Hoop Day

Today was a stay at home sort of day. We made hoops and then I gave the girls a hoop lesson. Later in the day we had a different sort of experience, introducing my nieces to raw food at Gratitude Cafe. And then we went on a car tour of the city where we got some great pictures of the dirty windshield -- on yeah... City Hall is back there somewhere too. :)

Hyperbowl and DDR

The word of the day may have been inspired today by yesterday's outing, but today we had our own crazy San Francisco fun. Off we went to hyperbowl where several students and friends (Michael, Nicole, Amanda, Ian, Jim, Frank and George) joined us. If you have never been hypberbowling, imagine a very big screen in front of you where you watch a bowling ball move down a sort of obstacle course. You get to stand there and control the ball on the screen with a bowling ball size track ball you move. My favorite course is one of San Francisco, where you weave in and out of trolley cars, over trolley tracks and up and down hills in a not so accurate representation of California street heading east toward the Bay. Done with the hyperbowling portion of the evening, we moved on to Dance Dance Revolution. I must say, I felt old. Compare if you will the grace and ease with which these two younger folk (as it turns out, Aaron is closer in age to Lexi than I am to him) to my stressed out image above.

A Inspiring Sight

I dragged my nieces, part willingly, part unwillingly, yesterday on a very sort hike (or, more accurately, a decent walk) in the redwoods in Marin at Muir Woods. If you've never been, I highly recommend it.

I was completely moved when I visited the redwoods for the first time 10 years ago. The trees are massive. I mean, look at the diameter of the cut of the tree there.

Of course, you have to have some appreciation for nature and some desire to explore its beauty. I remember taking my Mom and Dad to see them some years ago and my Dad was fairly disinterested after seeing a bit of the woods and went back to the car.



One of the things that most impressed me was how the trees can live through fire. When you visit, you can view parts of the trees burned out at the base of the tree, yet it still stands tall, towering over your 5-6 foot form. That they are still alive is a testament to the spirit of life. One fun moment was stopping and spinning poi at a fork in the paths. It was interesting to note how people responded to it. And it was fun to watch their responses.
I think, at the end of the day, even my nieces who seemed to not be impressed with anything (is that just how teens are?) thought it was pretty cool.

My Nieces

My Nieces came to visit me for a week. Before painting my head, I asked them for a word suggestion. Courtney being the bright lass she is, suggested antidisestablishmentarianism. Great word, isn't it? Of course, while I could get behind it linguistically, I didn't get behind the message of it, so why not just put another "anti" in front of it?

Simple

One of the things I've always loved about my friend Siouxsie is her elegant simplicity. I had lunch with her today and was inspired to create this headline in her honor. Not suprisingly, she enjoyed the simplicity of it too.

Burning down the house

My friends Jason and Addrianna had their home burn down. Egads.

I suppose that is one way to plunge yourself into dis-identification with your stuff.

I created this image to honor them, that they would rise from the ashes... reborn.

What do you want to be when You grow up?

Other than my own job, I am not certain I could imagine a cooler job than the one Erin Glover has. She is the CEO and Founder of FirePixie Entertainment, a fabulous entertainment company which specializes in children's parties. Which means people pay Erin and other similarly talented actors, to attend their Children's parties and perform as princesses and princes and fairies and fun magical creatures and whatever else the party goers might want. And when that isn't enough? She whips out her fire and flow gear and dances up a storm with other fire pixies dancing around.

Erin's an inspiration to me. She is living her dream and is recently engaged to an equally awesome being. Check her out if you need to hire a performer and we're already booked.

Cultivate

In writing the materials for the workshop, Cultivate, I found I had many things to share with poi students regarding building a lasting poi practice for themselves. After spending an afternoon writing an 8 page handout for the class and then discussing the workshop with students, I decided to write a book on creating a lasting poi practice. I'm curious how long this will take to create. *grin*

Life

The lushness of flowers blooming in the spring and summer reminds me of the gift of life and how amazing the spirit of growth is. It is especially powerful with fragrant flowers, like jasmine, freesia and stargazer lilies. I am particularly fond of the stargazer lily because lily's last a long time from the date of purchase to the time of throwing them away, therefore maximizing the value of the experience.


