blizzard day plans

We are under a blizzard warning here in the mid-west. I don't know that I ever remember blizzard like conditions here. Needless to say, we are having another snow day tomorrow--this makes our 5th one. While this does mean we will now be going to school after Memorial Day, I do plan on enjoying the wintery day to the fullest. My agenda includes:

*enjoying my cup of decaf coffee w/ Sweet Husband
*yoga
*art journaling
*making cards
*knitting
*reading

I will probably even play a little bit with my newest ebay purchase Love getting creative with my make-up!

Wishing you a safe and warm day wherever you are!

Peace, Love, Lipstick
& Namaste'
Leslie

my prayer

May I live fully, fearlessly, faithfully.

May I breathe in love-

my heart overflowing.

May I spread this love-

your love-

to all I encounter.

May I listen

and know

I am not alone.

May I pay attention

to miracles each day.

May I live my spirituality daily

so it rains

down

on

everyone

helping us all grow.

Peace, Love, Lipstick,
& Namaste'
Leslie

yoga at home & kindness

Tonight I turned off my cell phone, went into our study/music/yoga room and did my Ali MacGraw Yoga Mind & Body DVD. I LOVE this DVD. It has great music. It has beautiful scenery. It has wonderful instruction. (Erich Schiffman instructs the practice.) When I am wanting a steady, but not overly rigorous practice, this is definitely my all-time favorite DVD.

I now feel more connected to both my body and my breath. I feel open, and whole, and cleansed. Tonight's practice reminded me of the importance of being kind--and not just to others. Every thought that we think our bodies believe and absorb--whether the thoughts are true or not. The body is wise, but it cannot distinguish between true thoughts (like we are light, and love, and full, and whole) and those that are rubbish. I try my best to make sure my thoughts about myself are kind and loving thoughts; however, this is often easier said than done. I also realize that my thoughts can often become stressful thoughts about work, life, money, etc. My body absorbs all those stressful thoughts, and those toxins just hang out in the body (and eventually cause dis-ease) unless released. I'm currently devouring the book Eastern Body Western Mind, and with every page read, I am once again reminded of how important yoga is to help keep our bodies cleansed and our hearts open and full.

I'm setting an intention this week to be extra kind to myself? Wanna join me? Do some yoga, too. It does a body good!

Peace, Love, Lipstick,
& Namaste,
Leslie

knitting night

Just finished my newest knitting project. Definitely been needing warm hats for this snowy, cold weather we've been having. I do love wearing hand-made hats and scarves during winter!

Hope you're staying warm!

Peace, Love, Lipstick,
& Namaste'
Leslie

thoughts on jivamukti yoga dvd

I'm sitting in Barnes & Noble getting ready to skim through The Power (a follow up book to The Secret)-I won't be buying this one, but I am interested in skimming through it. I also have a copy of Kris Carr's (LOVE HER) Crazy Sexy Diet-This one I just might pick up, as I truly adore Kris Carr and admire her positive attitude, spunk, and perseverance. I also think she is incredibly knowledgeable and has great thoughts to share. My pile also consists of O Magazine and People (one of my guilty pleasures).

I'm feeling pretty yummy right now, not just because I have a day off and I'm chilling in B & N, but mainly because I did yoga this morning for the first time in a bit. (If you read this blog regularly, you know I was really ill, and there was no activity of any kind happening during that time.) This morning, I pulled out my Jivamukti Yoga DVD w/ Sharon Gannon & David Life. I bought this DVD back in December, and this is my second time doing it. From what I know about Gannon & Life, I highly respect both of them. I pretty much bought this DVD because their name was on it. I thought I'd share my thoughts with you about this DVD today--keeping in mind it's my personal opinion only!

Overall, I think this is a DVD I will reach for regularly. It is a fast moving practice that begins with flowing to get the body warmed up. Then, it slows down a bit and each pose is held around 5 breaths. Some of the postures include Warrior 1, Warrior 2, Triangle, Revolving Side Angle, Side Plank, Bow, Wheel, Shoulder Stand, Head Stand, & Seated Forward Fold.

The DVD has both Sharon and David moving through the postures. You can choose either of the two for the actual verbal instruction. I find that I much prefer Sharon instructing (not sure if this is because I am much more used to female voices); however, I do find her voice to be a little mechanical. I really appreciate instructors whose voices sound very authentic. Don't get me wrong, I know the importance of voice softening and using a soothing tone while instructing, but I am definitely a bit turned off if the instructor's voice sounds almost robotic.

