The Game Of Bones…Making sense of everything I know.
September 2023
Hi Friends...
When I finished the recent module of my Feldenkrais, Awareness Through Movement training, I perused my photos looking for an image that would express the current permutation of my cells.
Meet the Three Graces. I took this photo the last time I was at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC. According to The Met website, "They bestow what is most pleasurable and beneficent in nature and society" Headless, arm-less, bare, and undeniably supporting each other as they quietly bestow their gifts to the world.
As I researched the Graces, I was struck by all the different attributes and names they are assigned.: Radiance, Joy, Flowering, The Arts, Fertility, Nature, Charm, Splendor and on and on.
On The Met website it uses these three words:
Beauty, Mirth, Abundance.
Perfect. Permutations described!
Beauty:
Beauty feels to me like dance. It feels like the space around me when I am moving lyrically, boldly, dramatically. It feels like my soul's response as the rhythm of the music reaches my limbs. Beauty feels like fitness...when one muscle lengthens and the opposing muscle contracts to support me in a power pose. It feels like sweat after a delicious workout. Beauty is when my body feels strong and lithe and I can hold a plank for two minutes or endure a sequence of walking lunges longer than when I was 30!
I am skipping Mirth and putting her at the end. You will see my reasoning...read on!
Abundance:
Abundance, in my opinion, is the perfect word to describe Yoga, and especially Yoga Therapy. A 5000 year old practice, and philosophy that teaches us ethically and morally to be good to ourselves and in the world. It teaches us interoception or the knowing of our bodies from the inside out. It teaches us equanimity or the ability to be calm and composed during difficult situations. It teaches us to witness our practice (asana, breathwork, meditation etc.) without judgment. It also teaches alignment, postures, contraindications, the use of props, chants, invocations, mudras, and a thousand different ways to sit! As a yoga teacher and yoga therapist with 1500 hours of official training, I have just scratched the surface.
Mirth:
Mirth is defined by Merriam-Webster as
"Gladness or gaiety as shown by or accompanied with laughter."
In the photo above, the middle Grace is Mirth. She is facing away with her remaining arm draped upon Beauty as if to hold her close. Her pelvis leaning toward Abundance as if in a gesture of solidarity. I chose to speak about her last because as the echo of my last Feldenkrais module created a muddy puddle around me, I find myself comparing this moment to the end of a comedy act when I realize that everything I have just laughed at, totally applies to my life in this moment. Oh the irony!
When I first embarked on this training I was in such disdain regarding how it was taught. I wanted to "fix" what I thought was incorrect or "add" what I thought was missing. After 35 years of trainings in the fitness and yoga worlds, I figured that my way of presenting and teaching was pretty darn stellar. I really had a hard time leaving my teacher hat outside the room just to dive in as a newbie, a novice, and gasp, a student!
It is such a different approach to movement, compared to all the other modalities I teach. But, as time passed, my body began to feel really free and really good. Feldenkrais began to coalesce around me, and in me, and underneath me...and I have become a devotee!
The differences from the worlds of fitness and yoga are vast. There is never any music but you don't miss it. The teacher does not demonstrate. Instead, you are led in a way that allows for your own exploration. What might seem like a contraindication in another modality is offered as a puzzle for your whole self (not body) to discover a way around or through. The repetitive nature of the lessons (not classes) become a delightful sensory inquiry with profound revelations. You are asked many questions which allows you to listen (another Feldenkrais buzzword) to your whole self rather than perform movements habitually. You are cautioned against stretching. We find length, range, fluidity through ease and comfort rather than pushing through resistance. And the list goes on....
I chose the photo of the Three Graces not only for the meaning but also because after this intense month of deep work and study, I thought I had lost my mind! Hence, the lack of heads! How am I ever going to wear three hats?
“The aim of Feldenkrais (Awareness Through Movement) is...healthy, powerful, easy and pleasurable exertion. The reduction of tension is necessary because efficient movement should be effortless. Inefficiency is sensed as effort and prevents doing more and better. The gradual reduction of useless effort is necessary in order to increase kinesthetic sensitivity, without which a person cannot become self-regulating.”
~Moshe Feldenkrais~
The above quote is the Feldenkrais Method in a small bite, but also encapsulates some of my teachings with Functional Fitness and Yoga/Yoga Therapy.
When I went back to teaching yoga and fitness again in September, I realized that I have been teaching this way all along "What can you let go of?" "Release your glutes." "Initiate from the bones." "Let your upper body receive the movement." "Don't muscle through." "Soften." These are my ubiquitous cues that many of you are probably tired of hearing!
Many of my private clients are amazingly fit individuals who are so tight, so gripped, and so driven that they have lost their natural gait and find themselves in chronic pain. Ironically, I have lost a number of clients over the years because I asked them to start doing less. So how do I proceed?
Well...by learning more, teaching more, and laughing a lot!
May you be happy!
May you be safe!
May you embrace your life to the fullest!
Enjoy the beauty of autumn!
All my love...Lisa
The Path Of Least Resistance…and the wonders of nature.
I had to write this blog so I could share this photo with you! Meet June Bug and her daughter Ash. I took this photo two days after Ash was born. Wobbly, curious, hungry...she is the epitome of adorable. They live on the Loal Tucker Horsemanship Ranch in Lamy, NM where my sweetheart Rick boards his horse Alex. I never imagined that I would be immersed in the ranch culture, and actually begin to fall in love with it! I am the dispenser of carrots, the giver of nose rubs, and the enthusiastic photographer.
