Yoga Babes (& Babies)

I can be a little hard on Tampa sometimes, wishing it were bigger, more cosmopolitan. Some place else. 

Though there's plenty of history, much of it has been paved over by fatter times. Luckily the future is all around and begs us to do right. 

Of course part of this city's appeal is that we who live here are busy making it what we want.

A couple of weekends ago I attended a yoga-themed baby shower (top that Seattle!). 

White sugar isn't bad if buried in a cupcake.

Jennifer Oppelt, the featured mommy-to-be (for the second time), is one of the most healthful and wellness-conscious ladies around. 

It helps that her mother is Denise O'Dunn, an Ayurvedic Practitioner and the owner of Balance & Bliss, a healing arts practice currently housed at the Lotus Pond. 

Denise led the all-ages group of gals in yoga and then the Motherhood Blessingway, a ceremony celebrating Jenn's new path.

We threw a ball of yarn (like girls) around the circle, gently wrapping the string around the wrist of one before sending it on to another. 

  

Finally we clipped the yarn and tied them into bracelets, to remind ourselves of Jenn and her journey.

Mine fell off a week later, but I no longer needed the reminder. 

Ties are often invisible and distant while still remaining strong.

Conscious Consumption

Yogani Studios is hosting its 2nd Annual Conscious Consumption on December 5th from 2 - 4 p.m. It's a clothing & accessories swap with the an awesome mantra:

"I don't want it but somebody will."

There will also be a screening of the must-see video The Story of Stuff. Admission is a non-perishable food item or jar of peanut butter for a local food bank. Left over items will be donated to Metropolitan Ministries.

Eat (Donuts), Pray, Love

I was in a 90-minute yoga class at the Y the other day, wishing I'd gone out for donuts instead. I convinced myself to stay only after a bit of inward name calling, but then was about to get down on myself for stumbling through poses I've been practicing on & off for the last nine years.

Instead of continuing with the negativity, I realized that I understood that "focus on the breath" mantra for the first time ever. Despite my restlessness I breathed my way through the entire class.

That day it occurred to me that doing yoga isn't about achieving the wacky upside-down headstand stuff. Rather, it's being able to control your breathing no matter what you're faced with, and knowing your body well enough to be aware of its capabilities and limitations.

You can easily modify yoga poses to suit your learning level and physical restrictions. If only life could be more yoga-like in that way: custom fit to suit needs and weaknesses.

I suspect that's the way life actually is, but I'm not quite enlightened enough to fully grasp that just yet.