Tracy's somewhat restricted practice before she had arthroscopic surgery
 on her shoulder in August '07 and before she had her hip replacement 
surgery Feb 11, 08. Tracy will continue to document her recovery.
Music by Buddy Guy. 
Yoga at Triangle Yoga, North Carolina.

Shiva Rea is known for bringing the roots of yoga alive for modern 
practitioners in creative, dynamic and life-transforming ways and for 
offering the synthesis form of prana flow out in the world.
"I embrace yoga as a universal path as well as traditional teachings and 
practices to cultivate and realize our full potential. Vinyasa (flow yoga) is 
a natural sequence unfolding with creative intelligence - a conscious 
evolution connecting each moment with unifying breath. We explore 
embodying and living yoga in full spectrum - sun to moon, wild to sublime,
 fullness to simplicity, action and being. There is yoga for everyone...."

Her 1997 Master of Arts in Dance at UCLA thesis is a good read on yoga. 
(scroll down the page to get to pdf link to her thesis.)

Here's their story .... In a Chinese modern dance competition on TV, 
one very unique couple won one of the top prizes. The lady, in her
30's, was a dancer who had trained since she was a little girl. Later
 in life, she lost her entire left arm in an accident and fell into a state 
of depression for a few years. Someone then asked her to coach a 
Children's dancing group. From that point on, she realized that she 
could not forget dancing. She still loved to dance and wanted to dance 
again. So, she started to do some of her old routines, but having lost 
her arm, she had also lost her balance. It took a while before she could 
even make simple turns and spins without falling.
Then she heard of a man in his 20s who had lost a leg in an accident. 
He had also fallen into the usual denial, depression, and anger type of 
emotional roller coaster. But she determined to find him and persuade 
him to dance with her. He had never danced, and to "dance with one
 leg .... are you joking with me? No way!" But, she didn't give up, and he 
reluctantly agreed thinking, "I have nothing else to do anyway."
She started to teach him dancing 101. The two broke up a few times 
because he had no concept of using muscle, how to control his body, 
and knew none of the basic things about dancing. When she became 
frustrated and lost patience with him, he would walk out. Eventually, 
they came back together and started training seriously. They hired a 
choreographer to design routines for them. They won the competition.

May I Be Frank documents the transformation of Frank Ferrante’s life. Frank is 54 years old, obese, depressed and addicted. He stumbles into a local raw, organic and vegan restaurant in San Francisco, Café Gratitude.  When Ryland, a server at Café Gratitude asks Frank “What is one thing you want to do before you die?” Frank replies, “I want to fall in love one more time, but no one will love me looking the way I do”.
Ryland, his brother Cary, and Conor, his best friend, are inspired by the possibility of helping Frank.  For the next 42 days, Frank will eat only raw food, practice gratitude, visit local holistic practitioners, and get a weekly colonic.  Ryland, Conor, and Cary get to support Frank’s miraculous transformation. Frank gets a new body, a clearer mind, and most importantly, a soaring spirit. May I Be Frank documents the essence of the human condition and what it truly means to fall in love again. What Frank did. Frank's blog. 

"It is a beautiful sight. The caring behavior of the three young coaches is the 
essence of the revolutionary spirit that Che Guevara meant when he said 'True 
revolution is about tenderness."      -Alice Walker, author, The Color Purple

"42 days was the very beginning. The journey continues. It's not an event, 
it's a process. I'm still an exceptionally flawed human being working on
 issues and aspects of myself that warrant attention. So, it's not like I fixed
 it....it's a continual process." 

"The hardest part was the affirmations...you try it!" 

  -Frank Ferrante  

Vinyasa flow sequence to Sade at Triangle Yoga in Chapel, NC.

So, will my first blog entry be about massage? My profession? The reason I have put this website together? 
Nah!
Let's go straight to the fun! 

Last week I happened to walk by Vin Antico in San Rafael (881 4th street) but couldn't resist. What a score that was! I had the Pappardelle pasta-with rabbit, and a glass of Sean Thackery's "Pleiades XX." This place is casual romantic and gets its organic ingredients from local farms. Love the candlelight. Let Vin Antico tell you why organic is better (hint: "intensity of flavor," "nutrition," and because..."conventional grown crops are sprayed with... chemicals... designed to kill other forms of life and you may very well be eating them!...."). I love this place. The servers are friendly, the food is delicious AND local AND organic, and I will look for excuses to come back. Check out their dinner menu.  
From their website:
Ed Vigil became Executive Chef at Vin Antico in February 2010.  He left the city to return to marin because of his commitment to the farms and produce that are just minutes from the back door of Vin Antico.  He shops twice a week at the farmer’s market and develops relationships with the farmers who grow the food featured on the menu.  His menus change weekly and feature hand cut pastas, homemade sausage and house cured meats.  His food is bold and innovative.