It seems a perfect night with the full moon and the first mercury retrograde of 2013 to finally pay tribute to what has already been a truly brilliant start to this new year. Why perfect on the second day of mercury retrograde? Because when mercury goes in reverse, so can we. We have another opportunity to return to what has come before, to revisit and review, and on this full moon eve, the seeds we have planted on the new moon allegedly wax full, like the moon itself, coming closer to fruition tonight. It’s also a perfect night to let fly your deepest desires and truths. Tonight is that night for me. Time has accelerated and is going faster than I ever thought possible. And I’m not sure I like it so much. Every day, I am more and more aware of my mortality. It seems that just as we become mature enough to start to enjoy life, we become acutely conscious of how very ephemeral it is. Hopefully, we learn to appreciate each moment and make the most of all we experience to honor this brief stay on earth before we depart, to live in gratitude as often as we can.

And in that spirit, I was very grateful to be asked to grace the cover of American Fitness in January and share the feature “Jennifer Helps You to Tap Into Your Waking Energy.” Immediately after, the LA Times featured my Yin Yoga clip from Waking Energy, and then to top it all off, my Waking Energy practice clip premiered on Pilates Anytime.

All told, so far, it’s been an amazing year, and it’s only just begun. Each day a new opportunity to awaken new vistas both inside and out in the world. In closing, the title of my blog tonight is “It’s About Time,” and I’m sure by now, you’ve figured out that it’s a double-entendre. It’s about time that we all wake up, and it’s about time that the year of the Divine Feminine has finally arrived– lucky “13″ when everyone on the planet is given the chance to embrace yourself, to know yourself, to move into a higher consciousness, to appreciate the life we have and make the most of it, in service to ourselves and others.

“It is the Moon who does the incarnating, just as the mother gives birth to the child.  This Virgo Full Moon helps us become aware of what our soul is here on Earth to incarnate. We’ve been at this for a while now.  Do you recognize what it is you’re called to do?  The first step is to become conscious, to Know Yourself!  Just that is a big step…” Cathy Pagano

What better way to say YES to this opening than with Waking Energy … what better way to return to yourself, to truly get to know yourself perhaps for the very first time than by waking up the energy and beauty that lives inside you?

I think it’s about time you do …

Happy Full Moon and Happy, Lucky 2013!

Jennifer

This Winter Solstice, 2012 is unlike any other before or after it in our lifetime.

12.12.12 marks the opening of the portal through which destiny beckons us to spring forth. We are being asked to cross the bridge from darkness— from old-outmoded, inhibiting, unconscious behaviors, from FEAR to light- to the creation of a new path, a new reality, a new world where LOVE reigns supreme and each one of us embraces the universal truth that we are ONE.

From 12.12.12 until 12.21.12, you are being offered perhaps the greatest gift you will ever know- the chance to manifest miracles. The stars are aligned and at the ready, waiting for you to say “YES!” Now is the time to ask yourself the question: Do you want to reach higher heights in your life, live more fully, find the courage to open your heart and vibrate at a higher level of consciousness? This portal of 12.12.12 is a gift that is based on individual participation. It is an experience that each individual must now ask and intend for. And each and every one of us must now make the effort to learn how to live in the new paradigm. If we want to go where only Love can exist, we must learn how to become Love.
The universe is conspiring to support you on this magic carpet ride into a bright and blessed future, where you will come to know your power, your light, your divinity. Will you spread your wings and take the ride? Will you embody your soul’s purpose and become a manifestor of the miracles you deeply and instinctively know await you? Will you let yourself believe that your intention and action are one and the same and that anything you truly wish for is possible?

Here in San Diego, my childhood love of owls was rekindled by a sacred visit from a native barn owl this Fall. I was deep inside a meditation and I felt a strong pull to my left. I opened my eyes to see this magnificent and awe-inspiring beauty on the top of the morning glory wall behind my house fully illuminated by the full moon, looking directly at me it seemed. I sat there for what felt like an eternity, locked in his Strigine (that means all-things OWL) embrace.

Since his sighting, I have been utterly and completely enthralled once again by my totem animal, and can’t get enough of their grace, wisdom and power. They embody so many of the qualities I prize so highly: kindness, generosity, compassion, authenticity, loyalty, creativity, independence, beauty, spontaneity, and passion. Each time I see an image of one, or am lucky enough to experience a real-life “visit,” my heart sings. This Winter Solstice is our opportunity to BE the owl, to embrace our highest selves. Join me in spirit on this magic flight and soar into the heavens while keeping your feet firmly rooted to the earth to become the very vessel for change and new growth in your life and in the lives of each person you meet. 

I have always thought of the combination of Pilates and Yoga as the perfect marriage.
Both are transformational, focused methods of movement that literally help you to “meet” yourself, to discover your capabilities and facilitate positive change in the body, mind and spirit. In my opinion, their differences complement one another in the best of ways. While Yoga is better known for its philosophical and spiritual components, Pilates also inspires spiritual evolution, but this aspect is not emphasized as much as the physical component; Pilates is known as a “workout,” and Yoga as a “practice,” however, the irony here, is that in order to get good at anything, we have to practice, and done correctly, both Pilates and Yoga are both a workout and a practice. And as you will see, both are worthy of your time and attention for innumerable reasons.

Likenesses

Here’s a cool, little-known fact for many of you out there: Joseph H. Pilates, who invented the Pilates Method, studied yoga and most of the exercises you’ll see in a Pilates workout are inspired by yoga. The poses in yoga are incredibly similar to the shapes and positions of the body in Pilates exercises; the difference is that in yoga, one holds poses longer, and in Pilates, you move at a slightly faster pace. Rather than holding a pose longer the way you would in a yoga class, staying in one position and cajoling the body into stretching more deeply through the breath, in Pilates, the practitioner dynamically extends as far as possible into a greater range of motion within a limited amount of time using self-imposed isometric resistance, core awareness and breath.

