Supta Baddha Konasana = utmost peace

Oh, supta baddha konasana (SOOP-tah BAW-dah cone-NAWS-ahna), say that four times... it's quite beautiful just like the opening of the pose. The pose is also referred to as reclining bound angle pose.

It is a restorative pose that allows the body to relax and receive the healing effects + benefits of yoga.

This yoga pose works on releasing the second chakra "swadisthana" located below the navel and rooted into the spine. It is connected to the spleen and the digestive system and is often referred as the “sacral” chakra. The sacral chakra is the color orange and relates to self-respect. It is the seat of our emotions, sensations, pleasure, movement and it controls our relationships and social interactions with others. It governs our self-worth, confidence in our own creativity and ability to relate to others in an open and friendly way.
It is one of the most opening poses that I can't seem to get enough of. And, I prefer to use two yoga blocks. I situate one under my hips the long vertical way and one straight up horizontally "tall" under my chest so my head and neck are actually lifted and I am resting more on the tip of my skull. I like to deepen this pose and allow it to also open up my heart and chest real wide. I can connect with my heart center as I release the tension in my hips... It's a pose that asks for forgiveness.

This is a great pose to try after a really long day when you are hunched over your computers. Or just have a ton of crap on your mind. Use blankets and pillows if you don't have any blocks. This pose causes great relaxation and clarity. And, with that, I have decided it is more important I fold my yoga mat and squish my blocks in my suitcase then those extra pair of shoes or tops. I would rather have This than that.

I suggest you try supta baddha konasana before you climb into bed tonight...

You will thank me for it in the morning.

busy. tired. vacation.

(text and image from right here)

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible,
No Good, Very Bad Day

Author Judith Viorst, in alliance with the nation’s center for the performing arts, tackled a new challenge in taking her beloved characters from Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day from the page to stages across the country.

From the moment he wakes up with gum in his hair, things just do not go Alexander's way. At breakfast, Alexander's brothers Nick and Anthony reach into their cereal boxes and pull out amazing prizes, while all Alexander ends up with is . . . cereal. The situation does not get any better at school, in fact it gets worse. No wonder Alexander wants to move to Australia! In Australia, everything is upside down, so maybe a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day can become a wonderful, terrific, really good day. After school, Alexander encounters even more bad news when he visits the dentist and goes shopping for sneakers with his mother and brothers. And Alexander's father isn't at all happy with him when the boys visit his office and Alexander gets a little carried away with the new copying machine! This terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day is enough to make anyone want to go to Australia.

I feel like I am running myself ragged. I am simply tired. Very overtired. I have been healthy for so long and last Friday my throat started to get sore and I know why. When I am tired, very tired, my throat goes...

So I am home today and thought about my favorite childhood book my mom used to read to us, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

Sometimes we just have a day where we wake up and nothing seems right. My neck. My throat. My back. I feel crooked. I am taking so many movement classes...And, I am tired and on the verge of being sick and I can't let it happen. So I am on my couch watching Dirty Dancing wanting to dance like Baby and actually contemplating purchasing an 80's leotard for dance class (really, for fun! really, I looked at them the other day) and, also, enjoying Javier's warmth curled up in a super tight ball next to my hips. Oh, I have to admit, I am sorta stuck on the 80's leotards + leg warmers. They make me laugh + I think they are sorta sexy-silly, sometimes...

I don't think it will really be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day because I have a list of things to do and my Knit Night tonight in Center City. And, I don't have time to be, simply put, sick. There is a world out there that needs to be Lived...

But, I may consider going to Australia. At least there, I can be upside down all the time!

Or maybe just Curacao at 8am THIS very Saturday morning... ahhh.

smiling,
kat.

Feel Good Girl

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Tonight I had my next two Reiki attunements. I shed just a few quiet tears. Those good tears of, wow, this is where I am supposed to be. It was so amazing, warm + whole. And, simply beautiful.

It is a bit crazy what the Universe can do to you...if you let it really inside.

The three hour class had me thanking You all.

I want to share what my hands can do...

Inside Out,
kat.

surprise

The Five Reiki Ideals/Principles

(As written by Dr Usui himself and translated from the Japanese)

The Secret Method of Inviting Happiness,
The Miracle Medicine for all Illnesses.

Just for today,
I will give thanks
for my many blessings.

Just for today,
I will not worry.

Just for today,
I will not hold on to anger.

Just for today,
I will do my work honestly.

