Yoga Niyamas / New Year Intention: Compassion

California Poppies. Photo by Matt McGrath.

One of the eight limbs of yoga according to Patanjali is called “niyama.” The niyamas include the following five observances: purity, contentment, ardour, discipline, and self-study. These observances are directed inwardly at oneself for the purpose of personal development — cleansing and preparing ourselves for enlightenment.

It is with this in mind that at the turn of each new year, I like to choose an intention as a focal point for self-study. I like the idea of an annual intention as opposed to a resolution because it allows for wiggle room — room and time to really explore a concept within my own life without judgment and with plenty of room for varying levels of success over time.

Once I choose an intention for the year, I just keep the idea in the back of my mind through all my everyday activities. When I reflect on my actions and habits (samskaras), I look at them through the lens of my intention and see if I've behaved in a way that is compatible with it. If not, I make a point to learn from the experience and to try to act with more awareness in the future.

In 2010 my intention is compassion.

My past annual intentions have been:

• Courage
• Creativity
• Friendship
• Patience
• Contentment

If you choose to hold an intention for 2010, I would love to hear about it and share our experiences together.

San Rafael Reef, Utah

After having a gaggle of people over for Thanksgiving, we decided to spend the weekend with a couple friends in the San Rafael Reef in Utah. Over two days we hiked about 22 miles in Chute & Crack Canyons and Bell & Little Wild Horse Canyons.


Little Wild Horse Canyon & Bell Canyon Loop is considered the “classic” hike in the San Rafael Reef, and it didn’t disappoint! The canyons reminded me of the sculptures of Richard Serra, walking through tall, skinny passages that tower overhead, leaning this way and that. Another part of the canyon felt like walking down a water slide in the middle of a carnival fun house.

Richard Serra Sculptures

This was perhaps one of my top 20 weekends of all time... I love the desert, and can’t wait to spend more time exploring the slot canyons in the reef. Amazing stuff only about 3 hours from our house!

Yoga Poses at Sunrise

Reverse Warrior

My friend Tyrell is a painter and asked me if she could photograph me doing a few yoga poses so she could have a reference for her new paintings . . . Of course I agreed. These are my two favorite shots, taken in the new dance studio at Mesa State College at sunrise. I prefer the photos that don’t show my face because then it’s more about the pose and less about me. Plus I’m not the most photogenic person ever. Check out my yoga website at: www.generousadventure.com

Pinca Mayurasana

Delicate Arch by Moonlight

Delicate Arch by full moon light.

Matt and I needed to get out into nature last weekend, so we decided to take a day trip to Arches National Park near Moab, Utah (about 2.5 hours from Grand Junction). We knew the moon would be nearly full, so we walked up to Delicate Arch just before sunset. When we arrived there were probably 50 or 60 people hovering around, but as the sun tipped below the horizon everyone quietly left for home... except the two of us. We stayed another couple hours after sunset and watched the moon come up. The moon cast sharp shadows on the rock all around us. Matt spent time capturing these amazing night images of Delicate Arch, while I worked on perfecting my yoga back bends (too bad we didn’t get any photos of that). The natural stone arches and clear, bright sky really inspired me to open my heart!

Profile view of Delicate Arch by full moon light.

After enjoying having the whole place to ourselves for a couple hours, we hiked back to the car by moonlight. The moon was so vivid and bright that we didn’t need our headlamps at all. At one point in the trail we caught the distinct aroma of cinnamon floating through the air. I wish I knew what high desert plant smells of cinnamon at night. I’m always so inspired by the multi-sensory experiences that are to be had in nature. Who needs all that newfangled technology, anyway?!

My Letter to the Editor

Last week my editorial was published in the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel.

Our House in 1964

These are a couple photos taken by the Nicholsons in 1964 when they bought the house we now own. They lived here until 2006. Mrs. Nicholson wanted to put shutters on the windows, but I don’t think they ever got around to it.

In the photo above, there is a whole part of the house in the back with a sloping roof that is no longer there. I wonder what was in that part of the house? I do know that when it was remodeled in 2006, the kitchen was moved to a whole ‘nother room, and the laundry room and a bathroom were put where the original kitchen was.

In 2006, they also opened up the enclosed front porch seen in the photo above and it’s now much more welcoming. We’re going to get some big planters for the front porch and/or a nice porch swing.

