Evening Poetry

Photography by Glen Allsop. 

Thought I'd share a few beautiful images, plus a poem that stole my heart a long time ago. Take a moment in your evening to enjoy.

Wild Geeseby Mary Oliver

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting--
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.

The Everyday: Introducing Wedding Photographer Tyler Branch

All photos by Tyler Branch.

Happy Monday, all!


Lately I've been obsessed with photograhers who have a knack for capturing the everyday. There's something so beautiful about finding grace in the tiny moments that would be easy to miss if we didn't stop to observe them carefully.

This series hopes to remind you of the way an image can witness the whimsical, to document the allure of a landscape or profile, and to capture life's radiance.

Wedding photographer Tyler Branch has a way of grasping happiness in portraits -- not only of the bride and groom on their special day, but also the loving guest who support them. His ability to move between the close up and the wide is also fascinating, and brings a lot of emotion and depth to his work.

Checking out his site takes my breath away.

Best Ottoman Award (a Story of Relaxation and CSN Stores)

On these winter days, I often get home from work feeling tired and ready to kick back. After trudging through the snow, I'm ready to get inside. It's so nice to finally warm up, get dinner started, and relax a bit. 

After figuring out what to cook and starting it up on the stove or in the oven, I'll generally make my way to the living room, and plop down on one of our comfy couches. The perfect moment just to be. Not figuring anything out or working on any projects, but just letting go and meditating for a minute.

For a while now, I have been longing for a way not only to sit back but also to put my feet up after a long day. And I got lucky: I scored a sweet ottoman from CSN Stores that goes perfectly in the living room! 

I cozy up and immediately feel like this:

Full relaxation achieved! Slippered feet on an ottoman. And one that's attractive and has great storage, too!

See, one of the best parts is that I can stuff my living room cuddle blankets in there, so it keeps the whole room tidier, too. Win-win.

I'd highly recommend checking out CSN Stores if you're in need of a new piece of furniture or decor. They've got a huge selection -- over 200 online stores where you can find everything from wall art to these Herman Miller chairs to cookware. In all my shopping there, I've had great turnaround times on shipping time, too.

CSN Stores, I award you the Best Ottoman Award -- a little footrest that's the perfect size for my living room, that was right in my price range (only about $40!), and that makes relaxation and a tidy apartment that much easier. (FYI it's this one, but in black.)

Now I don't even mind looking out the window to find the snow falling... because I know I can just curl up on the couch and know I am home for the night. :)

Party Time!

Photo via This is Glamorous.

We did it! 100 followers on Alive in the Fire!

party party party time!

Followers are up. Page views are up. Time to celebrate!

Put on your party dress, or fancy suit, and let's dance the night away. Who's with me?

PS If you really are a Chicago area reader, leave a little message below. Maybe I really will plan a live event. But only if you respond with your enthusiasm! :)

Happy weekend, all.

  

Photos via Jose Villa.

Photo via One Love Photography.

Photo via Clayton Austin Photography.

Focus Forward Friday: Got Ink?

All photos via Tattoologist.

 

 Focus Forward Friday: 

A weekly ritual for deepening your practice.

Today's focus: inky artfulness. Who's got a tattoo? Any readers out there sporting ink during your yoga classes?

Do you guys have any? Like em? Hate em?

I'd love to hear your thoughts. Bikram dislikes them, along with the color green. Sounds weird but seriously: he won't let people wear the color when they come to Teacher Training. And apparently he has voiced his dislike for body ink (saying it defaces the natural human body). 

But chances are you've seen a lot of people showing off their tats in the Hot Room.  I know I have. I enjoy seeing the artfulness of tattoos on yogis. A lot of beautiful and simple designs out there.

Have you got a tattoo? (PS If you don't yet, but are thinking about it: keep in mind you'll have to take a few days off of your Bikram practice if you get inked. Can't be stretching your skin and sweating a bunch while the tattoo heals!)

I Would

My beautiful winnings! These are only half the VitaCoco coconut waters I got from their V-Day giveaway. Yum!

