New Year, New Inspiration
As the days begin to grow longer, and the sun creeps higher in the sky, there is not a more perfect time like the New Year to find a renewed sense of inspiration and zest for life. The blue moon, which auspiciously and beautifully rung in 2010, has set the stage for a year of awareness, gratitude, and intention. On the evening of December 31, 2009 with a bottle of exceptionally yummy Champagne, we built a fire and wrote the things we wanted to let go of from the year past on pieces of paper. As they smoldered in the bright orange flames, it felt like the process of shedding a winter coat to step into a new, fresh phase of life. Next, we wrote our intentions, wishes, dreams, and goals for the coming year and watched as they too transformed among the jumping flames from written words on paper to smoke and ashes. Like a seed being carried in the wind in search of the perfect field to take root and grow, our words, now smoke and ashes, poured out of the chimney into the moonlit sky in search of the perfect moment, sometime in the future, when they too will take root and begin to grow. As that process unfolds over the course of the next year, I have made it my goal to awake every day with inspiration, love, and gratitude for the simple fact that were are here, it is now, and it’s fantastically amazing. So what is inspiring me right now?
Music :: a little of everything – 01.10 playlist
Healthy balanced living :: Ayurveda
Photographs :: my eye 2009
Photographers :: Lauren Ross :: Ben Moon :: Yann Arthus-Bertrand :: RedBull Illume
Yoga :: Shiva Rea :: Dave Romanelli
Great design :: Design Sponge :: Etsy
Knee slapping laughter :: Demetri Martin :: Dave Chappelle
Travel :: Everlater
Beauty like you’ve never seen :: Ashes & Snow
The simple things :: 3191 miles apart
Love, gratitude, presence, peace. Let the new year fill you with new inspiration, and enjoy every breath…
01.10 playlist
A little bit of everything…
Skinny Love :: Bon Iver :: For Emma, Forever Ago
Closer :: Kings of Leon :: Only By the Night (Deluxe Version)
Smile (feat. Steven Tyler) :: Chris Botti :: Chris Botti In Boston
Reprieve :: Ani DiFranco :: Reprieve (Bonus Version)
Broken Chair :: Chris and Thomas :: Land of Sea
Regresando Remix :: The Silver Pesos :: Regresando
Let It Burn :: Trolls Cottage :: Let It Burn
Everybody Knows :: Ryan Adams :: Easy Tiger
The Time Is Now :: Moloko :: Ultimate Acoustic (Disc 2)
Rushing :: Moby :: Play & Play: B Sides
Blinded by the Lights :: The Streets :: A Grand Don’t Come for Free
Kissing :: Bliss :: Quiet Letters
Me :: Atmosphere :: When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That S**t Gold (Bonus Video Version)
Last Tango In Paris :: Gotan Project :: Gotan Project Live
Chandrika (Moonlight) :: Michael Mandrell and Benjy Wertheimer :: Anjali
Song for a Friend :: Jason Mraz :: Mr. A-Z
Blindsided :: Bon Iver :: For Emma, Forever Ago
Losing Keys :: Jack Johnson :: Sleep Through the Static
Dear God (Sincerely M.O.F.) :: Monsters of Folk
It’s Amazing :: Jem :: Down to Earth
You & I Both :: Jason Mraz :: Jason Mraz Live & Acoustic
Breakdown (With Brett Dennen & Mason Jennings) [Live] :: Missy Higgins :: Steer & More – EP
Ode to Books
I love watching people peruse the bookstore; their brows knit in a seeking and curious, yet slightly serious way. Their eyes wide open, darting rapidly over various titles and authors. One brow raises as they come across something new and intriguing, then a smile slowly spreads across the face as their eyes fall upon a familiar title, bringing back warm memories, memories of a story they loved, or maybe even of someone who loved that story. It’s a silent process, browsing the shelves of a bookstore, but the expressions in the face say a thousand words.
Books, magical indeed; full of knowledge, information, experience, feelings, expression. How is that the simple process of staring at black letters on a white page can turn into one of the most incredible journeys? As your eyes dart over the letters and your hands gently support the book, your mind goes on a wild adventure to far away places, meets people it has never known, learns about things it didn’t know even existed, and yet the body remains still, aside from the occasional turn of the page or cross of the legs. These simple black letters can bring us to tears, cause our hearts to leap, or our breath to gasp. They can provoke feelings and thoughts that stay with us long after we part ways with the book. They can influence our thinking, our perspective, and our way of being in the world.
As I sit, surrounded by books of all genres, written by people from all walks of life, I can’t help but feel the energy from all those experiences that inspired their writing swirling around me, and in turn, inspiring me.
Thank you books, for being so simplistic in form, yet unlimited in your capacity to help us dream, experience, adventure, and feel, without so much as the turn of a page.
