Zach's Here!

Cousin Zach has arrived from NY and we're so happy to see him. Zach's a big brother so he tolerates the hyper-activity of little girls well. Satvinder really enjoys him - as my brother, Gary, put it: They are both "cerebral."

More pictures to come. This one is just up so that there is proof that Zach made it to Texas and is smiling (or maybe more like smirking.)

Let's Smile

Children have the natural and profound ability to open hearts. Imagine what the world would be like if we all regarded each other with the innocence and sweetness of children. (I'm ignoring the rascally side of the munchkins, for the moment.)

Recently Satvinder has given me the reminders I need with the following statement, "I love you. Let's smile."

And she always knows exactly the right time to remind me!

Attuned to the Force

Satvinder and I are in Austin now for a little visit. But here's a picture from before we left Phoenix. In case you can't quite tell, it is a picture of Mangala Sadhu Sangeet doing Gatka with his lightsabers!

Completion

Today was a full day. We completed another teacher training course here in Phoenix - a great group of new yoga teachers, who worked hard over the last 7 months of training - and had the graduation today. It is always bittersweet to see the end of a course. It is beautiful to see the transformation people go through and to know they will change the lives of others by the teaching they will do. And then there is also a sentimental feeling, to know this particular group will not be together in this way again. From my perspective, there is a lot of work and planning that goes into closing out a course and hosting a graduation - and after I finished up my work today, I just wanted to get in some water. So we gathered up some friends and headed to the pool.

The Girls: Elia, Satvinder, & Aletha



At the Pool - Satvinder is starting to like the water better, as long as it is shallow.



Harimandir and Satvinder



Me and The Pinky.

Sweetheart's Outing

Satvinder takes good care of Sweetheart, her blow up giraffe.

Here, Satvinder and Sweetheart are ready for Sweetheart's first outing.



Buckle up, Sweetheart!



Welcome to the exciting world of Checker Auto on a Friday night! WHEEEEE!

Big People

Here are some pictures from today, before Gurdwara.

I like this one because, at this angle, it looks like Mangala Sadhu Sangeet is a giant. And Satvinder is just silly.



One time Satvinder said, in a very proud voice, about her papa, "He's big and he knows how to open things!"

Party Last Night

Pregnancy is endlessly fascinating and exciting to me. I love to be around pregnant women, talk about pregnancy, and continue my learning about it. Last night we had the blessing to celebrate our friend, Siri Narayan - as she has reached her 120th day of pregnancy. In yogic teachings, that is considered to be the time when the child's soul comes into its body and it is a time to honor the mother. We have a tradition of "120 day celebrations" that are this honoring of the mother.



Here's some pictures of the party we had last night:



We started in a circle, with music, chanting, and blessings for the mother-to-be. This picture shows Satvinder, me, and the guest of honor, Siri Narayan.



In this celebration, the community comes together to treat the mother-to-be as a princess, honoring her for bringing a child peacefully and lovingly to the planet. Gifts are given - and even sometimes foot massages!




We did henna - which was really fun. Here, Satvinder shows off her henna snake and Aletha shows her henna heart.



Siri Narayan got a lovely henna design on her belly.



I guess Nick was kind of worn out after getting a large henna monkey on his back.



This is my friend, Nirmal, and me. I wanted to include this picture so my far-away friends could see who I work with so much. We make a great team - and I really love working with her at Yoga Phoenix.



The kids came running up to me, saying,"Come quick! There is something really GROSS!" This bug was outside the ashram and the little girls were very excited about it.