time machine happy

For week seven of The Happy Book, Jamie Ridler asks us to make a time capsule list that we could go back to in the future. What a great idea...reminds me of the sporatic journals that I have kept since I was old enough to really express myself in writing. I think I was glamored by television in which all young girls kept locked diaries. I always dreamed that someone would find, read and fall in love with my diary some time in the future. I have the same feelings about writing a blog or an article. I think that it is a great idea to leave yourself a future message. So many reasons to try this... helps with potential future loss of memory, captures your legacy, valuable if you get famous, makes your mark on the world in case you are forgotten or a way for someone else to connect with someone like you when they really need a connection at that time in their life.

Who reads these things anyways?

For this time capsule I thought I would write a few lines. I will eventually forget all about this post and probly read it years later. Hey... that is the point of this exercise, right!

Today is Thanksgiving Monday October 11, 2010 and I have spent the day hanging out with our little pug. We went for a walk and met the other local neightbourhood pug for the first time, it was love at first sight. This week I cried as my friend's pug JC passed away in his sleep, just shy of his 16th birthday. Fall is here in beautiful Toronto and I can smell winter upon the breeze. The Canada Geese have started to gather in the Humber valley to plan their trip south. I have been tackling homework for a course that is not my strength and feeling quite frustrated about not understanding the content. I am waiting for my husband to come home and just cleaned our lovely kitchen. I need to mail the package to my fairy-godchildren in B.C. and should get an oil change before our trip to Indiana this weekend.I love my job and my life and feel great after spending the holiday with my family on Sunday.  I am trying to figure out how to get more creativity in my life these days and how it is possible to love one man and one dog so much.

happy to the power of five

The Happy Book asks us to write a bio about what we will be doing in five years from now.
Honestly, if nothing changed from how my live is at this moment, I would still be so very happy. I tried to write a bio and really, everything was the same. Sure, I may like to move out of the city but other than that, fundamentally, I want to have all I have now.
The truth is that I try to enjoy every moment that I have day to day, minute to minute. I can be really hard at times but I try. I once attended a yoga philosophy lecture (I can't even remember who said this) and the speaker said something that I thought was so amazing. He (she) said that the past does not exist; the future does not exist; the only thing that we have, the only thing that exists is the present. Moment to moment. It all seemed a little clearer to me at that present moment.
So I was awakened to the fact that this simple statement could help me in so many situations. Take these common challenges...

1. Don't dwell on the past - you can't change it as it is gone. Only memories remain
2. This too shall pass - all horrible moments will pass so don't hold onto them; all great moments will also pass so hold on to those ones
3. Don't get wrapped up in the "what ifs" - "what ifs" are in the future and are not with you yet
4. Focus on the present, enjoy the now, stop to smell the roses - that existing present will be the past soon enough so get as much out of the present as you can
5. Don't sweat the small stuff - if you focus on the present, image how much lighter you will feel

So, if I could write my bio for five years from now I hope to be as happy and as content as I am today. Life is so great what ever my path is.

a playlist in time

For week four of the Happy Book, we were tasked with creating a dance playlist. Again, harder to do than you think. What music makes you dance? For some of us it is many different types of music. What moves me may not move you.
This exercise does a few things. It shows you a little glimpse into me. It also may stir some faves in you. It reminds me of the connection that we have with music. Finally, it reminds me to accept the difference in others. As I peek into the playlists of others, I giggle, relate and also scratch my head! No judgement, but I would love to hear stories about why we pick the songs we do. Our differences make us stand out but also create our synergies. I love it!
I have listed the songs that move me  shoulders (!) at this very moment in time. For me, each has a serious emotional connection or memory. Not just about the great music but much deeper.
Here is my sample playlist...
(I could not get the player link to work!)

Oh My God - Ida Maria
Wannabe in LA - Eagles of Death Metal
Chick Habit - April March
Monster Hospital (Mstrkrft Remix) - Metric
Song Away - Hockey
Satisfaction - The Stones
Move On Up - Curtis Mayfield
Lost Highway - Bon Jovi
Daft Punk is Playing At My House - LCD Soundsystem
Johnny Come Home - Fine Young Cannibals
Shake the Disease - Depeche Mode

happier

For week three of the Happy Book, we are asked to write about the people we are grateful for. At first, I found this hard, then I couldn't stop thinking of people that I feel gratitude towards.
It started with thanking my 3 closest girlfriends for helping me with my wedding 6 years ago. Each one brought their personal touch and strength into the day and this week I have been thinking about how lucky I was to have them in my life. I also feel very thankful to have the most supportive and loving husband in the world. Every moment of every day I think the universe for him. It is amazing when you find someone that loves you completely and through everything. I also found myself feeling gratitude towards someone I never met. I was named after my mom's sister who died after a very short battle with cancer at the age of 2. When I see pictures of her I image being close to her now if she had been given the chance to grow and be my auntie. I image that she would be my favorite aunt.
I try to take a moment everyday to feel gratitude for something; anything. Amazing who the universe can give us in so many forms to be grateful for.

