Author Archives: artemisia shine

About artemisia shine

Artemisia Shine is an Intuitive Healer, Counselor, Yoga Therapist, Reiki Master and coyote medicine maker. Love is one of her greatest superpowers and she’s here on the planet to find, be in and create more of that force of magic. Her professional focus is on being a transformational ally for other healers, empaths, givers, change-makers and highly sensitive people as they connect with their innate body-wisdom and power. She can’t wait to be your cheerleader as you come home to yourself and actively seek to live a better story. Her joy filled mission is to support the awakening of ever more sri (radiance, splendor and beauty) in the hearts of all those she encounters. In her free time she can be found trying to snuggle her teenage son, successfully snuggling her rattie-love Cinder, pedaling barefoot thru the streets of San Luis Obispo, bending her body into unusual shapes and falling madly in love with random animals that cross her path. At the time of this writing, she still contends with being human and has to put on her tights one leg at a time.

chasing dreams

Aside

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chasing dreams
feeling the joy,
grief,
hope
and wonder 
alive in this wayward adventure

some dreams are wooed in silence,
the movement, imperceptible
while wild rivers rage within,
carelessly littering the shoreline with the murky detritus of castaway identities, fragmented beliefs, obsolete ways of being,
festering old stories pregnant with pain
all flotsam and jetsam that dash against the heart

dreams levee against the threat of flood

my heart stays constant.
steady.
dependable.
home.

chasing dreams can feel like being caught in an an unexpected current,
moments from drowning
as all the rage and anguish rise to the surface to violently clear all obstacles in her path

and still my heart beats
within this chest cavity
contained by my flesh
surrounded by a body that is all my own
two feet on the ground, making contact with earth
home. right here. ALIVE.

i’m supposed to be HERE doing and feeling THIS
(and so are you.)
YES!

some dreams i don’t chase at all
but in the twilight hours while much of the world is sleeping,
weaving away at their own brilliant dreams…

with a child like heart, wakefully i sing to them.

and sometimes when i’m really really lucky
some other tender dreamer
joins me in that late night song

~ artemisia shine

<3

ps. i love you. really.
i do.

Reiki and the “Perfect” Moment

Aside

Grrrrr. Oh yes, we can get petty.

This is not the Cleaver family… Oh yes, we can get petty.

Last night my teenage son asked me to reiki him.
 
I can count on one hand the amount of times he has made this request. I have offered many times when he is in pain or struggling with something but usually I get a swift and clear “no.” When I get a “yes” it is usually a “yes, but maybe later” and the later never comes. Yesterday evening the timing was rough; I was exhausted, irritable, we had been arguing and were generally discontent. (Actually, I was probably more discontent with him. I tend to hold onto the feelings of Gggrrrrrrrrrr far longer than he does.) I had shit to do. It was inconvenient. It was late. I had clients to respond to. I wasn’t internally at peace. I wanted him to go to bed.
 
All that aside, I said yes. His asking is such a rare event that it necessitated me to pause, re-organize from the inside, release my irritation and pettiness and recognize the gift of his asking. My burning desire is to to deeply and compassionatly show up for him AND show up for myself. Navigating the two sometimes feels like walking on a tight-rope balanced over a pit of hungry lions. The hungry lions are my expectations of him and myself, my limitations as a single-mama and fallible human being. They feed on my shame, guilt, exhaustion, resentment, self-judgment and inner reproach… (And that’s the short list!) I would love to tell you that we easily navigate this territory and I show up as super-mom all the fucking time. The truth is, I fall short of my own expectations far more often than I rise to the occasion and being human is one of my biggest flaws I have yet to consistently accept.
 
Reiki is love. Sharing reiki is intimate, unconditional, soft and receptive. Reiki asks me to trust and allow life energy to flow thru me, free from resistance and with the tenderest of full-body presence. It is interesting to note how much harder and more vulnerable it is to share this part of myself with my closest friends and family. Stranger in need of support and some reiki? No problem! Where do I sign up? Someone I really love asking for hands-on-healing attention? Eeeeekkk!!! Aaaggghhh!!! (What if I’m not good enough? What if they don’t feel anything? What if it doesn’t ‘work’? What if they don’t like it? What if they judge me? What if… [insert any number of questions that invalidate my worth and question my lovability and gifts.]) When my loved ones want reiki, I tend to want to wait for the perfect moment when I am just the right balance of calm, grounded, rested, spacious, internally at peace and full from the inside out. In other words, I want to wait until I am perfect. I keep trying for it but the bar keeps getting higher and I haven’t arrived there yet. 
 
Sooooo…. With all that running in the background, I got him on my table, put my hands on him and flowed reiki wherever it wanted to go. I would love to tell you it was magical and we shared this really sweet, connective, transformative moment. In reality I was stilted and awkward. I fumbled around and accidentally flung my tuning forks across the room in a cacophony of clanging mayhem. My stool slid out from under me and I stumbled into the table. He responded by laughing and saying “Wow Mom. That’s relaxing! 😉 Good thing it’s me and I’m not one of your clients!”
 
