It's June, good people of the Conscious Body family! It's been a couple of months since last we wrote but we are back and in full effect (as such luminaries of the old school as Schooly D and Afrika Bambaata used to say) as the stark bare feeling of Winter gives way to the lush vibrant life of Summer. It feels great to me, and the tomatos, broccoli and collards in our garden seem to agree as they are growing by leaps and bounds. Here's hoping that Summer's fullness is presenting itself in similarly agreeable ways in your life.
To celebrate this bounteous time of year -- and to take advantage of the extra time many of you might have during the Summer (as children go off to camp and so forth) -- we're offering our first Summer special (see below). As always, please do feel free to contact us with any questions or requests you might have either via e-mail at our website or by calling either of our studios. All the best -- Tim & Ellen
of the month
On the strength of a recommendation from a longtime member of the CB family, I am hereby declaring myself a pimp for the tome "Cutting for Stone". You have to respect a book that has 298 reviews on Amazon and 262 of them are 4 or 5-star. The other book pick is an oldie but a goodie, and takes as its theme the world we're living in right now: "Prodigal Summer". Even if you're not a fan of Barbara Kingsolver, I reckon you'll find something to like.
Tim sez
TEND YOUR PATCH. Leave aside the (most probably) cryptic nature of those three words for the moment.
My mother grew up on a farm in Eastern Iowa, raised (along with her two siblings) by parents that worked 16-hour days 6 days a week (Sunday naturally was all about being at church ... and I'd bet good money they snuck in another coupla hours or so late Sunday) for 14 years -- from the late 1920s up until WWII -- before they were certain that they wouldn't lose the farm to the multifarious threats posed by the Great Depression. (Once Pearl Harbor happened, the US Gov basically said "Grow as much food as you can and we'll buy it all at a guaranteed price".)
Tend your patch. We can only take on so many responsibilities, chase so many goals or dreams. The sheer limitations of time and energy dictate that we cannot be/do everything at all times to all people. We have to pick what it is that matters to us, that to which we will dedicate our precious time. Seems to me one of the greatest pleasures of swiftly-oncoming middle age is a greater wisdom vis-a-vis what really matters to me. I care less and less what other folks might think -- more and more I understand what matters most, and for that narrowing of perspective I am profoundly grateful. As a younger man, I was fortunate enough to have near-endless possibilities open to me by the accident of my birth to caring parents with the wherewithal (both financial & emotional) to allow me to wander far and wide (in both literal & figurative terms). And far and wide is a lovely place to be. But eventually nearly all of us are best served by choosing and settling down in a place, profession, family, creed or idea -- and then proving our belief in that thing (and devotion to it) by backing up our belief with action, day in day out week in week out. (If it seems like drudgery, then I humbly submit there is a better place for your time & energy.)
Tend your patch. To my grandparents, it meant stewardship of their 500+ acres. To my parents, it meant assiduous care to their relationship with each other and their raising up two healthy sons (in all the meanings of the word).
To (finally!) come 'round to the dang point of this screed: there are any number of current events that are hair-raising in their intensity, and over which I can realistically have next-to-no control. So while I ache for the Gulf of Mexico (my Uncle has a beach house in Navarre, FL and they're seeing tar balls rolling up as of a week ago) I cannot rush down and cap that damaged riser. What I can do, is Tend My Patch. I can (and will) take great care with what is right in front of me, and lavish my attention on the things I can effect in a positive way. Whether it's 300 sq. ft. of garden in my backyard or 700 sq. ft. of studio on North State Road, I'll be there, and present, with all I have to offer. I look forward to seeing you there.
Stretch
of the Month:
SWAN
1. Lie on the mat face down. Keep your arms close to your body as you bend your elbows to bring your hands under your shoulders.
2. Engage your abdominal muscles, lifting your belly button up away from the mat. The abdominals remain lifted throughout the exercise.
3. Inhale. Lengthen your spine and press your forearms and hands into the mat to support a long upward arc in the upper body. The elbows are close to the body, the head stays in line with the spine, and the hips stay on the mat.
4. Exhale. Keep your abdominals lifted as you release the arc, lengthening your spine as you return your torso to the mat sequentially.
