Boho Girl

taken with palm pre phone

This is how he shared his excitement about the thunderstorm we were watching/listening to through the window together this morning.

His affection…oh how when he shares his love my heart soars, it aches, it bursts into song.  My love for this boy…oh my love for this boy.  Deep deep deep.

cedar, 22 months, canon 50d

{check out his new pointy teeth up top coming in!}

{wearing mama’s Om pendant}

He has a new joke. He stands in our bathroom and waves hello and then shuts the door on our face. He thinks it is hilarious and giggles behind the door. He also does it when the bathroom lights are out and we are amazed that the pitch blackness never frightens him. Brave boy.

Do take notice of his ginormous toe.  When he was born, the doc said laughing “I hope he’ll grow into this toe”.  Ummm…not yet, doc.  ; )

And as always, to keep it real…

Here he is, after mommy took over a hundred photos. He was DONE and let me know it with a wee meltdown by laying down on the floor kicking and screaming and then standing up and speaking his truth. ; )

So I took him to the beach to ease his melty downishness…

“mommy, i want to do THAT when i grow up!”

me at a cafe a few days ago

Listening to Safri Duo ~ Samb Adagio while writing this. Go check it out. You can’t help but groove.  Soooo awesome.  Whenever I see drumming like this, I think of my husband.  Someday we’ll have a basement where he can play LOUD and to his heart’s content.  Or do something like the video I linked.  Out in a wide open field.  ; )

I wanted to share with you guys something amazing that is shifting my well being in a beautiful way these days. I was mentioning to a friend that I was using Rescue Remedy for stress and she suggested I also try Lotus Wei flower elixirs.

Oh. my.

I am hooked.

So far, near me at all times is Inspired Action (which I use when I am about to work on some projects), Pure Energy, when I am feeling lazy and lethargic and Quiet Mind when I want to peace-out or am having trouble sleeping.  I really notice a difference and it feels so good in and on my body.  Who doesn’t love flowers and who wouldn’t want to DRINK them in?  Mmmmm…nature is truly our best medicine. 

Katie, the Founder and Formulator is such a radiant being and she sends the sweetest notes along with her elixir-gems.  I am saving up to try every single one.  If you decide to try them out, do let me know what you think.

portrait session, 2009

Yesterday, Cedar had a very late nap, which meant he would go to bed later than usual. So, we took him to the beach to run out the energy in his bones.

It was dark but moonlit. Stars were twinkling brighter than usual. The horizon was a midnight blue dipped in plum. There were only a few others on the beach as well…far enough away to where you could hardly see them. Silhouettes from a distance. I stayed back as my boys walked into the shallow water. Cedar was up top Boho Boy’s shoulders. He walked out until his calves were soaked under.  Cedar’s voice echoed with each wave.

I wanted to walk the shores or to run but they were too far for them to hear me. The waves were crashing loud. I knew if I left, he would wonder where I had gone and it was dark enough to feel lost from one another.

So I took a deep breath and decided to stand still, be present in the moment, tilting my face up to the midnight sky. But I still had to move. So I danced. I really danced. I had no idea if people could see me from a distance…those silhouettes, dipping their toes into the water, hand in hand. I decided not to care. I twirled a bit, threw my hands out, swayed from side to side.  Even got a bit groovy.  I had my own rhythm in my head. It felt freeing. Being in, REALLY in Mother Nature releases your inhibitions, doesn’t it? There is a sense of home and belonging. We are meant to be there.  Ocean, sand, moon, stars, dance.  It all makes sense.

Then I imagined what it would be like to walk around seeing more people dance in the moonlight. The thought made me tear up. What a beautiful sight that would be.  Perhaps someone who reads this will do it tonight. I hope.

marianne & me, taken by susannah conway {2007}

The last few days I have been able to rise in the morning earlier than Cedar and rather than wake up my bones with a steamy cup of yerba mate, I went to youtube to find a 30 minute yoga series. My body  has been yearning for it.  Oh I have missed it so and subconsciously, I have created every excuse possible to not practice. One of them being that all the classes and teachers around town that I love are at times when I am with Cedar. Stretching my body, doing sun salutations with the morning misty air tickling my skin and my husband quietly busying himself about getting ready for work, felt like a healing balm, like home. It also felt sweet to see my husband excited for me while kissing me goodbye. He knows how much my soul needs this.

When I shared this with my dear friend in New Zealand, Marianne Elliott, she gently, humbly encouraged me to try her ecourse and I couldn’t believe how perfect the timing was. 30 days of Yoga with one of the most inspiring and amazing women I have ever met in my life. It felt more intimate for me to be guided by a friend that has walked with me on my life journey. So, in October, I will be doing it! I would love if you would join me for more than just your body, mind and soul…there are deeper, more meaningful reasons Marianne is leading this course. Read on to find out…

***************************************************

Karma, Yoga and the Kindness Revolution

Like my dear friend Denise, I have a lot of capacity to feel the suffering of other people. I’m guessing many of you share this trait. It can be hard, to feel so much. But I’ve learned that the pain I feel when I see suffering can be a catalyst for me to take action for positive change.

