Hoop Love

I don't know what it is about this magical circle of tubing and tape,
but i'm in love...

I went to my first hoop class and was hooked!

Now, i will admit, I am not a very good hooper (for some reason i just can't get waist hooping down, but am quite good at hand tricks)and haven't been hooping for very long, but there is something that makes me keep trying and trying. One day I will figure it out and never look back.

Usually, when something doesn't come naturally to me, after a while I will give up and admire from afar. Hooping isn't like that at all. I want to do it so badly, so I will keep trying. I don't get frustrated when the hoop keeps falling, in fact that usually makes me laugh. I honestly think I get more exercise from laughing at myself then I do from the actual hooping.

I have spent countless hours watching videos (there are some incredibly amazing ones out there!), reading all I can find about hooping and the culture/lifestyle and reading through the blogs of other hoop lovers. I love reading about their journeys, and their successes. It's incredibly inspiring.

This has changed so many lives in so many ways and I want to be a part of this crazy, fantastic movement of hoopers. I want to connect with the hooper inside of me (and I know she's in there) and feel the energy, the connection and most of all the love...

If you are a hooper, I would love to hear anything you want to share! Your story, how you got started...anything at all!

wishing you a lovely Sunday xo

What Do You Collect?

I have noticed that I am a collector...
There are certain things I tend to gather and keep...
I wonder if it's an artist thing. or if it's just a Sheena thing...

Here's my list:

1) images. I have hundreds of files of images saved on my computer. I make a folder for each month and fill it with photos and images I love. Each month generally has over 500 photos in it. At the end of the month, I burn a CD of the images and it goes into a case with all of the other CD's. These images find their way into my scrapbooks and journals (on a side note: I always note where I get the image from, even though no one else reads my journals or personal scrapbook. I just always want to give credit to these amazing artists that inspire me and would hope that if I had the honour of being in someone's journal, they would do the same)

2) journals/scrapbooks. At this point in my life I have 93 journals. The smallest one has 23 pages (two fell out and have been taped into another journal :) ) and the largest is 750 pages. They are filled with everything, with my life...

3)quotes. I love wise words, words that inspire, words that force you to think and reflect. (these also go in journals ... it's a bit of an addiction :) )

4) love notes. any kind letter that has been sent or given to me is kept... you guessed it...in a journal. I have the most wonderful people in my life and they are so kind and loving to me. If i have a terrible day, all I have to do is pull out this magical love note journal and sit with their kind words.

These are just a few of the things I collect.

What do you collect dear ones?

xo

My Faith*

"if you send out goodness from yourself, or if you share that which is happy and good within you, it will come back to you multiplied ten thousand times. In the kingdom of love there is no competition; there is no possessiveness or control. The more love you give away, the more love you will have"



-John O'Donohue

I have had a lot of questions thrown at me regarding faith lately, in particular what my faith is. Here is the truth; my faith is love. I believe in it, and make it my guiding principal in my life. Below is a list of some of my thoughts on faith and my beliefs. They may change (in fact, I am positive they will), as I am constantly changing. I am still learning and growing, and hope to always be. But here are my truths for this point in my life;

- I believe in duality; the power of male and female.

- I feel a stonger pull towards the female, as she resonates more within me.

- I don't feel the need to go to church to pray; the divine is everywhere and i would rather be in nature, in the world that the divine made, than in a man made building.

- I believe in the power of mother earth and the energy of plants and trees and everything alive in this magical world

- I believe in reincarnation. How could we only get one shot at this when there is so much to learn, experience and marvel at.

- I believe prayer and meditation can be in many forms. For me, it takes the form of dancing and hooping (wild and free) and capturing photos on photowalks

these are just a few of my thoughts on faith and the way I express it in my life.

Happy Saturday everyone <3

Good Morning 2011

I woke up this morning happy, and with a feeling that anything could happen ... anything is possible.

Now don't get me wrong, I normally wake up happy and grateful that I get to spend another day on this planet full of possibility, but there was just something special about this morning.

It's 2011, and I have a feeling it is going to be a really great year ... in fact that is my goal for this year!

