What a great time Silvia and I had at the Life Drawing Marathon yesterday held at El Camino College.
I haven’t drawn in so long it just felt really wonderful to get my hands dirty with charcoal and start sketching. With a very skilled live model who repeatedly put herself into very elegant and challenging poses, it was quite a feeling of accomplishment to reap a result with anything remotely close to what I was seeing, having had no previous live instruction with live models. I used to work with books many moons ago - Anatomy for the Artist was a favorite one from my teens, but I have since forgotten anything I may have picked up there.

In any case, I certainly look forward to next month when it will be offered on:

Sunday, July 27, 2008 from 10:00am to 5:00pm, and the last one for the summer on

Sunday, August 31 from 10:00am to 5:00pm.

The cost is $23.00 for the whole day less an hour break for lunch, and they have two rooms available.
The room we were in that we chose to stay in for the entire afternoon, had one model that broke up the time into a few warm up sessions of 5 minutes, then a few of 15 minutes and then a couple half hours, then a break and then we came back and she started the same way again. The other room had one model who sat in the same position throughout the entire day.

People used charcoal, pastels, pencils and paints and the pieces that were created were all really unique and beautiful. A nice mixture of people all at different ages and stages of experience, and some great tunes to work to. Just an inspiring day all the way around!

For more information, check out this link for the El Camino Community Education brochure, and we will look forward to seeing you there!

Weeds are overgrown - time to dig in the dirt again. Living in my head now for awhile, it’s time to reconnect with nature and get a bit more grounded, so the timing is right. Weeding is like doing dishes - very mundane, but also very therapeutic on several levels - wonderful moving meditation. There is something very comforting about doing rote activities for short spurts of time. Cleaning up in any regard helps you to also clean up your mind and spirit, not to mention the physical movement you receive - leaving you de-cluttered and in more suitable shape to engage in creative and fun adventures, besides just being more clear in your everyday life. So today, I will start with the garden. Not a large garden, but it will take a bit of time. Even bought some herb seeds to be contained in some old planters I found that had been forgotten for years. Nothing like fresh herbs to cook with, and you don’t even need a yard for that. Just get started. We can all reconnect with the earth even when we don’t seem to have a lot of earth around us. It just tends to give your spirit a broader expanse when you start digging.

» Photo courtesy of Deb Reynolds

A message from Claudia…

Hey Great Ones,

Summer is here and we want to be outdoors and enjoying the beautiful beach and weather.
A couple of weeks ago I went to Germany and Spain (Ibiza) on an amazing Yoga retreat in the mountains which gave me more inspiration to share the bliss of happiness with you.

Come join us doing yoga on the beach with the sounds of the waves and spectacular view of the ocean. Sometimes the dolphins are joining us. What a blessing to see them once in a while. We can greet the dolphins with our Dolphin pose!!! Yes, there is one!!! Smile!!!

Where: Torrance Beach at the end of the bike path (at the end of parking lot at Miramar Park in the City of Torrance), corner of Playa De La Paseo and Via Riviera (Esplanade Avenue turns into Playa De La Paseo), at the 3rd and last life guard tower (Sign TORR) near the ocean across from the main lifeguard tower/restroom.

When: Every Wednesday evening Sunset Yoga form 6:00 to 7:15 p.m. (ish),
and every Friday morning from 9:00 to 10:15 a.m. (ish) (except if raining)

Class Fees: Suggested Donation of $10.00 or more is gratefully appreciated.

• Bring a big blanket or sheet for the sand
• Water and sunscreen
• Dress comfortably (maybe a light sweatshirt if cold)
• Arrive 10 minutes early before class

Maybe we have some tea or coffee afterwards - your choice!

Namaste,

Claudia

For more information, call Claudia at (310) 370-3278, or (310) 698-9658 (cell)
Email: bliss-yoga@hotmail.com

Wowww!!! What a day, what a night…
Lots of questions and one most pertinent answer-

All you have to ever do is ask - ask the universe, ask your spirit guides, ask your angels, ask your higher self, ask your God…
You will get an answer. It may not always be the one you expect, or the one you like, or the one you would normally plan on listening to. But you will get an answer.

Tonight, my answer was “Raise your own vibration” - I have had the opportunity to explore many aspects of that this evening as my family is otherwise occupied and absent from the immediate locale, but I have enjoyed the company of many here in

my home all alone - and earlier today as well.

After a very emotional day of people yelling at me, and then the graduation ceremony of my two sons and all that that entails at a heart centered level - I was feeling a bit at odds - that precise sensation I haven’t experienced in quite some time. So after having a difficult time of trying to shake it all off and move on with my day, it was indicated that a walk was necessary. My destination was at that point to retrieve my children from their friends house. It is a short distance only 15 minutes roundtrip, but exactly what I was urged to do from the powers that be in the shadows.

