Last week when I was organizing my clothes after my move, I sorted through all of my dresses (many of which I had tailored in Thailand and Vietnam out of vibrant-colored silks. I have one sari from India, too).

Now I’m just wondering when I’ll get the chance to actually wear all of these! Most of my friends are already married, and I’m not seeing any balls or movie premiers in my  future. I’m toying with the idea of hosting a black tie holiday party this year here in Boulder, just to do something very un-Boulder-ish. Plus, dressing up just seems like it’s becoming a thing of the past. But that would be such a shame.

The other day, however, I came across a beautiful blog about personal style called The Hidden Seed (I found it via this blog).

I just love it! Here are a few of my favorite ensembles:

What about you? Do you like to dress up? And, do you ever get the chance to?!

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(Photo credits: The Hidden Seed)

Practicing intentional silence is one of the most powerful ways that you can tap into true happiness. Sounds easy, right?

Sort of. 

Those of you who have met me in person know that I’m not a very talkative gal. A part of my soul has always longed to live as a monastic. One of my favorite things about living in Thailand was hearing the temple bells ring every morning at 4am, calling the monks and nuns to meditation followed by a barefoot walk through the streets to gather alms (which would be their only meal for the day). Maybe one day I will join them. Or maybe in past lives I already have. But in this particular woman-of-the-world embodiment, I tap into that silence and simplicity by going on retreat. 

Whether you fall at the introverted or extroverted end of the spectrum, or somewhere in between, silence plays such an important role in women’s lives. Especially at this time of the month–the New Moon. 

In silence we hear our hearts. In silence emotions and experiences that didn’t get digested because of our busy-ness can resurface and be attended to with skill and deep care. In this way, silence isn’t always easy.

For me, when I enter retreat, or around the time of the dark moon, complex and murky emotions that I would rather not feel or look at emerge: anger, sadness, grief, anxiety. Last week this happened countless times during the day and there was no e-mailing, no magazine or novel reading, no phone calling to turn to as distractions. This is a good, but challenging, thing.

Pausing, softening, and relaxing into our emotions allows us to feel them–to actually locate them in the body without attaching a story or an agenda to them. With… Read Full Post

Every woman needs a nest.

I’ve had nests in: Connecticut, New York City, Massachussetts, Virginia, Thailand, countless hotels and guesthouses around the world, my suitcase, and now, in Boulder, Colorado. It’s quiet, beautiful, and all mine. In fact, it’s my most nest-y nest yet. And I so love it.

It has a baby blue wall in my bedroom, the most comfortable princess bed, an altar (an antique, wooden bench from  Santa Fe ), a vintage blender from our old summer cottage “Four Sisters,” celadon dishes (and much much more) from Thailand, a painting easel that I wish I used more, overflowing bookcases, very limited closest space, great views of the Flatirons, coconut wood wind chimes, and lots and lots of plant friends.

What about you? Where have you built your nest? What does it look like?

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photo credits (from top to bottom):  Teon, photosecosse, gooseflesh, Bella Allure Imagery

I put away my flannel pj’s and Bengal Spice tea  and sleep with the windows wide open. In other words, summer’s in full swing here in Boulder.

With a holiday weekend here, I’m so looking forward to free time after a busy month in Thailand. 

Here are some ways that I will play this weekend:

• Brunch with Peter. Maybe here, here, or here. 
• Going to a movie. Has anyone seen this yet?
• Sleeping in.
• Tigress with Jeanie on Sunday. 
• Indulging in maté latte sippin’ + vegan chocolate chip cookie chewin’ at my favorite  sidewalk cafe.

How will you play this weekend?

(photo by wayne mackeson)

ps: If you’re new to this blog, welcome! Did you know that you can get new posts automatically delivered to your inbox here?

I’m enjoying a well-deserved lazy morning in bed, complete with PJ-wearing, smoothie sipping, and journalling. I love Sundays.

It’s my last day in Thailand and you better believe that I’m making it a decadent one. First yoga in my hotel room, then lunch with girlfriends, followed by  a WHOLE afternoon at the spa. (Oh, and there’s a visit to the gynecologist interspersed in there, too, which I’m not as thrilled about).

Tomorrow morning I’m up bright and early at 5am for another epic 30-hour journey back to Boulder…

Cycles of work, play, and rest keep me sane and happy. In my opinion, most of us don’t value the rest part as much as do the work/play part.

So, I do hope you’re getting the downtime that you need, too.

What are your preferred ways to rest? Do you think it’s important dedicate one day (or more) for this each week? 

Painting by Joan Griswold.

I stumbled across this wonderful phrase in a cyber-friend’s blog this morning:

What’s in the Way Is the Way.

Wow, do I find this both relieving and appropriate on so many levels right now.

The past couple of months have been tumultuous ones for many. In my family alone there have been two major accidents. Both my father and my younger sister, Christian, have been in the hospital within the last thee weeks.  Also, now half-way through leading a yoga teacher training in Thailand,  I am admittedly tinkering at my edge while orchestrating this event, teaching, and tending to the ups and downs of the students

After two weeks of communal living topped with intensive yoga practice and study,  what gets in the “Way” for all of us has really become apparent. The popcorn has started popping, so to speak.

