Group Reiki Healing for Haiti
Sunday, January 24 at 4pm
(In your time zone)
If you responded to the previous request to send healing to the situation in Haiti - Thank You. While progress is being made, and people are receiving help, the situation for many continues to be desperate. In order to focus even more healing I've schedule this group healing event. The intention is to send Reiki in a similar way that Reiki is sent for the world peace meditations - sending at the above time in your time zone. Please send Reiki for 15 minutes or longer. By sending Reiki together as a group our hearts will join together and our efforts will be more effective.
Please print this page and use it to send Reiki healing by simply hold it in your hands and using the distant symbol and any other Reiki symbols you're guided to use. Please send Reiki for 15 minutes or longer. If the 4pm time doesn't work, send Reiki any time you can.
May all those who were adversely affected by the earthquake in Haiti be deeply healed and guided to the resources and help they need. May all those providing aid including food, water, medical care and shelter and those involved in rebuilding the infrastructure be filled with the love, strength, perseverance and organizational skills needed to fulfill their purpose.
Please forward this email to all your Reiki Friends.
Thanks for helping.
Sincerely,
William Lee Rand
The International Center for Reiki Training
Friday, January 22, 2010
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Yoga DVD's
When I first began my yoga journey, I reached a point where I did yoga everyday at my local gym. I had many different teachers; Karen, Bernadette, Betsy, Odessa, and of course, Susan, my mentor. It was interesting learning each person's style, this was before you could get a yoga certification overnight so these teachers actually had a ton of training. Karen is a Tai Chi Master so she brought it to her teaching, I had just spent 3 years learning Tai Chi so it was a good fit. Bernadette is old school yoga, lit candles and did moon salutations. Betsy was pure power, throwing in extra push ups from chaturanga. Odessa is a lovely old soul, new to yoga but determined to bring beauty to the practice. She would massage our shoulders with lavender oil before relaxation. These were small classes....
Susan had trained with the big guys, grew up with hippie parents, spent months in ashrams so she brought a wide variety of knowledge to her teaching. I stayed with her the longest, soaking up all the yoga I could, in fact, it was her class that I took over when I began teaching. I'll never forget that first class... I was terrified. Here I was, a novice teacher, taking over for the Master. I had been IN the class for years, these yogis were fierce! Who was I to presume that I could hold a candle to the Master? At the end of that first class, applause and hugs... One yogi (who is still with me to this day) comes up and says, "you must feel like the understudy for the Opera Diva, who comes in and steals the show". What a great bunch of students Susan left me!
Being busy teaching, my own practice began to lag. And lag. And become almost non-existent, confined to vacations and the occasional day off. I searched and searched for teachers. Due to a huge shake up at the gym, I was the only yogi left from the "old school". I would look up other studios but times conflicted with my teaching and it just seemed really expensive and complicated. Aside: Why IS yoga so expensive? I promise to stay reasonable, no matter what.
About a month before taking my final Reiki attunement to become a Master Teacher, I was overcome with the desire to do yoga. Everyday. Kundalini Yoga. I hadn't done Kundalini yoga for years... it's a very heat producing, toxin relieving style yoga that can be quite agitating to my fiery self. It awakens the serpent within... which was extremely relevant to a Reiki Master Symbol that I didn't know I would receive but I completely "got" why Kundalini was calling me when it came. (sorry to be so cryptic, Reiki symbols are sacred and secret)
Since that time, I decided that it was well worth the investment to purchase a diverse group of DVD's to keep my own practice fresh and as a result, my teaching. It has been so fun getting reacquainted with some of the old styles of yoga that I have slacked away from. It's been great bringing "new" poses and breaths to my classes, some that I haven't done for awhile. As much as I pride myself on each class being unique, I think you do tend to go for the same essentials, especially with your beginner/re-beginner classes. (Re-beginner: someone who doesn't keep their practice up consistently long enough to become an intermediate, they just keep starting over)
These are some of the best DVD's I've done recently:
Ravi Singh & Ana Brett-- I have 5 of their DVD's now, love them! They are pure Kundalini, have really thrown in some extra cardio moves with the breath of fire, creating a great detoxing work out. I also love that they do mudras and mantras... pretty rare in our Western Yoga world.
