Third Chakra Focus

Image courtesy of: www.ishalerner.com!

 "May my feet rest firmly on the ground.

May my head touch the sky.

May I see clearly.

May I have the capacity to listen.

May I be free to touch.

May my words be true.

May my heart and mind be open.

May my hands be empty to fill the need.

May my arms be open to others.

May my gifts be revealed to me, so that I may return that which has been given. Completing the great circle."

- Terma

Image courtesy of: www.divavillage.com

This week I chose to use the Third Chakra as the focus for my yoga classes. 

The color yellow is just so cheerful and bright and the weather here in Washington was looking grey. 

As per the class routine I put in a lot of Third Chakra poses to energize this energy center and warm up my students. 

For something different we started supine in savasana and then coming into a nice ab workout.  

In Mt. 3 of class, I had the ladies do some gentle partner stretches to feel a little deeper stretch and practice some rhythmic breathing. Inducing relaxation for savasana.

The above quote was the meditation for savasana at the end of class.

The ladies all felt nice and relaxed and cheerful after class. To top it all off, I felt amazing too!

Below I would like to share Third Chakra information with all of you, in case you are new to Chakras:)

Color: Yellow

Sanskrit name: Manipura

Location: Solar Plexus (shown in diagram up above)

Purpose: To understand your mental and emotional self.

Lessons: Love yourself without being narcissistic. Being happy with who you are and knowing that you are worthy of a great life (rich or poor).

If any of this information intrigues you, I encourage you to look into it for yourself and see where it takes you! There are so many wonderful ways to exercise your chakras! 

Until next time...

Namaste!

Andrea Palframan's Goddess Cards

Attuned:

A Lunar Cycle Tarot

28 Goddess Cards for

Daily Inspiration

&Divination

 Andrea Palframan is an amazing artist and inspiring, compassionate goddess!

Andrea's art is reminiscent of different strong female characters from Native American, African, European and Indian cultures. Her words can really speak out to you! They energize your self-awareness.

Years ago while I was at Bumbershoot in Seattle, I came across this tarot deck and it said "Please buy me, you won't regret it!", so I did! I love to use this tarot deck at anytime I need a little love and inspiration in my life or some self-reflection and even meditation. Lately I have noticed that in my research on Andrea, her Lunar Tarot deck is very rare and may be out of print. So I just wanted to share a little bit of her beautiful writings with all of you! Today I drew these 3 cards, see if you can relate!

Past:

STAR

"The mermaid emerges from the depths, bringing light out of the darkness. The pearl is the wisdom she has found through her jouney into the shadowy part of her soul. Her strength comes from the awareness that it is the pain of friction that makes the pearl. Look; there are stars on the walls of your cave."

Present:

ANGEL

"She looks over her shoulder at the place she has been, warily. She takes a moment to reflect on the dark part of the cycle that she is emerging from. The lessons learned from difficulty allow us to appreciate the simplicity of being; water, breath, light. Drink deeply after a drought."

Future:

GEMINI

"Looking outwards, looking within; the duality of our introverted and extroverted selves is symbolized by the sun and moon. From our discoveries in the quiet "moon" times, we bring forth our light into the world and shine like the sun."

Words by: Andrea Palframan

If you are interested in learning more about Andrea Palframan and all of her exciting new happenings please check her out at:

www.ampersandimaging.com

or

you can even find her on Blogger!

Happy Valentine's Day

Loved this image! Courtesy of Deviant Art, check em' out!

"The moment you have in your heart

this extaordinary thing called love

and feel the depth, the delight,

the ecstasy of it,

you will discover that for you

the world is transformed."

By: J. Krishnamurti

Happy Valentines Day

Everyone!

Hawaiian Bath and Body

Are you looking for all-natrual luxurious products to cleanse and nourish your skin? Well look no further! Hawaiian Bath and Body products are just what you need!

This place has soo much history!

The Best Bath and Body products on Earth!