I have also been attending horse clinics as a spectator. These clinics teach the rider and horse to work together on various skills, like going through gates without hesitation, walking backwards, stopping mid-trot, stepping over obstacles, weaving in and around poles, and cutting cows. Cutting cows refers to separating a cow from the herd. Cowboys/girls do this to rescue injured calves or separate steers from heifers, etc. As a teacher of movement, I am fascinated by how the rider learns to "steer" his horse.
It appears to me that the center of gravity and the power area of the horse is the neck, trunk, shoulders, and front legs. If they are free to initiate movement and dance side-to-side or front-to-back, then the goal can be accomplished...the calf is then unable to join the herd as the horse can easily block its path. If the horse gets befuddled by the prompts by the rider, then its backside takes over. A wagging backside is cute, but has no directional compass other than to lead the horse in circles. The calf is no longer under the spell of the horse and can easily escape and rejoin the herd.
When the rider gives his/her horse mixed signals or unclear directions, the horse gets confused and the command does not move through the horse's body correctly. As a result, the rider loses the ability to control his/her horse, the horse loses its capacity to be in control of its own directional prowess, and may even get spooked. Then, the mastery of the skill is incomplete. The most surprising and astonishing characteristic of this type of riding skill, is that the riders are only gently applying pressure with one or both of their legs, while their hands are holding the reins slack as they move their arms up or down, out or in, to steer the horse. Effortless synergy.
The segue—and there usually is one in my blogs—is that The Feldenkrais Method, which I am currently studying, is all about finding ways to move so as to make life easier and more pleasurable, AND gets you to where you are going with comfort and effortlessness. One of the most ubiquitous questions posed by Feldenkrais instructors is "How does this action move through you?" Example...while on your back, if you roll your right leg out to the right...might there be a response in your left hip? So, for me, observing horse clinics really puts the brain-body connection in perspective. Our nervous system is the largest component, I believe, in our exercise toolbox. When you become aware of (1) where you are initiating movement; (2) the amount of effort you are putting into the movement; (3) and how your whole body responds to the movement (or your "whole self," as the Feldeys say) then you have more potential to stay out of pain, stop yourself from falling, and enjoy all your hobbies and lifestyle tasks with ease.
Keep moving friends. Movement is LIFE.
May you be happy!
May you be safe!
May you embrace your life to the fullest!
Have a lovely summer!
Peace, Love, Joy, and Spoons?
Meet my new friend (photo above) staring at me thru the kitchen window. So regal, calm, in control and probably digesting a recent kill. I have been trying to determine the type of bird. Merlin Bird ID says Sharp-Shinned Hawk. A friend says juvenile Cooper's Hawk or Kestrel Falcon. I felt so honored to stare into his/her eyes for almost 5 minutes. I turned away for one second and POOF gone...
For me, the New Year is traditionally a time to make space for new ideas to germinate and old ideas to get a face-lift. A time for shedding the old habits and creating new traditions. A time to honor where I sit in this moment of my life, acknowledging the energy stores, or lack of, that come with it! It is useless to make promises to yourself if you don't have the energetic life-force to carry any of it out.
I must admit that, this year, I did not have the wisdom to formulate any kind of plan. I felt a tad empty, uninspired, unsettled, and other sensations that I just could not identify. I got a little too cozy with the television and a little too fond of napping. I was also doing a lot of great cooking so I wasn't checked out, just not focusing on anything but immediate feel-good activities.
One day, I reined in my cells and decided to break the malaise by writing this newsletter. I made a fire. Duncan, my cat, was fast asleep in the comfy chair, so I sat on the floor, pillow under my butt, computer opened in front of me on the coffee table. I clicked on Constant Contact, which is this format for email newsletters, and I was asked to enter my password. Really? It should be remembered by my computer, but alas, for some reason, not that day. I reached for my password book, and you guessed it...nowhere to be found. Fast-forward past the unmaking of beds, cleaning out cars, emptying out trash, moving couches, rolling up rugs, and even looking in the fridge, pantry, garage, freezer and on and on. How many times did I empty out my purse? It was just gone. I closed my eyes, retraced my movements of the past few days and realized that when I went to Subaru for a tune-up, I brought the password book with my computer. Happy ending ensues, with me professing my undying love to one of the service dudes at Subaru who found the book on the floor, took it with him to his desk, and protected it with his life until the moment I showed up!
I have now arrived at the crossroads of admitting to myself that a password book is a dangerous commodity AND not having the desire to transfer all this data to a secure password site. Nevertheless, I embark. I load the app on my phone, I take the tour, I fumble around, and then I commence on what seems like an endless journey. I start at the beginning of the alphabet with American Airlines. I begin to enter the required info and a red line appears as the "smarty pants" app informs me that my password is not secure enough. I open my computer and go to the AA site and proceed to determine how to update my password. Holy Cow. I actually have to google the instructions because the option is no where to be found. Then, I have to endure texts and emails with authentication codes that expire before I get them, choose photos with palm trees, create and answer NEW security questions like "What high school did your father attend?" Really? in 1936? 20 minutes later, I have finally changed my password on American, I enter it into the app and the red line is now yellow (green is the goal), which means, I could have done better choosing my new password. Sigh.
