~it’s m’birthday : : : something for u : :
Something for you~
Y’all it’s m’birthday!
Well, not yet, but soon :)
So i am all sorts of alone down here in Mexico, which is a contradiction in terms right out of the gate, because no one is ever alone in Mexico! If it isn't the parks full of people enjoying the present moment and one another, or the vintage vw bug passing through the streets inchmeal and with loud speaker- irrefutably reminding you of “your place in the family of things”, then it’s simply the Virgin de Guadalupe whose image is at every turn and in every corner keeping you company (and whose presence is also a surprisingly undeniable and yet, so welcome and benevolent, friend to the dweller of Mexico).
However...
As i look back, as i am apt to do around these occasions, i realize how much this practice and this coming together - in equal parts- has been such a lifeline for me. And I am blazingly aware of how grateful I am for that fact.
As one who has experienced a drowning from grief or loneliness at one time or another, and for some reason or another, in my life, i am acutely aware of how much both this mindfulness movement practice and community that undergoes ritual and holds sacred space together, is not only vital to my well-being, but just a joy.
And so please accept the warmest thank you i can muster… and again, that goes to those that have come to Living Room Yoga as well as those that silently read these words that i ever so often feel inspired to bundle together- your presence is felt and acknowledged and bowed upon by this grateful heart.
When i was a kid, i used to feel so let down that my dad would give away my own birthday cake to everyone else at the party before me on my special day, but those of yall that knew my dad, know that that was his way, and therefore, what was invited of his kids.
As such and also just to put action behind this gratefulness, i wanna give..
BDAY GIFTS
For anyone receiving this newsletter that hasn’t made it to Living Room Yoga yet, for this week - starting tomorrow morning and through next Sunday evening, your first time is on me :) and for those of you that have been coming, lasso in a friend and it will be on the house-
or even if you haven't been coming but you can think of someone that could use some landing/ coming home/ integrating/ necessary pause/ stress relief/ playful explorative movement in the company of friends, pass it on- it will be your chance to play angel (and as we know, to give is to get so much more). There are practices for every one and every body.
See here or the button bellow for link and schedule.
And just a heads up, we will be tweaking the link and sign up process a bit in the coming weeks, but will retain the option for people to pay at value, to help pay forward for someone who can't afford at cost, or if there is hardship, to make an offering at a lower entry point.*
*And just a note about that- i feel very strongly that wherever possible, we must create a grassroots, creative, and shared economy until we can have a structure that better serves all the people. At current, as we know, we are nowhere close to that, so whether it is here, or in your own business or support of other businesses, i think it is a worthy inquiry to lean into- how we might find ways of reaching a broader swath of people and economic brackets?
And on the 2 things, Togetherness and Mindful Movement…...
Togetherness-
The more i live, and even after spending months, sometimes years in a hermetic way of being, the more i am convinced of our need for relational spaces. Or at least that’s what it feels like this chapter of life is asking. Both personally and collectively/historically. If this one feels like a space that could bring some benefit to your life or the life of a loved one, please pass along. I am here for you. And your presence holds me in ways i can't begin to say. To put a little spin on the title of Charles Eisenstein’s lovely book.. “The more beautiful world our hearts know is possible” is already here. Sometimes we need to come together to really see and know how that is true. And we certainly have much to hold on the individual plane that can not be done alone.
Mindful Movement-
As many of y’all know, the practice i engage inhabits many forms of movement and not just classical yoga per se. It was born out of the joy of dance and my many years exploring expression through the body, as well as working with cancer patients, sports injury, and surgery rehabilitation. I learned that the nature of scar tissue is such that the area must be explored from every angle possible- not just one set shape by rote. Applying that to my own physical practice and other’s various patterns made a world of difference. My many years of very traditional practices like ashtanga and iyengar will always be very close to my heart, but a tender knee from years of dance rendered ashtanga a less than easy thing, and an iyengar string of postures didnt address my system’s need for flow and fuller range of motion. And don't get me wrong, the geometry of a pose, the lines, the symmetry, the alignment principles, are all inside of the practice i engage as well- it’s just that equal time and space is given to letting your body inform the shape, or feeling into the margins of the pose, or emulating a river, or a willow, or a comet…..
All that to say, i think there are ways to move that free what we are holding, and they will let us know how to get there if we listen deeply. This is another something i believe in from the bottom of my heart.
I take a stand behind both of these 2 things with toes dug deep.
So come join me if you're free. Lets splatter ourselves across the sky and burrow in next to the deepest reaching roots.
I would love to see you- ha- i guess it’s kinda my own way of throwing myself a quarantine-friendly surprise bday party :)
Whether i see you or not, thank you for you.
With loving and abiding care,
Julia
Click image to view “Two Dogs and a Dame”- and follow for other ditties or beauty sightings as they present themselves~
