Yoga in the Park

What a perfect way to spend a sunny Sunday morning – yoga in the park.  The enthusiastic and entertaining Laura Camp from Monkey Yoga Shala led a fun class at Willard Park in Berkeley.  Live drummers helped us move to the beat.  Laura even had us doing partner poses.  That’s her in the handstand above.  Reminds me, that I’ve been meaning to try an acroyoga class.

Hannah and me with our post-yoga glow.

Yogis communing around the food provided by lulu lemon.  I look forward to more outdoor down dogs!

A New Shower Head

We live in an old home with old pipes. Over the years our shower has slowly become less and less powerful.  Brian ordered a new shower head made for low water pressure.  When he went to switch the old one out, he was surprised to find gravel stuck in the old shower head.  We have no idea how it got in there, but that sure explains why the water barely trickled out!

Anyway, he installed the new shower head and it works fabulously.  The water is once again flowing freely!  Ahhh!

This reminded me of that parable about the rocks and the jar.  If you tried to add large rocks to a jar already filled with gravel it would be quite challenging to make it all fit.  But if you started with the large rocks first and then poured the smaller rocks in to fill the gaps, everything would fit rather easily.

I feel like I’ve been playing catch up on lots of details and to-dos (a.k.a. little rocks or gravel) the past week since my back-to-back trips to Dallas and L.A.  All that focus on the little things gradually stifled my creative flow.  Today I attended to the big rocks first.  I cleared space to do more big picture thinking and planning.  I refrained from checking e-mail incessantly.  I indulged in making some art.  I opened up the windows and blinds in the office to let the sun and fresh air flood in.  New ideas are already percolating.

What can you do today to clear out the “gravel” blocking your creative flow?

Fresh Start

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This week was all about starting anew. My schedule had been off kilter ever since getting back from my London trip. My parents came for a nice visit the weekend following and then my dear friend Brighid from Chicago came to stay after that. And then I got a not-so-fun-visit from the stomach flu bug. Yuck! Even though being sick sucked, I eventually allowed myself to enjoy simply lounging around and doing nothing. Well, nothing except sleeping, reading, catching up on my Martha’s and Oprah’s on TiVo and munching on the occasional saltine cracker.

There was something surprisingly refreshing about canceling my appointments for the week and just focusing on rest and relaxation. I rarely allow myself to indulge in a big chunk of “me-time” like that except for when I’m officially on a vacation. Once I regained my health, I felt energized and ready to reclaim my time and space. My take-away: schedule in an “unofficial week-long home vacation” every now and then. They cost nothing and the rewards are priceless!

This week, I ritualized my fresh start by:

  • Doing tons of laundry – gotta love the feeling of fresh new sheets and towels (especially after having been cooped up in bed for most of last week!)
  • Obsessively cleaning my desk, my bedroom and the kitchen
  • Putting the inflatable bed away to transform the guestroom back into the sacred space of my meditation/yoga/coaching room
  • Finally catching up on my bookkeeping – yay!!! (had been many months behind with reconciling and was feeling blocked financially)
  • Practicing yoga in my backyard on Monday
  • Whipping out a brand new toothbrush and switching the flavor of my toothpaste (ahh, the simple pleasures)
  • Taking a hike in the redwood trails near my house with my friend Kate and my dog Emmett
  • Creating a visual timeline for my creative endeavors (see picture above)
  • Updating my quarterly business goals
  • Finally posting about my last week of the 29-Day Giving Challenge
  • Returning to my blog!

Whew, I feel back in the land of the living again and it feels great! I’m motivated to work on my creative projects while also giving myself time throughout the week to have mini-vacations.

How do you reclaim your time and space? What would a fresh start give you?

Backyard Yoga and Dream Boxes

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It’s been another full week and challenging for me to keep up with all the great things going on. I did make a point on Wednesday to take advantage of the gorgeous spring-like weather by practicing yoga in my backyard. With the sun shining overhead, birds chirping in the trees and the cool breeze on my skin, I was in yogi heaven! I’m amazed at how the fresh air brought me so in touch with my breath and my body – wonderful!

