Bottling Spring Break

My son is on his Spring Break from school this week, and I really treasure this time that offers a break from traditional school routine. My heart is happy to allow him to, as I put it, "get his full rest in" (not having to wake him until his body is fully ready to do so) -- combined with plain ole' downtime incorporating a blend of some chores to letting him do his own thing around here to enjoying creative "athletic" silliness between us, and more. The change of pace feels wonderful, and I am just embracing this week with open arms.

Yesterday morning, to a friend I wrote: "It's Spring Break for my son this week, so I think I'm just going to spend the morning with him before he gets together with some friends later on today. So, I just wanted to say hello and tell you that I'll most likely see you in Wednesday's Pilates class if you are there."

She replied: "Enjoy your time with your son---most mothers I hear from dread the break--it's so nice to hear you are relishing it with him. :) Have a wonderful day full of all good things."

One of the good things Caleb and I shared yesterday was what I called our "10 at 10"! At about 10:00 a.m., for about 10 minutes, we did a powerful reading and discussion of a page from the journal of Marcus Aurelius, the last of the great Roman emperors. We got our hands on some of Aurelius' writings via Two Suns Rising by Jonathan Star, the text used for the yoga teacher training class I'm doing. About The Meditations, the journal Aurelius kept during the last phase of his life on earth, Two Suns Risings explains, "His writing is filled with such intimacy and sincerity that we no longer feel in the company of a Roman emperor but of an old and reliable friend."

One example of Aurelius' writing is below....what was shared with Caleb during our yesterday's 10 at 10!

"There is one type of person who, whenever he does a kind deed, will not hesitate to ask for some reward. Another type of person, though not so bold, will keep track of everything he has done for you, feeling deep down that you are in his debt. Then there are those who give without any remembrance of what they have done. They are like the vine that has brought forth a cluster of grapes, and having once borne its delicious fruit, seeks nothing more. As the horse that runs its race, the hound that tracks its game, and the bee that hives its honey, so should a man be when he has done an act of kindness -- not seeking reward, not proclaiming his virtues, but passing on to the next act, as the vine passes on to bear another cluster of summer grapes.

Life is the way you see it."

Ahhh, more Aurelius for us today! ;-) Come back later for the picture to complement the above and then tomorrow to find out what we read today!

Bottling Saturday's Sun/Son

It's 10:00 a.m. Saturday morning, and I've just stepped indoors from my backyard, spending some time lounging out in in the sun after returning home from a 7:30 a.m. yoga class. I took my bowl of Strawberry Crunch outdoors to enjoy, and then I settled in for some extra Vitamin D by way of the sun. I could feel my body being nourished as the sun's rays gently beamed down on me. There's a warmth that I get from the sun that just makes me feel so good inside.

When I returned indoors and my son hugged me in an arm lock type of way (boys!), he exclaimed, "You're warm!" "I've been lying out in the sun for almost an hour," I reminded him and started talking about how comforting the sun can be.......

.......Then it was as if something clicked for me.......

"Hmmh, why do you think that Jesus is referred to as God's son?" I sort of just instinctively said to my boy. "Just as the sun comforts, nurtures and restores the outer body, that's what the inside One is doing for us," I stated.

I recently heard someone refer to Jesus as a "verb" not a "noun." In fact, here's the quote by Rudy Jones from his article, Is Christ A Person?

"When most Christians mentally relate to the word Christ, they associate the word Christ as being the first or last name of Jesus, and are relating to Christ as a noun, or a proper name. So it is difficult to introduce a new paradigm, a new understanding of what the word Christ actually means. The word “CHRIST” IS A VERB. Christ is what you express “of God.”

Christ is not separated from you. Christ is the Light or Life energy in the cells of a Christian, electrifying every nerve and every muscle, bringing every thought into captivity. Christ is the Truth of what makes you who you are..........The Fact is: Every Day -- Everything I AM is what Jesus was. And Everything He was is Today what I AM. That is Biblical Truth. His Anointing permeates every fiber and tissue of your body, but is Life to you only by faith based on scriptural fact. Your faith is accepting your Truth."

The word Christ, #5547 in Strong’s Concordant Dictionary, is the Greek word "Christos," which means "Anointed," and is from #5548: "Chrio"; “through the idea of contact; to smear or rub with oil [the act of] from #5530: “Chraomai” (note the possible connection to chromosome.) “Chraomai”; “a primary root, a VERB; to furnish what is needed.”

