The thrill of a new job is both electrifying and terrible. New people, whose faces bear no name, fast become familiar – friendships are born, but sometimes not. Those first days are alive with possibility and pitfalls, simple tasks can be tantalizingly difficult; it’s the professional equivalent of being a two-year-old. (more…)

Poetry is a life-cherishing force. For poems are not words, after all, but fires for the cold, ropes let down to the lost, something as necessary as bread in the pockets of the hungry.

-Mary Oliver

(more…)

Sadly, this is my last post as a member of the 2015-16 Vibe Tribe for Soul Flower. It’s been a fun year writing about things near and dear to my heart while wearing “cool threads for kind heads.” Renee (Social Media bud at Soul Flower) has been wonderful with her email reminders and her words of encouragement and her sharing of appreciation from the staff. And it has been fun learning a bit about my fellow Vibe Tribers from their posts. Mara, Melina, Alia, Samantha, Rachel and Liz – thank you. (more…)

Think yoga isn’t a cardio-vascular practice? You’ve maybe never practiced the rigorous pace of  Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga. I was practicing Intermediate Series on a random Sunday in a mysore-style class. (Mysore-style means the class is self-led but also assisted by a great teacher.)  Following the 8 initial backbends of this sequence, my heart seemed to be beating out of my chest. (more…)

Imagine you have a beautiful garden. You planted the seeds, meticulously and lovingly tended the seedlings, pruned and watered and weeded, and now everything is in bloom. (more…)

I’m not a big New Year’s Resolution person because I feel that we can start a new resolution at any time, but given the time of year, I am making it a point to completely surrender to my yoga flow in 2016. (more…)

When I joined the Soul Flower Vibe Tribe last February, I had no idea what was in store for me. At first, I believed that yoga, peace, strength and everything that Soul Flower stands for would be a colorful addition to my active life (more…)

My very first String Cheese ‘Incident’ took place October 29-30^th, 2004 at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago. I was only 16 years old. String Cheese symbolized more than just a band before I even had the opportunity to attend one of their shows. (more…)

The Lotus flower is something that is very dear to me.  It was one of my first tattoos and symbolized personal growth for me. It represented me learning how to look at life with a more open heart and soul. (more…)

Here’s something I’ve noticed: people get kind of touchy when they’re talking about yoga, quick to emphasize that within the sacred yogi world there is no right or wrong, no misguided intention or motivation, only endless acceptance and the complete absence of judgment. (more…)

“You belong among the wild flowers.”   -Tom Petty (more…)

In mid-August I found myself in Laramie, Wyoming. More specifically, I found myself wandering around Vedauwoo (Vee-da-voo) Recreational Area. The path that brought me to Vedauwoo was winding and convoluted, not unlike the narrow paths that lead to the top of the Vedauwoo rock formations.   (more…)

Ballet dancers always look composed and ethereal, but have you ever put on a pair of pointe shoes? Those things are agony on the feet!

(more…)

“The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just the body, but the soul.”  –Alfred Austin

(more…)

Where I live in rural Northwestern Connecticut, the snow has finally melted. I saw the first promise of new life and growth yesterday in the form of a white and yellow crocus opening into bloom, and today I can walk around barefoot without my toes freezing. Birds chirp all morning and the spring peepers are out at night.   (more…)