Give your brain a break!

The Daily Mail recently posted a cute how-to guide for meditation.

Gee I love it - too true! Take a peek and enjoy:

Speaking of Meditation, MINDFUL IN MAY kicks off tomorrow and it looks amazing. Who's in??

xo

Never Give Up

For 2 years I've dreamed of running an ecourse. But gee there were doubts: what if no-one signed up? what if it flopped? what if people signed up but didn't like it?



For years I've dreamed of making shiny yoga* bigger and brighter. But yep, more doubts: where would the money come from? what if no one came? what if they came and hated my teaching?




Well, pooh to that.



Kris Carr talks about fear holding us back and in fact I was teaching a yoga class this week with a theme of fear and resistance, and offered my students to think of a big fear in their life, a big worry - and to picture what would happen if that fear came true.  So what if no one came to my class? What if people didn't dig me? Picture it, feel it, and then realise that often the fear isn't as bad as reality.



Here's a counter "what-if" for you: WHAT IF people came, and like my class? Or they did sign up? And my dreams came true? Maybe my worries aren't about failing at all, but succeeding. And if they fall in a pile and no one comes, at least I'm not living in the forever land of 'what-bloody-if'.

Image via the wonderful Julian Bialowas, who you can read more about here :)

So today, here's some hOMework for you. Pick a quiet dream of yours. Put it out there. Picture what would happen - the joys, the sadnesses, the successes and if you must, the failures. And then do it anyway.



Do you dare to live? I do!!! xo

The Space Story

I have mentioned earlier about my longing for space this year. For time to be free and not to have appointment after appointment after appointment booked in.



I'm glad to say that 2 and a bit weeks in, and so far this year is seeing me hold my ground with space - I've given up teaching 2 classes so I have time to a) sleep, and b) rest. Resting is so important, especially when you're not firing on all engines!



But more than that, I'm finding space in the way of boundaries. I was chatting with my dear best friend this week when she said, "I think people can tell when you're a pushover" or words to that effect. Both she and I are people pleasers, which in itself is not a bad thing. I think making people smile, and being helpful, and generous with spirit to others, is an oh-so-beautiful thing.



But when people pleasing turns us into pushovers, or more aptly, people who will put their own needs behind the needs and desires of others, well that is where the issues arise. That is where we get fatigued and tired for lack of listening to our bodies, and putting our rest first.



That place is where we struggle in relationships, for lack of giving them the priority that both our loved ones AND ourselves deserve.



That place is where we continually say 'yes' to others, in order to be nice to them, but we forget about ourselves, we put ourselves out, and put ourselves 2nd or worse, last.



That place of SPACE and boundaries is a beautifully enriching, nourishing and nurturing place.

But lets's be honest - often it'll be damn uncomfortable at first. We can feel GUILTY when we don't drop everything for others (especially when we've spent our lives doing it). We can feel SHAME for not being able to do everything for everyone like we've always done. We can feel like we're LETTING DOWN others when we recognise that we are worthy, simply by being, not by doing things for them or others.



I mean, it's obvious, isn't it?

If you don't rest, you won't have energy to please other peeps OR yourself. If you don't give yourself time to be, you're just really existing and running from one thing to the next without smelling the roses that are in your everyday moments.



But obvious isn't always easy. Simple, perhaps. Easy, probably not.

Thank god then, that life is all about just making our way through the days, picking up again each morning and starting again. Breathing through it, feeling our feet on the floor, and placing one foot in front of the other. Lucky then, that we just keep going, day at a time.



From me to you, here's hoping you have a year full of SPACE, of BOUNDARIES, of knowing YOU ARE PERFECTLY IMPERFECT, just as you are, and that's all we can ask for :)



xx