June Favorites

Hey lovely! 

Summer is officially upon us, can you feel it? We have sun, rain, and everything in between with the unpredictability of the weather. So many wonderful things this month, so let's get started!

Favorite combination of moments: 


Here we go folks: On June 21, 2015 we have Father's Day, the first official day of summer, and the summer solstice (in the northern hemisphere) which creates the longest day of the year because the sun is at its highest northernmost point in the sky. The solstice marks the onset of summer, and basically it means the "midnight sun"; that is, the sun is able to shine on earth all day (at noon the sun appears to be at its highest elevation or altitude above the horizon, occurring at the moment the earth’s tilt toward the sun is at a maximum).* This noontime position changes very minimally for the days directly preceding and following the summer solstice. I think it was the latest sunset of summer, at around 9pm: fun in the sun all day, literally! Solstice means "sun stands still", so we here on earth feel as though we are a bit woozy (reminisce if you were feeling drunk Father's Day weekend without any alcohol in your system!)

 
* http://www.srh.noaa.gov/abq/?n=clifeatures_summersolstice

Favorite song(s): 

This one is great and inspired all by my amazingly musical loving dad (which works great, since it's Father's Day as well!) First off I gotta say YouTube is totally awesome. Once you finish listening to a particular song, YouTube follows it up automatically with a similarly themed song that was previously played. Highly sensitive and specific, it really is superb. The first song that I am in love with is called: "Torneró"(1974) by the Italian group I Santo California . The second song is "Ti amo" (1977) by Italian singer Umberto Tozzi. The third is: "Mamma Maria" (1982) by Ricchi e Poveri. I see there is an Italian theme going on. Take a listen to these and let me know what you think.

Favorite tea: Lemon ginger tea has been a great tea to drink in the summertime. It tastes a bit bitter in the best possible way! If you have a sore throat, or if you just love the combination of tangy flavors, your best bet is lemon ginger tea!

Favorite movie:

How to steal a million (1966) is such a refreshingly smart comedic movie without too much unneeded drama and emotional tension like today's movies possess. Such a lovely movie with Audrey Hepburn and Peter O'Toole partnering up in crime and in love. Gather your family and friends and make a night of it.

Favorite quote:

 "We interrupted each other to say the same thing"  

Don't you love being on the same page with someone to the point where you both want to literally interrupt each other to say the exact same thing! So hilariously funny, this quote was coined in the moment of true friendship bonding.

Have a great summer y'all! 

XOXO- Lusciously Levi  

Magical Pointe Shoes- Swan Lake Behind the Scenes

Magical Pointe Shoes  Beyond the Pointe Shoe Box

Welcome to a new blog post section dedicated to the art of ballet! Whether you enjoy ballet as a hobby or as an art, feel free to follow this blog post as I will be posting technique explanations, performance experiences, and Holiday Classics! As a Professionally trained ballerina at the School of American Ballet in Lincoln Center, I have gained a sense of self-discipline that I aim to share and spread through these posts.  Enjoy :)


Swan Lake Behind the Scenes




In today's blog post I wanted to discuss the feeling of performing a variation on stage. When you are alone on the stage, you really have to own it. You have to put everything you got out there, so in essence, you are sharing your soul with the audience.

My lovely teacher watching back stage (Larissa) in the picture is a wonderful mentor. Her coaching is elegantly flawless. She enhances my creativity by encouraging my freedom of choosing certain choreography over others.

Swan Lake Finale

While Swan Lake is a difficult ballet to perform, especially with the uniqueness and precision of the flawlessly idealistic Odette, it felt magical to dance this variation because of all the love and dedication that went into the weekly rehearsal process beyond the pointe shoe box. 

Fall 2014 roundup

Hi Lovely! 

The fall is in full gear and that means that there is a new breeze out on the horizon. A more mellow, calm, and peaceful sentiment surrounds you if you truly tune in and focus on it. In addition, today, stop thinking about all of the things that are not right and try to limit your complaining. Smile, dance around, listen to your choice of music, and engage in goodness. 

I have written a few articles that were recently published and if you are looking for extra stress relief advice, here are the 2 links:

How to communicate effectively and calmly   (the article is on page 119*)
Tips To Calm Your Nerves When Faced With Stressful Situations

On a nice fall weekend we had some girl time and played Scrabble. Great for the brain, great for socializing :)

We are heading into the 70's, still towards the end of September!