One down, 232 to go.
And then, the New Year's revelation (as opposed to resolution) appeared among the cobwebs of my mind...I am full. I am saturated. Air travel, car trouble and sprained ankles notwithstanding...There is no longer a clear and easy path from here to anywhere. The roads are paved with firewalls, passwords, downloads, and malware. Every bit of information is on a bright screen that pierces the brain relentlessly with ads that break up the fluidity of the reading experience. Touch one erroneous key and you have lost your way forever. Forget to install an update and your printed document is upside down and backwards.
Meanwhile, I have not yet written a word of this newsletter and it is now Christmas Eve. With malaise draped all over my shoulders, I am determined to enjoy the festivities as we make our way to a party filled with people I love. And then it was time to exchange gifts.
Cue music...sweeping surround-sound swells of a full orchestra! I received the most extraordinary Christmas gift from my best friend...a book called Spoon by Daniel Rozensztroch. In my kitchen I have four stoneware pots crammed with wooden spoons and utensils from all over the world. When I travel I purchase spoons at the same rate others purchase t-shirts. My father was an Industrial Designer famous for his flatware designs and, If you had ever been in my Mother's house, you would have seen the DNA connection between the two of us, as at least half of my spoon collection came from her!
So, yes, this gift is totally appropriate as well as truly exquisite...but here is what really got me and brought me to tears when I opened it: its elegance and simplicity. Each page gently and minimally designed to draw you into the hidden world and unknown history of each spoon. The spoons are photographed and organized by material. Wood. Glass. Mother of Pearl. Bone. Metal. Horn. Ceramic. Enamel. Porcelain. There is no cross referencing or foot notes or minute copy filling you with cultural information you will never remember. Just spoons. Just shapes. Just beauty. As I was turning the pages I felt like I was on an expanded Chinese astrological journey witnessing the significant power of each medium from these "modest utilitarian objects that are universal in their simplicity, across all cultures and which, regardless of material or origin, are used to prepare meals, combine ingredients, and ultimately, to eat." Suzanne Czernichow, PhD.
Simplicity. Nothing about our lives these days is simple. When I opened Spoon, it was like a portal to a forgotten world and a relief from the one I live in! I felt my whole self soften...a sensory experience I just don't have randomly anymore. This was the real gift. This release. This subconscious sigh. This effervescent silence! How do I invite this into my life on purpose? And, for me, it is NOT emptying the mind. If I break down this moment of pure ease and awareness I realize I was doing something, I was engaged and my eyes were open but I was settled, tender, rested, happy!
All of these words lead to one request: Take care of yourselves in this oh-so-complicated world. Every once in awhile don't go "above and beyond"....just walk away. The Road Not Taken is often the simple one. Take it.
Springtime In Santa Fe
March 2022
When I walked across the courtyard to my studio yesterday morning, I was sweetly blasted by the smell of spring! In the spirit of budding trees, longer days, and burgeoning farmers' markets, I decided it was time to say hello and tell you what has been going in my life! Of course, today it is snowing. If you live in NM, springtime is more of a tutorial on volatile weather patterns than a sweet display of new growth!
The past eight months have been filled with travel, study, creation, love, a milestone birthday, and feline frenzy. I have also fit in a few naps, a few walks, and a lot of cooking! The above photo and quote kind of embodies my state of being. I took it in NYC while on a walk to buy my much anticipated bagel with veggie cream cheese. I almost moved the trash bag to expose the name of the artist but, I realized, in a moment of complete clarity, that I didn't want to touch the dirty bag BEFORE eating my bagel AND, its placement and plumpness truly illustrated the message.
Allow me to elaborate a bit.
TRAVEL: I finally braved the world's airports and frantic, desperate travelers, and went north and east many times. Funny how folks will find the safest corner in empty gates to wait for their flights but will line up nose to back the minute it is time to board! I also went to Mexico. YES...I led my annual Yoga On The Beach In Mexico retreat and it was a blast. Are we going again in 2022.....OF COURSE!
STUDY: I completed my Yoga Therapy training and I am now a Certified Yoga Therapist! I am now about to embark on Feldenkrais training this April. Another 4 years...800 hours. But who is counting?
CREATION: I have been teaching on Zoom since April 1, 2020. Almost two years! I finally decided to start recording some of my Zoom classes and have uploaded them on my website for you to RENT whenever the desire washes over you! I currently have 14 classes uploaded and myriad more to edit and post. Can you imagine how many classes I would have, had I started recording two years ago? Sigh...
LOVE: Yup, I fell in love. Went to pick up a pizza at Beer Creek Brewery and while I was waiting, this really handsome guy started talking to me. The rest is sweet history.
MILESTONE BIRTHDAY: Do I really have to talk about this?
FELINE FRENZY: As most of you know I have an aging alpha cat. His name is MacDuff. He has been with me since 2003 when he was just a few months old. He rules with an iron paw while surviving every ailment known to the cat universe. Each emergency occurs on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday morning right before I teach on Zoom. Another sigh.
The best way to describe how all of this is meandering thru my body and soul is the following poem:
CLEARING
Martha Postlethwaite
Do not try to save
the whole world
or do anything grandiose.
