4th of July

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Summer Fun in Seattle Area

Continuing Thoughts on the Joys of Summer

Since writing yesterday’s post, I have been thinking more about all the things I love to do in Seattle.  In fact I moved to Pacific Northwest because I had such fond memories of summers spent up here.  Well actually, I moved up here because we could get jobs and find affordable housing, but Seattle was a contender also because of all that it offers.

So here is a list of some of my favorite summer activities.  Please chime in so we can help each other have a truly amazing, inspiring and nourishing summer. I have included some links,

  • Berry picking at Harvolds Farm
  • Watching Firework Displays
  • Beach combing and tide-pooling
  • Concerts in the park at ZooTunes, Chateau St. Michell, or Marymoore Park
  • Bike Riding on the Burke-Gilman Trail
  • Swimming at Lincoln Park Pool in West Seattle
  • Mountain Biking
  • Kayaking or canoeing in the Mercer Slough or Lake Union
  • Sailing  on Lake Union – Center for Wooden Boats
  • Sailing on the Sound – Shilshoe Marina
  • Watching boating activity – so many beach parks abound on Lakes and the Sound
  • Hiking – So many trails on the I90 corridor you could go to a different one every day of summer and not get bored.
  • Check out local islands – Vashon, Bainbridge, Whidbey
  • Check out further islands – Orcas, San Juan, Shaw, etc
  • Camping – Mt. Baker, Mt. Rainer, Cascade Wilderness, Olympics
  • Hanging out at the beach – Ocean Shores, Olympic Peninsula, Shi Shi, Cannon Beach in Oregon
  • Ferris Wheel on the the Seattle waterfront
  • Yoga for Hope – outdoor yoga at the Seattle Center for City of Hope
  • Wanderlust – Multi-day yoga and music event offered this year in Whistler, BC
  • Meditating while sitting in the dunes by the beach, or next to a river
  • Yoga on the beach

Okay, this is enough to get everyone started.  Off to meditate, work in my garden and study yoga.  Perfect day.

 

Shalom & Namaste

Diana Bonyhadi

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The Freedom of Summer is Good for Your Soul

I love summer time!

School is out for almost everyone.  The kids are off to summer jobs or enjoying the luxury of sleeping in.  Mornings are slow and calm.  This parent has a lot less driving to do and a lot less nagging.  No more homework, no more projects, no more school related meetings.  The sun has even popped out once or twice this month, and I went to my second outdoor summer concert this week.

Summer is the time to slow down, refuel and reconnect.  Almost everyone will take some form of vacation, whether it is a weekend of camping, a trip to the beach or maybe even something longer and more adventurous.

Many of us will have a bit more time to be with friends and families enjoying picnics, sightseeing, concerts, camp-outs, barbeques, and bonfires,(with marshmallows and dark chocolate of course).

Taking time off from our regular routine not only allows us respite but it also provides us the opportunity to reconnect with our deeper selves.  We get the extra moment for reflection, we get the extra moment for play, we get the extra moment for love.

I wish we could have summer all year-long.  It’s not that I am lazy (I might be, but that’s not the point), it’s just that I think people would be healthier and happier if we all embraced the value of summer throughout the year.

So, to all my friends and yogis, I wish you a summer full of:

  • rest
  • music
  • dancing
  • sunshine
  • friendship
  • good books
  • fresh berries
  • corn on the cob
  • walks in the moonlight
  • strolling along the beach
  • hiking in the woods
  • family
  • bonfires
  • meditation
  • YOGA

Shalom & Namaste

Diana Bonyhadi

 

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Happy 4th of July

Did you know that if you hit shift -four instead of simply hitting the four, you get a dollar sign?  Thus 4th of July becomes $th of July, and I wonder if there was any significance in that typo?  Has celebrating American Freedom come to mean celebrating our quest for financial freedom?  Or the celebration of the almighty dollar as opposed to the celebration of the spirit of religious and political freedom upon which this country was founded?  I am afraid I am about to get to heavy and cynical here.  This is a yoga blog after all, and my original intention was to write a blog of celebration.

So first a scheduling note.  Sunday Salutation Class is cancelled this Sunday as I will be out of town with my family for the holiday weekend.  Do lift up your arms in celebration and bow to the earth in respect and bring your hands back to your heart in honor of the connection you provide between the heavens and the earth.

Playing at the beach

Second, Yoga for Hope:  Samena Club and I are joining forces to offer an Eastside event for Yoga for Hope on July 16th at 10:00. Yoga for Hope supports the work done at City of Hope for Cancer, AIDS and HIV/AIDS.  Come out and join us.  This is a really good organization, doing some of the most cutting edge research and providing the most nurturing and integrative of care for patients and their families.  You can support me and them by coming out on the 16th and doing some salutation with us and/or by clicking here and making a donation.

And now back to 4th of July.  I spend every 4th with my family in Cannon Beach, OR.  We have a great gathering of the clan.  Meals are shared on porches, bonfires lit on the beach. Old and young share in songs and s’mores around the bonfire.  And yes, we join in the annual parade.  It is truly a small town parade, half  the town is in it and the other half line the street, cheering.  Everyone dresses in red, white and blue.  In these moments, with family and friends surrounding me,  I am reminded of how truly lucky we are to live in this beautiful country.  And I honor the strength and perseverance of our forefathers, who left the confines of religious persecution to come to this country to start a new life.  On the 4th of July, I stop to honor their  strength and vision, and I hope that  our country will try to remember the purity of vision that brought so many of us here.  May we continue to open our hearts to others and support all peoples in their quest for freedom – freedom of religion, freedom from war, freedom from fear and hunger and persecution.  And may we take better care to support those freedoms within our country, so we can truly be a country of light and hope and possibility

So, lift up your arms, and let your heart shine forth.  Breathe in – in Celebration, and Exhale with Joy.  Sparkle!

Shalom & Namaste,

Diana Bonyhadi