I wanted for him to drop in, deeply relax and settle into his body. Instead, he talked the whole time, kept his eyes open, wiggled around and sometimes grabbed my hands and adjusted my touch. 
 
He talked the whole time.
He never got silent.
He shared about his history class and the things he is inspired to learn in his new school. He shared gratitude for some of the boundaries I have had with him that he previously resisted. (“I am sooooo glad you have limited my sugar intake and not let me eat junk food and soda growing up! I just watched Fed Up! and the amount of sugar in those things is horrifying!”) He asked me to watch a documentary with him that he found particularly compelling. As he talked about his day to day experience of middle school, I realized that lately I haven’t made the time and space to really listen. He talked the whole time. I got a chance to really listen.
 
He kept his eyes open.
Much of the time his eyes were on me. When I let my gaze soften he smiled and looked directly into my eyes. He initiated and maintained eye contact while I was reiki-ing him, belly up on my massage table. He was vulnerable and soft without my having to ask for it. This is a teenage being that has shared with me so many times how ‘intense and piercing’ my direct eye contact is. This is a kid that generally avoids sustained eye gaze – especially with me, especially because I crave it. He kept his eyes open, let them meet mine, and voluntarily chose to rest them there.
 
He wiggled around and adjusted my touch.
My itty-bitty-shitty-committee tried to hold court in my mind. I had a story running that maybe I was doing it wrong (judging myself) or that he was resistant and un-receptive (judging him.) At some point I realized he was letting me know exactly what he needed and in moving my hands he was asking for just that. He was valuing himself enough to get his needs met and trusting me enough to let me know how to help. This is a person that I deeply love and this person is showing me how to do just that in the way that would support them the most. He gave himself permission to adjust my touch and I got the opportunity to meet his requests. <3
 
This morning as he was cooking a fried egg inside the cookie-cutter star removed hole in his toast, he leaned over the fry pan and said, “You know Mom, I actually feel better. I tend to dismiss reiki as “woo-woo” but it actually worked. My headache is gone. My back doesn’t hurt anymore. I slept really well and I feel a lot more calm. Thank you. I guess reiki works; it really helped.”
 

I couldn’t help but smile from the inside out. “You’re welcome baby. I am happy to reiki you as often as you like.” And you know what? I meant it. Even though he talked the whole time, kept his eyes open, wiggled around and sometimes grabbed my hands and adjusted my touch, I really meant it. Maybe there is no perfect magical moment ripe for transcendent connection other than the ordinary opportunities that present themselves in the midst of our daily chaos. Maybe I don’t need to be super-mom or super-human. Maybe being fallible is the best I have to offer and it actually can be enough. Maybe showing up for all of that is exactly what sweet, connective, transformative moments look like for us. <3

~ artemisia shine

Artemisia Shine is an Intuitive Healer, Yoga Therapist, Reiki Master, Counselor & Day Maker. She works with individuals and groups as a transformational ally. She LOVES helping people honor the intelligence of their hearts, reconnect with their innate body-wisdom & live in enthusiastic alignment with their soul-level desires. At the time of this writing, she still contends with being human and has to put on her tights on one leg at a time. 

Sanskrit/English Poses

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♥ Sanskrit/English Poses

“The vibrational purity and resonating power of Sanskrit is above all an opera on a grand cosmic scale that you can sing with your whole heart and being.”  ~Vyass Houston

All of life resonates at a specific vibration.  Sanskrit is considered to be one of the oldest languages on earth, comprised of sacred sounds of rhythm, melody and harmony. The Sanskrit names for the physical asanas, or yoga poses, were crafted to reflect the essential nature of that which they describe. The seed sounds, or bijas, that make up each Sanskrit title for a particular yoga pose, carry a unique and intentional frequency. Perfect pronunciation of these bijas resonate with the essential vibration of the universe itself. To call an asana aloud in Sanskrit while aligning yourself in that particular posture is a tangible way to deeply explore the energy of that pose while unifying sound and physical sensation.

I invite us all to welcome more Sanskrit into our lives!  🙂

I offer below a work in progress – I am compiling a list of yoga poses with their corresponding English names.
♥ I will update this as time allows. ♥

 

