Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.
- Rachel Carson

As I prepare to lead the 11th Annual Yoga on the Steps for Living Beyond Breast Cancer this Sunday, I’m reflecting on my grandmother, Kathleen Converse, as inspiration, not only for YOTS, but as one the reasons I love to practice yoga outdoors.

Yoga on the Steps for Living Beyond Breast Cancer was created after my friend and student, Courtney Kapp overcame breast cancer in 2001 and we decided to collaborate. I had a wild vision of leading a giant yoga class on the Philadelphia Art Museum Steps and she proposed my vision to LBBC President, Jean Sacks.

Now, in its 11th year, the event is the largest outdoor yoga class in Philadelphia/Tri-State Area and raises close to $400,000. a year and will be expanding to Washington DC, Kansas City and Denver.

Why do participants come year after year from NYC, Washington, North Carolina, Louisiana, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Delaware to experience the inspiration of Yoga On The Steps?

The event is held on what I call “a power center” or the “Rocky – Hey, Adrian, I love you!” steps feeling.

The Philadelphia Art Museum plateau is an epic view of one of most stunning major cities in the world: Philadelphia. And it’s where I grew up, digging our authentic “have a good-one” accent, food, art, people, schools, and business.

Yoga On The Steps cultivates a meditative, self-reflective extravaganza of movement/balance/strength/alignment and live music of Yvette Pecararo, which in my experience, has been life-giving beyond my wildest dreams. There are so many great women and men who attend. It’s the outdoors, the view and mostly the community wrapped together that makes it intimate and spectacular.

My grandmother, Kathleen Converse, died of complications with breast cancer – as did many fabulous women in my family including my great aunt, and my father’s mother. In dedication to them, I lift up their legacy and say, You mattered! I love you! I miss you!

My grandmother loved to garden and spent hours outside tending to geraniums, picking hydrangea or telling the tree guy how to prune her cherry trees.

The adoration I have for spending time with flowers, plants and trees began with my grandmother.

When I do Yoga outdoors, it’s like climbing back into the child I was and still am – that inner child inside of all of us – that wants to return to innocence, to summers off, to running after fire flies, wearing no shirt, or climbing trees and pretending to live up near the leaves.

Would the physical support, energy of yoga and community have helped my grandmother and friends with their journey with cancer? Would it have given them a few more breathes? A few more support buddies? A few more moments feeling beautiful and surrounded by loved ones?

Scientific studies indicate yoga’s strengthening and stretching exercises; specific breathing and relaxation techniques reduce stress, and blood pressure, while improving flexibility, stability of movement and heart function. As well, there are studies that indicate mentally, emotionally and physiologically we are healed and returned to our self through nature.

In his book Last Child in the Woods – Saving Our Children form Nature-Deficit Disorder, Richard Louv writes, “Natural–deficit disorder describes the human costs of alienation from nature, among them: diminished use of the senses, attention difficulties, and higher rates of physical and emotional illnesses…By weighting the consequences of the disorder, we also can become more aware of how blessed our children can be biologically, cognitively and spiritually – through positive physical connection to nature.”

What is gained in the presence of the natural world?

Each June begins another Yoga Around the Garden and Yoga Out On a Limb in the Morris Arboretum.

I love the smell of the grass, stretching over the uneven ground, balancing while watching the leaves, bunnies, weather patterns and sitting breathing “doing nothing but hanging out” in the hands of Mother Nature.

The sun sets bright radiant orange over Erdenheim Farm and I imagine it’s the African Serengeti or Tuscany. I get returned to wonder, less Ego, a space of the unknown, freshness.

To me,  Thoreau was an outdoor mindfulness educator (and yoga teacher with out the moves). Whether we walk, swim, do yoga, meditate, write in a journal, canoe down the Delaware, or bird watch, Mother Nature reminds us to remember and reconnect to how temporary, how light, how dark, how fierce, how futile, how stunningly brilliant time here is.

John Burrough’s writes, “I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in tune once more”.

Philadelphia has over 75,000 acres of green space and is the largest city park in the world.

How lucky are we?! We all have access to the benefits.

