Month: February 2025

Bob spilled his 1st cup of green tea yesterday. As he cleaned it up, he drank the rest of the brewed tea and planned for a fresh brew later in the day. He restricts his intake for good sleep.

I made his afternoon tea and enjoyed a bit more of it than usual.  I noticed it gave me a little lift during our walk and sharpened my critical thinking. Those effects may be positive for certain purposes, but not for all. 

How much caffeine do you consume? Could restricting it bring you more rest and peace? Ki to Happiness drinks jasmine green tea for its healthful benefits and restricts it to avoid its drawbacks.

On this national holiday, like most of the others except for Christmas and New Year’s, the Hatha Yoga Center continues to offer classes on our regular schedule. As each administration comes and goes, yoga offers us practices to align the body with mind and spirit. This integration helps us reduce stress and improve wellness.

With courage, we change the things we can- namely ourselves and our reactions to the distractions of divisive forces. Accepting what we cannot change- namely this new administration, we express ourselves with freedom of speech and right to assemble peacefully. In time, we grow wise and serene in knowing the difference as we continue to practice yoga on and off the mat.

What supports your serenity? How would you like to react to distractions? Ki to Happiness chooses to respond to all circumstances with conscious breathing, grounding Guidance and Serenity here and now.

After a beautiful morning of teaching well attended classes, I rested. Awaking from my nap, I sat for a little left over tea as one cat found his way to my lap. Bob and I walked before settling in to movie time.

That made my lap available for another of our cats. Viewing the movie until bedtime, I stirred the napping kitty to get ready for bed and prepared for early morning practice. Awakening early, I had a little extra time for a reclined meditation and two cats laid on me to insist I rest consciously and allow time for deep healing.

When do you allow yourself to consciously rest? Are you aware that that’s the best time for deep healing? Ki to Happiness allows for conscious resting daily, sometimes enforced by my cats.

The snow has melted in the welcome return to our more seasonal pattern. Seattle is known for its cloudy, rainy days, and now that the Polar vortex has moved on, regular activities resume. Class attendance was back up to normal and all enjoyed treats from our Valentine’s altar. 

Some treats remain for those who attend today. Our anniversary date renewed our memories as we made a new one. The values we share continue to bind us to Hatha Yoga Center. 

 Can you welcome the return of clouds and rain? Do you appreciate regular activities? Ki to Happiness delights in the deep patterns of healthy habits.



This Valentine’s Day begins with soft snow flurries. 25 years ago when Bob and I had our first date in Mexico we had different kinds of flurries. We celebrate both the romance and the reality of life centered on common values today.

It will be a day like any other. We will work first, serve our community and tend to our responsibilities. Afterwards, we will have a date at our local Mexican restaurant as we share a flurry of memories and make another new one. 

How will you observe Valentine’s Day this year?  With whom can you celebrate Divine Love? Ki to Happiness wishes you all a very Happy Valentine’s Day filled with Divine Love.

In my evening classes last night, a couple of students expressed an interest in meditation. On the full moon without any brand new members, I offered the tools of mudras to direct energy to chakras at the end of class. It was well received.

Some of us are more kinesthetic learners than visual or auditory, and the hand movements gave them the felt sense of the energy centers in the body. Some practitioners can awaken the energy centers through visualization while others can follow the sound vibration of instruction to do so. Optimally all three pathways of learning are presented in every class to reach each and every student.

Which pathway of learning works best for you? Visual, auditory or kinesthetic? Ki to Happiness learns best through repetition and the combined approach of all three.

Today’s full moon is called the Snow moon. The record breaking polar vortex has synchronized well with it as we have still have some white stuff on the ground from last week and more is forecasted. Grateful for warm clothes, shelter and heat, we bundle up for classes and slowly disrobe as we warm up.

The chill brought birds to our suet for the first time. Our ferns are wintering in the bathroom at night, drawing our curious cat noses to the closed doors. These tiny blessings warm our hearts as we practice and teach the Salutations to the Moon, and Sun, meditating on the wonders of nature and ground in knowing we are part of it.

What blessings are you aware of during this full moon? What treasures appear in the cold and dark of winter? Ki to Happiness salutes the moon and sun, dark and light, cold and heat as is the tradition of Hatha Yoga, finding balance between these opposites.

The great storyteller of the countercultural movement, Tom Robbins, has passed away at age 92. His writing inspired many generations from the 60s onward to free themselves from the cage of conditioning and experience “Joy, in spite of everything”. From my first read, I became hooked on the rascal’s outrageous fiction and read all he wrote. 

He inspired my own writing, in addition to outrageous Halloween costumes over the years, and an immediate camaraderie with others who delighted in his works. He infiltrated my consciousness during my 20’s and grew me up into following his footsteps in ways I only now am beginning to realize. Like Rumi and Patanjali, he holds a place of high honor on the internal library of my life.

Who’s writing inspires you? How do you honor those whose words linger long after you’ve turned the page? Ki to Happiness does so by choosing Joy, in spite of, because of and despite everything, to paraphrase Tom Robbins, Rumi and Patanjali.

My recent birthday color analysis revealed several items no longer desirable in my closet. I weeded them out and set them aside to give away. Following each class yesterday, I invited students to take a look and choose any they may want.

During my time at the Kripalu ashram in the early 90s, I learned vairagya is a practice of detaching dispassionately. One application of this principle I used to embody by scheduling regular offerings of gently used items to our community. Yesterday’s giveaway revived that practice spontaneously and brought joy to those who participated.

What are you ready to detach from? What joy might it bring to someone else? Ki to Happiness loves and detaches, so as not to be possessed by possessions.

Practice began this morning during another snowfall. It disappeared before landing with no accumulation, despite the freezing temperature. The cats and I marveled at the dancing flurries in the glow of the security lights on our deck.

When it stopped, they settled into their nesting spots around me as I continued my yoga practice. It won’t interfere with travel or class attendance. It’s as if it happened just for us to behold this wonder of nature, from the safety and warmth of our shelter. 

What natural beauty have you witnessed alone, or perhaps just with your pets? Can you feel sometimes how nature shows off just for you? Ki to Happiness sees the Creator in each snowflake.