I am Julie Kesti, a shitasu and thai yoga bodywork practitioner, visual artist, and general enjoyer of creativity in Minneapolis, MN
12/09/2009
Well. If you have been following along my website for at least a year, you will know that a year ago my sweet nephew Matthew left this life. Of course we are all thinking of him a lot this week (every week really, but especially this week). Today I am working on some paintings I am making out of drawings he made. I was also reading through some poems he wrote and thought I’d share one with you that I think is especially sweet. He made it out of his spelling words in October 2008. I share this with you as, I don’t know, a document of part of the process that is grieving and changing with life.
thanks,
–julie
Nighttime
When I put on my night gown, I can feel it.
When I frown in the mirror, I can feel it.
When I walk up the stairs, I can feel it.
When I hug my mom, I can feel it.
When I watch the sun go down, I can feel it.
The couch feels like it.
Everything in the dark sauce of night feels like it.
Even the scrawny lamppost feels like it.
What is it? It is the feeling of life.
You treasure it.
11/30/2009
Today I hung all the artwork for my show at Chakra Khan. It’s always an interesting process putting it all together.
Here’s sneak peak of parts of it–just simple up-close snapshots—you’ll have to come to Chakra Khan yourself to see the whole picture!
The reception is Saturday, December 19th from 2-5. (same time as our holiday gift sale.)
You could also stop in this Wed., the 2nd, for Walk in First Wednesday, or come for a session anytime between now and the end of February and you’ll see it!
The theme of the show is “god’s eye, third eye, evil eye.” All pieces are for sale and I’ve made them super-duper affordable–perhaps you will give one of these pieces a home. ;)
–julie
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11/25/2009
Wishing you a warm and wonderful day with people you love.
I am so grateful for my work and a wonderful community of clients!
Thank you.
-julie
11/20/2009
12/2 may be the last Walk-in Wednesday ~ it may evolve to something new in 2010, so join us on the 2nd for a cozy evening mid-week and a discounted session! 4-7pm
ALSO~~~our Holiday-Sale-Slash-Julie’s-Art-Show will be Saturday, Dec. 19 from 2-5. Come buy some last minute gifts and view Julie’s God’s Eye/Evil Eyes/Third Eye paintings! FUN!
The Vine Arts Center, just down the hall from us, will be having a holiday sale that day as well–yahoo!
Also–have you read about COMMUNITY KNIT yet? So cool!
11/17/2009
join us on January 10th!
Creative Visioning Retreat Series
Sarina LaMarche, Life Coach, & Julie Kesti, artist and Shiatsu Practitioner,
Invite you to the first of four Creative Visioning Retreats!
During this nurturing, supportive, and creative workshop you’ll have the opportunity to slow down and really connect with yourself on deeper level. Using reflection, visioning, movement, meditation, journaling, and collage you will access your inner wisdom discover what you want for your life. We will explore areas of your life that are draining your energy, discover activities that fuel you, and clarify priorities. You will have the opportunity to learn about and experience shiatsu and learn to do reiki energy work on yourself. Nourishing snacks, beverages, and lunch will be provided. You will have time to connect with others and spend time on your own. Leave feeling balanced, inspired, energized, and focused as you head into the contemplative winter months.
Sunday January 10th, 2010, from 10-4 @ Chakra Khan in Minneapolis
$125 price includes lunch, journal, shiatsu, and all supplies.
To register email sarinalamarche@yahoo.com
Read more about Sarina at onebalancedlife.com.
(read more about julie here!)
11/14/2009
Here is a tiny post to acknowledge the fact that it has been way to long since I posted any images in the “art” section. Please stay tuned. I appreciate your patience!
11/09/2009
I receive the e-mail newsletters from a Zen center in New Mexico called Upaya.
I first heard of the Upaya Zen Center a few years ago when I went on an amazing retreat here in the Twin Cities on care for the dying.
Upaya sent this passage today and I’d like to share with you:
To meet suffering and bear witness to it without collapsing or withdrawing into alienation, first we must stabilize the mind and make friends with it. Next, we open the mind to life—the whole of life, within and around us, seeing it clearly and unconditionally from that stable inner base. And then we fearlessly open our hearts to the world, welcoming it inside no matter how wretched or full of pain it might be. I’ve come to call this the “threefold transparency”—us being transparent to ourselves, the world’s being transparent to us, and us being transparent to the world. Roshi Joan Halifax
11/08/2009
(sign up to get julie and/or chakra khan’s e-news here)
I hope you are all well as the winds of Fall blow in. I have some news, recipes, and a contest to share with you below.
You can always keep up with my latest thoughts, activities and tips at juliekesti.com.
Happy Fall!
NEWS:
JULIE’S ART & CK HOLIDAY SALE~ Jess and I will be hosting a fabulous holiday gift sale at Chakra Khan on Saturday, December 19th in the afternoon…stay tuned for more details. It will be festive and fun. It also will double as the reception for my new body of small gouache paintings of god’s eyes, third eyes and evil eyes~they are small paintings that burst with color–I hope you can come check them out and visit with me! Down the hall at the Vine Arts Center they’ll have great artsy gifts for sale, too. What a day!
RETREATS~ My friend Sarina Lamarche, Life Coach, and I are creating a series of seasonal day-long retreats that will begin this winter. One for each season–reflect, vision, and move towards your most creative and empowered life! Stay tuned to juliekesti.com for details.
REIKI~ I attended Reiki Level 1 again in September, and went on to Level 2 in October. We learned some crazy things like using a pendulum to see if your chakras are spinning freely or not, using a singing bowl on the body, and incorporating essential oils. I’m still in the learning phase with it all, so if you’d like to come in and try it out, mention this note for a $25 session (about an hour). Get the run-down on what this Reiki business is here. (it’s pronounced “ray-key”)
Don’t know about WALK IN first WEDNESDAYS yet? Read here
CONTEST:
I am often having to answer the question “How is Shiatsu different from Massage?” I have my own lines I often use, but I would be curious to hear it from your perspective. So…I introduce the WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE? CONTEST!
Email me your 4-8 sentence answer to this question. The first four people to submit an answer get $10 off a session. The BEST answer gets a FREE Shiatsu! May the best client win!
RECIPE:
If you belong to a CSA (community supported agriculture) farm share like I do, you probably have a whole community of squash living in your kitchen right now. Don’t let them intimidate you! I want to help you (and me) embrace the squash, so I am sharing this super-simple, yummy Butternut Squash Soup Recipe.
Now when I say, “super-simple” that applies to everything except peeling the darn squash! So maybe you want to read this link first. Be careful with your knife!
And…if you also have a legion of sweet potatoes in your pantry, and want to try something fancy, try THIS~ and tell me how it goes. I hope to attempt it soon! It’s good to accept a challenge from Martha now and then.
TAKE CARE!
I just finished a wonderful weekend of Thai Massage training, which we were happy to host at Chakra Khan. It was really great–much of it was review of what I’ve already learned, but it was great to go through the beginning steps again, remember little pieces that had slipped away from the front of my consciousness, and give and receive work for two full days. And once again I realized how much I enjoy Thai Massage–it is such great work. It’s truly enjoyable to keep exploring the dance of this practice. The plan is for Ariela to return to Minnesota this winter, and continue the journey…I can’t wait!