Aaron bought me flowers some time ago, and not remembering what I had said I liked, made up a flower name -- the Moonlight Iris -- and brought that to me as a gift. It was a beautiful gift and now iris' are my second favorite flower. I still prefer the intoxicating smells of the lily.

Of course, I also am growing increasingly appreciative of side split right anti-spin flowers and I even got a cool photo of that at the Palace of Fine arts taken by Charles Russo.

Jedi Master Yoda

I'd have to say, if I were going to subscribe to a faith that already existed, it would have to be the force. Flow for me is what I understand the force to be, so it really makes sense to me.

Great Jedi Master Yoda said many inspirational things, including this one: Do or do not. There is no 'try.'

The quote cracks me up because of the truth in the deception of the quote... in that one has to try before one can actually do, and once one has done, one knows they no longer need to try and instead they simply can do.

What a long path that can be some times and what a fun gift that is!

RelationDancing

My friend Mark wrote a book on intimacy called RelationDancing: Consciously Creating What You Really Want in Your Relating. The book includes a section about Mark's Game For Intimacy, which was an amazing gift for me when I first learned of it.

RelationDancing describes a method of relating that makes intimacy and connection between people possible at deeper levels than perhpas ever before. By designing a conscious and sacred Game For Intimacy, we can create a safe space in which to passionately share our deepest truths with our partner. We can know our partner and be known by them, opening the door wide open for two souls meeting in the space of love. This experience of Soul2Soul opens new possibilities for friendships, partnerships, and community. For a sample chapter on a Game For Intimacy, go here.

I love Mark's work and what he creates in the world and I recommend this book to anyone struggling to find a rational way to deal with emotional challenges in relating.

think13 and the 13 monkeys

My friends did a show over at Xenodrome, this cool indoor performance space.

Two of my students, Unispark and Sanne, as well as my dance partner Hunter, were part of the show as members of the 13 monkeys troupe. I was really glad to go see them all rock out to the music of think13 at this fun show. Congratulations to everyone involved on a great premier.

I Love My Body Right Now!

The marketing for the class is so good, I'll quote from that.

Over the years I have seen some very beautiful people -- men and women alike -- judge their bodies harshly and from a place which often lacks self love. Having struggled on my own journey in this domain for the past 15 years, I realize it is not always easy to accept ones self. As a clinically obese woman, I am often surprised to find I love my body more than some woman who are a size 8. I was recently inspired when one of my closest friends -- a very hot woman -- confided in me how much she hated parts of her body. Saddened by this interaction and inspired to help people make a change, I designed this course based on my own journey and the coaching I was able to offer her (and many others through the years) to help her work with her body and begin to love it as it is. If you have ever said, "I hate my !" and never want to say that again, I invite you to join me for this class.

BOB

I was happy to help Addrianna celebrate her birthday yesterday, and happier still to celebrate the Guardian's Best of the Bay Reader's Choice award for Best Dance Studio. I am truly honored to have received this vote, though I credit the mailing lists I am on and people's willingness to click the button on line from my email. Thanks for giving me something else to celebrate!

Healing Through Touch

I couldn't understand why anyone would get a massage when someone first suggested it to me back in 98. Of course, at the time, I wasn't very comfortable with my body and I didn't have nearly the flexibility and ease of movement I have now available to me.

I'm sure there is a relationship between the two.

I've been blessed with having received massage from many therapists over the years, having come to realize massage brings a vast riches of gifts (including increased flexibility and blood flow; less tension in the muscles; increased flexibility; faster recuperation time; healing traumas, to name a few benefits) to me. In all the years, at all the spas and with all the private therapists I've tried, I'm really grateful to go to my current therapist who is (sadly for me and happily for him) moving to Japan at the end of the year. Spencer Douglas is amazing at his work and continues to grow in his practice and ability to offer high quality, effective massages. Contact me if you want to experience him before you go and I'll give you his contact info.

What is important about a Practice? Part II

I like how Goenka conveys this in his silent mediation retreats. I think I finally got it when I was a few days into the retreat, realizing that it is completely natural and okay for the mind to wander from the practice as long as we remember to always start again.

