Low fares in the air!!! SAS has sales on tickets to Scandinavia – if you have a little extra time for vacation before December 16 – do check it out!
Just an example: San Francisco – Stockholm from $247 – THAT is hard to beat! I checked, and it is only one way… it is still a good price though. Pretty much half the normal cost. Clickhere to see the complete list of destinations and departure cities.
Vacation is over, summer is soon gone, budget season has kicked off – the fall is here. The great thing with living in San Francisco is that the annual Indian Summer is soon to arrive (September – November is the best time to visit!) What a bonus! Also; Rusty Wells is back with some loving kick-butt yoga. Last night I attended the more mellow class.
Mellow Flow is an opportunity to connect with the interiorization of ones practice. There is a strong emphasis on connecting the breath with each and every movement and micromovement of the body. Students are invited to work as deeply as they desire. The environment is set to complement the quiet nature of this all-level flow experience. Come find yourself wrapped in love and devotion.
That can’t be wrong?! The door opens at 8pm and I am met by this heat wave from a slightly heated room filled with 100 students. The yogis are soaking wet, with a relaxed smile on their faces, people are meeting and greeting, the lounge type music is pumping in the back-ground while they leave the room and a new group of 100 students are finding their space with their mats on the floor. Yep – those classes are popular.
The class starts. It goes from heartfelt chanting to pretty intense poses. I am keenly aware that the strength that I have built up needs to be focused and present. I am wondering where or how will the feeling of being wrapped in love and devotion show up?
Suddenly I find myself in a position as if I am trying to make a knot of myself. Some kind of Marichyasana – a squat position with the left arm thrown around my bent left leg from the front side and back, and the other arm in the other direction around my back, fingers locked together in the level of my waist. Rusty guides something like: “let go of all the struggle and breathe into this place. Let go of the intensity and density. Breathe deeply, relax your jaws and smile. Open up and make space and rest in that you are exactly in the right spot right now.” Mmm… that’s what the class description related to. It totally shifted the experience.
In what situation in your daily life can this serve you?
Wrap your arms around your self and give yourself a big warm hug. Let go of any struggle, take a deep breath and know that you are exactly in the right spot, right now.
Two years ago my acappella group Keeva went to Portland to sing at Chris’s, one of the members, wedding. The day after we were strolling around and enjoying the city. To avoid the rain we stepped into a bookstore – and there is this book starring at me: “This Time I Dance! Creating the work you love.” If you’re this successful doing work you don’t love, what could you do with work you do love?
Move mountains. I know. I continued reading – “If you’re ready to make the journey into the life of living your dreams, Tama J. Kieves is the tour guide you’ve been looking for… Tama gives voice to the fearless spirit within each of us. If you want to wake up to your own passion, read this book. It will open your heart and guide you home.” Very nice – I recommend it!
The author Tama J. Kieves is an honors graduate of Harvard Law School who left her practice with a large corporate firm to pursue a writing career and embolden others to live and breathe their most meaningful self-expression. Today there is the book, workshops, study groups etc – look it up on meetup.com, I’m sure you’ll find some. Or read the book and start one.
Start dance to your own music, or just add the instrument that is missing, and trust the journey. If something like this would happen – then we know what to do. Break down, get up, and move on!
Shake it babe! 😉 Hopefully the dance looks more like this:
I am just telling ya – get ready wedding party! (Imagine that – “Wedding party audition, this direction->” OK, let’s not get too excited – no pressure anyone.) THIS was the actual wedding we attended in Portland. (HAPPY BIRTHDAY Michell!)
Whatever situation you are in – keep dancing through life!
Johanna
Oh – you want more?! OK – go for this – some real “Dirty Dancing!” Nobody will put Baby in a corner…
A student peer of mine got assassinated in Sweden in front of his two-year-old son.
My friends grandpa passed away unexpectedly leaving his wife behind after 68 years together.
In memory and honor of those, and sympathy and support for the ones left behind, I am sharing a poem that touched me at the memorial service in loving memory of my friend’s husband who also recently passed away.
When I’m Gone
When I’m gone from our side,
And all our tears have been dried…
Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow;
I am the diamond glints of snow;
I am the sunlight on ripened grain;
I am the gentle autumn’s rain.
When you awaken in the morning hush,
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft star that shines at nigh.
And when you stroll in the evening hours
And smell the aroma of beautiful flowers;
There’ll be no need to sob and cry…
I am not there, I did not die!
When life gets busy and starts running a little faster then yourself in terms of activities, ambitions, responsibilities, thoughts and ideas – then it’s very easy to fall out of a healthy track. It’s very easy due to the excitement or dedication to skip a meal, to eat at awkward times, to prioritize the “to do” and “just finish up” rather than the break, the fruit, the workout.
