True love

Even after all this time
The sun never says to the earth,
"You owe me."
Look what happens
With a love like that,
It lights the whole world.


--Hafiz

7 Days-- Article #2

I have another piece in Seven Days!  It ran today!  You should read it!

Yoga Nidra

People in and around Burlington!  To decompress and de-stress this December, try some relaxing Yoga Nidra at Laughing River Yoga

New Moon Yoga Series

Gratitude is the Attitude!

The more grateful you are, the healthier and happier you are

The Beekeeper

10cc kick

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Ever since alphabetizing T's record collection and discovering the amazing 10cc albums, I am hooked!  So here's a fun little selection of songs for YOU!

Bookshelf

Pretty much sums up how my bookshelves tend to look at times!  Except this one is supposed to look like this.

Horsey!

How awesome is this bike-turned-pony dealio?!

‘Horsey' is an attachable bicycle ornament/accessory which makes one’s bicycle look horsey! The ‘horsey’ package includes wooden ornaments (horse shape body), metal parts, and screws.  Too cool.

A Message from The Universe

Be there. Go there and never leave. Imagine that your dreams have already come true. Live your life from that mindset. Predicate your behavior on that reality, not the illusions that surround you now. Filter every thought, question, and answer from there. Let your focus and shift be born again – because dwelling from, not upon, the space you want to inherit is the fastest way to change absolutely everything.

See the difference?

The word-crafter mused

Hey hey hey and Happy Monday!

I was cleaning a bit yesterday and found a poem I wrote about 9 or 10 months ago in response to a series of stream of consciousness writing sent from a dear family member when he was abroad...I thought I would share what words I jotted down...this is raw and unedited, as most of my stuff tends to be (unless it's for the newspapers!).

We Wonder What's Real

Last night I was sent
a rolling brook
of words--songs, poems, psalms-- brilliant
in their Truth. They eroded
at the sand sheath I'd been wearing
and led me to a place
saturated in golden glory.

The word-crafter mused
about love and sculpted a mouth, crying
out to his unknown partner. With an asterisk,
he addressed a note to me. He says--

"Maybe getting fucked up with love is good,
as least you've got that."

And he's right, at least I've got that--
I've been fortunate enough to trudge through
the dangerous and delicate quagmire
of messy love.

It's in the midst of this storm you realize
the only things making the experience seem
heavy are the ones that are unreal
in this world: fear, anxiety, uncertainty,
and doubt.

"I don't know if these are real
poems," he writes
as an act of self-protection, I assume.

I say, even if they weren't yet on paper, they're more real
than the fear in your belly
that keeps you up at night, more real
than the racing heart of questions
forcing your breath to be quick and shallow.
Just as real as the majestic warmth
you feel in the morning when,
for just that split-second, in between
sub and consciousness you float,
suspended in mid-air, just you--
you're free.

Seven Days VT

Hello Friends!


My goal when I started freelancing for the Shelburne News last year was to one day write for VT coolest, widely-read alternative newspaper: Seven Days.  Today, I am happy to present to you, my very first piece in 7 Days!

CLICK HERE

Let go; Attachment is suffering

Hi Friends,


As the leaves morph into brilliant reds and oranges, I revel in their splendor while, at the same time, remembering that this big show is all a preparation for letting go. The leaves dance in the wind, shimmering golds and fierce crimsons...all a flashy goodbye as they let go of their branches and beautifully glide through the air and surrender to the Earth.

As the season turns and a bright crispness blankets the town, what are you ready to let go of? Is there someting you've been hanging onto? Perhaps something that no longer benefits you? Big or small, we all have these people or things in our lives that we just need to let go of.


Try this breathing, meditative exercise:


Find a comfortable seat on your mat or on the floor. I recommend sitting up on a firm cushion or a yoga block...bringing the hips higher than the legs is a nice way to releave the hip flexers and even create more space in the belly for the diaphragm to move down as you take nice, big inhalations.

Feel the sitz bones rooted into the prop, through the floor, as if they could reach all the way to the core of the Earth. Spine is long and straight; creating space in between each vertebra. Shoulders back and down. Crown of the head reaches toward the sky. Eyes are closed

Take a moment here, just to be. Feel the parts of your body touching the floor and allow the ground to fully support you. Tune into the sounds around you; not judging or analyzing...just noticing and becoming completely aware of your surroundings.

