Date night in Ann Arbor

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Here are photos of me and my beloved on one of our recent date nights in downtown Ann Arbor. I love this town and love living so close to downtown. We went appetizer hopping...since that's usually our favorite thing at different restaurants. Looked for visually inspiring things that appealed to us. Stayed up late. Sideways photo didn't come out straight but I still like it. I like my husband....want to call him my partner but he doesn't want people to think he's gay, which I don't mind...looking for other words...thought of host and parasite...funny...

Teenagers rock

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I am now the mother of a teenager. Dear Universe, please help me be a patient, loving, supportive mother so that both of us survive and come out happy in the end.

The other day we went to visit his Grandma...he climbed up the tree in his baggy pants and was hanging out up there listening to his i-pod and when I looked at him he started dancing to his music. It's the first time I looked at him as a teenager. Later, a girl he had known when they were little was stuck in a tree and he helped her down. They grow like weeds.

The Heart of Yoga

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I'm reading the book The Heart of Yoga by Desikachar for yoga school. In the chapter I just read, he explains the concept of Avidya, "incorrect comprehension," meaning a state in which you cannot see things as they really are or think clearly about them. It's a state in which most of reside most of the time, causing us to be unclear in our actions or make mistakes in our interactions with others. We create our own problems in our lives, our own difficulties, as a result of the way that we see things. Removing this film of avidya, we can see things as they are and have sound judgement, make good decisions.

The three ways in which we can remove avidya are:
1. Tapas-meaning to cleanse or healthiness--which can be attained through asana and pranayama practices.
2. Svadhyaya--meaning study of the self--which can be attained through readings of sacred texts, reflection, and (I think) journal writing!
3. Isvarapranidhana--meaning quality of action--which can be attained by always being attentive and doing your best with all of the actions that you take in the world.