Instead, create
a clearing
in the dense forest
of your life
and wait there
patiently,
until the song
that is your life
falls into your own cupped hands
and you recognize and greet it.
Only then will you know
how to give yourself
to this world
so worthy of rescue.
So, as we contemplate the years ahead, let us embrace a pace we can comfortably sustain, nourish a love that permeates our being, and settle into a community that is endlessly supportive and engaging!
Sending LOVE to all!
And your little dog too!
Hello and welcome to Zoom Land. A country where you never wonder what your dog is doing while you are in yoga class!
I have been teaching on Zoom since April 1, 2020. The learning curve has been wide and not always so smooth. The first class I crashed...or Zoom crashed, seven times! I was totally amazed that you all returned the next day and the next week and the next month. And a year later, I am much more tech-savvy but no less humble, and we are still gathering four or five times a week to move, to shake, to stretch, to reach, and to rest.
# # #
This blog is dedicated to all of you who have been my tribe since I started teaching in Santa Fe almost 28 years ago. The following photos are of doggies that have been doggedly doing yoga with their mothers and fathers in the year of the pandemic. Thank you all for sending me these photos and the humorous stories and captions that go with them. I am thinking about a regular block of animal-yoga-love in each newsletter...cats, birds, reptiles, livestock and tarantulas are welcome too...so keep the photos coming!
I will start by introducing NICA. She is also in the header photo. She is a sweetheart dog who cares not a whit about the word "No!" She loves to interfere when her parents are doing yoga, as one can never be too close!
This is EVER…."Whenever I get out the mat and get down on the floor, Ever gets very excited. She usually grabs toys and drops them on my face, forcing me to throw them. This morning she took a break, And, as we were resting our heads on our chairs, she rested hers on her turkey."
Introducing SISSY. "I thought you might like to see what happens whenever I set up in our office to join you. Sissy just makes herself at home!"
"Is this child’s pose or man sprawling? He won’t get off my mat!!! Doing shoulder openings, MARCO says."
"This is Abby, who always keeps one eye on me while I'm in yoga class!"
"Here is MILO taking over my mat! And if you look really closely, you (Lisa) are on the screen teaching on Zoom in the background!"
My plan was to only showcase your pets...give them their moment to shine...but this photo was just too precious to overlook. So here is CUSTARD kissing Melodi. Life is good!
First, Do No Harm
January 5th, I wrote my newsletter while watching the Georgia Election returns on TV.
The next day, Wednesday, January 6th, was a day of reckoning in this country. Hate and racism were enthusiastically on display and my heart was broken.
By January 9th, 24,000 COVID deaths had been recorded in 2021.
I began to question if this newsletter was even appropriate. Should I rearrange my words in response to the sickness and mayhem in our country? And then a great friend sent me this quote:
"I know the world is bruised and bleeding, and though it is important not to ignore its pain, it is also critical to refuse to succumb to its malevolence. Like failure, chaos contains information that can lead to knowledge - even wisdom. Like art."
~ Toni Morrison ~
So, without further delay and with an open heart, here is my message:
Here we are once again at the threshold of resolution...of behavior change...of never again...of if I give this up I will get that. But, after enduring the chaos, the fear, the isolation, the lust for power, and the canonization of dishonesty in 2020, I am just hoping for some peace, some grace, some compassion, some even breaths, and meeting a friend for lunch, IN a restaurant! How about seeing a smile?
I just saw the website photo of the Physical Therapist I worked with last year. She looks completely different without her mask! Had I not seen her photo, six months from now (fingers crossed), if we passed each other in the grocery store without our masks, I don't think I would have recognized her!
So, imagine this job of mine...to write a newsletter that is pithy (cool word, huh?) and informative and heartfelt. I sit here every few months, fingertips hovering over the keys, jittery and excited for whatever my brain has in mind (pun intended!) and I wait patiently for a title, a tidbit, a spark of inspiration to allow the flow of words to push through the soft palate of my soul. But, this time, all I noticed was the gurgle in my stomach, the lack of birdseed in the feeder, the whine of a light bulb that needed to be changed.
And then, as if an angel poked me in the forehead to let some light in, I began to have visions of my 20 years teaching at the Genoveva Chavez Community Center in Santa Fe, NM. The sounds, the smell of chlorine, my colleagues, my students...all flooded into my memory banks in Kodachrome! And, as a smile grew on my face, I remembered a photo I took on one of the last days I taught at the GCCC early last year.
February 14, 2020 was like any other of my Fridays in Santa Fe, NM. I got up early. I welcomed a client for a private yoga therapy session at my home studio and then got in my car and drove off to the GCCC to teach my 11am Kripalu Yoga Class. I LOVED this class and anticipated it with fervor each week! Without fail, there was always a mat and props set up for me (thank you Rose and company!) so I always focused on setting up my music, greeting and hugging students (remember hugging?) and talking with those who were new. This particular day was no different...except that when I began to walk toward the front of the studio, I was blinded by the bright pink bouquet tenderly placed on my mat for the world to see. "Happy Valentines Day" it screamed, and of course I immediately teared up! No one ever admitted to putting the flowers there but I know who did and I am forever grateful! I rarely took photos in this studio as mirrors adorn 3 of 4 walls so everyone appears in triplicate! But, on this day, thankfully, I did. Two weeks later I was on a plane to Massachusetts for a Yoga Therapy training, and by the time I returned to Santa Fe, we were in lock down and I have not returned to the GCCC since.
