California - Week One, Conclusion

This has been the longest week of my life. :-(   It was full of 'nothingness'...some of it good. Well, mostly good. Rest is good. Recovery is good. Discovery is good!  So 'nothingness' is an exaggeration.  Forgive me.

I wonder how I will fit into the movement of California life to serve, to bless? I am not my happiest just receiving...although, I realize there is a time and purpose for everything "under the sun"...there is no reason to complain. I hope it doesn't sound like I am. This is just a 180 degree turn from where I was a mere four weeks ago. 

I am waiting to see where God wants me and what I am to do here. If it is PURELY for reflection, recreation, reconnection then I need to embrace that. And I have a impression, that this time, this is REALLY WHAT it is all about. OPEN. RECEIVE. I often have to remind myself. :-))  God's gift of fun. 

My first weekend here was spent driving with Kurt south on Hwy 1 along the pacific coast.  We ventured through small towns, stopping in Pescadero for french bread, salami, and cheese.  Blackberries, strawberries and cherries at a local farmer's stand completed our fare for the day. 

We stopped in Santa Cruz for a walk on Sea Bright beach with views of the board walk in the distance.  We saw a light house, sand crabs, crashing waves, seagulls, and there swimming out not far from where we stood, seals and porpoises as they seemed content in their race against one another.  Our feet received a proper exfoliation from the hot sand as we walked to and from our parked car.

We concluded our drive in Carmel where again we walked to the beach.  This time the sand was whiter, the sky bluer, and the ocean more forceful.  Pebble Beach was also in distant view.  (I had no idea it was one of THE most famous golf courses in the USA!)  We surprised ourselves by 'attending' an open house in a residential area that caught our eye.  I can say this $5 million dollar home a stone's throw from the beach had nothing on our lovely home back in the Black Forest.

If you are in Carmel, one HAS TO go to The Hog's Breath Inn, where the owner is Clint Eastwood.  So sorry, Mr. Eastwood.  But service was extremely poor, and those hanging petunias are in desperate need of some water.  At least we can say we have now been there!  And Carmel is indeed a heavenly place - just not so much The Hog's Breath Inn.

Turning around and heading back at 5:30 pm awarded us the delightful treat of a clear bright sunset over the now still ocean expanse.  The hot coal of color dissolved on the horizon in minutes.  The afterglow lasting about an hour longer before darkness enveloped us.  Singing 70's hits, one after the other, kept us occupied until we rolled back into the hotel parking lot in San Rafael at 9:00 pm.

I would say yoga classes, expansive daily breakfasts, two drives to Sonoma, two movies, coastal drive and church on Sunday morning complete a very relaxing FUN first week.

Speaking of Celebrations

I have traveled far away.  In space, in mind, in heart.  I feel the pull of a Divine Force that is taking me to a place where it is NECESSARY for me to trust.  For all the mountains I have climbed, the high leaps I have taken, the fearlessness I believed I possessed, I am humbled in realizing that fear still resides in me.  I am not as brave as I had thought.  All the courage, even my ability to trust is given to me.  I can't not conjure these strengths on my own or even will them into existence.  They are simply what they are: gifts.

I left Colorado on Sunday, September 2.  Journeying with my husband to California where he is working on a project for the next two months.  I am without a home, a job, friends and family, and my passion.  All these things I left behind.  Or did I? 
 
I have often thought of Christ these past few days.  In the three years of His earthly ministry, He was also without a 'home'...Yes, perhaps a physical home, but I venture that what He needed to survive in this world was available and accessable within.  He showed us how it can be done...how we can live our lives, full of meaning, full of joy, with celebration by tapping in to the Divine nature of a Great God whose Spirit dewells within us.

So speaking truthfully to where I am and what I am facing, I will share with you my journey these next two months.  Maybe you can relate; maybe you can learn; maybe you, too, will find your voice - and speak of your celebrations.  For now, I desire to find mine.

Shalom,
Pamela

Last Summer Month for Reflections Yoga

Due to the incredible amount of work that I have to do for our upcoming move, the yoga hiking schedule has been altered. There will be only one hike left this summer so grab your hiking shoes and join us!! Also, I will be teaching this month at simplyYoga, Chapel Hills Church and the Westside Community Center. I hope to see you all at a class soon! My prayers are with you all! Shalom, Pamela

Yoga Classes:

**SimplyYoga in Castle Rock

504 Perry Street, Castle Rock, 80104

Please register at http://simplyyogacastlerock.com/scheduleregister

Mondays: August 6, 13, 20, 27

5:45 - 6:45 pm - All level CAY (Christian Alternative Yoga) ~ $13 per class / $55 for 5 classes

**Westside Community Center, 1628 West Bijou Street, Old Colorado City, 80904
Tuesdays: August 7, 14, 21, 28

9:15 - 10:40 am - All Levels ~ $6 per class
10:40 - 11:30 am - Chair Yoga ~ $4 Senior Discount

** Chapel Hills Church

2025 Parliament Drive Colorado Springs, 80920
Wednesdays: August 8, 15, 22

5:30 - 6:30 pm - All Levels ~ Drop-in Fee $10 per class

Last Yoga Summer Hike:
This will be an evening hike! RSVP by email or phone no later than Thursday, August 9th.