Urban Poetry
After taking the day to walk, run, and eat my way around San Francisco, I paused in Union Square to lay on the steps, look up at the surrounding buildings, and take it all in. The following is what came out.
With every breath I feel my soul awaken,
Its senses becoming alive.
Every cell embodying life,
So completely, that each ounce of human expression
Brings tears of joy to my eyes.
There are sign posts around every bend,
sign posts that mark a path of love.
The breeze blows through me like a breath of gratitude,
From the ocean on the distant horizon.
The song of a saxophone tickles my ears,
enriching the air like the laughter of a child.
Everywhere there is movement and life
Set to the backdrop of the urban pulse,
A heartbeat, a constant, that eventually
Merges into one with the Universal pulse.
Energy pulsing through bodies and buildings,
Rooting down, reaching deep into the earth,
Rising up, reaching high for the sky.
Stillness with movement,
The perfect dance.
A blance we seek, one hard to find,
Yet it is already and always there,
Making everything perfect.
All I know,
is that this moment is.
Creating Space with Music
I have always put a lot of thought and energy into the music I choose to play in my yoga classes, as I have found music to be an incredible tool to draw people out of the distractions of their minds and into their bodies. Since my classes tend to be structured as restorative and slow flow classes, I seek music that has a relaxing and emotive vibe to it. As we slow down, breathe deeper, and become more in tune with what’s going with our inside world, the outside world become more enjoyable, beautiful, and simple. Taking just a few minutes out of every day to this can literally change your life. I’ve watched it change mine.
Ultimately, the goal is to create space. When we create space in our boides, minds, or hearts through stretching and the release of tension, we become less reactive, our perspective shifts, and we are able to see what clear and right action is in all situations that present themselves. This heightened sense of awareness and clarity of thought lead to positive and progressive action that can have an incredible impact not only on you, but on the world.
Whether you have a strong and long time yoga practice, or are completely new to this beautiful art, I encourage you to find a comfortable space, wear some comfortable clothes, get down on the floor, and with no agenda or thought, listen to these songs and let your body stretch, open, and create space in whatever ways it desires.
1. Life is Wonderful – Jason Mraz
2. Returning – Jami Sieber
3. Guaranteed – Eddie Vedder
4. We Are One – Ziggy Marley
5. Granada – Emilio de Benito
6. Purple Rain – Martin Sexton
7. Nutshell – Alice in Chains
8. Easy – Anoushka Shankar
9. Imagine – Eva Cassidy
10. Joyful Girl – Soulive
11. Winter Song – Sara Bareilles & Ingrid Michaelson
12. Love You More – Alexi Murdoch
13. Hallelujah – Jeff Buckley
14. Shri Ram Jay Ram – Dave Stringer
15. Fields of Gold – Sting
16. Madolyn – Sharon Isbin
17. Love is My Religion (accoustic) – Ziggy Marley
18. If God Will Send His Angels – U2
19. San Andreas Fault – Natalie Merchant
20. Mona Lisa – Robin Nolan Trio
21. Forever – Ben Harper
22. Long Ago – Michael Hoppe
23. Om Narayani – Krishna Das
24. Prayer to Kuan Yin – Donna Delory & David Gregoli
Off the Mat into the World
Mattresses. Something you probably don’t think of much, yet if you didn’t have one it might be the only thing on your mind. It’s one of those very simple basic household items that we take completely for granted.
What if you didn’t have a mattress to sleep on? Or what if your mattress was made of hay and didn’t have any sheets? That is what it’s like for thousands of children in sub-saharan Africa. Many of them sleep without mattresses, and the few who are lucky enough to slumber above the dirt floor are often on mattresses soaked in urine and made of hay. Not exactly a Posturpedic dream.
When I heard this story last weekend at a yoga workshop in Denver with renown yogini and activist Seane Corn my heart cried. It’s so easy to forget how much we have, and how little others around the world have, when it’s not in your face every day. Seane told many stories like the mattress story, all having to do with the current living conditions for children in Uganda. While much of it was heart breaking, there was an uplifting side; we can help, and it doesn’t take much to make life changing differences.
Off the Mat and Into the World was started by Seane Corn along with Hala Khouri and Suzanne Sterling with the intention that one could take all the strength, energy, and love cultivated on our yoga mats out into the world to help make a difference where change is needed. Last year Seane and a group of leaders from the yoga community travelled to Cambodia to work with the Cambodian Children’s Fund. Their efforts there drastically and positively changed the lives of many children.
This year, OTM is traveling to Uganda to build schools, sustainable farms, birthing centers, and water supply systems. OTM has extended a challenge to anyone who wishes to join and support their cause; raise $20K by November 15th, 2009, then join the OTM team on a two week journey to Uganda in February of 2010 to do hands on work in the community and put the money to work.