Whenever life has been too busy and there has been a sense of insufficiency or a problem unsolved my dad’s standard advice has always been: “go for a run!” Work out.
It is so true – whenever I do I come back relaxed with a sense of tiredness AND recharged, full of energy and strength – isn’t that an awesome combination?! How many times have I almost not done it, and afterwards felt like the happiest individual on earth? And how many times has THAT idea or solution come up during a run in the forest? Many. I shouldn’t need to remind myself. I’m sure you don’t need a reminder either.
With activities gearing up at my daytime job, coaching awesome clients in my spare time job, and ideas forming and contacts are being made for my future job… I do sense a need of staying close to myself in terms of routines and piece of mind. Having a structure in life that feeds you and keeps you on track can be immensely valuable. It may be going for a run, a yoga session or to the gym regularly in the morning. It may be meditating or journaling. Making sure you get your sleep. It may be cooking your own food and socializing with friends and family. It may be simplifying things and having a very tidy home. Clean car. It may be cranking up the music and releasing all your extra energy in a tribal dance in your living room!? :O
What tools or routines do you have to stay on track when life gets busy?
Just a reflection from having traveled far recently. To have someone waiting for you at the airport with open arms, a warm hug, a smile and the words “welcome home” – it is such a treat.
Being used to taking care of myself, getting a ride to and from the airport was something that I never even asked for. Having experienced it though, makes me realize how much it means.
So what does it take? A question! “Would you mind picking me up at the airport?” It could be a quick ride over for a colleague or a friend. It could be your family members or partner who would long to see you and do what ever it takes to be there. That is my mom – and it really makes me feel loved and longed for.
I know I am not the only one not wanting to bother others by asking for help – so now I will ask: Would you want a ride from the airport? Who would you want to be picked up by at the airport? [Ask them!] Or whom could you treat today by giving them a ride to or from the airport? [Go do it!] Count on me – I’ll do what I can to make it.
Share the flight info, date and time so that all involved can check for delays or changes and plan their time accordingly. It makes it so much easier and hazel free, and the likelihood that someone will do it again is so much higher should there be changes.
If you are traveling and have no one to ask, or no one available – read this:
Fine, Fair and Hot – that was the weather forecast in Croatia last week when I had the privilege to join the crew on Geja sailing. Thank you Andrew and Henkku for an awesome week together!
The sailing adventure in the northern part of the Adriatic Sea was fine in every which way. Beautiful sceneries, excellent sailing, high quality crewmembers, and fine dining… on board. It’s such a pleasure to sail with someone who makes every meal to a feast – breakfast, lunch or dinner. Actually – not only when you sail. And I don’t think that attitude only relates to food. It is an attitude about life, to enjoy. I like. I guess I teamed in to add what I could as well.
Of course – the treatment of flags was fair. “You must respect the flag!” both the Finnish girl and myself said seriously in chorus and pointed with our fingers as if “don’t you dare do anything else”, and then laughed. This was evidently something both of us had been brought up with – the flag should be raised at 7am, and taken down before sunset (9pm at the latest), it must not touch the ground, and should be neatly folded. Yes, there are flag rules to follow. What I didn’t know was that on a boat, the country flags of the crew members had to be at the same level, otherwise the upper one would be seen as more superior. So of course – we followed. The fact that the Swedish flag was torn was a different story…
Everything was hot. The weather was hot, the red wine was hot, the beach was hot – and so was the crew…
At work today I waved and tried to make contact with a couple of colleagues in the cafe at lunch. They looked at me from a distance, but they did not react. I waved more and starred at them. They did not react. They didn’t recognize me! Is three weeks away that long!? Or does a little bit of suntan make THAT big of a difference? Eventually they came over and shockingly said, “You look different”. Anyway – someone told me that a suntan makes everyone look more attractive, so I hope it is for the better. 😉
By the way – on a slightly different note – having learnt the expression “pun” during the sailing I was curious what I could find and googled it. This was the first picture that came up:
No?! Maybe this was a malapropism… Someone though who was full of puns and knew exactly what he was saying – or singing – was (still is) Robban Broberg with Båtlåt (Boat Song).
I am sorry – I won’t translate, and haven’t found an attempt to online – it’s just simply beautiful and as ingenious as can be. I wish I were sitting in the same boat as him…
The last brushstroke got done on my own little summerhouse (for now). It’s beautiful. Such a treat. I am enjoying every second in it. Right now I am hearing the rain pouring, the wind blowing and the waves from the bay. It’s pitch dark outside – strange in the middle of the summer in Sweden. Must be the clouds of course. And it’s midnight.