Sanskrit ame

Pronunciation

English Translation

Also Called

Classification

Dwi Pada Pitham dvee Pa-da PEET-ham dwi = two; pada = foot; pitha = stool,  chair Two-legged Table Supine Pose, Vinyasa
Savasana shah-VAHS-anna sava = corpse Corpse Pose, Final Resting Pose Supine Pose
Supta Baddha Konasana BAH-dah-cone-AHS-anna supta= resting, reclining, sleeping; baddha = bound; kona = angle Reclining Bound Angle Pose Supine Pose
Supta Virasana    soup-tah veer-AHS-anna supta= resting, reclining, sleeping; vira = a hero, brave Reclining Hero Pose Supine Pose
Virabhadrasana II               vira = a hero, brave; Virabhadra = name of a fierce mythical warrior said to have 1,000 heads, eyes, arms & legs Warrior II Pose Standing, hip opener
Parivrtta Trikonasana      par-ee-vrit-tah trik-cone-AHS-anna parivrtta = twist, revolve, turned around; tri = three; kona = angle Revolved Triangle Pose Standing Pose, Twisting Pose
Prasarita Padottanasana                  prasarita = spread out, expanded; pada = foot, leg; uttana = stretched out/over, an intense stretch Wide-Legged Forward Bend Standing Pose, Inversion, Forward Bend
Virabhadrasana I   vira = a hero, brave; Virabhadra = name of a fierce mythical warrior said to have 1,000 heads, eyes, arms & legs Warrior I Pose Standing Pose, Hip Opening, Backbend
Utthita Trikonasana oo-TEE-tah trik cone-NAHS-anna utthita = extended; tri = three, kona = angle Triangle pose, Extended Triangle Pose Standing Pose, Hip Opening
Parsvottanasana parsva = side, flank, lateral; uttana = stretched out/over, an intense stretch Intense Side Stretch Pose, Pyramid Pose Standing Pose, Forward Bend
Uttanasana            uttana = stretched out/over, an intense stretch Standing Forward Fold Standing Pose, Forward Bend
Garudasana          garuda = eagle, fierce predatory bird – (said to be the Hindu god Vishnu’s vehicle) Eagle Pose Standing Pose, Balance Pose
Supta Padangusthasana supta= resting, reclining, sleeping; pada = foot, leg; angustha = big toe Reclining Big Toe Pose Standing pose, balance pose
Virabhadrasana III             vira = a hero, brave; Virabhadra = name of a fierce mythical warrior said to have 1,000 heads, eyes, arms & legs Warrior III Pose Standing Pose, Balance Pose
Vrksasana              vrksa = tree Tree Pose Standing Pose, Balance Pose
Natarajasana not-ah-raj-AHS-anna nata = dancer; raja = king Lord of the Dance Pose, King Dancer Pose Standing Pose, Back bend, Balance
Adho Mukha Savasana AH-doh MOO-kah shvah-NAHS-anna adho-mukha = face downward Downward-Facing Dog, Down Dog Standing Pose
Parivrtta Baddha Parsvakonasana par-ee-vrit-tah  BAH-dah parivrtta = twist, revolve, turned around; baddha = bound; parsva = side, flank, lateral; kona = angle Revolved Side Angle Pose (w/ bind); Standing Pose
Parivrtta Parsvakonasana par-ee-vrt-tah parsh-vah-cone-AHS-anna parivrtta = twist, revolve, turned around; parsva = side, flank, lateral; kona = angle Revolved Side Angle Pose; Standing Pose
Tadasana                tada = mountain Mountain Pose Standing Pose
Upavesasana upavistha = seated Standing Pose
Utkatasana  utkatha = fierce, furious Chair Pose Standing Pose
Utthita Hasta Padangustasana     utthita = extended; hasta = hand; pada = foot, leg, angustha = big toe Extended Hand-To-Big-Toe Pose, Standing Big Toe Pose Standing Pose
Utthita Parsvakonasana                    cone-NAHS-anna utthita = extended; parsva = side, flank, lateral; kona = angle Extended Side Angle Pose Standing Pose
Upavistha Konasana           oo-pah-VEESH-tah-cone-AHS-anna  upavistha = seated; kona = angle Wide-Angle Seated Forward Bend, Seated Wide Legged Straddle Seated Pose; Forward Bend
Ardha Matsyendrasana                    ARD-hah MOTS-yen-DRAHS-anna ardha = half; matsya = fish; indra = ruler, lord Half Lord of the Fishes Pose Seated Pose, Twist
Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana par-ee-vrit-tah JAH-new shear-SHAHS-anna parivrtta = twist, revolve, turned around; janu = knee; shiras = to touch with the hand Revolved Head-to-Knee Pose Seated Pose, Twist
Janu Sirsasana    JAH-new shear-SHAHS-anna janu = knee; shiras = to touch with the hand Head-to-Knee Forward Bend Seated Pose, Forward Bend
Kurmasana koor-MAHS-anna kurma = tortise; turtle Turtle Pose Seated Pose, Forward Bend
Paschimottanasana         POS-chee-moh-tan-AHS-anna pascha = behind, westward facing; uttana = stretched out/over, an intense stretch Seated Forward Bend Seated Pose, Forward Bend
Supta Kurmasana koor-MAHS-anna supta = resting; kurma = tortoise, turtle Reclining Turtle Pose Seated Pose, Forward Bend
Mulabandhasana moola-ban-DHAS-anna mula = root, foundation; bandha = binding, tying Pose of the Root Lock Seated Pose (for pranayama)
Baddha Konasana               BAH-dah-cone-AHS-anna baddha = bound; kona = angle Bound Angle Pose, Cobbler’s Pose Seated Pose
Dandasana            dan-DAHS-anna danda = staff Staff Pose Seated Pose
Gomukhasana    go-moo-KAHS-anna go= cow; mukha = face Cow Face Pose Seated Pose
Mahamudra ma-ha-MOO-dra maha = great, mighty, strong; mudra = sealing, shutting, closing The Great Seal Seated Pose
Padmasana           pod-MAHS-anna padma = lotus Lotus Pose Seated Pose
Siddhasana sid-DHAS-anna siddha = a sage, profet, proven Adept’s Pose Seated Pose
Sukhasana             suk-HAS-anna sukha = delight, joy, pleasure/ sukhata = comfort Easy Pose Seated Pose
Svastikasana sva-steek-AHS-ana svasa= inspiration Auspicious Pose Seated Pose
Hanumanasana                    ha-NEW-mahn-AHS-anna hunuman = name of the devine chief of monkeys that served Rama Monkey Pose Seated Pose
Balasana                 BAH-las-anna bala = infant Child’s Pose Kneeling Pose, Forward Bend
Eka Pada Rajakapotasana                 eh-KAH pad-DAH rah-JAH-cop-poh-TAHS-anna eka = one; pada = foot, leg ; raja = king;  kapota = dove, pigeon One-Legged King Pigeon Pose Kneeling Pose, Backbend
