Movement and Diversity

"No one ever reaches a point where he or she is immune to further movements of the soul; the soul's capacity for richness is infinite. There is no end to the raw material that life and personality can provide." ~ Thomas Moore

I have been moving for as long as I can remember and even before my memories began.

When my mom was eight months pregnant, she and my dad hitchhiked from Oaxaca to Oregon so I could be born in the tiny town of O’Brien.

The first seven years of my life were lived in overlanding, traveling up and down the west coast of the United States and throughout Mexico. Our first house was in Crescent City, California and five years later, I moved to north eastern Oregon. Add a few years and we found ourselves in Baja. Up and down the west coast again until a week before my nineteenth birthday when I said, enough! I need to put down roots.

My roots are in Baja where my family lives; this is home. Still, I am a mover and movement is a constant part of my life; I am a citizen of the world.

Whether we are moving from one place on the globe to another, work places, in and out of chapters of our lives, relationships, rearranging inner and outer landscapes, moving ideas around our minds, feeling the movement of emotions, the beating of our hearts and movement of our internal organs, watching the sun slide across the horizon or a pool of light move across a patio floor, movement is constant, even when we are sitting still. Movement is life and life is movement.

When I filled out the application for the meditation teacher program I will begin next year, the question of race offered a variety of answers to choose from and explain. I chose Multi-racial and explained: my father and family migrated to the US when he was two; he was born in Germany after World War II. His parents were Jewish and Holocaust survivors. My grandmother was Lithuanian and grandfather was Polish; both their parents and ancestors were Russian. My mother was born in Texas and although her parents were born in the United States, previous generations were from Ireland and Scotland and more. My name is Modoc Indian and Polish. I live in Mexico with my husband who is Mexican and our children who’s DNA is fascinating as I imagine the movement of people around the globe to create these two diverse individuals. I remember stories from my mother-in-law about family members from France, Spain and indigenous backgrounds. 

Upon acceptance, the welcome letter I received from Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach for the two year Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program includes the following paragraph:

“Participants are coming from many parts of the globe, and we are diverse in race, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, socioeconomic background, and more. This gives us the opportunity to create among ourselves the community we believe in and want to see emerge in our world—one that is truly inclusive, awake, welcoming, and caring.” 

Another reminder of unity and diversity.

This week, I moved back into my office at Healing Winds; Javier and I are starting a new construction project next week. Building will slowly begin to re-open with as much care and awareness for our mutual health and wellbeing as possible.

After being at home for almost two months, one thing I noticed was the sound of voices, the people walking by the center. At home, I hear the sounds of cow bells, birds, dogs, vehicles from the road below, sometimes music and occasionally the neighbor’s voices. But at work, I kept hearing people and marveling at the sounds of their voices moving by.

From my desk, I can see through the Gaudi influened tiled opening to blue sky and the movement of light crossing the brick patio floor. I often wonder who has time to watch a pool of light move around a courtyard floor and walls, the dance of light and shadows and how they change season to season. It isn’t a matter of having time, it is the opening to notice, appreciate and feel. Awe.

Moving in and setting up a new office for the umpteenth time, I step back, breathe and take it in. I feel like I went home and integrated a part of myself that I need to move into this new chapter.

Healing Winds holds an all-inclusive heart and mindset, honoring and welcoming diversity. This place is an extension of my own heart, body, mind and soul, as well as, my ancestors. It is also an extension of all who have treated, been treated, served, trained and practiced here. This place is a tribute to our shared humanity, a mirror of unity, diversity, family, friendship and community, local and global. 

While I don’t have all the details in place for how we will serve our community moving forward, I do know this – a tidbit I learned in all my years of architecture – to be onsite is insightful. It is one thing to research and plan from a distance and another entirely to stand on the ground where the work will happen, tap in, feel and do the research here.

Our mutual health, safety and wellbeing are the number one priority as is an all- inclusive heart and mind set, now and always.

We have a tentative plan to re-open with body/energywork, therapeutic treatments and classes mid-October with new guidelines that I will communicate as the time gets closer. Everything we offer is beneficial to our individual and collective wellbeing yet we will have to learn new ways to be of service in the new era. Meanwhile, we continue to offer presence and classes online. 