Both Pilates and yoga are intended to cultivate greater awareness and connection between the body and the mind, which in turn, enlivens the spirit.
Both help us to focus on the process, the “journey” of moving, breathing and stretching, rather than the end goal, which can be anything from a stronger, well-toned body to peace of mind.
Both encourage you to focus on the present moment and the movement itself rather than the outcome; they are each regimes that promote consciousness, evolution and self-transformation, while helping you to accrue innumerable health benefits that arise from the specific combination of connecting conscious breath to movement.

The subtle magic of Pilates and Yoga is that the work grows as you do. You rise to higher levels of challenge as your self-awareness and experience deepen. As you gain insight and as your actual physical strength increases, the work refines and redefines itself.
Both are refreshing approaches that see our physical activity as a way to restore total oneness with ourselves and create harmony with our body, mind and spirit, and under this notion, exercise becomes the means to experiencing a personal potential greater than the physical skills themselves.

Pilates

“Physical fitness is the first requisite of happiness. Our interpretation of physical fitness is the attainment and maintenance of a uniformly developed body with a sound mind, fully capable of naturally and efficiently performing daily tasks with spontaneous zest and ease” should be the objective for people of all ages and fitness levels.”

Born near Dusseldorf, Germany in 1880, Joseph Pilates had his challenges as a child, suffering from asthma, rickets and rheumatic fever. His determination to heal led to his study of Eastern and Western forms of exercise, including yoga and ancient Greek and Roman regimens. By the time he was fourteen, Pilates had worked so hard that he was quickly becoming a veritable renaissance man of exercise. Accomplished as a wrestler, diver, skier and a gymnast, he was even asked to pose as a model for anatomical charts. When World War I broke out, he was interned for a year in England, and while in the camp, he taught his fellow internees the physical fitness program he had developed, boasting that they would emerge stronger than they were before imprisonment. Those who followed his program resisted the influenza epidemic that killed thousands. Always curious and compassionate, after encountering soldiers who were disabled as a result of wartime injuries, he began devising machines using the springs from old hospital beds to facilitate their rehabilitation. These machines were the very prototypes of the specialized equipment that is used in Pilates studios today, which utilize pulleys and springs as weight resistance to build strength and increase overall flexibility in the spine and limbs. Pilates “apparatus,” which includes the “Reformer,” “Cadillac, or Trapeze Table,” “Wunda Chair,” and “Barrels,” are all used to stretch and strengthen every muscle group, resulting in a body that is uniformly sculpted, powerful and bio-mechanically efficient.

Pilates fittingly called his method “Contrology,” (the study of control) and believed that it would help people to develop the strength and fortitude in body and mind, not only to accomplish daily mundane tasks with ease, but to live life to the fullest.

“Contrology is complete coordination of body, mind, and spirit. Through Contrology you first purposefully acquire complete control of your own body and then through proper repetition of exercises you progressively acquire that natural rhythm and coordination associated with all your subconscious activities. It develops the body uniformly, corrects wrong postures, restores physical vitality, invigorates the mind, and elevates the spirit.”
~Joseph Pilates

Often called “moving meditation,” because of the incredible focus of mind on the body, Pilates is a non-impact system of physical and mental conditioning that emphasizes alignment and increasing awareness of the body’s capabilities and untapped resources. Pilates changes bodies, and quickly, sculpting muscles and making them longer, and leaner. It creates unmatched core strength, and optimal posture. It helps to improve breathing and increases efficiency of movement. The focus is on the “powerhouse,” or the stabilizing muscles of the torso, which support the spine. True for exercises performed both on the mat and the machines, every movement one does in a Pilates workout emanates from the core, keeping practitioners “honest,” by gently forcing them to use both sides of the body symmetrically. In order to successfully initiate and achieve a movement, both sides have to participate equally, giving the dominant, overused muscles a break, and demanding that the “weaker” underutilized muscles have an opportunity to participate, hence, literally balancing the body.

Pilates is based on six principles which enable you to learn to move with maximum efficiency while minimizing stress on the body. You access a deeper, more complete feeling of fitness, energy and vitality that remains with you days after your workout:

1. Centering: The strengthening of the “Powerhouse,” the “corset muscles” of the body, which include the primary muscles of the abdominals, pelvis, buttocks and back.
2. Concentration: Bringing one’s full attention to the form and execution of each exercise.
3. Control: Engaging the mind to unite with the body in “the economy of movement;” learning to use only the muscles necessary to perform a task, while the rest of the body relaxes.
4. Precision: Employing the notion that every movement has a purpose, resulting in a “less is more,” and “quality over quantity” philosophy. When a movement is performed well a few times, there is no need to do more.
5. Breath: The most important aspect of Pilates along with movement; exercises are done in tandem with the breath, resulting in enhanced lung capacity and overall coordination, not only in the workout, but in life.
6. Flow: Every movement in a Pilates exercise is performed with the grace and ease of a dancer; the result? A long, lean, dancer’s body!

Because Pilates is gentle and challenging at the same time, it is safe and effective for everyone, irrespective of age or fitness ability, from expectant mothers to the super-fit. It is also a phenomenal cross-training tool, helping you to maximize the sports and activities you love the most. Many professional athletes turn to Pilates when they want to bring their best, and the world-renowned “Cirque du Soleil” regularly trains on the Pilates apparatus to perform their awe-inspiring feats.

The medical community recognizes Pilates as a peerless modality assisting in physical therapy. Pilates work is often incorporated into conventional therapy to facilitate healing and protect clients from future injury. It’s so beneficial, in fact, that many people continue with a Pilates regime long after they have healed from their injuries. Pilates also offers tremendous benefit and relief for people who suffer from chronic conditions, such as asthma, and arthritis. Because every exercise involves deep, diaphragmatic breathing, Pilates aids specifically in opening the lungs, helping shallow breathers learn how to breathe properly and build respiratory stamina. Pilates enhances circulatory function and builds the muscles that surround the joints, providing a new support, and simultaneously lubricating the joints, helping to reduce inflammation, which leads to arthritis. Finally, through the development of a stronger core, and emphasis of neutral spinal alignment, Pilates helps people to correct postural imbalances, prevent and heal chronic back pain, and improve overall spine health.

