Greetings and Happy Chinese New Year!

Today, Monday, January 23, marks the beginning of the Year of the Water Dragon, a New Moon and the 4709th Chinese year.  The Year of the Dragon is one of the most revered years of the Chinese New Year calendar. The Manila Bulletin cites that the Dragon is sometimes called a “karmic sign.” The Dragon is larger than life and its appearance means that big things are to come. The Year of the Dragon is a flowing river, not a stagnant lake, so things happen quickly earlier in the year. The Dragon marks progression, perseverance and auspiciousness. It may also bring about unpredictable events. For us, another opportunity to begin again, consider our choices and our aspirations. At the 5:45 pm class tonight we’ll be doing some dragons of our own! (sourc for this info)

I came across another post and found it helpful and inspiring -Top Five Regrets of the Dying and hope you do too. I’m working on number four in this post to you.

Looks like we’ll be able to continue noon classes at Keshet Dance with Mikiala at Keshet Dance. And the gong events are coming in February and March.

This week I’ll be teaching 5:45 pm classes Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, so join me on the mat if you can and may we all join in our desire for happiness for all beings.

Happy New Year!

namaste,
Meta.

Good morning Yogi Friends and Family,
Top  of the crescent moon. First just some fun and goofy tips for you Good Ideas and Tips, like

Newspaper Weeds-Away Start putting in your plants, work the nutrients in your soil. Wet newspapers, put layers around the plants overlapping as you go,cover with mulch and forget about weeds. Weeds will get through some gardening plastic, they will not get through wet newspapers.

And then maybe you all knew this already, but I’ve lived in this Great State of Enchantment for almost two decades and didn’t know the meaning of the ubiquitous Zia symbol. A friend forwarded this to me. Zia symbol has four lines in each direction meaning:

• The compass (north, south, east, and west)
• The seasons of the year (spring, summer, autumn and winter)
• The periods of each day (morning, noon, evening and night
• The stages of life (childhood, youth, middle years and elderhood
• The sacred aspects one must develop (a strong body, a clear mind, a pure spirit, and a devotion to the well-being of others)

GREAT GONG NEWS! Two Gong Events coming up, in February Sat Guru will be presenting Kundalini Yoga and Gong Journey, Feb 23, here’s the info.

And then in March, to Gong Out the studio, Richard Rudis brings us his  GONG BATH, March 26. Gonging All Around, Vibrations Abound.

Our friend Shira Greenberg of Keshet Dance calls April the beginning of the Bedouin phase of YogaNow (the Bedouin are nomadic people who inhabit the middle east and north Africia, bedouin means desert dweller).  I will teach the Sunday 10 am class and Tue/Thurs 930 am classes at Keshet Dance, just 3 blocks from the current studio, and with abundant and free parking. Wednesday 545 pm classes will be at The Healing Gate in Nob Hill. Updates for classes are here.

The next phase of the YogaNow Teacher Training & Personal Enrichment will be a Retreat mode at Ghost Ranch in Northern New Mexico. We will host two ten day sessions, the first in October 2012, the second March 2013. Ghost Ranch with its stunning beauty in land, sky and surrounding environs (like Ojo Caliente Hot Springs) is the perfect place for yoga transformational teachings. Watch for details.

And now Vital Yoga: A Sourcebook for Students and Teachers, will be available at Whole Foods!

I hope you are all enjoying every phase of the  moon and your phases of life, every direction of the zia symbol and mostly, diving into your own luscious heart with yoga. Join me tonight on the mat for the 545 pm class, let’s vibrate together.

namaste and love,

Meta.

 

Greetings and a Happy Full Moonish to you,

First some inspiring news from Edible Gardens: Public Garden Feeds 200,000 People Each Month  This kind of news can open our minds to healthy and fun community expansions.

Perhaps you saw the article in the New York Times Magazine called How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body.  I’ve been sent the article by friends and family far and wide. The article is chocked full of scary stories of serious injuries attributed to yoga. I thought one salient point was this

‘Asana is not a panacea or a cure-all. In fact, if you do it with ego or obsession, you’ll end up causing problems.’

Anytime we move away from our true bodily sensations and breath and move toward performance or competitiveness, we are putting ourselves in a precarious position.

