Namaste Yo

This is where I like to start my mornings. We should all be so lucky to have a great community space. 

Talented Yoga teachers who create the art on the walls or sing "Let it Be" with a ukelele during savasana. I love my local yoga studio and its about to get bigger... with good coffee. So excited!

Class this morning was packed. Its just amazing to me how so many different people can come together and move. The joining of voices sets the space and always gives me tingles.

Sat next to a nice woman from Kansas City this morning and she expressed the same feelings. She mentioned how many great people she's met through her yoga studio back home. 

She even mentioned an 80 year old couple who walks a mile and back to the studio to practice. So cool.

I started last year with 108 sun salutations and I had no idea what was ahead. Looking forward to the same tomorrow. 

Its been a good year.

Bug Break

With a side of feet.

Happy Solstice!

Happy Solstice everyone!

Ahhhhhhh, the longest night of the year. A time when we start to come out of the darkness and back into the light.

On this blessed day, I take a lovely bike ride down by the water and think of all the things I'm grateful for. 

Family and friends. Friends who are like family. My yoga community. (which is quickly becoming a part of that realm)

I'm grateful for my two work families as you can see above. Both crazy groups of people who all try to work together to help other crazies who visit here.

And on this day, I set an intention. That intention is to make my trip to Iceland a reality this year. I want to do yoga all over the world and especially in the land of Fire and Ice with a dash of Bjork.

Is it lame to get excited when you get an email back from someone in Iceland? Or to find out at a movie last night that there are artist residencies to be had there too?

In sharing more of what I read with you I offer this cool article about celebrating the darkness of solstice. 

But most of all I'm grateful for surviving both Christmas work parties. 

Too bad the inflatable sheep didn't make it...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26sP2WsA5cY

Nervous Talking

I am a nervous talker.

When I get nervous. I talk. 

A lot. 

Today while getting stitched up and starting to feel the thread going through my skin I talked about all kinds of things. 

Places to go in NYC for my doctor's upcoming visit. The best place to skate and get hot chocolate. The Gugghenheim. The Met. Trinity Church. St. Patricks Cathedral. Buddy Rich's manager driving me in a burnt sienna limo into the city for the first time and telling me Johnny Carson stories.

What I did not expect was finding out my doctor's husband was from Gijon Spain and her kids go to soccer camp over there.

That they stayed in Aviles last time and she really wanted to not put out their 70 year old relative but the family would be insulted if they did not stay with them.

Oh my God! No one ever knows this place. Oh my God! No one ever understands the family housing situation over there. 

"Did you go to the Sidra festival?!?"

"No, but my husband knows the proper way to pour."

"Did you go to the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona?"

"No, Barcelona was tough. The town was packed and everyone looked like they were on heroin."

"Did you like the museums in Madrid?"

"Um, the Prado had a lot of dark images. We didn't really like it too much with the kids"

"I know! Too many paintings of Jesus getting killed, right?!"

"Yes!"

We talked about the end of the world in Spain where all the Camino travelers end up at. 

I told her she needed to visit the Tower of Hercules next time they went to visit. Got me to thinking of this picture at the top of the tower.

This was at the top on a cloudy day with no flash and I've done no editing to it. Crazy, right? I got a few pics like this over there like this complete with blinding light where there was absolutely none around. 

So many random shots of things that I found a few to look back on and am glad I didn't delete out of habit.

Like this one from Gijon:

Pretty much sums up how I roll on my trips. And I so miss those Spanish walking shoes with a passion. I was so bummed when I realized I left them in Ecuador.

But most of all the greatest find was this one - My Tio talking. I filmed him without his knowing, per our usual conversation (him talking. me listening.) In the car he told me he would never let me drive. I miss him mucho.

This was quite possibly the best way to receive stitches for the first time. It is also how I know I definitely chose the right doctor.

A little sore but not too bad. Our conversation definitely took my mind off of it and flooded back some great memories.

All is good.

Always Keep a Journal...