“In 10 sessions you will feel the difference, in 20 sessions you will see the difference, and in 30 you will have a new body.”~Joseph Pilates

Yoga

“Yoga is not a religion. It is a science, science of well-being, science of youthfulness, science of integrating body, mind and soul.”
~Amit Ray

Yoga means “to yoke, or to conjoin,” a method of merging the self with the divine. It is the the union of will with spirituality and one of the longest surviving philosophical systems in the world. It is a holistic practice deeply rooted in ancient Indian culture that unites the mind, body and spirit through movement, breathing techniques and meditation.

Yoga’s exact origin and history is uncertain; however, we do know that it is thousands of years old, the earliest signs of yoga postures having appeared as drawings on artifacts dating back to 3000 B.C. Yoga was introduced in the West during the early 19th century where it began as a movement for health and vegetarianism, and by the 1960’s, there was an influx of Indian teachers who expounded on Yoga and are responsible for the myriad styles we have available to us today. One of them was Maharishi Mahesh, the Yogi who popularized Transcendental Meditation, and a fun fact: was a favorite spiritual advisor to The Beatles! Another Yogi was Swami Sivananda, a doctor in Malaysia, most well known for codifying the “Five Principles of Yoga” which are now taught in yoga classes all over the world and facilitate strength, balance, flexibility, anti-aging and the curing of illness and disease:

1. Asanas, proper exercise
2. Pranayama, correct breathing
3. Saucha, Proper diet, eating nourishing foods
4. Dhyana, positive thinking and meditation
5. Savasana, complete relaxation

The major thrust of the yogic philosophy is a spiritual one, and the practice that we all know today, is actually a means to move energy through the body in such a way that the student is left feeling calm enough to sit in meditation after the practice. Here one attempts to master the “monkey mind,” finding the stillness that leads to self-awareness and ultimately transcendence of ego and the thinking, judging mind.

On the physical level, yoga postures, called asanas, are designed to tone, strengthen, and align the body, increase spinal flexibility, and promote blood flow to all the organs, glands, and tissues, keeping all the body’s systems healthy and balanced. Sun salutations, Warrior Poses, Standing balances, Seated forward bends, Twists, Backbends, Inversions and Savasana are all standard poses that you will see in any yoga class, regardless of the style, and every practice generally follows this progression from standing to seated poses. Yes, the goal of yoga is spiritual union and improved health, but make no mistake, it is quite a workout too. Every muscle gets stretched, strengthened and challenged.

On the mental level, breathing techniques used throughout the practice and the seated meditation which follows the active asana practice quiet, clarify, and discipline the mind.
The yoga philosophy believes the breath to be the most important facet of health, because it is the largest source of prana, or life force we have available to us, and when we learn to harness it, anything is possible. Hatha yoga, the primary influence in modern yoga, utilizes pranayama, which literally means the science or control of breathing to help the practitioner quiet the mind, embrace the present moment and manifest health and healing.

Yoga devotees speak about the practice as a way of aligning with their highest self. Achieving proper alignment in the yoga postures, and moving into greater ranges of motion while staying connected to the breath, challenges one’s comfort level, and is what leads to transformation from the inside out; the practitioner cultivates patience, and gains physical strength and flexibility, which translates as strength and flexibility in the mind and in the outside world. Through pranayama, one clears the mind, and balances internal organ systems, resulting in improved health and stamina. Everything on the mat translates as a higher quality of life: greater reserves of energy, focus, reduced stress and the ability to meet the vicissitudes of life with greater aplomb and ease.

The Comparison:

So now that you are Pilates and Yoga experts and you’re familiar with the similarities between the two, it’s time to answer the question,

How are they different anyway?

• Both Pilates and Yoga tone and condition the body by using the body’s own weight as a natural resistance tool, but Pilates has an additional aspect to its syllabus, and this is where the roads begin to diverge; While Yoga doesn’t incorporate machines, as we’ve already established, the “apparatus” aspect of Pilates does.
• For a yoga practice, all you need is a sticky mat that provides traction for the hands and feet, as well as blocks and straps, which provide support to the the limbs if the body isn’t capable of going into full range of motion in a particular pose. For Pilates mat work, you need a mat, but one that is thicker, providing more cushioning for the spine, because some of the exercises in the Pilates syllabus involve rolling on the spine to increase blood flow to the surrounding postural muscles, and nerves.
• On the purely physical plane, whereas Yoga concentrates mostly on increasing strength and flexibility of the spine and limbs, Pilates focuses on building abdominal strength first, and then symmetrical musculature as well as overall flexibility.
• In Pilates, every movement emanates from the center, which is also our emotional core, and the exercises truly help to “center” you. In Yoga, it is the concentration on the breath, while rooting, deepening and persevering in a pose that helps to center the practitioner.
• In Yoga, the primary goal, aside from ensuring proper alignment in the poses, is to stay connected to the breath; in Pilates, the first order of business is the precision of movement, and then, the coordination of movement with breath.
• In yoga, the first emphasis is on spirituality, and in Pilates, movement rules the day, which then awakens and enlivens the spirit.
• Both Pilates and Yoga improve circulation and highly oxygenate the system, which in turn, activates the lymphatic system and rids the body of toxins; however, in yoga, the term for this process is “tapas,” and in Pilates it’s called an “internal shower.”
• Both techniques boost metabolism, which aids in weight loss, improved digestion, all of which results in a deep sense of well-being, which then leads to an enhanced ability to concentrate during work hours and to relax after a long day’s work, culminating in more restful sleep; however, Yoga achieves this with a slower pace, and Pilates with a more dynamic one.
• The breathing patterns are different: In yoga, for the bulk of the asana practice, the breath is either Ujjayi, a smooth, heat-inducing breath that sounds like the ocean, or kapalabhati, “skull-shining breath,” rapid breathing, which creates greater internal heat to immediately clear the mind. In Pilates, there are two kinds of breath: one used for an exercise called “The Hundred,” which involves five short, staccato breaths in through the nose and five out through mouth, (which is based upon Kapalabhati, another example of yogic influence) and exercises that incorporate a variation of the Hundred breath, like the “single-leg pull,” which are rather dynamic and performed at a faster pace, two breaths in through the nose and two out through the nose or mouth. Then there’s the slow, smooth, controlled diaphragmatic breath, which is used for some of the slower, flowing movements, such as the “roll-up,” or “spine stretch forward.”
• In yoga, most of the poses are done standing*, and work with gravity by rooting down into the earth in order to lengthen the body away from the floor and into various planes of movement, with the exception of arm balances and inversions, (standing on the head, or shoulder stand) where one tries to defy gravity; in Pilates, most of the exercises are performed lying down, either prone (on the stomach), supine (on the back), or side-lying and are aimed at defying gravity the entire time, engaging the “powerhouse,” the abdominal center in order to lift up from the ground to lengthen muscles.
• *Note that in Yoga, there are a number of poses done on the floor as well, such as seated forward bends, twists, bow pose on the stomach, plow, etc., and in Pilates, there are also standing series, such as the Sculpting Series and Magic Circle.