But even more unsettling to me was the article’s implicit definition of yoga as poses, as if that is all yoga is! Why that is like thinking…that a canned pea is the same as a freshly harvest pea from a pod. I mean, seriously, what would we be missing if our only experience of vegetables was from cans? This may seem a silly metaphor but I am always trying to shed light on the true bounty, the riches, the absolute sensuous delight of all of yoga. This emphasis on rigid rules for yoga poses with absolutes (in the article luminous yogis are quoted giving strict alignment rules) just seems to me to forget a rule taught me by my primary teacher, Betheyla,

No pose is more important than the person.

Finally what about the ulitmate purpose of yoga, happiness, peace of mind, equanimity. I’ll sign off with a sweet quote from Ramana Maharishi:

Thank you for bringing your hands to YogaNow. I’ll be subbing for Mike at 5:45 on Tuesday (that’s today!) and will be teaching every Wednesday at 5:45 pm. I hope you can join me and each other at YogaNow.

with love and affection,
namaste,
Meta.

PS The title of this blog, is from the yoga text, The Yoga Sutras, by Patanjali. Among other brilliance he lays out an eight path model for yoga, of which poses is one, that’s one of eight.

 

Greetings and Happy New Year,

First let me offer you a small gift of a visual delight: Underwater Astonishments

I hope this auspicious year, 2012, is the beginning, a new beginning, of a fabulous period of growth and fruition for you. To that end, you might consider what your intention or sankalpa might be for this beginning. Yoga teaches us to use discrimination, viveka, to understand and discern the root of past suffering and happiness and to look with a cool eye toward the truth of our lives. Then, based on this clarity, we begin to envision what our next direction, our aspiration might be. Next is the practice of doing the work, be it poses, breathing, meditation, job, family, whatever, and release attachment to outcome. That’s the yogic formula and you might just want to drink the champagne of intention, practice and detachment this year (or sankalpa, abhyasa, viagraghybham). 

I’ll be on a short silent retreat this year for the beginning of the new year, at a beautiful spot, Esalen. As you know, this is a year of change for YogaNow, and me, so I felt that a slight pause before jumping into the year would be correct. I’ll return on January 5th and happily, voluntarily, joyfully teach at YogaNow until March 31st, and then at various locations around town. I have already found some beautiful spots but if you have a spot let me know, too, please!

The schedule has ungone some necessary changes, please be sure to check it out. For example, I’ll be teaching Monday and Wednesday at 545 pm and there isn’t currently a Thursday night class (though a class may begin there shortly). We have two YogaNow teachers who are traveling in India in January, Aparna and Mike. Aren’t we lucky to have such committed and sincere teachers? So we have subs for Aparna’s morning classes, Cypresse and Lori. For Mike’s classes, Mikiala is teaching the noon ones and we, Meta and Mikiala, will share teaching the Tuesday 545 pm class. The Saturday Ashtanga class will be on a hiatus until Mike returns in February.  Okay, so that’s a lot of information, so you can definitely check the web: Class Schedule.

And now for some inspiration, check out this link of another Ted talk: Amy Purdy:Living Beyond Limits
with so much love and looking forward to meeting on the mat!

Happy New Year! Meta.

Greetings and November Salutations!

I’m on my way to a book signing/ workshop in Indianapolis at the Ann Katz Book Festival where the second edition of Vital Yoga: A Sourcebook for Students and Teachers has just arrived from the printers. Thank you all for your support and for our work together which is the basis of Vital Yoga.

And now, a video that makes me so happy that I weep, for many reasons, just one is watching Bella and Tara:

Another is the clarity of mind and integrity of the workers of the Tennessee Elephant Sanctuary.

The holidays are here (I know because there is a radio station that now plays Christmas carols 24/7) and it is a terrific time to invite yoga into your life in a more consistent way, so that you stay connected to you True Self, even if the world whirls other ideas. So, please do consider our special Holiday Yoga Bundle, just $9/class, to be taken in November and December.

AND remember that you have another invitation: yoga on Thanksgiving, Christmas And New Year’s Day at 10 am. Yoga with yourself, yoga with community, yoga with love.

Signing off with words from Alice Walker:

“The animals of the world exist for their own reasons.

They were not made for humans any more than

black people were made for whites or women for men.”

From my heart to yours,
Namaste,

Meta.