My favorite art teacher in college always used to say "Keep a journal with you at all times. You never know when you'll need it". As he showed us the multiples he had in his bag. 

I thought it odd, cause I used to think if you were going to sketch it had to be a perfect finished product. 

I think of him a lot cause these days when I get hit with an idea, I have some kind of journal in my bag. You never know when it'll pop up again, he was right.

Another friend of mine always told me to have multiple paintings going on at one time. Cause you never know what kind of mood or feeling you'll be in to paint. 

This morning I woke up needing to paint this. 

Pinwheels were the first thing I started painting with down here and today I felt the need to start this. I sketched it out a while ago. 

Out of curiosity I looked up the symbolic meaning of pinwheel and what I got was this. 

"In Chinese culture pinwheels are an instrument to turn obstacles into opportunities."

I like to read a lot of different things and one thing I've been following for a long time now is a particular astrologer who writes in a really irreverent way I love. 

Michael Lutin was featured in Vanity Fair for a long time until he told some painful truths and got booted out of the magazine for it. 

So his weekly reading last night hit a nerve:

"Dark thoughts. They are merely inventions of your own mind. Even the darkest thoughts, don't be afraid of them. They are attempts to frighten yourself. And keep you from experiencing happiness."

He goes on to talk about the process of healing and how the darkest of thoughts, feelings need to be released before that healing can take place.

You can read his entire entry here.

Felt this a lot last week and wondered what the hell was going on since I had been feeling so good. Now it makes sense. I am excited for this. Its been a long time coming. 

Must be why in scheduling my second doctors appointment I also scheduled one with my intuitive healer to help me move a block I've had for a long long time. 

Let the healing begin. Inside and out. 

Thank You

A very strange 24 hours. Which included me literally running away from a Christmas party, a scary phone scam call and a diagnosis.

I guess 2014 continues to be a year of luck. First escaping an earthquake within 3 hours of it occurring and today finding out I was one step away from melanoma. "You're a very lucky lady" my kind doctor said. 

Whoever was talking to me in my dreams. Thank you. 

Well, it looks like my plans on avoiding stitches for life are scrapped. Instead I'm starting to think breaking through some fears which seem to always pop up at a familiar juncture in my life will be necessary. 

Ok, lets learn how to deal with this. I want to keep moving forward. 

Feel a little numbed out right now. The prescription? A bike ride and an egg and cheese sandwich. Some sustenance to paint today since I was a little too wound up from the past 24 hours to eat last night.

Hopefully the luck will continue to roll on and I finally figure this out.

How to Get a Man's Attention

Apparently it is by wearing yoga pants paired with an AC/DC Heat Seeker T-shirt. Loving the double takes and mischievous smiles today.

Also like thinking of my 90 something year old Tio and having to hide this shirt from him cause I didn't have the Spanish vocabulary to explain it.

Or it is by pummeling Santa at a Christmas parade? Friends don't scare friends in Santa suits. 

I thought I was going to die when my friend Clayton jumped out and grabbed me in his Santa costume last night. 

I unconsciously hit him repeatedly and screamed "Clayton! Don't do that! I thought you were a bum!" in front of a bunch of kids. Ho, Ho, HO. 

Is it strange that I see guys in Santa suits and automatically think bum? I blame Trading Places.

Can I Bring it Back on Friday?

And my obsession with gas masks grows...

Holy full moon, Batman. Last night I had to stop a woman from leaving with one of our sangria pitchers at the restaurant. 

"Wow, you caught that pretty quick, huh." she said as I asked for it back while she was rounding the street corner.

"What? Don't you know who I am? I bring this place a lot of business! I'll just bring it back on Friday." 

Um, no. While I'll agree that you drinking your own personal sangria pitcher with a straw in it shows us how much you love the place, we actually need that pitcher back tonight.

Besides nothings screams open container violation like a sangria pitcher being drank while walking down the street.

I told her to check in with the bartender cause he'd probably want it back too. He did and she proceeded to get into a full blown argument with him at the beginning of our shift. 

The holiday cray cray people are starting waaaaaay too early. 