Ellen sez
I turned 50 on May 26th and whether or not that has anything to do with it, I feel great! It has been a somewhat hellish 6 months with physical, emotional and world issues throwing me into sleepless and anxiety ridden days into nights into days... In the weeks leading up to my 50th I ruminated on what it means to cross this threshold and how I wanted to live the next part of my life.
Choosing happpiness is one of the most potent ideas that came up for me. Each one of us has the tendency toward being a "glass is half full" or "glass is half empty" person. I have always been the latter, not by any fault of my own. I recognized that how we behave and feel effects those around us both positively and negatively. Emotions can be contagious. I suddenly knew in no uncertain terms that I wanted to choose something different.Even though certain behaviors seem so deeply rooted I could change at least a little. I choose a greater sense of ease and grace in the face of hardship. I choose to not attach myself to my difficult emotions as if that were my identiy. I choose to enjoy life's adventure and say "yes and" instead of "yes but". In the face of some of the most intense and challenging times I believe we can choose to have a different relationship with our emotions, with our reactions. I have been whole-heartedly embracing this notion and although it needs constant care and attention (God knows we give constant attention to the negetive stuff) it seems to be working!
Turning 50 also made me long to rediscover or uncover parts of myself that I had buried or put aside and labled "unimportant" in order to do other things such as make a living and be a responsible adult. It isn't that I want to shirk any of my duties. I simply want to remember that underneath what needs to get done, lies what wants to BE and that is the heart and soul of who we are, why we are here in our unique form and expression of ourselves. The world needs us as we truly are --not as our culture, society or families wants us to be. Who do you want to Be?
I would love to hear your stories of turning 50 or other big transitions in your life if you feel like sharing them...
Yours in happiness -- Ellen
Ellen's
in the
Kitchen
I love this time of year for so many reasons, not the least of which is all the fresh produce that abounds. Some of it even comes from our own garden! One of my favorite summer side dishes includes fresh veggies and quinoa which is a light, high-protein grain that cooks fairly quickly. This recipe is a Middle Eastern staple Ellen style.
Quinoa Tabouli
two cups cooked quinoa (cooks like rice but needs less time for water to absorb)
1/2 cup of corn
1/2 cup of black beans (canned are fine, rinse and drain)
3 large scallions finely chopped (including green part)
1 large tomato finely chopped (organic always preferred)
1 large bunch of parsley chopped (can use cilantro if you like)
1 red or orange pepper finely chopped
1 cucumber finely chopped
1 teaspoon of ground cumin (to taste)
juice of 1 large lemon (or 2)
1/4 cup of olive oil
sea salt to taste
Directions:
Cook quinoa and let cool. Chop veggies and combine them with beans, corn and grain. In a separate bowl combine olive oil, lemon and spices. Blend all together stirring well. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. This dish is best served room temp or cool. It makes a great side dish for turkey burgers on the grill. It's clean, light,healthy and flavorful!
Enjoy!
Special
We're going to make it easier to give yourself the gift of feeling and looking GREAT this Summer with our first-ever special offer. From now until the end of September, add an additional session per week to whatever your current level of commitment is, and that session is HALF PRICE.
This month we have a grab-bag of quick-hitters for our furry resident sage --
Dear Seamus: How do I know you're real and not just some computer-generated figment? (C.V., Briarcliff Manor)
Dear CV: One answer to this is "Go look up 'Turing Test' and get back to me." Another answer is "How do I (Seamus) know you (CV) are real and not just some figment?" But let's stick with the former, since the latter is just one little step above "Neener neener boo-boo" and I'm writing a quality column here.Dear Seamus: Who let the dogs out? (B.C., Yonkers)
Dear BC: In my experience, humans let the dogs out. That is not to say that we canines are incapable of letting ourselves out or prefer to let someone else control our perambulations. But apart from the occasional enlightened individual who installs a doggie-door (Tim refuses to do the same, making dark allusions to raccoon intruders rifling through our family's stockpile of RyVita crackers), it seems you people are more control-freaky than is good for you. I mean, how hard would it be to design a door-knob we could work with our paws or mouth? And once we get that taken care of, we'll start the conversation about paw-friendly car controls.
Dear Seamus: Boxers or briefs? (D.L., Armonk)
Dear DL: Dude: you're kidding, right? I may rock the librarian glasses but I am still a dog and therefore in no need of the clingy undergarments of which you two-legses are so enamoured (with apologies to those of my readers that prefer to Go Commando, naturally).