"in the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness inside of you."

- deepak chopra

25, 26, 27

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today's inspiration.

"when we know love matters more than anything, and we know that nothing else REALLY matters, we move into the state of surrender. surrender does not diminish our power, it enhances it."

- sara paddison, via the daily love

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22

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19-21

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16, 17, & 18

i love this child...being an aunt is so gratifying.

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14 & 15

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12, 13

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enjoying the beauty of the day before a rocket II series with david c. kyle.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

'concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at-hand. the sun's rays do not burn until brought to a focus.'

- alexander g. bell

distractions

last week, all i wanted to do was curl up into a ball in my bed and snuggle. alone. with someone. just snuggle. to make it very clear, i didn't make my bed once last week. normally, i make a habit of it. for me, it's all about coming home to a fresh, inviting home. seemingly, last week the only thing that seemed to be touched in my apartment was my bed. everything else was in its right place.

that being said, i'm really making an effort to commit to my yoga practice and last week, i only practiced one day. it was a class that didn't particularly inspire me, so i remained unfocused, scoping out the scene. that's when i notice that i'm clearly distracted. either my mind is focused on 15 other things or i'm not reaching deep enough inside myself to control my focus, whatever it was i knew that the new week had to bring something else. each day is a new one, i said, so i recommit each day. and that's what you have to keep doing.

i went to a class last night and 'because i work for lululemon,' i was asked to give up my mat space. my options were to leave or practice in the back corner. not just any back corner, but the corner that lead to the in-studio bathroom, with an uneven cement floor and curtains that i had to push aside. a large metal pole in front of me and a locker with the stereo system behind me. luckily, i've been practicing long enough to know what i'm doing because if i hadn't, i would have been completely lost because i couldn't see any other students in the sold-out class. distractions were coming at me from left and right. i kicked the metal locker in 3-legged dog, i nearly face-planted into the metal pole in front of me through all of my chaturangas; then got nervous in my headstand that i'd kick over backwards and the pole would split me in half, the uneven cement made me feel uneven, constantly trying to find a better place on my mat to put my hands. my entire practice was a distraction.

and that was my challenge. the intention of the class was to overcome these little distractions with focus. a deep, inner focus that i clearly did not have. and i think that's the point. every day, every minute, every second throws a distraction in our way and if we're not determined to get over or through it, however we choose, we're not going to get anywhere.

stay focused in this practice of life because the distractions are all a part of the journey.

'wake up and live!'

- robert nesta marley

"All growth is a leap in the dark, a spontaneous, unpremeditated act without benefit of experience."

- Henry Miller

8-11

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5-7

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2-4

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1

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the new 365-day project.

since the completion of my 365-day photo project, i feel like i'm limiting myself because the project is 'over.' i thought about what my new project would be after i was given meditations from the mat, a book by well-known and well-loved yoga teacher rolf gates. for each day of the year, there's a different meditation, touching on the eight limbs of yoga and how we can take those meditations not only to the mat, but to the rest of our lives. we live and breathe our yoga practice, every minute of every day. originally, i was going to read a meditation from the book and reflect on it. unfortunately, this isn't something i'm incredibly inspired by. i've been reading the meditations and have been loving them, but i've found that i need to express myself a little more creatively. i miss my photos. not to say that i can't take them every day, but i feel like because it's no longer this big project, i'm not supposed to do it. but i am. i'm itching to take photos every day now...i just see the world a little differently, so i'm committing to continuing to share my view and perspective with the rest of the world.

this year's 365-day project will be taking as many photos as i can by the time i turn 26. enjoy.