Greetings and August Salutations to you all,

I’ve been traveling and happy to be home. I had the opportunity to speak in a symposium at the Academy of Management on applying yoga philosophical principles to a business. I was delighted to meet the other presenters including an Indian professor of entrepreneurial management who uses an ancient text by Kautilya, written 2-3 centuries BCE, call the Arthashastra, discussing wealth and acting ethically. Amazing to me how the ancient times have so much in common with today.

From a Sanskrit scholar, Jo Brill, I caught the link with Mick Jagger singing Sanskrit: http://www.yogadork.com/news/listen-mick-jagger-sings-in-sanskrit-with-new-supergroup/  If there was any doubt about the penetration of yoga into all corners of popular culture, surely this link will erase it.

THIS Saturday, join Jimmy Cardinale, Ashtanga teacher extraordinaire for an introduction to Ashtanga yoga: http://www.vitalyogathebook.com/workshops-and-retreats/workshops/ This is an excellent opportunity to learn about this ancient challenging and therapeutic yoga practice.

Just because I’ve been out of town, don’t think for a minute the hens in my backyard haven’t been busy. I will bring eggs to buy (by donation) to the Thursday 5:45 pm class. I don’t know if you like eggs, but I do know that these eggs are from hens who live quite a spacious and active life, in addition to being loved.  Meet you on the mat.

have a great week, thank you for all you are and bring to the world,

namaste,

Meta.

 

“One who meditates on the Manipura lotus is constantly happy.” Siva Samhita, 5:18

Building on the chakra exercises in Muladhara and Swadhisthana, we now arrive at Manipura Chakra, at the navel and solar plexus. Manipura means: “city of lustrous gems” and reveals to us our sense of self. The third chakra is related to will power, self-esteem, the ability to set strong yet flexible boundaries and the transformational potency of the fire element. Understanding Manipura may help one make the decisions that change oneself or one’s situations. Because fire illuminates, Manipura is related to the sense of sight and the seed mantra is RAM. When Manipura is balanced, one has a good sense of personal power, integrity and charisma, without being overbearing or controlling. Imbalanced Manipura might bring the want to manipulate or control others, excess pride and aggressive perfectionism on the saturated side. One may be so efficient at carrying out one’s plans that he or she experiences burn-out. If Manipura is deficient, one may be needy, attention seeking, indecisive and have a poor self-image. One may not be able to carry out one’s plans and may even become depressed. Questions to ask yourself to better know yourself at this level are:

Am I ruled by doubt? How can I transform fear into a positive emotion?

Do I have a hard time making decisions? Can I carry out my decisions with appropriate actions?

Do I have to be right?

Am I needy or an attention suck?

Do I have adequate willpower? Am I a control freak?

Do other’s opinions control my life? How can I find personal power without becoming overbearing or rigid?

The following are a few exercises that might help you balance your Manipura chakra, or at least get you knowing yourself on this very important energetic level.

FIRE MEDITATION:

1. Sit in front of an open flame placed within a bowl or platter, making sure your spine is straight. Close your fists and extend the thumbs upward, in what some call Agni Mudra. The hands rest on the knees.

2. Mentally bathe in the warmth of the flame and recall a past unpleasant experience. Once you have identified the experience, write the keywords of the experience on a small piece of paper. Carefully hold the paper over the flame and allow the fire to devour it. Try to feel freed from the memory, perhaps having transformed the situation.

3. Next, bring up an experience that is currently not going so well. What would you like to do with this situation: push closer to it or pull away? Write you plan on a piece of paper and let the flame burn it. Let the transformative energy of the fire give you the energy to enact your plan.

4. Finally, think of your vision for the future. Write down the name of someone you love. Hold it to the flame and let your vision become a reality.

5. Offer an affirmation to seal your transformative work, such as: “I offer up negativity to be transformed,” “I claim my own power and accept responsibility for every part of my life,” or “My appetite for adventure helps me enjoy challenges with enthusiasm, courage and openness.

6. Be mindful of blowing out the flame with gratitude for the work.

WHAT ARE THE CAUSES OF ANGER?

(this meditation helps us uncover the causes of anger, a sign of excessive Manipura energy)

1. Remember an incident in which you were angry. Ask yourself why you were angry. Try to find the stimulus of the anger and its underlying cause.