For now, we will work where we can, breathe where we are, connect within and across the distance;  feel the movement of life and soul happening in the riches of whereever our feet touch the ground.

May we be gentle and compassionate with one another, kind to each other;
may we be well, healthy, happy, peaceful and live with ease,

Tehroma

The Gift of Time

This picture was taken at Park Güell in Barcelona, May 2007. It was a nine day work trip to attend a Construction Expo. After sprinting through the booths every day and throwing pamphlets in our backpacks, we hopped on busses to walk through as many of Gaudi's buildings as we could. We came home from that trip and soon thereafter, I began to imagine the building we know as Healing Winds. 

Before turning thirty seven, Javier asked what I wanted for my birthday. TIME to take care of myself. Like many, I was last on my own list. Paloma was seven at the time. I remember noticing I was gaining weight and it was far too late to blame it on my last pregnancy.

We organized our lives to implement better self-care. Not surprisingly, that gift and promise turned out to be life changing. Two years later I became Certified to teach yoga. A couple more years and I began training in body and energy work, Thai Massage and Reiki. 

Several years later, at forty three, with a teenage daughter, I checked in again with the promise made, feeling grateful for that insight, voicing a need and doing my best to pass on the practice of self-care to my equally creative and driven daughter. 

I still pushed myself too far sometimes but was getting better at stepping back before exhaustion took over. I didn’t have the luxury of recovery time. My life needed me: present, healthy and happy. I made a note for the next time one of us dipped in and over expended: rest and recover. You’re human.  

We are all equally human. We make promises to ourselves. To others. To higher powers. How each one of us fulfills them is personal and often requires a healthy balance of discipline, flexibility, creativity and imagination. Life interrupts. Seasons bring change. Luckily, we can always begin again.

If I look back at my twenty something self compared to my forty something self, one of the biggest transitions has been from the lense of a perfectionist to a wider angle of compassion. A reminder to continually embrace being human and remembering, every breath is a new beginning. 

Renewing vows we make to ourselves, life partners and life work is a part of life.

Time is not linear. Nor are we as humans.

In Ireland, I learned how the Celtic Tradition views time as circular. That resonates with me.

Often, we circle back to familiar places and find ourselves in similar situations. We might even say, I feel like I've been here before. There is always more to learn and experience; deeper truths to be discovered.

The self-care routine I implemented in my late thirties inspires the one I live now at forty five. The intention is to do my best, value my time and in doing so, I value your time and others. When I take care of my health, I am modeling behaviour for my family and have more energy to be here for them. 

It is said that time is our most valuable asset. Being at home with the family in the middle of a global pandemic has given us the gift of time. 

The first commitment Javier and I made when lockdown began was to walk every day. This morning, as I got dressed, I noticed my shorts are tighter around the middle. The word voluptuous came to mind. I notice Javier looks slimmer. I think the weight is being transferred over to me. He laughed. That is good for his soul. This afternoon, on my yoga mat, I checked in with my core and worked on strengthening. That will be good for my shorts. 

If time is your most valuable asset, how do you spend your time? 

We use the term ‘spending time’ like ‘spending money’. 

Yet, money comes and goes. Time, we cannot get back. 

We can look within the timelessness of our own memories. When we revisit a time in our minds, we often say, ‘it’s like it was yesterday’. Our memories do not travel back; they are present and with us in the moment whenever we remember. Memories are one of life's grandest treasures.

One evening this week, after we finished our dinner, we remained at the table recounting our travels in Ireland, the places we visited, the busses we missed, trains we rode, dogs that followed us as if we were their owners, the lady in Galway who asked me where to buy boots. The memories we share are timeless and unite us. Sometimes, the table is cleared right after we eat. When we all stay, I savor that time. Especially as I watch both of our children grow more independent each day. Watching them grow is a constant reminder of the passage of time.

As we continue to build new lives, individually and collectively across the globe, may we move forward holding in our hearts and minds the word of unity and sustainability. May we hold space for one another respectfully.

The earth’s need for time and space to breathe for its ongoing care is as certain as the need I have for time and space to breathe for my own self-care, as well as yours, your loved ones and so on.

