Our Practice – Savasana
I have been practicing yoga a long time. The early years, very casually and more recently, much more seriously. Most everyone who knows me has heard me say that I started practicing yoga because even at 10 years old I was as inflexible as a 90-year-old (as well as completely uninterested in sports or exercise). When I began taking yoga classes (I had come full circle on the whole exercise thing), I was so focused on yoga as exercise for flexibility and so not aware of what yoga was, that I regularly cut out of my YMCA yoga classes before “that little rest at the end”. I have come to learn and appreciate the importance of what is likely the most important asana, savasana. I still find it incredibly challenging!
I recently read an older article in YogaJournal where several yoga teachers weighed in, I note the link below. One of my favorite quotes was from Eoin Finn, yoga teacher and founder of Blissology Yoga, “Missing Savasana is like taking the time to mix a cake batter but not stick it in the oven to bake. This small chunk of time completely changes the mental and physical benefits of the practice. This is when we actually have energy restored instead of energy being drained”
Let’s try to encourage ourselves to not deprive ourselves of the full savasana that we deserve.
Meditation
I am a person who has been blessed with many friends. I have lived in several places, had varied employment and diverse interests and these experiences have led to me meeting many people, some who I am fortunate to be able to call friends. Recently I spent time with a group of some of my oldest friends (some of you practiced with me via Zoom from Florida and met one or two of them). I have known them all since childhood - and that is a long time! We have made a ritual of at least one get together per year (we are now spread across the country) to celebrate our “40th birthday”. These are the people in my life that if I called and said, “I have a problem” would not “say what is it”? - but would say, “I will be on the next plane/car/bike”! I have been thinking about the power of these relationships and why are they are so enduring?
I have met many people over the years who find it incredible that this group has stayed so close for 50 years. My belief is that friendships are like any living thing, you need to care for and feed them. Without attention and nurturing, they do not flourish. We all get distracted by life and our good friends also know this. Reflecting on the power of relationships, however, has made me recommit to being more attentive and to continue to invest in what is one of the most precious things in my life, my friendships.
“A friend is one that knows you as you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become, and still, gently allows you to grow.”-William Shakespeare
Nurturing With Food – Veggie Ramen Bowl
Full disclosure, my husband, Peter does most of the cooking in my house. He is the one who consistently makes dinner. I love to cook but he has the dedication for the “real dinner” almost every night and has more patience for it. I cook when I feel like it, or out of necessity, and while I am fairly good, and love it, the credit for the ongoing feeding of gourmet meals to our family and friends goes to him. My friend Lynne once said to me, “it is not fair to have two good cooks in one house” and that they should be spread out in the world, one per family! In any event, I have been pushing Pete to document his recipes so that we could begin to share them with our Rockbriar Farm community. In addition to the yoga studio, we have a guest cabin on our property that we rent, and we offer boxed lunch and breakfast to those guests as well as pre-ordered dinner. Over the years we have done some catering and offered our culinary services as an auction item for nonprofits. As Peter moves into “retirement” we hope to informally ramp up his passion into a little (maybe) side gig. While he is not a vegetarian, pescatarian or vegan, may of his recipes are or can be adapted to such diets. I am a self-described “almost vegan” and my older son has adopted a plant based (not exclusive) diet. Pete also avoids meat most of the time.
As a vegan (almost), I have found that ethnic foods give me far more delicious options, and I particularly love Indian, Thai and Vietnamese food. Peter developed the following recipe from many that he studied and tried and I think you will love it.
See you on the mat
Namaste
Julia Anne
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