Tonight, as I was cramming 24 passionfruit flavored VitaCocos into my little mini fridge in the kitchen, I wondered: who does this? Honestly?


I glanced over by my desk, where I have a box of YogaEarth samples ready and waiting to be shipped to the sponsored yogis.

Namaspray and YogaEarth: who could ask for a better or more balanced pairing? For clean mats and clean bodies.

I looked at the awesome Namaspray yoga mat spray that I received from Yoga With Style recently, which I'm excited to test and then send along to a special yogi.


And again I wondered: who does this? Do people really have stuff like this sitting around their apartments?


Oh, right. I do. Miss yoga blogger. :)


It's a fun feeling knowing that I'm connecting with a bunch of the big name yoga-related companies out there, and getting such awesome readers and guest posters involved in the blog.


We are growing our community! I couldn't be more excited and grateful to have you along for the ride.


And then... last night I had a Blue Moon, and tried to fit the six-packs in with the VitaCoco in the mini fridge and realized... I'm just your average girl. Having a little orange slice in the bottle, or an ice cube in the VitaCoco.

Mmmmm. Blue Moon with a slice of orange. Bliss!

Coconut waters on the left, beers on the right. Doing my yoga and blogging about it. Enjoying the small moments and tiny joys in life.


Excited to drink either out of a wine glass, spend the night kicking back and writing, and planning for yoga and meditation tomorrow. That's right. Yoga blogger girl to the rescue: she's just your average yogini with a few extra all-star products laying around the house.

Or, if you're going the non-alcoholic route: a passionfruit VitaCoco in a wine glass! It fit perfectly, too.

You're all all-star yogis, too... as long as you tell yourself it's true.


Now go enjoy a beer, er, coconut water! :)

A lovely Wednesday night.

Smart Shopping: Grocery Time

 Photos via Orangette.

Hey all! As part of the Beyond Childhood series, I'd like to offer a few posts on healthy eating and simplifying your work in the kitchen. First up is a guest post from the lovely blogger Marci Gilbert on how to plan ahead for your grocery shopping to make sure you get the most for your money and your time.


Enjoy! And enjoy the calm, peaceful feeling of having your meals ready to go all week. It will give you more time for your yoga or other projects you have going on.

Photo via Trevor Dye of Yogi Uprising.

Marci is totally right about the awesomeness of cooking on the weekend, and then refrigerating or freezing meals ahead of time. I've been doing this lately and it makes life so much easier! You just come home from work and heat up whatever you're having. Easy peasy!

From Marci:


One of my favorite parts of the week is going to the grocery store on Sundays. I try to get all my shopping done for the week in one day, and here are some tips of how I do it. It does involve planning, but not to the extent that I write down five days of dinner menus.
A little background–I only have to feed two people, and my husband eats lunch out, and some dinners out too. When planning and buying, I pay attention to expiration dates or overbuying so things won’t spoil.


How to get your grocery shopping done in one day for one week:
1. Have an old-fashioned list. I keep a list going all the time in the kitchen. Make sure you add things that you run out of right when you run out of it! Jot down new foods to try from things you read. Then at the grocery, stick to your list. It will keep you from overbuying. However, there are some days when I like to browse the aisles and look for new things to try, or produce that is in season.


2. Think about your week. Do you already have plans to eat out? Are you packing your breakfast every morning or will you have time to eat at home? Same with lunch. For me, I always pack breakfast and a snack, and my lunches are similar within a week. Keeping lunches similar keeps your grocery bill down. Buy a bag of cherries one week and then mixed berries the next. Use pantry items to change it up, like buy turkey, and alternate in tuna or beans for salad protein.


3. Get to know your grocery store. The annoying part of wanting certain brands or fresher produce is going to multiple grocery stores. However, I can be in and out of a grocery quickly because I know where things are and what each store may or may not carry.