Thank God for three consecutive days off. Happy Saturday....

Light Coming out of the Shadows

Its starting to make sense 

Screen printing materials bought. Woot.

It is What you Make it.

Moving down here I always remember wanting to create a job for myself where I didn't have to sit in an office. One that I could make and take anywhere with me involving things I liked to do.

But what would that be? 

The last few weeks and this afternoon encountering a friend after my CPR and first aid class I realize that it is really coming to fruition.

I'm now certified to teach yoga, paddle board yoga and am WPA level 1 certified to boot. Got my CPR and first aid certification this morning. Lovin' the learnin'!

The most interesting stuff to me right now with these classes has been the water safety cause I never got these tools when I had to go "save" someone. 

The extent of my instruction up until now was be ready to jump in and go get 'em. There's a lot more to it but we all have that basic instinct kick in to save when it all comes down to it. Now I know the number of compressions and breaths to do with it.

Been writing up a press release for an upcoming yoga workshop and coming up for some ideas on how to market a local yoga teacher in town. 

Both the paddle board yoga and yoga classes are being paid with my marketing advice. Finally! Utilizing all that crap I had to deal with at the ad agency and realizing I can use it to get things I want to learn. 

Bonus points for finding out organizing people is another skill I have and a lot of people don't. God Bless those years in administration assistant jobs too.

A really nice transformation of a difficult time in my life I've tried hard to put behind me. All that difficulty though paid off. Big time.

Thinking of updating my website to include all these new things and the marketing consulting. Maybe even joining Linked In cause ultimately I realize this place is a great space to create in but I need to put it out there too. Its not just about Key West and that's a good thing.

I have the freedom, the space and the creativity to do about anything I want down here. That is what I love most about this place.

To apply it means taking it out of here to a certain extent. How much? I'm not sure but it sure is fun figuring out.

Next up...Screenprinting. And of course more yoga teaching practice on the beach.

I heart yoga...

Progress

Its been a baby shower bonanza lately. 

One of my good friends Toni is having her second and I decided to have a little fun and sketch something to print on a baby onesie.

One of the yoga teachers is an artist and just did a press run of one of her beautiful mudra sketches which I loved. So I decided it'd be a fun test to see what mine would look like too as well as give a personalized gift when the mother in question is not registered anywhere.

I bought a screen print by hand book a couple of years ago and wouldn't you know a conversation with a co-worker on how to screen print easy last night led me right back to it this morning. Figuring out the supply list now and am excited to try this out for other sketches. 

The bug continues and I'm loving the big canvas more and more. 

Got some great books on the art of sequencing for yoga which will help the whole teaching thing. 

Good lord if all I do in life is yoga, art and travel, I'd be supremely happy.

Time to get out on the water for paddle board yoga certification! Oh and try out paddle yoga for the first time.

Beach Teaching

In efforts to get more comfortable with teaching yoga, my friend Abby happily agreed to meet me on the beach and be my student.

Both of us working Friday night shifts at our respective restaurants, we most certainly showed up a little late.

Rolled out a sheet to put our mats on and I turned on my iPhone for our class music. Nice mobile studio, Yo. I like it.

As much as I wanted to just give verbal cues today, I still found myself going through the motions with her. Was nice to practice near the water. I guess I couldn't help myself. I always want to move.

Surprisingly I'd never done yoga outside or outside a studio until today. The sun, trees and water just added to the effect. Bonus points for the sound of waves washing ashore during savasana. 

As we opened up into tree position under those glorious trees, I focused my vision out onto the calm waters and began to see a school of fish jumping. 
Then suddenly, a big barracuda appeared leaping completely out of the water.

Amazing and all I could say holding that pose was WHOA.

As I am a person who believes in spirit animals and looking up any symbolic meaning of animals that cross my path, I googled it and found this:

Transformation of the spirit, barracuda shows how to make your own way and follow your own path with strength and courage. Barracuda can teach a balance of action with inaction, rest and work, rest and play. He shows the power of actions and strength. Fish in general show how to swim the currents of life, use of intuition to navigate effectively, aids in attuning to the world of emotions, the un/subconscious and other-worlds, heightened senses including visions, dreams and related psychic abilities.

