....joy

Yogis,
I’m sitting here late Sunday afternoon watching the world turn pink as the sun sinks below the horizon. Low clouds make the blush in the air linger and mix with the smell of smoke from a fire burning in our family room. The closing curtain of a joy filled weekend.

The world is difficult right now. Yet if we are open to receiving it, joy can unexpectedly slide in. Often in the simplest of ways.

Saturday night I went to a friend’s dance party. After some mingling and yummy food, the music was turned up. Couches and dining table were pushed to the end of the room so the the old wood floors could act as a dance floor. Colored strobes lit the space as one by one people joined in. For the next hour and a half we stood in a circle and danced. No agenda. Not self-conscious. Twirling with flowy scarves in hand, swiveling hips with arms thrown in the air. Letting go.

Joy arrived.

Sunday I threw out an invitation to my sons and their families for brunch here at the house for whoever could make it. My sons showed up with three of my grandkids. Two of my son’s friends heard they were here and came by with their own children.

Watching the little ones dive into my toy closet for the same match box cars and figurines that their fathers had played with warmed my heart. Hearing ‘Nana’ yelled from another room when they wanted to show me something. Realizing how comfortable they have become in my home.

I hike through the woods with my oldest son and granddaughter to visit the hill he grew up sledding down. My granddaughter, with our shared love for nature, not wanting the hike to end.

Beams of joy turned on.

It is said that happiness and joy are different. Happiness measures how good we feel over time. Joy though is a bright light in this very moment.

Since it is only this moment that exists, let’s find simple ways to invite joy. I believe the more of these moments, the happier we are.

The simple things.

Glowing with joy,
SARAH

.....tribe

Yogis,
“Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I’m 64’…….I am about to find out.

It was my birthday Friday. Driving to the beach I got a call from my parents who sang a slightly out of tune Happy Birthday (a family tradition).  

My sister and husband were also coming to host a birthday dinner for me on Saturday night.My sisters-in-law now live there and over the years we have become close with their two friends, and more recently with another who migrated east. The group of us often get together when we are down so Saturday was no exception.

Some time ago we realized we needed a text group to make it easier to keep in touch, share news and arrange details. My sister created it and named it ‘tribe.’ The label has stuck. Now it not only pertains to the way we communicate but also names a deeper level of connection we have developed.  

I looked up the definition of tribe. I took snippets from some to create one that fits the sense we have of each other. ‘A human social group that shares common language and core values, has a common sense of identity and feels a sense of belonging.’

Last night as we gathered around the table for the incredible feast my sister cooked with love, I realized how much we have all shared. The laughter. The caring. There for each other during some difficult times. Celebrating each other’s accomplishments. Knowing we can count on each other. No matter what.

We are always told how important community is to our wellbeing. At times I wonder exactly what that looks like. Then I think of the tribe.

Tribes come in a variety of forms, and often we have several. They can be family or friend groups. Women’s circles. Others who share a passion. A running  group. Yoga class.

I was given a birthday badge and headband to wear. Thoughtful gifts. A delicious cake. Plenty of hugs. Yet it is the warmth and sense of connection we feel at the end of the evening that I realize is the gift of community we seek.   

I belong,
SARAH

....word

Yogis,
How would I describe the energy of 2025?

What comes to mind is a carnival ride. Like a roller coaster where you never know what sharp turn is ahead. A steep climb and just as things level out a hurtling freefall. Or maybe the ride which spins so fast you become stuck to the wall with a frozen smile while the floor drops out from under your feet. Far from center…..

I don’t think we were designed for a life so fast paced and unpredictable.

After Christmas I began to open to what my ‘Word of the Year’ would be. Again this year it wasn’t easy for me. One word kept showing up though. Stillness. Yet I wasn’t ready to take that one on.