To begin... I was living in Hood River, OR working at the amazing Flow Yoga studio, training to become a yoga instructor. I was in love with yoga! There was still something missing though! 

After looking for massage schools I finally decided that Hawaii Healing Arts College was where I was meant to be! And here are the reasons why... It was actually less expensive than the massage schools in the Hood River area. The school also had a great reputation for anatomy and physiology. And my great friend Liz happened to need a roommate. She has an adorable bungalow, with the most perfect location possible on North Shore, Oahu! Plus the rent was $300 less than what I was currently paying! Awesome!

View from the bungalow that I lived in! Amazing!

  The very first day I was back on Oahu, my friend Glennel picked me up from the airport. On our way to my new house, we saw a free wooden futon frame, I was going to need a bed so we picked it up! I was feeling really lucky! While I was unpacking and settling in, Glennel was looking up jobs for me online. She is super resourceful. She found a sales position available at North Shore Soap Factory and said I should definitely apply! I called right away and... Debora told me to come in for an interview! I was completely stoked!!!

Needless to say the interview went great and I was accepted into the North Shore Soap Factory Crew! How perfect it was to work for a company that sells bath and body products while I was going to massage school?! Added bonus, their products were available at my school!

This is NSSF's Retail shop! Super Cute!

NSSF is really popular , especially with the Japanese tours on Oahu, thankfully I had taken two years of Japanese in high school! I was able to translate when we were checking people out at the register, and had a lot of good laughs with our guests! 
Working here was such a great experience, it was refreshing to be excited to go to work! The staff made me feel confident and I was always learning more and more about the products, which was helpful in selling the products! These guys truly know what they are doing and they make quality natural products that are soo good for your skin! It makes me really happy to see their growing success! 

I learned so much about soap making, as well as the difference between "real" soap and the typical bar you find anywhere else. WOW! What people put into those typical bars of soap is really not  good for your skin at all! The chemicals put into those soaps actually strip your skin of it's natural oils (sebum). This leaves your skin more vulnerable to damage from environmental elements! When the sebum layer is stripped from your skin it either over produces the oils or is unable to replace the oils, thus creates: over oily skin or itchy dry skin.


This was really a problem for me since I had major issues with my skin, major breakouts! Yuck! I tried so many different products recommended by dermatologists and even "Proactiv", none of them worked for me! I was always so embarrassed to reveal my skin or wear clothing that would expose my skin, you know like bathing suits! Pretty sad when you live in a place like Hawaii, where you want to be on the beach! Oh yeah and did I mention I was going to massage school? Where I basically had to get naked (covered by a sheet of course) and lay on a massage table everyday letting people touch my skin!

This is proof that I have clear skin now!

Here is the best part!

Since I had started using the amazing Hawaiian Bath and Body soaps , my skin actually cleared up!!!!! When you use natural soap it actually helps to balance out your sebum production and leaves your skin feeling nourished and moisturized! I tested all of the 20+ natural soap varieties and other various products. This also helped me gain product knowledge as well as finding out that each individual product really does work for specific skin types! When you walk into the retail shop, you find friendly staff members that greet you and make you feel welcome. The staff then guides you through the products with a helpful "skin type" guide so that you can find what will work best for you! Genius, pure genius! 


My favorite soap for my skin condition was their wonderful Ylang Ylang bar! Second to that I love the Ginger Lemongrass bar! Oh, and cinnamon is wonderful for your circulation! Ok well I really love them all! One of the must have items that I would suggest would be any of their luxurious body scrubs! Yummm! They make your skin glow and feel amazing!

They have a large variety of soaps! Be sure to check em' out!

 They also make a most divine soap bar called Kukui Nut Dreams! This is like the magic miracle soap! All of the soaps have Kukui nut oil in them but this particular bar has a double dose! Why is Kukui nut oil so wonderful? It works great for skin conditions like: dry skin, eczema, psoriasis and sunburns. This soap is even great for your little ones! As a momma I love to use the lavender scented kukui nut oil on my little one! She has eczema and it helps soothe her skin, and it doubles as aromatherapy!