Right on. Courage has been my intention for practice the whole week.

Teaching outside continues and more books are on the way. Amazon Prime continues to be my friend.

Any animals cross your path lately?

Mudras

Mudras are really fun hand gestures that are believed to channel energy through the body. 

In today's class the Yoga teacher did some and then shared that she was trying to find the correct mudra this morning for "fed up" but she couldn't find it.

I knew this one immediately. So I looked up from my downward dog and gave her the middle finger. "Oh there it is!" she exclaimed.

See you probably didn't know you were doing some yoga moves in your car, now did ya?

Done and Done

I have learned with this teacher training I still have a very high level of anxiety around presentation. I used to feel this way in business all the time. Not sleeping before big presentations cause my head couldn't stop coming up with scenarios of how it could all go so horribly wrong. 

Strange considering I feel like I can talk to just about anyone that crosses my path pretty easily.

So teaching yoga had me in panic overdrive this whole month starting when I heard I should teach a class before our final meeting this weekend. 

I thought about saying I ran out of time and couldn't teach class but that seemed pretty lame. And it meant avoiding finishing the whole class.

Got comfortable teaching for a moment and then panic flared up once again. Found myself trying to open further in all areas. Including introducing myself to my tables at the restaurant. Something I've never done. Don't want you to know me, I want to hide.

No. Not anymore.

Living with hints of panic and easing my mind to not attach to the illusionary state I was creating turns out was my real practice. And maybe the reason I took this class.

Mostly this month consisted with me getting comfortable with presenting who I am; what I create without any judgement and trying not to let my mind run wild with fear in people seeing it.  

I busted through this weekend and tried to complete a hours list of sequencing I thought felt good and could explain thoroughly while moving. Oh and then set it to music. 

Last night at around 6pm when I felt like I had a good grasp on what I'd be doing tomorrow, I stopped futzing with the playlist and let go.

Got up early this morning and expected two friends to show but they couldn't last minute. Bummer. My teacher and I hung out for a bit chatting and I was resolved to teach someone even if that meant it was only her. 

It was an easy out with the no-shows but after all this build up, I was not up for running away like usual.


Then right before we were going to start, another friend showed up. This was my class. It was perfect.

Got through it pretty well, and started to feel more of a rhythm at the end. Had a few laughs trying to remember where I was going with things which was fun and loose. 

Feeling really happy and complete that I did it. 

Do you have a soundtrack to your fears? I do. Enjoy...

10/20/14 YOGA PLAYLIST

Time for an egg and cheese sandwich and a celebratory swim at the beach.

Grateful

Found some old photos from the Utah trip last fall and feeling really grateful for this life. 

Tiki Boat Wednesday

After a particularly fun birthday lunch at Latitudes, it was mentioned that we should do a girls boat day. And the Tiki boat appeared...

I forgot how much I love getting out OUT on the water. As soon as we left the dock that familiar feeling of serenity hit me.

Perfect conditions and a lot of fun. Especially trying to get Emily to sit on Monica's shoulders which took a lot of coaxing cause Monica who is the shortest person of the group can't swim. Oh, and is afraid of the ocean. 

I just kept yelling at her to get up on those shoulders cause I knew the pics would be ridiculous. And they are. 

Moniqua was a good sport and I think she got over a little bit of fear with the water by having Emily try to sit on her.

Tiki Boat Wednesday!

So are...

Sundays....

Saturdays

are the best

How Bad is It?

If I sneak Wham's "Careless Whisper" into the yoga play list? 

And all the really weird guilty pleasure songs I love? Warrior II pose to Journey's "Don't Stop Believin" anyone?

Yep, this is what I think about while trying to figure out how to teach yoga. 

Enjoying the home practice and the Wham Pandora channel. Happy Saturday!

Happy Lunar Eclipse, Yo

Woke up early to attend one of my fellow yoga teacher training student's second class. 

