We’ve had various kinds of celebrations for Spring over the years. But I have always hoped to have a gathering for May Day—or what the Celts call Beltane—in celebration of the good earth. In my dreamy gathering we could stand on some patch of soft ground and use our bodies to say ‘thank you’ to Mama and to give her some honor.

So far, this hasn’t come to pass. I tried once, and my children totally derailed me, moving the evening from a night of Om-ing barefoot in the grass, to a night of painting toenails for the upcoming sandal season. Apparently, when you are 4 and 6 it’s way more fun to welcome the Spring with flip-flops and pink polish than to follow your breath while holding a backbend.

Now that I’m here in Denmark and far away from all my friends of the feminine divine, this little dream isn’t likely to come to past anytime soon. But this morning while I was hanging out in Shavasana, it came into my monkey mind that I could get one step closer to this dream by writing the series down. (You know, instead of just holding it in my head and hoping someone will invite me to teach yoga.)

An hour later when I sat down to write my BlogHer editorial about Earth Day, I realized that if I posted said yoga series perhaps, in some small way, we might all be connected just by doing the same practice—even if it is in different times and different places. We are all standing on this same round earth, this big blue marble, right? We might as well call it a party.

So here is my short series of Yoga Poses for Mama, from me, the wannabe priestess, to you my sister friends. May they connect your spirit to the creative, nurturing energy of sand and soil, sea and sky, meadow and mountain. Namaste! Read the rest of this entry »

Phew. It’s not the teacher with the beaded bindi on her forehead and the jewels strung through her multiple braids. – Woah. Serious patchouli in here. – Hmm. I’m sore from family yoga on Sunday. Are the adults supposed to be sore from a kid yoga practice? — Umm. This feels good. I may be stiff and not too strong, but my balance is still good and I remember most the pose series. – WTF? How many times are people going to stand on their hands, exactly?- (Teary) Wow, I’ve been really sick. My illness has really created a lot of dis-ability my body. – I feel embarrassed that I can’t figure out and/or do that one legged-bound-upside-down-twisted-balance move…or that after two years of practicing vinyasa yoga I’ve never even SEEN that move before. – Oh, I so suck that I can’t do that. I’m such a loser.- Wait a minute, wtf does it matter that someone can stand on one foot with their arms bound through their crotch? I mean, how does that possibly make you superior? At best it’s a personal goal. Frills and nonsense man, do not sweat it. – Maybe this isn’t the best studio for me. I miss MJ. But it’s the only one w/in walking distance and it’s the only one that fits in to my new “I’m a professional artist” work schedule. – Well, I can quit in two months. My pass is only for two months. –Check me out, I can still hold a strong slide plank! Maybe I won’t need to quit in two months. Maybe I’ll get the hang of this. – Damn. Now we’re lowering our selves down from side plank with one arm and then raising ourselves up again with all our body weight on one arm. Shit.—Hmm, I thought this class was 60 minutes, at yet the poses go on. More headstands.–MMmmm. Shavasna, my favorite.