The Power of Play

Good afternoon darling readers!

I hope you are doing well and enjoying a fabulous Friday!

Let me tell you about my day so far...

I awoke naturally around 8:30am, today being the only day this week I do not have to set an alarm. I wandered downstairs and found the hubby making his coffee, which meant I couldn't make mine (he drinks regular and I am strictly decaf now). So I meandered back upstairs, started checking email and pondering what to do with the day. I worked on my book for a few minutes, but was feeling uninspired so I went back online to browse some blogs.

Eventually, I went back downstairs to make my coffee and chat with the hubby about our most recent renovation project at the wellness center, the grocery list, and other such enticing topics! Finally a bit after 10am I decided to start reading through my visual journal. I used three colored index cards and labeled them "to-do, to-read, to-ponder." My visual journal dates back to March 2010 and it was really interesting to see how my ideas and my business have grown since then. By this time it was about 11am and I started to think "I'm wasting the day away." It is pretty unusual for me to spend that many hours basically doing nothing...

So I hopped in the shower and that is when it happened! I had a gorgeous aha moment!

More to come on that later, but my point here is that all of my idling and "doing nothing" lead me up to that aha!

That moment in the shower reminded me of my theme for this summer -PLAY!

Play is an important part of creating and no matter what you "do" with your life, you are creating something!
Looking back on my index cards from earlier this morning, I see that I jotted "the difference between being lazy and giving myself space" on the To-Ponder card. I think all too often we perceive playtime as laziness, especially those of us who tend to be "doers," but there is immense value in "being" without any goal to be achieved or tangible thing to be produced. Although I schedule in an Artist Date for myself every week and a 30-minute creative mini-retreat nearly daily, I still struggle with idleness - particularly when I am wanting to create something. What am I learning and re-learning is that you can't force creation AND that periods of "doing nothing" are an important and natural part of the process of creating.

So go ahead and take some time to "do nothing" today or over the weekend - you may be surprised by the results!

The Power of Permission

No matter how qualified or deserving we are, we will never reach a better life until we can imagine it for ourselves and allow ourselves to have it. ~ Richard Bach

I was doing some cleaning today and found my 2009 planner. I looked through it to see if there was anything I wanted/needed to keep before tossing it and I found this quote jotted down on one of the notes pages. I have no idea where I first came across it, but it resonates with me today as I'm sure it did then back in 2009.

Visualizing what we want is a key factor in moving forward, as is giving ourselves permission to have everything we have ever wanted. Sometimes we are held back by fear or guilt or old beliefs about whether or not we deserve to live our best life, but we must move beyond this in order to fully express our potential. We all deserve to be happy and live fulfilled lives!

What limiting beliefs are you holding on to? Can you let them go and give yourself permission to live the life you've always dreamed of?

It is never too late to move in the direction of our dreams! Visualize what you want in your life (maybe even put together a vision board - see pic above for my 2010 vision) and plan a small step in that direction. You will be surprised how powerful small steps in the direction of big dreams can be!

Thriving in Tough Times

I have been going through some tough times and have stayed away from posting. I'm torn between saying nothing, which does not feel authentic, and sharing too much. I guess for now I will just say that I am in a hard place.

During tough times, I am comforted by the belief that every loss or challenge we encounter brings with it a valuable lesson and opportunity for growth. Other things that help me through tough times are my yoga practice, my friends and family, a cup of peppermint tea, letting go of as much responsibility as I can, being outside, petting my furbabies, reading, journaling, breathing, warm brownies, and my cozy bed.

What helps you thrive in tough times?

Happy Moving Day!

Moving Day has arrived! Tree of Life Yoga Studio has settled into its new home at Living Wellness of Niagara!

Yesterday I taught my last yoga class at The NACC. It was a bittersweet feeling. I can't believe that it has been less than a year since I opened the studio there and now I am already moving into my very own wellness center. As of last summer, opening a yoga studio was a 3 year goal of mine and opening a wellness center was a 5 year goal! It is amazing how quickly things happen! Although I am thrilled about the wellness center opening, I'm also sad to be leaving The NACC. It is an amazing place where no matter what time of day you pop in there is some creative soul in the building painting or recording music or singing or sculpting. I truly will miss the energy of the place and I plan to find various reasons to make frequent visits back there!

I have many more exciting updates about the studio coming soon, but for now I'm heading over to our new place to put the finishing touches on before class tomorrow evening. Pictures to come soon! And the new schedule, including information about a mini-retreat!

2009 so far...

Things are super busy right now, but mostly in a good way! I'm going through a period of extreme change that brings with it joy, fear, excitement, nerves, and more. I'm doing my best to ride the wave and stay centered (with varying degrees of success depending on the day)...

So amidst all these changes, I took a little break today to reflect on 2009 so far. I can't believe the year is almost half over!

Here is a sampling of things I've done so far...

• completed Pre-Natal Yoga Training
• attended weekly (challenging) yoga class
• started this blog
• took a drawing class
• created a painting
• ran 1st women's wellness circle
• completed the microenterprise program
• opened my 1st business bank account

And things I plan to do by the end of the year...

• close on property for wellness center (on Friday!)
• pass EPPP (hopefully on Tuesday!)
• try yoga dance class
• go to california with my husband to relive our honeymoon
• go back to spinning class
• take goddess leonie's de-cluttering e-course & clear some major clutter
• open a private practice
• take a family vacation to rhode island
• brainstorm new ways to volunteer in my community

What an eventful year so far! Okay, back to work!

Renewal

Yesterday I attended an amazing yoga class complete with live cello music! It was absolutely delicious...

While guiding us through a wonderfully challenging vinyasa, the instructor was talking about renewal and how we have to "die a little" to be "reborn." This theme keeps coming to me lately, in various forms. First the yoga class. Then Brenda Stanton discussed it today in her weekly email. She talked about how you have to give up part of who you are today to fully become your true self and realize your dreams. Add in the fact that is Spring is slowly arriving here and I cannot help but consider what renewal means for me as I'm going through this very life-changing kind of time.

I think it is comforting to keep in mind that in order to grow or change we have to go through some discomfort/death/sacrifice. It makes me feel like the discomfort is meaningful. That it is a sign that I am on the right path. Right now I am in a place where I feel extremely grateful and excited that I am turning my dream of opening a Wellness Center into a reality. At the same time I feel completely overwhelmed almost every time I stop and consider exactly what it is I am doing. Quitting my job. Giving up my paycheck, health benefits, retirement fund. In a really scary economy where most people are just happy to have a job. Taking on responsibility for every single facet of running a business. I start to think, "Holy crap! I am crazy! Who do I think I am to try and pull this off?" {This is sometimes the point where I start crying.}

How long I engage in this train of thought varies from day to day, but eventually I always remind myself to stop and take a deep breath. I remind myself of my awesome family that is always there for me. I think of the other challenges I've overcome in my life. I remember that everything is just falling into place way too beautifully for this not to be exactly what I am supposed to be doing with my life right now.

So I'm working on embracing the discomfort. Thinking of it as natural and beautiful, a part of the whole changing/growing process. Trying to remember to breathe, to soften into the challenge, like I might during my 6th breath in Plank pose.