Mind you, swimming, writing, painting or Yoga outdoors isn’t about perfection (sometimes you need good old bug spray or a big old hat). It’s been my experience, that you can’t get much closer to the greatest change agent or educator (or yoga teacher) that ever was than Mother Nature.

I think of her as the female version of the Sistine Ceiling in my own back yard.

She is my WHY.

What is yours?

I look forward to seeing you and sharing the beauty.

Jennifer

Yoga On the Steps For Living Beyond Breast Cancer was held May 20, 2012, 8.30am-11.30am

(Come Inspire Your Next Steps – Sunday, Sept. 23, Cheesman Park, Denver, Colorado

and Sunday, Oct. 14, Washington, DC, Freedom Plaza)

Like most things I adore, Yoga On The Steps for Living Beyond Breast Cancer event was born of pure serendipity. Twelve years ago, I was up on the Art Museum Steps practicing yoga, trying to inspire and drag myself out of the rut and vicious circle of what my friend Amy calls, “the worrying-well”. I was going through a funky, rutty transition in my professional life, from the world of show business and theatre to the world of healing, yoga and inspirational coaching.

I was also breaking up with my boyfriend and had moved back to Philadelphia after being away for over 16 years. There was a lot of turbulent change and since I don’t do “change” well – or so I’ve observed – I was focused on re-energizing my future.

I wanted to know, what was next? What was next?! I needed a positive vision, so I headed to the Philadelphia Art Museum Steps to do my yoga practice and hope for something good to come of Sun Salutations, besides the stretch and work out.

As I looked down the parkway, over the city skyline, I was filled with awe for the beauty of the city, and the architectural inspiration of the Philadelphia Art Museum. The feeling of being up on the steps, meditating and moving in yoga poses was helping me feel the opportunity and art of my own challenges. I felt like I had found a power spot, a place to retreat; to see, feel and touch a new frontier, the next chapter and be part of a community. I had a dream of sharing the soul food of the yoga practice with hundreds of others.  How would my dream unfold? I had no idea.

I saw the steps filled with people, feeling not alone on their journey, but together, inspired, peaceful, and all poised to take their next step. I kept feeling a loving, benevolent presence, a soulfulness that could inspire people to be more at home in their own skin, while sharing the experience of “taking the next step” in life.

Yoga helps me be in touch with my own intuition, wisdom and Best Self and truly that’s what’s meaningful to me about the Yoga On The Steps event; it’s a communal retreat for everyone to feel what matters to them in their own mind and body and soul, regardless of age, life experience, or gender. I am truly grateful to have met so many wonderful people on this journey of “next steps”, including Yvette Pecoraro, who offers her voice, rhythm and instrumental angelic lift and surrounds us all in the power of music and chant.

Courtney Kapp brought the vision and dedication of what was possible for yoga as a tool for personal growth in community to Jean Saks (President of Living Beyond Breast Cancer) and we co-founded the Yoga On The Steps fundraiser for Living Beyond Breast Cancer.
Courtney Kapp is a wonderful model of how yoga can helps heal breast cancer survivors. I was honored to work with her. She introduced to me Jean Sachs, who trusted the vision, and enlisted a fabulous staff to grow the event.

Now 10 years later, Living Beyond Breast Cancer is introducing Yoga On The Steps to Denver, Colorado, Sunday, September 23, Cheesman Park and Washington, DC, Sunday, October 14, Freedom Plaza

This year celebrated the 10^th year anniversary of Yoga On The Steps.  I am honored to lead the yoga and meditation class (for all ages and levels) again in support of all the women who have had breast cancer and face those challenges for the best quality of life.

My participation is in memory of my grandmother, Kathleen Converse, who had breast cancer (and was also one of my best friends) as well as to all the women who I have met, worked with, and taught me a greater depth of peace – including Bea Marx – who’s legacy was honored Sunday, May 20^th at Yoga On The Steps, Philadelphia.

I am committed to Yoga On The Steps and Living Beyond Breast Cancer for all women (and men who attend) to feel empowered and proud of the quality of life they are living – body, mind and spirit – and be enabled to dream and be inspired by their own vision.

