I don't know about you, but my 'welcome back' week after the holidays has been a whirlwind of busy. Suddenly, here we are on Friday afternoon! Before another hour slips by, I wanted to make sure to announce my upcoming classes. Join me to learn about detoxing, wild spring greens, and spring tonics! I was invited to teach at the Morris Arboretum next month, so I'm looking forward to that event as well. Saturday January 31- Your Winter Cleanse Monday February 10-Friday February 14- Soup Recipe Exchange Week * Details Updated! Sunday February 22- Make Your Own Tonic- Spring Cleaning for the Body Saturday March 31- STRESS- What is it Good For? * Details Updated! Saturday April 18- Your Spring Cleanse Saturday April 25- Early Spring Greens Wild Weed Walk * New Date! All dates and times are subject to change until 1 week before each event. Especially the weed walk, we never know how the Spring weather will be! RSVP on the Upcoming Events page Here is a little montage of how my holiday break looked:
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What a delightful way to spend a day with friends- First, my first ever Aerial Yoga class (NONE of these pics are of me! But these are some of the poses we did. All images link to their original sources:) Then, breakfast on the porch Now, reading/knitting/resting on the house's screened porch with a light rain dripping around us, soon to turn into a late lunch and window shopping, and maybe some Grotto's Pizza (it's the World's Best Pizza, I have the holey, 20 year old t-shirt to prove it!) to round out the night.
THIS is my idea of a perfect vacation day! Some people like the excitement of new adventures, some like the convenience of hotel rooms you don't have to clean yourself, some want more great outdoors and less walls, some want tall buildings, taxi cabs, theaters, museums, and world famous restaurants. It's all good! Just find what truly relaxes your soul, and DO THAT. SOON. My great teacher, Maia Toll, has announced her next transition. She is closing one of her two Herbiary shops in Philadelphia, and relocating with her husband Andrew and their dogs to Asheville NC to set up there. I am simultaneously happy and sad. I suppose ‘sad’ doesn’t quite do it justice- bereft is more appropriate!
I grew up with herbal medicine. I told everyone that’s what I was going to do with my life, from my earliest memories. I just had no idea what that meant. So my passion and dreams slipped away, off the back burner and into the back porch on a dusty shelf. One day in March 2010 I met Maia. She gave a workshop at an event I was attending, and I was excited enough to join her break-out session that afternoon. The drive home was full of discussions about her and her teachings. There was something both professional and welcoming about her style- she knew what she was talking about and she wanted to share it with us. Later that spring I was gifted a spot in her Foundations of Community Herbalism class. The rest of my world promptly went severely out of focus and into total chaos; I was suddenly being given the chance to reinvent myself and find my Truth. It was there, sill in the back porch, waiting. Maia had opened up the space in me that needed those old dreams of mine. These last 4 years have been amazing, and awe-inspiring, and just wonderful. Maia has become someone who gives me great hugs, who came to see me settled in my new apartment because she’s happy I have a home, who trusted me with her dogs when she was out of town, who has been a guiding light and a genuine supporter of me. I love her as a teacher and a colleague and a friend. That’s why I’m also so very very happy for her. She is so excited to move on, to have the next adventure, and to change again. I’ve seen many iterations of Maia in 4 years- some I just watched, and some I got to be involved with (very exciting stuff!) I know this is her next phase, it’s the natural progression of the world. I just can’t mourn her loss, that feels too selfish to me, this is just too right for her. Of course, I've been able to see her often! After next week, it’s all over. She’ll have vanished from my orbit, and then I’ll find myself missing her terribly. But hopefully we won’t lose touch, and I’ll get to see her evolve into her next guise, bigger and better than Philly could ever let her be. In one of my favorite books, Anne of Green Gables, Anne and her best friend have to say goodbye to their favorite teacher at the same time that Anne finishes her time as a student of that country school. The scene is full of images of their past together and probable future apart, but there are a few lines that I’m expecting to live out at our class retreat next week: “It does seem as if it was the end of everything, doesn’t it?” [Diana] said dismally…Two big tears rolled down by Diana’s nose. “If you would stop crying I could,” said Anne imploringly. “Just as soon as I put away my hanky I see you brimming up and that starts me