Footnotes from Cathy... "In the beginning you have to make room for yoga in your daily life... but after some time yoga itself will pull you up by the hair and make you do it."              Vanda Scaravelli Sweet Song                                         17 May 2011 Today, as I was outside attending to chores, I was fortunate to see three house wrens fledge from their nest on my patio.                I knew this would happen soon, as both parents have been back and forth constantly all day, feeding the ever-hungry hatchlings.                                    The fledglings left the nest easily, but flew off in different directions.  They reminded me of uncontained poppingcorn!  It took over an hour for the parents-- with much gentle calling and swooping to show the way--to get all the young wrens near each other.  Eventually all three wrens took shelter in the thick native rose bush that covers the west wall of the studio.  Whew! Once all the babies were tucked safely into the lush greenery, Poppa Wren alighted on the clothes line and burst into glorious song, his first full song in many weeks. He'd kept a pretty low profile during nesting and raising the brood! It was a sweet song, full of pride and relief and joy.  At least, that's how it seemed to me.   What a song!   What a day! Not for me!                                                                            January 2011 I'm not a big fan of New Year's resolutions.  Do I think we should stay in a rut or continue with unhealthy habits?  Well, in a word--no.  In three words--of course not!  Ideally we are improving all the time.... why wait for a particular date--especially one following an exhausting holiday season--to make dramatic changes?   So instead of listing resolutions for 2011, I thought I'd share what books I'm reading: Waking: a memoir of trauma & transformation by Matt Sanford  Poser: my life in 23 yoga poses by Claire Dederer The Subtle Body: the story of yoga in America by Stefanie Syman Pain Free: a revolutionary method for stopping chronic pain by Pete Egoscue  The Bhagavad Gita, the most famous poem of Hindu literature.  Translator Eknath Easwaran says the 'Gita is "a handbook for Self-realization and a guide to action." Action...inspiration...improved physical health...fun...and all about yoga!  That sounds better than a list of resolutions to me!   Namaste'. . . the goodness in me honors the goodness in you    Cathy                                                    To read past musings: Footnotes Archive A Treat for you!                                                                     June 2010 Have I got a treat for you: one of my revered teachers,Yoga Therapist Joseph Le Page, is offering his daily spiritual journaling on Facebook.  Intrigued?  Sign in for Daily Yoga Scripture Study HERE  And this link explains how Joseph found himself in the world of Facebook, as he says with his subtle humor, "...not realizing the full implications."  Hope you enjoy Joseph's journal as much as I have--it's like an expanded, daily Yoga Byte! "Smile before you read this...."                                    January 2010 This great advice came from one of my dear sisters-in-law, and I've taken it to heart.   A couple of years ago, after a flurry of email communiqués between several members of my family, there was a miscommunication.  It happens.  A joking remark was taken seriously, and feelings were hurt.  Apologies were sent right away, confusion clarified, and now all is well. But the shining result from the experience is a suggestion at the top of the next email from this sister-of-my-heart: Smile before you read this.  She's right!  This is truly the best way to approach everything that comes our way: emails; phone conversations; business meetings; and especially interactions with beloved family and friends.  Smile before you open the email… expect the best… assume that what is said is coming from a position of care, concern and love. It's OK to smile at the end of the email too.  :-)    Namaste'. . . the goodness in me honors the goodness in you Cathy                                                          To read past musings: Footnotes Archive