As I was cycling home, I realized that there are a lot of people who were pivotal in (saving) my life during that time (the 90s) in New York – and so many of those people who were important to my development as a writer and artist and loving human being, I will never see again. There I was, pedaling slowly up the mesa, into the sunset, with cars flying past me and tears streaming down my face.
I felt awake, and more alive than I have felt in a long while.
Movement (yoga, hiking, dancing, walking, biking), meditation, and pranayama (yogic breathing techniques) bring me into the moment and out of my default patterns of thinking. Many ideas come through while I am moving (or in stillness after movement). It is as if a channel opens, as if some of the filters of my mind have been removed and ideas and/or observations are more clear.
I’m continuing to look at the question of movement and art (or movement and writing). My friend and folk artist/musician, TJK Haywood, aka Wooden Thomas (and one of the first participants of Writing the Energetic Body), turned me on to artist Heather Hansen. She literally uses her body to make art. Her work is inspiring and exquisite.
This month’s challenge is a practice that I have been doing on and off since last May. I can tell you that when my practice is consistent, transformation happens with ease. I also know that when things get moving in my life, I tend to get lax on the practices that make my days go a little more smoothly. So, I am bringing this one back into my life and am sharing it with you because it’s a lovely practice.
I like exploring, and will try just about anything at least once. Of course, once I find something I like, I get into going deeper. ( I geek out). I like working/playing with the chakra system. After leading a few Writing the Energetic Body workshops, I have found that many people get almost weighed down […]
Rather than setting goals for the achievement of the mainstream idealized “yoga body”, why not allow yoga practice to be a foundation for building inner-strength and self-empowerment? As we become more empowered, why not allow our strengths to enhance our personal lives as well as our local and global communities? Whether we practice yoga or not, what if we began everyday knowing we are all doing the best we can with what we’ve got?
“I prefer winter and fall, when you feel the bone structure of the landscape-the loneliness of it-the dead feeling of winter. Something waits beneath it-the whole story doesn’t show.” ~ Andrew Wyeth
“Enjoy your body, use it every way you can. Don’t be afraid of it, or what other people think of it. It’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own.” – Kurt Vonnegut
Working with Sydney has been fantastic. I love deeply exploring topics, and looking at sex and sexuality through the lens of the chakras is no exception. When I reach my limit, when it feels to me like I can go no further, Sydney has a way of nudging me to go a little farther. I get to the point where I kick up swampy mud and I think that is all there is, and with one word, Sydney has us flowing downstream, out of the swamp, and deep into a vast ocean.
holly troy ~ sacred folly 