Twenty Seconds of Insane Courage

supported Vrschikasana pose

I'm back from my winter holidays. While I was away, I had committed to a 40-day personal meditation practice (which I failed to complete) and I had verbally committed to swimming lessons with my kids' teacher. First few times I saw him, I opted not to remind him. Then the weather got unpredictable, so I figured I was in the clear. Until my husband (who sometimes thinks he's my agent) asked if Frank had any free time while my kids would nap. Busted!

By 36 years old, learning how to swim has made every edited bucket list. My only attempt at swimming lessons failed when I felt my progress was too slow. I had accepted that the most I'd do in water is dip 'til the hip. So after eight lessons too many, I hung up my goggles, nose plug, and life belt! But after having two kids and a pool (obviously not my choice), I kinda felt swimming lessons were unavoidable.

Then the day I had hoped to avoid came and it was just me and Frank in 3 ft. of chlorine. He starts by telling me that having my head under water is meditation (had someone told me that after all these years, I'd be teaching underwater meditation today!). As I held my breath with my head under, I surrendered to the idea that water is calm if I'm calm. After my session, Frank told me I'd probably be swimming from shallow to deep water in five classes (that's it?!). To think, for all these years, I sat pool side admiring under water handstands, and now that can be me.

And while I was on my H2O high, I decided to attempt an advanced yoga pose that I've been admiring for months. After 2, "kick up, repeat", I got into a supported scorpion pose! I tell ya, fear is so crippling. We get so caught up in "what if" that we surrender our capability, confidence, and courage to fear. If you really think about it, learning how to swim or flipping over upside down is all about the first 20 seconds.  It takes just 20 seconds of insane courage to achieve what you believed was impossible. Don't be the poolside admirer anymore. Be afraid, but attempt it anyway. If you're stuck in 'status quo', you'll never know, what it feels like to grow. Twenty seconds.....what are you waiting for?

Do You Believe in Magic?

Magic: art of producing a desired effect. Guess what? We all have magic within us. Every time we shine, it's actually our sparkle making it possible. Shine your light now. Make magical moments manifest.

Top 10 ways to Manifest Magic

#1. It's not about how you look, it's about how you see.

#2. When in doubt, let your lips do the sparkling.

#3. Offer your magic when you least feel like it.

#4. Share your magic and you'll get magic back.
 



#5. See magic in everything.

#6. Believe there's always a magical rainbow after the storm.

#7. Kill all negative thoughts with a sparkly stiletto.

#8. Be mindful of your magic - it matters.

#9. Don't die with your magic still in you.

#10. If you don't believe in your magic, no one else will.

*All images courtesy of tumblr ohmygodglitter



















And the Oscar goes to....

I couldn't resist posting today. I'm in the midst of "de-cluttering" (get rid of the old, to make room for new). Holy crap, I'm a borderline paper hoarder! I realized that I'm slightly addicted to information. I read, read, read, repeat, read, buy more books, magazines to read, and read. My brain is overloaded with information!! HELP! I need a mental detox ASAP.
For some unknown reason, I feel mentally unfulfilled if I don't read at least one article a day. If you think my library of books, magazines, and tear sheets is insane, I'm afraid to confess to the ridiculous number of self-help, spiritual, yoga e-letters that are loaded in my inbox. To add to my virtual clutter, I follow another ridiculous amount of yogis, holistic coaches, spiritual healers on Facebook. Yikes! Intervention time.


My brain on info-overload

Ok, so I love to read short stories about yoga, health, and wellness. Noted. But how much of what I'm reading am I actually absorbing? To be completely transparent, I have read fear-facing write ups, to Oprah's 'What I know for sure', to learning how to meditate, to fulfilling your destiny, to.....you get my point. As I'm slowly transitioning into my new career, I can't help but compare myself to the soft-speaking, macrobiotic eating, kirtan dancing, self-healers. I believe that their journey has more depth than mine; that they're so self-actualized, they wouldn't harm an ant! I, on the other hand, am a loud talker, meat eating, fly squatting pro, who turns to alternative anything to self-heal. I feel like I'm trying to win the Oscar for 'best actress in an adapted screenplay'.
When I wake up in the morning, I'm on a mission to make this day count more than yesterday. I review my 'to do' list (makes me feel productive), read my e-letters, check in with my Facebook gurus for inspiration, so by the time noon comes around, my head is too heavy to sit in meditation. I have so much information to decipher and mentally compartmentalize that I actually forget half the crap I read!
Bottom line: I already know all this stuff! You know it too. We all know what we could be doing to lead a more meaningful life (start by starring in your own original screenplay). We all have the answers we need and when we can't seem to find them, they somehow appear. When you're committing to something fully, the Universe gives you what you need to succeed. In my case, I seem to prefer to be distracted with info overload as an excuse to progress. By convincing myself that this spiritual lifestyle is foreign to me, I limit my capabilities. I play it safe to avoid failing, and in turn, I'm simply stunting my growth.
When we set our performance barre so high, we're subconsciously sabotaging our ability to succeed. It's time to start with a clean slate. First 'to do': Stop hiding behind other people's stories and experiences, so I can create my own authentic story (Oscar moment). Second 'to do': Embrace my vulnerability rather than allow it to fabricate obstacles, make excuses, procrastinate. Third 'to do': Let it be. So I don't have all the philosophical theories figured out. That has no relevance on my personal growth. I read, read, read, hoping to find comfort from others afflictions and inspiration in others achievements. I know my truth, and that's enough! I know that when you lead from your heart, you can never get lost. All that informative noise is just clouding my path. My heart will always be my dependable source for authentic joy. Insecurities, uncertainties, wonderment will always roam in my mind, but it's believing in my ability to do amazing things that makes the difference. It all goes right back to the source of self-love, self-acceptance, and affirming your amazingness to YOURSELF. Let the journey to your Oscar moment be exhaustively inspiring and obnoxiously smothered in love!

