28 April 2011

16 April 2011

Week In Photos

I didn't get a chance to write much last week, so here's some photos instead:





Pineapple chicken that I made with my good friend Beyza. I'll post links to this recipe soon; it was really delicious!





I enjoyed a relaxing day with Todd in a Staten Island park before he left for Las Vegas on vacation. He comes back on Thursday night; I can't wait to see him again!





While taking advantage of nice weather in Manhattan, Beyza and I came up a wall of water with a cool glass-protected walkway.





Beyza and I admired the blooming tulips in Rockefeller center before checking out the LEGO store and the MET museum store (one of my favorites; I love Tiffany merchandise).



This bear-lamp art exhibit by Urs Fischer was just lounging around on 52nd street. It will be auctioned off by Christie's in May. I want one!

13 April 2011

Sacral Chakra

Photo from: Purengery Vibrational Healing
The second chakra, called Svadisthana or Swadhisthana in Sanskrit, is also known as the "sacral chakra" because of it's location in the sacrum, the large triangle-shaped bone at the base of the spine and upper back part of the pelvis. It is symbolized by an orange lotus with six petals and governs the sexual organs, the kidneys, the liver, and adrenal glands. It helps inspire our creativity and gives us the strength to see our relationships clearly.

When the sacral chakra is balanced and open, we feel creative and mentally "awake." It gives us a drive to achieve what we want in live and helps us let go of objects, ideas, and relationships that are detrimental to our well-being. In those relationships we do keep, the sacral chakra helps us keep them balanced and equal. Given it's dominance over the reproductive organs, a balanced sacral chakra can also lead to more fulfilling sex. When the sacral chakra is blocked, however, we can suffer physically from stomach pains and sexual diseases. Emotionally, a blocked sacral chakra can lead to either breakdowns and frequent, overly dramatic outbursts or a sense of listlessness and apathy.

If you want to work to balance your sacral chakra,  try wearing orange or lighting candles that have lavender and sage scents. If you think your chakra needs to be opened further, try bolder scents like ylang-ylang, grapefruit, or patchouli (one of my favorites). Use carnelian gems to garner emotional health and balance. With this chakra, the key is to learn to love yourself in order to build your relationships with others and gain a sense of confidence that is neither inflated or malnourished. 


Some key mantras to repeat are: 

  • "I am creative and bold."
  • "I love and approve of myself and my actions."
  • "I only need what is inside of me."
  • "I trust that life will work out."

 

05 April 2011

04 April 2011

to the black

      at the end of it all the sky stung like obsidian but
      we blasted up into the universe and built ourselves a home

      out of star bits with a moat created from the dregs of a black hole
      and we thanked all the gods we could name that we hadn't died alone