Moving forward, may we remember that self-care is inherent to health care and boosting immunity.

May we learn, grow and cultivate the art of being right here, in the present, sharing the gift of time.

May you be well, healthy, happy and live with ease.
Tehroma

June Online | Yin Yoga & Meditation | The Art of Letting Go

Dear Friends,

 "We can always begin again. No matter what happens, no matter how long it's been, no matter how far from our aspirations we may have strayed, we can always begin again." --Sharon Salzberg

What are the benefits of Yin Yoga & Meditation? 

• Boost immunity as you unblock energy to increase vitality and health.  
• Release tension to experience calm and relaxation.
• Increase your capacity and flexibility on the physical, mental and emotional levels.
• Create the habit of mindfulness.
• Build resilience; with every breath, we can begin again.
• Cultivate a sense of spaciousness in your heart, body, mind and soul.

You will receive an email on weekday mornings to inspire your daily practice.

• Week 1 - Grounding (feet, legs, stimulate stomach meridians and digestion)
• Week 2 - Creativity (hips and midriff, stimulate the kidney meridian + oceanic breathing)
• Week 3 - Heart Opening (chest, upper back, arms, hands, and stimulate the lung meridian)
• Week 4 - Connection and Integration (whole body, all encompassing)

The Three Tattvas of Yin Yoga Practice:

A tattva is the reality of a thing, or its category or principal nature. 

1. Come into the pose to an appropriate depth ("playing our edges").
2. Resolve to remain still.
3. Hold the pose for a time.

               --Sarah Powers

Remembering these three principles as you practice will simplify everything. 

• Monday through Friday, daily practice of 15 minutes depending on personal preference and recommendations offered.
• Practice will include seated Meditation, Yin Yoga pose, and Shavasana to rest and integrate your practice.
• Practice can happen on its own or be incorporated into the beginning or end of your current home practice.  
• Weekend homework options 1) Repeat a daily practice from the week, 2) String the poses together in sequence: (seated meditation, 5 yin yoga poses and shavasana), 3) Be creative!, 4) Play hooky.  

Offering is donation based. To sign up, please email by May 28, 2020: tehroma@healingwinds.space

May you be happy, safe, healthy and live with ease,

Tehroma 

Hugs and Heart Space

This picture was taken at my wedding in May sixteen years ago this month. I don't have a picture of our hug on Mother's Day. There were tears then, too.

We are being asked to social distance to help prevent the spread of coronavirus. I haven’t seen my mother-in-law or extended family since lockdown began. I am working from home and doing my part while at times feeling overwhelmed.

Being away from a loved one and not knowing when we will see each other again is painful.

The words below are meant as an offering. While pain and discomfort may not go away, I continually discover and practice ways to feel my own experience with compassion and see with as much clarity as possible, moment to moment, and day by day.

I invite you to gently rest your awareness on your heart center and imagine this:

The heart’s electromagnetic field encompassing three feet around your body, one arms’ length. Imagine the connection between your arms and your heart, as well as, your lungs. Imagine the energy of your heart permeating the earth we all share. Imagine the distance between us bridging through our connection to the earth and across the sky.

When social distancing began, we were instructed: six feet apart, two arms’ length between individuals.

Imagine you are practicing social distance, six feet away from another person. Their heart space is three feet as is yours. Six feet of heart space between you. Heart spaces close without physical contact.

Now, imagine when you share an embrace with another, both of you being inside the entirety of this shared heart space.

When we remain six feet apart, or further which is the case for many, we have the space to fully inhabit and feel our individual heart space.

How does your heart feel? How does your body feel in this space? Moment to moment and day by day?

Can you feel your connection to another within this space apart? Do you feel a connection through time and space?

Imagine a time and place you have felt crowded in a shared space. How did that experience affect you in the moment and upon reflection?

The most crowded I have felt was at Mardi Gras Carnival in La Paz when I was sixteen. Near the carnival rides, there were waves of people. I felt like I was moving in unison with the crowd. We were body to body and moving as one. Too close for comfort. When I feel crowded, often it takes some time to feel centered and spacious again. I find the practice of slow breathing and listening to the sound of my own breath to be grounding.