Parighasana         par-ee-GOSS-anna parigha = a beam or bar used for locking a gate Gate Pose, Gate-Latch Pose Kneeling Pose
Simhasana sim-HAHS-anna simha = lion Lion Pose Keeling Pose, Jaw Stretch
Adho Mukha Vrksasana Ah-doh moo-kah vriks-SHAHS-anna adho-mukha = face downward; vrksa = tree Handstand Inversion
Ustrasana              oosh-TRAHS-anna ustra = camel Camel Pose Backbend,  Kneeling Pose,
  Sphinx Pose Backbend
Ardha Bhekasana                ARD-hah ardha = half; Half Frog Pose Backbend
Ashtanga Namaskara Ashta = eight;  anga = limbed; namaskara = salutation, to bow, honor Knees, Chest, and Chin Backbend
Bhujangasana     boo-jang-GAHS-anna bhuja = arm, shoulder;  anga = limbed;  bhujanga = serpent, snake Cobra Pose Backbend
Bitilasana              Cow Pose Backbend
Camatkarasana Wild Thing Backbend
Dhanurasana       Bow Pose Backbend
Dwi Pada Viparita Dandasana      dwi = two; pada = foot, leg ; danda = staff Upward Facing Two-Foot Staff Pose Backbend
Kapotasana          kapota = dove, pigeon King Pigeon Pose Backbend
Matsyasana          mot-see-AHS-anna matsya = fish Fish Pose Backbend
Pincha Mayurasana           pin-cha my-your-AHS-anna piñca = feather; mayura = peacock Feathered Peacock Pose, Forearm Stand Backbend
Setu Bandha Sarvangasana sar-van-GAHS-anna bandha = binding, tying;  sarva = all; anga = limb Bridge Pose Backbend
Shalabasana sha-la-BAHS-anna salabha = grasshopper, locust Locust Pose Backbend
Urdhva Dhanurasana        OORD-vah don-your-AHS-anna Urdva = upward;  dhanu = bow Upward Bow, Wheel Pose Backbend
Urdhva Mukha Svanasana               OORD-vah MOO-kah shvon-AHS-anna Urdva = upward; mukha = face Upward-Facing Dog Backbend
Chaturanga Dandasana   chaht-tour-ANG-ah don-DAHS-anna chatur = four; anga = limbed; danda = staff Four-Limbed Staff Pose Arm Balance
  High Lunge, Variation
  High Lunge
  Dolphin Plank Pose
  Dolphin Pose
Adho Mukha Savasana Natarajasana AH-doh MOO-kah shvah-NAHS-anna adho-mukha = face downward; nata = dancer; raja = king Downward-Facing Dog Dancer Pose
Agnistambhasana Fire Log Pose
Ananda Balasana Happy Baby Pose
Anantasana Side-Reclining Leg Lift, Sleeping Vishnu Pose
Anjaneyasana     Low Lunge, Crescent Lunge Pose, Grounded Warrior I
Ardha Chandrasana          ARD-hah ardha = half; chandra = moon Half Moon Pose
Ardha Uttanasana              ARD-hah ardha = half; uttana = stretched out/over, an intense stretch Standing Half Forward Bend
Astavakrasana    ahsh-tah-vah-krahs-anna Ashta = eight;  vakra = bent, curved Eight-Angle Pose
Baddha Parighasana BAH-dah baddha = bound Bound Gate
Baddha Setu Bandha Sarvangasana BAH-dah  sar-van-GAHS-anna baddha = bound; Setu = ; bandha = binding, tying;  sarva = all; anga = limb Bound Bridge Pose, Bound Half Wheel
Bakasana                Crane Pose, Crow Pose
Bharadvajasana I                  Bharadvaja’s Twist
Bhujapidasana bhuja = arm, shoulder  Shoulder-Pressing Pose
Eka Pada Galavasana eh-KAH pad-DAH eka = one; pada = foot, leg Flying Crow Pose
Eka Pada Koundiyanasana I             eh-KAH pad-DAH eka = one; pada = foot, leg Pose Dedicated to the Sage Koundinya I
Eka Pada Koundiyanasana II            eh-KAH pad-DAH eka = one; pada = foot, leg Pose Dedicated to the Sage Koundinya II
Eka Pada Rajakapotasana II             eh-KAH pad-DAH eka = one; pada = foot, leg ; raja = king; kapota = dove, pigeon One-Legged King Pigeon Pose II
Halasana                Plow Pose
Krounchasana    Heron Pose
Kumbhakasana /Utthita Chaturanga Dandasana oot-T-HEE-tuh  chaht-tour-ANG-ah dan-DAHS-anna kumbhak = breath retention /
utthita = extended;  chatur = four; anga = limbed; danda = staff		 Plank Pose
Lolasana Pendant Pose
Malasana               Garland Pose
Marichyasana I Pose Dedicated to the Sage Marichi, I
Marichyasana III                  Marichi’s Pose
Marjaryasana      Cat Pose
Mayurasana         Peacock Pose
Navasana nava = a boat Boat Pose
Padansthasana   pada = foot, leg; angustha = big toe Big Toe Pose
Paripurna Navasana         Full Boat Pose
Parivrtta Ardha Chandrasana par-ee-vrit-tah are-dah chan-DRAHS-anna parivrtta = twist, revolve, turned around; ardha = half; Chandra = moon Revolved Half Moon Pose
Parivrtta Surya Yantrasana par-ee-vrit-tah parivrtta = twist, revolve, turned around; Compass Pose
Parsva Bakasana                   parsva = side, flank, lateral; Side Crane Pose, Side Crow Pose
Pasasana Noose Pose
Purvottanasana                    uttana = stretched out/over, an intense stretch Upward Plank Pose
Salamba Sarvangasana      sah-LOM-bah sar-van-GAHS-anna sa = with;
 alamba = support;  sarva = all; anga = limb Supported Shoulder stand
Salamba Sirsasana sah-LOM-bah shear-SHAHS-anna sa = with;
 alamba = support; sirsa = head Supported Headstand
Salambhasana sah-LOM-bah Locust Pose
Samasthiti sama = equal, same; asthiti = position, standing-place Mountain Pose
Supta Matsyendrasana mot-see-AH supta= resting, reclining, sleeping; matsya = fish; indra = ruler, lord Supine Spinal Twist
Surya Namaskar surya = sun; namas = to bow, salute, honor; kri = to do, make, act Sun Salutation
Svarga Dvijasana Bird of Paradise Pose
Tittibhasana        Firefly Pose
Tolasana                 Scale Pose
Urdhva Hastasana               Urdva = upward; hasta = hand Upward Salute, Raised Hands Pose
Urdhva Prasarita Eka Padasana    OORD-vah eka = one Urdva = upward; prasarita = spread out, expanded; pada = foot, leg Standing Split
Utkata Konasana cone-NAHS-anna utkatha = fierce; kona = angle Goddess or Victory Squat
Uttana Shishosana               uttana = stretched out/over, an intense stretch Extended Puppy Pose
Vasisthasana Side Plank Pose
Viparita Karani Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose
Virasana                 vira = a hero, brave Hero Pose
Vrschikasana Scorpion Pose
Yoga Nidrasana Sleeping Yogi Pose

