Celebrating Rumi, Last Class!

Rumi, sharing a poem for Two!

Roots to Breath Dona Anderson

As I mentioned in my earlier post dated, March 22, 2012, I had a great time being introduced to so many wonderful poems by Rumi, and listening to them being read aloud by the different voices of the class.

I enjoyed some of the poems just as they were on the surface, while others beckoned me to look further and deeper.  There can be many layers of interpretation, thoughts, and feelings arising from these writings, and I found that as I read more, I experienced and understood more.  Even as a beginner to these poems, some left me thinking about things, people, and experiences in my own life, and some will change the way I look at things.

The last class was especially memorable.   We got to take turns sharing one of our favourite poems with the class, and then something wonderful happened. 

One of the ladies brought to share the poem below.  She also brought her classical guitar and had arranged music so she could play and sing the poem for us.  For me, who had just started learning guitar, it was the best way to end this class, and let me know I was where I was supposed to be.  For me that day, it compared to a big bowl of the best fresh garden strawberries of my dreams, on delicious smooth ice cream…in that moment, everything else melted away. 

I sat, loved it all, and wanted more!  Namaste.

You & I
by Rumi

“A moment of happiness,

You and I sitting on the verandah,

Apparently two, but one in soul, you and I.

We feel the flowing water of life here,

You and I, with the garden’s beauty

And the birds singing.

The stars will be watching us,

And we will show them

What it is to be a thin crescent moon.

You and I unselfed, will be together,

Indifferent to idle speculation, you and I.

The parrots of heaven will be cracking sugar

As we laugh together, you and I.

In one form upon this earth,

And in another form in a timeless sweet land.”

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Body Soul & Spirit Expo, Edmonton Alberta, May 4-6, 2012

Simply One Breath At a Time, is travelling to Edmonton Alberta. 

I am very excited to be attending the spring Body Soul & Spirit Expo in Edmonton, May 4-6, 2012.

It will be a great chance for me to visit with all the other exhibitors, and to share information about my book, CD, and wellness cards with everyone attending. 

Some of the things you’ll find in this book of 65 gentle guided relaxations are gentle breathing, easy visualizations, hugs, smiles, nature, gratitude, progressive relaxations, and time to be quiet and still for meditation.  Through positive words and thoughts, each page inspires and encourages its readers and listeners to rest, let go of stress, nourish and support their own wellness. 

Go to the Wellwishers tab above and see what others have said about the book!

It is great for home use and gifts, for caregivers, yoga teachers, training resource, schools, self healing, and other wellness and relaxation practices to list a few! Each relaxation in the book offers practical and easy ways to bring presence and ease into your daily life. 

You can also get your own copy of the book, Simply, One Breath At a Time, and/or the CD, Permission To Rest, online at Amazon.ca 

How do you interpret messages from the universe?

Last Friday, while sitting at my desk I thought I’d just take a moment to see what my pick of an Oracle card said.  Years ago whenever I picked a card, they never seemed to make any sense to me or I didn’t know how to interpret what they said.  Then this last couple of years I have been quite surprised at what I’ve been picking.

Anyway, I opened my box of Life Purpose Cards and after I shuffled several times, I finally picked a card that seemed to be moving as I fanned them out, it was a card for Crystals.  This was so weird for me because I had just a minute before looked at a box sitting on my floor with crystals in it that I bought and since have not taken out or found a home for yet, and then I pick the card on crystals. 

Then I thought I’d see what the Messages from Angels had to say.  I opened the box and after taking out the guidebook, the top card facing me was Crystal.  After a pause and a breath, I kept going.  I shuffled lots of times and then just picked one from all of them fanned out, and this is true, I picked that same Crystal card.

I really don’t know what goes on in this universe of energy, messages, and how to figure out the meanings to all of this.  Both of these cards had different messages that were for me that day.  One was gentle reminder that I wanted to learn more about cyrstals and they are still sitting in the box,  and the other was to encourage me to keep going along my path.

Later that same afternoon, I received an email that the interview I had done for Live your dream workshops site was now online.  The email was from Crystal.  

I’ll share the link to my interview again, it was the third Crystal message and must be the lucky one!

 

http://liveyourdreamworkshops.com/2012/03/success-story-dona-anderson/

Please feel free to share with others.

Live your dream, Success Story

My interview with Crystal Stranaghan is this weeks featured success story on her Live your dream site.


http://liveyourdreamworkshops.com/2012/03/success-story-dona-anderson/

Celebrating Rumi…

Rumi ... A Celebration

Roots to Breath, Dona Anderson  

One of the winter courses I just finished was called Celebrating Rumi.  I had never taken a course to explore and discuss poems before so this was a new experience for me.  With age and experience, I am happy to learn everything has its time, and I’m very grateful my time came, and Rumi, was the poet.

Each class was very interesting to see how everyone in the group shared their thoughts, and how we saw and experienced sometimes very different things.  All our input was equally valuable, and it was a very comfortable, fun, and welcoming exchange.