This is their wonderful Kukui Nut Oil collection! Be sure to try some!

If you can't make it to Oahu to shop their retail store, you can shop for their products online! The website has detailed information about each of their fabulous products! While you are there, you can check out some more info and fun videos that show you how they make the soap. There is also some fun historic information about the Waialua Sugar Mill, this place is really special to so many local residents. I think it's really great that the community has found ways to revive this sugar mill and turn it into a great shopping center without tearing down the buildings and replacing them with a shopping mall!

Planning a wedding anytime soon and need ideas for guest favors or bridesmaid/groomsmen gifts? NSSF can help you create a custom order and even custom stamp soaps for you!

 
I won't make this post too long but I could probably write a whole book about this company and their excellent products! Also, I just want to say a special thank you to the people that are responsible for making these great items!
Thank You Jerry and Debora Driscoll!!

In Jerry's words...
"Get Clean, Go Green!"

 Naia, Debora, Jerry and Tai Driscoll, such a great family!

 Please check out North Shore Soap Factory 

and Hawaiian Bath and Body products online! 

www.hawaiianbathbody.com

www.northshoresoapfactory.com

In The Words of Gandhi

Today's Insight

"In the attitude of silence the soul finds the path in a clearer light, 

and what is elusive and deceptive resolves itself into crystal clearness." 

-Mahatma Gandhi

Everyday Mantra

A Daily Meditation

"May I be happy.

May I be peaceful.

May I be safe from harm.

May I enjoy happiness and the root of happiness.

May I experience ease and well-being in body, mind and spirit."

Quotation from Yoga Journal:

Article

"Love in Full Bloom"

By: Frank Jude Boccio 

I just adore Yoga Journal, they always find wonderful ways to inspire me as a yoga instructor. This particular quote inspired my class yesterday!

Hey There Everybody!

Hey There Everybody! 

I have noticed that my post about the skate park seems to be the most popular. So I just wanted to share a new drafted image of what our park is supposed to look like! You can find it at the bottom of the article!

Enjoy!

Pondering Thoughts

Pondering Thoughts:

I read an article by Pamela Druckerman, in The Wall Street Journal (online). The title reads "Why French Parents Are Superior".
I just want to make this perfectly clear that I have respect for Pamela Druckerman and I am not trying to bash her theory, I am just curious as to what parents think or feel about the following points. And whether you the reader agrees or disagrees that French parents are better than American parents. Please share your thoughts with me!
Now where do I begin?

France vs. America
FP: French Parents   AP: American Parents

- FP: French children sit quietly and patiently while dining out.
- AP: American children are loud and restless while dining out.

- FP: During visits, French parents casually converse with each other while their children play queitly.
- AP: During visits, American parents spend their time eliminating arguments over toys and are more actively involved in their children than they are with each other.

- FP: Believe in using the term "educating" rather than "discipline" when it comes to correcting their children's behaviors.
- AP: Use the term "discipline" when it comes to correcting their children's behaviors.

- FP: Do not become obsessively involved in family. "They believe that even good parent's aren't at the constant service of their children, and that there is no need to feel guilty about this." -Pamela Druckerman
- AP: Are accused of overparenting, and "Nobody seems to like the relentless, unhappy pace of American parenting, least of all parents themselves." -Pamela Druckerman

- FP: Believe that encouraging their children to play by themselves is most important
- AP: Believe that encouraging their children to play by themselves is not as important


- FP: Prefer a more unattached, self-soothing approach. Which seems to create more patience in their children.
- AP: Prefer the "Attachment Parenting" style. However it seems as if this particular style has become accused of overspoiling our children causing them to be demanding and impatient.

- FP: Instead of eating throughout the day, have 3 designated meals every day with a specific snack time around 4 pm. This also creates patience in their children.
- AP: Let their children eat whenever they are hungry. And when the children demand to have a snack the parent's have a difficult time saying "No!".

