Author: Ki McGraw

The chilly winds are howling. Gusts blow our outdoor lights into our windows, scratching and pinging. The cats scatter as they search out quiet and safe nooks for hunkering down.

I sit for meditation, solo. I marvel at mother nature and feel her stirring inside me. This winter storm clears the way for spring newness, inside and out.

Do you have a safe and quiet nook to ride out the storms of your life? Can you marvel at the clearing such storms bring? Ki to Happiness awaits Spring’s newness after the winter storms from her safe and quiet nook, the Hatha Yoga Center.

Today I resume instruction. I will experiment with my imperfection in a new way. I trust that it will work out perfectly, as ever.

Being a human requires an ongoing willingness to accept our imperfection. Lord Shiva, the first Yogi, encourages us to dance with our limitations. I have certainly danced with many of my limitations in the past, which builds my confidence in my ability to do so again.

Have you let go of your perfectionism? Can you embrace imperfection and dance with your limitations? Ki to Happiness experiments with this new dance.

Three wisemen followed the star in the east to bring gifts to the sweet baby Jesus laying in the manger. January 6 is the memorial feast day for that blessed occurrence. This morning after, we bask in the glow of the holiday season, reflecting on the gifts we’ve given and received.

With 17 days having passed since solstice, we are entering into more light. Our weather pattern has shifted toward winter with a huge thunder clap and sudden temperature drop. Giving and receiving love, deepens the bonds of our most essential relationships as we hibernate, heal and count our blessings in our hermitages.

What gives have you received this holiday season? What presents have you offered to the Light you see in others? Ki to Happiness heals as she hibernates in her hermitage at Hatha Yoga Center.

I have been inspired to consider the strategies of forcing versus inviting. I invite you to similarly consider those strategies. Using power and forcing results in resistance, whereas invitation demonstrates respect.

Asking for cooperation, instead of insisting that things go a particular way may seem like the slow path. Forcing may seem initially like a faster path yet the backlash of resistance likely will prove to be ultimately slowed down with set backs. The Yoga Sutras state that a slow and steady application to a principal is the method by which we move toward gracious peace.

Which strategy appeals more to you in order to bring about the changes you desire? Invitation or Force? Ki to Happiness invites you to apply the wisdom of the Sutras to your circumstances.

As a Reiki master, I am able to attune others to this healing energy. Even as I heal myself, I will offer such services to another today. In this way, I am aware of how no one heals alone.

Healing occurs in conscious rest as our systems rebalance to adapt to the needs for wholeness. Reiki holds the space for conscious resting, requiring the recipient to do nothing but receive. Images may occur spontaneously for the furtherance of healing for both the giver and receiver, uniting us in a team of intention, attention and attunement.

Can you allow for conscious resting for your healing needs to be met? Who is on your team, supporting conscious rest, balance and attunement with the Highest? Ki to Happiness heals and is healed through Grace.

We watched a movie from 2014 last night with Jeff Bridges and Meryl Streep. The Giver portrays a futuristic society of Sameness where the inhabitants forget their history and have feelings biochemically sedated. Their use of Precise Language redefines atrocities as necessities for their survival.

With memory comes feelings. Learning from our past so to create a future of better feelings evolves us. Using words facilitates the process, helping us heal as we feel and remember.

How comfortable are you with differences? Can you use words to express how you feel about your memories or would another medium like art serve your healing better? Ki to Happiness remembers and lets emotions flow ever toward Union with the One and its diverse manifestations.

As many dear readers know, I injured my left wrist a couple of weeks ago when I fell inside the studio as I prepared for class. Since then, I’ve been keeping my yoga practices in the morning as usual, continuing to work privately with clients and abstaining from teaching or attending group classes. I’ve been directing all my physical energy toward my healing.

Yesterday, my guidance encouraged me to experiment with light asana practices during Bob’s class. I stayed back up in our private living space and followed his teaching with modifications. The renewed sense of health and vitality is good for my healing, without any setbacks regarding my wrist.

How willing are you to make modifications to your practices? During times of injury or illness, can you find variations that work? Ki to Happiness modifies and varies practices as guided.

With our day off, we did some deep cleaning of our beloved Hatha Yoga Center. All that remains of our holiday decorations is our blooming Amaryllis. It graces my altar, surrounded by several sacred statues.

It bloomed yesterday with 2024’s arrival. Its spontaneous opening reminds me that things take time. Patience is rewarded by the beauty of natural processes.

Can you let things take all the time they need? What do you learn from observing natural processes? Ki to Happiness learns to be patient and facilitate spontaneity.

Happy new year from Hatha Yoga Center. May this year be filled with wonder, abundance, health, and loving peace. My new year begins, like every day, with yoga practice, so that I align with my truest intentions.

I’ve cleared out most of our decorations, gifted all presents, and enjoyed the last of the festive treats. My crockpot is full of Hoppin Johns for the new year, and in the oven, our nutritious broccoli cheddar pie awaits. Spending one more day in my hermitage of healing, I look forward to sharing the miracles I’ve experienced with you all in the coming year.

How have you begun 2024? What practices will help you align with your desires for this new year? Ki to Happiness begins with gratitude for all the blessings of 2023 and practices yoga to stay in right alignment with Divine Will daily.

Happy New Year’s Eve. As you reflect on 2023, may you see your progress. Recognizing many stressors in our lives on all levels, truly its progress simply to have survived.

Hatha Yoga Center has more than survived, with our growing community spreading the word. The mild weather and full attendance in classes through this holidays, we are experiencing the complete opposite of last year at this time. Truly grateful for all the lessons that come with challenge, we face the new year with optimism, hope and peace.

As you look back on 2023, what will you remember? What changes do you want to instigate to make 2024 even better? Ki to Happiness remembers to reflect with a grateful heart, on all the progress and looks forward to more robust health and prosperity in 2024.