4. If you go to multiple grocery stores, go to the one that will be cheaper first. By this I mean that I will look for produce at an everyday type store before Whole Foods because I know it will be cheaper. If the quality is poor at Store #1, I’ll get it at Whole Foods.

 Photo via Orangette.

5. Use Costco! (or any big box store). My weekly trips to the grocery are for what we need for the week. We leave our cleaning supplies, some freezer items, dry snacks, and waters to buy in bulk every 6 weeks or so.


6. Plan to make use of your Sunday afternoon. Every Sunday, I hard-boil 6 eggs–to use for breakfast or chopped into tuna salad or on a salad. Sometimes I bake chicken to have for a few days. Sometimes I bake muffins to freeze for breakfast. And then I make dinner for Sunday night with plans to have leftovers for Monday lunch or Monday night. Or if I make chicken, I will use it in a different way during the week.


7. Planning a basic dinner: It doesn’t always have to be about creating a recipe! You just need things on hand to satisfy the carb-protein-vegetable ratio, in my opinion. For instance, sweet potatoes, vegetables to roast (brussels sprouts, broccoli, squash, zucchini, mixed peppers) can always be paired with canned baked beans, 90-second rice, grilled chicken or your protein of choice for a well-rounded meal. I eat more exciting than that a lot of the time, but sometimes that is good enough.

Photo via Emily at JoJoNoodle. She and Jordan are always making beautiful, simple meals.

8. The freezer is for more than ice cream and ice. Use your freezer to store baked goods, then defrost in the refrigerator overnight for breakfast. You can cook soups ahead and defrost before work for dinner that night, and let meats thaw all day. Planning is the hard part. If you make the decisions ahead of time, all that’s left is to execute when you get home at night.


Welcome to the world of extreme wifey-hood! (Or motherhood, womanhood, manhood, adulthood: however you'd like to apply this great knowledge.) May your week night dinners never be the same!


And a big thanks again to Marci for sharing the post. :) Check out more of her recipes here.


PS Want to check out more in the Beyond Childhood series? Try this post on bellies, or this one on adorable handmade toys. Or read more about why I started the series.

From Rich: Thoughts on Warrior Training

Photo via Yoga Dudes on Tumblr.

Thoughts on Warrior Training
by Rich, a sponsored yogi


I am a peaceful warrior.
I journey further down that path every day.

Some days I am frightened.
Some, I am invincible.

I have no particular quarrels with you or anyone else.
My war rages within me.

I prepare not to do battle,
But rather to continue fighting.

Some days it is all I have.
Others, all I want.

My peace comes in moments of control, 
Packaged smaller than the blink of an eye.

I have found myself somewhere I've never been,
Never knew existed.

I put that place in a box for later.
I will  revisit that place when I am better prepared.

For now, I will finish my warrior training
And be on my peaceful way.

Love Never Fails

Beautiful wedding photography by Clayton Austin.

This wedding took my breath away. I love her tattoo, and that the photographer named the title of his blog post featuring their photos after it.


I'm a sucker for gorgeous weddings and happy couples. Maybe it's a girl thing.... :)

Regardless, it's such a nice reminder to know:

Love never fails.


And there is no fear in love. 

Photography by Clayton Austin.

Introducing Emily

emily, a love story. from emily berna on Vimeo.

Next up in the Sponsored Yogis, I'd like to introduce you to Emily Berna. She is one creative lady who totally blew me away with this sweet video in her application for the sponsorship program. 

Isn't it adorable?! Totally demonstrates her passion for cool digital media and for yoga. A wonderful mix if you ask me :)

Photos courtesy of Emily.

Here's a bit more from Emily on her background and yoga:

I teach high school chemistry on the south side of Chicago.  I used to work in environmental consulting, but didn't love it, so I decided to teach.  In addition to yoga I love cooking, photography, gardening, knitting, reading, and avoiding housework.  


I'm excited for the sponsorship because I'm so new to yoga I haven't had much chance to explore all the different styles and meet all the different people who practice yoga.  I'm looking forward to sharing my experiences and learning from others about anything related to yoga.