Shiva Rea-- These are HARD. Shiva began doing yoga at 14 and obviously studied with the Masters. She has a beautiful flowing style that reminds me of Bernadette. One of her routines was one I use to love that Bernadette did and I hadn't seen in at least 10 years. It was awesome bringing that to my class--they loved rolling on the floor :) She breaks her classes down into elements-- I love the Fire & Water mixed with Shanti...ommmmmmm.
Eoin Finn-- I had never heard of him before, but his DVD was called "Yoga for Happiness", how wonderful. This 2 Disc DVD is awesome, has 6 workouts built in, ranging from 20 mins to 90 mins, so you can chose whatever workout you have time for. It's delightful, filmed in a public park in Canada, with folks walking by and the yogis smiling and laughing with them as they do really tough poses with a wonderful sense of humor.
Baron Baptiste-- I've had Baron Baptiste tapes for awhile, he's pure power yoga. He can get a bit wordy for me but he's another product of hippie yoga parents so his yoga is absolutely authentic and brilliant. My husband, Barry loves his DVD, it's a real tough workout but not overwhelming.
Maya Fiennes-- Maya is a Kundalini Master, we found her on an On Demand free trial. She's amazing, her workouts are very challenging and she encourages you to "break through the pain threshold and SWEAT" which cracks me up because it's the last thing you'd expect a yoga teacher to say. But Kundalini yoga should make you sweat and the pain threshold is not physical... She specializes in detox and I love to do her workouts after a 'one too many' late night with friends. Better than a tomato juice and tylenol cocktail anyday.
So there you have it. If you've been coming to my classes regularly and you've wondered what's going on, you now know who to thank for all the old/new poses popping up. Thanks Ravi, Ana, Shiva, Eion, Baron & Maya-- you are keeping me young and fresh!
Susan had trained with the big guys, grew up with hippie parents, spent months in ashrams so she brought a wide variety of knowledge to her teaching. I stayed with her the longest, soaking up all the yoga I could, in fact, it was her class that I took over when I began teaching. I'll never forget that first class... I was terrified. Here I was, a novice teacher, taking over for the Master. I had been IN the class for years, these yogis were fierce! Who was I to presume that I could hold a candle to the Master? At the end of that first class, applause and hugs... One yogi (who is still with me to this day) comes up and says, "you must feel like the understudy for the Opera Diva, who comes in and steals the show". What a great bunch of students Susan left me!
Being busy teaching, my own practice began to lag. And lag. And become almost non-existent, confined to vacations and the occasional day off. I searched and searched for teachers. Due to a huge shake up at the gym, I was the only yogi left from the "old school". I would look up other studios but times conflicted with my teaching and it just seemed really expensive and complicated. Aside: Why IS yoga so expensive? I promise to stay reasonable, no matter what.
About a month before taking my final Reiki attunement to become a Master Teacher, I was overcome with the desire to do yoga. Everyday. Kundalini Yoga. I hadn't done Kundalini yoga for years... it's a very heat producing, toxin relieving style yoga that can be quite agitating to my fiery self. It awakens the serpent within... which was extremely relevant to a Reiki Master Symbol that I didn't know I would receive but I completely "got" why Kundalini was calling me when it came. (sorry to be so cryptic, Reiki symbols are sacred and secret)
Since that time, I decided that it was well worth the investment to purchase a diverse group of DVD's to keep my own practice fresh and as a result, my teaching. It has been so fun getting reacquainted with some of the old styles of yoga that I have slacked away from. It's been great bringing "new" poses and breaths to my classes, some that I haven't done for awhile. As much as I pride myself on each class being unique, I think you do tend to go for the same essentials, especially with your beginner/re-beginner classes. (Re-beginner: someone who doesn't keep their practice up consistently long enough to become an intermediate, they just keep starting over)
These are some of the best DVD's I've done recently:
Ravi Singh & Ana Brett-- I have 5 of their DVD's now, love them! They are pure Kundalini, have really thrown in some extra cardio moves with the breath of fire, creating a great detoxing work out. I also love that they do mudras and mantras... pretty rare in our Western Yoga world.
Shiva Rea-- These are HARD. Shiva began doing yoga at 14 and obviously studied with the Masters. She has a beautiful flowing style that reminds me of Bernadette. One of her routines was one I use to love that Bernadette did and I hadn't seen in at least 10 years. It was awesome bringing that to my class--they loved rolling on the floor :) She breaks her classes down into elements-- I love the Fire & Water mixed with Shanti...ommmmmmm.