Then rest your attention on the breath. Noticing it's natural cadence. Tuning into it's qualities: is it deep or shallow? Jagged or smooth? Regular or irregular? Stay like this for about a minute.

Begin to deepen the breath now. Drawing in so much air that the belly inflates like a balloon with each inhalation, and exhaling so completely that the belly button naturally draws in toward the spine. Continue breathing like this...long, deep breaths. If the mind wanders, simply bring it back to the breath.

Then, maintaining this quality of breath, call to mind something that has been a challenge for you...something you're ready to let go of. Then exhale and calmly release it. Inhale, inviting in fresh, new space. Exhale release. Continue like this, trusting that all events will flow toward a beautiful resolution.

Do this for about 4 minutes. The allow the breath to resume it's natural cadence and sit still for another 2-3 minutes.

Open your eyes and try to maintain this feeling of peace, trust, and freedom throughout the day.


xoxOM

Julia R Howe Yoga-- Website/Bog

Hello. hello!

I just started a new blog dedicated to yoga....it will include my current schedule, along with yogic "food for thought".  Enjoy!


Julia R Howe Yoga: Inquire. Explore. Begin.

Julia R Howe Yoga-- Facebook Page

Hi Everybody!

So, now you can stay up to date as to when/where I am teaching these days by "liking" the Julia R Howe Yoga Facebook page

Also...a yoga website/blog is in the works :)

xoxOM

Beautiful Words of Swami Kripalu

[Photo credit goes to T...we happened to catch the perfect light coming out of yoga class last night]

My beloved child, break your heart no longer. Each time you judge yourself, you break your own heart. You stop feeding on the love, which is the wellspring of your vitality. The time has come. Your time. To live. To celebrate, and to see the goodness that you are… Do not fight the dark. Just turn on the light. Let go, and breathe into the goodness that you are. --Swami Kripalu

Oh, the coming-out-of-nowhere moment

 On Camel's Hump

I pass several hikers
on the trail today.
They've come from all around
to hear what the mountains have
to say.

Bidding farewell
to things ready to go,
setting them on fire
'til there's nothing
to show.

Exhale, exhale long and slow,
goodbye demons,
let the new energy flow.

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Hello!  Hope you're all happy and well.  What a magical day this has been...full moon eclipse and release of old goop last night, and ushering in goodness, love, joy n' all things bright today.

Had a lovely, leisurely morning with T, then I hiked Camel's Hump w/ Jones, did some other feel good stuff, and am about to go meet up with great people for evening fun.

I cannot believe my month at Kripalu starts in just two weeks!  I am so ready and to excited; eager to have the tools I need to be the best yoga teacher I can be :)

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Me, T, K, and C climbed Mount Washington a few weekends ago!  It was so so awesome.  It was a two night, three day journey (first night bonus was a hail/lightning storm, haha) and felt pretty amazing.  The weather, in general, on that mountain was unlike any I had ever seen.  At that altitude, the clouds move so swiftly and you can be in a brilliant sun patch one second, and a cloudy 82 mph wind mist storm the next.  The terrain is rocky and, at times, unforgiving...it was such an adventure and we all agreed we would do it again in a heartbeat!  We are planning another outing for August....white water rafting, perhaps?

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Keep your eyes/ears open for a happenin' new online vintage clothing company!  All hand-selected vintage garb in tip-top condition and pre-washed with Seventh Generation products...keepin' it green!

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love love love

<3

A sunny day in May

Hello hello!

Been a busy busy bee lately...

I hope you're all enjoying this lovely month o' May.  I cannot believe it is almost JUNE!  Which makes me think about my birthday (woot!) which, in turn, urges me to reflect a bit.  At this time last year, my dear friend Lori was boarding a plane to Europe and I was pumped to join her on June 7th.  I was in VT for the weekend, one year ago, watching my little bro graduate from college, and tying various loose ends before my Euro farming adventure began.  I was so ready to gracefully bow out of the city that never sleeps and gently ease into a lifestyle influences greatly by the natural rhythms of the earth.  This was a pivotal point of transformation for me.....I was doing more than the metaphorical shedding of one's skin, I was rediscovering and reconstructing myself in a very True, powerful way.

25 has been an amazing year and I am so grateful for that...I moved back to VT, a place I've always called home, but now for the first time in a while, I actually live in a place where the term "home" resonates deeply and feels real, pure, and long-lasting.  I see VT through a fresh lens...it is so different living here now as an "adult" (even though I still feel 5 yrs old at times...) vs. as a youngin' or even a college student.