 

love is the field

Aside

loveistheField

earlier today i was thinking of a man i’ve loved deeply since the day we met. today is his birthday and even after all this time, i don’t love him any less than the instant i melted into loving him completely. for a moment it felt bittersweet, as if he was “the love of my life” or that love like that is something singular and no longer available to my open heart, soft gaze or tender palms…

then i realized love is not an experience nor was my past lover a place that love was found and lost. love is not a contraction – something to hold onto or release…

love is a field of awareness that expands out to touch all that is – interconnected with everything else…

collected moments of rapture, a particular lover, all serve to touch into a pre-cellular memory of timelessness. they are a keyhole to glimpse into the landscape of the infinite that we so often blind ourselves to by so many distractions, contractions, the naming of things, regurgitation and re-stimulation of past hurts…

i want to be a storybook floor-to ceiling window, a highway to the infinite. i want that any seeker can wander through the broadway of my heart and land in the arms of the beloved, sweetly embraced by the entire cosmos, held unconditionally. whole. complete. loved entirely. viscerally at home.

love is the field. thinking (even for the briefest of moments) that it is lost with my past lover is like saying a mountain is no more because of the displacement of a single grain of sand. i have love. it is what i’m made of, where i come from and where i seek to forever return. heart emoticon

happy birthday beating heart of the collective consciousness. with you i will always remain

ps. i love you

pss. YOU.