What’s the best way to really learn how they’re different? Try them for yourself and experience them live! As I’ve said, together, they are the perfect combination.

My love of Pilates and yoga began long before their popularity rose, and they have both has served as pillars of strength for me in all aspects of my professional, athletic and artistic life—conditioning my body, enlivening my spirit, reinforcing my self-esteem and overall sense of well-being. I continue to be amazed and delighted every time I teach a class, or I take one, just how simple, yet powerfully transformational Pilates and Yoga are and how their effects grace the body mind and spirit and catalyze profound change. They center and balance us, making us more aware of ourselves our surroundings, so that we have greater reserves to share good feelings with others, reminding us of what is truly important in life. Pilates and yoga very simply, all differences aside, make us into healthier, kinder, more generous, more connected, conscious people, which, in turn, makes the world a better place.

My DVD recommendations if you want to try it at home:

The Energy Flow Vinyasa Yoga Series: Energy Flow, Balance Flow and Power Flow New Body! Pilates Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Pilates Toys, all available at: www.JenniferKries.com

Jennifer Kries

Integrated wellness, fitness and lifestyle expert Jennifer Kries, is an internationally renowned mind-body-spirit innovator. The first to bring Pilates, and The Method, the groundbreaking synthesis of Pilates, Yoga and Dance to a mass audience, her award-winning videos, DVDs, and TV show, revolutionized the fitness community and started the explosive wave of enthusiasm for Pilates and mind/body exercise. She is the creator and producer of several original DVD Series, including her all-new Waking Energy, The Hot Body Cool Mind Series, and The Pilates Method Master Trainer Series. Jennifer has inspired countless readers, practitioners, graduates of her programs, and viewers alike to embrace her all-encompassing philosophy of movement, art, health, life and energy. Her attention to detail, superb teaching style, artistry, and knowledge of Eastern healing techniques makes her one of the most highly sought-after mind-body teachers in the world today.

www.JenniferKries.com

There are  moments in life when we are lucky enough to meet the secret places inside our own psyches, our own souls where hidden reserves of power and courage have seemed to lay in wait for just the right time.

From my earliest memory, I have been afraid of heights. At age 14, the chance of a lifetime- to go up to the top of the Eiffel Tower, and I had to be dragged onto the elevator by a best friend who swore to me I would live with the regret of missing out for the rest of my life. So I went, and while everyone else was “oooolah lah-ing” about the “La Vue Fantastique,” I felt like I was meeting my maker early. Once, while attempting to climb a fire tower in the Adirondacks with an old flame, I may have made it up to the second landing, (the equivalent of a second story building) and already my knees were starting to buckle and I felt a panic attack coming on.

Last week, we drove to the famed Sunset Cliffs where we were going to start shooting new footage. Little did I know that in order to get to our location, I would actually have to scale one of them. And when I say cliffs, we’re not talking little hills. The photographer looked at me, knowing full well about my fear, but started to scramble down the cliff as if he didn’t. In response to my choice words of shock and anger, the most demure of which went something like this, “How the _____ could you do this to me?!” He gave me one confident, knowing smile, clearly unconcerned that this might very well be the end of our relationship, and continued down on his merry way toward the beach. I started protesting loudly and calling after him, chastising him for bringing me to this place where I would have to actually rapelle backwards with a rope, an actual ROPE! to get down. Yeah. Right.

There I sat, perched on the edge of my destiny, and a firefighter appeared on the ridge above me, smiling at the whole interaction, and called down to me in a — now how exactly do I put this? Yes, that’s it —in a decidedly mocking and only remotely sympathetic tone,

“We’ll just send a helicopter in to pick you up and take you down! How about that?!”

Well, that did it for me. I have no idea to this day what came over me, but his words, combined with the visual of my DP effortlessly floating down the cliff was a call to action and brought instantaneous energy and motion to my body, and before I knew it, with some very calm, laser-like precision, in what I would definitely call an out-of-body experience, the body I was living in very carefully started to calculate each step, each rock I chose, to place a foot and then a hand, and there I was: in the zone.

In an instant, I had made the decision to go. Sitting here tonight on this powerful Blue Moon eve, the thing that comes to mind is that the decision to face my age-old fear and mount the attack down the cliff was exactly like the moment I decided that I was going to change my life and move West. The moments before were torture, the pain of the indecision, the “what-ifs” that came like relentless machine-gun fire, and then the soundless floating towards the inevitable, towards the moment my soul knew was that right time.