Having always been passionate about travel, yoga, and giving back to the world, I knew this was right up my alley the moment I heard the words come out of Sean’s mouth. I immediately wrote down in my journal, “New goal for 2009, raise the money and travel to Uganda,” with a huge smily face and thumbs up adorning the space next to the letters. Once I signed the pledge to join OTM on the Uganda trip, I was given a pack of matterials that would help me on my journey to raise the money. Included in that pack was a series of photographs from Seane’s most recent trip to Uganda. The joy, energy, and raw excitement for life that decorated each adorable face the kids made my heart sing. $20K is a lot of money, and it’s going to be an even greater challenge to raise the money in harsh economic times, but I’m certain those faces and smiling, shiney eyes will give me every ounce of energy I need to acomplish the task.
Over the next few months as I work on raising money for this incredible cause, I will be blogging about the process and sharing stories. Feel free to check in and experience this incredible journey with me!
For more on this project, to donate, or to get involved, please view my Activism page. Together, we can achieve greatness!
welcome
I’m Kate Olson, an Aspen based professional skier, pilates and yoga teacher, writer, photographer and above all, experience seeker. My passion in life is to find new adventures every day, participate to the fullest, and capture them all through photographs and words. Join me on this site in experiencing those adventures, ranging from across the world to right here on the couch at my favorite coffee shop in Aspen. Check my blog for anecdotes and stories that are sure to bring a smile to your face, or follow me on twitter to see my daily thoughts and share laughs.
“Do not go where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”
- ralph waldo emerson
A funny thing happened to my nose
No air flowing through the right nostril. Damn. Shift position, adjust the pillow to a slight incline, roll onto other side. Soon, right nostril opens, yet left now appears to be blocked. Grrrrr. One can’t win this battle.
The lack of free flowing breath via the nose is by far the symptom I detest most that comes with a cold. The coughing, as long as it’s not too juicy or violent, can become an event of dramatic expression and victory, by raising a fist into the air having survived each attack; a positive. The yellow and sometimes green goo that manages to emerge oh so attractively from orifices you did not know you even had, always at the most opportune of times, can become a curious and exploratory event; a potential positive. But the blocked nose, there is simply nothing joyful, celebratory, or positive about that. And so, when I found myself tossing and turning last Monday night suffering from this very malady, I decided that come sun rise, I would find a solution.; something that would essentially kick the ass of whatever it was lurking uninvited inside my nasal passages.
Garlic is a very powerful substance. Potent smell, strong taste, did I mention potent smell? It has been regarded as one of natures most robust immune system boosters, not to mention one of the most powerful repellants if trying to ward off a boyfriend/girlfriend, husband/wife, or any other bedroom companion. Garlic was exactly what I had my sights set on to solve this unpleasant blocked nose problem.
Being a bit of a devotee to Ayurvedic Medicine, I consulted my Ayurvedic Home Cures book for sinus infections. A wide range of herbs, diet restrictions, and rest were suggested, but then my eye caught a nicely boxed bit of text on the bottom right of the page. Garlic, that potent little substance ,was suggested if one was brave enough. “You may not enjoy this, but it works” claimed the book. My puffed-up-chested ego stepped up and said, “Oh i can handle that! In fact this was just what I was looking for.”
In hindsight, yes it was a little aggressive given the intensity of garlic and the fragility of my nasal passages. But I had never stuck garlic up my nose, and I have to admit, I was mildly intrigued. And was it effective? Like sticking a lollypop in a screaming 4 year old’s mouth.
I was to take a head of garlic, juice it, then use an eye dropper to drip 3-5 drops of the juice up my nose. Then, I had to keep my head back for at least 5 min to allow the juice to work it’s magic, finally returning to an upright position and blowing out whatever contents were left. I wish I could say the experience as simple and calm as that sentence reads. On the contrary. It was more like shoving a bottle rocket up my nose, lighting it, then allowing it to explode inside the nose. That is precisely what it feels like to drop even just ONE tiny droplet of garlic juice up there. 3-5? you’ve got to be kidding me. Hold your head back for 5 min? 5 seconds was enough to make me cry like baby.
Yet after a few minutes passed, my eyes ceased being geysers of tears, the feeling slowly returned to my face, and my body stopped trembling and convulsing. It was then that I was rewarded with the most incredible and uplifting surprise; freedom of breath, all in under 10 minutes. Whatever it was that was lurking up in my nose had quickly retreated, and I was fairly certain after that procedure, would never return.
So, if you find yourself with a nasty little sinus infection over these next few weeks as we shift from winter to spring (the time of year you are MOST likely to get a cold), and you’re feeling brave, adventuresome, and jonesing to stick something up your nose, I highly recommend the fresh garlic juice method. Kick back, load up the dropper, take a few in the schnoz, and prepare for fireworks. Ten minutes later, you will be ginning from ear to ear, breathing like an iron lung, and revering the power of garlic.