This photo is majestically placed at the beginning of this newsletter as a reminder of this beautiful moment and of all the approximately 2700 classes I have taught at the GCCC over the years. Those days were filled with love, community, gratitude, great music, and a whole lot of laughter. The students you see in the photo have been doggedly joining me on Zoom since April 1, 2020. We gather, we chat, we move, we breathe, we groan, we rest, and then we do it all over again 4 to 5 times a week from my studio to their home. Some might say that "it is not the same." but I think we have rewritten the rules and are joyously socializing and physically distancing while taking care of our bodies and souls. We have even made some new friends, as many have joined us from far away. People we may have never met had we not been stuck at home! Irony in full display!
As the vaccine becomes available and new rules for community gathering are established, we are all wondering how our futures will unfold. I admit that I frequently take virtual tours of faraway places and imagine eating roasted red snapper on the beach in Troncones, Mexico! In the meantime, I am strangely content with teaching my classes on Zoom, working privately online with yoga therapy clients, and taking a multitude of classes and webinars to continue my exploration of this life and this body and this moment. Will I go back to teaching at the GCCC? And if I do, will you attend? Let's not answer these questions now. Rather, let's dig a little deeper during this universal pause and and reemerge healthier in mind and body, and ready, to overturn hate and ignorance with profound love and compassion.
I hope 2021 is magical for all of you. Let's start dreaming again.
From Here To Where, Exactly?
November 6, 2020 will mark a year since we set the newly-hatched baby turtles above, free into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Troncones, Mexico. I often wonder how many survive to return years later to bury their eggs in the sand. For those of you who have joined me for my annual retreat Yoga On The Beach In Mexico, this is a familiar sight, an anticipated event, a treasured moment. How lucky we were to gently support Mother Nature to hopefully ensure the survival of the species. We are not going to Troncones this year. However, because I always have a positive outlook, I have booked it for October 30 - November 6 of 2021! The silver lining? This year, we were able to vote any way we wanted, drive folks to the polls, and work to ensure that the election was fair and equitable to everyone in our community,
Before Covid. In the old days. Back to normal. When this is over.
How often have you woven these words into a conversation recently? The interesting thing about these four simple phrases is that they distract us from living in the moment. And each moment is so damn important because, once it starts, it is over!
I write this because during the last 6 months I was convinced that I had been neglecting my moments. I felt sluggish, and labeled my inertia a "slump." I perfected the art of postponing. I longed for more work but when no one called, I was elated! I stopped walking my daily 10,000 steps, or any steps, and blamed it on the heat. My sivasanas turned into naps. I have not made my bed in 5 months. I have lost 8 pounds. What? How did that happen?
Before Covid, I often worked six days a week. I was up at 6:30am, in the shower by 7am, on the road or in my studio by 8:20am. I always carried my computer and books so I was never idle while waiting for a class, an appointment or a client. I even made lunch or snacks the night before so I could eat in my car! I had lists everywhere with a highlighter nearby so I could cross tasks off when they were completed. I wore my FitBit like an Olympic athlete and measured the success of my day by the number of steps I walked. If I was tired, I muscled on. I never said no.
In the old days, I think I was a little on autopilot. I plugged myself in in the morning, rewound or fast-forwarded during the day, depending upon the situation, and recharged at night in the hopes of gaining enough internal battery power to repeat the next day. I enjoyed time with friends and family but as I reminisce, I realize that I did not always nurture these moments...smell the food, feel the breeze, look into eyes, listen without comment, embrace silence. I spent hundreds of hours studying yoga therapy, anatomy and human movement, and even started learning Sanskrit and Vedic Chanting but I sometimes forgot to make time for reflection and integration...force-feeding the unattainable desire or goal to "learn" everything now.
As I consider back to normal, I cringe! I realize that I have NOT been in a slump...I have been in recovery. A deep, slow, methodical, sensational, exquisite reorganization that I could not physically or emotionally resist. The gravitational pull was real. It was unrelenting. It was—and is—BEAUTIFUL. It is a grand lesson in listening to my cells, my pulse, my intuition. As I sit here writing this, I realize that I cannot go back to normal. I cannot even conjure up the frenzy or revisit the malaise that was subliminally yet righteously so much a part of my existence.
So...we then arrive at when this is over. My hygienist, clothed in her hazmat suite, gloves, two masks and a face-shield, said matter-of-factly, "three to five years." My Feldenkrais training is apparently starting in March, and yesterday our so-called Commander-in-Chief ripped off his mask when he entered the White House, infected to the teeth with Covid. So...who knows when? In the meantime, it is my belief that the last six months have delivered scads of lessons and teachings to each one of us. We have discovered new loves, we have hiked new trails, we have snuggled up to new technology, we have reached out over cyberspace, we have created abundance with nothing and released things and pounds and habits that never served.
Ruth Bader Ginsberg once said:
"I would like to be remembered as someone who used whatever talent she had to do her work to the very best of her ability."
When this is over, that is all I want for you and me. The best of our ability. Some days our ability shines. Some days our ability sleeps. Regardless, it is a good day.