As I made it to the crucial juncture, the place where I would have to grab the rope to lower myself down a 30 foot drop, I was somehow still eerily calm, and all faculties, all athletic skills rallied to make my descent a smooth one. I felt complete and utter faith in myself and where I was going. I believed in my ability to make it down to the beach without incident.

And moments later, there I was, standing and smiling, feet in the sand, not even shouting, just smiling triumphantly. I felt calm, and I felt happy. Yes, I said it, I felt happy! I couldn’t believe how happy I was, in fact. I had no idea how I would climb back up the cliff after we had finished shooting, but I didn’t care. I was riding the high from  the courage I discovered was ready to stand inside me once I had summoned the strength to call upon it.

And climb back up I did. And once I made it back up to the top, just to test myself, I walked right up to the edge of the highest point of the cliffs, and gazed down.

Not even a tremble! How could it be? After so many years of paralyzing fear, now– nothing. Nothing but happiness. Could it be that in making the decision to heed the innermost voices inside, to follow my bliss, I had actually begun to conquer the demons of old? Had the new me actually started to emerge, or was it really the “true me?!” –The true me who had lived inside there all that time. The fear had come from some outside source-like an allergy that had taken hold in my cells from an early trauma, the fear had been real for over 30 years, easy. And in one fell swoop, it was gone. I had made the decision to send it packing, because my desire to be unswervingly loyal to me, to be true to myself, had won.

And perhaps this is what tonight is about. The celebration of saying goodbye to old, inherited fears and saying yes to what is true for you. A crucial question to ask ourselves, “Who is the true you?”  Strip everything away and what is your true essence? What makes you truly happy? I think fears come from regrets, from betraying ourselves … so I ask you now: What do you have to forgive yourself for to make space for who you really are and what you truly wish to manifest in this life, so that you can be happy, truly happy. Mary Oliver comes to mind: “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”

Tonight, I pay homage to the beautiful True Blue Moon, and to Neil Armstrong who was the first to step foot on it in the Summer of 1969. To his courage, his pioneering spirit and his belief in our ability to go beyond our preconceived limits, I pay tribute to who he was– someone who lived boldly, a man who fearlessly, actively manifested his destiny as a citizen of the planet and beyond.

Tonight I give thanks for the primal force that rose up inside me last week at the cliffs that carried me forward on gossamer wings of hope, faith and truth. Tonight I am pregnant like the full moon, with a gratitude that soars high above and around me, surrounding me, like the pelicans who flew just overhead that day last week at the Cliffs. And I am pregnant with this feeling I had that day- an unswerving loyalty, a deep and genuine desire to be true to myself no matter what … to be true blue.

May we all become pregnant with our dreams and may we each and everyone give birth to the child (our truest selves and or the actual baby spirit in human form) we have always yearned to meet.

“Neptune and Chiron are close to this Pisces Moon, so expect to dream big and find healing in the most unlikely places.  Both Mars in Scorpio and Pluto in Capricorn lend their tremendous energies to transforming the old you into the True You.”~ Cathy Pagano, Astrologer

“Follow your bliss.
If you do follow your bliss,
you put yourself on a kind of track
that has been there all the while waiting for you,
and the life you ought to be living
is the one you are living.
When you can see that,
you begin to meet people
who are in the field of your bliss,
and they open the doors to you.
I say, follow your bliss and don’t be afraid,
and doors will open
where you didn’t know they were going to be.
If you follow your bliss,
doors will open for you that wouldn’t have opened for anyone else.”
― Joseph Campbell

Over the course of the past 6 and a half years that I have lived in Philadelphia, (how and why that happened I may never know ..) I have not missed a single opportunity to stop and literally smell the roses. I would approach them and beckon them to me, cradle them gently in my hands and deeply inhale their scent with my entire being, a veritable world of intoxicating bliss that seemed to radically alter every cell in my body, in an instant. Each and every time, no matter what my mental state, my reality shifted dramatically, and I was transported.

Every now and again, I would be in too much of a rush to get to the nectar of the rose, and I would feel the wrath of the thorns on its stem, almost warning me to go slower, to savor the moment before I inhaled its transportive secret, almost as if to tell me that I needed to be more patient, more appreciative, more delicate. Even with the prick of the thorn, and the errant drop of bright red blood on my finger, I delighted in the reward, the almost unfathomable world of pleasure that I drowned in, and shockingly, all in that singular, tiny, divine unfolding of color and billowing, all encompassing profusion of scent. I would often think, “How was it possible that such a miracle- this potent and ethereal world of pleasure could exist in such a small blossom?”

Every rose is different, uniquely beautiful in its own way — the color and shape of its petals, and the subtlety of its special floral pheromones. Tea roses, American Beauty Roses, Crimson Queens, Midas Touch Roses, Sunflare Floribundas, Tropicanas, White Meidilands, too many to name.  In the 4th Street Garden near my once-upon-a-time, magical little jewelry box of a home, there is a vast variety of beauties, just waiting to be inhaled and loved. They are everywhere, thanks to Benjamin Franklin, who had a love for these gorgeous flowers and planted them strategically throughout the old part of town to frame the walkways as a respite from the din and bustle of the city.

Over time, specifically over the course of the past few years, the rose, (not the Liberty Bell,)  has become my symbol for freedom, and today, I sing this sweet song, an ode to the rose … Here is a photo of the last rose whose magical scent filled my being here and changed my mood, lifted me up to smile at the sun like its very own exquisite face, blossoming and spreading an effortless euphoria to every part of my brain, enlivening it, waking it up, refreshing it with the purest, most potent, most enveloping scent. The roses here were some of my sweetest companions …

Bless all of you who love The City of Tough Brotherly Love, aka, Philadelphia, and I will miss my friends and family, but here is my long, hard-won, earnest and sweetest goodbye.

