101 Days in South America

Bound for S. America January 13th, 2010 and not to return until April 22nd, 2010. 101 Days in America Del Sur!!!

I'm taking my hiking shoes and yoga mat for a trek in the cloud forests of Ecuador, down through the Peruvian Andes and ascending into Bolivia to La Paz, te highest capital city in the world. From there I travel, mat on pack, to Cochabamba to work with children with special needs and continue my travels on weekends exploring the mountain tops and coca farms.

Growing Peace

Sewing seeds of peace. Horitcultural therapy project or meditation adventure? Maybe both.

I've never self-defined as an activist. My dharma is to love. I want to give back to others as I have been so fortunate. My dream is to sew seeds of peace. Peace internally- allowing others to drop the "unkind mind" and peace between people and between people and the environment, our mother earth. Through nature and meditation practices I believe both wellness and healing are possible. Our bodies and minds can be nutured by the natural world and at the same time we actively release our minds/free ourselves through yoga and meditation...there can be such beauty in these moments. It is as if a "reset" button has been pressed and we are renewed/refreshed.

more to come...

YogaTrails

YogaTrails began in conception in mid-winter 2009. In snowshoes hiking the foothills of the Appalachian trail in Bethel, Maine I took Veerhabadraasana at the summit of our hike. Sinking my snow shoes into the soft snow I breathed in the freshest mountain air, felt the heat of my body in contrast to the cool air and saw my breath circling out in front of me. The sun poured down on my face and the pines swayed in the wind. I felt stillness and peace. A hint of joy spread into a proud smile across my face. Sweat ran down my face touched my heart. The natural world is a wise teacher. A tree conveys both strength and beauty. The bird tells us to hold life with a light grasp. A stream reminds us that life is constantly shifting and changing. The gifts of nature reveal all of this for free. In the simplicity there is freedom.

My dharma is in this work. I am called to explore nature through yoga in which the body, mind, and spirit connect through the breath and the sensations available to us through nature.

Wrestling with the mind

My mind swirls. Heart skips a beat. How can one feel so lost and found at the same time? There is a garden of promise and a harvest bleeding love. It feels so tattered yet stapled with security. I feel the hole of my sweater sewn thinly exposed at the thread's edge. I breathe in the ragged air, kiss the frost and melt. Here I find the edge I've been searching for. It is here I return despite the twisting, turnings of the mind. It is here that I wrestle free from the mind's strong grasp of despair, delight, and determined judgements. I find space, I breathe, and settle my soul at the footstep of grace.

I believe that everyone can find grace. Anyone who breathes can connect to something greater. Even the tortured souls and the dark sides that fight for our acknowledgement can be put in place with a single breath. With practice, it is available to all of us.

Hiking for Heights

I received a fortune from a cookie. "There are many paths to the top of the mountain but only one view". Is it referencing enlightenment? happiness? an orgasmic experience? So it got me thinking what are we hiking for... Over the last year I studied yoga intensely (>500 hrs). The course was a journey of many discoveries. I learned that yoga speaks with more than one voice. I was thrown into meditation (brutal battles with the body and mind), took the path of an asthetic (renouncing many worldly goods, social interaction...almost became a hermit). Not quite. Then, I discovered the Buddha's "Middle Way" as well as tantric yoga that emphasizes full engagement in life as a human as a way of reaching enlightenment. I don't even know if I want to be enlightened, but it sounds kinda cool, right? I know I want real human connections. I know I want to love well, so maybe that view is love... Maybe it's happiness that comes to us from our connections and meaningful relationships.

I go out hiking and ponder the leaves, the restlessness beneath my feet. I soar to the clouds with my dreams and aspirations, I hug trees and point out the spider spinning a web. Nature allows such spaciousness. It creates the air and beckons the breath.

I think I'll take my yoga on a hike. Yogatrails the vision...taking this path to my view. Awake with awe and wonder.

Rooting in America: Young Women reclaiming Mother Nature

It is not difficult to notice the recent upsurge of young women starting to dig in this earth. They have some things in common and often time it is an internal search for themselves, to be in nature, and to make a difference within the values they hold. These women farmers have sprung up throughout America and through apprenticeships (often woman to woman) have learned methods of cultivation, often organic that sustains the earth and their souls. They root themselves in the work they do finding connection and meaning for themselves. Grounded in their passions they set out on a challenging path to provide organic sustainable food to their communities. Hard labor ensues and there is an entrenching richness to their work

--yoga for gardeners

--interview/documentary on young female gardeners in America

--prevention as medicine

---holistic health and wellness

---women's collective

---Gardeners Guild

I dont know any woman in their 20s or 30s that hasn't gone through massive heart wrenching soul searching. We end up finding each other and ourselves. For some, this connectivity also comes from a strong connection with nature. Nature teaches us how to care for ourselves, bodies, minds and souls and we feed the inner desires with real friendships, true experiences, and passionate work in a field we believe in. The strength begins to evolve and deepen as does our belief in ourselves and in our work. We feel we are making a difference in this word, for our Mother Nature. We look to Mother Nature for advice and discover the natural abundance this world has to offer. It doesnt take long before the grit and hard work turn into gifts from the earth, a bountiful crop and the truest of friends. It is in this harvest that we come to appreciate the process, reflecting on the process, the ups and downs. Our drive to dig deep and discover our true purpose reveals to us an even deeper well, a trust that in tough times there is a place to rest your spade, a shoulder to cry on and friends that make it all worth it.

seasons, crops, turning

gardening as meditation

Germination, percolation, liberation

Welcome to the shared blog of two wide-eyed wonderers (not a type-o).

Objective: is to capture the ideas and visions of Rebecca Vella Taliercio and Kyle Ann Willets for a developing business plan, Garden of Yoga. 

Point will be made to update this blog whenever a new brain child arises.  This occurs frequently due to the highly overactive brains these two possess (soon the blog will be first person).  It should also be noted that commentary, collaboration, and critique are encouraged... com'on tell us how you really feel.