Cleaning house

Oh how I wish that title were metaphorical! I actually have to clean house today... we're currently living like squatters in our own house. Time to take back the house! I'll be cleaning today and trying to focus on lofty yogic principles at the same time. Here's one that I should definitely try to keep in mind:

"However simple a particular yogic approach may be, all approaches require a huge commitment. If we fear change and cling to our old habits, we cannot succeed in Yoga. The practice of Yoga calls for considerable personal effort, which involves self-discipline."

I'm so in trouble!

Hope you are in for some good clean fun today yourself...

Jan

The opposite of zen

I spent today with Izzy and two of her friends at first Pump It Up and then Chuck E. Cheese. I feel like I've been run over by a rancid clown. I'm too pooped to blog... more later.

Intergalactic nothingness

So, I've perfected the art of doing nothing. Seriously... nothing. I have a million things I SHOULD be doing but I just can't get out of my somnolent mode. Okay, I'll try to shake myself up a bit and do something blogworthy today. I'm thinking of taking Izzy on a treasure hunt with her metal detector so I'll let you know if anything comes of it.

On another note, I've been following the Qantas saga with horror. This is the airline I've flown faithfully for the last 17 years. The thought of getting back on board without them doing a major repair of not only the fleet but of their management practices makes me very nervous. I will say for the record though, that the pilots and crew on board both my last flight and the one that had the explosion last week, all acted with the greatest professionalism. They are extremely well trained and impressive.

We're in total StarWars mode here as Izzy is addicted and watching all SIX movies in a row this week. May the force be with me to survive it. I like my StarWars in smallish doses. This will either make me a fanatic or phobic. Not sure which.

May the force be with you today too,

Jan

Ahhhhh

Yesterday was my first day back to class with Simon. It was so good to see friends I've missed and to get back into my meditative comfort zone. By the end of class, I felt the way you feel pulling on your favorite t-shirt after misplacing it for a while. So happy to be back in it and so thankful to have found it again. I was able to use what I've learned in Australia to deepen my appreciation of all I have here. Mostly, I'm just so appreciative to have great teachers like Simon, Yolanda, and Lev to draw from. That reminds me, I haven't mentioned another great yoga teacher in Portland that I am appreciative of. Jim Gillen of Still Moving Yoga What a tremendously nice guy with so much to offer! I've taken two workshops from Jim in his SW Portland studio, and learned a lot about safe alignment principles from him. Jim and his wife Lynea are also hosting a benefit concert tomorrow, so if you live in Portland and are interested please check it out at:
Good Karma Garden Concert July 27th

Okay, that's me for now. Hope you are taking time to enjoy the ahhhhh moments in your own life right now too.

Ohmmmmm,

Jan

Settling into sunshine

The sun has arrived in Portland and all things are blooming. My daughter has a swimming playdate today and I think we both want to go berry picking as well. I love long meandering summer days like this that just naturally unfold... much like my yoga practice. I am being kind to my body right now and just flowing into my practice without much thought or artifice. If it feels right for this moment, then I'm not concerned about sequencing or posture right now. It is so freeing to just live in the moment of my practice and enjoy the swim that is within. Hope this post finds you enjoying your own moments and space.

Go with the flow,

Jan

Petals floating down the river

We're home! After 33 days of living out of suitcases and sponging off of relations, we are finally home in Portland. The weather is grey and cool so I KNOW that I'm home! My husband told me that the Rose City has had lots of sunshine lately, but I think it was just a conspiracy to lure me back. All kidding aside, coming home from the airport this morning reminded me again how amazing this place is. Green and homey with a laid-back attitude. Really, Portland is a perfect fit for us and I can't imagine wanting to be anywhere else right now in my life. (Although the fortune teller told me that I'm thinking of moving soon... hmmm... news to me!)

I'm looking forward to seeing friends here in Portland and getting back into my regular routine. I promise to continue looking for the silly and interesting in my day to day life and posting it right here for the rest of you. Thanks for being my travel companions for the last month!

Ciao from The City of Bridges,

Jan

Tried the Fried

Pictures are worth a thousand words... our trip to the County Fair was great... see below.



Love the T-shirt!