With another Ladies Who Launch Incubator that started last night, I’m reminded to get creative about doing more nice things for myself. After all, pampering is part of the lady launching way! So, I can’t wait for more sunny days like this to do backyard yoga ‘cuz that sure counts as a nice thing.

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Today I was at It’s Yoga for another dream box workshop with a new circle of teacher trainers. It’s hard for me to believe that it was almost a year ago that I completed my yoga teacher certification. So many wonderful things have manifested since then. One being getting to lead this workshop at the studio!!!

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I had fun laughing and hanging out with the group. They were a playful and engaging bunch! And I loved hearing about their dreams and seeing the unique ways they all decorated their dream boxes.

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One of the students crafted her own “guru-in-a-box” with a pop-up Sri Swami Satchidananda to offer inspiration and wisdom! How cool is that?!

Mandala Magic

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Our Creative Playground met at Laura’s lovely home for an afternoon of mandala making. A mandala (which means means circle or completion in Sanskrit) symbolizes wholeness. Laura explained that in Sanskrit, bindu means particle or dot and is the center point of the mandala. It’s a place of infinite capacity. We are always moving toward this point. It is a journey.

We circled around a table on Laura’s front porch while she led us through a visualization to our creative center. Then, to warm us up, she invited us to pick up oil pastels and chalks and quickly create our first mandala in 10 minutes. I loved the freedom to just intuitively let the colors flow. During the visualization I was reminded of some powerful insights I had while listening to someone from the Strozzi Institute speak about body-based coaching at SF Coaches earlier this week. The presenter led us through a centering practice to get us really grounded in our bodies. We aligned from top to bottom, lengthening while grounding. We became aware of our width, meaning how we show up in the social dimension. And then we noticed our front and back, where we’ve come from and where we are going. Throughout Laura’s visualization I imagined that energy surrounding me like a globe and that’s what I depicted in my first mandala below. This piece felt very airy and dreamy.

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Once we were done with our warm-up mandala, we moved on to a more focused project. I decided to play with brighter oil pastels against a black background. I explored feeling more in my body and more grounded and bold by using the vibrant, warm colors of the lower chakras. The mandala of the yellow, red and orange blossom emerged.

Mandalas come in all types. Some are very symmetrical and others, like mine today, are very organic. What’s amazing is that mandalas show up in nature all around us. Think of the rings of a tree trunk, the spirals of a sea shell or even planets circling the sun in our solar system.

What connects you to your center or bindu? How can a mandala help you journey inward and expand out? For more ideas on creating mandalas, check out Mandala: Journey to the Center.

A Sip of Serenity – AEDM Day 19

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After a full week and weekend, I savored some open, spacious time this Monday morning. The scent of Tahitian vanilla filled the room as I brewed a cup of Yogi Comfort tea and sat down with my paints and papers. Ahhh, it felt good to give myself permission to simply create. I love the peacefulness and simplicity of tea. I love how it warms me up on a chilly day. So what better subject to focus on.

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This piece is actually pretty small – 4″x4″. I didn’t want to overwhelm myself and this felt like the perfect size. The fortune on the top reads “Our first and last love is Self-Love” which will remind me to take time out for myself like I did this morning. That when I replenish myself by doing things I love and by practicing self-care, my tea cup of love, creativity and inner harmony flows freely. And I stamped the character for longevity in gold in the left-hand bottom corner as another reminder that by slowing down, I will actually have more staying power, endurance and strength for my journey.

How do you replenish yourself? How can you take time out today to breathe? What’s available to you when you allow yourself to just be?

[tags]National Blog Posting Month, NaBloPoMo, Art Every Day Month, painting, tea[/tags]

Blessings and Synchronicity

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Yesterday morning, I reconnected with my blessings box which sits on a little altar in my meditation/yoga room/coaching office. Whenever I’m moved, I’ll write what I’m grateful for on a handmade “I am blessed” card and place it in my blessings box.

Reading my cards filled me with deep appreciation and joy as I was reminded of how grateful I am of my supportive and loving husband, the beautiful area in which we live, my wonderful circle of friends and family, living my dreams and so many other amazing things!