I've created a nice, varied, schedule with several jobs (Shelburne Farms, Church & Main, newspaper, and teaching yoga), met great new people, am a lucky gal to be with a man who is sweet, smart, goofy, adventuresome, insightful and talented, I have stepped beyond my comfort zone time and time again and plan to do so throughout the rest of my life (how else are you gonna learn?!), have explored new terrain in the mountains of VT, continue to learn what's important to me and how to make those things/people very present in my life, and more! AND, this just in....drumroll....I got a scholarship to Kripalu's 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training program for this summer!  For the entire month of July I will be training at Kripalu and will leave at the end of the month with a certification from one of the top world-renowned yoga centers.  Happy?  Yes, ecstatic!

Upon my return, I plan to begin realizing my vision for my own personal path as a yoga teacher:  to make yoga a part of regular curriculum in schools in VT (and beyond!) for grades 9-12.  The possible benefits for the students are endless.  I am already teaching at a high school nearby and have been in conversation with various other schools.  Once I have the legit credentials, I will visit every school possible to present my vision.  I also want to teach at local studios, along with conducting private and semi-private classes.....and eventually I'd love to lead some retreats!  Fun fun.  I feel so honored and thankful to have the opportunity to practice what I love and to be able to share it with others.  That's a very awesome thing.  Thank you, Universe!

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Did the Clean Cleanse again this Spring!  Remember when I did it in the Fall?  Yep, way easier this time around ... the 3 weeks of cleansing time is up now, but I will continue to eat good, organic, whole foods (plus good microbrews!)

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So, I have an iPhone now.  Just figured that was worth mentioning....because it is pretty flippin' sweet.

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4 day, 3 night hiking/camping trip coming up Memorial weekend!  Yay!  We've been planning this for a few months now and it's almost here!  This will be one of the most rigorous hikes yet and I am so ready and excited :)  My new Asolo hiking boots have been wonderful thus far and I am looking fwd to really breaking them in on this journey.  And many more journeys to come.  The goal is to camp out one night per week....or one night every 10 days or so....somethin' like that. And S'mores will be a staple item in my summer diet (she says 1 day post-cleanse, haha).

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Time to snuggle up and get some rest <3

Love n' light

xoxOM

Hey, Raymond Carver

One of my all time fave authors.  And here's an excerpt from one of his best, "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love":


Herb looked at Laura. It was as if he couldn’t place her for a minute. She kept looking at him, holding her smile. Her cheeks were flushed and the sun was hitting her in the eyes, so she squinted to see him. His features relaxed. “Love you, too, Laura. And you, Nick. I’ll tell you, you’re our pals,” Herb said. He picked up his glass. “Well, what was I saying? Yeah. I wanted to tell you about something that happened a while back. I think I wanted to prove a point, and I will if I can just tell this thing the way it happened. This happened a few months ago, but it’s still going on right now. You might say that, yeah. But it ought to make us all feel ashamed when we talk like we know what we were talking about, when we talk about love.”

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And now, just some Raymond Carver quotes because I'm on a Carver kick and am so so sooo excited to re-read some of his short stories all snuggled up in bed tonight!

"And did you get what
you wanted from this life, even so?
I did.
And what did you want?
To call myself beloved, to feel myself
beloved on the earth. "

"That's all we have, finally, the words, and they had better be the right ones."

"Woke up this morning with a terrific urge to lie in bed all day and read."

"But I can hardly sit still. I keep fidgeting, crossing one leg and then the other. I feel like I could throw off sparks, or break a window--maybe rearrange all the furniture."
— (Where I'm Calling From: Selected Stories)

"I hate tricks. At the first sign of a trick or gimmick in a piece of fiction, a cheap trick or even an elaborate trick, I tend to look for cover. Tricks are ultimately boring, and I get bored easily, which may go along with my not having much of an attention span. But extremely clever chi-chi writing, or just plain tomfoolery writing, puts me to sleep. Writers don't need tricks or gimmicks or even necessarily need to be the smartest fellows on the block. At the risk of appearing foolish, a writer sometimes needs to be able to just stand and gape at this or that thing- a sunset or an old shoe- in absolute and simple amazement."

"It's possible, in a poem or short story, to write about commonplace things and objects using commonplace but precise language, and to endow those things—a chair, a window curtain, a fork, a stone, a woman's earring—with immense, even startling power."