Yes that's right, they were selling a fried chicken sandwich between a Krispy Kreme Donut with rasberry and honey syrup. No... even I didn't try that!



Fried Twinkie with chocolate syrup. I took one bite and threw the rest out. Some things just can't be improved upon.

Saluting the sun

Loving sunny So Cal. Sun, swimming, and family fun. A great combination for soaking up this last part of our summer vacation. We've been enjoying the pampering of our relatives here and the laid back lifestyle in San Juan Capistrano.

Been easing my bones back into yoga and even experimented with some aqua yoga in the family pool here. Love the play between buoyancy and balance as I bend and twist in the water. The temperature of the water is so warm that it adds even more pliancy to my bends as well. Ahhhhh....bliss. I'm definitely feeling the difference in my body from gorging on the pastries and treats though. I'm absolutely going to start back on the path of moderation the minute we hit Portland. I'd say earlier but tomorrow we're going to the Orange County State Fair and as the theme is cheese (and onofficially anything humanly possible to fry) I suspect I won't stick to my resolution quite yet! I've never tried a fried oreo cookie before and I don't think I'm capable of saying no.... I'll let you know.

Went to a fortune teller today who read my palm and told me that I'm an old soul with the ability to heal and I have an open third eye. (Stop laughing Simon Menasche!) She told me I'm married to my soul mate (so true) and that I will live a long and healthy life. Hmmmm... nice to hear but maybe not quite worth the $20 my sister-in-law plonked down for the reading. Oh well... I've spent more money to have doctors tell me things that I don't want to hear, so I suspect being told things I do want to hear is good value!

Okay, this is a ridiculously long post so I'll say goodnight and hugs to all of you out there in blogland.

Jan

Touchdown in Tinseltown

Sorry I've been missing for a few days. We just arrived back in the U.S. yesterday after an epic journey. We had a great time for the last few days in Australia and really cherished the moments with family and friends. Many hugs and a few tears later, Izzy and I boarded our already 3 hour delayed flight to Los Angeles. I knew it was going to be a crazy journey when I accidentally freaked out in the terminal when I read that it was the final call for our flight and yet they hadn't called us to the loading area yet. It took a very kind young Aussie to reassure me that Qantas had not in fact begun boarding for our flight, and that the departure monitor was wrong. Sheesh... talk about a false start. That was the bright spot of the journey!

About 2 hours into the trip the captain came over the PA asking for any certified medical practitioner to please step forward to help with a medical emergency on board. Never an auspicious start! About 5 hours into the flight we watched our little plane graphic that shows your progress on the trip slowly begin to curve around... We had actually crossed the international dateline and then went back again! I think that means I lost a day and gained one in a matter of minutes!

The captain then informed us that we needed to make a medical emergency landing in Fiji so the plane turned around to go back. Needless to say, it made for a not so ordinary trip. The poor teen girl on board who was ill (have no idea at all of details) was wheeled off of the back of the plane after an hour on the ground in Fiji at 1:30 in the morning. Not exactly state of the art evacuation planning. It took a further 2 hours to locate her bags and remove them from the plane due to security regulations. We stayed on the plane and were finally on our way in about another hour. Now remember, this is a 14 hour flight under perfect conditions... we finally landed in LAX after 19 hours of travel time total!

Needless to say, we are VERY happy to be on the ground and with more family in Southern California. It's now 2:30am and Izzy and I are both awake and jetlagged out of our minds. I'll post more soon but I did want to share this part of the trip. Things are NEVER boring on this blog! ;-)

Hope this finds you well and more rested than us!

Jan

So much to catch up on

I had a wonderful week with Yolanda Pettinato who generously spent so much of her time with me. We worked on my teaching skills and also she was very devoted to deepening my meditation practice. My head is spinning with all of the new ideas and concepts I have been exposed to. Now comes the exciting part of the journey where I begin to meld my own ideas to the ones I've learned in order to build something authentic and powerful for myself and by extension my students.

Thank you to friends and students who have been emailing me that I am missed. I am so grateful for the relationships and friendships I have all around the world. I never feel lonely because I am surrounded by so much love and warmth.