I originally bristled at the 6am start time but loved getting up and riding to the studio with a misty moon overhead enjoying a silent city.

Been reading up on Ayurvedic stuff and they recommend everyone wake up two hours before sunrise. Its apparently the best time for meditation and yoga. Couldn't agree more. It was a great time to rise and feel the beauty of starting day.

Afterwards, rode down to the pier to enjoy the pink hues of the sun rising over the water which I could see all the way from White Street. Damn, I wish I had my camera. I remember to be in the present and decide to let the colors melt into me instead. 

Loved seeing all the people up at that hour doing the exact same thing I was.

Randomly ran into four great friends on the pier enjoying the sunrise as well. As we laughed at all being in the same mode, A pack of birds flew off almost dive bombing our heads on the way out. Whoa, WOOOSH! What a lift!

Enjoyed my coffee on the balcony reading, watching a line of birds on a wire get spooked and fly off just like that pack of birds earlier. All to realign just a mere 10 minutes later in that same line. They are all facing the sunrise too. I imagine enjoying too.

A breeze and slight nip tell me fall is here. Excited, I get a hoodie to comfort my chill of the new low 80's weather. Keep it crumpled on my lap as it really isn't that cold to wear it but the hoodie and idea of cooler weather stays near and warms my legs.

Such a great way to start the day. And damn, I feel more awake and ready now than I do when I sleep in. Couple of extra hours added to my day.

Pitta Dosha HOOOOOOO. All fire, water and ready for the ride.

Happy Lunar Moon, Yo.

Here, I thought you could use this.

One night leaving work outside last week I heard: "Give it to Penny". 

Now that can be a loaded statement in a restaurant but what it turned out to be was a gift. 

I had been thinking of painting bigger and all of a sudden the Chef rolled outside and plopped a big canvas in my hand. The resident artist left it behind and it had been collecting dust ever since.

Well, how's that for synchronicity? 

I probably wouldn't have bought one this big but here it is begging for paint. Gessoed the dust off and prepared a sketch to go big. Was surprise how easily it came together and how much fun it was to spread out.

Trying to figure out how to translate my small painting into a big one and keep all the little details I like to do. And so a lightening bug portrait begins. 

On the beetle track recently, which works in nicely with this.

Plus it is a symbol for my Grandmother. The first person to put paints in my hand and teach me how to examine and create. 

Fall is here! A breath of fresh air; doors and windows open. More paint can't come fast enough. 

Plantin' and a Paintin'

Got quite the little herb garden growing. Just got some cilantro so I can keep up my pre-work spinach, mango, banana, cilantro smoothie. Sounds bizarre, but delicious, no?

Kinda like the salsa I made with zucchini and cumin for a vegetarian pot luck. 

Planted some new stuff from clippings today and got a ginkgo tree growing from a seed I picked up in Petaluma. 

There was a 20 day hibernation phase in my fridge. Grow baby grow.

Been using my mint for a little cucumber mint water post beach swim treat. Yum

Reworking an old canvas and finding I actually like painting on canvas...finally. Got a set on Amazon (god bless amazon prime) and have a cool bug series I wanna try.

But in the meantime, there's a piece of found Dade county pine that has a painting idea waiting. You gotta love free wood piles from the street.

First of two marketing meetings down. Had a bunch of ideas before we met that happily hit the mark. 

While I was running through all of them with my yoga teacher she just raised eyebrow and said "You're writing these down, right?"

Oh yeah. They're already written.

Lots of ways to be creative, no? Life is good.

Ask and Ye Shall Receive

Looks like I'll be doing some personal marketing so I can get my paddle board yoga certification on. 

Oh and I'll be doing some marketing for my fav yoga studio as well. Got some crazy good ideas which will be fun to see how they turn out.

All that and a new home to sell some of my artwork too? Not too shabby.

Now I just gotta figure out that playlist... 

I need some coffee.

Sink or Swim

My adrenal glands are on overdrive. Too many things to think about.

