

Ego-Play

I grew up in an interesting world of paradox. I had 3 sisters, no brothers and one father who adored having all girls. One would think that we would be up to our ears in “girl stuff”. Not so. My mom, being very spiritual in her own right, and having feminist leanings, encouraged us to read, go to college, play in mud piles and constantly boosted our sense of intelligence and encouraged our creative pursuits. There were piano lessons, basoon lessons, string base lessons, violin lessons, dance lessons, a bit of girl scouts, lots of gardening and yard work and my favorite ( probably because they were just for ME) – horse back riding lessons. My mom’s most memorable phrase, and one that really sunk into the fabric of our development was – “it’s what’s inside that counts”, and she was always quick encourage inner development.

I think she was brilliant in this way. I can’t remember her commenting much on our looks. As I grew into a teenager going through those very narcissistic years, it became a bit of a problem. I was a girl with a tremendous self-esteem. I knew who I was, that my possibilities were limitless, that I was smart and talented and capable and independent. But – I didn’t have much self-confidence in how I carried that out in the world. Part of that was, wondering – am I even cute? My big sister and I tended to fill that in for each other. As we got to the end of high school, and past our years of so much in-fighting, we started sharing clothes more (me sharing clothes with my almost-six foot tall sister? Ha!) and complimenting each other and helping each other figure out a bit more self-confidence. Thanks Carrie!

I’m of the belief that ego is important to self-development. Yes, we should know that we are more than our self, our accomplishments, our appearance, etc., but at some point – having a HEALTHY ego is a great tool as we learn to navigate the world.

Yesterday, at scout camp Kieran was SO hot. He’d been growing out his hair “medium” so that he spike it up cool and do fun things with it. Two hours into the hottest day of summer though, and he was begging for a buzz. We came home and zoom – off came piles of hair. He’s been upset ever since. “I’m almost BALD! My friends are going to hate it and make fun of me!” He let me take this picture, and said it could go on the blog as long as I didn’t tell his friends about it. He is wearing a cap to scout camp today.

"I can't believe my mom did this to me."

Ah, there's a smile!

Drew was jealous of his baseball cap, and his cowboy hat – which he almost wore. (anything to hide that hair, I guess – even going cowboy) I remembered my box of vintage hats that I inherited from my eccentric and fun-loving aunt Millie. There’s nothing like playing Dress up Drewbie at 7:30 AM. TOO cute:

I realize that you can’t “give” your kids a sense of self-confidence or choose how they see themselves. I can tell Kieran how gorgeous he is til he’s blue in the face and he still is mortified by his adorable buzz cut. Drew is happy with her looks even if she’s running around dirty and naked (her favorite!). As a mom, it’s so interesting to try to strike that balance between teaching the kids about their insides and their outsides. I try to make the outsides about fun and play and creativity, rather than conforming or being proper. We’ll see. One thing I’m confident about? I’m sure to screw the kids up in one way or another. I hope they survive DESPITE their well-meaning mom!

And here I am as a kid, playing in the same hat collection....don't you love my "Heidi" dress?

Pacific Ashtanga

Yesterday, I thought I would jaunt down the street to Pacific Ashtanga. What could be better than yoga directly across from the bay at Dana Point? Plus, there’s something completely decadent about having a yoga studio within walking distance. Not that I walked.

Surprisingly, I wasn’t in the mood for the predictable Primary Series, so I chose a class called “flow”. Sounded nice and, well, “flowy”. You know – the sort of class one might want to take while on a beach vacation after just completing over 100 chatarunga pushups with Geo the Pokemon Yoga Master the day before. Yea, Flow sounded great.

Well, I”m glad t say I don’t know what the hell I really want after all.  Had I known what I was in for, I never would have gone to class, even though it was exactly what felt delicious, adventurous and was exactly what I needed after all. I went to class and to my surprise, at Pacific Ashtanga, “Flow Class” really is code for: Ashtanga’s Primary, Second and Third series on crack. Mmm Hmm… it was that addictively good.

Class was taught by Diana, the owner and there were only 5 students. We proceeded with the regular deliciousness of the Primary warm up: 5 Surya A, 5 Surya B. I was on auto pilot when I heard: the sequence go: Utkatasana, bakasana, Mukta Hasta Sirsasana (tripod headstand), directly to chatarunga, urdvha mukha, adho mukha, a bunch of warrior variations, vinyasa, then jump from down-dog to bakasana, back to tripod headstand, back to baka, and through the rest of the vinyasa… crazy! We did that 5 times and Diana proceeded to add fun variations, headstands, and such craziness as peacock in lotus (which I got!!!!), and Crow pose in Lotus (which I almost got). We did delicious backbends, drop backs, mukta hasta sirsanasa to eka pada bakasana, and all sorts of variations. We sang the Patanjali invocation and the Ashtanga closing chant.Diana’s practice is insanely advanced and she is a really great teacher.

I reveled in the Indian lineage that permeated the studio. After coming from Yoga Works the day before and enjoying class immensely, wandering into Pacific Astanga was like adding the frosting to a cupcake. The studio is presented with so much devoted attention: the altar with photos of Guruji, the beautiful statues, the candles and lanterns, the chanting, and the sheer dedication of the instructor to her own personal practice, was a cut above anything I could ask for. If you’re ever in the OC… do yourself a favor and check out Pacific Ashtanga. They also offer Ashtanga Prep classes if you’re not craving a little Ashtanga on crack like I am…

Today, reveling in my Ashtanga drug of choice from yesterday, I’m reminded of the words of Lao Tzu: “There are many paths to enlightenment. Be sure to take one with a heart.”

Ahhh

Lisa and I are spending a week at her parents house in Dana Point. This is the view from their kitchen:

So yes, I’m in heaven. We answer e-mails, go to yoga class, and hit the beach, feed the kids and go swimming at the neighborhood pool. Plenty of chocolate in the house, plenty of sand and sunshine. Heaven on earth.

Yesterday I went to Yoga works down the street and took “Power Yoga” with Geo. Lisa sent me off and said, “you’ve got to take class with Geo – he’s crazy!” She then added that she took class with him before she was the yoga master she now is – and she isn’t sure if he really is any good! So off I went. I thought, Geo sounded like a Pokemon character, what could be more fun than taking class from a pokemon-yogi? Geo didn’t disappoint. He’s a bit silly, and has a white afro and a very gentle way about him. He is fun, the Yoga Works studio is charming and the students were friendly. There was a lot of movement versus static poses – and that felt great. We did about 100 chatarunga push-ups, and you know how I love my push-ups.  His music was fun and I really enjoyed it. Nothing like hitting the beach after that kind of a good detox sweat.

I did notice a couple of things though. In comparison, I have to say that the students at Cosmic Dog have rockin’ form. Whenever I travel to other studios, I notice that many of the “advanced” classes include a lot of students who are there for the ego-trip of being advanced, whatever that means. Hence, they never really learn wise form and/or technique because of the pace of the advanced classes, or power label. I’m proud of what the teachers are doing at The Dog – it’s good, safe, effective yoga. We’re blessed. The other thing I noticed about the students there is that they chat during class. Seriously, during savasana, they tell the teacher, “you’re looking very fit!” and he tells them his latest eating regimen. Strange….. fun… but strange!

for laughs

I know it appears that I have an addiction to YouTube. Really though, I just have a 13-year old boy… and let me fill you in – good moms who have 13-year old computer-obsessed boys must embrace YouTube to really understand their kids.

Here’s what Brandon sent me yesterday for Mother’s Day. An E-mail this this attached to it:

Now, that’s love if I ever saw it.