I also enjoyed playing with the sparkling circle theme on my shirt and matching it on my face. The picture doesn't convey the color shifts with nearly the vibrance you could appreciate in person. In another photo that Charles Russo took, it almost looks like sweat. This picture is of me fire dancing with a hoop.

Serenity

Aaron and I watched the movie Serenity again. This time I had a really powerful experience. [SPOILER] When Wash dies and his last words, after having landing the ship when death seemed very likely, were something like: "I am a leaf on the wind."

I imagine if I were to die in a moment when I thought I was a leaf on the wind and I'd just saved my friends lives, I would be a very happy and peaceful person. The first time I watched the movie I got so sad. The second time, I though it was the most powerful and noble of deaths possible.

A Picture Says...

...it all.

Some things are worth Repeating

Like the Flowology Mindset(TM) summed up here in this comic book page.




Even cooler is the amazing photo by Charles Russo who came by to take a photo for the Guardian. I hope this means all the positive vibes from my students after my email about a Best of the Bay Reader's Choice award might lead to a Best of the Bay award!

Reader's Choice

I asked Aaron what word to put on my head today. When he suggested focus, it resonanted with my current climate of need to focus on all things Temple related to complete multiple projects, including the soon to be available Temple of Poi 2006 Fire Dancing Expo DVD.

Follow your Bliss

I continue to be amazed by the cycles of life and how it is things can shift as they do. This time last year, my life was anything but bliss, though I can recall saying how I was clear what I was going through at the time would create amazing opportunities for me later. So it has, and now my bliss has followed. I am grateful.

Oh Little Play Mate!

It is much fun having a play mate to have fun with. Thank you my sweetlove!

What is important about a Practice?

I began working on the Cultivate workshop. In working on the materials, the idea of a practice is dominating my thoughts.

The most important thing about a practice is actually doing the practice... no matter how infrequently as long as there is improvement through time. Or, as Martha Graham puts it:

“Practice means to perform, over and over again in the face of all obstacles, some act of vision, of faith, of desire. Practice is a means of inviting the perfection desired.”

Yeah, man...

It's always fun to hang out with Noel because he is always working on something cool with some tool. In case you don't know him, here's a video of him. It's from January so he's way improved since then.

Anyway, Noel came over and taught me the secret to contact juggling. "All you do is... chill." After playing with the idea of just relaxing my muscles, I noticed significant improvement in my balance points and windshield washer. It makes sense to me -- I'm always flowing the most when I'm the most at ease and relaxed... and feeling chill.

Poilates!

Alison came over today and we started talking about Pilates -- she is an instructor and I recently started a practice. I began explaining how the pilates had been helping my poi and suggested she start teaching a pilates for poi class which she affectionately renamed, "Poilates!"

Temple of Poi will begin offering Poilates classes in Fall, 2006.

Independence

I am thankful to live in this amazing country. I do not believe I could have started a fire dancing school with such success anywhere else in the world and I'm so grateful to live where this is possible.

I celebrate the independence of this country today because it was our founding forefathers who made my life possible today.

miLife is Cool

How could it not be? I love what I do, do what I love, get paid to do it, have a superhero for a lover, and got my movie, miLife on the big screen in the Apple store in SF, playing at the iMovie festival tonight. Yeah! Fire dancing shown on the big screen.

The Truth

This is an incredibly moving song and I highly recommend it. The song is "The Truth" by India Arie (who, my friend Sean recently told me, has a #1 song about inner beauty called "I Am Not My Hair"). I particularly like the section in the lyrics about the three types of love. The lyrics follow:

Spoken : Let me tell you why I love him

Chorus:
Cause he is the truth
Said he is so real
And I love the way that he makes me feel
And if I am a reflection of him then I must be fly because
His light it shines so bright I wouldn't lie

Verse 1:
I remember the very first day that I saw him
I found myself immediately intrigued by him
It's almost like I knew this man from another life
Like back then maybe I was his husband maybe he was my wife
And even, things I don't like about him are fine with me
Cause it's not hard for me to understand him cause he's so much
like me
And it's truly my pleasure to share his company
And I know that it's God's gift to breathe
The air he breathes

