Explore Spinal Range of Motion
Dear Physical Body,
Dear Physical Body,
Thank you. Thank you so much for these many years of carrying me around, cleansing out my system, bringing blood to my extremities and otherwise balancing a series of sometimes bad inputs on my part— the countless times I have pummeled you with trans-fats, too much sugar or unnecessary, heavy, calorie- laden food. You have sifted through them beautifully breaking them down dutifully releasing the nasty and utilizing the good stuff and I am amazed at how quickly you bring us back to homeostasis.
Those times we have been wiped out from those foreign invaders entering your boundaries were ultimately a certain gain of stamina as you gained strength and learned to fight off new & unexpected foes. Bugs, viruses and other suspicious characters were hellbent on messing with us but you healed beautifully and tossed them out on their asses.
I apologize for putting you down when you have not appeared perfect. As I responded to the effects of time and intensity by hatefully threatening you with injecting toxins or cutting & slicing for merely showing a deep line carved from repetitive laughter or from some of the tragedies I have overcome I see now the error of my ways. I have repeatedly shamed you for showing inevitable signs of having lived a life. I’m sorry.
Here I sit fast approaching 60 and you are still carrying me dutifully, walking me down the many paths I choose, sorting through the debris I leave scattershot on your landscape offering little to no thanks, and even criticism for showing me the slightest weakness. Ultimately much to my amazement you stay powerful & strong. And by the way I understand one of the things I scream about repetitively, the sagging in our middle, is mostly my fault for not understanding that I must keep moving & strengthening all parts, not just the ones that are easy. And you being exhausted at 9pm? I get it now. It’s not due to you fading but due to the fact that I choose to hold your eyes to a screen five hours that day and when that daylight fades I sit still in the night in a pit of uneven cushions watching a bigger screen for another three.
I have not always treated you as the queen you are. I have not treasured you for the hoops you have jumped through and the rivers of energy you have carved out for my well-being— for you keeping our heart pumping and our circulation full and complete, despite my sometimes precarious choices. I will try to, more consistently, offer you the ultimate gift one can offer in this skin— compassion. You deserve it more than any other in my life. Every morning with the rising sun opportunities for change rise as well. I get to choose the course of the day— nourish you, move you with intention through all your ranges of motion, keep your abilities robust. I vow to to give you the stillness & silence you crave so that you can calm & balance, to laugh more so you can sink into the best feelings of all: joy & peace.
You are beauty & my best friend. You will be taken for granted no more. I love you and I always have, so you go— evolve in the way you need to evolve and I will offer you the unconditional love you deserve as we ride the crest of this aging wave together, enjoying cool water on our skin and the warm rays of sun on our ever-changing face.
With infinite love & gratitude,
Tricia
A Fresh Healing Balm, Audio Poetry
Trust THAT Voice
10/30/20 Brene Brown
We cultivate love when we allow our most vulnerable and powerful selves to be deeply seen and known, and when we honor the spiritual connection that grows form that offering with trust, respect, kindness and affection.
Love is not something we give or get, it is something that we nurture and grow, a connection that can only be cultivated between two people when it exists within each one of them—we can only love others as much as we love ourselves.
Shame, blame, disrespect, betrayal, and the withholding of affection damage the roots from which love grows. Love can only survive these injuries if they are acknowledged, healed and rare.
Brene Brown from Daring Greatly
Yoga Closing 10/28/20
artwork source: Anon
“The Buddhists speak of developing an abiding calm. A centeredness that is unshakeable. Like a tall tree so rooted in the Earth that great winds cannot topple it. This for me is the image of contentment. It means not riding the waves of the ups & downs of life. It means that we not only agree to what is in the moment, but we actually welcome it. It means that in all the noise and demands of modernity, we stay in the abiding calm center. This is the mastery of life that contentment invites us into. The practice of gratitude and “non-seeking” can help us stay rooted in this jewel.”
Deborah Adele, The Yamas & the Niyamas
Yoga Closing 10/23/20
Yoga Closing 10/16/2020
Artwork: Pablo Picasso
“The physical world is our creation: we each create our own version of the world, our particular reality, our unique life experience. Because my life is being created through my channel, I can look at my creation to get feedback about myself. Just as an artist looks at her creation to see what works well and what doesn’t, we can look at the ongoing masterwork of our lives to appreciate who we are and to recognize what we still need to learn. We’re creating our lives as we go along; therefore our experiences and needs give us an instant ongoing reflection of ourselves. In fact the external world is like a giant mirror which reflects both our spirits and our forms clearly and accurately. Once we have learned how to look into it and perceive and interpret its reflection, we have a fabulous tool.”
Shakti Gawain from her book Living in the Light
Mission Statement by Tricia Schwaba
from the archives: written by Tricia Schwaba 2011
Yoga Closing 10/12/20
Brian Andres from his book, Something Like Magic
October
“I will cut adrift—I will sit on pavements and drink coffee—I will dream; I will take my mind out of its iron cage and let it swim—this fine October.”
A little Info About My Chakra T’s
triciaschwaba.com/apparel artrockscharity.org
Yoga Closing 10/7/20
Free Writing by Elliott
Aptitude test
Bees scare the shit out of me
Cinemas are a thing of past
Dragnet
Excellent choice of a word.
Fuck
Gorillas
Harmony
Illusion
Jack of all trades
Flying a kite as a kid
Laughable loons
Memory fails in old age
Nonsense
Outrageous
Perpetual
Quite at night
Resting sound asleep
Standards in life have been altered
Train wreck of the year 2020
Victory for blue in November
Weather related
X marks the spot
Yellow mustard on my sandwich
Zoom meetings suck
Elliott From 9/2020