Last year I had read a few of his poems and I found it intriguing how some of these 13^th century writings felt as though they could have been recently written and that is why I wanted to learn more.  So I was quite thrilled when I saw this course being offered, and it has opened up another exciting door of exploration for me to pursue and enjoy in my future.

It was also fun to get poems off the Internet and watch You Tube videos of some of them.  Check them out, you may be surprised to find ones that speak to your soul.  

I will have another short post about the last class of this course coming soon, and for now I’d like to share these 4 short poems from Rumi with you that I keep going back to.  I also shared one of Rumi’s poems last year, see my blog post dated, June 26, 2011. 

Enjoy!

“I saw you and became empty.

This emptiness, more beautiful than existence,

it obliterates existence, and yet when it comes,

existence thrives and creates more existence! “  Rumi

“Be like the sun for grace and mercy.

Be like the night to cover others' faults.

Be like running water for generosity.

Be like death for rage and anger.

Be like the Earth for modesty.  

Appear as you are. Be as you appear.” Rumi

“That which God said to the rose, and caused it to laugh in full-blown beauty, He said to my heart, and made it a hundred times more beautiful.”   Rumi

“Humble living does not diminish.  It fills.

Going back to a simple self gives wisdom.

When a man makes up a story for his child,

He becomes a father and a child together, listening.”  Rumi

Thanks so much for listening ... Namaste.

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Sunny St Patrick's Day

I drove over to the beach this morning and it was beautiful.

It looked just like my CD cover, the sun was shining on the water and it was like a million diamonds glistening.

It was hard to imagine we had a really bad storm earlier in the week!

The Anniversary of You!

Happy Birthday to Us!

Roots to Breath, Dona Anderson

I remember when growing we couldn’t wait for our birthdays.  It was a special day to have cake and ice cream and sometimes have a few friends over.  As I got older, and was in the midst of life’s busyness, I sometimes let my Day go by mostly unnoticed and uncelebrated.  Some years I let it be just another day, or I didn’t want to hear the new number.   Even if I didn’t do much to celebrate my own day, I was and still am always so thrilled and grateful to receive cards, and phone calls full of love and birthday wishes.

Our birthdays offer each of us a special time to stop and think about our self, our life, the past year, and it’s also a time that others get to acknowledge us as well. It is kind of a marker for us to look at the past, the present, and possibly at what is ahead. 

I still have cards on my desk from my last birthday, and I so enjoy how all the messages are full of so many wonderful and different things.  One card wants to ride the wind to bring me XX’s and OO’s, others talk about recognition, and hope for sweet celebrations.  They send me love and friendship, thanks and gratitude, and another card speaks of a birthday as being the anniversary of you, and how important that is to not ignore.   I am so honored to receive all these cards and know that each one was specially selected for me. 

Now it’s my turn to wish them sweet celebrations.  It's a new year for me to send out my kisses and hugs, love, hope, recognition, thanks, friendship, or maybe a joke for a laugh or two.   I like to go out and buy as many cards as I can find for the year at one time.  It is a special yearly outing I look forward to as it gives me time to think about how lucky I am to have all these wonderful people in my life.  I really enjoy this time to go to the store by myself, with no other shopping list, and then leave filled with love, happy thoughts, and memories.

Years ago when we visited an old cemetery in Eastern Canada, we noticed they wrote the person’s age in both years and months, 66 years, 7 months.  They acknowledged all the days of one’s life.  As I get older I’m discovering again the need for me to acknowledge and celebrate my own birthday, to celebrate each anniversary of me.  And, to do better at noticing all the other days as well, and not let the busyness of life or my lack of awareness rob me of them.

Each new day is our most precious present.  It’s our gift of time to enjoy and share all the wonderful things that can happen in the moments, minutes, and hours of our day.

Wishing all of you a happy today, and Happy Birthday on your special day!!

Red Tuque Books, 2012 Spring Catalogue

Spring is coming soon and here's the on line version of the new catalogue of Canadian books distributed by Red Tuque Books.

The catalogue is full of bright colors and amazing titles to fill your spring and summer reading lists.

My advertisements for Simply, One Breath At a Time, and Permission To Rest, are on page 16.

Share the catalogue with your favourite bookstore or library.



http://www.redtuquebooks.ca/Catalogues/OnlineCatalogueSpring2012.pdf

Endorsement for my book!

My weekend workshop with international yoga teacher Judith Hanson Lasater was amazing.   She talked about the art of teaching and with each moment of this workshop I felt the presence of a master.

I am also honored that she wrote this wonderful endorsement for my book. 

"Simply One Breath At a Time offers us such simple truths of how to live this life with presence and ease.  This book is both practical and beautiful in its expression.  Author Dona Anderson writes with clarity about a subject she loves, the power of breath and relaxation.  Open it anywhere and begin to feel happier and healthier in your skin.  Recommended for everyone."

Judith Hanson Lasater, Ph.D., PT, has taught yoga since 1971 and is the author of eight books, including the latest, What We Say Matters.

 

 

Online sales  http://www.amazon.ca/Simply-One-Breath-At-Time/dp/1897518870