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December 12 – Body Integration. This year, when did you feel the most integrated with your body? Did you have a moment where there wasn’t mind and body, but simply a cohesive YOU, alive and present? (Author: Patrick Reynolds)
I feel most integrated with my body (during certain moments) on my yoga mat. To me there is just nothing like yoga to reconnect oneself with the body. I also find running helps me connect my mind, breath, and body. Being pregnant again has also been an experience in body integration, although I'd say I've spent more time fighting my body than embracing it these past few months. I'm working on changing that, but it is an ongoing challenge to accept my pregnant body's fatigue and limitations. However, I am loving my expanding belly :-)


December 13 – Action. When it comes to aspirations, it’s not about ideas. It’s about making ideas happen. What’s your next step? (Author: Scott Belsky)

My next step is to get back to basics. I'm recommitting to daily Morning Pages, daily physical movement (walking and/or yoga), daily meditation, and weekly Artist Dates. I feel the need to prepare for the changes that are coming in 2011 and these are the tools that have worked for me time and again.

December 14 – Appreciate. What’s the one thing you have come to appreciate most in the past year? How do you express gratitude for it? (Author: Victoria Klein)

My body and all that it does for me. I hate to sound redundant, but being pregnant has been an intense reminder of how the body is always changing. Currently I am expressing gratitude for my body by resting as much as possible, eating as well as I can manage, and practicing yoga.


December 15 – 5 Minutes. Imagine you will completely lose your memory of 2010 in five minutes. Set an alarm for five minutes and capture the things you most want to remember about 2010. (Author: Patti Digh)


What a great prompt! I adore Patti Digh! There are so many highlights of 2010 that I most want to remember. Our trip to Paris this year. The food, the sights, and most importantly the week spent entirely with my little family exploring Paris. Finding out we were pregnant and seeing our baby for the first time. The ah-ha moment that lead to me creating the Living Wellness Lifestyle program and the amazing, this-is-so-right feeling I had every week as I led the group. I want to remember every girls' night with the YaYa's and the beautiful feeling that comes from spending time with friends who have known me for more than 20 years. There are also so many every day moments that add up to an amazing life that I will cherish forever. Meeting the new babies in my family for the first time. Watching my daughter start middle school. Snuggling on the couch with my husband. Every casual chat on the phone with my sister. All the good wine and food I've had this year (as well as several Cosmos on the patio on a summer night). Resting in the beauty of these every day moments is what makes my life overflow with joy and abundance.

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December 2 - Writing.
What do you do each day that doesn’t contribute to your writing — and can you eliminate it? (Author: Leo Babauta)

Make excuses. Such as... I'm too tired. It's too late. There isn't enough time to really get into anything. I most certainly can eliminate these excuses, but at the same time they feel very real to me! I think I have also been avoiding writing by reading lately. I have been reading more than ever (and writing less than ever). I've even been skipping my journal writing/morning pages. Which leads me to more excuses... maybe this is just a period in my life when I don't write, everyone goes through lulls in their creativity, etc. However, deep down I know this is a cop out. As SARK says, Action Before Inspiration. Which means just write. Even if you are not in the mood. She also says something meaningful happens every time you write. Another reason to ditch the excuses and just do it. Writers don't write only when they are inspired. They get up each day and face the page and give it their best shot.


December 3 – Moment.
Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year. Describe it in vivid detail (texture, smells, voices, noises, colors). (Author: Ali Edwards)

This is a tough one. This year has been filled with so many magical moments. I'm going to go with the day my hubby and I spent on the beach at Fire Island this August. It was a beautiful day, with clear blue skies and an abundance of sunshine. I remember the feeling of the warm sand underneath me, the sounds of people chatting on the beach, and the smell of the ocean. At the water's edge the sand sparkled and I collected a handful of shells. Best of all I remember watching my husband dive into the ocean waves over and over again, smiling and laughing. He seemed to overflow with a joy and freedom that I rarely see in our day-to-day life together. He was (literally) totally absorbed in riding the wave. It was a beautiful thing to watch. Even remembering it now I get that overwhelming tingly joyful feeling that comes to you when you witness someone you love really letting go and enjoying himself.

me and my hubby our last night in Paris

December 4 – Wonder. How did you cultivate a sense of wonder in your life this year? (Author: Jeffrey Davis)

My theme for 2010 was Joyful Abundance. I created a sense of wonder by focusing on gratitude and appreciating all of the everyday miracles that surround me. I felt a sense of wonder as I watched the leaves change this fall, as I gazed into the eyes of my newborn nephew, as I heard our baby's heartbeat for the first time, as I observed the first snow fall of the season, as I watched my daughter step out of the car on her first day of middle school, as I savored a glass of wine at a Paris cafe, as I held my husband's hand while we took a walk, as I gazed out over my yoga class, and as I paused and listened to the beautiful chaos of my family gathered together on Halloween. I could go on and on! And I am eternally grateful for all those everyday miracles.