As always, I welcome your participation in experiencing the empowerment and calm of retreats, yoga classes, and one-on-one coaching this summer.

You will emerge with the inspiration for your next steps.

Please share this with friend who might want to join us on the journey.

Onward with serendipity.

Cheers,
Jennifer Schelter

Being Glamorous is being smart about taking your self-care to a new level. Here are a few tips to get you excited about taking 5 star treatment of you!

Diet:
1. What did you eat today? Yesterday? The day before?
Is your diet consistently working for or against you?

Physical:
2. What exercise (walking, yoga, swimming, etc) did you do today? This past week? How does your physical well-being make you feel? Do you feel good? If not how can you modify it? Have you looked at and loved up your body in a full length mirror lately?

3. Is your sleep the best it can be? What’s keeping you from sleeping
soundly and restoratively every night?

Time and Space
4. Are you consistently and consciously taking time out for your self and incorporating self-care into your life? Is the self care you are doing helping?

Mental and Emotional
5. Are you supported mentally and emotionally? Do you have outlets to explore your stories, do mental flossing, be in non-judgmental, enlightening environments?

If you need support, consider a one-on-one “Glam session” – 215 840 4972 – with Jennifer. A one-on –one session can help you get on track, feel great and create a Integrative Life Practice that feels right for you.

This morning in class we shared one of my favorite chants
- Long Time Sun.

Snatnam Kaur, an amazing chanter, hits this one out of the ball park. Her magical voice brings the intention alive.

(And being with everyone this morning does too. Thank you Connie for requesting this post!)

“LONG TIME SUN”
May the long time sun
Shine upon on you
All love surround you
And the pure light
Within you
Guide your way on
Guide your way on

Sat nam.

Sat nam.

(Bow with love to what is – Truth)

Finding Home

This is Shumba. He’s one of my best friends. We recently moved to East Falls.

Being new to the area I didn’t want him to get lost, hit by a car, or chomped by a dog (he already limps/has no use of his back-leg because of a handsome German Shepherd named “Hobo”).

No hard feelings. The truth is Shumba wandered on to Hobo’s property in Lafayette Hill and got attacked. Luckily Hobo’s owner saw it happen and said, “Drop it!”

Mr. Owner of Hobo took Shumba to the animal hospital. Thank God. When I arrived Shumba was alive, shaved, in shock and bloody. Nonetheless, he extended his paws to the edge of the stainless steel table and inched his way over to me, purring, to hide in my shirt.

The vet said, “He knows you’re here. He loves you. He bit me.”

Like I said, the two of us are best friends.

I love picking up horseshoe crabs on Cape Cod. They remind me of George Lucas and his creation of the Darthvader character. Horseshoe crabs look like Darthvader’s head, mysteriously invulnerable, imperturbable, Baracuda awareness.

Did you know that most producers told George Lucas he was nuts when he began to pitch his Star Wars idea? They told him to throw in the towel. That he’s never find funding.

Unstoppable, George ended up telling the myths and making movie history.

Unstoppable horseshoe crabs keep going since Prehistoric times. They make me in awe of the forces eternal and beyond my understanding.

Plus the horseshoe crabs are now dead, brittle, light and delicate. Organized by size, they make me happy to greet each morning: a small artistic fleet of eternal energy, still, and delicate, in my soon to be dining room.

I have no furniture for my dining room yet, except two black and white photos of the Annapurna Range in Nepal.

One if of the Mustang region – looking up toward Tibet – of cowboys riding along the Kalendaki riverbed. The other: a Puja (ceremony) in a Monastery in Kagbeni.

They remind me of my trek to Nepal and my quest to find God, Home, Sweet Home and Peace in my own skin. The basics: Who Am I? What am I here to do? How can I make a difference? What is my purpose? The usual bundle of “I’ll figure that our later” life questions that itch and inch one awake, to listen to what is emerging. What is my dream?

Recently I moved around the corner from Emily Clark – who became my best friend on the first day of kindergarten when I forgot to bring an extra pair of underwear. Emily was standing by the lockers, smiling, like she’d be good back up. Frankly, I couldn’t figure out why I’d need extra underwear.

Over 39 years later, we text or call: You wanna walk? Read more »