Just for today,
I will be kind to my neighbour
and every living thing.

Think these in your mind
and chant these with your mouth.
The Usui Reiki method brings cures
to your mind and your body.

The founder, Mikao Usui

Tonight walking home from my subway stop later than usual and a bit rushed since poor Javier had not been walked in, oh, 14 hours, I softened my gaze and just noticed all of little Maya's chalk drawings on the sidewalk on Broad Street. I paused for a minute and smiled. Oh, to be scribbling on the ground again! I may just have to... I love that child.

Today, with all of it's Things, was great.

I had a beautiful yoga class that only got better when I decided to perform my nightly Reiki on myself instead of quieting my soul in savasana. The thing is I sort of couldn't help it. Once I did my connection, the colors and heat were so intense and I had the best one-on-one Reiki with me! I laid there taking it in and in complete surprise with the outcomes. I was relaxed and the level of the experience was inspiring. I saw my "specific" waves of colors moving in circles and working their magic. When class was over, a friend walked over and I asked her for her arm just so she could feel what I felt and then I placed my hands on her head. I positioned one hand on her forehead and the other at the base of her skull... I let her in on a few minutes of Calm. She smiled...and so did I.

And, after some delish drinks with my yogi gals -- whom I truly adore, I am now sitting here with a sweet dog laying across my lap and keyboard. She is the sweetest little mush and I heart her quiet love. I have been working on Javier daily with Reiki. I am watching her behavior in many ways. This morning she did something funny. She actually pulled away and began shaking like crazy when a woman tried to pet her. That has never happened...! The poor woman wanted to give her some love and Javier got so weirded out? I am not sure what she sensed, but it was interesting to watch. She hovered behind me and shook some more... I wonder what Javier knew that I didn't.

This dog has been my soul companion. What I don't know, she surely does... And, she is always at my side. And, her warm little body curls up tighter and tighter to me each night. It's amazing how sweet + patient she has become...

I wouldn't trade this Mutt in for the world.

reiki-ed + puppy kissed + happier for it,
kat.

hat !

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My tax refund came in fast and I walked to JCrew and Glenn The Salesman convinced me the hat I wanted posted down below was perfect for me! Ha, of course! ;) He also gave me his card (hmmm) as he yelled through my dressing room door, "hey kat., so where are you going?" I guess by the bathing suits, shorts, and flip flops, he figured I was going on vacation. The hat is quite cute and big. I even put it on in the office today just so I can practice Beach Mode.

So, I was falling asleep in physical therapy tonight when the heat and stim machine were clipped onto my neck and back. I probably need to hit the sack earlier tonight. Sleeping is still something I don't do very well and again, the week has only begun. I have a ton ahead of me... a ton!

So, yeah, Javier needs to be walked shortly + I need my bed.

good times,
Super Kat.

dancin' it out!

Okay, I am so loving my freestyle portion of my dance class. My friend + I love to "dance it out" in the same fashion Christina and Meredith do in Grey's Anatomy. Life gets tough, you turn up the music + dance it out! We have decided no matter where we are, we are gonna "dance it out!" Who cares if we look like we are going into convulsions. Hell, yeah, move those hips and throw your arms up over your head.

So, tonight in class, I had such a great time + this is my official "dance it out" routine. I am not kidding...!! How can one not laugh doing this and jumping around?



Woohoo! I love movement and friends who let me be so silly without any judgment.

Life is Beautiful.

loudly,
the other kat.power.

loves

I want this for my trip to Curacao in 12 days. A simple JCrew straw hat. I think it's darling. I must buy it!
Here.

And, I bought this little polka dot bikini yesterday! So cute + affordable at Target. I LOVE it... and can't wait to twirl on the beach... Target had a ton of cute bikinis. I almost bought two.

Yippee for sun, sand and bikinis!

Shining,
kat.

Here and Now.

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So I promised I would talk a bit about my Reiki experience, but I am still really taking it in. And, I just got home from a gorgeous + warm birthday dinner with 10 amazing friends which included plenty of wine.