And it doesn’t have to be hard work, this action for change. We can bring about change in ways that use our unique mix of strengths, passions and resources. In fact, we do our best work when we are following our enthusiasm and our joy. So why not do our best work for good?

That’s why I’m taking what I do best (teaching the yoga of kindness) and using it to change the part of the world that is within my reach.

My 30 days of yoga courses are a gentle path to a more compassionate relationship with your own body and spirit, and they are sparking a kindness revolution. This October, I’m taking the revolution even further.

30 Days of Yoga: the Karma edition

Every dollar spent on the October session of my 30 days of yoga course will be donated to support projects addressing the HIV/AIDS crisis in South Africa. (NB: The money will be donated via the Engage Network, the parent organization and 501(c)(3) for Off the Mat, Into the World. For more information on how the money will be distributed and spent, please read on here.

But the donations are not the only way in which the Karma edition differs from previous 30 days of yoga. I’m going to have a very special offer on the price for this session. The offer is designed to give everyone a chance to take part, no matter what their resources, and at the same time, it will allow you to be as generous as you can to the great cause we are supporting.

Registrations are open now, and they will remain open until 3 October. So if you think you could benefit from some ‘kind yoga’ in your own home, then sign up now and please – be as generous as you are able.

Why am I doing this?

In some ways it doesn’t make sense. I’ve invested so much time and money setting up my course. I’ve finally covered all my expenses and could start making some money from it. So why decide to give it all away?

It’s because I now know why 30 days of yoga was born. I never planned this course. It created itself out of a random invitation I made on my blog one day, calling on people to join me in a 30 day yoga commitment. I have sometimes wondered what it was all about. Where did it come from? How did it fit into my purpose?

Part of my purpose is to spread the revolution of kindness, to free people from the tyranny of fear and self doubt and help them find the courage to become a force for good in the world. 30 days of yoga has become a big part of how I do that. I teach the transformative yoga of self-kindness, and it really does help set people free.

But free to do what? I hope it sets people free to serve others, to live a life of courageous compassion, to create positive change.

Which is where the Karma edition of the 30 days comes in. This is an opportunity for you to deepen your own yoga practice, your practice of self-care, at the same time as you help create positive change in the world. It’s the coming together of two incredibly important parts of my life and I really, really hope you’ll be part of it.

And if yoga isn’t your thing – or if now isn’t the right time for you to begin the 30 days of yoga – you can still support the projects I’m raising money for by making a donation (more information about how to do that here.

Testimonial:
“I’ve been yoga-phobic my entire life. Marianne Elliott changed that (and my life in the process). Her 30 Days of Yoga is amazing. She’s one of the best teachers I’ve ever experienced (and I’ve been a teacher for many years). She customizes your class to meet your physical and emotional needs while staying totally mindful of your available time. If you want to do something extraordinary for yourself, I can’t think of a better teacher!” – Brene Brown

More information:

For any more questions about the 30 days of yoga, see the 30 days website and check out these FAQs.

For any more questions about the projects we’ll be supporting through the 30 days Karma edition, check out this page.

Marianne Elliott is a change-maker, a human rights advocate, a yoga teacher and a writer. She is the creator of 30 days of yoga: an online course to establish a regular home practice of yoga and to build a kinder relationship with your own body. She is currently writing a memoir about her life as a UN peacekeeper in Afghanistan.

*************************************************

Love this photo taken of marianne, boho boy and me by susannah during their trip out to the states in 2007:

cedar’s grandmarmie, canon 50d

It warms my heart so…that my marmie has her very own Cedar necklace, made with sincere love by my friend Stacy of Bella Wish.  He really has come into this family with a sweet, healing spirit…at just the right time.

I write this as I hear him lightly pounding his starlight turtle in his crib before he falls asleep for his nap.  I could tell he needed alone time.  I am learning to pick up on his cues.  Sometimes we forget that wee ones need their space and solace too.  And how he does his soul work is to drum.  My friend Jess and I were talking about Cedar’s drumming and how the rhythms sound so tribal, coming from deep within his gut.  Many times he repeats the same rhythm while he sings something along the lines of “hooya, eye-ya, mee-ya, la la, hooya oy-ya, ma-la ma ma”.  He does this with his eyes closed and his head moving side to side…and I just envision Cedar in another life before this, dancing around a fire with his people, holding onto a drum and lifting his face to the full moon, surrendering.

Cedar and I are so deeply connected to the moon.  We feel her fullness deeply right now.  The last few days have been all about surrender.  This Bella Wish pendant and jewel hanging on my marmie’s neck reminds me of the harvest moon.  Grandmarmie carries Cedar’s spirit close.