2. Contemplate whether it is what people do that makes you angry or if it is your own evaluation of the situation that causes the irritation. Imagine sitting on a park bench when someone comes from behind and covers your eyes. Would you be angry or frightened? If you discovered it was a long lost friend, would your percepetion change? What if someone you don’t readily appreciate?

3. With example such as this in mind, try to analyze the everyday sources of irritation when they arise and ask yourself why you are really getting angry. Do not stife anger, rather work with it as if working with a friend who is trying to reveal to you something about yourself.

WHIRLING MEDITATION:

(Manipura Chakra is the gravitational center of your body. This movement meditation helps you to understand from what space you enact and manifest intention)

1. Stand with your feet slightly apart and cross your arms over your chest. Place your right hand on your left shoulder and vice versa. Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. Return to this stance if you start to feel dizzy at any point.

2. Set a soft gaze and slowly spread soft arms, using momentum to begin a counter-clockwise rotation of your body that starts at your torso and extend s down to your legs. Move right to left, making the solar plexus your pivot.

3. Extend both arms straight our form your shoulders with your left palm up and your right hand down. Visualize energy from above entering the palm that is up, passing over your shoulders and releasing to the earth through the palm that is facing down.

4. Stabilize your left foot as your pivot point and use your right foot to begin to rotate your body in a slow and rhythmic  manner. Gradually build speed. As your build into your full whirl, imagine yourself a whirlpool of radiant energy.

5. Bring awareness back to the solar plexus periodically to maintain your balance, but don’t be so controlling of your actions that you are afraid to topple. Practice for a minute for the period of a week before building your time up.

APPROPRIATE FOODS FOR MANIPURA ENERGY:

(Since Manipura is associated with the digestive power, agni, and the transformational component of fire on both a physical and mental level, eating the right foods can help the energy around the navel.)

Spices (build inner fire): black pepper, cayenne, ginger

Seeds (cool excess fire): fennel, anise, cumin, flax, sunflower

Carbohydrates (support balanced fire): rice, oats, millet, pasta, bread

ASANAS:

Try any of the following twists: Twisted traingle, twisted lunge, twisted seated pose, twisted chair, lying spinal twist **

For building fire and resolve, try Warrior poses and Goddess squat or abdominal conditioning

For softening the fire in the belly, try soft reclining twists and fully belly breath lying on your back with the hands on the belly.

**To stimulate the ascending colon first, twist to the right first in standing and seated poses. Twisting to the left will stimulate the descending colon, so practice standing and seated twists to the left second. While lying on your back, take the legs to the left first to accomplish the same pattern as above and take the legs to the right second.

Hope your find just the right amount of fire in this beginning to be busy season for some of us. As transformation ensues, may we find that we joyfully accept our responsibility in the tapestry of the life all around us and be able to support not only ourselves, but the beings that surround us. Hari Om Tat Sat.

 

 

It has been way too long since I have posted a blog, but am happy the flow of life has brought me back around to it. Speaking of “flow,” we could use a little water here in New Mexico. I thought it may be nice to share some techniques that might help to connect us to the water element in our body through Swadhisthana Chakra, the second chakra. Perhaps this can serve as salve for the very hot and dry days of summer.

Swadhisthana Chakra is the sacred home of the self and governs the energy of creativity, procreation, pleasure and morality.  It is generally thought to be about four finger widths below the navel at the sacral plexus. The second chakra is symbolized by a circle and a crescent moon, signifying the energy of freeness and ability to change. Swadhisthana is associated with the water element, the sense of taste and the sound VAM. When we think about the qualities of water, we think of liquid, flowing energy that can fully occupy any space it comes in contact with. It is cohesive, adaptive, flexible and strong- it can carve out canyons through its strength and persistence. Pretty powerful stuff. We can elicit the qualities of water to create a flexible and resilient attitude. The following techniques  may help you create an increased sense of flexibility and flow.

SWADHISTHANA SUN SALUTATIONS: This is just one way to come into a fluid balance and a beautifully rolling breath in a warm up. You may want to switch postures to ones that resonate with you, but try to move in between just two poses three to five times before moving to the next portion of the salutation. Try it a few times to get a feeling of the flow that is inherent within you.

1. Start standing at the head of the mat, hands at heart. Inhale, reach hands up overhead and exhale to draw hands to heart. Repeat with full, slow breath three times.