YES! You.

♥,

~ artemisia shine

We Have Come to be Danced

Aside

We Have Come to be Danced by Jewel Mathieson
Read during savasana: Candlelight Hot Stone Yoga 8/15/2014

cometobedanced

We have come to be danced
Not the pretty dance
Not the pretty pretty, pick me, pick me dance
But the claw our way back into the belly
Of the sacred, sensual animal dance
The unhinged, unplugged, cat is out of its box dance
The holding the precious moment in the palms
Of our hands and feet dance.

We have come to be danced
Not the jiffy booby, shake your booty for him dance
But the wring the sadness from our skin dance
The blow the chip off our shoulder dance.
The slap the apology from our posture dance.

We have come to be danced
Not the monkey see, monkey do dance
One two dance like you
One two three, dance like me dance
but the grave robber, tomb stalker
Tearing scabs and scars open dance
The rub the rhythm raw against our soul dance.

We have come to be danced
Not the nice, invisible, self-conscious shuffle
But the matted hair flying, voodoo mama
Shaman shakin’ ancient bones dance
The strip us from our casings, return our wings
Sharpen our claws and tongues dance
The shed dead cells and slip into
The luminous skin of love dance.

We have come to be danced
Not the hold our breath and wallow in the shallow end of the floor dance
But the meeting of the trinity, the body breath and beat dance
The shout hallelujah from the top of our thighs dance
The mother may I?
Yes you may take 10 giant leaps dance
The olly olly oxen free free free dance
The everyone can come to our heaven dance.

We have come to be danced
Where the kingdom’s collide
In the cathedral of flesh
To burn back into the light
To unravel, to play, to fly, to pray
To root in skin sanctuary
We have come to be danced

WE HAVE COME.

~ by Jewel Mathieson

Give Your Love Away!

Aside

Give Your Love Away!

40 Day Journey: 40 Steps For Growth & Inner Freedom
Day 6: August 10, 2014

love offerings are fun!

Under the veil of night, Post-it love messages and poetry rocks adorn random doorsteps to be found in the morning by unknown residents. Another evening, a dear friend & I thoroughly enjoyed slinking into the drama section of a neighborhood video store to leave this gift behind.

Since Aug. 5th I’ve been on a personal 40 Day Journey and each day I am taking a step in the direction of growth in five specific areas in my life. One of these daily steps is to share love anonymously with a random member of the community. Hands down, this has been the most joyful part of my journey thus far!  Each day, I have busted out my colorful markers and pens, scoured my house and the surrounding environment for special items to share and gotten crafty creating small packages of love to anonymously leave around the community for someone to find.

At first I chose not to share this particular step in my journey publicly because the joy of dancing in my creative fire and imaging someone delightedly stumbling upon my anonymous gift was treasure enough. Truly, each day as I take this step, I feel like a kindergartener at sunrise on Christmas morning still in my long fuzzy footie-pajamas rushing under the twinkling tree to see what gifts have appeared over night. The only difference is, now the excitement and childlike wonder is in the giving.

So why am breaking the anonymity silence? The answer is simple: mirror neurons. When I am teaching a yoga class and I notice a student particularly struggling with their breath (forgetting to breath, jagged breathing etc.) I often walk next to them and take a moment to align my breath with theirs and then shift to a more subtle, steady breath. More often than not, their breath follows suit without me saying a word. Our brains are hard-wired for mimicry and whether we are conscious of it or not, we are learning from, engaging with and neurologically mirroring each others behaviors, thoughts, and emotions all the time. We are highly complex social animals that are neurologically built to observe, learn from, connect and empathize with the lived experience of those around us. 

When we are inspired by what we see people doing around us, we often feel the resulting pleasurable emotions as if we have taken this action ourselves. Just think of how you respond when you watch your favorite sports icon make a game-changing slam dunk at the last pivotal moment, or score that winning touch down — even if you were only watching it on television. Better yet, remember how you’ve felt when you watched a child you adore successfully attempt to do something for the very first time. If you could see your reaction through a video camera, most likely you were rapt with attention, visually mimicking their emotions and flooded with love upon their achievement. Your body stores its own memories of you having lived this experience and your neurons are firing signals as if you were doing this action yourself!  Joy, excitement, relief, pride, awe. All of it = a greater experience of love. So for this, I am sharing this step and inviting you to walk with me either by feeling my own joy as I write about it here or by finding fun and playful ways to anonymously give love all over your community. 

Photo Aug 10, 5 29 11 PM

“If you found me, you must have been calling in love! Look how magical you are!” A highly decorated gift certificate waits for a hungry diner to discover en route to a local Arcata grill.