off again. As Mrs. Lynde says, ‘If you can’t be cheerful, be as cheerful as you can.’” Even when I’m crying, I’ll be cheerful on the inside for you, Maia. I’ll miss you. As one of Anne’s students wrote to her (well, plagiarized, really, but that's a longer story...) “Dearest teacher, good night. The sun has set and the stars are shining… stars that are as bright and beautiful as your eyes… May God watch over you and protect you from all harm. Your afecksionate pupil,” Paula *I just have to add that, after writing this, I went for an evening walk in town. I had just missed a rain shower, the trees and porch roofs were still dripping, and the air smelled of softness and cut grass and hope. I started considering that Water is the last of the 5 Elements, the end of the cycle, it’s death and finishing. However, one of our co-teachers last year taught us that the circle never ends- it’s a spiral, so each completion moves up or down a level, because the end of something is the beginning of something else. My thoughts from how fitting it was to be walking in the Water during Spring (Wood, the beginning of the cycle) thinking of the transitions my teacher and I are both making, to thinking how fitting it was to be walking there in that particular spot. Unbeknownst to me when I moved into my great little apartment last Autumn, this is the area Maia grew up in. I’m beginning my true life in the place where she began her life too, and now she’s finishing her cycle as I’m starting mine. Now, I know that moving away from here is nothing new for Maia, she’s lived lots of different places, even Ireland for a time when she began her herbal training. But still, it’s fitting. Merry meet, Maia. Meditation, like so many other ‘shoulds’ in my life, had to become a seamless part of my daily routine in order for me to do it more than once. I should do it, I feel great when I do, but I’ve found that I will prioritize all sorts of other tasks in front of the ones that are just for me alone.
Let me describe how I’ve made meditation part of my day. Have you meditated before? Have you sat up straight, on a cushion, hands arranged just so, facing a certain direction on the compass? I have, and I’ve felt the power of that position, the ground beneath me, the sky above, the universe all around. But one I’m up in the morning, once I’m out of bed, well… There’s teeth to brush and breakfast to eat and dishes to wash and email to check and lunch to pack and where’s that bill I got yesterday? So here’s my secret: I meditate in bed. Before I ever get out from under the blankets! This works great for me. I love to lay in bed in the morning, and luxuriate in the restful, peaceful quiet before anything crazy happens. Meditating allows me that time and sets up positive energy for the rest of the day- or at least for the morning. My routine is simple. I lay on my back, propped on a couple pillows. My hands are generally both on my low belly, or one there and one on my heart. (I have a cold digestive system, so a hand on my belly brings heat and a gentle pressure and a sense of awareness and caring to that area.) Sometimes I place my hands on my legs, in a yoga mudra. When I am following a Meditation Challenge like Finding Your Flow right now, I log into the site, press play, and lay back. On other mornings, I have an app on my phone called Meditation Helper, which allows me to set chimes at certain intervals. When I press Start, a 20 second timer starts. This gives me time to quickly read a mantra stored in my phone and to get all settled. A chime sounds to mark the beginning of my 15 minute meditation. After 5 minutes, a second chime sounds. This is a check-in for me, to make sure I’m meditating and not distracted by my thoughts or dozing off. After 10 more minutes, 2 chimes sound to mark the end of my session. The app also sets my phone to airplane mode while the timer is on, so I don’t have to worry about phone calls, texts or other noises interrupting me during that time. This is one of my favorite features! I have a separate meditation series saved for my Meditation Challenge days, one that has no chimes and doesn't set my phone to Airplane- otherwise the internet is cut off and I can't listen to the meditation! Another great feature of the Meditation App is that it has a widget that shows how many days in a row I’ve meditated, if I did today, and what my record is. Seeing that every time I turn my phone on prompts me to squeeze in my meditation, even on mornings when I’m running late. We're a few days into the 21 Day Challenge with Chopra Center Meditation, and it's quite enjoyable! I've been waking up to mediate in bed, as I described in Part 1. Today, though, the daily email's link gave me an error. No problem, I thought, I still have a browser window open from yesterday's meditation, so I'll get to today's through there. No dice. Their website must be having problems. So usually when I'm meditating, I use one of Deepak Chopra's 7 