Bubbles and Butterflies

“If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together... there is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we're apart... I'll always be with you.”

“Sometimes,' said Pooh, 'the smallest things take up the most room in your heart.”

 - A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

It has been over two years since my mom’s death, and I’ve been missing her more than usual lately. Maybe it was my grandson, Austin’s, first birthday at the end of August triggering these feelings of unresolved issues, and surely it is just part of the grieving process. Whatever the reason, I am learning to allow myself the time to absorb my feelings and work through them, which led me to my mom’s grave to sit and meditate recently. My Mom loved butterflies. We released butterflies at her memorial service, there is a butterfly carved into her grave marker and my sister and brother-in-law hung a butterfly chime on a tree branch above her grave. As I was leaving her gravesite a light breeze struck it, sending me on my way with a sweet tinkling sound.

Austin has been my mindfulness teacher lately. I have been rediscovering the world through his eyes. Every acorn fascinates him; we followed a single worm crawling across our porch, down the stairs and into the yard one morning; he delights in the sound of the leaves crunching under our feet when we “march” home from the park; and folks, if you have never gotten on your back to look up at the sky and autumn leaves, may I encourage you to do so! However the biggest lesson he taught me this summer was how to blow bubbles the “right” way.

Austin loves bubbles! I started blowing bubbles for him in the early springtime. We would sit outside and I would blow as many bubbles as I could, because we all know that more is better, (right?) until I stopped and observed him. He was not interested in the amount of bubbles; the flight of each bubble captivated him. So I slowed down.  I would blow one wand-worth and then we would watch each bubble do its thing until the last one popped, and then the whole process would start all over again, one…bubble…at…a…time.

It was towards the end of summer, during one of our bubble blowing sessions that I noticed the yellow butterfly. Austin noticed it, too, because when the last bubble popped, we were no longer interested in bubbles we were now watching the butterfly. This went on for the next couple of weeks, the yellow butterfly getting closer to us each week. On the fourth week, a blue butterfly visited us and sat on the porch railing, so close I could have reached out and touched it. Both Austin and I instinctively knew that stillness was the name of the game now as we watched the butterfly sitting there with its delicate wings gently fluttering, looking at us, too. It was in that moment that I felt a strong connection to my mom, and then it hit me; the butterflies were a sign, a poignant reminder that even though we are apart, my mom is always with me; she will always be my mom, a bond that cannot be broken. 

The butterfly sat on the railing for a few minutes, and then just like the bubbles, she glided away out of sight, continuing on her way. But I have the faith to know that her journey did not end on the porch railing, that she would move onward even though I could no longer see her; just like my mom. Less is more sometimes.

It took a bottle of bubbles and my grandson to help teach me that, and two beautiful butterflies to remind me of the metamorphosis we all go through. Our life journey from infant to adult is full of transformations, and maybe our journey never really dies, it simply changes into a new existence.

A Haiku for you and the August schedule

Cheers to Another Three Years!

 

Sitting on the beach,

Thoughts of Body Grace and you,

Writing a haiku.

 

Three years behind us,

Thanks to you, three more to come,

Flowing and growing.

 

Our logo, a tree,

Rooted in community,

Branching out with love.

 

Your feedback welcomed;

Your inner light respected;

Your support cherished.

 

With love and gratitude,

Jan

 

  

We are heading into the home stretch of summer and

there are some class cancellations this month.

Enjoy these final weeks of summertime!

 

Monday, August 12, 9:45 am Flow Yoga 1 is cancelled.

 

No Thursday, 11:00 am Slow Flow class August 15 and 22.

This class will resume September 5.

 

 

Body Grace will be closed Monday, August 26 – Monday, September 2.

Mister Rogers to the Rescue

This is being reprinted from the Body Grace December newsletter

"Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas." Calvin Coolidge

I stumbled upon this quote a few weeks ago and loved the sentiment behind it

that the real spirit of Christmas should be practiced all year long. This will be the last email I send you in 2012 so I want to wish everyone peace, joy and goodwill, not just during the holiday season, but everyday. I also want to take this opportunity to thank all of you for your support during 2012. It has been an amazing year at Body Grace and we have a lot to look forward to in 2013!

But I am also writing this with a heavy heart; sorry if I’m not feeling too Christmas-y right now.  At a time when I should be enjoying the lights and the festivities of the season, I feel saddened that we are once again grieving the loss of innocent lives in another mass shooting during a time that should be filled

 with joy.  Oh sure, I could vent my anger, putting blame here and there, but I think there is enough of that going around, don’t you?  What I needed was to find some light, and I found it in a quote by Mister Rogers, a man who loved and respected children with all his heart while he was here on earth, and who epitomizes the Christmas spirit:

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” To this day, especially in times of “disaster”, I remember my mother’s words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers – so many caring people in this world.”

Fred Rogers

I’m sure that during the next several days I will continue to shed more tears and pray my little heart out during my meditation time, but in the spirit of Christmas, I will keep my eyes open for all those many caring people in the world who are practicing peace, goodwill and mercy. There is a reason why there is a tree of ‘Love’ painted in the stairwell, because I believe in the end, love will outshine evil and darkness.

Wishing you a season of light and love,

Jan

My Grandson

Austin William Beech, born Aug. 31, 3:29 am, 8 lb 5 oz.

