Yoga Time Out

My wish and my main birthday present was a day at the German Kundalini Yoga Festival. A full day just for myself, Kundalini Yoga and yoga community. I am so lucky that the festival happens just outside of Oldenburg, a mere 12 kilometers away. So on Saturday morning, at about 7.30 am I hopped on my bike and set out for a beautiful day.

a beautiful ride along the canal

I was in a great mood.

But I underestimated the power of nature

and soon my hayfever got the best of me.

I slowly recovered at the festival site.

an old converted farm

Then I could really enjoy the yoga, lectures, sunshine, company and food.

And I also had some time to knit,

very appropriately-coloured.

Just a perfect yoga day.

I came back home replenished.

Yoga Art

Sat Nam - 

we close every Kundalini Yoga class with chanting these two words.

Sat means truth.

Nam means identity.

Truth is my identity - I am my true self.

I just felt like painting some spirals.

Later I found out, 

that triple spirals are actually ancient symbols (here).

I wish you a soft spiraling into this week!

Yarn Graffiti Revisited

They have been up for a while, those two pieces of yarn graffiti that hang and great me where I teach my Tuesday night Kundalini yoga class. But either I had no camera or it was still too dark for taking pictures. Yesterday both conditions were met.

Made my a yoga student of mine.

Little Liselotte Strick spring flowers (remember those?)

Mama

postcard design by Karin Rabe

The purest thing in the world is the heart of the mother, the heart chakra, the center of the mother. It can move God. It can move the Universe. It can cause an effect beyond limitation. The heart of the mother is the greatest power of Infinity ever given to any finite being.

It is not necessary that you should be married, you should be pregnant, or should be this or that. The most important part of  a woman is that she should enough spirit, enough flow of spirit, enough dialogue we call it, that she can maintain her grace and her respect. - Yogi Bhajan -

Adjust-Tea

Seriously, coming back and settling in after a vacation is not so easy. All the little messes that were left behind didn't just magically disappear (by forgetting them) while being away and are now topped with loads of laundry.

But when I came back, some pre-holiday-ordered books had also arrived and with them some free tea samples. Teas with comforting names.

Planning new yoga courses.

Did I ever mention how much I love my job as a Kundalini Yoga teacher with its potential for personal growth, well-being, fullfillment, community, communication and creativity?

Dreaming of new travels.

Weekend Summary

Home again after teaching a weekend retreat for pregnant women at a yoga ashram at the North Sea. A wonderful weekend with wonderful women (and my own little family) full of yoga, laughter, dancing, fresh air and good food.

Some examples of the beautiful birth art that was created (inspired by exercises from midwife Pam England's book Birthing from Within).

Light on Yoga, Light on Me

I am a Kundalini yogini (as taught by Yogi Bhajan) with all my heart and soul, but sometimes I teach weekend retreats at an Hatha Yoga ashram near the North Sea. Last time I taught Shakti Power, Carolina was a tiny bean inside me, this time I went with the whole gang. While I was
teaching, Hubby took great care of the girls, and we even had some sunny family time at the sea.



I think, the Ashram gurus shared some of their light.

Thank You

A beautiful and busy weekend. We celebrated Hubby's and my birthdays/housewarming party. Thanks to everybody who came and made it such a special day! We couldn't believe it - there were around 40 adults and 25 kids of all ages running around the house and garden. Luckily - no rain, and a fantastic potluck buffet.



Lucky me - with friends who know what I like. If you want to know how the turquoise clutch came about, Vera put a German tutorial on her blog.

And we got completely stoned!



With painted and inscribed stones from Doris (steinreich).













Love, love, love.

Meet the Yogis

My husband's gift for my birthday was a day ticket for the German Kundalini Yoga Festival, that took place this week just outside Oldenburg. I went with Carolina in the sling, while Clara had her daddy-day.



In the idyllic countryside,



but in unstable weather (I didn't photograph the rain).



A place to meet



and stretch your bones,



listen, chat and eat,





to ponder over the polarities of the world,



do some mundane shopping,



marvel at beauty and its elusiveness,





to see and to be seen.



And a good chance to experiment a bit with my birthday-new camera.

Clara's Cushion

As I was recently told by a neighbour, who had also just had her second daughter, that these days getting a sibling as a gift is not enough for the older one, but you should also prepare a birthday gift for the occasion. OK, I thought. The perfect idea came to me during a meditation in a Kundalini yoga class taught by my maternity leave replacement teacher. There was a thing for Clara from nearly a year ago that didn't get finished. Her embroidered cushion (blogged here).

I got Clara's drawings and the materials out again.



Embroidered the missing pieces (that really takes quite a long time, even compared to "slow" knitting).



Sewed the cushion covers together (a good thing to get started on the sewing machine again).



And voilà!



My little cat lover chose the fabric a while ago and it had just waited for the right place to meow!