I believe in making your own luck, and creating what you most need to find. This year, for me, will be focused on doing just that.

In 2011 I will:
1. focus on photography and learning more about something that gives me great joy
2. find more time to work on my personal scrapbook/journal
3. take the ecourse by the lovely Boho Girl, Denise Andrade
4. focus more on my blog and learning more and more about blogging itself
5. gather inspiration from other bloggers and spend some time absorbing their knowledge
6. visit my beloved New York City again (not so much theatre this time ... more wandering)
7. focus on becoming healthy and learning what works for me and my body
8. Start an Etsy shop to sell some of my prints (stay tuned for more info!)
9. go on photography adventures at least once a month with a dear friend
10. make time for more hooping, atleast 3 times a week for half an hour!

Hoping your 2011 is happy and healthly!

Much Love!

In Search of Home*

I've been very quiet for the past little while, not only in this space, but in other parts of my life as well. I just haven't really had anything I wanted to talk about or say. I have also been dreaming about the vacation I am taking next week.

My dear best friend and her love have graciously agreed to put up with me for a week and allow me to stay with them at their apartment in Vancouver. It has been 2 very long months since I have seen her and I miss her dearly.

In addition to spending time with my lovely friends, I am trying out the city...

Let me explain ...

In this life, I feel that I have never truly found my home. I have found some wonderful places, and lived with beautiful souls that I call dear friends, but never found that one spot that just screams out "this is it ... this is where you are meant to be" . Now, while New York City did scream that for me, I just don't think at this point in my life that living in that city is possible.

I am hoping in Vancouver, there will be something that grabs me and just doesn't let go. There is a possibility that I could have the opportunity to move to the city with the current job I have. But I won't make the move if I don't love the city.

So Vancouver, I am excited to meet you. I hope this first meeting will be the start of a great relationship ...

*Second Week...

Week two of Yoga class tonight ...
15 minutes into class, i wanted to stomp my feet, roll up my beautiful mat and storm out of there.

I just couldn't connect ... to anything

mind, body, earth ... nothing

I know it's about being patient with yourself, but it was just so damned frustrating. Normally I am very patient with myself, especially when whatever I am doing happens to be "new" (or relatively new...) to me. But for some reason, I expected more from myself.

I have always felt very connected to my body, and have always felt movement came naturally to me. Not so much this time around...

I feel a giant disconnect, and that upsets me. I know it will get better and every week won't be like this but, body, if you're listening ....

please try to meet me half way

*If...

Ask anyone who knows me well and they will tell you I can often be found with my nose stuck in a book.

They will also tell you half the time,I will have a pen in hand and that said book will be one of my journals.

So imagine my delight when I go in to one of my favorite places in the world, the local library, and find this delightful book ...

If...

(Questions for the Game of Life)

by Evelyn McFarlane & James Saywell

I open it up to find hundreds of questions, all starting with the word if... My mind races as I read question after question and realize that I have just come across a goldmine of journal prompts! Even more to my delight I find out that there are several more books in the "series", all with different questions ( or journal prompts, in my case). I ran to Chapters, just a block away and got the second one. There are a few on my birthday wish list as well!

I thought I would share some of my answers here, as well as in my journal. If you are in need of inspiration, or just a fun game to play with some friends, please go find these little gems!

If you could physically transport yourself to any place in the world at this moment, where would you go?

New York City. I miss it so much and crave the energy, sights and sounds. That city is magical, and I feel magical when I am a part of it.

If you could suddenly possess an extraordinary talent in one of the arts, what would you like it to be?

I would want to be an extraordinarily talented actor. I believe I am talented, as I am a graduate of a program that auditions many, and only takes 20 people a year, but I don't feel I possess an extraordinary talent. Acting (for the stage, not for film or television) is something I love, and am very passionate about.

If you could be instantly fluent in one other language that you currently do not read or speak, which would it be?

Italian or Gaelic, and no I cannot choose between the two. I think they are both beautiful and would gladly speak either of them

...so there is just a taste of the many question gems in this book. I am sure I will post more in the weeks to come.