Open Your Heart

Wild Thing, photo by Doug Fitchett, Diablo Lake, WA

She said "Rashel. Open your heart," as I practiced my first scorpion pose against the wall. I'd never heard that before, but somehow my body knew exactly what she was referring to. I opened my chest forward and felt my heart bloom like a lotus out into the room. When I did so, I felt a radiant joy flood my body. My back bent further back, I felt the energy of my backbody vibrate with warmth. I also felt happy.

This is how Alexis Britton taught me to open my heart and feel joy pour forth. She is a Master Anusara Yoga instructor who teaches in La Conner, Washington, at Crescent Moon Yoga, and she is a wizard at teaching people how to find love and joy by practicing yoga on, and off, the mat.

Two years laters, I stood atop a rock aside of Diablo Lake and felt the warm sun on my shoulders. I felt joy and was reminded of the opening of the heart. Since I love inversions for their calming effect, I chose to practice Wild Thing there on that rock. Upside down, I could see the glacier-capped mountains and bright blue sky in a whole new perspective. I remembered times when things felt upside and how I now know how to stay strong and supple during those times. I felt my joyously racing heart become slow, the sounds around me became soft, and I opened my chest to the sky. Remembering, there on that rock, upside down, that even when life changes and my perspective is forced into something new, I can open my heart and pour forth love.

Much love to Alexis...for teaching me to open my heart.

Elemental Love Affair

I hiked my way down the red, hard rock trail toward the edge of the water and laid out my yoga mat. I opened my Yoga Journal Magazine to an inspiring page of yoga sequences and took in the fresh salt air. The Straight of Juan de Fuca lay just beyond and offered a plentiful breeze.

I had come to escape the business of my house. My husband was tinkering around with his tools in the garage and there were plenty of chores to do. I, however, wanted to get away for a moment and invest in some centering. My goal was to recharge for the week.

As I begun my practice, moving with slow, exacting changes of movement, I became aware of the sun high above. It glowed against the bright blue sky. Today, I let my hair out of its fastener and let it fly recklessly with the ocean air. I moved from pose to pose, from child to camel and back to child. Again from child to camel and back to child. As I did so, I felt as if there was a connection between myself and the sun and the sky. Breathing in the air, steadily letting if flow out, the undulations of my body warming with the full spectrum of the sun's force.

I spent time with balances, inversions, and some strengthening poses. All were exceptionally delicious out on the edge of the sound, away from busy sun-seeking explorers in their busy cars. Down by the water, against the backdrop of the scintillating sparkles of water, I engaged in my love affair with the elements. My body and them were engaged in balanced in such a way that I didn't want to go.

After a meditation, I climbed down the 20 feet of bluff to dance my toes across the top of the churning water. The kelp stood witness.

After a short conversation with a lone hiker and his goat-climbing-like-child, I rolled up my mat and hiked back up the path barefoot, feeling the warm path below me.

Pure Actions

excerpt from 3rd Verse, Tao Te Ching, photo by Rashel F.

I write inspirational words on a chalkboard that hangs in my dining room. My family doesn't attend any type of fellowship-based gathering together, so the chalkboard is a way for me to share perspectives with them that I believe will help them become self-realized souls.

I know they see the chalkboard and then they see it again. And again. Each time they walk in the room. After a few days, I'll let everyone know that I would like to talk to them about something.

Yes, at this point, my teenagers roll their eyes, but they know I have pure intentions and they sit down to listen. I'll read them the quote and then we'll share our thoughts. Sometimes they don't mesh, but that's okay. We find agreeances, disagreeances, and neutrality in all of our talks. And thats just perfect.

I think it ties in nicely with this quote. 

Coming to our loved ones with non-egocentric objectives is pure, and in that moment, everything falls right into place. 

San Juan Getaways.....

Looking for a place to getaway in the San Juans?

Here are a few vacation spots that have access to water (fresh & salt); parking spots for an RV; cabins for a family; outdoor activities like fire pits and hiking trails; and dog-friendly attitudes.

Be sure to click on all the underlined links for more information on each possible vacation location.

Doe Bay Resort and Retreat:

Retreat House w pets allowed: $500-$650 per night

Cabins: $85-$200

Yurts: $85-$120

  Highlights:

All meals served at Doe Bay Cafe

Yoga

Ocean view soaking tubs

Sauna & Massage

access to kayaking, hiking, shopping, golf, bicycle rentals, etc

Whale Watching discounts

Has a retreat house that sleeps 18 

some pet friendly cabins

West Beach Resort

Cabins: varies around $200 nightly

Ocean View RV site: $50 nightly

Please to go website for clickable map pictures......

Highlights:

onsite kayak tours

kayak rentals

hot tub card for purchase

boat and fishing gear rentals, launch

summer daily kids activities

various outdoor activites (fire pit, volleyball, horseshoes)

access to shopping, whale tours 

ice cream/espresso stand

general store

some pet friendly cabins

Guemes Island Resort

Cabins: $150-$320 night

Yurts: $100 night

Highlights:

Boat Launch

Boat rentals (no motor)

kayaks (no charge)

sauna house, massage therapy

rec room: ping-pong, fooball, tv/dvd, wifi outdoor games

outdoor grill, tables, crab cooker

gift shop

encourages pets

Lakedale Resort

Lakehouse: $600 nightly

Log Cabins: $300 

Canvas Cabins: $170-$250

Airstream: $250

RV sites: $64

Highlights:

swimming, fishing, canoeing

Access to winery, salt water fishing, bicycling, artisan tours, whale watching, kayaking

outdoor activities: horseshoes, bocce, BBQing, paddle boat, row boat, paddle boards, volleyball,

3 stocked lakes with docks

boat rentals

art classes, sundae bar, organized daily activities

General store

super pet friendly (offers pet packages)

Snug Harbor

cabins: $200-300 night

Highlights

waterfront cabins

marina

espresso stand

wifi

beachside firepits

pet friendly

tours from dock: whale watching, kayaking, 

access to Friday Harbor, Lime Kiln State Park, English Camp National Historic Park, Westcott Bay Sculpture Park

Other resorts to consider:

Beach Haven Resort

North Beach Inn

My Merrell's and Me

Things I do in my Merrell shoes.

