Moving on, moving through with yoga

So my body is in transition from the birth control pill. Since my last post, I've been having episodes of strong emotions and moments of mood changes. I'm glad that I know things still work down there, especially for the day when I actually want to conceive a baby! Over the weekend I definitely had some ups and downs with the mood, but I was so amazed and happy for myself that I stayed present. I didn't let the "symptoms" take over. I acknowledged them and gave myself compassion about it. I mean, if this is what my body needs to do in order to find balance again, then let's go with it! I'm sick of resisting. Just let it flow, literally! I'm glad I had performances this weekend because the movement and expression helped move that energy along. It brought me back into my body, to the temple. Sunday afternoon was when I really let it move. After I finished some laundry, I decided to do some yoga for the menstrual cycle, even though my body was experiencing something else. I just felt out of balance. I needed to bring myself back into balance. I did a wonderful hour of restorative yoga, geared toward the process my body was going through. I welcomed the sensations with ease, taking deep breaths and had the aid of some essential oils. Aromatherapy and yoga, what a concept! I'm doing this all the time now. I already noticed a difference in my overall self after the first pose. Yoga really supports the whole body's system. As I moved from one pose to the next, I could feel my mood shift and my body relax. I felt like I was coming back into me. One can get so lost when there's so much going on around them and with them. I'm keeping an eye on how things progress and will call my GYN if need be. But the more I relax and let go around it, the more progress I see happen faster and better! This has inspired me to teach this yoga to women. A yoga class/workshop geared toward women's health around the menstrual cycle. I know this involves more training but maybe starting off simple would be a great start.

Hormones

I'm taking a break from the birth control pill this month and it's been a long time since I've felt hormones! It's amazing what women's bodies do every month. WAY back in the day, when a woman was on her cycle, it was a sacred time for women. They would be pampered, respected and powerful. Same goes with birth. But this menstrual cycle is very intriguing. I guess I've never really thought about it in this way before. In the past, I used to just look at it as a pain in the ass; if i didn't get it during the usual time frame, OH SHIT!; I felt insane, emotional, gross and drained. Through my holistic health training, I've learned from other women how they embrace their menstrual cycle before, during and after. Why not work with my body, than against it? Why not love and support myself during this time, instead of being repulsed or agitated? Why not just be with it?
From seeing doctors and acupuncturists about PMS, I've learned over the years how my body reacts to diet during this sacred time. How caffeine, alcohol, and sugar can just exacerbate the symptoms. did women really have PMS back in the day? I'm talking medieval times here! I have this inkling that they didn't because it's such an important time for a women. It's almost like a cleanse. For years I used to get REALLY BAD PMS. I'd get anxious, agitated over nothing, bloated and my cravings would be harsh. I feel like now I know what to do for myself. Cut this and that out of my diet for the duration; take some alone time to myself; and most important, CELEBRATE BEING A WOMAN!

Upcoming New Work: October 23-25

LIMBO: What Happens Between
October 23-25
Friday and Saturday, 8pm
Sunday, 7pm

Dance Mission Theater
3316 24th Street @ Mission
SF, CA
by 24th street BART station

Part of Celebrate: Butoh Dance 50th Anniversary Festival:

Liz Saari-Filippone, Bob Webb of Bare Bones Butoh, and several special guests come together in "Limbo (What Happens Between)", a Butoh performance. Using the extremes of Butoh we delve into the areas between the beautiful and the grotesque, flesh and spirit, light and dark, yin and yang, open and closed, then and now, this life and the next, the inner heart and the outside forces that weigh on it. Where do you come from? Where are you going? Come explore with us that grey area in between...Limbo...and find out what happens.

For other festival events, visit www.BUTOHSanFrancisco.net

I'm peforming this weekend 9/25 and 9/26

BARE BONES BUTOH PRESENTS 15
A Benefit for Bare Bones Butoh Itself! Sometimes you have to feed the kitty to keep the purr going.

WHEN:
Friday Sept 25, and Saturday Sept 26, 2009
Both performances are at 8:00 pm
Please arrive early as we will be starting as close to on time as possible.

WHERE:
Studio 210,
3435 Cesar Chavez St
San Francisco, CA 94110
Studio 210 is located within the Old Sears Building - 3435 Army is writ large over the top floor of the building (yes, there's a story behind that), the building is inset from the corner of Cesar Chavez and Valencia Street. There is plenty of on the street parking. It's four blocks from the 24th St BART Station. MUNI Buses #27, #26, #14, or #49 will drop you off one block or less from our door.