Chorus

Verse 2:
How can the same man that makes me so mad
Do you know what he did-(Spoken)
Turn right around and kiss me so soft
Girl do you know what he did-(Spoken)
If he ever left me I wouldn't even be sad no
Cause there's a blessin' in every lesson
And I'm glad that I knew him at all

Chorus

Bridge, Break-down, & Ending :
I love the way he speaks
I love the way he thinks
I love the way that he
treats his mama
I love that gap in between his teeth
I love him in every way that a woman can love a man
From personal to universal but most of all
It's unconditional

You know what I'm talking about-(Spoken)
That's the way I feel
And I always will-(Spoken)

There ain't no substitute for the truth
Either it is or isn't
(Cause he is the truth)
You see the truth it needs no proof
Either it is or it isn't
(Cause he is the truth)
Now you know the truth by the way it feels
And if I am a reflection
of him then I must be fly
Because he is, yes he is

Maaaaawage (insert peter cook accent from Princess Bride)

I had the most amazing experience this weekend at my dear friends Amy and Micah's wedding. I must say, I don't usually think of marriage as an institution I support or agree with in soooo many ways. So many people I have met seemingly "do it" for the sake of what they think it should be, what they think they should be or what they think the idea of marriage is based on the cool fantasies Disney has effectively sold us.

Don't get me wrong -- I'm not saying people don't love each other. It's just that I rarely see a couple that I look at and go, "Ahhhh... Yes, this makes sense and they will evolve with each other and grow in their relationship at the same time."

I'm proud to say my friends had the best ceremony I have ever had the joy of witnessing.

Their friend Aaron, who officiated, did an amazing job. He called attention to his own evolution about the idea of romance and the idea of becoming one when getting married... to "stand together, yet not too near together" and the beauty of retaining our own Selves when we embrace our Other. This line comes from this piece on Marriage from Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet -- an amazing reading as part of the ceremony -- which resonates with me so deeply as I consider in my own life what marriage could or would mean:

You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore.
You shall be together when white wings of death scatter your days.
Aye, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God.
But let there be spaces in your togetherness,
And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.
Love one another but make not a bond of love:
Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.
Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup.
Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf.
Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone,
Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.
Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping.
For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.
And stand together, yet not too near together:
For the pillars of the temple stand apart,
And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow.

Congratulations to the Oak and the Cypress -- two amazing people who really thought this through.

Poof!

Amy and Micah are two amazing people. I first met Micah in 2000 in some capacity related to our fabulous IllumiNaughty camp (a Large Scale Sound System whose street address at Burning Man was Sex at 10 o'clock. . . hmmm...). My experience of Micah over the years is that he is a brilliant mind with the potential to truly change the face of our planet in the political realm in ways that could powerfully impact the lives of many people in a positive way. I like knowing someone I perceive in that way whose mind and ideas I value. Needless to say, I respect and like Micah.

Amy of course is no different -- certainly she is a brilliant being in her own right. Her voice could warm the spirit on the coldest day in the deepest part of the Tundra and her ability to feel and love could brighten the spirits of the most cynical and jaded person alive. She is as beautiful and enrapturing as her now husband, Micah.

To my great joy, I have been credited with introducing these two powerful beings. Micah was caring for my Poof chair and then decided to move to North Carolina. Amy then was to take over the poof-sitting responsibilities. They met and not to long later I got calls from both of them asking about the other.

What a joy it is to have seen their wedding... but more on that in the next posts...

Always the Student

Tamale came to visit and what a joy she was to have in town. She gave me some great makeup tips and provided some excellent makeup application tips (she is a makeup artist for Mac in Chicago) which afforded me the opportunity to be a student. A fabulous way to honor the cycles of life -- teacher to student and back again as she stepped into some poi classes at the Temple. Of course, there are the other cycles of life which come to mind lately... My mother's best friend and highly influential mentor in my life Abby passed on recently and this reminded me of the cycle of life; the phases of the moon; the cycle of the harvest; blooming of flowers annually reflected in my new orchid; and of course, the menstrual cycle.