The September locals special which is both a blessing and a curse. A great way to make money in the slow time but has also brought in the worst of the worst locals. People have been freaking me out with their crazy behavior for discounted tapas.

Including a couple of out of town doctors lying about being locals so they can get a discount. Me asking for ID and busting them. Then receiving a speech about how they give so much free stuff away to people and how they help third world countries all the time. Yup, you're still not getting that discount. 

Deciding to let go of one job a bit in order to open more time up for things I want to work on for myself. 

Happily thinking of what I will be filling my extra time with when I immediately get offered two new jobs. One of which might include going to Nepal to buy $700 handmade cashmere scarves. Start wondering if I actually need a career track or if a change in professions is on the horizon. Could be both.

Signing another years lease for my apartment and wondering if this will be the last year I live here. Thinking it might be. And then realizing I'll need to get a car...and insurance

Dad gets through his semi-conscious surgery ok and mom says his voice sounds stronger than before, even the day after surgery. So relieved.

He can't eat solids or speak for the next few days but she does tell me he smashed up some sardines for his first meal at home. Damn those smoothies a Spaniards gotta eat.

Helping my sister bust her piece of crap tenant who has been renting her house out on AirBnB without her knowledge or more importantly consent. She has been getting wonderful reviews though. 

Wondering what the hell is wrong with this lady and people in general when she shows up at the restaurant for dinner and I ask the hostess what her name is on the list. 

I did not realize the amount of restraint it takes to not clock a person with a pepper grinder while delivering food to a table. 

After three consecutive days of crazy special locals I begin to wonder what the hell is wrong with people. And then one more I've been distressed about shows up which I have the pleasure of waiting on.

She is with her friend/client. I have been wondering something about her and in particular, information I shared with her unknowingly while discussing what I'd been up to lately. Those thoughts of where that information went are pretty much confirmed by this greeting. 

Annoyed. Wondering if I'll have to restrain the pepper grinder again but mostly bummed cause I feel I probably don't know my friend as well as I thought I did. Oh well, she has been a good friend in the past and I've got plenty of other good ones now.

Working all of those crazy September special days so I can attend this months yoga teacher classes which has been amazing. Loving all the things I'm learning about how to heal and clear the body through movement and breath work - its unreal. My personal practice builds with every class week. 

Its so much information that in preparation for this week's written test, I had to make flash cards which I review while getting my nails did. The test is done and I was so relieved until hearing that in the next few weeks I'll have to teach an open class at the studio. 

First thought...Horrified. 

Second thought...What the hell did you think was going to happen in "Yoga Teacher Training Class"??? 

Coming home right after class and crazily searching through my music for a "playlist". 

Can I seamlessly blend in the Beastie Boys and Jim Croce with Buddhist monks chanting or is that too much? Finally at 12:30am realizing I'll have to come up with an hours worth of movements to go with it. Crap.

Public speaking has always made me queasy and  public speaking set to movements AND music is an all time new level of nauseous. Is there a soundtrack for that? 

I drink wine, light some lavender Balinese incense and give up on the soundtrack while planning on practice in the morning to figure out what the hell I'll be presenting. 

I also think about my earlier conversation with one of the yoga teachers about trading some marketing advice for paddle board yoga teacher training classes. Cause you know if I'm terrified about teaching on land, teaching on water is the next logical step. 

Guess I openly admitted today through this lunchtime conversation that I do miss marketing. 

My mind constantly sees ways to package things. It wants the puzzles and opportunity to find bizarre solutions to them, especially for things I believe in. Something I've been thinking a lot about that lately.

Its 2am I need to sleep cause my adrenal glands, which I learned about in our anatomy portion this weekends class, are officially fatigued.

The painting above is one I started last week titled "Sink or Swim". An image I've been wanting to paint from my swims at Ft. Zach. Yup, it kinda sums it all up. 

Gotta remember - don't think. Do. Its just an experience and one you are asking for. Don't fight it.

Stay in the moment. Take a deep breath.

OOOOOooommmmmmmm.....

Oh my God. I need coffee. And gotta renew my library books.