The instruction, however, is very good. I appreciate both the physical descriptions of the poses as well as the integration of the more soulful side of yoga. There are not many, if any, modifications given throughout the practice, so I do feel this is more of an intermediate & advanced practice. Although there are not a great deal of extremely challenging postures (beyond headstand) throughout the class.

There is live music being played throughout the practice. The music is nice and not distracting (although very repetitive). If you like a variety of music you may find this music somewhat monotonous after a while. During the actual practice none of the music has words (which I typically prefer); however, during savasana the song does include lyrics. I find this to be very distracting to final relaxation.

Once again, I do think this will be a DVD I reach for regularly. I would give it 3.5 out of 5 stars. My favorite yoga DVDs are still Bryan Kest's Power Yoga Series 1, 2, & 3. They are oldies, but goodies; however, I am glad I bought this DVD and am looking forward to doing it again soon!

For all you yogis and yoginis out there, I'd love to hear your favorite go-to yoga DVDs. Do share.

Peace, Love, Lipstick,
& Namaste'
Leslie

feelin' good playlist

I find it's easy to slip into winter blahs during this time of year. I also find upbeat music can instantly change my mood for the better. So, this evening I created a Winter 2011 Feelin' Good playlist that I plan to listen to, sing to, and dance to regularly throughout the rest of this winter! Here it is:

Respect by Aretha Franklin
Hunter by Dido
Mercy by Duffy
I feel It All by Fiest
Virtual Insanity by Jamiroquai
Say Hey (I Love you) by Michael Fanti
Straight Up by Paula Abdul
Love Song by Sara Bareilles
All I Wanna Do by Sheryl Crow
Smile by Vitamin C
Beauty in the World by Macy Gray
Express Yourself by Madonna
Can't Touch It by Ricki-Lee

What songs would be on your Feelin' Good playlist?

Peace, Love, Lipstick,
& Namaste'
Leslie

winter wonderland

Here in the midwest, we've been snowed in for two days. Love me some snow days! Although I really do not like winter, I cannot imagine living in a place where the seasons aren't distinct. Here are some photos Sweet Husband took with our Nikon earlier this winter:

Hope wherever you are, you're staying safe & warm!

Love, Peace, Lipstick,

& Namaste'

Leslie

turning 80 & word of the year

Yesterday my family celebrated my sweet Grandma Nana's 80th Birthday. It was a great time. I know I'm very blessed to have such a wonderful family. Grandma Nana did a pretty good job raising her four kiddos, I'd say. I have so many happy memories of going to Grandma's house as a child. I sure hope I've inherited some of Grandma Nana's kindness, spunk, & sense of style! She is such a wonderful lady who has touched the lives of so many people. Love you, Grandma Nana!

And, to top the evening off, my sweet Mama bought a karaoke machine, so we spent the night singing and laughing together. Nothing's as good for the soul as spending time having fun with loved ones!
With that, I've decided my Word of the Year for 2011 is JOYFUL AUTHENTICITY (I know this is two words, but I'm breaking the rules). I want to reconnect with that childlike adventure every child has. I want to play. I want to explore. I want to laugh. I want to be filled with pure happiness. I want to be silly. I want to break the rules. I want bliss. I want to be myself fully in every action and interaction I have without any judgement or worry of judgement from others. Who says being an adult means we have to let go of all these things, anyway? I want to look back when I'm 80 and have no regrets!

Peace, Love, Lipstick,
& Namaste'
Leslie

simplicity

For the past two years, I've chosen a word of the year to focus my energy on throughout the year. I haven't totally decided on my 2011 Word of the Year (I know, I'm a little behind), but I had been contemplating simplicity. Although I don't think this will end up being my word, I find it interesting that I was thinking about using it, and the first week of 2011 has definitely been simple--forced simplicity one could say. I came down with a monster cold/flu last Thur. We spent New Years Eve at home on the couch with a movie. And, I've pretty much been at home every day since then. I made the mistake of trying to go to work yesterday, but that didn't go over very well, and by 10:00 a.m., I left and headed to the Dr. before coming home. I don't have the energy to do anything besides sleep, read, and surf on the internet. I cannot smell a thing (this is killing me as I LOVE my sense of smell). I cannot taste anything (which is also killing me as eating just isn't as fun when you can't taste it!). I literally haven't left the house since last Saturday except for my short jaunt to work and the Dr. Anyway, 2011 has been simple so far. This wasn't exactly what I was invisioning when thinking about the word simplicity, but it's what I got. Anyway, I will continue to ponder my 2011 word of the year, and I am very much looking forward to feeling back to my normal healthy self.

Do you choose a word of the year? If so, I'd love to hear your choice.

Namaste'
Leslie