Whether it’s fear, anger, control issues, sadness, doubt, laziness, or a physical illness or limitation, these less-than-desirable realities can overcome us like a thick fog. Will they ever leave, we wonder. Will I ever be happy and healthy again?

When we zoom out to take in the big picture, a resounding “Yes!” responds.

As I look back at the story of my life, I see how my darkest moments have led to my most luminous insights. This isn’t just some spiritual jargon, it’s the real, bare bones truth.

Ten years ago a diagnosis of Cervical Dysplasia shattered my dreams of going to West Africa with the Peace Corps. Instead, it led me to Thailand to heal. If that had never happened, I wouldn’t have embarked with such conviction on my spiritual path, much less be doing what… Read Full Post

Yesterday, day eight of the yoga teacher training here in Chiang Mai, I taught the students about one of my favorite  self-assessment tools: the Panchamaya Kosa model (In Sanskrit, pancha means “five” and kosa–pronounced ko-sha–means “sheath”).  Appearing in the first millennium C.E. in ancient India’s Upanisads, these sheaths are like Russian dolls, with one layer enveloping the next. 

I suspect I’m not alone in feeling off-kilter at times. Admittedly, I usually spend more time ticking off “to do” items than following my bliss. As an antidote, this model provides a way of remembering my multi-dimensionality, preventing me from toppling over from lopsideded-ness! 

Returning to this model once or twice a year helps me to see what parts of my life need some TLC.

Here’s a list of the five “sheaths” and how I’ve been feeding each one over the past couple of weeks here in Thailand:

1. Annamayakosa (The Physical Body)

How do you care for your body on an ongoing basis? Consider food, exercise, sleep, and, my favorite, pampering…

2. Pranamayakosa (The Energy Body)

What is your… Read Full Post

Last fall, while every fiber of my being tried to acclimate to living back in this country after so many years of living in Thailand,  I hit a round of “mean reds” (à la Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s). And by mean, I mean mean. Not just the kind that come for a day or two and pass, but the ones that linger for days, weeks, months on end.

I felt like no one could relate to anything that I had experienced during the past ten years of my life. Traffic and sidewalks felt too tidy. Storefronts felt too sterile. My body didn’t know what to do with the different foods, different climate,  different clothes, or the fact that everyone in this town has white skin and speaks English.  I was trading papaya for quinoa, a Honda Wave motorbike for a Ford Focus sedan, flip flops for moccassins. None of these are bad things, necessarily, just different.  Very, very different.

One of the main things that helped me through was a nightly gratitude list of at least five things. Even if all that I could think of to put on that list were the bare basics: “I’m breathing,” “The sun felt good on my face this afternoon.”

No matter how high, how low, or how in-between things are, there are always things to be grateful for. And, somehow, that always helps me to put things back where they need to be–in perspective. 

So, while it’s past my bedtime on this Thursday evening, here’s my list:

1. It’s 11:11 right now. I love that this reminds… Read Full Post

Several years ago I would have told you that I didn’t care to have children. Adopting a child from a faraway land appealed to me (it still does in some ways). Then, one day about four years ago while walking in northern Thailand’s early morning mist, my body, out of the blue, told me in her quiet language of longing that she wanted to have babies. Suddenly, everywhere I looked I saw them: expectant mamas with ripe bellies, doting fathers pushing strollers, the knowing sparkle in a newborn’s eyes.

And this is how it’s been ever since.

Until recently.

In January I began a 12-week creative recovery program with The Artist’s Way . Since then I have started this blog, a book proposal, and a new business identity. I went on a one-week vacation to the beach in Mexico (no yoga teaching involved!) and did a 30-day cleanse. I’m taking dance classes, went on a picnic the other week, and filled my home with plants. I subscribed to magazines like Real Simple and Martha Stewart Living (a fellow Read Full Post

The Living Yoga 200-Hour Teacher Training

May 31-June 27; Tao Garden Resort

Chiang Mai, Thailand

Only a few spaces left! Apply here .

The world needs more compassionate, skillful, courageous, and creative leaders who are firmly rooted in the integrity, freedom, and truth of their own hearts. This training creates a platform for you to emerge as such a leader.

Teaching yoga is one of the most challenging, rewarding, and profound endeavors that one can choose. It is not a commitment to be taken lightly, yet I have no doubt that, if you are reading this, you have what it takes to make such a commitment. This training reaches across all aspects of what it means to practice and teach yoga—both on and off the mat

Please join me for this auspicious event. I look forward to walking with you into a brighter, healthier, more joyous world!

By steeping yourself in conscious community, continuous practice, and the larger spiritual vortex of Chiang Mai, Thailand, you will empower your body as your temple and trust more deeply in the true teacher within your own heart. In harmony with yourself and life around you, you will relate to and realize these ancient and transformative teachings of ultimate freedom in ever-new and deepening ways.

One of the many things that sets this program apart from others is our emphasis on self-inquiry.

Meditation and personal practice, interspersed with guided classes in the Anusara tradition and a diverse, integrated curriculum, blends tradition with innovation, solitude with community, and reflection with sharing. This, we believe, gives you a platform to truly get to know yourself better, serving as… Read Full Post