Protecting What Lies Beneath

When we're teaching people about fire safety at the Temple, we talk about the conditions to assess weather or not the dancer is in the proper space to spin fire in. I break down the "self check" into three questions that I call the "3 C's":

Are you Clear? That is, do you feel mentally alert enough to be burning fire? Things that might impact this answer are your mood, how hard a day you had, how much you've been working, a fight you had with someone, an emotional event in your life, and your use of altering substances including alcohol.

Are you Capable? That is, do you feel physically capable of doing the dancing you're attempting to do? Things that impact this answer include how much exercise you have done, how many times you have already burned recently, your use of altering substances, and how tired you are. BEWARE of the adrenaline rush! It can deceive you both on a mental and physical level. My friend Rob stopped my from doing a third burn one night when I was more tired than I realize and hyper pumped because of the adrenaline.

Are you Competent? That is, are you doing moves that you are trained and practiced in? At some point in time, each move will have its "first" time with fire and no matter how much you practice without fire, it isn't necessarily the same feeling with the fire there. I prefer, if I am trying moves that are still wild and not fully practiced, to be extra careful with my hair and ensure my head is covered (even though I usually spin without); hair really is the quickest to burn away.

Read more about fire safety here.

A Connecting Principle

I grabbed my makeup today and thought, "What am I going to put on my head?" Then I looked up at a beautiful poem Vikki wrote for me which had the word "synchronicity" in it. I saw the word and thought that would be what I would use.

Getting in the bathroom and writing it on my head I realized I misplanned the spacing so I had to use a mirror in a mirror -- a completely new skill and I must say, I mind bender. When I got to work, Anne commented on how far I had come with the writing on my head from the first day of "Hope" looking like "nope" to three colors and long words. Evolution, yes indeed.

In 1983 when I bought the The Police album Synchronicity (on vinyl, believe it or not). I had no idea what the word meant. The dictionary would reveal the meaning as: n : the relation that exists when things occur at the same time.
With oh so meaningful definitions like that one available to clarify what it meant (ha!), the lyrics to the albums title became a mantra which rung in my head, especially these:

A connecting principle,
Linked to the invisible
Almost imperceptible
Something inexpressible.
Science insusceptible
Logic so inflexible
Causally connectible
Yet nothing is invincible.

The real synchronicity of this post will become clear when you read the Union post for June 24, 2006.

I did not have sexual relations with that woman...

Has it really been 11 years since this whole Clinton /Lewinsky thing happened? And have you done a Google search on her recently?
I'm not really one to judge someone else's sexual tendencies and, as a woman who can't imagine having only one lover for the rest of my life, I certainly understand the temptation an attractive woman (or man, for that matter!) can create for someone. And, that said, I do question the integrity of a man who says things like, "I did not inhale" and "I did not have sexual relations with that woman..." I'm curious... did anyone actually believe him? Did him lying about it somehow make it better? Oh, but don't get me started there... that leads to a whole other conversation about how absolutely frightened we are of simply speaking our truth.
When I got fired in 2001, my employers said it was because I was "insubordinate." At my unemployment hearing, it was revealed that I was fired for calling my manager (so what if he was a VP?) incompetent to do his job. I sat there in front of the judge and the HR folks from my old company and proudly admitted what I had said. The judge's ruling went something like this: Ms. Isaacs wasn't insubordinate; she was ignorant. I guess I still am because I don't ever want to work anywhere where people can't tell me I'm incompetent simply because I'm a VP.

My inner Hippie

Sometimes I just want to look like a flower child... Appropriate when you live across the street from Hippie Hill.

Dancing with Hunter

Dance Partners are like sisters... sometimes you just need some space... it was a joy to reconnect with Hunter and perform again with him.

Extra Extra!

Today was the first day I printed a special edition of the comic. Concerned people might mistake the use of coffee on my head as an avocation of the caffeine laden product, I printed a special edition version of the story my Dad sent me. It really reminded me of things Mark and Jason have said to me I liked the message behind it, because, after all, life is to be savored in all its forms.

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor.

Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life. Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups - porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the coffee. All the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: "If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is but normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source, of your problems and stress. Be assured that the cup itself, adds no quality to the coffee in most cases, just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink.

What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups... and then began eyeing each other's cups. Now consider this: Life is the coffee, and the jobs, money and position in society are the cups.

They are just tools to hold and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of Life we live. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee Life has provided us."