2009 Begins

Last night was a lot of fun at home.
I talked to Nicole which was great to chat and talk about last year and the year to come.
Denver & I ate Chilli, watched the Peach & Apple drop, goofed around. It was a lot of fun.
I did wake up with a major sinus headache. Apparently the crazy weather changes here in Georgia are affecting my sinuses.

I juiced some veggies this morning, made breakfast and took some medicine. It is starting to feel better.

I have a tofurky in the oven, Black-eyed peas on the stove and we are making greens as well. It all smells really yummy!

I am going to skip going to the yoga studio today. I am going to practice at home, shower, and read.

I do have some awesome yoga plans for 2009! I am excited because things are coming into place I think..finally!!


2009 Yoga Related Plans:

1) Taking Mysore classes 2-3 times a week at Atlanta Ashtanga/Urban Body
I still have to make sure my boss is cool if I come into work around 8 or 8:30 a few times a week. I hope so!

2) Monday Nights I am taking classes at Atlanta Self Discovery: Alternating Mondays will be: The Bhagavad Gita & An ayurveda book study

3) Vinyasa Workshop in Ashville this April- which I am reading The Heart of Yoga; Developing a Personal Practice & The Yoga Handbook

4) Visit Nicole this summer...something Yoga related of course. I hope Dharma visits Chicago! Or if Cara does a workshop of some sort.

5) Denver has been reading books on Buddhism and he has some genuine interest in it. So I found this really nice retreat in the North Georgia Mountains called Mandala. One class coming up is a meditation & jounraling day. It includes a vegetarian lunch and guided meditation. So I think he & I will try to do this at some point this year!

6) Going to see Krishna Das. I can't afford both of the nights he is in town and I wasn't thrilled with Variety playhouse. So I think I will take his workshop at Jai Shanti

7) Denver & I are going to composte! With jucing there is a lot of pulp & stuff left over. So Denver mentioned about composting for soil. So we got a large garbage can with a lid off the back deck. He knows what to do so I am letting him take charge of this. But the good news is we can use the soil to plan veggies this sping!

Some other things I would love to do but not sure if it will happen (crossing fingers and hoping to do week finanically)

• Head to North Caroline for a weekend to practice with Chandra Om- Perhaps on a Maha Sadhana? She is the closest I can get to Dharma and NYC is so far away!
• Go to NYC when Nicole graduates from teacher training.
• Somehow practice with Kino MacGregor again some point this year.
• Manju jois is doing a workshop in Atlanta. But with taking a week off for Ashville I can't take more time off of work or spend the money.

So that is a outline for me to refer back to throughout the year! :) Hopefully crossing some things off my list.

I thought I would share with you something Dharma sent out to his mailing list. I thought it was a nice reminder for the New Year; You can read them here on his site (and posted below)

To my dearest students and friends,

1. Spend time Meditating. Meditation is unbroken concentration and the most effective type is self-reflection. Spend at least 15 minutes meditating every morning.
2. Get serious about your practice! One must get serious and simply attending class is not enough. Spend at least 15 minutes each morning doing Asana and focus on the main ones: Headstand, Shoulderstand, Plow, Fish and Cobra.
3. Drink lots of green juices and remember the first Yama, Ahimsa. As long as you are involved with violence, your meditation will go nowhere.
4. Understand the five subtle bodies or sheathes so that you can commence negating them at once.
5. How you begin something is of great significance. If you begin the New Year with a big mug of coffee, it sets the wrong tone for the entire year to come. Begin 2009 committed to the attainment of Self-Knowledge.
6. Outside of the three main texts, The Bhagavad Gita, The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and Yoga Padipika, read and study Swami Sivananda’s Self-Knowledge as it contains all the answers.
7. Dedicate the fruit of all action and be nice to everyone. OM Shanti, Shanti, Shanti.

"With constant practice, one can improve his physical body and mental attitude rapidly, thereby igniting the higher motives of making ones self useful to himself and all mankind." DM

**Shared from Dharma Mittra Newsletter; Dharma Yoga Center, 297 3rd Ave. 3rd Floor, New York**


Hopefully some of this inspires you! I know I am. I am going to do my very best to make this year the best! Oh Yeah and I am turning 30 this year! It is going to be awesome! Here are our New Years Eve Photos to share!

Also; my sister-in-law took this photo that I feel in love with. She knew I liked it so much she framed me a copy for Christmas. It is so beautiful and special. It know hangings in my home and in a place where Denver & I see it every day.