So as I am walking in the sunlight, I come upon these amazing roses along the sidewalk - I am very grateful to this house’s owners, as they keep their roses so beautiful and they have offered all of us passersby such a stunning array of color and design…So the first ones I ran into were a deep ruby red - okay, I got it - get grounded - the scent was beyond reason - exquisitely joyful smiles… the next were a beautiful orangey-salmon color, so I am releasing it and allowing the pleasure…then deep, tightly wound yellow that opened up loosely at the edges that allowed me to see my truth and acquiesce…ahhh a huge, healthy and vibrant, big-leafed green tree that I had to duck to walk under, and I remembered to breath and open my heart, then these delicate pink blossoms that adorned my feet as I gracefully strolled by, but didn’t attach themselves, just let me move in and out - then, well then, I had to cross the street and I ran into some people and was passed all of the flowers, but they certainly and most efficiently (not to mention lovingly) carried me through my path and I felt so great when I got to our friends house. A big thank you….

So I love how things tend to unfold and I love those realizations that the universe has a sense of humor, and helps you to lighten up, and realize you aren’t in control of all that goes on around you, and that the only real truth of the power that you have is to raise your own vibration, and then you can’t help but add to the miraculous ripple. To try and steer yourself from a different vantage point most likely ends up in futile head banging against the wall, and to be frank, I’m not up for many more dents.

Greetings!

Smooth out and soften up that skin because it’s summer and time to hit the beach!

Enjoy the delicious scent of our Orange Licorice Whip Exfoliating Soap and Corn and Callus Care Pure Essential Oil Blend, that will inspire a variety of different uses besides the obvious one its name states. Your skin will look and feel fantastic and your senses will surely be uplifted. A truly joyful aromatic experience - try it out!

Photograph Courtesy of Arlene Yakush

A mouse makes a home in the clothes in one of our suitcases, at the same time twin donkeys keep watch at the perimeter of a backyard from a house we haven’t lived in since my twenties…Snap to the front yard and it is covered with spotted fawns and one small mother that shapeshifts into a goat that is head butting one of my sons. i have to keep lifting him up off of the ground so he doesn’t get slammed. Looking on with its infinite wisdom is the head of a buffalo peeking through the trees. Five different species all in one episode.

Then another night it is flying dragons both small and large like in the latest Harry Potter, although I hadn’t seen that in quite some time. Then there is the recurrence of the enormous orca causing a tidal wave with his massive tail. 3 huge bald eagles in silhouette perched on rooftops of 3 tiny houses all facing east, keeping watch amidst a purple backdrop. Fabulous…

Can’t wait for the next installment of guidance from the animal kingdom. It has been some ride in the middle of the night lately, I can’t get over how many have come to visit. It has been a fun challenge to decipher some of their messages.

So I kind of wondered what this flurry of fur, feather and fin was all about. I used to remember all of my dreams as a kid. Recent years they have been a bit sketchy if I remember at all, but lately it has been an incredibly vivid time, and they have quite a lot to tell me apparently.

On my quest for making sense of it all, I started my search with the internet and met with some success in finding out more about what these visitations could actually mean. Then while on Amazon, I remembered the name of a book I had seen on other people’s shelves, but had never actually looked through by Ted Andrews called
Animal Speak: The Spiritual & Magical Powers of Creatures Great & Small

As it also states on the cover, it includes a comprehensive dictionary of animal, bird and reptile symbolism. Fascinating…

It will take additional time to unlock all of the treasures these animal totems are bringing me. I anticipate a magical journey and I look forward to discussing more with you in the future. I now realize several of them have been with me for at least one lifetime - its great to be able to count on that kind of council, and I am certainly grateful for the support!

If any of you want to share some of your experiences with the animal world, we would certainly love to listen!

Thanks,

Donna

In attempt to keep some sort of grasp on our recent trip to France, I decided we would try making some of the tasty treats that were shared with us by our friends there. Okay, so not exactly what you might find in a Parisian patisserie, but my guys and I enjoyed them as well as their friends, they were easy, and they contain chocolate, so it was sufficient enough from a flavor standpoint, but most important, it brought back into light some conversations and laughter and joy that we had experienced, and that was the whole purpose anyway.

Here is a link to the recipe Petits Pains Au Chocolate from www.epicurious.com. I would use a bit less chocolate (never thought I would ever say that, but…) Lindt Bittersweet worked quite well - found that at World Market in the white package. Enjoy!

Ten Things I Brought Back With Me From Paris

1. The reminder to keep connections to those you hold dear in your heart no matter how far or close they live.
2. Explore the world around you. Get to know what and who is in your own backyard.
3. Pay attention to your surroundings. Deeply experience things both beautiful and ordinary, hear glorious sounds, and participate in creative adventures daily.
4. Select small tastes are much more satisfying than opulent overindulgences.
5. Walking 2 to 5 miles daily makes you feel great, helps the environment and can most definitely even be done in LA.
6. It should never be considered a waste of time to sit under the trees and do nothing.
7. When you show politeness, respectfulness and appreciation, you find that a good share of people are more than willing to assist you when you are in need.
8. A rekindled desire to be able to converse in multiple languages.
9. The knowledge that the foundation for most things worth eating is Butter, Sugar and Eggs
10. The realization that the world would be a much happier place if more people walked around with long, thin sticks of bread under their arm.