Honoring Trees

TREES

by Joyce Kilmer (1886-1918)

I think that I shall never see

A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest

Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,

And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in summer wear

A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;

Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,

But only God can make a tree.

Obviously, I love trees! The Body Grace logo and décor is tree-inspired, and the first impression of the studio is the ‘love’ tree painted in the stairwell. I have loved trees for as long as I can remember. As a little girl I couldn’t wait to play out in the woods with my dolls. When I was a teen getting into drawing and painting, I would spend many hours with my sketchpad out in the woods. In painting class, I would bring in pictures of trees with gnarly, moss-covered roots to paint, frustrating my teachers who would say, “enough with the trees, Jan” and then make me paint a boring still life.

My family is getting ready to put my mom’s house on the market. Recently while I was sitting outside on the front stoop taking a break from cleaning, I realized how much I will miss the big, old maple tree in the front yard. It’s a magnificent tree with an amazing root system and a beautiful shape. That tree has grown up with me. It saw me through my awkward, pudgy, crooked teeth and cat-eye glasses elementary school days; put up with my rebellious, alcohol- and drug-induced teen years; and has had the privilege of having my own two daughters play make believe under it when they were little. I only hope that whoever buys the house will love that tree as much as my mom and my family did.

Saying good-bye to my mom almost a year ago, (whose final resting place is underneath a big, nurturing tree), and now getting ready to say good-bye to our family’s home, has all been a process of letting go, which brings me to the Body Grace logo. Have you ever noticed the two floating leaves? Those leaves are what made me fall in love with the design. They represent not only graceful movement, (which by the way, is what we want in our bodies; bodies that are strong and stable, but also move with ease and lightness) but the leaves also symbolize letting go and giving back. As they fall to the ground, they are giving back to the earth.

Earth Day is Sunday, April 22 but Body Grace will be celebrating Earth Week through Saturday, April 28. I will donate $2.00 to the Environmental Defense Fund for every paying student who comes to take a class during the week. This will be one small way of giving back to the earth.

“To treat the physical world as sacred is to honor what you do with your body and environment, the food you eat, the things you buy and your means of livelihood.”

– Anodea Judith, Ph.D. therapist and educator.

Taking the time to connect to Mother Nature is another way to show we care. Notice how delicate the light is when the sun shines through the laciness of new leaves on the trees, the many colors of the flowering shrubs and flowers, the chorus of birds singing early in the morning. Caring for the earth reflects how we take care of ourselves. I want to have lots of trees for my grandchildren to play under and grow up with, just like I had my maple tree.

Warmly,

Jan

Body Grace is Branching Out into the Community

This past week, three of our Body Grace instructors had the amazing opportunity to teach for the James Madison High School freshman P.E. department. The teachers at Madison wanted to give their students a taste of other fitness modalities, so they invited trainers to come and share their expertise with the P.E. classes. Diane Rogers and Carlos Valdes-Dapena team-taught a yoga unit on Monday and Tuesday; Julie Moore taught Pilates on Wednesday.

The P.E. teachers at Madison know that other outlets for physical activity and exercise need to be offered for teens who are not athletic or don’t want to play a competitive sport. Many of our teens are already seeing chiropractors and physical therapists for back and neck issues due to poor posture from sitting too much, heavy book bags and stress.

As Carlos posted on his Facebook wall, they reached over 300 students in two days! Diane shared this with me, “Carlos and I were so impressed at how engaged and enthusiastic the P.E. staff and students were. Some of the athletes were humbled by their difficulties in Warrior 3 and some of the less-athletic types seemed happy to learn this new form of physical activity.”

Julie had a similarly positive experience, finding the students friendly, completely engaged and open-minded. And like Diane and Carlos, she got a positive response from students she perceived as less athletic who seemed proud to be able to do many of the exercises she offered. Julie summed it up beautifully when she said, “I think the P.E. teachers accomplished their goal of exposing kids to something new and capturing their imagination of what they might do in the future.” A huge kudos to the Madison teachers for thinking outside the box!

I am so proud of the teaching team here at Body Grace! So many of you have expressed to me how caring and dedicated all the teachers are and how non-intimidating the studio atmosphere is. Mission accomplished! Our vision is that Body Grace grows into a nurturing studio where people can care for themselves, body, mind and spirit, and that we will continue to branch out into the community.

Warmly,

Jan

Becoming a grandparent!

I discovered the secret to levitation; I am going to be a grandparent! I don’t think Bob’s feet or mine have touched the ground yet. The due date is August 25; so needless to say, as much as I love the studio and all of you, nothing will keep me away from being part of our first grandchild’s arrival!

An August birth has another significance. My mother would always tell everyone how she didn’t know anyone with an August birthday, so my daughter, Nicole, and her husband, Dale, planned this birth in honor of her. She passed before their wedding, but I believe with all my heart that she will be sharing this joyous occasion right along with us. I will carry on my mother’s tradition of spoiling my grandchild with unconditional love, lots of time, a listening ear, a shoulder to cry on and a really loud obnoxious toy or two, just like she did with my two daughters.

I am ready for this new chapter of my life to begin. I don’ t feel nervous or “old”, on the contrary, my heart is full of joy and I am excited about what the future will hold. In fact, there is not a doubt in my mind that Bob and I will rock as grandparents!

Warmly,

Jan