Month: January 2026

As we say farewell to January, it is a beautiful time to be quiet and introspective. Tomorrow’s full moon arrives on Imbolc, which is the midwinter celebration that has turned into Groundhog Day on February 2. My Irish ancestors and others considered this the beginning of the new year.

The full moon will amplify our emotions and highlight the need for stillness as we observe the return of light. Having just come through deep darkness and cold in the northern hemisphere, there may be a need to let go of the lessons. In this way, the lessons may become blessings in the spring.

What have you been learning? Can you experience these opportunities as blessings? Ki to Happiness witnesses the transformation of lessons into blessings, shining the light of intention in stillness and silence.

Today is the three-year anniversary since my dad passed away. I miss his sweetness and his physical presence. Our family dynamics have changed a lot without him.

In his way, I gathered more hyacinths for our humble planting strip. I cut off the brown fern fronds, beautifying our entrance. He is with me as I garden, beautify our entrance, and look to the sky for birds or clouds as we approach Groundhog Day’s promise of renewal.

In what way do you honor the anniversaries of the deceased? Can you embody the best of them and let go of the rest? Ki to Happiness gardens in the dead of winter for the promise of spring.

Yoga helps us to bounce back from stress on any level. Recently more neurologists and influencers have been utilizing aspects of the practice to help us all. I appreciate the way that they demonstrate how just a few slow, deep breaths, or an unusual posture can start to bring us back into our ability to respond and not react.

The traffic in Seattle has become a nightmare again. One student arrived frantic and late last night, and within a few moments she felt the joy within uprisings again. Seeing it in another reinforces for me, my dedication and commitment to this path.

What helps you bounce back? How quickly can you do that? Ki to Happiness bounces back as soon as possible with breath, alignment, meditation, and prayer.

I am forever grateful for all the birthday love showered upon me yesterday. It included the natural blessing of rain returning. This morning I opened the windows to 42° as we let in the moist air and start the day in the afterglow and aftermath of doing 65 backbends.

Gifts, flowers, gift cards, phone calls, DMs, Facebook greetings all poured in as we continued our regular schedule of classes. We are starting to plan our zoo outing for all who wish to attend when the baby lion cubs are a little bit bigger. The Dosen in our HYC community says maybe in about a month, which gives everyone a chance to plan.

What token of love do you appreciate? Can you provide them for yourself? Ki to Happiness can and is especially grateful to have others make their offerings, too, as my life would be nothing without You.

Mom and I got set up for a birthday call a day early yesterday. Her world has thawed out enough for her to go out and about today, so just in case we were going to miss each other, we scheduled early. I got all ready with my tea and sat down, accidentally kicking it over and spilling the tea.

We both are aware that that metaphor refers to having a deep meaningful conversation in which we share the truth of our soul. So that’s what we did. I sat there with the mess all around me, heater on to dry the carpet, as we laughed and cried, told new stories and shared memories.

Who do you spill the tea with? How comfortable are you with the messes in your life? Ki to Happiness celebrates 65 years of messes, clean ups and deep sharing.

Seattle Seahawks are celebrating their win. We head to the Super Bowl again for the first time since 2014. We are predicted to go all the way.

As we watched the game, there were tense moments, especially with the taunting penalty. Bob’s passion turned to anger, cussing and pounding his fists, saying that the poor sportsmanship should result in firing. He startled the cats but then commented on how detached they were from the outcome.

Does your passion ignite with the home teams? Can you detach from the outcome? Ki ti Happiness celebrates the victorious home team and thanks the cats for their detachment.

While the much of the rest of our country is facing a huge ice and snow storm, we are blessed with our first hard freeze. Natural cycles hit reset, with insects dying off and bulbs slowing their progress toward blossoming. The clear skies bring us much appreciated Vitamin D, too.

As we warm up a bit today, I’ll rehang the tender ferns for a little sunshine. After classes, our community will turn toward the big Seahawks game. They’ll benefit from these conditions, and may make it all the way to the Super Bowl, delighting fans and uplifting Seattle.

What benefits do you see in winter weather? Can you give thanks for a hard freeze? Ki to Happiness practices yoga in all kinds of weather, finding connection to the Higher Power in natural cycles.

It’s hard to change habits for all of us. Our new washer/dryer combo requires we adapt to its smaller load capacity and longer cycles. Guidance prompted me to throw in a load for Bob before it got too big last night, but I didn’t.

This morning, corrected that. As he sleeps on, I snuck up into his dark quiet space and retrieved his overflowing laundry basket without disturbing him. It’s in the works now, as I correct myself, not him.

What habit would you benefit from changing? Can you work on that instead of trying to get others to change their habits? Ki to Happiness changes the habit of ignoring Guidance as Bob figures out he needs to change the habit of doing smaller loads.

When someone passes away, the survivors benefit from making right offerings. The Balinese set aside 3 days for open communication with the deceased to resolve any lingering issues as they honor them. In this way, loving someone who’s not here anymore moves the grief forward.

Having learned this, I got help to make right offerings for the late Bobby Weir at his local memorial gathering. The cashier at QFC discounted the 108 roses, my friend gave me transportation to deliver them and still I returned home for an early night. “Nothing left to do but smile, smile, smile” as the lyrics to He’s Gone go, now that the grief has found its expression.

What do you do with grief? What rituals and memorials help to move the grief forward? Ki to Happiness expresses grief through making right offerings.

When Bob returned from golfing with friends on Tuesday, he was chilled to the bone. Before bed, his hands were still cold, his affect flat, without any motivation to improve his condition. Seeing his state, I stopped what I was doing, and got him a cup of hot water to hold and to sip, since he refused any other effort and would make no effort on his own behalf.

He woke up yesterday morning revived, to my great relief. As he set out to golf again, he changed several of his behaviors to avoid a repeat. That helped me to revive my confidence in his ability to care for himself and further relieved me of any responsibility for his choices and consequences.

Are you willing to make the effort to improve your condition? Can you take responsibility for your choices and consequences? Ki to Happiness relinquishes responsibility for others and their choices as an effort to improve her own condition.