An eternal yogic principle is embedded in this newsletter: Let your prana, your life force, your vital principle, guide you and lead you to your true self. And, while you are at it, let go of the outcome. As Stephen Cope, Psychotherapist and Scholar in Residence at Kripalu so eloquently says:
"Let go of how something should turn out and allow yourself to be fully present for the action. Be open to what wants to come through in the present moment to produce, for yourself, a life of really exceptional fulfillment."
Our life is a collection of moments, each one a gem. Just because everything else is cancelled, it would be a pity to under-appreciate the things that are not cancelled: your breath, your smile, your dreams, your laughter, your garden, your music, your photos, your animals, your family, your sunsets, your heartbeat...
Thank you for reading my words.
Confessions Of A Yoga Teacher
Hi Friends...
Happy New Year!
I must admit, this newsletter did not come easily. I struggled for weeks trying to meet the onslaught of resolution messages with an open heart. I hoped for inspiration from among the Self-Care Challenge, Change Your Life, Throw OUT Your Resolutions, It's Now or Never, Your Heart Will Thank You, Down Dog Daily Or Rust articles flooding the internet and my inbox! They all held somewhat valuable advice from well-meaning authors from all corners of the Health & Wellness Industry. The question is: Do I or can I be one of them with authenticity and full-throttle commitment to the message? Because, really, I am just a fallible human, who happens to be a yoga teacher, fitness trainer, and soon to be yoga therapist, trying, like the rest of you, to age gracefully while experiencing joy in every waking moment of my day.
And then, a funny thing happened on my way to commencing this "Grand Article With Advice For All," My quirky, irreverent, and unconventional brain wrapped around the word itself, rather than the meaning, and settled, with glee, on VICE. I had found my voice...notice what happens if you take the O out of voice (sorry)...and below is the result.
One of the kinder definitions o the word “vice” from Merriam Webster is as follows: “A habitual and usually trivial defect or shortcoming.” And, it appears I have many...some of which I am willing to share.
If I don't have time to do my yoga practice during the day, I do NOT get up at 4am to do it. Sometimes my practice is 20 minutes, sometimes 2 hours, and sometimes I just curl up on my mat and fall asleep.
I do eat meat. I usually have one vegan meal a day to balance my body and my commitment to being as green as possible. I only eat organic, local, and animal welfare-rated meat. I do not eat beef, as the cattle industry contributes exponentially to greenhouse gas emissions.
I LOVE olives. I eat them in the morning, at noon and at night. If I could only bring one food to a deserted island, it would be olives. They are salty, which is not good for my BP but are high in vitamin E which is good for my heart.
I drive a stick shift, therefore, I am cool. My favorite thing is to watch the earnest young folk at Discount Tire or the car wash get halfway in my car and then abort...sheepishly looking for a colleague who knows how to drive it. Yes, my next car will definitely be a hybrid or an electric but I may just keep my little Subaru around for moments of needed coolness.
I drink mezcal. Its made from agave, hence, it is medicinal! It tastes great chased with an orange! What a great way to include fruit in your diet!
I often get asked why I go to the same retreat location every year. Troncones, Mexico is magical and safe and our hosts are so lovely and easy to work with. When I offer retreats with a partner, I expand my horizons and go to other countries, but when I lead a retreat myself, I choose to be in a community that I know and love. This way, I can work hard (teach 12-16 hours of yoga per week) and rest well (nap daily under a palm tree)...trusting that all the myriad details are being handled while I focus on the lucky souls who have joined me for a true yoga vacation!
As I read over the above words, I now realize that what started out as a satiric and somewhat skeptical look at January newsletters, turned into an uncovering of desire, and the intrinsic and often non-negotiable pursuit of balance. Vice morphs into love. Love creates balance. May you love yourself in the world, in 2020 and beyond!
A Walk In The Woods
Hi Friends...
I recently returned from a 12-day intensive in Massachusetts at Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health where I am studying to be a Yoga Therapist. A Happy Dance ensued when I got my certificate confirming that I am now an Advanced Teacher of Therapeutic Yoga, and officially halfway-finished with my training!
I took the above photo on one of my daily walks between classes. Since Kripalu is surrounded by more than 100 majestic acres of woodlands, valleys, lakes and hills, it is not difficult to be seduced by the green arms of nature. So, when the subject of Forest Bathing came up in one of our lectures, we were more than happy to accept the homework of conscious-being in the woods. This experience is not about getting from one place to another or taking selfies next to some natural phenomenon. It is about letting your cells be vulnerable to the sweet, tender power of nature.
This is the healing way of Shinrin-yoku Forest Therapy, the medicine of simply being in the forest. This term means "taking in the forest atmosphere" or "forest bathing." It was developed in Japan during the 1980s, and has become a cornerstone of preventive health care and healing in Japanese medicine.
The scientifically-proven benefits of Shinrin-yoku include:
Boosted immune system functioning, with an increase in the count of the body's Natural Killer (NK) cells
Reduced blood pressure
Reduced stress
Improved mood
Increased ability to focus
Accelerated recovery from surgery or illness
Increased energy level
Improved sleep
For more information, please go to: www.shinrin-yoku.org/shinrin-yoku.html
So, where does that leave us desert dwellers? I have been thinking about this since returning to the Land of Enchantment. Unless we make a date with the Ski Basin or some other lofty venue, we are partnered with the more hardscrabble, drought-tolerant wonders like junipers, chamisa, pinons and cholla! Not much of a forest, but certainly a beautiful landscape. As I sit here writing this newsletter on my portal, I am underneath the great New Mexican sky, listening to the birds arguing with each other while dancing in the air. I am watching the subtle movements of the sturdy and squat evergreens. I am listening to the wind rustling the tall desert grasses. I am inspired. I am cactus bathing! I am in my own version of a forest, allowing my senses to be aware of all the natural wonderment around me. May you find your forest and let the magic begin.