2. At top of last inhale, exhale to a forward fold and inhale all the way back up to hands overhead. Repeat three times in between these poses.

3. At bottom of last exhale, inhale and offer length to your spine, looking forward. Exhale to fold. Repeat three times.

4. At top of last inhale, exhale right leg back to lunge, exhale to straighten left leg. Repeat this action three times.

5. At bottom of last exhale, inhale to lunge and exhale to down dog. Inhale forward to plank (high push up) and exhale to down dog. Repeat three times.

6. At top of last inhale, drop your knees if you need to and keep your elbows in. Exhale to the height of your elbows, and inhale to press back up. Repeat three push ups.

7. Exhale to belly and point toes, touching nose to mat. Inhale to cobra and exhale to touch nose. Repeat three.

8. Exhale to down dog and breath three flowing breaths in down dog before inhaling right leg forward to lunge. Exhale to straighten right leg. Alternate between these two poses three times.

9. Exhale to step forward to fold. Inhale to offer your heart and gaze forward. Repeat three.

10. At bottom of last exhale, inhale to hands over head, exhale to fold. Repeat three.

11. At top of last inhale, exhale hands to heart and inhale hands overhead. Repeat three.

Try this sequence next stepping the left leg back to lunge first which would bring your left leg forward first from down dog.

WATER MEDITATION: “Visualize the quintessence of water as a divine nectar which is white like a jasmine flower or a conch shell. Its form is circular like the moon. Fix the consciousness on the water element; it will destroy all sorrows and remove excess heat from the body. Water cannot injure the person who practices this meditation. He will never be in danger of drowning, even in the deepest ocean.” Gheranda Samhita, 3.72-74

1. Sit with spine straight and hips slightly lifted.

2. Come to Bhudi murdra, touching the little finger to the tip of the thumb on both hands.

3. Close your eyes and reflect on the qualities of water. Feel as though you are fluid and reflect this through your smooth breath.

4. Mentally repeat an affirmation such as: “I trust myself to follow my dreams,” “I go with the flow,” or “I release ideas and actions that are no longer useful.”

5. Spend 20-30 minutes meditating before breaking the mudra and opening your eyes.

LOTUS VISUALIZATION: cleansing the sacral chakra

1. Come to a comfortable seat, eyes closed. Notice the inner wall of your forehead. Place here an image of a lotus.

2. See this flower as an analogy of your life. Just as the lotus grows out of the mud, unsullied, see yourself unlimited by any negativity out of which you may have grown. Just as the lotus reaches for the light, move toward your own goals, aspirations and dharma. Just as the lotus rises out of the water but is not wet, let yourself be present in the world while maintaining your purity.

3. This meditation is a method for cleansing the shadow emotion of guilt at the second chakra. If negative emotions arise during it, see them as bubble that rise to the surface of the water only to pop, one by one. Cease to identify with thought. Stay for 20 minutes.

I certainly hope these techniques help you in a time where we could all use the grace of the water element, both internally and externally. May you each be happy and free flowing! Hari Om Tat Sat.

 

 

 

 

Greetings and June Salutations,

I’m just back from a wonderful family celebration for my nephew graduating from college.  He lives in a very different climate – upstate NY.  It had rained in record amounts in April and May, and so that world was very green and moist and our hikes took us through copious amounts of water, such a different world from our New Mexico.  I returned Tuesday night to the smoke filled skies from the forest fires in Arizona, and I know that this is particularly hazard for those of us who have respiratory challenges. I’m taking a break from outdoor running until the air clears and practicing the pranayama which is particularly good for lung capacity:  holding the breath (kumbhaka) at the end of the exhale (details below). I recommend we all do that during this time of compromised air, and pray for rain!

En route to the east I read a NYT article about how some yogis in India are working hard against corruption in the government, including fasting http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/03/world/asia/03india.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=yoga%20fights%20corruption&st=cse.  Almost made we want to fast in solidarity, but I was going to a celebration that included food so I just sent energy to the yogis. Still we can mentally support the efforts of beings everywhere who are working for peace, fairness and justice.

A new Yoga Challenge will begin soon, another opportunity to create a personal intention (sankalpa) and then commit to 3 yoga classes a week, so you can receive the priceless inner rewards and the extrinsic reward of a gift card from a local business.