In the meantime, I had signed up to receive a daily email quote from Sadhguru, an Indian spiritual teacher my father had found to be down to earth, wise and thought provoking. In his free time, Sadhguru rides his motorcycle, long beard blowing in the wind, at times uses salty language and is sure to dance daily. I get the connection…..

On December 30 I open the  email to this quote, ‘In stillness, there is no time”.  Well, ok then.

As I try on the energy of stillness, I realize what I yearn for is a return to a stiller mind. One that is more present and centered, not pasted to the spinning walls of the world. And only by slowing body and breath will I find it again.

But as you visualize, you must also do. Otherwise the word is merely a passing wish.

I dig out and spread all of my painting supplies on the coffee table where I will sit often. I fill the bird feeder and watch the blue birds return to check out the home rentals. Unloading groceries I stop and peer into my bare oak tree.

I looked back thinking last year’s word was simple. That was actually 2 years ago, but I had kept it and added quiet on top. I am sensing a thread here that clearly must continue to be pulled through the fabric of my day to day life.

The world makes it challenging, but I intend to find stillness.

What’s yours?
SARAH

So long Santas!

....control

Yogis,
I was confident I had Christmas season under control. I was taking a relaxed approach, spreading out the shopping, cleaning and wrapping. I turn on the oven to preheat. Ten minutes later I go into the kitchen and find the oven temp is still 100. Uh oh.

A service visit and $200 later I smell gas while preparing tea. Three days and $2000 later a new oven is being wheeled in the front door as I am preparing for in person class.

Running errands, I can’t get the car warm. I feel heat blowing from my vent, but when I put my hand on the passenger side the air is frigid. Ugh. Instead of ho, ho, ho-ing, I am sitting in a car dealership.

The coffee pot decides she has done enough.

Isn’t it always when we feel the most in control that the Universe winks and reminds us of the truth? That we have absolutely no control over the outer world. Tough love.

Oh how we wish to control. People, places, careers, events, finances…… This is how we spend most of our time.

On this winter solstice I get quiet and close my eyes. Drawing my attention away from the outer world to go inside. Seeing the inner world.

My breath. The thoughts. How I am feeling. Emotions. Aches or tension. This inner world is the only thing I can control. The only thing.

But here is the best part! At any moment I can choose to change my inner world. And when changes are made inside, the outer world changes. The outer world is a mirror of what is happening inside. What power we hold!

That sounds hard! It’s not, but does require a practice. Discipline.

So many techniques available to create inner change. Yoga practice, meditation, breath work, affirmations, visualizations, switch of diet, change of what you read or watch…. The first step is noticing what is happening around you that doesn’t feel right. Then adjusting the inner world to match what you want on the outside.

Go within. Spend time on what you can control.,,and watch the magic happen!

Maintaining inner calm,
SARAH

Merry Christmas!

....look for the good

Yogis,
This morning I awoke to a light snowfall at the beach. Quiet, cold, peaceful. I made my way to the ocean to take a few pictures but soon a gust of wind had me hurrying back to the warmth of the house. Views of white flakes floating from the sky through the big window.  Cozy, relaxed, slow moving.

Pictures and videos began arriving. The winter wonderland scene from my sister with geese lifting from the frozen lake behind her house. Like a painting. A photo of my oldest granddaughter heading out the back door in winter gear. A big smile shows her two missing front teeth. Another of my youngest granddaughter on a sled with her dad heading down the street in front of their house. Excited.

The joy of a snowstorm.

I hold a warm cup of coffee in my hands. Phoebe chooses her cousin’s dog bed which is way too small but she curls herself tight. Maybe it is warmer or maybe because it is someone else’s bed. She falls into a deep sleep. I hear her breath. The trees outlined in white.

I am reminded of all the good in the world and decide I will choose to look for even more throughout my day.

I see the way my neighbor helps me by putting a package inside the house without hesitation. The warmth and pleasure of shopping in small local stores. The impromptu friendly conversation with the only other person crazy enough to be at the seawall in icy gale force winds. The dependable return of thousands of snow geese winter, after winter, after winter.