Spiritual Laws of Success. I'll tell you more about that soon, but the 2 second version is that I have one for each day of the week saved as a recurring event on my calender. So every Friday, to take today as an example, I read over The Law of Detachment and what did I see as today's mantra? My Actions are Blissfully Free From Attachment to Outcome Well, if that's not a big flashing neon sign from the universe I don't know what is! I'm here to meditate, I'm awake and everything, but not because of the content I'm getting from the daily guided meditations. If I was "attached to outcome," I'd have experienced frustration, annoyance, maybe anger, maybe some victimization (I try so hard to do this and now I can't even connect to the site! Why does this happen to me?!) And believe it when I tell you, those possible reactions are familiar to me! Instead, and I credit the meditating I've been doing, I had no reaction whatsoever. There was a "Huh," then a "Well, I'll try this," and then "OK, I'll do this instead," and there was also a little "That's terrible for the people running the site, and others trying to connect." Having this practice allows me to enjoy small moments and savor small pleasures, instead of flipping out when things don't go as I planned or as I wish. Of course, I'm not perfect (get in line with the others to verify this!) so this blissful detachment doesn't always happen. But when it does, I feel peace and pleasure at being part of a calm experience. I decided NOT to title this post, "How To Meditate." You can meditate however you want! It's YOUR meditation! But I understand that this practice is very new to lots of people, so I'll share how I do it, and maybe that'll give you some inspiration. Traditionally, strictly speaking, you should rise at dawn, sit cross legged on a cushion, and greet the day facing east with your meditation. Light a candle, have tea next to you, feel the sun break over your face. I think that sounds wonderful. I know my limitations, however, and I know I'm not going to do all that. My rituals have to be less structured so I have less steps to back out on, less reasons to do it "later." How exactly do I talk myself into this every day? Sleep is very important to me! My first hurdle in meditating was to make it a regular practice, and adding any kind of longish routine to my morning was destined to fail. After trying various times of day and physical arrangements, I made a big decision: I Can Handle 15 Extra Minutes in the Morning Here's where your meditation practice already becomes personal to you.
I realized that 15 more minutes of sleep wasn't going to make my day any better, and that losing 15 minutes wouldn't make my day any worse. This is a core belief of mine. When my alarm goes off, that's the thought that enters my mind. I find that beginning my day with meditation makes for a qualitatively better day. I don't necessarily 'return to the mantra' during my day, but the day is decidedly better for the meditating. I also find that when I try to meditate before bed, my relaxed mind then drifts haphazardly all over the place and I have a lot of trouble falling asleep. So I, personally, recommend meditating first thing in the morning. Maybe you're the person who gets up at 5am to exercise no matter what, always. Maybe you get up at 5am even if you don't want to. Or maybe you stay up till 5am and are just grabbing a couple hours before your day starts. The point is, there's lots of sleep styles out there, and lots of waking styles. My 15 minute rule may not resonate with you, and you may have to find your own reasons. But do find your reasons, it's so worth it! This Full Moon habit is an easy pick for me! Deepak Chopra began a free 21-day meditation challenge today, on Finding Your Flow. I encourage you to try it! So I'll be posting some hints and tips I've picked up about meditating as we descend into the next New Moon. And don't forget, there's a lunar eclipse tonight! It begins about 2am EST, and the current weather for Philly calls for showers after 3am, so we might get to see some of it. I'll be setting my alarm to try, anyway! Here's some info on the eclipse: From National Geographic From NASA Happily, having one of THOSE DAYS doesn't happen too often, and doesn't last too long. Don't get me wrong, I've been in a funk, and I've been depressed, and I've been flattened by the weight of simply living to the point that the only think keeping me from sinking right into the Earth is the Earth itself holding me up. Those are terrible in their own right, as well. But having one of those days, that starts off bright and promising but does a wretched and whiplashing about-face, that ends up so grumpy and peevish, especially compared to where you were that morning... well I'm glad that's over. I've also finished watching my friend's dogs, so my twice- or thrice-daily walks are over too. Yesterday, my first day back home, was mostly a rest day, but I did move a