Eoin Finn-- I had never heard of him before, but his DVD was called "Yoga for Happiness", how wonderful. This 2 Disc DVD is awesome, has 6 workouts built in, ranging from 20 mins to 90 mins, so you can chose whatever workout you have time for. It's delightful, filmed in a public park in Canada, with folks walking by and the yogis smiling and laughing with them as they do really tough poses with a wonderful sense of humor.
Baron Baptiste-- I've had Baron Baptiste tapes for awhile, he's pure power yoga. He can get a bit wordy for me but he's another product of hippie yoga parents so his yoga is absolutely authentic and brilliant. My husband, Barry loves his DVD, it's a real tough workout but not overwhelming.
Maya Fiennes-- Maya is a Kundalini Master, we found her on an On Demand free trial. She's amazing, her workouts are very challenging and she encourages you to "break through the pain threshold and SWEAT" which cracks me up because it's the last thing you'd expect a yoga teacher to say. But Kundalini yoga should make you sweat and the pain threshold is not physical... She specializes in detox and I love to do her workouts after a 'one too many' late night with friends. Better than a tomato juice and tylenol cocktail anyday.
So there you have it. If you've been coming to my classes regularly and you've wondered what's going on, you now know who to thank for all the old/new poses popping up. Thanks Ravi, Ana, Shiva, Eion, Baron & Maya-- you are keeping me young and fresh!
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
2010 Musings
What is it about a new year that makes me want to take a bulldozer to my house?
Our lovely Christmas tree. Came downstairs to find that Rhia and my niece Amanda had made old fashioned construction paper chains and looped them around the tree. Was very touched. Until I looked closer..... Each chain has Twilight propaganda written on it. Yep, Team Edward... Team Jacob. sigh.
Rhia made brownies. And iced them. They were delicious.
Advent.... Jesus and Mary candles lit. It's a Wonderful Life!
And while we're at it... where in the heck did all that dust and dog hair come from?
I spent a total of 8 hours yesterday putting stuff where it belongs. From this shelf to that, this cabinet to that one and what was originally supposed to be in that drawer? Are they ALL junk drawers? I was feeling like Ernie of Bert and Ernie fame. Remember when he used a.... something... for a flower pot and it led Bert to go insane cause he couldn't find his slippers? This would be a lot funnier if I still had a brain.
It's like that song...the little old lady who swallowed a fly. No, not that one. The hole in the bucket song. Only in my case it's a house in the bucket. With a big hole in it. With mice. Don't I have a cat?
Anyways, I digress. As if I ever had a topic.
I can tell my seasonal lost my mind is going to be early this year. Get thee to a greenhouse! Quickly! I am incoherent! And it's only January 6th! We's in big trouble round here....
Let's switch gears. Here's some Christmas wrap up (ha ha get it? WRAP up???)
Our lovely Christmas tree. Came downstairs to find that Rhia and my niece Amanda had made old fashioned construction paper chains and looped them around the tree. Was very touched. Until I looked closer..... Each chain has Twilight propaganda written on it. Yep, Team Edward... Team Jacob. sigh.
Rhia made brownies. And iced them. They were delicious.
The icing she made with granulated sugar instead of confectioner's?
Not so much. 
Advent.... Jesus and Mary candles lit. It's a Wonderful Life!
Here's my beautiful daughter Christmas Eve.
With the creepy ornament of herself looking over her shoulder.
And the Edward/Jacob homage.
Happy New Year Everyone!
Friday, January 01, 2010
There is a Wonderful Game
There is a game we should play,
And it goes like this:
.
We hold hands and look into each other's eyes
And scan each other's face.
.
Then I say,
"Now tell me a difference you see between us."
.
And you might respond,
"Hafiz, your nose is ten times bigger than mine!"
.
Then I would say,
"Yes, my dear, almost ten times!"
.
But let's keep playing,
Let's go deeper,
Go deeper.
For if we do,
Our spirits will embrace
and interweave.
.
Our union will be so glorious
That even God
Will not be able to tell us apart.
.
There is a wonderful game
We should play with everyone
and it goes like this...
.
~Hafiz
.
Happy New Year!!! Love to us all...
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