Now, there is tape on the floors in public buildings. I have been advised to do the same in our yoga studio. Giving our fellow humans space is now mandatory. Imagine a time and place where social distance becomes a norm where we can breathe openly within our individual and collective spaces. We are being trained to feel six feet of space between us. If the term ‘social distance’ doesn’t resonate with you, what might you call a sense of spaciousness and ease between beings?

In the words of Frank Lloyd Wright, "Space is the breath of art."

How can we be in this ever changing space and breathe calmly with ourselves and others?

Hugs are and will be more appreciated than ever. Shared heart space is a privilege. This is your personal space.

Hugs release oxytocin, lowering your heart rate, reducing anxiety and the effects of stress on the body, mind and spirit. Feeling love and loved strengthens your heart. Beauty fuels the spirit and enlivens the lungs. Immunity.

I am fortunate to be in lockdown with three family members and there are hugs every day. My mom is in her own home. I have seen her a few times. Hugging was not invited until mother’s day when she said, “I’m doing hugs”. We all piled in and hugged my mom.

When you can’t hug your own mom and you know she is alive and well, but doing what feels best for her, you respect that and still, nothing in the world feels quiet right.

"Give up waiting as a state of mind. When you catch yourself slipping into waiting, come into the present moment. Just be and enjoy being." ~ Eckhart Tolle

I designed and own a building; a place for wellness and healing. Closing the doors and not using this space for its purpose felt maddening. How is it possible that the services we offer are not rendered essential and we cannot use the place when the world might benefit the most?

I reframe and refresh my perspective. We have practiced for hours to years together. It is time to take our practices home. We can connect through space, on and offline.

In architecture, we create tangible space. In yoga and meditation, we create tangible and ineffable space. There are many ways to come home to ourselves. The building exists, yet we do not have to be there to practice together. When we can gather, our time will be more special than ever. 

Hearts entrain, near and far, beating together through the pulse of the earth and air in the sky.

This time, like all, ever lived and forevermore, is temporary. Change is the only constant.

I am not waiting. I am alive and breathing. I am feeling this space and remembering, we are all connected, heart to heart, worldwide.

When I feel overwhelmed, I feel my feet touching the earth, the air on my skin and breathe into this heart space.  

In the Celtic tradition, when you take someone into the care of your own heart, that gives you the right to offer them a blessing. Blessings start with the word 'may'...may I, may you, may we, may all beings. It is encouraged to practice the art of blessings, starting with writing and offering a blessing for yourself.

At this time, what blessing would you love to offer your own heart, body, mind and soul?

I wrote the blessing below while I was in Ireland several years ago. I wrote the words for myself. Today, I offer them to you:

May you remember 

the peace, love and ease

always near and dear

nestled safely within

the boundless contours

of your own heart.

Tehroma

Siesta

Naps have been around since the beginning of time. We all know how to do this; we begin taking naps shortly after entering the world. We breathe, we make our arrival known and we nap. Every journey merits regular time to rest.

There are many pictures of my children sleeping when they were babies. Pictures of our cat taking a nap in the numerous places he chooses to sleep throughout the days. I see deep peace in their sleep.

This practice has led to pictures of me sleeping. Paloma took this one. Notice how I am not sharing the one taken on a plane, with my classes crookedly on, slouched off to the side, mouth half open, multiple chins. That one is kept in the family vault. Like all travel sleeping pictures should be.

When I was pregnant with her, I was sent home to rest. Similar to this time, a sort of lockdown. Only I wasn’t allowed to walk about, hike the hills, garden, cook or sit at my computer and work. I share this story often as its impact on my life was and is profound.

The first few weeks of bedrest, I felt like I was climbing the walls. Then, there was a realization. How often would I get a break from the demands of an outside world? I might never experience this level of quiet in my lifetime and if I did, it could be years before a time for rest like that would happen again.

Napping became part of my every day. The naps were different than any I experienced before. I would fall into a deep state of relaxation. I could feel every part of my body set in place. I could hear my own rhythmic breathing. And, I could hear everything around me: the sounds inside our house, conversations and activities, as well as, outside, birds, dogs and cars.