For today's lunch here is a nice recipe:

1 tspoon Ketchup
Dash of Turmeric powder
1 tbsp Olive oil (optional)
2 handfuls of mixed greens
Steamed veggies: string beans, broccoli, carrots
Main dish- chicken cutlets (organic white meat) and cooked onion

Happy Holidays to all!

Hi lovely!

As we are wrapping up 2013, let's do so with humility and honesty. Your emotions may be a bit sad or happy now, depending on where you currently are in your life. Whatever the reason, remember that you are here to become your true self, spiritually. A new year brings new opportunity, new potentials, and new heights. One of the best things to do before the year comes to a close, is to reflect on where you are right now. Write down all the things that you have accomplished this year. What are you proud of? Did you organize your room, help a friend, spend time with your loved ones, learn something new about yourself? Every step that you make in your life should be acknowledged. Accept it and be true to yourself!

Once you have fully reconnected with yourself, write down some potential ideas for goals for the new year. They shouldn't be something like "lose weight" or "buy a house", that's too much pressure! Something simple like "I will change something about myself to make me a better person", or whatever you feel has to change within you. Baby steps is key. Once you have it written down, put it somewhere where you can see it on a daily basis, possibly on a mirror or your refrigerator. Let this be a motivator for a renewed YOU. Happy Holidays to all! xo

Go with the flow, rush less!

Everyone's in a rush! Have you noticed recently? People in my circle of friends and strangers on the street are always so busy. I didn't think much of it before but as I got older, realized rushing is pointless, a waste of energy, and essentially empty, producing loads of refuse that negatively build up in people's emotional subconscious and remains there unhealthily. 

What happened to people enjoying life and going with the flow, at least mildly? What happened to following your road peacefully with a smile on your face? Where did it all disappear to? Where is every one running to, if it's away from your family? 

We all, as a community and as a society at large, are slowly and unfortunately becoming more selfish, self obsessed, and self critical. There is so much to argue about that people do not know how to just love one another. When you look at it, life can and should be so simple, so calm, so enjoyable. Taking away the pressures of being a perfect robot should be the first step to finding out a peaceful way of life. Appreciate the beauty around you, the nature, the food, and the people. Most of all, give thanks for your own life, for you are here for a reason. That reason is a journey that you take from day to day. Respect yourself and love yourself, for that is what you are here to realize. Namaste 

Verse of the Week!

Hey everyone! I will be starting something new and exciting, reading and discussing Bible verses! I hope you will all join me on this fun way of learning and growing as people and as spiritual beings. I invite all the curious souls to take this journey as well to find about more about yourself, your life, and your potentiality.






Proverbs 28:6 
 "Better is the poor that walketh in the uprightness,
than he that is perverse in his ways, though he be rich."


This week let us learn about the message of goodness and honesty. Money and material possessions sometimes take priority in our lives. While money is an important asset as we need it to survive, constantly putting emphasis on that and not family is not the right thing to do. An  honest soul is much more worthy than a dishonest soul but one who has lots of money. We must try to do good on a daily basis, and through this goodness we get the love and spiritual satisfaction of life. Money is not a means to an end. Focus on one another and the love that can be shared!

So in the comment section of the blog post, let me know what is your favorite verse and why! Or just comment on the verse I chose and let me know if you agree and why or why not.

Have a great week and be kind to the people you come in contact with*







                       New Verse of the week! 9/5/13

"As water reflects a face so a man's heart reflects the man". Proverbs 27:19

This verse seems to say that your heart is reflected in how you live your life. Although your heart is inside, if you are kind in your life and help one another this will be seem on the outward. I think this verse is beautifully written and sounds eloquent and peaceful. 

This verse simply reminds us that to be clean and pure and individuals, we must think about our actions. Since our actions are conducted by the heart initially, we can make decisions based on that aspect. A good heart determines character. So, let us all think a bit harder and help a bit longer. Call your grandparents or parents and ask them what you can do to help them. Be a kind soul.

What do you guys think? Do you have a favorite verse of the week? Comment bellow! 

