Monday, December 28, 2009

i forgot it was monday



so relaxed i am.
after a few days of rain over christmas...
hence plenty of nana naps and long stints reading new books
i have lost count of the days.
and i'm about to lose count all over again because
we're off on a little holiday.
a few lazy days at the ashram
where we'll eat delicious vegetarian meals
and chant in the new year accompanied by a couple of hundred yogis.
i'll be back in a few days,
in a new year,
with photos and stories.
Until then,
may you smile and warmly welcome 2010.
so much to look forward to x

Monday, December 21, 2009

an early christmas present




Daniel shot this footage in autumn.
He was waiting for the perfect soundtrack.
He's my true love and I am deep deeply in love with HIM!
Home - it's who you're with, not where you are.

Sunday, December 20, 2009

monday summer pics


Trying to get a 'good' family Christmas photo.
But did you know that toddlers wriggle? Alot.
Then the batteries died.
And so this is the best outtake.
Which is the only appropriate 'take'.
Joyous Christmas to you xxx

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

the boy



since the haircut i can see a little boy. no more baby. and i have a much better idea of what he will look like when he gets older. aren't little boys just the most adorable little things. Someone asked him what he wanted for Christmas the other day and without hesitation he said: 'truck'. Of course, why would he want anything else? But we have so many trucks and i love them all but it's time for something a little different. So I bought this (his grandparent's helped) and am enjoying collecting the accompaniments - chef's apron, food, etc.

Apparently all that matters at the moment is blue wellies and a ukulele. Because, why wouldn't you want to wear gumboots in 35degree weather? I have stopped questioning and am just excepting it as the fashion of choice for the two-year-old that melts my heart.

Christmas is all about the magic - magic for the children. And us mamas and dadas are the angels that make it happen. This reminder changed it all for me.

What are you doing to make it magical?

Monday, December 14, 2009

fliss-inspired tree



So I've ditched the bah-humbug attitude and found myself a tree. I read fliss' blog last night (how cute is her little art?!), looked out the window, spotted a lovely, rather dead branch and encouraged Daniel to go cut us a tree.

Daniel and I have both commented on the lack of Christmas spirit around here lately. Perhaps it's the heat, perhaps it's the stories that speak of snow and eggnog and warm winter fires. I think it is challenging for us to really muster that Christmas magic in Australia. But, I'm determined to do so and I can't tell you how special it was to watch Ché place all the decorations on the branches. There was a certain branch, right at his level, that accumulated about 15 stars. When he wasn't looking I spread them around a little bit - because even my Christmas tree needs a little balance.

I'm so happy with my economically and environmentally-friendly tree...and the decorations don't get lost amongst all the pine. Perfect!

I suppose it's been quite a sentimental day. We took Ché to get his first haircut. I love his long curls but he was starting to look a bit shaggy and although I like dreads I don't think they look that great on a two-year-old. Daniel and I both knew it was going to be slightly challenging to get him to sit there so we told him that we would buy him an ice-cream afterward. And so, I had to sit in the chair while the hairdresser quickly chopped. And I watched Daniel try to catch every curl that dropped to the ground. He collected them in a little calico bag and no doubt we will keep those golden curls forever. Only problem is, after all the cutting was done the hairdresser tripped Ché over and he landed on his face, splitting his lip. Who leaves the hairdresser bleeding? We do...I so hope we haven't scarred him for life.

We're counting down till holidays....Christmas celebrations at playgroup, celebratory dinners with family and special night-time stories - just the 3 of us. There's sweet spiced nuts to prepare, ribbon and paper to wrap and a reminder of the number one rule in Ayurveda - never over eat!

Sunday, December 13, 2009

monday summer pics


crinkled summer dresses and a grey day outside.
perhaps a little how i feel.
trying not to get overwhelmed by the Christmas frenzy.
trying to stay grounded and calm and be grateful for what we already have
and who we have
the fresh Christmas trees sold out on the weekend.
so we don't have a tree.
wish i could have been a little more prepared for advent.
sigh.
there's still time to bake and wrap and hug.
and that sounds good to me.



Sunday, December 6, 2009

Saturday, December 5, 2009

soul work


The past four days have been so immensely nourishing that I feel, in a way, renewed. It was strange to pack my bag and leave my boys but I did so knowing that it was good for me and good for them. I expected to learn but I never expected to be so inspired.

Did you know that when women come together, oxytocin, the love hormone, is released? The energy in the room was incredibly high. 30 women, 8 of whom were pregnant, one carrying twins. 39 souls.

We came together to learn about prenatal yoga for conscious birthing. But it was a healing space as well, as safe space where we could talk about pregnancy and birth knowing that whatever was said was sacred. There were 10 midwives in the room so for me, it was the ultimate learning experience from an anatomical/physiological point-of-view.

I came away having such a deep understanding of pregnancy and birth and I believe, with all of my knowing, that this is my path and I'll continue to follow it.

The language of birth is so powerful, as I've said before. And so many of the women I met believe that words are the greatest intervention a woman has to face when she's laboring. If she hears negative words, she loses her confidence and loses her awareness. Which is why it is essential that a birthing woman has a partner or birth support person who knows how to connect with her physically, emotionally and verbally. When a birth support person has the skills to support a woman during labour and birth the need for medical intervention drops by 80%. That is a statistic too significant to ignore.

I'm excited to come to a point in my career where I feel confident to lead couples workshops. Couples workshops for birth preparation from a yogic point-of-view. More about that later.

Self-revelations are always nice too. Did you know that the cervical spine (the top of your spine, the neck) is directly related to the cervix? During the first 20 or so hours of my labour I practiced a form of breathing called ujiya, where you gently constrict the middle of the throat, directly in front of the cervical spine. So, throughout that time I was actually contracting my cervix, hence why I took so long to dilate. No ujiya breathing for pregnant women!

Babies, in the womb, as so receptive to sound and vibration. They can hear the words their mother speaks, as well as the people that speak to her. They are oceanic beings who do take about 4 years to adjust to being on the earth once born. Hence why it so important that a mother connects with her baby in the womb, realises that she is indeed working with her baby during birth and that the cord is only cut once it has stopped pulsating - it is therefore, a much more gradual transition for the baby because he/she is still receiving blood, breath and prana (energy) from the cord.

Our little ones are, in fact, still living in that beautiful pure world where they were created. Their imaginary friends are very real, they still breathe that deep, whole body breath, they are still developing into their bodies. Hence why it is so important to just let them be, let them play. Janice shared one story about a little girl who was with her father. He was a musician and when his wife was pregnant he would always play a particular song to his little girl. He played it, that day, when his girl was about four and she turned to him and said: "Daddy, I remember when I was in Mummy's belly and you would call me on the telephone and play me that song." Our little ones remember that oceanic world.

If you live in Vancouver I would so highly recommend Janice's classes - she is an absolute inspiration, a guru! She travels Canada, The US, Japan and Australia doing teacher training workshops. Even if you aren't interested in teaching yoga, it is such a wonderfully fulfilling few days - if you're passionate about pregnancy and birth, do this workshop!

Prenatal yoga is yoga for the next generation.