Blog

Catrien Ross on Hitting Your Target at Full Gallop – Personal Growth Inspiration from Samurai Horse Archers at Mount Fuji

May 1st, 2010 - 63 Comments

If hitting your target presents a constant challenge, how about aiming from horseback, at full gallop?


Almost 1,500 years ago, Japanese samurai began perfecting the form of horseback archery known as yabusame (yah-boo-sah-meh).

On this sun-after-rain afternoon, beneath a glistening, snow-capped Mount Fuji, I join the yabusame festival my rural community has celebrated for over nine centuries.

Read more »

Catrien Ross on Getting Unstuck By Gently Letting Go

April 20th, 2010 - 56 Comments



When Gail Brenner at A Flourishing Life invited me to take part in her collaborative blog project I felt honored and thrilled to accept.

The result is four women bloggers – three in the US and myself in Japan – each sharing our thoughts today on “Getting Unstuck.”

Read more »

Catrien Ross on Finding 9 Powerful Meanings in Your Smile When You Don’t Feel Like Smiling

April 10th, 2010 - 54 Comments

Have you encountered a rough period when smiling seems almost impossible?

I just did.

Something here in Japan knocked the smile out of my life for several days.

So engulfing was the personal trauma I found it hard to sense even the slightest hint of brightness.

I lost my smile.

Read more »