Verse of the week is the following for 11/24/13

 "Do not hate your kinsfolk in your heart"

Lev 19:17

In this verse, how can you relate? I believe that we sometimes get angry with some people. Either they do not understand us, do not respect us, or do not make us feel good. We can pray for these people and pray for the feeling to subside. Through this process we must adopt a method of forgiveness. This part takes more practice but in time, we would get hurt less and feel more happy with ourselves and the people who do not match with our spiritual needs. By doing this we take that emotional baggage of negativity and transform our minds and spirits to only be in a positive state. This is the ultimate goal: to accept life, pray for clarity, hate less, and love yourself! 

Calm YOUR mind, calm YOUR soul

      A Healthy Mind is a Peaceful Soul

Buddha is a total peacemaker. This sense of calmness and peacefulness seems so hard to find for us as people, but with the right mind set and lots of practice and dedication, achieving that relaxed state of being may be attainable within reach. It basically has to do with emptying the mind in an effort to center the mind effectively and efficiently.  This includes freeing your mind of insufficient and invaluable information that holds you in one place and inhibits your overall growth and potential prosperous advances.

 

 Buddhism tends to focus on the very aspect of remaining at the center of your core. This means not desiring so much that you go insane if you do not receive what you so desperately desire. On the contrary, this practice proposes one to accept and ultimately appreciate one's life overall. This will definitely take time and effort. Once this energy is revealed in a positive light, one will feel secure and at peace. That being said, we must aim to live for now, work on ourselves, do good, and work hard. The rest is basically out of our hands, so we should not try to control every aspect of our lives, which can really end up being an exhausting task without plausible results.

Still, we are humans, with feelings and desires. Therefore, with that comes frustration and anger once in a while. Our feelings get hurt and people have misunderstandings. However, if you take out any negativity towards your fellow people, either actively or passively, you might become angry later i your life, without ever realizing why. Therefore, your anger should teach you to take a step back and really think about what it is you are really upset about, and try and communicate these situations with somebody you love.

We, as individuals, have the authority to actively partake in our destiny. We must take action and not passively look to our friends to guide us on our life's path. This concept is the true meaning of our lives. It is a sole conquest, where each soul is on a quest for purpose and meaning. This journey is a project that is individualistic, and must be applied to that particular person, but compared to nobody else. 

Be you, be real ❤ 

So people these days tend to compare themselves to each other. Whether it be their friends, family, siblings, or work associates. This kind of character benefits nobody. Also, it creates needless tension that manifests itself around you and your aura. It provokes this sense of uncomfort within, likely to make you feel inferior and extra competitive. Thus, we must not focus on out doing anyone. On the contrary, we should learn to follow our own lives, and fulfill our own destiny and desire. It makes no difference if you were to go look in someone else's plate, for instance. We need to take responsibility for what we have and build off from there. We must efficiently appreciate our lives and not be upset about what other people have. They are living their own lives, and you should live your life, on your terms. This is the beauty of it. You can essentially only compare yourself to who you were yesterday, and grow and evolve from there, accordingly. The main take-away from this post would be to ultimately focus on your own destiny truthfully and honestly and ignore the extra loud noises that may tend to temporarily surround you. Just breathe, appreciate, and do YOUR best to thrive and do good!

You have misconstrued my connotation! 

Such a familiar feeling these days, don't you agree? There are countless misunderstandings where we simply do not "get" what the other person who is speaking is specifically referring to. We get confused, angry, and annoyed. While this continues to happen, we must alternatively remember that we are human beings, who are not perfect. We make mistakes. However, we would like to carry out the outward appearance of seeming ideal to our fellow human beings. On the contrary, we should inevitably learn to accept people's points of view. Thus, if we wish to get along with others in a harmonious setting and manner, we should indubitably strive to see things from our fellow people's perspectives, even as they may be opposite to our beliefs. This is essentially is a gateway for feeling more content with ourselves.

We should remember that by hearing out the other person, we internally gain more knowledge and wisdom. The fact is that no two people's perspectives are identical. There are numerous ways to implore a given topic. In addition, it is our sole responsibility, as human beings, to attempt to listen to those views in an effort to treat others with respect and decency. This will minimize or possibly eliminate the potential for arguments, as once we do not comprehend the other persons motives, we get upset that they do not match how we are thinking.  So the next time you listen to someones views and you initially disagree with them, open up your mind and learn to be more accepting. 

 Just being aware of the fact that someone perceives a topic in a diverging way than you will catapult you onto a level where less arguments would arise and more peace would take place. This will additionally evoke a sense of contentment on your part as you will be able to get along better with other people. Finally, as a result, you will feel more confident within yourself!