December 5 – Let Go. What (or whom) did you let go of this year? Why? (Author: Alice Bradley)

The first thing that comes to mind is the extra weight I let go of this year. I literally shed about 25lbs. I decided to lose this weight for my health and also to prepare for the possibility of having another baby (I say another even though my "baby" will be 13 next month!). I felt very proud of myself for losing the weight and making healthier food choices. Meeting my goal filled me with a sense of accomplishment and reminded me that I truly can accomplish things when I set my mind to it.

Figuratively, I let go of taking responsibility for other people's feelings. That is a tough one for me, but I think I've done pretty well with it. I chose to let go of this responsibility because it was not (and is not) healthy for me. I also don't think it was very useful for me to feel like it was my job to keep everyone around me happy. I've learned you have to let people work through their own stuff, which can be very hard to do (especially with those we love the most).



December 6 – Make. What was the last thing you made? What materials did you use? Is there something you want to make, but you need to clear some time for it? (Author: Gretchen Rubin)

The last thing I made was cookies with my gramma, sister, and niece! I've never been much of a baker (or a cook), but I enjoy making holiday cookies with my gramma. She actually does most of the work ahead of time for us, but yesterday my sister and I were like a couple of professional cookie-dough-ball-rollers. We made a few different kinds, including my favorite Snickerdoodles! My niece was a wonderful little helper too and I think the Snickerdoodles were here favorite as well. She kept saying to me, "Aunt Mindy smell how good this smells" as she dipped her hands in the cinnamon and sugar mix we were rolling the dough in - so sweet :-)

December 7 – Community. Where have you discovered community, online or otherwise, in 2010? What community would you like to join, create or more deeply connect with in 2011? (Author: Cali Harris)

I am so proud of the little community that our yoga studio has built this last year. It truly fills me with joy when I hear the yoginis (and occasional yogi) chatting with each other before and after class, asking about each others work or family, giving each other shopping tips, or recommending resources. Community is a big part of my vision for the wellness center and I look forward to growing that community in 2011 as we welcome new partners into our freshly expanded space. In 2011 I would also like to create more of an online community through my blog, websites, and social media outlets.

Reverb 10

Reverb 10 is an online event focused on reflecting on the past year and planning for the upcoming year. There is a different prompt by a different author each day to encourage reflection. I'm a bit behind in responding to the prompts, but they say it is important to go at your own pace! If you want to join me, you can sign up here.

December 1 - One Word.
Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word. Explain why you’re choosing that word. Now, imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2011 for you?
(Author: Gwen Bell)

I feel the one word that best encapsulates 2010 for me is expansion. It has been a year of growth for my businesses and now for my family with a new baby on the way (and my waistline - lol). My businesses have grown tremendously, more than I even imagined was possible in one year. My weeks are overflowing with therapy clients and my yoga classes are growing bigger too. I've also increased the variety of my offerings to include the Living Wellness Lifestyle for Women and Girls and my first-ever online course. I've also expanded my mindset about my writing, businesses, and personal growth thanks to several amazing online, in-person, and tele-courses. I participated in Kimberly Wilson's Tranquilista e-course and Kim David's Women Entrepreneurs ROCK! tele-course, went on retreat with SARK, and joined Women Who Write. I've spent a lot of time reflecting on where to go from here and have taken even more steps toward my ideal life. (Although I feel like 2009 was the year when I took the really big steps like completely walking away from my steady paycheck job. I think of 2009 as the year of transformation.)

It is hard for me to picture my life one year from today. I haven't quite wrapped my brain around how things will look once the baby is born in May 2011. I know there will be some changes, but I plan to continue running my businesses, seeing clients for therapy, and teaching yoga. Part of my vision is that I will work from home more, likely by teaching online classes or tele-courses. I also want to devote some serious time to my writing and starting a non-profit. I feel that it is probably wisest to have a flexible plan for life after baby! When I picture December 2011, I would like to reflect on the year and feel that balance is the word that encapsulates my year. A balance of family and work, business and play, effort and surrender, and routine and flexibility.