Our House

This is our new house! It was built in 1905 and is in the historic district in Grand Junction. Next year we're going to work a little bit on the front yard to make it a little more homey.

Of course we love the historic style of the house most of all (I’ll post interior shots in another entry). But we’re continually surprised by luxuries we didn’t know we missed: a dishwasher, ice maker, washer and dryer, air conditioning. We’ve only been living here a week, and I think I’ve already washed almost everything we own. What a luxury to never have to scrounge for quarters or sit at a laundromat again!

The previous owners fixed up the back yard with a new patio and xeriscaping, which we love! Someday, we’d like to find a way to incorporate solar panels.

Another view of the back yard. My mom is going to give us her patio furniture, and we just got a beautiful fire pan so we can sit outside on chilly evenings.

Edward Burtynsky Documents Industrial Impacts & Pollution

A mine in Australia.

From time to time, I find images that tear at my soul in their depiction of the devastating effects of our industrialized civilization on the earth. These scars on the surface are only a hint at the destruction that flows from their epicenters. From the displacement of wildlife to the poisoning of groundwater, our consumer lifestyles have a dramatic impact on the planet. See my other posts about mining and its impacts: Amazing Aerials by Alexander Heilner and Strip Mining Conundrum.

Salt ponds in Australia.

Check out these images by Edward Burtynsky. Nicholas Metivier Gallery describes his work here: “Edward Burtynsky’s large-scale colour photographs reveal the many facets of nature as it is transformed through human industry. Exquisitely detailed and exactingly rendered, his images strike an intricate balance between a somber reportage and a powerfully seductive aesthetic.”

Nickel Tailings in Canada.

A rock quarry in Vermont.

An oilfield in California.

Generous Adventure Yoga Featured in the Grand Junction Free Press

Reverse Warrior Pose

An interview with me about Generous Adventure Yoga & Wellness is in today’s edition of the Grand Junction Free Press!

Check it out:
What goods or services do you provide? I am a yoga teacher. I offer group yoga and meditation classes around town that are open to everyone! I am also pleased to offer private sessions to yoga students who prefer to practice individually or with groups of friends and co-workers.

What’s new or exciting at your place? I’m offering several new yoga classes in Grand Junction. I’m currently teaching classes at Fairmount Hall (2511 N. 12th St.) and Healing Horizons (2139 N. 12th St.). Before year-end, I will be adding new classes at Yoga West Collective and Western Colorado Center for the Arts. Check my website at www.generousadventure.com or call for the latest schedule and locations. New students receive 10% off Generous Adventure multi-class passes!

What strategy do you use to differentiate your business from your competition? I believe one size does not fit all. I tailor each yoga class to the abilities of the students who attend. Yoga is a great way for busy moms, dads, and professionals to treat themselves to a bit of personal time that also benefits their physical and emotional health. I love giving a gentle yoga class to senior citizens, enhancing their mobility, lung capacity, and psychological wellbeing. I also enjoy offering a higher-intensity class to athletes to enhance their performance in their sport—whether it is running, biking, skiing, soccer, or whatever!

What philosophy do you follow in dealing with your customers? “ANYONE can do yoga!” If you can breathe, you can do yoga. I welcome people of all shapes, sizes, ages, and abilities.

What can your customers expect from you? I offer a welcoming, supportive, and non-competitive environment where yoga students of all levels can come to enhance their physical and emotional health. Results of a regular yoga practice include increased self-confidence and independence, stress reduction, and improved bodily function.

Tell us a little about your background, education and experience. I started practicing yoga at the YMCA in 1999. I was immediately hooked on the feeling of relaxation and rejuvenation I felt after each class. I received my Certificate of Vinyasa Krama Yoga from Loyola Marymount University with yoga master Srivatsa Ramaswami. In 2006, I completed my 200-hour yoga teacher training at Yoga Works in Los Angeles with Natasha Rizopolous. I studied in the Yoga Works 300-hour Professional Program under senior mentor and yoga therapist Jasmine Lieb. I’m currently studying to receive certification in Kundalini Yoga & Meditation through Golden Bridge Yoga in Los Angeles, and I have also begun a long-term course of study in ParaYoga® with renowned Carbondale-based yoga master Rod Stryker.