Be Brave With Your Life
As many of you know I am studying to be a Yoga Therapist. I was recently at Kripalu Center For Yoga and Health for a 10 day training. It is such a lovely place and the Mothership of my yoga teacher education these past 12 years. The facility is vast, and we eat, sleep, study, and play in two very large buildings that are connected by a passageway and many flights of stairs. As you can imagine, it is not hard to walk 10,000 steps per day. Everyday, as I passed the reception desk, I was greeted by the quirky, colorful presence of the above rock - misshapen, tilted, leaning against a lamp. At first I thought, "What a great mushroom!" But, after 10 days of walking past this gentle command 4, 5, 6 times a day, I began to look forward to the message and started to think about exactly what being brave means to me.
According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, brave can be used as ad adjective, a noun and a verb. I have decided to focus on the adjective definition because, for one, I am not an American Indian Warrior (noun), and two, because I no longer live in NYC and don't have to brave the rush hour traffic (verb).
BRAVE:
Having or showing mental or moral strength to face danger, fear, or difficulty; having or showing courage
So...drum roll...for me, being BRAVE is to completely and unequivocally honor and celebrate my talents, my thoughts, my ideas, my choices...to be my own heroine! Regardless of it's grammatical roots, the above statement relinquishes my need to make everyone happy and comfortable at the expense of my happiness and comfort. In a nutshell, I may say "no" from time to time, I may take a day off now and then, and I will try to live according to my values.
New Year's Rededication
“This
Sky
Where we live
Is no place to lose your wings
So love, love
Love”
~ Hafiz ~
The above photo is the view from my bedroom window. It was taken the morning after I arrived home from two weeks leading a yoga retreat in the tropics of Mexico! From flip flops to snow boots, papaya to oatmeal, sand castles to snow angels, beautiful to beautiful! I love to travel and see the wonders of the world both archeological and botanical! However, the reports coming in are of great doom as according to the UN we have 12 years to "limit climate change catastrophe." Desperate to continue to experience stunning differences in temperature and texture has inspired the following words.
Oh Mother Earth, what have we done? Species are dying, oceans are heating, icecaps are melting, garbage is floating, coastlines are disappearing, fires are raging and the Land Of The Free And The Home Of The Brave is being stripped of every environmental protection possible by "you know who."
It is, therefore, my desire, my honor, and my duty to spend 2019 and all the years beyond, encouraging my circle of friends, family and students to be conscious consumers. The following are 10 things you can do starting TODAY:
1. Eat less meat. Livestock farming contributes 18% of human produced greenhouse gas emissions worldwide.
2. Read your labels. If Palm Oil is one of the ingredients, don't buy it. Farming of Palm Oil contributes to deforestation and drives orangutans and other endangered species to extinction.
3. Do you really need to put your lone green pepper in a plastic bag in the produce section? If you are not buying loose button mushrooms or bulk grains, you don't need a bag!
4. Reacquaint yourself with a bar of soap. Ditch the plastic bottled body wash. Cleaning a soap dish is not that hard!
5. Stay away from the nylon tea bags, as they languish in landfills for 30-40 years. I save my natural fiber spent tea bags and put them in flower pots and my garden beds as moisture-holders.
6. Are you a frequent flyer? Have you seen how many plastic cups and water bottles and soda cansare thrown out each flight? Bring a travel bottle/mug! Did you know all airports have water fountains?
7. To continue this theme, always keep a fancy thermal travel cup in your car. You will never have to use a paper coffee cup with a plastic lid again. 25 billion coffee cups are thrown away in the US annually. Think about it.
8. Have you noticed the fancy plastic suitcases encompassing fruit and veggies? The more we buy loose produce, the less they will package them.
9. Next to your travel mug, keep an empty container in your car for your left-overs at restaurants. Styrofoam takes one million years to degrade.
10. Shop at your local Farmer's Market. Eat at Farm-To-Table restaurants. Stay away from processed foods. Live a little like our ancestors did when all food was organic.
* * *
Here are the first offerings0f 2019. I am co-leading Sisterhood Of The Traveling Yoga Pants, A Sedona Slumber Party.Jacci Gruninger and I will be heading out to Sedona for this women's-only retreat in September 2019. Then, the 4th annual Yoga On The Beach in Mexico retreat is from November 2 - 9, 2019. If you have not experienced the serenity of Manzanillo Bay, now is your chance!
There is still plenty of opportunity to be a part of my Yoga Therapy training, and I will be teaching Scoliosis Yoga Play and regular Yoga Play classes at my home studio. Classes are limited to 5, so email me soon if you are interested.
As always, if you have any questions or want to know more about my classes, retreats, or workshops, please email me at:
lisagulotta@gmail.com or visit lisagulotta.com.
Jai Bhagwan
Lisa
On Becomming An Elder
"All who have been touched by beauty
are touched by sorrow at its passing."