Shellwish

This week Jamie asks... How Do You Wish to Come Out of Your Shell?



As usual, I have to think about this one.
I find that we are all afraid to come out of our shells. We are modest when we get compliments on the things that we are so natural and good at. My star sign is cancer... Already I carry a shell around with me all the time.

Tonight I subbed teaching yoga for a friend. The class was one of my old classes and the six students were students that attended the class when I taught the class. Going in, the location changed and I have been out of the teaching loop for awhile. I felt nervous going in and at the end, the grateful look of relaxation and calm was payment enough.
So this week, I wish to come out of my shell when I initially feel reserved and doubtful about myself.

shiney, happy pictures

I have recently joined a movement called Happy Book.
Every week I will be posting on some pretty happy stuff.

After I received my guidance which consisted of a list of words (circle, tree, smile, sparkle, heart, clean, treasure, red, fresh, sky, yum, toes, morning, home) I immediately thought of yoga. For me, Om is everywhere in the universe. I feel blessed that I can hear, see and feel it almost any place I go. I related happiness to Om and yoga. In my experience, the universal vibration of Om stirs up endless happiness in me.

These pics that I took happen to all be things that made me happy.



fresh







circle












heart



home

 
 


sky

 

sparkle

treasure



toes



red


tree









morning



smile

yum



Just let go.

What do I wish for less of?


This week for Wishcasting Wednesday I am thinking about what I could wish less for. 
These days I have been battling with a sickness. A close friend just told me on wednesday that I should allow my body to feel sick. Allow my body to heal itself. 
So I wish for less control and obsession over the situation. I wish to let go and heal myself. Just let go.

I wish,I wish...

...to begin again.

This week for Wishcasting Wednesday, Jamie Ridler asks, "What do you wish to begin?"
I had to think about this one. HARD.

So many things, right? The usual, exercise, yoga practice, being a better coworker, friend, sister etc.

Then it came to me. I wish to begin my Ayurvedic prescription. 

While I was visiting Kripalu Center last month, I signed up for some additional services. One of the services got cancelled on me (remember this point) and I thought that I would replace it with another. I looked through the list and found "Ayurveda Consultation". As I am not new to yoga, I have studied basic Ayurveda during my yoga teacher training. I have always been so fascinated with this ancient Indian medical practice but have never actually met a practitioner. I waited in the waiting room and finally, Swamiji came to greet me. My first impression of the man was instant comfort, happiness and I felt a smile spread across my face.
He is very tall, dressed in an orange tunic, bright red crocs, spectacles, a white beard that reaches almost to his waist, big blue eyes, bushy white eyebrows, white hair and sunshine and kindness radiating all around him. Anyone that knows me, knows that my father has always had glasses, long hair and a long beard. This could have been one of the reasons why I felt so happy in his presence. After consulting with me and asking alot of questions while hearing about what ails me, he came to an instant conclusion. I am pitta. (My main dosha) I knew this already but it was nice to hear it from him because I had diagnosed myself from many books in the past. (To learn more about your dosha, go to whatsyourdosha ) This means many things along with my overall diagnosis, he told me to focus on two things.
Number one.
Stop being so competitive.
Number two.
Stop taking on everything.
Basically these habits of mine, often pitta associated, are causing havoc and aggravating my already unbalance nature. I compete with myself ALL THE TIME. It is really exhausting. I also NEVER say no to anyone or anything. At any given time, like now, I am blogging, working on a design project for a charity, subbing yoga classes, working a great and full career, helping my big family with whatever they need, keeping a house, knitting yoga socks, building scrapbooks, starting an online course in a week, being a great wife, walking and playing with the puppy, raising money for the upcoming Winners Walk of Hope and reading about 5 different books.
SEE!!!!!!

So finally, this Wishcasting Wednesday, I wish to begin my Ayurvedic prescription.


To join the wishcasting tribe go to...

http://jamieridlerstudios.ca/wishcasting

Friends in other places

Those who know me, know that I love yoga. Yoga has brought me so many chances to interact and meet many lovely people.