Coming from a place of gratitude created a lovely flow synchronicity throughout the day:

  • A kind, young man walking in the BART station held a parking spot for me in the otherwise filled lot.
  • I met some colleagues for a meeting in the financial district and then when I was done, I decided to visit my husband at his last day at work at his current company (moving on to bigger and better things!). I looked up his office address and realized, it was in the same exact building, just four floors up! I walked in just in time to join the “good-bye” ice-cream run with his team.
  • Brian and I had a spontaneous dinner date in the city.
  • And when I went to the SF Coaches meeting later that evening, I was thrilled to see my dear friend Julie Daley. And we continued our wonderful connection as she graciously drove me back to the BART station to my car.

What are you grateful for? I’d love to hear! Or take a moment to write it down and tuck it away in a special, sacred space. And as you appreciate what’s positive and wonderful right now, notice how you open yourself to serendipity – even in the simplest forms. It’s amazing what the universe will serve up when we’re ready to receive!

[tags]Blessings Box, Law of Attraction, Synchronicity[/tags]

Cat Naps and Mini-Vacations

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One of my favorite things to do is read (and nap!) in my hammock, especially on a gorgeous day like today. It’s like a little mini-vacation! I savor the cool breeze rustling through the leaves and the sunshine peaking through the trees branches overhead. My dog Emmett likes to join me outside, too (he’s known to sunbathe).

When my schedule gets overloaded with too many to-do’s and travel, I need to consciously take a break. Other clues include when I get cranky and impatient and start to feel resentful about all the stuff I have to do (oh, woe is me!). It’s not a pretty place to be. So what usually snaps me out of it is some nice, simple “me” time like a cat nap in my hammock.

The other day, I gave myself another mini-vacation by finally going for a swim at my local gym. They have a lovely outdoor pool and deck with a stunning view of the Bay. What a refreshing way to rejuvenate!

I know that when I take care of myself, I reconnect with my own creativity and I am able to be more available for other people. And that’s going to be really important given that I will be leading the third retreat for Cheryl’s Dreaming Big this coming weekend.

Here are a couple of great resources for creating your own mini-vacation:

What signs tell you when you need some breathing space? How do you recharge? What’s one, simple way you can you give yourself a mini-vacation this week?

[tags]breathing space, mini vacation, hammock, rest and relaxation[/tags]

Follow Your Nose

This afternoon, I took a long walk with my dog Emmett to destress from the week. We hiked through the redwoods of Joaquin Miller Park which is just up the road from my house. Actually, I let Emmett walk me. (Brian does this sometimes when he’s curious to see where Emmett will go.) I thought that it would be a good exercise in slowing down.

Dogs live so in the moment. What a great lesson for me as I’m usually in the past or future. My dog loves to follow his nose. He experiences his surroundings by smelling every nook and cranny. Under leaves, in-between branches, through blades of grass.

At first I was frustrated at how he would stop at what seemed like every tree stump to poke his nose around. Then, I noticed that as I slowed down with him… I could hear bugs buzzing about. The cool, damp air brushed against my skin. Different shades of greenery and textures popped out of the trees. I was experiencing the beautiful forest around me. I relaxed into it.

Blog ideas about my walk insights bubbled up (always planning ahead!). I just noticed and let it pass. Instead, I focused on how curious Emmett was. How he seemed to instinctively enjoy going wherever the scent took him.

When I was ready to turn around, I’d get impatient when Emmett was just sniffing around for what looked like no apparent reason. Again, I just noticed and stopped walking or slowed down behind him.

On our way back, I bumped into someone I had just met last night at a gathering to explore the concept of accountability and support groups for projects. If I’d been intent on having my walk be my workout for the day (with Emmett merely tagging along), I might not have recognized this new person. I would’ve probably just zoomed right by.

I have Emmett to thank for a wonderfully refreshing walk in the woods and, more importantly, for reminding me to follow my nose and to relish in the simple pleasures of each present moment. It’s the journey, not the destination.

[tags]dogs, hiking, Joaquin Miller Park[/tags]