"I could hear my heart beating. I could hear everyone's heart. I could hear the human noise we sat there making, not one of us moving, not even when the room went dark."

Teehee

I Lovermont

Singing!

Growth!

Blossoming!

Morning stroll!

Night stroll!

Tie-dye sunset!

Pup!

 [All photo cred goes to T and his sweeeeet new camera]

 

Sunrise

[Photo Credit goes to T]

I love myself the way I am and still I want to grow...

-Jai Josefs

:)

Hey Spring, I can smell you and you smell delightful! Lookin' forward to the sun coming out, staying out, melting winter's white icy mounds and ushering in the kaleidoscope of vibrant, lively colors <3

When are you gonna start acting on your dreams?

How about...

If speaking to a spiritual novice during the darker days of human evolution, one might explain God, metaphorically, as if "He" were angry, testing, and judgmental.

To someone a bit more savvy, during easier times, one might explain God, metaphorically, as if "She" were always loving, nurturing, and forever conspiring on our behalf.

And to someone on the verge of a total breakthrough, during the latter days of human evolution, one might explain God by asking them to turn up the music, take off their shoes, walk in the grass, unleash the dogs, free the canary, catch a breeze, ride a wave, dance every day, get up early, take a nap, stay out late, eat chocolate, feel the love, give stuff away, earn it back, give some more, and laugh.... Really.

First, choose from the options that thrill you.

Then, choose the ones that also teach you.

And from these, choose the scariest.

Butterflies in your tummy are good

Person of Shelburne

The Shelburne News interviewed me this week as their Person of Shelburne

Things, things, things!

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Sooooooo, while yogic philosophy emphasizes minimalist lifestyle and the fact that "thing"....stuff....material goods...don't benefit us in any way and, essentially, only serve to feed the ego...I have to admit, I love stuff!  I understand that I don't need it, I understand receiving it only provides me with temporary satisfaction, etc etc.  BUT, I like it.  And I feel like as long as I am conscious of the fact that getting and buying stuff doesn't actually make me happy, in the truest sense of the word, then I am go on admiring stuff and even occasionally getting stuff.

I also like procrastinating.  You could even go so far as to say that I am an expert procrastinator.  I have an article due for the paper in T-minus 1 hour, yet I just put muffins in the oven (mmmm, gluten free banana!) and am browsing Etsy like a flippin' hawk.  And now, just for the fun of it, I'm gonna share some good Etsy finds.....all stuff I would like.  All stuff I won't buy ::sigh::

Heeeeeeeeere we go!

Extra small copper hoops



These hoops are made in copper with sterling silver ear wires. The hoop has been hammered for texture. Hoop diameter is about 5/8" (1.6cm).




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Little Sweet Hedgehog Earrings


Random. Totally Rad.

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Chunky Cream Moss Stitch Cowl


I love chunky scarves, it's true.  This one looks especially cozy.

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Mini Clay Pots

I mean...these are just adorbs.  Definitely making some come Spring.  In lots of fun colors/patterns!

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Fruit No. 19, Original Oil Painting


I'm pretty sure I don't even need to explain why this rocks.

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Sparkler


Sparkler!  Take off the type and you've got a beauty.

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Custom Order for Nicolegt


Are you serious?!  If someone gave me a leather-bound journal with my name on the spine...I would probably need a paper bag to hyperventilate into, due to utter excitement.

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Shipping Crate Side Table

Genius!  Again, a DIY project I may have to dip into this summer.

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Trunk/Table Made from Reclaimed Wood

Pretty darn cool....plus 1985 is on it, which makes it even cooler.

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Nose Eyeglass Stand/Key Caddy

Contrary to what some friends n' family may say about me, I DO know the difference between need  and want, and I am quite sure I need this lil' item here.  Yep, quiiiiiiite sure.

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Lego Man Crayons

Kickass.  Seriously.

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Pac Man Earrings

So simple, so quirky, so cool.  Scrolling through Etsy is giving me lots of fun project ideas...

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Nerd 4 Life Mug

Obvi

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Retro Thai Style Flower Graphic Upcycled Rug

I would gladly have one of these in my apt

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Personalized Peas in a Pod

So sweet, sweet pea.  Also, would be pretty simple to make.

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Ok, I could do this for a very, very long time...but muffins are ready to come out of the oven and now that I've procrastinated a bit, my brain has re-booted and I am ready to worky work again.

Hope you all have a delightful Friday

xoxOM