Speaking of local businesses, we still have the rest of the week for that free cup o Joe from Giuseppe’s across the street http://www.cafegiuseppe.com/Welcome.html.  Limited one per student, but oh that one, so good, as well as organic teas.

Perhaps the smoky air is yet another reason to join us indoors for yoga, tonight with Cypresse at 545 pm, Thursday 545 pm with Meta and Friday 545 with Sharla…and the usual day time classes with Marcy, Aparna, Mike and Cypresse. Join us indoors and keep the pranayama going, holding after the exhale. You might try timing the length of time you can hold the exhale and practice for a few minutes each day, recording your time.  If the time shortens drastically, see your health professional!

many blessings, many more breaths, and so much love,

namaste,

Meta.

Details of Breath Retention, from Vital Yoga: A Sourcebook for Students and Teachers, p. 89-90

To practice kumbhaka, begin in a comfortable seated posture. Relax your eyes, gazing down or closing them. If ujjayi breath is comfortable for you, use it, and if not just breathe slowly and rhythmically. Inhale to a slow count of three. You could say to yourself, Om-One, Om-Two, Om-Three. Then pause. Neither inhaling nor exhaling, count again, Om-One, Om-Two, Om-Three.

 

Watch your mind as you retain your breath. Of course, you can breathe anytime you want, but the idea is not to react to your mind. Notice your mind talking; think to yourself, “Thanks for sharing,” then focus again on your sensations. Relax your throat, soft palate, and lungs, and retain your breath from the lowest part of your belly and low spine.

 

When you are ready, slowly exhale, counting, Om-One, Om-Two, Om- Three. Pause and then inhale counting, Om-One, Om-Two, Om-Three, and continue the cycle, retaining breath only at the top of the inhale. As you become comfortable with the practice, you can increase the duration of breath retention.

 

If you gasp for breath after kumbhaka, you have held your breath too long. Find a balance between being nonviolent toward yourself yet hon- est about your ability, not doing so little that there is no work involved. This is the balance we are always looking for in yoga and in life.

 

When you are comfortable with retention after the inhale, practice retaining your breath at the end of the exhale: Inhale Om-One, Om-Two, Om- Three, Om-Four, Om-Five or longer, depending on your capacity, pause, then exhale Om-One, Om-Two, Om-Three, Om-Four, Om-Five, then pause and retain breath Om-One, Om-Two, Om-Three, Om-Four, Om-Five, watch- ing your body and mind. Then release the retention and inhale Om-One, Om-Two, Om-Three, Om-Four, Om-Five, continuing for about ten cycles or until you are no longer able to focus or find calmness while breathing.

 

Greetings and May Salutations,

Thank you all so much for your support and spirit at our Gratitude Festival last Saturday. So much love, yoga, music, henna tattoos, food, love, and more love.  Thank you to the teachers who taught, the Gamelin who played so beautifully, to all who helped make our love fest happen.  We are here together because we choose to, and that is a beautiful co-created space.  The STARS are you all, and we’ve got a list of the more than 3000 students who’ve come through the YogaNow doors in the last 10 years as well as the 200 students who’ve taken the most classes.  And then there are the more than 100 teachers who’ve graced our classrooms.  These lists can be found at http://www.vitalyogathebook.com/yoga-now/yoganow-celebrates-ten-years/

Don’t forget the new schedule and classes….like…TOMORROW Tuesday, Gentle class is 9 am, and the 545 pm class is HOT Power Yoga (room is 85 degrees) with Marcy.  Check out all the changes: http://www.vitalyogathebook.com/yoga-now/class-schedule/

Our eyes maybe turning toward many world events as they unfold, but let’s remember that Japan is still struggling.  Here’s a different way you can help – the Seeds of Hope campaign, which is TOMORROW, Tuesday, May 3.  The web site describes the idea of planting flowers all over the world for Japan:  http://maketheheaven.com/megumijapan/?page_id=1615&lang=en I’m always interested in ways we can participate in positive connection for suffering and struggling peoples.  In the next post I’ll describe the JIZOS for Japan which I had the privilege of working on.  But for now — how about planting a flower for Japan?  Couldn’t hurt, might make you feel softer and connected to a world away.

May all beings be happy, safe, free from disease and worry, and may that include us all, no exceptions,

I bow to you with love,
Meta.