I have done my time, paid the tithes, learned the lessons, healed the wounds, closed the circles, climbed that mountain, made it to the wardrobe door, and passed into an entirely new dimension …

Today, I am beyond grateful to say that

I AM

Free at last, free at last

I thank God I’m free at last

Free at last, free at last

I thank God I’m free at last

Way down yonder in the graveyard walk

I thank God I’m free at last

Me and my Jesus going to meet and talk

I thank God I’m free at last

On my knees when the light pass’d by

I thank God I’m free at last

Tho’t my soul would rise and fly

I thank God I’m free at last

Some of these mornings, bright and fair

I thank God I’m free at last

Goin’ meet King Jesus in the air

I thank God I’m free at last!

Today is indeed a very poignant and powerful day, everyone. Today is a defining moment in my life, but no more important than anyone else’s, as we are all one. I thank you for sharing it with me, a snippet of this human experience … we are all citizens of the planet, here to help one another make sense of it all and transcend it, bringing others—beloved animals, trees, flowers, MOTHER Earth to a revered, respected and cherished place where we acknowledge and go beyond- feeling awe for the privilege of being alive to be our best selves, our most generous and compassionate selves to effect change, embrace the shadow to find the light and truly evolve …

How ironic that I discovered the path to true freedom in a city that made me feel utterly incarcerated– the home of the “Liberty” Bell …

I can still smell the sweetness of that last rose, but as for the thorns? They are no more.

I have signed my very own declaration of independence!

Goodbye, Philadelphia, Goodbye.

And in the words of dear Mr. Franklin, “He that can have patience, can have what he will.”

Let Freedom Ring!

and

LET THE NEW ADVENTURE BEGIN!

“He that can have patience can have what he will.” ― Benjamin Franklin

There is something I have been longing for, and I want it to happen more than anything else in the world. It has nothing to do with fame or money. It is something that only the whispers of the universe will bring my way. Every wise adage seems to stare back from the page, telegraphing its message aloud: “Let go. Surrender, and you will have a much better shot at having what you long for.

But I ask you: Isn’t it so incredibly difficult to stop striving and trying and controlling when there is something in front of you, so out of reach, an ever-presence shrouded in mystery, elusive and precious?

Even as “body people,” we can work ourselves into such a frenzy, that we temporarily forsake our bodies, the very vessels that require our kindness, softness and relaxed thinking in order to make what we wish for, happen.

My thinking mind wants to address every aspect, every detail and make sure that I have covered all bases, crossed every “T” and dotted every “i.” My thinking mind thinks that if it works hard enough, it will succeed in having control over what cannot be controlled. My thinking mind believes that it will be able to alter the course of destiny, all on its own. And my thinking mind is barking up the wrong tree.

Enter the breath … enter the voice of wisdom from the body that says gently, ”go sit and place one hand on your belly and the other on your heart and just listen; listen to your soul.” Enter stillness … and then … enter a tidal wave of tears. And finally a feeling of incredible lightness and rootedness at the same time. The feeling that I have cast off a weight of more than 1,000 pounds– the feeling that I am home again, at one with the moment, so spent, so clear, so free, that I can think of little else.

“Of course!” my mind says to my body. How could I have imagined that it was wise to operate independently, ignoring you so thoughtlessly, on auto-pilot, convinced that I could control the wild horses of the ethers, running at light speed in any direction they are driven to fly? The mind is only as powerful as it thinks it is if it not only acknowledges, but connects reverently and deeply with the body. It is then, and only then that the spirit comes out of hiding and tells you its secrets, revealing the code that will indeed bring you closer to what it is you long for.

Once I found this place of peace and greater surrender from my release, I couldn’t help but recall a special moment in time when a portal to this evanescent and beautiful world of total union of mind, body and spirit opened miraculously for me, and it had very little to do with my intractably isolationist “thinking mind.” It was the first time I performed a Teaser.

The Pilates Teaser is an exercise that challenges every aspect of the mind, and body, enlivening the spirit, and leaving the practitioner with an overwhelming sense of accomplishment. And like this thing that I long for, it can be extremely elusive, is a phenomenal teacher and cannot be achieved with the mind alone. Those of us who have practiced Pilates for many years know that it is a landmark exercise, and to be able to execute a beautifully controlled, elevated “teaser” is quite an achievement. Ironically, one of the secrets I felt I learned years ago in Pilates was the concept of effortless effort, and the same I so badly needed when my monkey mind was busy leaping from branch to branch, beating on the ‘big drum’ inside my brain not so long ago. The challenge is to apply this “effortless effort” to every aspect of your life. It has to start somewhere, though, and for me, some of the most pivotal moments in my personal evolution, those that have been truly transformational in my life, have started on the mat.

Years ago, when I was at Drago’s Gym in NYC and I was a young apprentice and professional ballet dancer, I used to watch the more seasoned apprentices attempting the Teaser in Mat classes given by Romana. It is an exercise that comes at the end of the class, after your powerhouse is already on fire, and it requires remarkable focus, breath and control to be able to execute it at this crucial juncture- at a time when you feel that you are only running on ethers- and I’m not sure that is true for just anyone’s Mat class, but it sure was the case with Romana’s.

As I used to watch various students attempt the movement, I remarked to myself that those who were the most successful at peeling their bodies off the mat so seamlessly were the very same who clearly embraced this concept of effortless effort. They made it look easy. They weren’t stressed when they were doing it. They clearly connected to their breath, made the decision to apply their strength, but in a metered, economical way, the way Joe wanted movements to be performed- with “economy,” one of his mantras. And the other thing I realized, especially when it was my turn to attempt it, was that without contrast, without some kind of tension, oppositional force, of literally being able to reach energetically in the opposite direction, one did not have a hope in hell of achieving this seamlessness, this utter effortlessness in the journey up to the summit. Without challenge, without exploring this overhead space to reach away from the feet, and this space beyond the feet to lengthen, without this opportunity to find peace and breath in the face of chaos, the invisible space to “push off of”  one could not climb the mountain. And so I discovered that there was a magic and beauty to this perfect synthesis of opposites, and a resultant symmetry, the invisible laws of physics at work, dancing with tension, learning to harness it instead of being at its mercy!

And I can remember it all as if it were yesterday. I was in my first ever mat class with Romana. I was incredibly intimidated and nervous. I wanted to do everything perfectly. And my thinking mind was on overdrive. My stomach was in knots. Thank god for the endorphins that were flowing from the prior 30 some-odd exercises that had preceded this defining moment to dilute my nerves.

I extended my arms overhead, reaching farther than I ever had, and I simultaneously reached my legs as far away from my center as I could. I then anchored my back into the mat, deepening my abdominals, and I took the all-important preparatory breath. As I lifted my upper body off of the mat, I felt the immense power in my legs reaching up and out into the space beyond, and I continued to stay connected to my breath and the electricity vibrating in my every cell. I rode the wave instead of questioning it, or fighting it, and I climbed that mountain. I rose right up and saw that I had reached the top. I couldn’t believe it! It was so much easier than I thought it could be. Don’t get me wrong, it was still damn hard, but I had created an incredible bubble of calm and simplicity inside this intricate latticework of tension. I rode that wild horse and tamed it.

Inwardly, I smiled in a way I never had before, and I used that fire, that powerful satisfaction inside to roll down through my spine with as much awareness and control as I had managed to manifest on the way up.  And then just as I was resting on my laurels, I heard Romana’s voice pierce through my reverie of accomplishment, and challenge my calm and fortitude with its distinctively devilish tone as she called out her next commands, “And now, ‘Arms-to-Ears!”  … Incredulous, I pulled off three more repetitions  of this next variation, and she just kept coming–no rest for the weary, “Now, the “Leg-Drop” in her sing-song, ‘do you think you can actually survive this?!‘ and finally, just when I thought that I could not do one more repetition of any exercise, let alone another teaser, “the fold-up!” Came at me hard like a close-out.  And there I was, mere seconds to make 100 decisions, to sound the bell and reach every command center within my own being. Peering over the edge of that internal precipice, I knew in my heart that I could not and would not allow myself to shrink from this challenge. I would not allow myself to fail. I had come so far. I needed to jump. I needed to believe that I could fly.

And so, connecting to my breath, reaching beyond where I had reached when I embarked on that first set of Teasers, 5 minutes before, my legs now shaking from the determination that urged them to grow beyond their 33 inches, my body came up with three more. After I squeezed out that last drop of magic elixir that flowed through my veins, pulsing like the only truth I had ever known, I felt like soft rubber, lying there on the mat, grateful to have survived it … and even more grateful to my body and myself that I had done it all without faltering.  I had gone somewhere entirely new, and I was so exhilarated! My body shaking from such incredible output, you would think that I would have felt exhausted, but not all– I felt so alive!  I realized that as I was moving through each challenge, as Romana continued to raise the stakes, I was no longer “thinking,” I had gone beyond thought into a place of complete union of mind, body and spirit. I was recruiting every aspect of my being, but not with my thinking mind; only with the greatest laser-like focus on that very moment, and then that moment, and the moment after that, with the greatest breath and ease, the most expansive reach I had ever employed. I had gone beyond and merged with the space around me, into the great unnameable beyond–I was “in the flow.”

My esteemed qigong teacher, Roger Jahnke says that “by cultivating the radical capacity for self-observation and by engaging the awe of extraordinary focus on just the present — a portal to timelessness opens. It is a gateway to supreme peace and eternal wellness. Sounds unusual, nearly indescribable. That is the beauty of it. Primordial Qigong, also known as Wuji Qigong, is a method to go beyond. That is — beyond stress, concern, thought.”

And from my earliest memories, even before I knew what qigong was, or the jewels of deep wisdom it would bring into my life, my first introduction to the body-mind-spirit arts was Pilates. And I knew intuitively that by going the way of energy instead of fighting it or trying to control it, by being in the moment, I could go beyond thought. Recently, I rediscovered this infinitely powerful secret in a new way. It was such an incredible reminder that the best choice we can make is to invite everyone to the party, body, mind and spirit. Just as man cannot survive by bread alone, he cannot survive by mind alone.

Yes, instead of cursing the mountain for being there, so in my way, I decided to surrender to it.  I made the simple choice to silence my thinking mind that wanted to detonate the mountain and blast a pass through it. I decided to go beyond, to the place where I could befriend the mountain and climb it- deftly choosing which rock to give my weight to, breathing my way, expanding upward, economically, sentiently, consciously, calmly, lovingly.

And perhaps one day soon, I will be able to reach powerfully, but effortlessly into the space where the elusive and precious will come to me, with open hands and heart, instead of my trying in vain to force it, to make it come …  perhaps one day soon, by practicing peace and profound trust and faith in the midst of doubt and fear, I will go beyond, to that place where my capable and wise energy body carries me to its next destination, the same way it did on that very first Teaser … and who knows?  I might even float to the summit –the sacred intersection where spirit and destiny meet, the place where miracles happen …

Happy, Prosperous New Year of The Water Dragon~ May this year be one of Great Blessings, Awakenings & Miracles~

Powerful energies are swirling around in the universe now- can you feel it? Change is happening, like water rushing over river rocks, fluid and inevitable.

Believe in yourself. Believe that anything is possible. Say YES to yourself. Say YES to your intentions, say YES and welcome it all!

May it be so~!

This morning I had a dream that I was sledding down the side of a snow-covered hill on my black Tumi backpack, and suddenly, a red-tailed hawk flew down from the sky, and came to light on my left arm. It was so unbelievable. I was so amazed. I can still feel my lips parted in awe that such a magical, spirit, such a wild, solitary, elusive bird had chosen to come to me in such a bold act of intimacy.

It was as if freedom itself had decided to come to me. And not only did it just float there on my arm, but it softly sank his beautiful talons into my flesh, gently holding on, knowing exactly how hard to press, accepting my warm breath on his beak. To see if it was real, I gently went to stroke his head, and he let me and spread his gorgeous wings of white and red in appreciation that I had chosen to reciprocate his intimate gesture with one of my own.

Even now, the feeling of lightness and warmth as big as the sky above, spreads across my chest, from deep within my heart center to his, this magnificent hawk; we were connected, united, and FREE!  What a joy, what a gift that dream was! I am still celebrating it … A message from above. I am still aglow from that moment when my eyes caught him and tracked his trajectory, incredulous that he was coming toward me –when I saw his wings beating in an upward draw, slowing his descent, as he floated down from the ethers, and chose me as his landing pad, a confidant to whom he could silently transmit the message: “Believe it. You are FREE.”

Trial by fire. Oh, and it is.

When I first found this image, I wanted to kiss the earth that I had located a visual depiction that managed to encapsulate the very feeling I have had over the past month. I feel like a stuntwoman walking away from a well-played crash scene, except the “scene” isn’t staged. It’s real. Never before has this conscious awareness of contrast between incarceration and liberty been as stark, as naked as it has been for me of late. And when I say this contrast- I am referring to the battle of black vs. white, shadow vs. sun that comes to dominate the grand stage of the mind. The duel to the death that happens when we entrap ourselves in the stories that we ourselves author, when we imprison ourselves in the cells we construct, when we fashion the very shackles that keep our feet well-fettered.

Rumi said it so well,  “You were born with wings. Why prefer to crawl through life?”

In reality, there is no cell. There are no shackles. There is only that very early, formative history that lays the groundwork for the template we use as the holy grail for most of our days … the song we feel we must sing until we realize that we have been dancing to the beat of a drum that is not ours, chanting the war cry of ancestors who did not see the light, or  learn that they could sing a different song, that they were free to choose new music to dance to …

Waking up is hard to do. Just like the song, “Breaking up is hard to do,” (do I hear violins? ) but once you wake up, you can no longer sleep the slumber of one imprisoned by your own “stories” of the past. Once you wake up, your eyes take in the landscape of a vastly new reality, and what you see cannot be described by the words you once used. Even your vocabulary expands. Marcel Proust leaps to mind,  “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.”

The truth is, if you choose to live a self-examined life, you are constantly “waking up,” but this doesn’t necessarily mean that you get to experience the pay-off every day … and that’s why it’s such a good feeling when you do. It seems the Gods have planned it so that you only experience the reward every now and again-only after you have waged a good campaign and you return home, sufficiently bloodied, humbled and grateful. That’s the way they make sure you stay in the game. And it’s only after you have war wounds to lick, that you come to appreciate your skin when it heals.

We humans, while I wish I could say otherwise,  learn most expediently through adversity. Consider a yoga practice. If every pose were easy and accessible, where would our edges to push from arise? How would we learn contrast and how on earth would we learn patience and fortitude and courage? The inversions where we consciously turn our worlds upside down, the standing balances when we have to create the solid ground underneath our own feet,  the arm balances, where we have to summon the strength in our very core to defy gravity and float above it with smooth breathing and measured aplomb. Yes, it’s true that whatever happens on your yoga mat, is a mirror for what happens and what is possible in your life. And whatever is going on in your life, if you’re lucky, you can work out on your yoga mat before, during and after.

Freedom. No one can deny that it comes at a price. But once you taste it, you really couldn’t care less how much it may have cost you. While you are on the battlefield of life, slashing through time and space with your mighty sword, slaying dragons and demons who come in human form, yes, the very same you yourself have somehow invited to the party, one after the other, all somehow strongly resembling one another, you fight the same damn fight until you “wake up” to the lesson, to the reality that has been there all along. And now, yet another quote from my dear friend, Rumi comes to mind, “Lovers don’t finally meet somewhere. They’re in each other all along”.

That “awakened” self is really a part of you all along, just waiting to be contacted, like Sleeping Beauty, waiting to be kissed and freed from her imprisoning slumber by the warrior self who fights to break the chains of history that bind us to the fear we inherit from previous generations … generations who slept a seemingly endless slumber.

Today, like Thanksgiving Day, when I was filled with gratitude, I am taking stock of where I’ve been, and how far I have traveled. The death-defying mountain passes, the chasms with no visible bottoms that I thought could never be traversed, the tangos with partners I wished would have dissolved into the ethers, like The Red Shoes with Moira Shearer, the dance that I thought would never, ever end, and the contracts signed in haste and in blood. They have all reached their destined conclusions. And I am FREE. Free of this particular epoch in my history. Still standing, and more awake than I’ve ever been. I am here on the battlefield of life where my blood has become the fertilizer that has transformed it all into a field of wildflowers, alive with a sweet, sweet buzz attended by troupes of dancing bees, bobbing and swaying gently in fragrant breezes like fingers through my my own hair.

I am here to tell you that as painful as it may be, it is true that the only way out is through … and along the way, we learn invaluable lessons. Like ancient glaciers carving a path through our souls, lessons leave in their powerful wake, exquisite etchings that are the markings of our spirit’s evolutionary journey. It takes great courage to face what we have created, to weather the storms we stir,  to conclude the dramas we have authored in order to come to know our true selves.

The reward is worth the apparent “cost.”  The reward is standing on the solid ground that you have reached after great travail and toil. The reward means you get to breathe new air. The reward is greater than anything you can hold in your hands, and once you feel it, once you breathe it and let it sink into your every cell, it is yours forever. You have claimed it, and no one can take it away.

“Come to the edge,” he said.

And they said: “We are afraid.”

“Come to the edge,”  he said.

And they came. And he pushed them, and they flew.”

~Guillaume Apollinaire