Slow Truth.

You will hear thunder and remember me, 
and think: she wanted storms... ~ Anna Akhmatova

This quote made me think of something I woke up and wrote the other day...

As I heard the wind rustling over the long grasses outside, I shivered further down beneath the covers. It was a cold and forward wind.There's a slow truth coming, I thought to myself, and it's not going to be an easy one.

I write fiction and poetry and am listening more and more to my creative voice, which I had silenced for years. Whatever becomes of it, I cannot know..but it feels good to let the steam out of the kettle. 

The Best Savasana Songs on the Planet.

As a yoga studio owner and a yoga instructor, I am always looking for that perfect song to send my clients home with after an awesome practice. But sometimes, after I put a song on, I will find myself thinking, is this really the perfect song? Is it too sad, too upbeat, too this, too that? 

Obviously, it's very important to me (and if you're a yoga teacher too, I know you feel the same!) So, with this post, it is my goal to research and find my most perfect Savasana songs (on the planet).

I will add to this post as I find more songs that I feel to be absolutely perfect for delicious Savasana moments!

1. Blackbird by The Beatles or Sarah McLachlan
2. Dream Baby Dream by Bruce Springsteen
3. Enter One by Sol Seppy
4. Gift of Light by Nadama and Shastro
5. God is Real/Hare Ram by Krishna Das
6. Gopala Lullaby by Ben Leinback and Jai Uttal
7. Imagine by Jack Johnson
8. Inseparable Universe by Mars Lasar
9. Into the Mystic by Van Morrison
10. Love Will Take You by Angus and Julia Stone
11. Lullaby by Trevor Hall
12. Let it Be by Carol Woods and Timothy T. Mitchum
13. Somewhere Over the Rainbow by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole or Martina McBride
14. Devi Prayer by Craig Pruess and Ananda 
15. Light by Sleeping at Last
16. In the Embers by Sleeping at Last
17. Orange Sky by Alexei Murdoch

Of course, if there are any you'd like to share, please leave a comment with it listed! 

Random Thoughts (that may turn into something someday...).

I found myself called in the very early mornings out into the world, capturing it's beauty on film. Sometimes just being present to it. Listening for signs amongst the silence. 

Anatomy and Such.

I'm sitting in my room, finding myself hard pressed to concentrate on ANYTHING. I keep drifting here and there and everywhere because my brain is saying...no thank you...I don't need any more stuff in here at the moment.

But I have homework to finish. So get to it, brain! I promise I will relax you at the latest, by November. A nice long break for you. I mean, teaching and running the business still...but probably no new trainings on the horizon for awhile. Nothing this intense, anyway. (Do I sound like I may jump into something on a moment's notice? Kind of how I jumped into the Bryan Kest training in Mexico in August that may just put me over the edge on top of my 500 hour yoga therapy training?? ya...) 

Besides, when I make myself (more importantly make my brain) do this homework, it is really so interesting. Right now I'm brushing up on some anatomy. I really wish I knew this stuff inside and out but the body is so incredibly intricate, it's very difficult and especially when you were never introduced to any anatomy before. I take that back, we did a very basic version in my 200 hour training.

This anatomy that I'm required to learn in 500 hour training...very intense. I hope I can cram all of this into my brain and in a way that makes it stick!!

What's also interesting is people who know me have to know that I'm going to be studying anatomy on a Saturday night. I just texted an anatomy picture to a friend and she was texted back, I love that you're a nerd like me! To which I responded, I love that I texted you anatomy and you liked it! Lol. It's good to have people who understand around you...

And as much as I absolutely adore Asheville Yoga Center (adore) and also truly am in awe of my teachers and fellow students, I cannot wait to be done so that I can get on with the next stage and feel really where I am going with this. It's nerve wracking and exciting because I know that within 5 months, things could be very different. I do love the journey and I will respect it. And I can say this with absolute certainty, I will travel back to Asheville for trainings of some sort after this is all over. Quality. 

