Tuesday, February 2, 2016
” Shine like the moon.
Move among the stars like the full moon unhindered.”
Rumi
Ayurveda is an ancient health care tradition that has been practiced in India for at least 5,000 years. The word comes from the Sanskrit terms ayur (life) and veda (knowledge). Ayurvedic medicine has evolved over the years, and is integrated with practices like yoga. I recently read an article that referred to how in Ayurvedic medicine our senses are the gateways between the outer world around us and inner being. I didn’t think much about it at the time but as I drove out to do a yoga class in the Mongolian Yurt at Abbey Gardens, on the full moon, I think I understood what that statement meant. I was driving in the road to the Yurt at about 6:00 pm and the full moon had just risen above the trees and was in perfect view. It was huge and yellow and the sight of it took my breath away. It was so beautiful and bright and it felt very magical as I stepped out of my car to check it out. It was a lovely cold winter evening and I just stood there and my senses were wide open and in some way I felt more alive, brighter and shining just like that moon. Maybe that is why we all feel better when we are surrounded by beauty in nature and in art. Somehow that experience outside of us informs our inner being through our senses. On that same full moon evening over 50 people gathered at Moosewoods to ski by the moonlight. Once again Carolyn Ellis lit the path to the warming hut with ice candles. People brought snacks, the fire was going, the skiing was amazing and the moon was so bright. After I did the yoga at the Yurt I went to Moosewoods for a ski. It was a totally difference experience of the moon that was much higher and smaller in the sky. It was equally amazing and inspiring and we moved through the woods, by the ponds and along the trails. The moon is fascinating and has inspired so much music, art, poetry and stories over the years and it is up in there in the sky and everyone can enjoy it.
Abbey Gardens is offering a series of Full Moon Adventures in February, March and April. All the information is on their website - http://www.abbeygardens.ca/. Their Yurt is cozy, warm and feels very special. Their staff make everyone feel welcome and taken care of.
On another note, I had my dinner with David Francey before his concert in Haliburton. He is a lovely, gracious man who really oved being in Haliburton. I watched the Folk Society Executive welcome him and his band members graciously with a delicious home made meal and some conversations about his travels and our town. The show was sold out and what I enjoyed were his stories, his humour and all the songs he wrote about loving his wife. My heart was filled right up. My senses took his presence and music in and I am a happier person because of it. Thanks Haliburton Folk Society! You make our community richer one concert at a time.