I realized it has been 7 years since I've had a real vacation. You know the kind where you get to leave the state, take a break, go with the flow, and explore! A year and a half ago I went and listen to a time share sales pitch and they tried so hard to convince me to buy a Time share, when the only thing I was there for, was the free trip... a Free Trip to Hawaii... whoo hoo! I have waited for a year and a half for this trip and finally it has come through. So next week, I'm Hawaii bound.

I was there in 2000 in Kauaii for a while and never wanted to leave...This time, I will be in Honolulu. Maybe I won't leave! Yes it's only for 3 days, 2 of which are coming and going.. I really don't care. I'm just excited to go! On Wednesday of next week, there is an annular solar eclipse and that makes me want to do fire in Hawaii on the beach during the eclipse. Oh! I realize, but then that wouldn't be a break. 7 Years of energy, 3 days of time....What will she do?

If anyone has any suggestions on nature or sacred spots that are not tourist attractions and I could visit in the one full day I will be there, please let me know. There is nothing I hate more than being a tourist. I like to explore unique sacred places that are not visited by all. Is there really such a place that still exists on an Island?

Also, if there is any fire family, I would honestly be interested in meeting up on the beach and getting a chance to meet some fire dancers on the island. I'm not sure yet if I will bring my fire poi with me. I wasn't planning on it until today and I'm not sure if I want to take them and then have any problems and lose them because the airport confescates them. I can't afford to buy more right now and have shows the following weekend.

Love and light - sequoia

Interesting experience with a local yoga studio here in Sacramento.

2 weeks ago, a friend call me and told me she found a wonderful yoga studio that she had been going to. She is new to yoga. I am not. She informed me that they offer a deal for first timers with that particular studio where you pay $10 and you can take as many yoga classes for 10 consecutive days as you want. You only pay $10 - what a deal! I don't normally find good studios and am picky about where and who I learn yoga from. However, for a deal like $10 for 10 days I can check it out and see if it is the type of place I would consider going to on a regular basis.

So Last Tuesday, I went down and signed up. I have been taking classes every day since then and experiencing different teachers styles. The studio is co- owned by Bill Bill Prysock who also teaches classes. When I went in I was given a schedule. I didn't pay much attention to it, of course my own fault but at the bottom it read 2008 schedule. I was following that schedule and last Friday showed up at 4:30 to find only the owner Bill there. He sort of rudely advised that I had looked at and followed the wrong schedule that class was at 5:30pm and that if I couldn't come back it means I lost that day of classes. Understandable. $10 for 10 days does mean that they are giving away about $150 worth of yoga classes. However the 2007 schedule was posted no where and being quite new to this studio I felt like it wasn't entirely my fault. When I signed up, the lady gave me a schedule and told me they were the class times. I posted it on my reridgerator and had been going accordingly. I was not able to go back at 5:30 this particular night. I was let down because I had been looking forward to it, however easily moved past it. I went Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning.

Monday, Christmas Eve, They had told everyone to go online to look at the schedule. So in a midst of guests and errands and family things, I logged on to check out the schedule and saw that they were offering a class at 4pm. Perhaps I looked at it wrong. My friend was in town for the week and wanted to take advantage of the deal as well. Her family lives in Sacramento, she grew up here, and lived here until a few years ago when she moved to the coast. She enjoys the style of yoga that they do, and figured that if it is a good class, she could come when she was in town. Plus she would be able to take advantage of the 10 day pass. We walked down to the studio on Christmas Eve to go to a 4pm yoga class, arrived at 3:40pm - again to find only the owner Bill there. He opened the door, I said we are excited to do yoga, we are a little early, he rudely replied yeah 45 minutes early. So I said huh, I thought class was at 4pm. He said no 4:30pm and proceeded to show me on the computer and asked me if I was the girl who couldn't get the time right at the other class. Meanwhile his dog kept trying to stick his nose in my butt, Bill thought that was funny and started chuckling. I was a little irritated. I was sure that the night before the schedule said 4pm, again probably was my error, but I had an earache from walking in the cold. He turned My friend and I away to walk back home in the cold with no yoga class. I ws a little frustrated but we decided to come back at 4:30pm. So after all of that, on Christmas Eve, we went back down there. I walked my friend up, Bill sort of acted either like he wasn't happy to see us or didn't remember us, sort of cold and disconnected to the fact that we were obviously determined to come take a yoga class on Xmas Eve from him. I introduced my friend, said she is new and would like to take advantage of the first timer deal. He said ok. Asked her to fill out a disclaimer and sign in. He then began multitasking and sort of forgot about her while he signed up another new person. He then rang her up and said $16. At which I replied and said that she wanted to take advantage of the first timer deal. He said oh, where do you live, she said Aptos and Sacramento. he said it's only for people who live in town. That is their policy - which they don't have posted anywhere. So I asked my friend if she still wanted to do it. She said yes. So she pulls out $10 in cash and a credit card to pay the other $6. He looks at her and rudely replies, we don't do that here. She said take credit card? He said no split up the payment. He said it's their policy. So I was now getting to a point where this I really didn't feel like learning from this guy. After walking down in the cold once at the wrong time, being violated by his dog and laughed at, turned away, then treated as though he didn't appreciate my friends business and was unwilling after seeing how much we had went through to make to make it work.,.. we left. We had to stand their and put on our shoes, he didn't try to stop us and say wait, we normally don't do this but will this time or even try to explain any further. It was though he simply didn't want to be there and in turn didn't want us there. So he lost my friends business, lost my continued business, and put himeself in a spot where I will be sure to let people know about my experience with Zuda Yoga and the co-owner Bill Prysock.