I felt the space I inhabited was not limited to the physical container of my body. I could visualize everything around me. Yet my eyes were closed. I felt like I was asleep and awake at the same time.

After Paloma was born, and when a nap was available, this experience continued though the early years of her life. I was fascinated by the ability to rest completely and still be aware of my surroundings. No one taught me how to rest deeply. A reminder that this is a natural state.

My first yoga class and experience with meditation happened when she was two. Years later, when I took a Yoga Nidra class, I realized that was similar to the state I experienced in deep rest.

Currently, in a meditation teacher’s course I am taking, I came across the description of ‘pure awareness’ and the experience of being ‘the witness’. I am familiar with these terms yet connecting the dots in these personal experiences is only happening now.

The pieces a larger puzzle fit together for deeper understanding when we are ready to hear the answers to questions we have been living into.

My naps changed several years after Paloma was born when I couldn’t keep it to myself any longer – because I was fascinated and wanted to share with my family. That I could hear everything around me while completely at rest and for all better purposes, asleep and awake at the same time. You can probably see where this is headed...

When your family knows you can hear when it appears that you are asleep, questions might not wait until you come up for air. So, the experienced changed. As all things do in life.

The witness consciousness is part of a meditative experience and practice, on and off the mat. When I truly let go and accept the present moment in its entirety and find myself in that deep meditative state, I remember pure awareness. Even if only momentarily. Deep peace underlies all the daily ups and downs.

Everything is constantly changing. I am human and as such, a multitasker in a myriad of ways; sometimes efficient and other times inefficient. Learning is constant. Patience is a practice for life. The demands of everyday commitments involve a roller coaster of emotions, multitude of ideas and possibilities. Sometimes, at the end of a day, the conversation in family or with my husband leads to: how is it possible to feel and experience so much in one single day?

A day can feel like a lifetime in itself. Time is not linear. It is relative and our personal experiences cannot be measured or compared to one another.

Napping, like breathing, is universal. You don’t have to subscribe to any particular belief system to take a nap or breathe.

Summers and long days often lead to an occasional or daily nap. Life is cyclical.Transitioning from activity and engagement to letting go, rest, relaxation and restoration sometimes requires a bridge. Yin and Restorative yoga have been deeply beneficial to my existence. Both practices are also known as a gateway to meditation or a bodyful meditation.

As the world continues to be on lockdown and even prepare for re-entry, learning how to be with ourselves and other humans in shared space, I am reminded of a story I read somewhere about meditation in India. Large families live in tight quarters. Separate bedrooms are a luxury. Shared spaces are the norm. Meditation is one way to be with oneself in the midst of all the activity, sounds, smells and surround. This time and practice is revered; to be with oneself, one’s own breathing, mind, the fluctuations of thoughts and emotions, connection to one’s inner world which is connected to the whole world.

I believe this is part of the way forward:

Brain-heart coherence, mindfulness, continued cultivation of the ability to listen to our own hearts which are ultimately connected to one another, diversity and unity in community, locally and globally.

Quarantine the judging mind. Let go of how the world used to be.

Breathe deeply and slowly. Be who you are. Say what you have to say. Do what you can.

Keep building a life. Keep dreaming. Creating.

And whenever possible, take a nap.

Every journey merits regular times of rest.

Tehroma

P.S. If you are curious about the benefits of taking a nap, the internet offers countless resoures and studies. Napping is a place to cultivate your intuition...and so much more.

Thresholds

Every morning we transition from the dark of night into the light of day. We cross a threshold; ascending from the world of dreams.

If you’ve watched a sunrise, you may have noticed. You cannot rush nature. You also cannot rush the emergence of the soul. This time in between, also cannot be rushed.

How do you transition? Move from engagement to disengagement and back again. How do you dance with the element of time? What is your relationship to this moment and the next?

Transition is an art form. How we move from one state of being to another. Recognizing there is space in between. Treating that space with as much care and awareness as when we are here or there. 

Thresholds mark the movement from one time in life to another. Imagine birth, graduations, marriage, divorce, retirement, death, pandemics. 

Imagine this time on the planet, this global pandemic as a threshold.