Happy Baby Pose

What is the most humorous thing that has happened at your business since you opened? I love to teach a yoga pose called “Happy Baby”. Every time teach this pose to a new student, it always gets a chuckle. It looks and feels just like it’s name: “Happy Baby”!

Essential Characteristics for a Possible Life Partner

I’ve been going through all my stuff, cleaning out everything as we prepare to move to our new house next month (!) .... So I came across this page I wrote back in 2002. I knew what I did NOT want in a life partner (thanks, exes!), but I really had to consider honestly and brutally ... What was going to be non-negotiable for me? This is the list I wrote (apparently I couldn’t count that day; it must’ve been past my bedtime!).

One thing I added later, but didn’t write down: #8 was: He should be willing to do something with me that he doesn’t particularly care about—just because he wants to make me happy. After writing this list, I was pretty hard-core about how I assessed the people I dated. The moment I had an inkling that someone did not possess the qualities I required, I gave them the boot!

One day shortly after writing this, I met Matt. We’ve been together since! I think by putting my requirements out there and sticking to them, not compromising... I actually was able to see through all the b.s. and see people for who they really were. Not that other people were bad people, but they simply weren’t the ONE.

Matt met my expectations from the beginning, and still does... even more so! Thanks, Smarty Beeswax!

Recent Small Paintings by Yours Truly

Knot. 4x6 inches. Ink & Acrylic on Plastic.

Check out a few of the new small paintings I’ve recently finished. I have about 15 new ones. I’m going to post some of them for sale on my Etsy Shop over the next few days. I hope you’ll buy one as a gift for family or friends!

Link. 4x6 inches. Ink & Acrylic on Plastic.

Tumbleweed. 4x6 inches. Ink & Acrylic on Plastic.

Luke Jerram’s Beautiful Diseases

Smallpox, HIV and an ‘Unknown Future Mutation’

Check out these amazing sculptures by artist Luke Jerram. (Thanks to my friend James Gladman for sharing them with me.) These are visualizations of the microbiotic structures of various diseases such as HIV, H1N1, and small pox. The pieces are stunning in their beauty. I’m always drawn to round things, and especially radial symmetry. The irony in this beauty is what makes these pieces all the more fascinating. How can something so deadly be so beautiful?

HIV

Jerram said, “Its great to be exploring the edges of scientific understanding and visualisation of a virus. Scientists aren't able to answer many of the questions I ask them, such as how the RNA is exactly fitted within the Capsid? At the moment, the technology isn't there to answer all these questions for certain. I'm also pushing the boundaries of glassblowing. Some of my designs simply can't be created in glass, Some are simply too fragile and gravity would cause them to collapse under their own weight. So there's a very careful balancing act that needs to take place, between the limitations of current scientific knowledge and glassblowing techniques.”

HIV

Swine Flu

Small Pox

Devastated about the Station Fire in the Angeles National Forest

IMG_7995
Originally uploaded by Scott Dukes

UPDATE 10/20/09: Today, 53 days after it began, the Station Fire has officially been declared “contained.” I’m looking forward to my next trip to L.A. so we can maybe get a look at the places we love to see how they’ve changed. I fully expect the wildflowers to be amazing each spring for the next few years.

Matt and I have spent more time in the Angeles National Forest high country than anywhere else. We know the trails like the back of our hands! Our first date consisted of a 12-mile hike on the Silver Moccasin Trail to Mt. Vetter & the Vetter Mountain Fire Lookout. Our second date was a hike up San Gabriel Peak to watch an amazing meteor shower.

Matt worked at the Chilao Visitor Center while he worked on his masters degree. There was a stuffed black bear in the visitor center that we named “Curtis”. There were special trees in the forest too. One I remember specifically, we called “Murphy”. I wish I had taken a picture of him.

Rumor is that the Chilao Visitor Center is gone, as is Newcomb’s Ranch. Most of our other favorite spots will be forever changed. But most of all I feel a deep sense of sadness for the Forest Service employees and other residents who have lost their homes, and the two fire fighters who died.

Matt took this photo of Chilao Visitor Center when he used to work there for the Forest Service. What a spectacular building. I hope it survived!