Today I am thinking about how amazing it is that someone who has never spent real time with you, does not know anything about you or has just met you by chance can actually make a bigger impression on you than your regular friends.
What is the real definition of a friend? To me it is someone, a fellow earth traveler living their life, that greatly makes an impact in your life. These encounters are sometimes small, brief and fleeting. Sometime they last years.
Just recently, at the Kripalu Center in Boston, I was involved in a wellness program. It was so amazing to me that we had the obvious in common, the program, but I soon found out that I had a thing in common with each person there. I met fellow scuba divers, pug owners, knitters, artists and spiritual seeker that were on a same path in some regard. Yoga teaches us that we are all one, all sisters and brothers and that the universe is an amazing place where these encounters happen.
Just recently, while posting my Wishcasting Wednesday posts, I have found so many people commenting and offering nice words. I too consider these beautiful people friends.
I feel that we are all on the same journey and that our threads often cross. When they do it is magical!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone while under the dryer at the salon

Getting well

Wishcasting Wednesdays...
How do you wish to spend some time?
This week I wish, I need, to spend some time getting well.





I can't seem to kick this sickness that starting as a cough and has progressed into deafness. As a child I spent time deaf during sickness and I hoped to never get to that point again. It has come back and now it is such a nuisance. Time off work, asking people to repeat themselves and the constant worry that it will stay with me. I have to admit that I have to give into it and not fight. I also learned in the past that my body will get back on track when it is ready. In the mean time, I will take the meds and dissolve into the muffled quiet to heal. So I wish to spend some time to het better an give into the healing process. A great time to reflect and meditate on how valuable good health is.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone from my sickbed

~ for more wishcasting wednesdays go to http://www.jamieridlerstudios.ca/

Wishcasting Wednesday!

Where do you wish to make a fresh start?

One of my fave creative bloggers www.jamieridlerstudios.ca asks a question every Wednesday. This week she asks 'where do we wish to make a fresh start?'.
What a great but hard question to answer. I am constantly restarting my life here and there in different aspects. For this week's task, I find myself thinking about my yoga sadana or practice. It always seems to be the thing that gets cut from my life. Maybe because I think I can practice any time I like.
So this week, I am restarting my practice and starting from scratch. I am taking a new look at it and observing from another perspective... Then pulling my practice out of the shadows.
Wishcast me luck!

Well well well...

Been a long time.
So much has changed too!
Got a baby. (puppy) New job and new outlook on life!
Went with a friend to the Kripalu Center near Boston. What a magical place.
How great is it to find a place where we all share the same interests, where you can just BE, where you can be yourself and learn.
Hmmmm. A big sigh and a big breath, next thing I know, I find myself again


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

missing

Well, I can tell you that I have not made time to post on this little blog of mine. So busy working, going to Moksha Yoga and twitter, of course! These days I am getting ready to start my spring cleaning and trying to really focus on my yoga practice. I have been making a list of topics that I want to write about and I hope to start next week! A few blogs that I follow have some great ideas that I just love! Maybe you will see some of these themes here. One I have posted before...that is the wishcasting wednesday (www.jamieridler.com) posting. Another I just learned about on twitter is 'tea tag tuesday' from the makers of YogiTea who post beautiful little quotes on the tags of their teabags. Fun right?

Wishcasting Wednesday!

"what do you wish for your family?"
I wish health happiness and contentment. I wish that my close family will have the lives they have always wanted. I wish, for my husband and I, that we always live life to the fullest, never missing out on what we want to experience and live large! I wish for peace and happiness for my family. What do you wish for?

Using your inner artist...

I discovered a great blog recently. Jamie is located here in Toronto and I am thinking about attending one of her workshops. I think I am a pretty creative person and I love all types of mosaic an mixed media art projects. Jamie hosts creative workshops that focus on finding inner creativity while creating goals. At the same time, I really believe in putting your wishes out there into the universe to see what comes back to you! She started something called "wishcasting Wednesdays


". Make a wish every week... What can you lose? Check out her blog! I have enjoyed following her on Twitter too!
http://jamieridlerstudios.ca/wishcasting


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Happy happy happy

2010
I can hardly belive it. When I was in highschool I would always have a science fiction novel on the go. 2010 seems like it is so far in the future. Now it is here. This goes to show how quickly time will fly by. Yesterday I was only 20 years old and now I am, well, let's say I am much older. They say that your first day of the year will set the tone of the whole year. So today, I am happy, warm and content. I will be reminded that we are all connected and together we can reach the stars!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone