The Color of Change

The energy of autumn can be a little bit frenetic because it's a sort of "nesting period" for mammals. It's a time dedicated to preparing for the barren, cold, winter. Like squirrels racing to make sure the food rations are there and bears fattening up for winter hibernation. People tend to do things like rake leaves, make apple cider, gather pumpkins, and other autumn rituals as we transition into a darker quieter environment. Make this fall all about shedding that which doesn't support you on your path, and preparing to nourish your spirit deeply during winter.

In addition to body practices and the internal work you can do - give a little TLC to your living space.

Small changes add up in shifting the energy of your space and life. Little additions like leg warmers, hot drinks, rugs, and fuzzy pillows can add a cozy feeling that you just want to nestle into at the end of the day.

Colors and textures create moods and either nourish or drain your energy. Put some extra thought this season into these things that can affect your psychological and emotional state.

I'm changing the color scheme at home right now. My large pieces are deep purples, reds, and dark woods. I have accents of greens, aquas, whites, and oranges that I can shift and swap out for the cooler seasons. I don't buy all new decor every season or even every year. I only buy things I intend to keep for a lifetime. This fall I'm simply putting away the aquas and bright whites - and pulling out lush comfortable dark grays and spicy orange tones. I'm adding dark throw blankets, artfully placing my favorite decorative pillows, and rearranging so the earth tones are in the spotlight together. In my art studio I'm taking down most of the work on the walls to clear space for fall/winter creative mind.

My autumn revamp is like spring cleaning, but geared toward fall. Throw out your expired food items, make a donation of your excess stuff, organize your keepers, and create a supported feeling in your environment this season.

Today's photos via http://pinterest.com/cosmiclila/winter-fall/

July Vacation

It's fairly obvious that I've been absent for a bit. July was a busy month for me. I was in and out of doctor's offices, had various family members staying in my home, been out enjoying the summer, and most enthusiastically road-tripped to Wanderlust California and back. The office visits have been spread out, the family has all gone home, Wanderlust is over, but I'm still very much in love with summer sunshine and all the water the Universe allows me to play in. I do own something like 6+ swimsuits.

I'll be going over some of these things I've been up to, giving another belated Quarterly unboxing, reviewing a nice hippie deodorant, and I even have another book review coming up sometime soon. So know that I have plenty of things in mind for the lovely hot month of August after that little hiatus of July.

For now I'll just toss you a fun couple of pictures to wade back into the world. Hugs!

Today's pics taken by the fantastic husband at Wanderlust  CA

Where Are You Going?

"You got to be careful if you don't know where you're going, because you might not get there."

-Yogi Berra

I spent a large chunk of this weekend in stores with incredible piles of people. Tons of people dutifully consuming... unless they're just milling about like zombies. I saw a lot of that too. I get the feeling that few of these people are practicing presence. I don't think many of them are on any particular path or maybe even aware of their life. Many of them are just going through the motions and existing. I hope I'm not doing that.

I've been trying to make christmas lists for people, buy gifts, practice yoga, figure out when/how I'm going to visit my mom one of these days... and yet I'm trying to give Thanksgiving it's time. Right now that's where I should be going. Yet my path has kind of skipped it, so I need to circle back around and make sure I get to Thanksgiving. I don't want to miss it. It's not often that gratitude is in season.

Shifting with the Seasons

I can barely believe it's almost halfway through November. The deciduous trees are shedding leaves and letting the evergreens have the limelight for a while. The wind is faster and colder. Occasionally we're even getting snow here in the northern hemisphere.

I've made it no secret that I'm not a fan of the cold. Now it's time for me to hibernate like a small bear and I'll gladly do so. Wrapped in a blanket with a cup of hot tea all I can think about is turning on the fireplace one of these days. I've never lived somewhere with a fireplace before and the whole idea is charming.

I've been sick so I haven't really had an asana practice recently. I read somewhere that someone "heard" that every single day that you don't practice you lose a weeks worth of progress. I really hope that's not true because if it is I'm doomed.

