Having a wonderful time in Davis/Sacramento

So yesterday, I took a walk…I walked and walked.  I haven’t walked anywhere in a very long time.  Things seem so spread out back home and I’m always so short on time that I just don’t seem to take the time to walk.  It has been beautiful in Davis…in the upper seventies, sunny, beautiful  

On my walk, I saw students leaving school (I had such a leisurely morning that I didn’t leave the house until students where getting out of school!), I saw beautiful big trees, I saw the U of C Davis campus and older students, I saw adult ducks and baby ducks, a squirrel, a couple of blue birds, and James–a grad student and tarot card reader.  Then I walked down B Street, but think that it should be called Peace Street instead.  I saw a house with a Peace Sign, a house with a war is not the answer sign, and two cars with Peace bumper stickers.   I had a great day!

Amy brought me some stolen cherries when she returned from work…I felt so naughty eating stolen cherries!  They were really wonderful.  Amy’s co-worker said that he knew the people so they wouldn’t mind that he was taking cherries from their tree–even though there was a sign that said “Don’t pick the cherries!” 

Last night, Amy and I and Amy’s friend, Gabrielle, went to Sacramento to eat at this very cool Buddhist Veg restaurant called Andy Nguyen Restaurant.  The menu was just  beautiful.  We shared the Eight Fold Path Salad and Gabrielle had the Love of Life Soup, Amy had the Supreme Wisdom entre, and I had the Awakening of Faith entre.  When the server delivered my dish and said Awakening of Faith, I felt like we were beginning to share a beautiful philisophical conversation in addition to a beautiful dish.  

After that, we went to Kasbah Lounge and enjoyed wonderful music and belly dancers.  Maybe if I had tassles, I could shake my hips!

Today, I slept in again!  Wow, it’s so nice to not have to get up at 5:30!  I could get used to this   After a slow leisurely morning, we walked to the Farmer’s Market and the Co-op and bought some things to make a veg chili tonight.  If it’s good, I’ll add the recipe later.

 Here are some pics of my time in Davis/Sacramento:

 http://www.flickr.com/photos/75198547@N00/sets/72157605364639829/

Hope that you are having the most amazing day!

Donna

Friends :-)

My first post on the road.  I’m currently at my friend Amy’s place in Davis, California.  It was so nice to sleep in (poor Amy had to work!) and then slowly begin to ease into my day…it’s really incredible how at home I feel here.  Made some oatmeal, a cup of green tea, listening to some good music on my iPod…mmmm life is good.

I just wanted to take a moment to share how grateful that I am for friends…my friends are so much more than that…they are my family, the supporters of my dreams, healers of my heart, and I love them all very much. 

Last Friday, David hosted a bon voyage party for me at his house.  I have some pics that Ethan and Marke took at the party.  I hope that you enjoy the beauty of some of my wonderful friends   Here are the links:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/75198547@N00/sets/72157605343697393/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/75198547@N00/sets/72157605342834649/

I know that there are a lot of pics of Jade, David’s dog, but who can resist!

Anyway, going to take a walk through the arboretum and visit downtown Davis. 

Have a beautiful day!

Donna

Flow and Yin: A Balanced Yoga Practice DVD

Hi Everyone,

I recently learned that there was a clip of my DVD on Youtube.com. Here it is: If you’re interested in learning more, please visit http://www.practicekindness.com/flandyibayop.html. It is available for purchase through several sites including Amazon. Ten percent of the proceeds will be donated to Beyond the Orphanage.

Peace and happiness,

Donna

Welcome to The Karma Yoga Project Blog!

I leave on my big trip 4 weeks from today and plan on keeping a record of my journey to Northern California, New Zealand, Australia, Hawaii, and Ethiopia. This is a journey of a lifetime for me. I am ready to explore all aspects of myself–diving deep within to reveal the parts of me that have been suppressed for too long–including the Bohemian Hippie girl who just wants to commune with nature, make new friends everywhere I go, and make a positive difference in this lifetime .

I will spend time at a Buddhist Retreat Center in New Zealand, 5 days studying meditation with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama in Australia, maybe taking surfing lessons while in Oahu, and doing some volunteer work in Ethiopia. Can’t wait to get started! For those of you who don’t know me, I’m including some information below about how this all came about.

One day last Spring, I woke up. I woke up from a restless nights sleep…I woke up with the same thought that had plagued me all night…”I’m not living the life that I’m supposed to live.” I couldn’t understand where this thought was coming from. I had a great life–a comfortable relationship, a nice home, a wonderful career and so many great friends, and of course–my yoga practice–a spiritual experience that always sustains me through both beautiful and challenging circumstances. What more could I possibly need?

I tried to convince myself that everything was OK, but I couldn’t let go of this heart-felt yearning that I was not living the life that I was supposed to live–I was obsessed with this thought–and although I hid it pretty well from my family, friends, and colleagues, I couldn’t hide from myself. I actually thought that I was going through a mid-life crisis and that if I just hung in there, the thought would leave me and I could just go back to enjoying my life–just as it was. But that was not meant to be. I waited a month before making any changes, but after that I couldn’t ignore my heart any longer. I decided to leave behind my comfortable, secure life as I knew it–to move forward alone toward a life that was yet unclear and uncertain.

My life continues to evolve–almost faster than I can keep up with. And even if you haven’t noticed it yet, we are all in a state of becoming–even if you’re becoming isn’t as extreme as mine. I hope that you will listen to your heart–I hope that you will live the life that you are intended to live.

Wishing you so much peace and love,

Donna