Last Days of Summer

If it could only be like this always - 
always summer, always alone, 
fruit always ripe... 
Evelyn Waugh

Book Review

This is the second in a series of nine books called the Ringing Cedars of Russia.  I read the first book and am half way through the second.  This is a series of books by Vladimer Megre about his encounter with a woman he met in the Tiaga Forest, a remote area of Siberia.  Through the course of several brief stays he had two children with her and she in return, "revealed her philosophy on Man's relationship to Nature, the Universe and God, as well as lifestyle, education, nutrition, spirituality, love, family, sexual relations and other plants." 

This series of books have had a stunning effect, selling millions and widely popular in Russia and gaining popularity in the rest of the world.  There are currently over 200 natural settlements - a back to the land movement of simple living - in Russia, as well as others communities that have sprouted up worldwide.  These settlements use her advise on how humans relate to the living world and how we should live and conduct ourselves.  A huge gardening advocate, she has very definite views on how one should plant a garden for maximum health benefits.  She calls the modern world a technocratic system, and found it highly destructive and counterproductive to a healthy lifestyle.  

I have absolutely no idea if these books are fact or fiction, or a combination.  I have no idea if this woman (Anastasia) is a projective fantasy, an actual person, or inspired from a combination of fact and rich imagination.  Sound advise for natural living is intermingled with the preposterous.  Sharing her living quarters ( a cave) with a bear, while spending most of her time with few if any clothes in the Siberian Forest doesn't seem altogether realistic or plausible.  From what I can gather no one has ever met Anastassia and she herself stated in the first book, " I exist for those who believe me."

The books were written in the 90's and whether fact or fiction, the advice she gives on living a healthy lifestyle harmoniously in the natural world is a timeless important message which we can all gain something from.  

If you've read any of the books or the series I'd love to hear your thoughts. 

Say Yes!

Yes! You CAN fly!

When I did the Yoga for Kids Teacher Training this past Spring our instructor Amanda said to always say yes to children.  No matter how ridiculous the request say Yes! You can make the request happen without compromising safety and meeting your objectives.  I thought about this and it sounded like solid good advice, so I started using it. Yes! Yes! Yes!  I found inventive ways to satisfy the yes and what I needed the child to try, complete or finish.  Recently I found a note on my car written in marker, exclaiming, Enjoy Life!  With a drawing of the planet earth.  Delighted I took this as another sign from the universe to continue saying yes in my life. Finally, in my yoga class the other day the teacher burst out, " say yes!"   This stopped me in my tracks.  I am a firm believer the universe gives us messages, we just have to listen and try to follow through.  So I am saying yes, yes to a glorious happy life.  Yes!

From the Depth of the Sea

Feeling much gratitude

Gorgeous beach day..........

Enjoy and feel the love

Don't follow the Herd!

 Free Class in Central Park, NYC aka Sardine Class

The article,  What I learned from giving up, by Anne Kreamer discusses the authors disenchantment and eventual abandonment of a yoga practice. 

Yoga has entered the fitness industry in America and with some of these classes I am reminded of aerobic classes in the 80's. There are some really physically challenging classes out there, which will confound just about any yoga practitioner and should be practiced by a select few, and then there are also some really moronic classes that are making money off of the masses by pin pricking the ego.  These are not really yoga classes, the teacher will move on to a new fad when yoga becomes unprofitable and the students will pack up their sexy yoga gear and herd off as well.  For the love of all things sane, just bypass this bullshit, get what you want out of your life, be happy, and go take a Zumba class!  

Yoga improves mental and physical health while working out karma and evolving the soul.  Yoga, real yoga, is rubbish when your aiming to drop three dress sizes and get back that A list body.  Unfortunately there is a great deal of money to be made, so there are a lot of yoga offerings which are  sub par on a good day.  It appears Kreamer had one too many classes which were meant to " give a really good work out."  The result; dissatisfaction, disappointment and injury. 

There was a power studio in my area which gave an excellent restorative class once a week.  It was the least popular class in a highly populated studio.  My friend giggled upon finding I took the class,  and told me it was for old ladies.  After the teacher relocated to become a yoga therapist, I dropped the studio completely.  That old lady class changed my perspective entirely.  I still use a great deal of what she did in my own teaching. 

I take really GOOD yoga classes from teachers with an incredibly high level of expertise.  Finding good teachers and a solid practice is an ongoing project. Some folks can't be so picky, they live in an area with very little on offer.  This is a good time to start diving into DVD's, books, pod casts, and a field trip or two a couple of towns over, or a weekend away to an ashram or health and wellness center ( Kripalu, Omega etc...) .  You would be surprised how many are out there nestled in the woods someplace.  I wish this writer had explored a bit more, I think she knew and had experienced real yoga and with time would have found something more suited to her taste and style.  

Its OK to keep looking till you find the right fit.  I don't do power or other popular styles, and you will never find me taking a free class in Central Park. I did walk out of a class once,  but for the most part I try to be respectful and stay, even when I know I'll never be back.  That said I won't participate in what I find ridiculous and unsafe for my body.  Yeah that's me in the back, modifying all your poses.  You don't like it, no worries we won't be running into each other anytime soon.  If your not getting what you need. keep looking till you find what works for you.  If its not yoga, don't try to make it yoga go for what you really want.  If it is yoga, follow your heart and listen to your body, only you know which practice is going to benefit you and nourish your soul.

Be well and make smart personal choices.

A Walk in The Woods

Keep close to Nature's heart, yourself; 

and break clear away, once in a while, 

and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. 

Wash your spirit clean ...

 John Muir 

 

Auditory Stimulation

 

I stumbled upon this podcast while looking to download something else in i tunes.  The Happy Guru podcast is a good soul vibration about everything from how to peel an egg to Eco freindly suggestions to decrease your carbon footprint.  I listened to one, then two, then all 38 podcasts available.  I searched for more but the makers of this feel good production, Simon and Duncan, appeared to stop producing them a couple of years ago, which is too bad because they really are a few minutes of feel good vibration.  They also have a blog, an online store, and a brick and mortar store in Sydney Australia.  All 38 are available on i tunes for free.  There fun and they'll make you smile.