Lead by example. Give love like it’s all you’re here to do today. (Pssst… I’ve got a secret for you: it is! Pass it on.) Imagine the waterfall effect if it became the norm to find a parking citation envelope on your windshield with a love note inside instead of a ticket. “Took longer than you thought? We’ve all been there. I went ahead and paid your ticket just because I KNOW you are awesome. Whoever you are, have a great day!” How might it turn your day around to be grumpy and rushed at the grocery store check-out and to have the clerk say “Hey, I see you’re having a tough time. An anonymous customer bought this cookie and asked me give it to you with love.” This doesn’t have to cost a dime either. We can decorate rocks, shells, leaves, (whatever your imagination can divine) with heart-warming quotes or favorite poems and wrap them up with care and color to be found by passers-by on window-sills, bathroom sinks, hospital waiting rooms and coffee shop tables. We can notice someone looking for a parking space behind us and choose to drive past that prime spot and give it to them. That’s what I’m up to. I could say it’s an act of giving love with no need for return but that is a fallacy. The return is in the giving. 

Fun ways to anonymously give some love:

  • Leave movie tickets on a chair at a restaurant – How ’bout dinner AND a movie!
  • Collect overhanging flowers in your neighborhood & leave them tied in a bow on a random doorstep
  • Gift wrap your favorite used book with a love note and leave it on a park bench
  • Hang healthy homemade bird treats in a neighborhood tree
  • Leave a mixed CD with a friendly note at a gas station bay or rest stop
  • Leave bubbles & sidewalk chalk at a local playground
  • Make a hygiene care package (toothpaste, toothbrush, tissue, soap, hand sanitizer, deodorant, socks, a pen and a small journal) at a local bus/train station or under freeway overpasses

Wanna join me? http://artemisiashine.com/40steps

Think mirror neurons are cool and want to learn more: check this out!

Have a heart inspiring story of someone anonymously sharing love with you? I want to hear it!

love,

~ artemisia shine

ps. MC Yogi knows what’s up!

Support Starts From Within

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Support Starts From Within

40 Day Journey: 40 Steps For Growth & Inner Freedom
Day 3: August 7, 2014

Salamba Sirsasana

When your world is turned up-side down, literally or figuratively, it is the perfect opportunity to re-orient the self back into stillness and awareness of breath. Right now, sense how your breath is influencing and shaping your mind. – (Salamba Sirsasana in my home studio in Arcata)

Salamba Sirsasana: Supported Headstand
(sah-LOM-bah shear-SHAHS-anna)
sa = with;
 alamba = support or that on which one rests or leans ; sirsa = the head

We do not exist within a vacuum. No organism alive is separate or distinct from its environment. We all need support from time to time and opening up to receive support is a masterful skill all it’s own. Today, for me support starts attitudinally from within. It starts with inviting in a deep sense of trust, surrender and remembrance that my body, mind and spirit already intrinsically know balance and all I need do is lean into the practices I already have on board to keep me moving forward, toward my dreams and goals, regardless of the obsticles along the way. In headstand, our world view is both physically and metaphorically flipped upside down.

Right now I am a couple hundred dollars shy of paying my rent. Rent was due on the 1st. My insurance was due on the first as well. Today is the 7th. My sense of being financially self-supporting through my own contributions is definitely under pressure. The nitty-gritty details of meeting my basic survival needs seem cattywonkus to say the least. I’m still smiling. I have been all day. I have a sense that life is just providing me a rich opportunity to become more skillful at remaining calm and grounded even when my world seems spun around. If nothing about my external circumstances are to change in the next 12 hours what internal landscape do I want to cultivate? Anxiety is no fun and it certainly won’t change anything. I would rather remain calm, take some action steps from a place of joy rather than panic and be ready for whatever shifts are coming next. I want to choose to enjoy my life, even if my external circomstances seem to be less than joyful. Salamba Sirsasana, or head stand, literally means with support of the head. Today has been about observing my head space and developing a quality of mindful presence that allows me to feel supported from within. No. Matter. What. Nothing is going to happen today that the universe and I can’t handle together. <3

I want to hear how you are you handling the challenging moments. How does your “head-space” serve to hinder or support you? How do you find support from within?

Go Ahead, Provoke Me!

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Go Ahead, Provoke Me!

“Over time invite and create ever more provocative situations to deliberately trigger the psyche to be disturbed, to be challenged, to feel perhaps overwhelmed in order to strengthen your capacity to remain in the witness.  It’s easy to be peaceful when there’s not provocation. It’s not so easy where there is. Welcome to marriage. Welcome to children. Welcome to your life. Those provocations that are happening externally, are only reflections of our inner lack of clarity, lack of resolution. So, the yogi works internally.” ~Yogarupa Rod Stryker
(Moon & Sun Vinyasa: Mastering the Mind, Awakening the Vital Force, Nov. 15, 2013)

40 Day Journey: 40 Steps For Growth & Inner Freedom
Day 1: August 5, 2014

Trikonasana in marsh sunrise

Sometimes the biggest battle is getting out the door and onto the mat. The early morning dewy marsh air amply rewarded my effort. – Arcata Marsh & Wildlife Sanctuary 8:30am

Utthita Trikonasana : Extended Triangle Pose
(oo-TEE-tah trik cone-NAHS-anna)
utthita = extended; tri = three, kona = angle

“The three angles (tri konas in Sanskrit) of a triangle make it one of the stronger and most stable shapes in nature…The triangle pose represents many sacred trinities in our world, such as the trinity of earth, space and heavens or that of birth, life and death. Trikonasana also symbolizes the three gunas, or qualities, that compose our bodies and minds.” (p. 36) Alanna Kaivalya & Arjuna van der Kooij, Myths of the Asanas: The Stories at the Heart of the Yoga Tradition.)

