Namaste

I just returned from yoga class at a studio in Narberth called The Yoga Garden. I started yoga in Seattle in 2003 and have kept it up ever since, sometimes more and sometimes less. I always come away from class feeling full yet refreshed at the same time. My mind is clearer and my body is buzzing with good energy and hard work!

I've never been crazy about typical yoga music - ambient, new age, Indian, Enya or nature sounds that invariably make me have to pee. I'm resigned to its presence at the studio but for my home practice I like to use something with a more personal meaning. When I was in college my grandma bought me a recording of Hildegard von Bingen, a 12th century mystic, abbess and composer of liturgical songs. Over the years I used her music when I needed to relax and focus, so when I started practicing yoga I found it to be the perfect accompaniment. (My favorite piece from this album, A Feather on the Breath of God, is the hauntingly beautiful Columba aspexit.) So consistently have I used these recordings that now even hearing a few bars elicits in me a Pavlovian reaction of turning inward, focusing my breath and letting go. In addition, the music always returns me to the memory of my grandma.

Although she died some time ago, I continue to be inspired by the way my grandma lived her life, and I look for her influence in mine. I know I inherited from her a love of Arby's and a knack for embroidery and crossword puzzles. I see in myself her silly and, at times, irreverent sense of humor and her love and gift for music. She taught me to always be on time, to dress up when you go downtown and to be a gracious host and guest. I know her commitment to the Lutheran church is a big reason for the strength of my faith today. I continue to strive toward her examples of patience, kindness and self-control and the quiet grace and peace with which she lived her life.

I love you Holiday Nog!