When I am in the outdoor's sun, it's as if it becomes the "oil" (from "Chrio" above) that is being smeared or rubbed on my body "to furnish what is needed."

Basking in the Sun and Son,

Penny

***Photo Credit -- honey77, flickr.com***

Welcome!

Thank you for stopping by my very first blog entry here at BottlingHealth.com, the place where I'll be blogging about healthy things I'm bottling in this wondrous journey of life.

So, what am I bottling today (Jan. 12)? Well, my yoga journey/training continues. Yesterday, I kicked off training with Didier Razon from Two Suns Rising Yoga, so today I am continuing to bottle the many lessons and experiences from that remarkable 10-hour day.

However, I had some yin and yang energy going on not long before the course started. It was as if there was this force trying to keep me from attending even though attending this teacher training was all I had been longing to do. To me, so many things had divinely lined up for me to start this journey that's been waiting for me and I for it, yet there was this crazy invisible force trying to stop me from going yesterday morning it seemed. First, there were a few delays at home that got me off to a later-than-planned departure time. Of course, with not a minute to spare to get to class on time...what happened? Close to halfway to the studio, I looked in my rear view mirror only to see flashing blue lights behind me -- for me. SIGH! "No, this can't be happening," I thought. But since I'm choosing to focus on the positive, let me not dwell on that speeding ticket incident and get to what I'm bottling on today's blog (although I am bottling how kind the police officer was).

~ I'm bottling the energy I felt in Didier Razon's presence (my knowledgeable yoga teacher) and the hug he gave me when I arrived at the yoga studio that made me feel so welcomed even though I was frazzled when I entered the door. What an alive spirit Didier is! So full of humor and joy! "Ah, Penny, we'll find a way to pay your speeding ticket," he said with his fun French accent. "Now when I see the police car behind me when I'm speeding," he continued to the group, "I say...'Ahh, look at the pretty Christmas lights behind me.'" LOL (Didier will have us seeing the positive in EVERYTHING by the time this training is over in June.)

~ I'm bottling his wife Ann's telephone encouragement she gave me when I called her from my car to update her about my "blue-light" delay. I sat in my car feeling blue, seriously considering waiting for Didier's next training session (months from now) as not to miss the introduction, but Ann made me see how ridiculous I was being. She was loving with her lesson to me, of course. ;-)
~ I'm bottling the adjustment Didier gave me when we were practicing inversions and I was in Shoulder Stand; he lifted my feet higher and the stretch felt in-cred-i-ble. I know I surely bottled that because I feel as if I'm still in that posture and it has been almost 24 hours since I've been out of it.

~ I'm bottling the Head Stand balance that Didier and my training partners helped me achieve. When I struck that perfect balance, I felt as if I could have hung out on my head for quite a while.

~ I'm bottling doing a series of Sun Salutations to classical music; it made me feel like a graceful ballet dancer. Music choices really do help make a difference in yoga classes.

~ I'm bottling being able to practice yoga with Didier at home, thanks to his DVD (available at http://www.didieryoga.com/).

~ I'm bottling getting this heart-touching (to the point of tears) vision of my dad during a soulful chant CD we were listening to and interacting with during class. I've always felt very spiritually connected with my dad since he passed on and, apparently, I'm in a season once again in which I'm feeling his presence really strongly. He and my mom are two blessings I'm forever grateful for! Love them!

~ I'm bottling all of the love from God I felt in class -- so many "hugs" to me, if you know what I mean. You know, just those moments when you know that, "Yes, I am so aligned with God right now." Those moments when you are clear beyond the shadow of a doubt that you are one with God. Totally supported!

~ I am bottling the wonderful spiritual discussions we had in class, including discussions of my beloved Jesus. One of the students even brought a treat to class called a "King Cake" (or something like that)...that has some symbolism to the Three Wise Men. No, it wasn't raw food, but was a very good pastry and almond/chocolate combination that I did try. I could tell that treat was prepared and served in the name of love, and I felt it was a form of respect to try a piece. It carried some symbolism with it that I wanted to be a part of. For lunch, however, I returned to raw foods with a green salad and sunflower seeds.

~ I'm bottling learning how to be active with two suns. The sun that rises everyday outside my window and the sun that rises everyday inside my heart.

Don't forget to let your inner sun shine, too!

I can feel you shining all the way over here! ;-)

Shine on...

Penny