Peace out! ~ E

52 Life List.

In light of my friend Alex Moody's post on 52 Life List...I decided to create my own. It wasn't easy...it does take more time than I thought it would. But here it is. Let's see where it takes me. :)

Hopefully this inspires someone out there to do their own life list. 


1.  Travel to teach yoga in other states. 
2.  Travel to teach yoga in other countries.
3.  Travel, more, period and write about it. (check...)
4.  Write more, period. (check). 
5.  Get published as a poet. 
6.  Get published as a short story writer.
7.  Have a baby (Pretty sure about this one).
8.  Have a house.
9.  Skydive.
10. Learn to play the guitar.
11. Travel to India to an ashram.
12. Travel to Bretagne (France) and eat oysters and fresh caramels (not at the same time).
13. Meet the Dalai Lama. Or at least hear him speak live.
14. Meet Pema Chodron. Or at least hear her speak live.
15. Get a tattoo.
16. Get a handle on handstand. (Getting this one!!) :)
17. Arm wrestle forearm stand and beat it's ass.
18. Travel to Africa.
19. Get my master's degree, probably in psychology or art studies.
20. Go back to college for art classes (good to take baby steps).
21. (Wow it's hard to find 52?! Is it supposed to be hard?). Get better at goal writing.
22. Either live in a town with amazing breakfast restaurant or inspire one to open, or open my own in case of absolute failure of the first two. (There is nothing like an awesome, organic and made with love breakfast place.
23. Have a library room, absolutely filled with books.
24. Paint more. 
25. Maybe actually get paid for taking photos. It's been a lifelong hobby...so why not? Or better yet! Have my photos in an art show. Someone told me I should do this locally and I like the idea.
26. Have a yard that looks more like a garden. Not so much just plain grass. Want it to look wild and secret garden-ish.
27. Sponsor a child overseas, probably through Children's International. (Done). 
28. I'm pretty sure I want to be a part of this Africa Yoga Project. Been looking at it for a year now. (part of it...now just raising $$)
29. Take a teacher training from Bryan Kest. (In Tulum!) (Done.) 
30. Open a second Yoga Urth. Either on my own, or help someone else to open it.
31. Start a teacher training program in yoga. (Done.) 
32. Try aerial yoga. (check)
33. Try Bikram yoga.
34. Try Iyengar yoga. (Done.) 
35. Take a trapeze class.
36. Improve my diet!!
37. Learn to braid my hair well.
38. Learn French again semi fluently.
39. Have a butterfly eat from my hand like when I was little. Sugar and water.
40. Visit Spain.
41. Swim with dolphins.
42. Zipline.
43. Visit Puerto Rico.
44. Visit Portugal.
45.  Read the Bible front to back.
46.  Read the Bhagavad Gita front to back. (check)
47. Become decent at skiing.
48. Get better and better at knowing my anatomy.
49. Lose 8 lbs. (winter has been brutal to me, in my opinion). (don't remember how much I weighed when I wrote this! Lol. ) 
50. In light of previous goal...age gracefully and realize that my body is a vessel that allows me to do amazing things and not sweat aging so much as women are prone to do (and as I must admit I am starting to worry about).
51. Become more comfortable with public speaking.
52. Create a yoga video.

xox ~ E

A Little Time on a Wednesday Afternoon. (photos)

Photography has been a hobby of mine since I received my first camera at the age of 5. I took a TON of photos of my first cabbage patch doll. Some of her lying in the grass, some of her on the swing set, she also liked her picture taken while sitting on the porch... 

I used to want to be a photojournalist, used to develop my own photos in my parent's basement but for whatever reason...it really just remains a hobby for me, even though it brings me so much joy to capture an image well.

One of my friends who I've known as long as I have loved to take pictures asked me to take her and her daughters photos so we carved out some time yesterday...and I'm posting my faves here.