Twisted bow

 

Dhanurasana - Twisted Bow Pose

The real twisted bow is described below 🎀 

The children are not at school. And somehow I have to get them ready for the school year. But surely they must be out of the house for this to be possible. But they are all home. And there are so many of them 🐵🐵🐵🐵… 

It is absolute chaos-insanity-frenzy pressure-cooker-crazy and then POOF they are off.

Fuel gauge

My heart is still in no-business mode.

40 days away from a home, schedule and phone full of trappings — it’s not easy returning to all that I must SUPERINTEND. The separation will fuel me in ejecting more, mas, encore !!! And sooner not later. 

Peppy steppy

Walk about the neighborhood. 

Clothing as KOSHA - SHEATH 

More PEP in my STEP this AM thanks to the husband who scooped up and brought back with him a small assemblage of attire from my main closet at home whilst there on a work day (I am on a month-long uninterrupted ‘reclusive’ vaycay). I didn’t realize how fatigued I was of my pathetic selection of duds (it is ASPEN, after all,) until I donned a neon swimsuit, gingham dress, silky cardi, pink suede sneakers and got a NEW LEASE ON LIFE!

Unfortunately? But powerfully! Clothing acts as a sheath - energetic layer - which can be used to our advantage (or disadvantage). 

P.S. The procuring of such items was made possible by strategic, color-coded closet organization (and periodic paring down,) allowing myself to plainly explain and my husband to effortlessly locate the 10 or so sought-after items in mere minutes via FaceTime. 🛍️ 

Purchase less, create more ✌️

Rad

You know you’re having a pretty RAD summer when you’d rather PLAY in that lame purple bikini AGAIN (and be seen in it!) than stop to go SHOPPING.  

My Armoire

 

As a former clothing COLLECTOR (hoarder-squirrel 🐿️!) this is a new frontier for me —

Wear your SEASONAL (shop once quarterly max) wardrobe so much that there is no question as to whether you love and keep the clothing longer OR, NO QUALMS, they’ve fulfilled their destiny and you don’t! 

Mountain Mama Summer Wardrobe, as of Late July:

💚keep 💛this is its last season ❤️already out the door  💙hmmm🧐

💛Silver espadrilles - wearing through

❤️Black river shoes (pictured above) - stretched from last Summer, already said See Ya (poubelle)

💛Flip-flops - maintaining

💛Crazy Crocs - worse for wear, as used for all hikes and most bikes

💛Purple bandana bikini - hanging on for dear life

💛White & Blue One piece - yellowing at edges 

💙Tomato soup cashmere sweater - soft as ever, maybe showing age?

💛Skull Sweater - last hurrah 

💚Prairie skirt (pictured) - good to go 😅 

💚2x Shorts - just fine 

💚Taupe linen pants - surprisingly great

💚Flowered cross-body bag (pictured) - still fresh 

💛Rose tote - wilting

💙2x Camisoles and 2x T’s - washing well

💚Sweats - new this trip :)

💚PJ’s - beddable 

💚Silk Dress - unfortunately unworn since childcare disappeared into thin air 🌬️ 

💚Shiny amethyst long cardigan - keeper

💚💜Jewels - lovely and sentimental as ever.💕 

The forced Capsule Collection that comes inherently with travel is blissful. My dear friend says all of her belongings (ALL!?) would “fit into an armoire”. What a beautiful image and, sigh, dare I say, Holy Grail, in these excessive times. 

one foot two foot red foot blue foot

 

Trikonasana - Triangle Pose

Instructors will most often cue the trikonasana drishti 👁️ upwards to the skyward reaching hand, but I prefer to gaze down when GROUNDing is called for. During TURBULENT times FOCUS on your FOOTING. Literally. 

Press Pause

 

Vatayasana - Horse Pose

When matters get twisted, turned around, upside-down, fast-forwarded or rewound. Press PAUSE. 

Collect stars

 

Dandasana - Staff Pose

Stars not stuff. 

The Daily Wayfarer

Navasana - Boat Pose (Crunch) ❤️

Q: “Is the bikini body in the diet or the exercise?”