Below, I offer a practice I learned in Ireland, at a Celtic Spirituality retreat:

Sit at the threshold and ask these questions:

What am I moving to?

What am I moving from?

What gift do I need to move into the next space?

One moment transitions to another, inhale to exhale, minute to minute, day by day, week after week. 

Sunrise and a cup of coffee are part of my morning ritual. Recently the carpenter beetles have joined in. One more sound in the early hours. Birds, dogs in the distance, goats and cow bells with the hum of a black beetle and another, and sometimes I can hear the sea.

I walk in the arroyo or hike up the hill, have breakfast and move into the engagements of the day. Among the daily routine, there is work, creativity, cleaning, wondering, making meals with the family, evening reading, and pizza and movie nights. The days are getting longer. Evenings outside are lovely. Pulling weeds is satisfying. Desert gardens are prickly.  

Part of my daily routine includes yoga in the afternoon. After lockdown began, I noticed that between 4 and 7 pm, I was feeling an intense low. Tears, sadness, a sense of overwhelm started to creep in with the image of a dark hole. This became a good time to insert a ritual, a transition from the lighter part of the day, into dinner time, sunset, the dark of night and hopefully, a better sleep. 

Yoga and meditation happen on and off the mat. It is an integral lifestyle. Time on the mat has been a regular part of my life for many years. With a full teaching schedule, my regular practice became regularly irregular. Morning seated meditation was consistent. Asana (physical postures) practice would happen at different times of day. Now, it has to be consistent. My routine is stronger.

In the midst of large unknowns, having a set daily time and duration for yoga and meditation practice has been crucial. Inserting this practice in the middle of the afternoon, especially to support me through the most challenging part of day, has been medicinal. The practice of connecting with the breath, on and off the mat, brings me home when I feel thrown off kilter.

I am currently working on a few designs and new conversations offer hope as others dream of new lives in Baja. I am halfway through a meditation teacher's course. Javier and I discuss the next steps for our ranch property. We are creating sustainability, sovereignty, autonomy.  I wonder when our daughter will go back to school. She is learning how to study online. I work with our grown son as he assists my return to design with the addition of his own skills. I research how to reopen a yoga studio and give myself time to assimilate. Meanwhile, I work with others to build online presence and maintain connections virtually. I think about holistic health and conventional medicine and research how they merge. I wonder what will happen to our bodywork practices, and how our lives will unfold. Our community will benefit from a gentle and calm reentry when the quarantine is lifted.

I appreciate the clarity, this time to move at a rhythm close to soul and less taxing on nature and mother earth. My car is parked. I do half the amount of laundry I did before the pandemic. My pantry and refrigerator are organized and my relationship to creating meals with family is dynamic and interesting. There is time.

In work, wondering and in between, my ally is a relationship with the minute to minute, inhale and exhale, the daily routine and a new found unfolding sense of rhythm. I notice what I can do, breathe and hold space for myself when I feel moments of intense despair. That is not easy. I do what I can and feels in alignment with our values, intentions, and goals.

Life changes overnight. Everything is sacred. Routines become rituals, rites to observe and appreciate daily. Rituals support the crossing of thresholds; big, small and in between.

Every week, I write. This, I can count on. I can choose a word and hold it in my mind. I can let that word move with me as I transition day by day. I can experience this time and share the parts I choose to share.

As we share this mysterious time on earth, the vast reminder of the unknown is with us daily, clearer and more intense than ever.

What am I moving to and what gift do I need to move into the next space?

Transitioning through thresholds, individually and collectively, I recognize that there is no going back. Nor is there a desire to do so. However, there are key parts of a routine that I can bring with me, a cup of coffee with sunrise; I can allocate times for engagement and disengagement, a ritualistic approach to the sacredness of daily life.

I can meet the night with gratitude, for I have lived another day. Again, it is time to dream.

A Daily Blessing

March 5, 2017

Wherever you are,

in this moment and

on this day,

inhale deeply,

exhale completely.

Notice a few of life's

constant companions.

Sky above you,

earth beneath you,

breath within you.

Heartbeat guiding

every step.

Wherever you are,

in this moment and

on this day,

may you feel

sheltered, loved

and embraced.

Tehroma