In the spirit of the season slow down your practice today and quietly turn inside. Shed your leaves and let your bones rest for a bit. Take great care and nurture yourself maybe for the entire weekend. Moisturize and warm your skin, make your muscles supple, get sufficient sleep, and slow your monkey mind so you are better prepared for the cool weather and stressful holiday season that is coming.

Here at Hearts Expanding I've got some great stuff coming up. Giveaways, gift guides, book reviews and more! Stay tuned and take care of yourselves.

The Thick and Thin of Yoga Mats

I've been hearing a lot lately about how when you're looking for a yoga mat you really want to find something thick. According to current discussion thick mats are ideal and necessary. I really don't think that's always the case, so I just have to say something. Yes thick mats are great for things like tops of feet in virasana or knees during low lunges. Thick mats have their place, but they have their drawbacks too.

I've tried a lot of different mats - some I've purchased, some I've used because they were the only thing in the studio at work, and sometimes I've gone without entirely. The thickest mats I've tried were far from the thickest available, and I think it takes no time at all before a mat becomes too thick. If given the option of a really thick mat or nothing - I'd rather go bare.

The thickest mats I've tried have actually hurt my feet far more than the hardest wood floor. If your mat is thick but not firm then you will have difficulty balancing, and a potentially dangerous situation for wrists. Handstands, arm balances - these should probably never be done on a thick squishy mat. Some mats are thick but firm (not very common though) so they don't pose these problems and I don't really have any problem with them. However, thinner mats can be great and I prefer my mats a little on the thin side. I don't mind practicing on a bare floor, and I think thin mats get me the closest approximation to practicing on "the ground with stick". When I attended a Noah Maze workshop early this year I noticed he rolled out a mat that at first almost looked like a long black piece of paper. I don't even know where you get such a mat. It was crazy looking, but he prefers the thinnest mat possible.

This is all personal preference, but the point is that it IS an entirely individual situation. Your mat supports and holds you through the long journey of your practice. It needs to fit you, your practice, and your needs. Thick may not be it, so remember that when shopping for your next mat. Listen to your body, not to popular opinion.

There Will Be Blood - So Be Prepared

Wow guys... I have been having one of those weeks where I just have nothing to talk about. Most of these posts this week have been written at like 1am (like this one). I've been spending a bunch of time in the gym lately trying to jump start a serious gym regimen. Adam is officially being paid to workout regularly so we have no reason not to go.

I love working out... it's awesome. Some people really have trouble finding motivation to get to the gym... or the yoga studio, or wherever... but I don't have that problem. I'm just one of those people that is always up for doing something. However, part of being ready when you lead an active lifestyle is being prepared for something to go wrong. I don't mean big things like hyperextending a knee or dislocating a shoulder. I mean small things like your hair tie breaking or overworking a bit. Be prepared to go fish an extra hair tie out of your bag (because you carry those all the time right?)... or be prepared to run an epsom salt bath as soon as you get home to avoid feeling crippled the next day.

What my hand looked like before it got destroyed.

I had an ugly reminder of this yesterday when I smashed my finger between a 35 lb weight plate and a giant metal machine. I didn't exactly plan on such a thing, so when my finger was missing some skin and a small chunk of itself I wasn't prepared for all the blood. Seriously, it bled all over the place. It seemed to have no intention of stopping bleeding so I had to ask the front desk for a band-aid. I got lucky because they only had one left and it was barely big enough to do the job. By the time I got it on I had blood on my legs, arms, and clothes. I was a biohazard! My finger is still throbbing and it's been like 28 hours.

I learned a lesson here - you can't always count on the gym to have band-aids, so carry your own. No matter what you're doing there can be blood shed (as I've definitely learned in yoga, weight training, hula hooping, team sports, etc.) so I'm officially keeping a bag of band-aids in the car. 'Cause you never know when you'll be bleeding all over the equipment.