bookcase and rearrange some things, so there was a little activity. Today my running buddy and I went out to a sweet breeze and warm sunshine, with bare arms and smiles. It was a lovely spring day, and our run around a local park had Celandine and pink Cherry trees and Forsythia and white Violets and other flowers that I can't name, but admired each time we passed them. Ah spring. Then I bought a broom and a Reese's Peanut Butter cup because I love 'em, and walked back home to shower and sweep my kitchen. And to take a little nap, as well. Because I love them too. Day 9: Again, very busy at work and driving, so good dog walks were the best I could do. But it's Spring all of a sudden, and it's lovely! Day 10: The forecast is for very warm temps today, but this morning it's in the 30's again! Let's call that 'brisk'. Today became One of Those Days. Not a sick day, but a day to feel like crap. Nothing bad happened today- quite the contrary, it was an unremarkable day, and could have been quite pleasant. It started well enough, a little tired but fine. Why did it end up like this? I wasn't going to say anything, because blah blah whine whine. But I reconsidered because I thought of the bloggers I follow, and how I like it when they're honest about the not so bright and shiny parts of their world too. So here's me, feeling like crap. How did my day come to this? Maybe because I went out to dinner last night, and ate more heavily than I'm used to. This could be stagnant digestion. Maybe because I decided to make a pineapple orange spinach smoothie this morning and have a light food day, allowing my body to clean itself up a little. This could be extra toxins. Maybe it's my Upper Limit Problem. My teacher Maia suggested a while ago I read The Big Leap, a book about why we self-sabotage just when things are going good, and I finally got a hold of a copy. Things are going good right now, especially with my pilates studio which is usually a source of at least moderate anxiety for me. So maybe I have to look at where this feeling of blah is coming from- it could be me. Maybe I really am just run down. I've been working more than usual the last 3 or 4 weeks, and have had more projects to finish during that time. Whyever this is how I'm spending my night, it's comforting to know that I don't usually feel like this, and I won't forever, either. I also feel a little guilt and self-disgust for wasting a perfectly good day! I tell my pilates clients that they have to have bad days to appreciate the good ones. All the same, I'm looking forward to tomorrow. I really am grateful for this side gig of mine sometimes, this dog sitting. We've had a wild swing of weather in the few days I've been here- wet, sunny, cold, warm. I know I wouldn't have experienced it like I have if I wasn't walkin' the pups every day. Last night was cold, and then this morning- it was 10 degrees warmer than when I went to bed!
I know I don't spend as much time outside as I'd like, and I try to make up for it with windows, but really being outside is just different. The neighbor's forsythia is blooming, and I probably wouldn't have noticed if the dogs hadn't become inordinately interested in their own front step today. Somebody around the corner has the most beautiful, deeply yellow crocus patch. Hyacinth is appearing. Spring is finally starting to unfold, and I absolutely would be missing all this. My own little patch of garden is still to cold to do anything but shiver at me. Exercise-wise, it's still daily walks. Work has me busy, and so does driving to and from puppy pee breaks. However, my hips continue to loosen which is WONDERFUL! My running buddy and I had a yoga class planned for later in the week that got canceled, so I'll have to come up with something else. That's my day off, so there will be some time. But ahhh, Spring is finally beginning! |
Fun Fact: I'm an herbalist and a movement coach. Not a doctor, or a pharmacist, and not pretending to be one on TV.
This is a public space, so my writing reflects my experiences and I try to stay general enough so it might relate to you. This does not constitute medical advice, and I encourage you to discuss concerns with your doctor. Remember, however, that the final say in your wellness decisions are always yours- you have the power to choose, you are the boss of you. And, some of my posts may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through them I'll earn a few cents. Thank you for supporting my work. This website is provided for educational and informational purposes only and is not medical, mental health or healthcare advice. The information presented here is not intended to diagnose, treat, heal, cure or prevent any illness, medical condition or mental or emotional condition. Working with us is not a guarantee of any results. Paula Billig owns all copyrights to the materials presented here unless otherwise noted. Categories
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