Some of the best moments of my life have been around a table in an Italian restaurant, both here and in Italy of course. Italian culture is famous for its passions, food being among them. Italian meals are filled with great food, locally sourced, and prepared with loving care. Often it is more than just the food....it's the ambiance, the aroma when you walk in, and great service that can take an average meal to extraordinary. I can recall many an evening lingering over wine and cheese, flirting with the waiter, and falling in love with my family and friends all over again. So thankful are we for this gift of good food and great company. I am not easily brought to tears, but sometime have me tell you about the moment on the farm in Umbria when our chef walked out with fresh ricotta, honey from their bees, and toasted walnuts. I cried....so simple and so delicious. In that moment it was not a dessert, it was an offering deep from her heart.

In Italy, eating well is a way of life, a deep priority woven in the fabric of the culture. And how and what we we eat informs our overall wellness. Not just on a physical level, but emotionally as well.

Inherent in the practice of yoga is to notice. To shine light on all the parts of ourselves to reveal our patterns, our habits. In that process we hope to be able to see clearer the things that are serving us, and the things that are not. Not only about food and what feels good in your body and what does not, but all the other things that you consume as well. The people that you spend time with, the books that your read, the media that you consume all has energy. Some of it can enhance our being, while some can detract.

We have all spent the last year having our own experiences, mostly online. Today at the yoga studio we had our first full class. At the end of class people clapped, people cried, everyone was moved, no one wanted to go home. A shared experience. While I am so grateful to have had the opportunuty to stay connected and offer the practice online, I hope you all have not forgotten about the shared experience. What can that offer you? Sometimes hearing the person next to you take a deep breath reminds you to do the same. It is harder to stop mid stream when those surrouding you are still holding plank pose. At home by myself? Well I stopped and put the load of clothes in my washer in the dryer and then came back to my mat. No one was the wiser.

Last Saturday we celebrated Mother's Day at.....you got it....an Italian restaurant in Roscoe Village. We shared a bottle of lovely red wine, we shared plates of fish, pasta, and amazing salads. And we shared stories of our day and the week ahead. It was lovely.

There is nothing I would rather do than enjoy la cucina italiana with people whom I care about (preferably in Italy). With the annoucnement of the E.U. opening, Patti Lupo and I are heading back to Italy for our 6th Yoga Bella retreat on the most precious farm in the middle of the Umbrian hills. The pic above is from my ALL TIME favorite Italian restaurant, Alma Civita, and if you can come with me, I will share it with you.

xoxo

JK