The area hasn't burned in about 50 years. The terrain is extremely steep and rocky. Lots of manzanita and other bushy chaparral cover the ground. These kinds of plants are loaded with oils that help them survive drought conditions, but can be explosive during a wildfire.

More Station Fire Images / Los Angeles Wildfires

This photo by @kjdrill shows the fires across the city from Mullholland Drive. Matt and I used to live about 2 minutes from Mullholland Drive in Studio City.

This image was taken by Kevin Tiqui from Sugarloaf (not sure where in LA that is).

Gearing Up to Teach More Yoga in Grand Junction, Colorado!

Soon, I’ll be teaching a lot more yoga in Grand Junction, Colorado! I currently teach three mornings a week at Mesa State College, and I’m looking forward to expanding my student base to include the entire Mesa County community!

Starting Sept 8, 2009:

Fairmount Hall @ 2511 N. 12th Street in GJ
Tues/Thurs: 8:45–9:45am — All levels for every body
Weds: 5:15–6:30pm — All levels yoga + meditation

Healing Horizons @ 2139 N. 12th Street in GJ
Mon: 6–7pm — All levels gentle yoga

Check my yoga website for more detailed information: www.generousadventure.com

I Dreamt of Things...

My dreaming dry spell was finally broken last night. When I woke up I was left with impressions from (count them) FOUR strange scenes:

1. I was at a theater seeing a play with my friend Lisa. There was a fire and the place was rapidly filling with smoke. People were evacuating. I was crawling around on the floor looking for my keys as several theater employees began to vacuum the carpets all around me.

2. I was sitting at a big table eating cream of wheat. I didn't have a bowl. My friend came up and sat across from me. She poured her bowl of macaroni salad all over my cream of wheat. Gross!

3. I worked in a skyscraper, and I had to walk up a very tall flight of stairs to get to my floor. The stairs were situated on the outside of the building and they were only about 12 inches wide. There was no railing. I carefully made my way up about 15 stories to the top of the staircase, only to realize that the door to my office was still another 20 feet away. I just stood there.

4. Everyone working in my office showed up with afros. The boss lady said she was going to reprimand Harriet because her afro just wasn’t big enough.

Storms Over the San Juan Mountains Near Telluride, Colorado

Trout Lake with Common Fireweed in the Foreground

Matt and I spent the weekend camping along Barlow Creek in the San Juan Mountains near Rico, Colorado. On Sunday, we had hoped to hike to Lake Hope from Trout Lake, but the sky was ominous as we made our way to the trail head. By the time we got there, it was raining buckets. From the safety of our truck, we experienced the occasional bolt of lightning and rumbles of thunder.

South Fork of the San Miguel River, just south of Telluride

Galloping Goose Trail along the South Fork of the San Miguel River

Colorado Hwy 145 between Rico and Telluride, near Lizard Head Pass

Exploring Bolam Pass — San Juan Mountains

Wildflowers near Bolam Pass

Exactly six years ago, Matt and I spent 10 days roaming around in the mountains of Colorado on our wedding trip. Back then we were driving a rental Toyota Corolla, so we couldn’t explore the 4x4 roads. We came back to the San Juan Mountains for the weekend to explore the area more thoroughly in our new truck... We stayed in a campsite along Barlow Creek in Cayton Campground, about a mile from a dispersed site where we camped in 2003.

We drove up to Bolam Pass to catch the late afternoon sun. Looking out toward Sheep Mountain, San Miguel Peak, and Grizzly Peak.

Aspen Daisies (aster) near Bolam Pass

Whipple Penstemon at the Greysill Mine site near Bolam Pass

Cow Parsnip is one of my favorite wildflowers. It stands about 5 feet tall and often grows in meadows with the equally-tall Subalpine Larkspur (delphinium).

Weekend at Lincoln Creek Surrounded by the Collegiate Peaks Near Aspen

Petroleum Lake with Red Mountain in background.

To escape the 100° heat in Grand Junction, Matt and I spent the weekend camping along Lincoln Creek, near Aspen, Colorado. We took a nice walk up to Anderson and Petroleum Lakes, and saw a ton of beautiful wildflowers in alpine and sub-alpine meadows.

Colorado Columbine

Matt hiking the old two-track toward Petroleum Lake

Wildflowers in a gulley

Anderson Lake

Parry Primrose

King’s Crown