- FP: Is it possible that teaching their children delayed gratification gives the children the ability to concentrate and reason more effectively under stress?
- AP: Is it possible that teaching their children instant gratification causes the children to "fall apart under stress,"? (per Mr. Mischel and colleagues report)

- FP: Don't have to pay for expensive preschools, nor do they have to worry about recieving health care for their families, or stress about the cost of higher education. And then they also have the availability of monthly payments for having children.
- AP: Pay up to $1000 a month for preschool, can either afford or aren't able to afford health care for their families, stress about the cost of higher education and therefore their children are limited when it comes to higher education. And need I go into the monthly payments?

In The Words of a Three Year Old

"I Love Money In My Pocket!" - Gwendolyn Bliss Stuart age 3

New Skate Park!

A Small Town Comes Together to Build a Skate Park:

For almost my entire life I have lived in a small town just north of Seattle. I liked my town as a young girl, it felt comfortable and almost picture perfect! Little did I know just how much it was missing! By the time I was in high school I wanted to get as far away from here as possible! I felt claustrophobic and like I was missing out on diversity and culture. I wanted to live somewhere that I could meet more people interested in the same things I was! Things that didn't involve hunting, baseball, football, wrestling to name a few...

For me personally, I was always so intrigued by skateboarding, snowboarding and surfing! At the age of 13 I started snowboarding up at Mt. Baker and attempted goofing around on a skateboard. Age 18 moved to Hawaii to try my hand at surfing, and again trying to gain more confidence on a skateboard. Age 20 started working at the local Zumiez and gained more knowledge about the action sports industry as well as winning myself an exciting trip to Colorado for the Zumiez 100K party! There I was amongst the best of the best in pro surfers, skaters and snowboarders! It was amazing! Age 23 moved to Hood River, OR and became a more accomplished snowboarder and skateboarder. Present day I am still a snowboarder and have a passion to continue to learn to skate! My husband is a very accomplished snowboarder and skater, and daughter just started learning.

Even though I used to tell myself I would never move back to my hometown when I grew up, I was very wrong! Here I am raising my 3 year old daughter, and convincing my husband that he will like this place he just has to give it some time. We are both trying to adjust to the lack of amenities that we would prefer to have in our town. At least Mt. Baker isn't too far away and there are skate parks in our surrounding areas! Oh wait! Soon we will have our own skate park right here in town!!!

When we first moved back up here two years ago, my husband and I got ourselves involved in advocating for a new skate park to be built. We worked with the local Chamber of Commerce and presented our arguments about why there was a need for a new skate park in town. We presented different photos of really great skate parks in WA and OR to show City Council and Rotary Club what a skate park should look like. We managed to gain a good amount of interest in our idea and it blossomed!

Now there is a whole team of people involved in getting this project going and the city plans to have our new skate park built by the end of the summer! We have an actual drafted plan for the skate park, which includes many great features and a little bit of something for everybody! There will be multiple bowls, plenty of tranny and street features too! A local company "Grindline" is in charge of the design and building and we are stoked to have them on board!

The only thing we need to accomplish now is more fundraising to make this an amazing skate park! We have an excellent start to funding the park and all of our building and city permits are in place, we just need community support and extra funding! So if there is anybody out there interested in getting involved and wants to know more information about our park please leave me a comment!

Hello Everyone!

Hello everyone!

Rochelle Stuart here, I am a stay at home Mama with many different interests! To name a few...Parenting, Party Planning, Interior Design, Jewelry Design, Extreme Sports, Delicious Food, Yoga and Massage Therapy!

I spend my "Me time" researching such subjects and trying to find all kinds of great websites, photos and the latest and greatest information to incorporate them into my life! I love to share what I find with people that have the same interests as me.

So this is my introduction to my future blogging endeavor! I hope to write posts that will captivate and inspire you to dive into any of these subjects! It is a firm belief that one feeds off of other's thoughts and ideas as well, so please share your thoughts and ideas with me as well!

Thank you for your time! Looking forward to this experience!

Peace,
Rochelle Stuart