Beloved friends,
Just now is one of the most beautiful times in the forest in which I live: amongst the evergreens, the mosses and lichens are still lush from our winter rains. The sun has begun to return, so the deciduous trees are budding all over with fresh leaves. The sheer variety and vibrance of the living green is... nourishing, awe-inspiring; humbling, somehow. So much life. Many flowering trees are in blossom, and I'm eagerly awaiting the blossom of the little lilac beside my temple door. In this spirit of spring blossom I have several new events to share with you. I hope you find something that calls to you here or something to enjoy in the resources which follow.
Offerings
Spring Cleaning
April 22-May 3
Group support: $125, individual support, $150-30, sliding scale
My longtime practice for spring is to embrace cleansing shifts with the rising energy of the season. I like to make these shifts in a slow roll, day by day, gently for my body and mind. I make changes to my diet, resting from some things (alcohol, dairy, sugar, eggs, beef, pork), enjoy the inspiration of the fresh fruit and vegetables coming into season, take warm baths and do some dry skin brushing to support my body in clearing, bask in the sun, get a massage... it's a time of luxury on some levels and austerity and others. I always feel fantastic at the end! This seasonal ritual helps me attend to the ways my habits affect my wellbeing, like a spring cleaning for my living.
You are invited to join me for inspiration and social support. I am not a nutritionist or your doctor, so I won't be prescriptive about anyone's nourishment choices. I will share my own path and more possibilities and you're welcome to share your choices if you wish. Weight numbers will not be discussed; feelings about bodies are warmly welcome. A friendly daily email will offer pleasurable ways to support ourselves in body and mind and the option of joining conversation for social support and encouragement: $125. You could choose to add a set of 3 one hour 1:1 sessions with me: beforehand to plan, during for support, and near the end to discuss integration & onward for an additional $150-300, sliding scale. Register by paying here, or drop me a line to discuss! I'd love to share this with you.
Saturday Online Yoga Special
4 weeks, $50
Spring is a wonderful time to increase our physical activity, so I'm offering a special rate for The Soft Animal online yoga, Saturday mornings 9:15-10:45: April 27-May 18, 4 weeks for $50. Yes, you can still drop in. Yes, it's still no one turned away for lack of funds. Also, you can up your commitment if that sounds juicy with the turning of the season! Register simply by paying here. Questions welcome!
Energetic Refreshment for Summer
May 4, 12-1:30PM Pacific, $20-35 sliding scale
Come and honor May Day or Beltane, the gentle start of summer, with this online session of energy work performed through guided meditation. We will attune ourselves to our energetic aspect, the pranamaya kosha, connect to the Earth in grounding, then invite energy to flow inward for renewal, inspiration, healing, and outward in clarification and release. From this state of connection we will offer loving support for all of life. A gentle and powerful session of engagement with the subtle body. Registration through the San Francisco Integral Yoga Institute; 50% of the proceeds will support the SFIYI.
Resources
On the Dreaming of Birds
What a gorgeous little exploration this essay is: poetic, romantic, scientific musing. Thanks to Aimee.
Transcendental
Yoshi Sodeoka's multimedia art and music is extraordinary: birds flying in fibonacci spirals, wild color; I simply don't have the words to convey this. I hope you'll take a moment to look.
Venting Anger
To follow a thread from last week: contrary to common belief, venting doesn't ease anger! Research "shows that any good feeling we get from venting actually reinforces aggression" and what brings relief is decreasing our state of physical arousal. "Calming tactics already proven to ease stress may also rob anger of physiological fuel." Processing the experience will then be a gentler thing with less heat afoot. Fascinating and actionable! Thanks to Aimee.
The Spice of Life
Penzey's spice company are beloved for their quality, customer service, and their strong moral stance. Perhaps you heard the uproar when their CEO called our last Republican president a racist – and their About Republicans page is amazing. This weekend I found the cumin seed I needed was 50% off in a sale called The Spices That Make America – spices common in countries with large Muslim populations. Yesterday was Eid al-Fitr, the ending of Ramadan, so probably wise to hop on this quickly if it calls to you! A belated Eid Mubarak, a blessed Eid, to all who honored this holy day.
Moonshadow
A surprising delight from NASA's coverage of the full solar eclipse was the International Space Station's view of the shadow of the moon traipsing slowly across the surface of the Earth. How incredible to watch the path of totality from this angle! Thanks to James.
Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude
Usually when I share a poem with you I place the poem in the body of this missive. It doesn't seem feasible to do that with this poem, because it is very long. It is... very long. I read the entire poem aloud to James in the truck today as we drove to pick up my first solo retreatant. The friend who shared this poem with us said she'd just read it aloud to her empty apartment. At the end we sat blinking, stunned. We opened the sunroof, blinked some more, and then burst into deep conversation about life. We emphatically agreed that we'd like to read this poem perhaps once a week for the next little while. It contains bumblebees, a goat on the top branch of a pear tree, death, addiction, fainting, fucking (the action and the word, several times), and an astonishing catalog of plants. Ross Gay's Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude is the most joyful, life-affirming, messy, glorious poem I have read in quite some time. Thanks to Leah.