~ Louise Cordana ~
Dear Friends,
When I FINALLY arrived at the age of 21, I was so relieved. I had managed to suffer through the gradual passage of time and now I was an adult! I spent a year smiling, prancing, and celebrating my achievement. As the years passed and I navigated the trials of a life well lived, it never occurred to me that I was aging.
Fast forward to today...35 years later...and I find myself at a very strange juncture. My mother died three years ago, and my father died this February at almost 97 years old. Here I am, the surviving member of my small family, with the daunting and surprising title of Elder. I still bound out of bed in the morning and hang upside down in the afternoon, but I seem to have taken on a different role in my world.
The story of the above photo strangely ties into my journey. I took it at 3am in Nicaragua on January 29, 2018. I just woke up, and streaming into my room was the most ethereal light. It drew me onto the porch and I began to take photos of the dreamiest moonscape I had ever seen. I felt so lucky as I knew that I would be traveling during the height of the Blood Blue Moon and would not see it in its glory.
When I returned home, I was immediately called to my father's bedside and remained with him until he died. Once I began to spread the news of his death, I was not only supported by my circle of loved ones but was surprised to learn that in a 5 week span, 4 other friends and had also lost their fathers who were all over the age of 90. Hmmm, I said to myself. What about this breathtaking moon do I need to know? At that moment, my psychic friend Maureen sent me an article about the Blood Blue Moon and this is what it said:
"Seeing as this Blood Blue Moon falls in the fire sign of Leo, it is really going to be guiding us to take charge of our lives and to step into that role of being the King or Queen of our jungle."
~ Tanaaz ~
Whether you enjoy weaving information into spiritual explanations or you just like gazing at the moon, it is still fun to acknowledge synergy and allow it to suggest new paths and encourage a new sense of belonging. I plan to jump into my new role as Queen of my jungle....and I hope you are inspired to do the same!
Speaking of jungles, I am leading two yoga retreats this year (Guatemala, Mexico) in two tropical paradises and you are all invited! I have also begun a monthly scoliosis workshop at my home studio. I hope that you will join me someday, somewhere, so that we can laugh, dance, travel, and explore yoga together. Please read on to see the offerings of 2018.
As always, if you have any questions or want to know more about my classes, retreats, or workshops, please email me at:
lisagulotta@gmail.com or visit lisagulotta.com.
Jai Bhagwan
Lisa
Happy Earth Dog New Year
"For last year's words belong to last year's language
And next year's words await another voice."
~ T.S. Eliot ~
2017...What is there to say but.....sayonara! On many fronts, it was a great year. My friends and family are healthy, I traveled to Peru for the first time, my garden was so very fruitful, and my 14 year old cat MacDuff is thriving! On the other hand, well...I must admit to suffering tremendous political fatigue, and sadness regarding the loss of a very important aspect of our society....compassion. I tried to change the world one yoga class at a time by infusing each moment with love and tenderness. Alas, my efforts did not reach much beyond the confounds of the classroom and the loving hearts of my students.
Hail the Year of the Dog! According to the Chinese Calendar, on February 16, 2018 we begin a new cycle! The following is a quote from an astrologer by the name of Susan Levitt:
"Dog year is a time of fairness and equality. Controversial issues are given their due, revolutions are successful, politics are liberal, and political oppression is opposed. Integrity and honesty are the values that lead to success under Dog's watchful and just influence."
In the spirit of Man's Best Friend, I propose that we start a revolution! Like a dog greeting you at the door with intense enthusiasm even though you have only been gone 5 minutes, a revolution whose sole purpose is to inject joy into every moment and to be so very grateful for love and companionship!
I will start by inviting you to continue to move! Movement is life and your body depends on you! I will also continue to offer yoga retreats (Guatemala, Mexico) and workshops (scoliosis...more info on my website coming soon) where we can gather, laugh, dance, travel, and explore yoga together.
As always, if you have any questions or want to know more about my classes, retreats, or workshops, please email me via my website.
Jai Bhagwan
Lisa
It Takes a Hive
My friends Betty Tsosie and Mark Chalom have a house on Lake Abiquiu. One day this spring, a swarm of bees showed up looking for a new home. A relative brought a hive box and the rest is history. Betty took this photo as the bees were coming home after a long day in the field office. Look at the leg sacs laden with pollen! These sacs can hold a million grains of pollen and are filled by the bee as he travels around your garden. This is Mother Nature at her most glorious.....why would you disrespect this magical process by using pesticides and weed killers!? Bend over, pull weeds. Put on gloves, pick off pests. Open a book, read about companion planting. These little sacs of wonder carried by these little hulks feed our planet. It is all about love!
Volunteer Johnny Jump Ups from my early spring garden 2016. Thousands of them from one plant that must have released a lot of seeds last fall!
Taste of Thailand
If you haven't been to Thailand, you are missing out on one of the most exquisite, delicious and sensational experiences of your life. Imagine replacing EVERY Starbucks with a temple and EVERY fast food restaurant with a street vendor selling food worthy of an Iron Chef and EVERY drug store with a Thai Massage venue....and that is just the beginning!
Wat Phalad
Wat Phalad monks
Chaing Mai organic market....sticky rice cooked in sugar cane!
Flower Festival noodles.....
Chaing Mai Flower Festival float
Mother Earth wringing the water from her hair...Wat Jed Yod
Our room at the Santitham Guest House