TICKETS:
$5-$20 sliding scale, No one turned away for lack of funds.
Additional donations are always graciously accepted and gratefully appreciated.

WHO:
Both nights: Darya Chernova, Michael Curran, Qayyuma Didominico, Angelina La Miette, Mara Poliak, Liz Saari-Filippone, Bob Webb, and Isabell Zeviar.
Friday only - Addy Bigelowe, Ahron Wheels Bolsta, Christina Braun, Deia de Brito, Mark Deutsch, Martha Matsuda, Ri Molnar, and Constance Taylor
Saturday only - Laurie Buenafe Krsmanovic, Iu-Hui Chua, Joy Cosculluela, Jennifer Gwirtz, Kazoo, Karen Anne Light, William McIntyre, Christian Nagler, Bill Noertker, Terre Unite Parker, David Ryther, Rajendra Serber, Aaron Wacks, Abigail Wick, and Sergey Yashenko.
Quite a stellar line-up!! Lots of bang for your buck!
Plus, there are often last minute additions to the programming - local/national/international - it's that kind of show.

WHAT:
Bare Bones Butoh Presents is a performance showcase for local and International artists working in the areas of butoh, performance art, and/or ritual performance. It exists for artists to try out new material, show works in process, hone improvisation chops and redo or revisit previous material.
Hosted by a veteran group of Bay Area Butoh performers, Bare Bones Butoh Presents employs the grassroots ethic of working together to sustain an artistic culture.

Thus far in its over three year (!) history, every Bare Bones Butoh Presents show has been a Benefit Performance. BBBP serves not only as a performance outlet, but also as a fundraising platform which supports local Butoh and Performance Artists in need. Our 15th presentation is no exception. All proceeds from these performances go towards the organization itself, in order to help these shows to continue. Please feel free to donate freely.

Bare Bones Butoh Presents is community building and performance all smushed together into two evenings.

We hope to see you there.

For more info on Bare Bones Butoh Presents:
Bob Webb
bobwebb20@hotmail.com

Transform Unhealthy Desires

I feel like I do this all the time or not enough of the time! Ha! that's how it goes sometimes. But I know I'm much more present with my emotions, needs and desires than I have ever been. For instance, right now, I know I have a touch of candida (yeast build-up in the digestive system). I know I over-indulged this past week and weekend in comfort foods, sweets and processed foods. I'm pretty good about staying clear of it, but there was a lot going on last week, so I resorted to grabbing this and that to-go which consisted of muffins, bagels, crackers and other high carby, sugary foods. I love it and you know, we all love it! But I do question myself as to how is this benefiting me? or others? Even with other aspects of our lives, acknowledging our desires and impulses. What is it that I really want here? Especially when I feel irritated or frustrated. This article will be a great theme for my next newsletter because it's been such a huge theme in my life. Why do I have a sense of urgency when doing things? What's the rush?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(From yogajournal.com daily insight)

Every once in a while we all are faced with nagging temptations that take over our thoughts and plague us with an uncontrollable urge to do something we know isn't healthy for us. When those times come—whether it's an impulse to eat an entire bag of potato chips or a desire to say something nasty to a coworker—yogic philosophy tells us to acknowledge our desires, focusing on the emotions that fuel them.

Once you've identified your emotions and how they make you feel, ask yourself what it means in the context of your life. Examine how following the desire will affect you and those around you. Ask yourself: Is the desire beneficial to other people as well as to myself? Could it be hurtful? What will I have to give up to follow this desire? Does it take me closer to my higher Self, or will it create more barriers between my soul and myself? What will I have to give up if I don't follow it? What do I really want by getting what I want? When you've discovered what you really want, voice it, make it an intention, and strive for it in your everyday.

IN THIS ISSUE
I Want It So Bad

http://www.yogajournal.com/wisdom/1839
Gotta Have It?

http://www.yogajournal.com/wisdom/1838

Preview New Work!

Butoh Caberet
Fundraiser for Subterranean Arthouse
Sunday, September 6, 2009 @4pm

Come, celebrate and support BUTOH San Francisco and Subterranean Arthouse for this kick-off event of the festival. It is also a fundraiser for the Subterranean Arthouse to install marley floors and a lighting system.

@The Subterranean Arthouse
2179 Bancroft Way
Berkeley, CA
Between Shattuck and Fulton
BART Accessible!

www.subterraneanarthouse.org
www.BUTOHsanfrancisco.net