Thank you for reading

Yoga according to Iyengar is union, communion. It means to join or yoke, to concentrate one's attention on. It is the union of our will to the will of God, a poise of the soul which enables one to look evenly at life in all it's aspects. The 8 limbs are the means of attaining yoga. The first are ethical observations.
Ahimsa is non-violence, loving yourself and others, gentleness, justice, no pride or fear.
Satya: is truthfulness, being true to your nature
Asteya: not stealing, not keeping for yourself when others lack, it is a gift to be simple
Bramacharya: moderation, in all things, of body, mind, and speech
Aprarigraha: non poessessiveness, not hoarding, I have all that I need, feeling no loss.

I have been a subscriber to Yoga Journal magazines for some time. I have found them to be accurate, informative and helpful in a lot of ways. I was thumbing through the last issue and something caught my eye. It was a bright silver shiney watch with diamonds or fake diamonds in it! I thought to myself, what magazine am I reading. I turned to the front, sure enough it was Yoga Journal. Not that yogi don't wear diamond watches. It was a little message under neath the watch that said it contains a chip that will help you to better resist the effects of external fields given off by cell phones and an asteriks. Next to the asteriks, it reads based on reported wearer experience in small letters and then in slightly bigger letters: Available at Saks Fifth Avenue. This is a full page color add. So I thought to myself, why would Yoga Journal want to place adds in their catalog for Saks Fifth Avenue. It seems to directly contradict some of the ethical observations. Non violence, Saks sells Fur and supports that environment. Am I to assume that I will next be able to buy by yoga mat lined in fur? For a small $800. Who is the market that Yoga Journal is speaking to? Folks that shop at Saks Fifth Avenue, buy diamond watches, and aren't really interested in the message that is available to us through yoga, Self Love and acceptance. Simplicity, moderation, non violence. I turn to the cover of the magazine, better back bends, a yoga makeover, boost your brainpower, peak performance, estee lauder. I feel like I'm reading a Glamour of Yoga magazines. Rather than learning how to accept myself, I'm learning natural ways to instill the feeling that I'm not ok, that because the diamond watch has a chip to repel external fields in based upon user experience that makes up for the fact that the stores in which you may buy it support the fur and animal cruelty market.

So I thought I would spend some time and write them and just share how I felt about it. Someone sent me a canned response telling me that someone else would be in touch with me in 2-3 days. 5-7 days went by and no response. I emailed back. Someone emailed and said thank you. And for me to let them know if they could be of any more assistance. I responded and asked if they read the email, and he told me someone else would be in touch me shortly. No one has acknowledged or responded as of yet. So I've cancelled my subscription.

I know that it's not a huge deal, but it's more about the principle. Yoga has become a fad. Something people do. But the message is being lost and all that is left are the postures. The postures lose alot of their power if the meaning and message is missing. I personally feel it's necessary to support things that embody the full message and meaning and not leave out important parts of the bigger picture. They are a business though. And that is fine. They can make their choices and do whatever they feel. It just saddens me because they are a popular magazine. and I'm sure that their message contributes to shaping yoga and how people respond to it. When I see that type of mentality takng over yoga teachers and studios, I realize how brainwashed by those subtle message people have become. I hope a more well rounded yoga magazine emerges. One that embodies the full message in balance. There are plenty of businesses who do good things for the environment that probably would have been a better choice than the diamond watch add. Perhaps there is a magazine that will emerge that will suport those people and those businesses that do observe the 8 limbs as a whole; including the ethical observations.

This New Year's Eve I planted a seed. The tree that is growing is a Wishgranting Tree. I invite anyone to contribute to it. I posted a topic in the Obsidian Butterfly tribe at
obsidianbutterfly.tribe.net/thre...3c79a
go here and contribute your dreams, hearts desires, goals, what you deeply need to be complete, whole, balanced, and full of FIRE; and pass it alolng. Anyone and everyone are welcome to participate. I will be taking this tree to ART shows, some festivals, and a few performances that I'm at this year and asking people to contribute to it. Then at Burning Man, we will release the dreams into the air in the form of smoke to be sent out into the universe. It will be a project that began growing December and will be released in August. Infinite number 8 - there infiinte possibilities. Remain open and follow your heart....

Today is a windy day, I can hear the leaves scraping accross the cement as they dance all around
I can hear the trees as they creek, bend, and snap with each gust
This morning, I took a walk in the wind...

Listen to the wind today... What do you hear?