This week, the first of 10 hectic ones, has been a bit mind boggling + beautiful... Here is a rundown of what I did:

1. Two; one hour Physical Therapy session which are basically two personal training workout sessions, not kidding, in the Bellevue Sporting Club during lunch breaks. Weights, balls, ropes, heat, massage, cute boys....
2. Three; 1.5 hour yoga classes = sweat + bliss.
3. One 1.5 hour dance class = laughter + tighter abs.
4. One elbow stuck with needles and drained during a lunch break - which still hurts bad, but I just keep going...
5. One three hour Reiki class with two attunements. A beautiful warm moment. I have been officially connected to the Universal Energy and have begun my practice. I am connected for life as I go forward. And, have been journaling the changes. My next 21 day process is going to be about emotional and physical healing. Things have already begun. I have seen it...
6. One amazing review at work that had me smiling and very surprised.
7. Two great dinners + drinks with two different groups of friends. Both of them I admire so dearly. I really appreciate my friends...
8. !!!! One surprise vacation booked and at this time in two weeks I will have already been on the 90 degree beach sun bathing...on an island with a drink + peace. Pure peace. I can't believe this... I am JOY.

Sleep?

Yes, I need sleep. I have an 11 am Yoga class to make! I even hate to admit this, but I feel damn good. I am not even the bit concerned about putting on a bathing suit in TWO weeks. Is that crazy to say that I am ready for a bathing suit in February, cause I am!!

So, sleep. Speaking of it, I should go find some...

Night All + Big Yoga-Reiki Hug,
kat.

attunement

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Tonight was my first Reiki class for my Reiki One certification.

I had two amazing attunements. I went somewhere else. I really did.

I am exhausted, but, simply happy + at peace.

Even my teacher's hug was pure Grace.

I will share more when my head re-connects to my body...

xo,
kat.

Doctor's Orders

Thanks to my family, I will be sitting on this beach, yep, this beach in 17 days with that view! I love that I did not think about this trip and just did it. My parents, my brother and his wife, and one other couple had planned this out a long time ago. It was a thought, but I didn't think I could make it happen. And, today, I found a REALLY cheap flight to Curacao (cheaper than what they all paid) and I am off. My brother helped me with my flight tonight after I found my passport. He actually owns in Curacao as a bunch of his friends bought a 3 bedroom space and rent/vacation in it. They have a management company to do all the rentals.

I even have my own room...right on our own little beach! I simply can't wait.

The doctor actually prescribed this too, seriously, about a week ago. She said, Kat. you need a break to just Be.

And, I got one.

joy,
kat.

They saw Me in Her

Feeling tired tonight and it's only Tuesday. I have committed myself to 4 full days of stuff after work... It's great, but exhausting. Oh, and now Javier is running around with my wet socks from lack of attention. Sorry, pumpkin, I still love you!

I love a South Philly stroll in the snow. Javier gets all frisky and tries to run. I just laugh at her excitement. I wanted to frolic with her, but it was bit slippery and I am already receiving physical therapy for a few ailments. I swear I don't need more!

Physical therapy has been amazing. I feel like the fall was not such a bad thing, except for the needles my sports doctor stuck in my elbow yesterday. Umm, weird + so sore. The PT part is twice a week usually I try to squeeze it in during the day. It is like having a personal trainer! She has me doing lots of strength training and weird stretches. Oh, and I get a bit of a massage and heat and stimulation! And, my PT is in a local gym where Jamie Foxx was today...Fun! Many great things to look at while I stretch + grow. The next experiment will be acupuncture... Yep, it's on my list. I plan on being at my absolute best. I am getting closer and closer each week. I have to admit, I feel pretty great in my skin. I love seeing change. *sigh* *smile*

On top of that, I am doing dance, yoga, some more yoga, and Reiki training. My three hour Reiki class starts Thursday and my boss is allowing me to leave at 4 on Thursdays (so nice!) My life has not been this full in god knows how long. The more I move the lighter my world becomes... Moving every day is key.

Life is Full.

Been thinking a lot. But, wait, when am I not? I overanalyze and daydream. I wonder and wander up inside my noggin. I just have to remember to come back every so often. Oh, now, Javier has my cute pink slippers! Do you think she wants my attention?

Work has been super busy for me, too. I can't complain.

I am really happy to have such great friends in my life. Last night, four of us gals went to the South Philly Tap Room for drinks + food + talk. It was nice + cozy. We have all come such a long way.

And, maybe that is it. That is the whole thing. While gathering the courage to go the Long Way, you may just need to tippy toe on at your own pace. It is not the easiest or hippest, but it's the way that seems the wisest. The more I slow down + let in, the more I see the bigger picture.

music + story here. old, rusty + part of my path of 2004...play around with the volume on this mess! (Voice 030) I sorta can't believe I am sharing this stuff.

Growth, eh... and Lesson in Letting Go.

so softly,
kat.