My sister-in-law bakes cookies to bring for dinner.

We live in a time of turmoil, and it is easy to be swept up in its swirl. Bad news served to us daily can change the lens through which we see the world. Our emotions, mood and even physical wellbeing feel an effect.  

Getting swept up in good does the same thing, but in the opposite direction. The more you look for good, the more comes toward you.

Where you look is where you go…….

Choosing to put on a different set of glasses,
SARAH

....ho hum

Yogis,
Thanksgiving is in the rear-view mirror and attention is turned to Christmas. Many know I like to put fences around the Christmas season. Two weeks before the big day I am ready to dive in and can stay comfortably until a few days after New Year's.

The only problem is ……I am married to Mr Christmas.

In his ideal world, the boxes come out of the attic before Thanksgiving. The tree is up and the house strewn with decorations for over a month. A difference we navigate each year.

Thursday he was itching to get the tree and start the process. I reminded him it was only December 4^th but off we went. I later heard the steps to the attic pulling down. ‘Let’s only put the Santas up on shelf this weekend’, I offer. Me picturing an easing in with a tradition I love.

I drive up to the house Friday to a Santa welcoming me home from the front steps. Hhhhmmm…….

Saturday I am woken by a song of the wind-up snow globe. As the day progresses, each time I enter a room I notice something has quietly arrived. A figurine here and a reindeer there. By evening the doors are adorned with new wreathes of fresh greens. It is now December 6^th. I notice my resistance. A tightening. Oh yes, I recognize you well.

It doesn’t feel good. Makes me terse.

That night I’m cooking dinner when I have an epiphany. What if I just let go? What if I allow the boundaries I arbitrarily set years ago to fall? I have a choice. Hold my ground or yield.

I chose yielding. Walked over turned on my speaker, chose a Christmas playlist and turned up the volume. It played through the evening and I found myself singing along. I felt my inner critic quieting.

Today my son came to help with outside lights. The big old fashioned colored bulbs. The tree will come in the house Wednesday, and she is a beauty.

Christmas may not be your trigger, but whenever that recognizable sense of resistance raises her head, know that you have a choice to release the reins. Every time.

Ho, ho, ho,
SARAH

....seagull

Yogis,
Every creature has a purpose and deserves a full life. Some though, illicit more emotions from humans than others. A seagull is one such creature. People love them, hate them, are afraid of them, feed them and use derogatory language about them.

I have watched and photographed them often. In the US and beyond.

I have discovered there are many types of seagulls, each with unique habits. I will begin with the ones I grew up with at the Jersey shore. The laughing gull. Smaller with black heads they are notorious scavengers. With each generation we try to train the toddlers to sit under an umbrella with a towel over their head to eat. But it isn’t until they forget and have a piece of sandwich snatched, along with some skin of a finger, that the lesson is cemented. A rite of passage.

At the bottom of the state, they have found the tip of the umbrella top to be a perfect spot. Here they have perfected the fly by under the umbrella, always coming from behind…..leaving no place and no one safe.

I remember sitting on a beach blanket when young and feeling a warm plop on my shoulder. Good luck, they say. We threw bread to them anyway.

Travel down to Delaware and their heads become whiter, with attention shifted from sandwiches to Thrashers french fries. They bicker as to who gets the top of the light poles which offer the best vantage point for unsuspecting families walking by with overflowing vinegar soaked buckets of fries. The swoops and ensuing shrieks are epic.

As winter approaches the mix of gulls evolves as some shift south. Bigger and more colorful, they actually work on catching fish!

I’ve noticed how in the cold early morning they naturally gather in large groups. Backs turned toward the rising sun to absorb her warmth. They lay down when relaxed but hop to attention on skinny legs when threatened. Be kind as they have incredible memories.

I can’t imagine the beach without the sound of their call.

Appreciating seagulls,
SARAH