breathing

*photo from 2013, a trip to the french riviera town of nice. I can almost smell this!

This post was originally going to be titled 'april goals,' where I was going to talk about eating greener, practicing patience, living in the present, etc. But it's been a weird day and I feel like my goal for today, and for a while, should be to get better at breathing. 

And by breathing I mean a lot. Calmness and patience. Breathing is being patient, in times of screaming noise and still silence. I have been trying all year to get better at that. Sometimes my own impatience bothers me. I know it can be short. I talk fast, I multitask, I plan ahead a lot of the time. So, breathing for patience is one goal. To be able to breathe deeply and think calmly and walk and talk a little more gracefully is something I want to zero in on this week. Breathing will add that ease, making my mindset a little softer.

So, a lot is going on! March whizzed by and brought a ton of stress, so it is nice to mindfully breathe again a little deeper with appreciation as April dawns. The sunlight is starting to look different and hit at its higher angles every evening when the sun goes does. 

I hope you have a lovely week and b r e a t h e ! ciao! xo

dear yoga,

source

Since we met in the summer, you are the best thing that has happened to me. I go once a week or so, sometimes alone, sometimes with Mom, sometimes during the week, sometimes on quiet sunday nights to mentally prepare for what is ahead. And every single time, you do no wrong.

You are kind to me. I don't have to worry about what I am good at or what i look like. I do not need to impress anyone. At today's class people were standing on their heads. I kind of stopped what I was doing and watched in awe - but I didn't feel intimidated or jealous or less-worthy of a person because I couldn't do a handstand. The pressure is off. It is a reset. A recharge. I stretch and feel like I am getting longer, taller, stronger. I feel the "earth" under where I sit. It's a lovely feeling to know that the 1hr or so that I am there is all about me. Selfish, maybe. But I can dedicate it to whomever, I can do it all for myself. Up to ME.

It's funny how simple you are: breathe. feel. stretch. hold. breathe. And yet none of us actually think about doing this on a day-to-day basis. We don't play with our pose, we don't fill our lungs with air with the intention of filling ourselves with health and good and light.

do you do yoga? does it work for you? i'm curious!

thanks! ciao, xo 

insta-lately

What an amazing past couple weeks (if you're into the golden hues of fall like I am)! It's been gorgeous, although now that we're in November and it's freezing, it seems like the past couple of weekends were too good to be true. The tastes and smells and sights of October were so appealing to all of my senses.

Honestly - last week was a doozy. It was horribly stressful, and the work bled into the weekend. Trips to Whole Foods + fuzzy slippers + instagram distractions + milk duds leftover from Halloween + November bucket list dreaming became the perfect blend of distraction. But now this pile of papers glaring at me needs to be attended to...ugh.

Another random thought for you: last month I sort of neglected yoga. I got back into it and realized just how much I missed it! The studio itself is so enchanting and tranquil - just stepping in there calms me down.  Yoga is truly a blessing. I need to keep going. It's expensive but seriously such a source of nourishment; I've somehow not gone over the last month to any classes (except one!) and realized that can't go on any further! Some of my favorite classes are 'restorative,' which is more focused on gentle stretching and calming your body; I also love vinyasa flow which is more of a workout depending on the instructor. Gotta get back into it more routinely - I love it! Do you ever do yoga?

you can check out more instas @tmango77!
ciao, xo!