Be Your Valentine

 

 

Sometimes we need to remind ourselves of how kickass amazing we are. 

Press PLAY to repeat these words to yourself in the mirror everyday.

Press REWIND on the days you need more reminding.

Press PAUSE when you know you just got even better.

 

Spread the LOVE!

xo

I might Change your Life

Open hips + open heart = Open Mind

I might change your life. I might change your thoughts. I might change your opinion. I might change your mood. You're reading this post because I got what you need right now. You need to chill out, smile, take a deep inhalation, and now exhale the bullshit that's suffocating your spirit.
We're so busy listening to all the noise around us, that we forget to tune in. Never mind their story, their problem, their negativity - that shit will just weigh you down (and we don't need extra calories)!
Today is the day you throw on your old school Adidas jacket, wild leggings, and get out of your comfort zone. Sometimes, you just gotta step outside, get some fresh air, and remind yourself of who you are and who you want to be.
Every minute that passes you have a choice. You can choose to start over again at any time. You can choose to smile, to cry, to beat yourself up, or to move forward. We've all wiped out (blame it on the lack of salt on our sidewalks), but do you fall down or stay down? Get up. Dust yourself off because somewhere, someone doesn't have that choice. Be grateful that you have that choice today. And when life throws you lemons, be grateful for the people that planted, nurtured, and picked those lemons. For every lemon that squirts in your face, that's the Universe telling you that's what you need.
Be open to what life is offering you right now and choose whether to be happy or not. But happiness is not a destination. Happiness is happening right now, if you choose to let it live within you. Remember you always have a choice. Choose to be open to receive whatever you're given at this time. Accept every circumstance and learn from each experience. So next time you fall down, please get up and grow!

Keeping up with Apple

Past: Human Touch        Future: Human Crutch

In less than 8 months, my daughter Chloe will be starting school. Yikes! One day she's visiting Pretendville with her imaginary friends, and a week later she's visiting elementary schools for her future! Time really does fast-forward when we'd rather keep it on pause. So much has changed since my first day of school. Back when I was 5 years old, we went to whichever school was in our neighbourhood. Today, you can go private, public, bilingual, French immersion, international, and more.
As her name sits on a private school waiting list, I decide to explore other options and bring her along. Let me tell you, times are changing faster than ever and I'm not sure it's for the better. Some schools have replaced chalk boards with interactive screens, loose leaf paper with Ipads, and text books with the Kindle! We went from keeping up with the Joneses to keeping up with Apple. It seems as though a pen will become obsolete and our cheque books will be preauthorized with personal QR codes.
I'm definitely concerned about our future. All this technology is devoid of human character and begs me to wonder what will become of social skills. My daughter adores verbal communication. She gets excited talking to human beings of any age, race, or gender. I highly doubt she'll be as excited chatting with others via Skype. Without the human touch, we lose ethical values. And with religion out of most school's curriculum, how can we guide our children on a path of goodness?
Being raised a Catholic child, my faith deepened through regular religion classes. My 3rd grade teacher, Miss Rita, remains my religious guru. Through her teachings of God, she taught me the power of kindness and to trust in the process of life. Every meaningful lesson I was taught, was reinforced in my household. But as I researched schools online, I didn't catch these valuable principles on any of their websites.
'Balance' was such a key word ten years ago. 'Work-life balance' was all I heard. After having visited a few elementary schools, the right balance of sociological and technological needs is shifting. Technology is taking over our children's lives at full speed. I'm realizing that my decision in selecting the right school for Chloe, will be based mainly on balance. Perhaps a high-tech school is a better choice, since that's clearly where we're headed. However, I can't seem to accept this digital force on our children, at an age when their self-esteem needs developing instead. We're so busy hunting down apps to make life simpler, that we're failing to simply live wholly. What are we teaching our future?
We're teaching our kids to live in the future so they can keep up with the present; to talk less because we're too busy to listen; and that the human chip has been reformatted by Microsoft. C'mon human race! Swim out of contaminated water and come up for air. No digital device can ever replace the human touch. Write a thank you note, hug your kids, plant flowers, have a snowball fight. Keep it real while you still can. And for my part, I hope to find an educational environment that's founded on the fundamental principles of humanity. PS: The beauty of handwritten words on a 3-holed loose leaf can never be replaced - even by Apple!

Adam Levine: king of his mat

Adam Levine & Me

 

 

 

Ardha Chandrasana Rock Star Style