Notes from Snail Land...

~~Honor your inner rhythm -- work when you feel like it, play or rest when you don't.

~~Get out in nature -- allow its beauty and naturally calming effect to soothe you.

~~Nurture your body -- pamper it with massage, leisurely bath, aromatherapy, loving touch....

~~Eat healthfully -- consume as low on the food chain as possible....fresh fruits and veggies.

~~Move -- yoga, exercise, dance, hike, do anything that rids your body of tension.

~~Soothe your mind -- turn off the noise, meditate, read inspirational literature, listen to music, engage in a hobby.

~~Laugh -- mingle with people who inspire, relax, or rejuvenate you.

~~Breathe -- take time alone spent in the quiet, breathe deeply & regularly, allowing the body's
inner reservoirs to be filled with calm.

~~Rest -- it's the body's sacred time, nourishing body, mind, and spirit simultaneously.

~~Connect -- plug into the Divine and engage in meaningful spiritual practices.

Being nice to yourSelf......it's where it all starts.....a commitment to acts of personal loving-kindness, self-compassion that will breed compassion for others, self-love spawns love for others....Love yourSelf!

These are small things that I will be remembering during the busy and slightly stressful holiday season....plus a asana practice to keep the energy moving from inside out! Just little reminders to keep you sane!

During this time of year, it's easy to get overloaded and miss out on the most important part of the season—connecting with others. To be loving toward your friends and family, you need to slow down. Try the meditation below, from spiritual teacher Sally Kempton, for a few minutes each day. By imagining a flame in your heart, you'll radiate loving energy from the inside out.

Sit in a comfortable upright posture. With your eyes closed, let your awareness drop into the center of your chest.

Breathe naturally and imagine your breath coming in and out through your heart. Let each inhalation caress and soften your inner heart space.

Become aware of a golden flame in the center of your chest. You might visualize it or simply feel its warm, glowing presence.

With each inhalation, the flame glows. With each exhalation, it radiates light through the heart—front, sides, and back.

Rest your awareness gently in the flame; inhale and it glows, exhale and it radiates. Keep softening and relaxing the inner heart, spreading the glow of your inner flame throughout your body and out into the room.

Look at more inf0rmation here : http://www.yogajournal.com/practice/2602?utm_source=DailyInsight&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=DailyInsight

Winter Wonder Yin

The final few months of the year often find us in a frantic state of shopping, decorating, traveling, and other high-energy activity. Yet instead of having fun, we often end up feeling ill, anxious, or depressed. The reason, according to Taoist philosophy and traditional Chinese medicine, is that the action-packed schedules we keep at this time of year fall out of sync with the earth's natural cycles.

Taoist philosophy conceptualizes universal balance in terms of yin and yang, complementary forces that govern the universe. Yin characteristics are cool, wet, slow, feminine, and quiet, whereas yang is the opposite: warm, dry, fast, masculine, extroverted. Winter, the yin season, is a time for storing and conserving energy in the way a bear retains fat by hibernating, or a farmer stores food for the cold months ahead. To stay balanced during winter, conserve your yang energy.

Restorative yoga, tai chi, qigong, and walking are best suited for yin season, as they safeguard your energy reserves. Eating cooked, spicy yang foods provides another good way to replenish energy. Prepare yang-strengthening soups, slow-simmered stews, beans, roasted root vegetables, and warm drinks. Add yang spices such as garlic, ginger, black pepper, cloves, and basil to increase the warming effect. Minimize your intake of yin foods such as raw vegetables, salad greens, and cold drinks.

http://www.yogajournal.com/health/101?utm_source=DailyInsight&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=DailyInsight

Are you taking care of your body, mind, and spirit in addition to completing your planning and shopping? Are you able to come together in love with family and friends, or do you approach holiday gatherings as social obligations?

~~You live and breathe amid the miracle of life. But for it to touch your heart, you need to be present. The precious moments of calm and stillness your heart longs for are born of your willingness to live the moment you are in. Yes, this very moment.

~~To be honest, Tijana, you're not really supposed to know "how," because it's when you don't know that you're pressed hardest to learn that I do; to see that the hows are my domain and that your job is only to define the end result and get busy. All so that you might quicker learn of how things really work, as you suddenly find the path that you sought lies beneath your skipping feet.

~~embracing change from challenges....laughing courageously at silliness of Self....practicing patience....building strength....inspiring rooted intention....living mindfully....loving blissfully....♥

~~waking up the desire that the body is capable of experiencing through breath and movement....blurring the edge of the comfortable and the familiar....speaking the language of love and bliss....letting it just manifest outwardly.... ♥

~~choose to never cease to dream....to imagine the possibilities....to soar higher....to remain bewildered, awestruck & spellbound....& to be a dynamo of irrepressible love, light & joy....

~~"Learn to... be what you are, and learn to resign with a good grace all that you are not." ~Henri Frederic Amiel

~~wrapping yourself in so much love, blazing insights & a wild imagination....continuing to tempt passion, expect miracles by dreaming big, taking nonstop action, & looking for the possibilities to unfold.... ♥

~~feel the storm coming to wash away the sadness & ease the grief....to renew & prepare for the next stage....to remind us to celebrate the passion & strength of Adrienne's courageous journey...."You are always with us....loving & loved...." ♥

~~Do what makes you happy! Be with who makes you smile! Laugh as much as you breathe! Love as long as you live! ♥

~~listening to the rhythm of the body & the melody of the mind to expand the harmony of the soul & create the symphony of life....♥

~~trusting that the Earth to root the Body....the Breath to expand the Body....the Love to transcend the Body.... ♥

~~prefer to be barefoot, wears jeans, laughs a lot, reads fun books, sings loud with the music, plays in the rain, hangs out in downward-facing dog, dances at inappropriate times, and hangs out with the bestest of people....♥ ....the ultimate proclamation....

~~opening the heart to that which is Love....Truth....Peace, which in itself is the purpose of the journey....

~~have limbs that signify strength, expression, & intent....reaching out to those around me in an embrace of love & peace....

~~remembering to think of yourself as an intergalactic, supernatural, indomitable, unstoppable, joy-bound, on-fire gladiator of love....matador of illusions....and supercoolhappylovething....blissfully grateful....

~~striving to confront the challenges through inner strength and courage....to tell Truth with a smile & reach the heart....allowing the love & light to shine bigger & brighter past the senses, mind & intellect....allowing the soft animal of the body to love what it loves.... ♥

~~finding the power....living the truth....smiling, laughing, dancing, sharing....whatever you give, you get....

~~yearning for the balance between the heart and the mind....allowing the creativity to flow in and through....expanding the infinite supply of love....

~~cannot protect yourself from anything....how else will one reflect, create, and expand the inevitable potential from within....all is well....loving & loved....