I have given this little house different nicknames. Pärlan (the pearl) and Smultronstället (Wild Strawberry Place) in particular. After having assembled the lamp “Maskros” from IKEA today, which became the “dot over the i” (the finishing touch which makes something perfect) in the glass room outside the 10 square meter house overlooking the bay, it was clear: the name of this place will be given after the lamp. Dandelion. Dandy Dandelion.
The meaning of Maskros will never be the same again.
I heard a discussion about vacations on the radio the other day. The lady who was interviewed always went for reading vacations to a sunny beach with a carry on suitcase filled with books. That way she could experience everything under the sun that she wouldn’t otherwise be able to do. My vacation so far has more been like a work camp with gourmet food and great company, or … yoga retreat. I have listened a lot to the radio, and there are three hits that seem to reoccur constantly:
1. I’m in love in a fairy tale by Alexander Rybak. I guess there is no secret that all Swedes secretly love the Eurovision Song Contest. This years winning song from Norway goes warm on the radio all day long. Last week when the singer Alexander performed at the Allsång på Skansen (Sing Along at Skansen) in Stockholm it also seemed like all Swedish girls are in love in a certain Norwegian fairy tail…
2. Hope and Glory with Måns Zelmerlöw, the Swedish counterpart who apparently also competed with this song in the Swedish Song Contest, but didn’t quite make it to first place. “Don’t stop – I’m still standing for hope and glory, I’ll be fighting for my love story, I’m still standing for hope and glory now. All the battles I lost and the battles I won, this will be the one, this will be the one…” Looking at youtube I find that also Måns apeared at the Sing Along at Skansen – this video made me laugh out loud – it shows more how a classical catchy “schlager” song would be back in the days when I would have recorded the program, written down all the lyrics, learned the choreography and dreamt of winning the contest (and that is a looong time ago… – still dreaming though 😉 ). See here for the 3rd and more soft version:
3. Radio ad for Bauhaus – I can do it myself. Or is it that they talk about the ads for Bauhaus and make parody of the painted idyll picture and a comparison of the families and couples who dogged maintain their summerhouses because they should be able to do it themselves… This week my mom and I have done it ourselves. I found myself standing in a backbend leaning out of the window towards the water grabing in the windowframe inside in order not to fall out, reaching higher, stretching my other arm, raising up in relevé in order to paint the whole area on thefacade above the window and under the roof. The pose made me think of my yoga teacher back in San Francisco, Rusty Wells. I heard his voice, as he often state when we are in the more advanced unfomfortable poses: “if I took a photo of you now and sent to your mother she should not be afraid that you were dying – SMILE!” So I smiled. And my mom took a photo. If this had been at a yoga retreat they would have called it karma yoga, I’m sure.
This was a litle report from Sweden, or as they say on the radio show from Minnesota: “the land where the men are beautiful, the women are strong, and all children above average”…
When I was on vacation in Sweden two years ago, I went into my mom’s office at one point to use her phone. While being on the phone my eyes swiped over the desk, and there was a book with the title “Hångla mer!” MOM! What is she reading?! She being a fairly conservative Medical Doctor and politician, that title surprised me quite a bit. Or maybe it was me being conservative?! I learnt that she got it as a gift from work, and it pretty much was mandatory reading during the vacation. Pfizer, as many other companies, had hired the audience celebrated author Klas Hallberg as a motivational speaker.
I started reading the book and didn’t put it aside until finished. Very entertaining, thought provoking and inspiring. And I am so excited – it’s about to be published in English! “The Art of Making Out!” Click here to read the first chapters.
In this book, what I’m inviting you to do is to understand “making out”
more as a symbolic expression of surrendering yourself to a juicier
experience of life.
It’s a metaphor for letting go.
The thesis of this book is that letting go is the meaning of life itself.
To make out.
To let go.
Hook, line and sinker.
To experience both grief and joy. Both pleasure and pain
Experience life fully. Your way. Let go, dare to be disappointed and go for your dream… otherwise you will never have a chance to enjoy it.
Do you want to enjoy the full version of “The Art of Making Out!” and Klas Hallberg live in the US? – LET ME KNOW! We’ll send him a collective invitation. Sign up your company, sign up your parents, your partner and yourself. Did you read the first chapters? Do it. And I am serious, let me know through my contact page or comment below.
Let’s dare to be disappointed… and enjoy!
Johanna
[Update: the first chapter is not still available – but the full book is! Get ithere. Enjoy.]
I have received two sad news today.
When life gets busy and starts running a little faster then yourself in terms of activities, ambitions, responsibilities, thoughts and ideas – then it’s very easy to fall out of a healthy track. It’s very easy due to the excitement or dedication to skip a meal, to eat at awkward times, to prioritize the “to do” and “just finish up” rather than the break, the fruit, the workout.
Just a reflection from having traveled far recently. To have someone waiting for you at the airport with open arms, a warm hug, a smile and the words “welcome home” – it is such a treat.
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