Notes from a busy week

Wow! How did it get to be Thursday already!? 

One reasons I've been so quiet here on the blog these last few weeks (besides being gone for the spontaneous road trip and the ongoing work on my graduate thesis) is that I've been hard at work on a new Word Press website that I am creating with the help of Tara Gentile's Website Kickstart e-course! The above screen shot is the site in it's current state and I have some more tweaking to do until it's ready, but once it's done, I'll have a website/blog all-in-one! I have lots of exciting ideas and plans for the new space and will let you know when it's ready!

On the painting front, here are the other two paintings that I finished this week:

This one's called "Love Roots Us". There was something about the deep plums and rich pink layers that reminded me of being rooted in the expansiveness of love...I'm not sure why. One of the reasons I love creating these mandala pieces is that I never really know how they are going to come out and the final visceral feeling that they invoke in me is always a surprise. 

I am curious to know if the effect they have on you is similar to my experience or if you receive different kinds of feelings from the work...Also, I've wondered if my naming and explaining their effect on me as I create them changes the way a viewer engages with them....I'd love to know your thoughts!

This one is called "Elephant Power", inspired by the Elephant God, Ganesha. While I was in Colorado, I  purchased a little Ganesha statue that I have started bringing to my classes when I teach. Ganesha is the remover of obstacles from our path and the go to guy when starting out on a new project. I have been working on this here Art Asana project for almost a year now, but it still feels so new, so I think I'll keep Ganesha around! 

Happy Thursday! 

Notes from a busy week

Waves

Lately, my husband and I have been taking our dog, Tulsi, to the beach for walks. We were there yesterday as it pelted snow and rain at us, even as the water remained soft and calm. We were there this morning, picking our way over the snow and sand holes and skirting the waves as they dashed in. I marveled at how different the ocean looks every time we're here. Somedays the waves are crashing and the sky is gray. Somedays the waves are quiet and little, gently lapping the sand.

(print available here.)

I love going out there and opening my arms to the expansiveness of the sky and to the way the ocean seems to be pulsing like a heartbeat.

Just being there makes my heart feel more open.

Tulsi runs and plays gleefully, chasing the sand globs that fly out from her paws.

Out there, there is a sense of knowing that this is what living with an open heart feels like:

Expansive, playful and full of love.

(print available here.)

In yoga, my body is a lot like the beach.

Different every day.

I take pause and breathe into the expanse of sky that are my lungs

and I attune, like the waves to the land, to my own heart.

When we attune more deeply to our hearts, our lives become more expansive, playful and full of love.

When we splash more from our hearts,

we are able to dance more like waves.

Waves