Be a yogini.      (Cranberry Lake, Anacortes, WA)

Be joyous!    (Cranberry Lake, Anacortes, WA)

Be a beach comber.    (Washington Park, Anacortes, WA)

Be a role model.   (Washington Park, Anacortes, WA)

Hips

Hips.

They store energy. And not always the good kind. They are a group of bones, joints, and tissues that are a powerhouse for activities like running and climbing. But if you are storing the excess energies of stress there, you may be holding back your potential.

Think of your hips like your upper back and shoulders. Along comes a stressful day, and you may feel like you need a back rub to get the tension out.

You can give your hips a "rub" by stretching them.

This is where yoga comes in. You don't have to be searching for the highest rungs of self-realization to get true benefits from this ancient practice. By practicing the following poses you can stretch out those hips, release stress you've been personally storing there, and allow your muscles the range of movement they need to grow stronger for whatever athletic endeavor you choose.

Easy Pose

High Lunge

Low Lunge

Standing Forward Bend

Tree Pose

Warrior 2

Extended Triangle Pose

Extended Side Angle Pose

Eagle Pose

Warrior 3

Extended Hand to Big Toe Pose

Noose Pose

Wide Legged Forward Bend

Garland Pose

Half Frog Pose

Full Boat Pose

Upward Plank Pose

Cow Face Pose

Bharadvaja's Twist

Fire Log Pose

Half Lord of the Fishes Pose

One Legged King Pigeon Pose

Wide Angle Seated Forward Bend

Wild Thing

This Yogini.....

Garland Pose, Rashel Fitchett, photo by Thomas Fitchett

Who is this yogini? That is a question I asked about myself recently as I contemplated the idea of how "trained" I am in the school of yoga. What experiences have molded me into who I am in the world of this ancient middle eastern philosophy of mind, body, and universe. 

Included in my own answers were the subjects of home practice, official trainings, workshops, literature, and yoga classes.



Home Practice:
2002-Present: Includes the following

• Yoga (Hatha, Vinyasa, Ashtanga, Restorative, Anusara)
• Pranayama (Ujjayi, Anuloma Viloma)
• Meditation
• Journaling & Blogging

Bird of Paradise, Rashel Fitchett, photo by Thomas Fitchett

Official Training:

Anusara Immersion- 50 hour study of Anusara yoga (Asana, Philosophy, Pranayama, Meditation)

• Detailed Exploration of the Universal Principles of Alignment^™
• Tantric Yoga Philosophy & History of Yoga
• Anatomy Components for a Strong & Safe Practice
• Fundamental Pranayama, Meditation, Journaling & Sanskrit
• All Asana from the Anusara's Level 1 & 2 Syllabus

Workshops:

Melina Meza at Surya Yoga in Yakima, WA

Study and practice of-

• Hatha Yoga
• Ayurveda
• Whole foods nutrition
• Healthy lifestyle promotion into a unique style called Seasonal Vinyasa.

Literature:

• The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali: A New Edition, Translation, and Commentary by Edwin F. Bryant
• The Bhagavad Gita
• The Anatomy of Movement by Blandine Calais-Germain
• Anusara Yoga Immersion Manual by John Friend
• Anusara Yoga Teacher Training Manual by John Friend
• Yoga Journal Magazine
• Yogafit by Beth Shaw

Yoga Classes:

• Kundalini Yoga at the Anacortes Center for Happiness
• Yoga with Dunja at the Anacortes Center for Happiness
• Sun Salutations Yoga with Lashel Church at Surya Yoga
• Yoga with Jennifer McFarland at  Crescent Moon Yoga 
• Yoga with Alexis Britton at Crescent Moon Yoga
• Hatha Yoga at the Burlington Parks and Recreation Center

Favorite Poses:

• Headstand
• Bird of Paradise
• Crane
• Wheel
• Wild Thing
• Side Plank
• Standing Splits
• Full Lotus
• Scorpion ...at the wall ;)

My home practice began in 2002 when I chose to try new methods of handling the stress of being a military wife and mother of three. My home practice remained steady until December of 2011, when I chose to begin the process of teacher training to become a yoga instructor. Since then, I have added to my home practice, visits to local yoga studios where I have enjoyed multiple types of yoga taught by different instructors. My reading list is always full of yoga-based literature and I rely on my Yoga Journal magazine to keep my perspective fresh. Adding workshops, here and there, is a fun way, I've found, to expand my knowledge. 

My ultimate goal is to teach yoga someday. Finding a place to become officially certified by the Yoga Alliance has been difficult, as traveling away from the demands of the family has curtailed those efforts. Until then, I will continue to practice, read, and expose myself to more yoga in ways that further deepen my connection to my mind, body, and this universe. 

Standing Bow Pose, Rashel Fitchett, photo by Thomas Fitchett