A: “The bikini body is in the bikini.” 😚

Show up. Put one foot in front of the other. 🐾 Imperceptibly strengthen each and every day. 

 

Etiquette

 

Vakrasana - Twisted Pose

I have a custom of informing the yoga teacher if I will be missing a class.

Currently, I also :

- Make use of the ladies locker room, both pre and après asana.

 - Bring and use a gaudy, very not-yogi, plastic water cup. 💦

- Twist hair into a standing-bun or plait tresses into a lying-down-braid  (clips at the ready). 

- Gravitate to any location in the room, but always roll my yoga RUG out TENDERLY.

 - Borrow blocks. 💙💙

AND, most imperatively,  happy to change my ways ;) 🙃🧺🧿 

What are your yogic ticks ?? 🐜 

Begin again

Ashta Chandrasana - Crescent High Lunge

Within the supposed confines of REPETITION there is always something novel to notice. Perform one-thousand-and-some times the same set yoga posture sequence and no two practices will ever be alike.  

 

BORING

Virabhadrasana II - Warrior 2

 I 🤍🤍🤍 boring. Rise at a predictable time. Attend booked yoga class. Shop my cleared-out closet. Eat unexemplary foods. Make order. Pass extended unremarkable time with the family at home. What else can I BORING-IFY???

Thank you, boring! Let boring save you. 

No Opining

Winged Dragon YIN Yoga 🐉 

(YIN Variation of Ashwa Sanchalanasana - Crescent Low Lunge Pose Variation Knee on Floor

and Utthan Pristhadana - Lizard Pose)

⭐️ Summer Freedom. ⭐️ How about a RECESS from our own opinions? ⭐️

What ?? NO OPINION ?? OUI !! Super chill 😎 Besides, we can always form one later … 

Acting basic

 

Parsva or Parivrtta (Prasarita) Balasana - Side or Revolved (Wide) Child’s Pose

aka Urdhva Mukha Pasasana - Thread the Needle, Child’s Pose Variation 

Pasa - Noose, Cord

NORMCORE - normal is hardcore ;)

Some poses are BIG and SHINY, some are SMALL and MATTE. NORMCORE — Find gratification and satisfaction in the common, plain, and ordinary. Liberation is yours! in the functional and indistinguishable; in being (and owning?) nothing special. 

Summer Routine ; it’s not an oxymoron

Pincha Mayurasana- Feathered Peacock Pose 🪶 

Forearm Balance 

It’s not yet summer!! - as we are reminded habitually here in Colorado with erratic temps and afternoon storms. ⛈️ But, it is after Labor Day and, for many of us, Summer Break. GRANT yourself at least week or two of consideration before anchoring your (and your family’s) Daily Summer Routine. 🎏

After you

Phalakasana, Kumbhakasana, Utthita Chaturanga Dandasana - High Plank Pose

Couples are yoga 💙

Kumbhakasana - breath retention. Hold your breath BRIEFLY before lowering into push-up position, Chaturanga Dandasana. Outside the studio, pause only temporarily before committing to a decision. And TAKE TURNS with your other half, arbitrating according to your particular strengths. This is what partnership is for. 
 

Substitute Teacher

Curtsy Lunge 👑 

By structuring our days as routine and regular as viable, variations become happy surprises and enhancements. Like the substitute yogi teacher who shares her barre skills. 

👖 pairing down

Salamba Sarvangasana - Supported Shoulder Stand

So, if a city girl in a temperate climate should own 3-4 pairs of jeans that means a country girl in a four-seasons-in-one-day location can own 12? 😜 

Do you nap??

Do I nap??

I laughed with my husband - “I can’t sit down without falling asleep!” It’s sincerely a very powerful thing The Catnap. I am able to stay extremely productive any time of day (or night?) and not tire by counterbalancing with these short, albeit deeply restful, nod offs (often taken in the sun, but anywhere is fair game). 👼 

Stop Fidgeting

Muktasana - Liberation Pose

Burmese style Seated Meditation 

Dhyana Mudra

To fidget is to be nervous, restless, impatient, EAGER. Unless these are qualities you wish to embody - finish with the fidgeting. 

“Be STILL and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10