Husbands, friends, and kids welcomed! Mats are not necessary! I will send out directions to meet at the trail head. We will begin hiking at 6:30 pm. Bring your mat, light snack, and water is a must. Wear Sunscreen, hat, sun glasses, comfortable shoes and clothes. Pack a light jacket incase of inclement weather. ~ FREE

**Dawson Butte Ranch Open Space, Larkspur
   August 10, Friday

Yoga in the Park:

**Down Dog Days of Summer
Instructor: Donna Carlson, Holy Yoga

Saturday: August 18 / 10:00 am til 11:00 am ~ FREE

Limbach Park, Monument

**CorePower Yoga Park Series
Instructors: Various each week; Live music by Austin Richman

Saturdays: August 11, 18, 25 / 10:00 am til 11:00 am ~ FREE

Monument Valley Park, behind the Fine Arts Center, 30 West Dale Street, Colorado Springs

 

 

Yoga Summer Hikes:
Email reflectionsyoga@live.com for directions.  We will meet at the trail head at 8:15 am for each hike. Hikes begin promptly at 8:30 am. Bring your mat, light snack, and water.  Wear Sunscreen, hat, sun glasses, comfortable shoes and comfortable clothes you can move it. Pack a light jacket incase of inclement weather. ~ FREE

** Red Rocks Canyon Open Space
June 4, Monday

** Spruce Mountain
June 15, Friday

** Garden of the Gods
June 18, Monday

** Glen Eyrie
July 9, Monday

** Sante Fe Trail
July 20, Friday

** Stanley Canyon
July 23, Monday

**Dawson Butte Ranch Open Space
August 3, Friday

** Paint Mines State Park
August 6, Monday

**Palmer Lake Reservoir
August 17, Friday

Yoga in the Park:
  JUNE 2012

**Down Dog Days of Summer
   Instructor: Donna Carlson, Holy Yoga

   Saturdays: June 2 and 16 / 10:00 am til 11:00 am ~ FREE

Limbach Park

Monument

View Map · Get Directions

 

 

**CorePower Yoga Park Series
    Instructors: Various each week
    Live music by Austin Richman

    Saturdays: June 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30 / 10:00 am til 11:00 am ~ FREE

Monument Valley Park, behind the Fine Arts Center
30 West Dale Street, Colorado Springs

Summer Yoga * June 2012

Reflections Yoga

Instructor: Pamela Reno, CCYT, RYT

Cell: 719-352-9272

Yoga Classes:

**Westside Community Center
    1628 West Bijou Street, Old Colorado City, 80904
    Tuesdays: June 5, 12, 19 and Thursday: June 21

9:15 til 10:15 am - All Levels ~ $6 per class or prepay for all 4 classes
10:40 am til 11:00 am - Chair Yoga ~ $4 Senior Discount


** Chapel Hills Church
     2025 Parliament Drive, Colorado Springs, 80920
     Wednesdays: June 6, 13, 20

5:30 pm til 6:30 pm - All Levels ~ $10 drop in fee per class or $24 for 3 classes

2012 Spring Yoga Series - Cultivate and Grow Your Practice for Home!

After a long absence, I have learned more than ever that there is no place like HOME. Our homes can be a place of refuge, a shelter - a safe and protected place. It's not only a place where our physical needs are met, but a place where we can be real - be ourselves and connect with those we love. Our homes can be a place to relax and rejuvenate when we feel overwhelmed with life. But home doesn't have to be just our physical dwelling, it can be a spiritual place where God restores our soul.

In our anticipation of spring, our next series focus on how to Cultivate and Grow Your Practice for Home - establishing a place of refuge within and without. In union with lots of movement, we will learn to recognize God's unconditional love and Presence within.

We will look at six concepts that will be the foundation of our practice; we will learn how to structure our practice: breath work, warm up poses, poses to cultivate the 'core' of our practice, cool down poses; and final resting poses. We will look at the benefits of each pose. We will learn which poses cultivate energy, relaxation, or provide a release from stress. We will learn how our openness and perspective affects our ability to move or perhaps not move!

I look forward to seeing you next week. Feel free to email me with any questions or for more information.  Click on the link on the side bar for a list of current classes.  Thank you so much!! 
I am so very happy to be HOME.