As I was riding my bike to the studio to teach my morning Hatha Flow Class, I was listening to a workshop lecture I attended last year with Yogarupa Rod Stryker. The day before I had been momentarily deeply disturbed by some personal family drama with my son’s father. It was this disturbance that inspired me to proactively choose to take intentional steps in the direction of my own personal growth.

When life is comfortable and free from challenges, it is easy to get complacent in my personal practice and neglect my continued commitment to inner growth. This summer has been far from easy. Life has provided me so many delicious opportunities and reminders to not only return to the grounded space of calm that can view my life from a place of tranquility but also to notice, question and work with the mirror that my external circumstances are providing me. Tantric philosophy states that there is nothing outside my body that does not exist within my body. There is nothing within me that does not exist externally in the world. If I take the view that what is happening in my body is a mirror for what is happening in my life, than I can also see that what is happening in my life is a reflection of what is happening in my psyche. 

Back to my bike ride…

I had just finished a sweet early morning solo yoga practice at the Arcata Marsh and was arriving  at Om Shala Yoga 15 minutes early to meditate before teaching. As I crossed the front door I saw two of my students arriving on bikes and being verbally and physically threatened by a large gentleman who had left his truck in the middle of the street to get out and scream at them over some perceived right-of way indiscretion. This gentleman returned to his truck only to stop and get out 3 more times all the while threatening physical violence and property damage and warning them that he will “remember what their bikes look like.” At that moment I hear Rod Stryker in my ear saying “It’s easy to be peaceful when there’s no provocation.”

We all get provoked. How we handle it at any given moment is our yoga, is the practice of inner asana or posture. Life is challenging. Suffering is a noble truth. The yogi works from within. Regardless of whatever swirling mass of chaos or raucous celebration is present in our lives at any given moment – our ability to drop into the witness is directly proportional to our experience of grounded, calm, ever-present spaciousness and awareness.

I came into the world on fire. I seek not to drown my fire but instead to stabilize and create a pitim (or hearth) for that fire in the sacred temple of my body at the center of my belly. Practicing trikonasana is a way to physically plant our feet firmly in the earth and our awareness in the present moment while opening our hearts to the vastness within us alongside the support of the universe. The top hand reaching to the sky is a reminder to reach into the highest aspects within us as we connect our material self with the broader consciousness of the entire cosmos. The triangle is a messenger that no matter the pressures behind us or in front of us, we can plug into the inherent stability within and reconnect with the truth and beauty that we are.

Provocation is child’s play.
I say bring it on.
It’s just a training camp for the experience of inner divinity.

Just for today, how can you use whatever is provoking you to take one small step back home to yourself?

I’m on a 40 Day Journey for personal growth. I’m taking baby steps. One. At. A. Time. Read more about it and join me here.

 

The Journey Begins..

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40 Day Journey – 40 Steps for Growth

“Faith is taking the first step, even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

40StepsThis summer has been hard. Really hard. It is the first summer that my pre-teen son has not been in summer camp during the day; which mean he has been home. A lot. While I am working. (Or not working when I want to be doing the work I love. Which has also been tough. Really tough.) Financial challenges have both inspired my creativity and really forced me to come back to my breath and remember my relationship with the present moment. Moment. by. challenging. moment. I have been in panic, forgetfulness, remembrance and then celebration only to get up the next day and do it all over again.

I feel as if I am rounding a corner into the next incarnation of my life. I want to actively participate in my process as well as be in gratitude for whatever life has in store for me. I want to remember lila, or the divine play inherent the cosmic expanse as well as the everyday mundanity. I am an actor in my own life. I want to enter the stage with loving, proactive awareness.

Starting right now, I choose to consciously take one step each day, over the next 40 days, towards growth with myself through my yoga practice, in my relationship with my son, my dharma thru the work I do in the world & experiencing my childlike heart. I commit to one small, achievable action each day day to:

  • deepen my connection with my personal yoga practice
  • further my connection with my son
  • create professional growth and support/enhance my business
  • create a moment of wild abandon & childlike joy in my life
  • share love anonymously with a random member of my community

For accountability I will share my journey with you here and on my blog. I will end/(or re-begin) my 40 Day Journey by hosting a celebratory gathering on September 13, 2014. Please join me in this! What energy would you like to actively animate in the next 40 days? What small steps can you take now to walk in the direction of your own inner freedom?

The journey begins…