Okay, I must run because the family has arrived for a last dinner together, but I will post more soon.

Namaste,

Jan

p.s. See attached photo of Neenish Tarts from Church Street in Brighton. A yummy treat from my doting mother-in-law.

From Oliver and Jamie .... my nephews in Oz

Jamie: "I had a good Aussie Rules Football match. And my team won by 2 points and the match before that I won by 15 points. Usually I play down back and I always stay on my man when I'm on back. Once I got moved up to forward and I was getting tackled from behind and I managed to get the kick away and got it to my teammate who kicked a goal."


Oliver: "Hello"


As you can see we are finishing our sleepover with cousins and having a great time. I'm off to a private yoga class with Yolanda this morning in a few minutes so more later.

Jamie: "Bye"
Oliver: "Bye"
Jan: "Bye"

p.s. Izzy is still sleeping.

Catching up with old friends

Izzy and I had lunch and a nice long visit with one of my oldest friends and her husband. Izzy enjoyed walking their dog Chico and playing on the beach while we enjoyed lunch at a cafe right on the water. It was sunny and fairly mild today so the weather was an ally for a change.

Tried a new yoga posture today that was quite a complicated balancing act. I enjoyed trying it but I'm not really sure it's a real bonafide asana or just something new I've cooked up. It was fun to try though. I've also been "kicking at the moon" which is a movement that I've learned here from Lev that encourages loosening of all muscles and relaxing more fully into the ground. Imagine donkey lying on his back in Shreck and then begin flailing about your legs and arms and you get the general idea. Then add in breathwork to make the whole thing work. Even if you don't achieve great enlightenment you'll definitely have a giggle. (or at least your kids will if they get to witness it!)

Had a great chicken schnitzel dinner last night with David's brother's family at their local pub The Swan. Pubs are the best value for money restaurants in Australia. Check out the menu site for prices and selection and then check out this site for another restaurant down the street where we've eaten frequently to get an idea. Poci's Restaurant

Well, that's it for me today. I start kid duty tomorrow with the neighbor's daughter and then a sleepover with cousins coming on Tuesday. If you don't hear from me for a few days it's probably because they've tied me to the Hills Hoist out back!

Hugs and happy days,

Jan

Missing my other half...

Happy 4th of July from Oz,

David took off on the epic voyage home today and as always, it feels a little melancholy without him here. He becomes effervescent the moment he arrives in Melbourne, so it's a big hole to fill when he leaves. We laugh like crazy when we first arrive here, because the first thing he does is to kiss the ground outside Melbourne Airport because he's so happy to be home. I'm sure he'll swallow someone else's gum one of these days off the sidewalk! He'll be happy to get back to Portland too, but it's trite but true, "there's no place like home".

Anyway, we just took it easy today and I went for a shortish walk and did some easy yoga this morning. Nothing too taxing as I think we all needed the break. Tomorrow the rounds begin again with family and friends. Played around with Google Earth tonight and if you haven't done this I can't recommend it highly enough. Such fun to go whizzing around the world peeking into other people's back gardens. Not seriously, as the graphics thankfully have some limits, but it is still great fun to check out landmarks and places missed. Check it out here at: Google Earth if you haven't already.

Namaste and I hope this finds you well and happy,

Jan

Headstands and homecooked meals...

So once again while practicing in the upstairs bedroom, I fell out of headstand to the alarm of David's parents. The whole house shakes when I tumble down. I think I'll have to forgo being upside down for a while so everyone can settle their nerves. It is a bit much to be benignly enjoying your morning cereal only to be startled with the crash overhead. Maybe I should work on a softer landing? I'm sure if my tummy muscles would only strengthen magically, then I wouldn't have such loud landings. It is great fun to get upside down though. I love watching the palm trees waving wrong side up while I breathe slowly in and out. Very meditative when I forget about the mechanics and just enjoy the sensation.

The brisket and chicken soup with matzah balls came out very well and we enjoyed another family dinner before David leaves to go back to America without us. We girls stay on for another 11 days while he gets back to work to help pay off this vacation. I feel slightly guilty but it's surprising how slightly! ;-)

Must get to bed now but I hope this finds you in good health and good spirits,

Jan