Windows of Gratitude

Seeking the sunlight of the spirit this season?  Open the window to gratitude.  Gratitude is an action of the heart and when the window is opened you will find glimpses of glory in your day.  Think of thankfulness as a language of love that will motivate you to live in an ever-increasing upward spiral.  Be aware that a thankful mindset does not deny reality with many trials or tribulations.  Instead you may find contentment, even happiness regardless of the situation because there has been a shift in perspective.   With a consistent practice of gratitude negative thought patterns grow weaker and weaker allowing the sunlight of the spirit is freely flow and shine.

PerfectFit launched our gratitude campaign this season during the week of Thanksgiving.  Our class intention was to find moments of gratitude during our practice and to write down whatever thought came to mind on a piece of paper.  At the end of class we shared our collective thoughts and then placed the “gratitude tag” in the studio windows for all to see the compilations of one another’s thankful thoughts.  It was a beautiful  visual image to see the brightly colored tags hanging in the windows as the sunset light peeked through the windows, illuminating each person’s gratitude list.

A glimpse of what was shared:

“I am grateful for breath, it allows for everything.”

“I am grateful for my physical, emotional, and mental strength.”

“I am grateful for a second chance.”

“I am grateful for stillness.”

“I am grateful for moments of confident strength, grounded serenity, clarity, and calm”.

“I am grateful for bursts of sweat and joyful movement.”

“I am grateful for trying new things.”

“I am grateful for love in my life.”

“I am grateful for my hands, that allow me to do this work.”

“I am grateful for Yoga and Pilates and to my instructor who never judges and always encourages.”

Personally, the gratitude tags harvested a wealth of joy for me as I listened to each person share and read their posted comments.   As I experienced this  another thought came to my mind….being immersed and surrounded by the power of gratitude and sharing the energy of each person’s thankfulness brought even more bright light to my spirit and heart.  Another person’s gratitude gave me more reasons to be thankful and in the moment I was truly grateful for each person’s presence, spirit and honesty to share from within.

“One of the single most important ways we can elevate life to an art form is by understanding where we are placing our attention.  Learn to focus on aspects of life that bring energy to us rather than consume our valuable inner resources.  The most powerful tool is gratitude, which improves our lives the moment we use it.” Unknown

Boosting Happiness in 5 simple steps

By taking these simple steps to boost your happiness levels your mind and body will thank you! Your mental, physical, and emotional health will receive positive benefits from improved stress levels to decreased risk of illness.

1.  Be grateful- Keep a simple gratitude journal and write down the things you are grateful for.  Take time each day to create a top 10 list of things you are grateful for.  Focusing on the positive leads to optimism and an upward spiral in your emotional health.

2.  Meditate- There are many ways to meditate.  With the beautiful fall weather try a nature meditation.  Find a quiet space to simply sit outside and observe all the beautiful surroundings and sounds.  Breathe deeply and slowly as you allow nature to unfold before you.  Be fully aware of the present moment and keep your focused attention to what is playing out in front of you.  Take in the sights, smells and sounds of nature and release all the tension and stress from the day.  Continue to breathe and relax.   Regular meditation eases stress, improves sleep, strengthens immunity, all of which affect our level of happiness.

3.  Move Daily- Being active and getting at least 30 minutes of physical activity a day significantly increases happiness.  It will also make your body look and feel years younger.  As we physically move and endorphins are released an overall sense of wellbeing replaces feelings of stress and anxiety.

4.  Be in Community- Connecting with people on a deeper level increases your joy.   Try joining a yoga or Pilates class at a facility that has repeat students.  You will enjoy the movement but also seeing the familiar faces around you is a simple way to elevate your mood.   Being with like-minded people who have a common bond does wonders for your level of joy.

5.  Positive Self Talk- Speak to yourself in a way that is positive, affirmative and kind.  Be gentle with your thoughts and words.  Condemning yourself and continuous self-criticism leads to negative thoughts and possibly depression.  Create affirmations to build your confidence, self-esteem and awareness.  For example if you typically feel you are anxious or stressed start with an affirmation for peace and serenity.  Repeat quietly or aloud “I am feeling peace and serenity”.  Affirmations are to be repeated until the thought becomes a feeling you believe.  Whenever your mind begins to go back to stressful thoughts or situations simply go back to your affirmation.   When we take the time to affirm ourselves our level of joy will inevitably increase.

New Beginnings

I love gearing up for a new session of classes.  As an instructor I really get into planning a class that is a “PerfectFit” for my students.  I think about the music, the intention, the flow, the movement, the mood, the aromatherapy.  I see each person’s face who will be practicing with me and envision what it is they will be needing in their time on the mat.  My purpose as their instructor is to give, to guide and to bring love, healing, feeling and awareness to the mat.  I give selflessly and tirelessly to each person.  I am definitely in a service oriented career.   I have taken personality tests, and SHAPE exams to determine what your gifts are.  Of course mine scored in the teacher/shepherd category.  So yes, I am blessed to lead these wonderful classes.  So I prepare my fall classes with great enthusiasm.

One way I stay excited about instructing is that I take little breaks between each session.  Between the summer to fall session I took a 1 1/2 weeks off.  During this time I do a lot of personal practice.  I do this in my own studio and by going out into the world to explore other studio environments and instructors.  It is important for me to step into a studio space from the place of being a student.  I always hope there is one little tidbit of information I can take away and there usually is.  It is important to approach my findings from a place of positive awareness and not judgment.  I have been blessed to travel the world and study from some really amazing instructors and wth some wonderful yoga communities.  What I found this time in my observances with where I practiced near my home was a vast array of teaching styles, knowledge, professionalism, education and instruction.  It was nice to be able to just be and let someone lead me.   My findings lead me to one class I really enjoyed and several others that were just okay.   I observed a lot of people are teaching yoga classes, but a lot of them are missing some of the vital heart connections to their students that make the experience so much more than just an exercise class.  So this higher level of awareness  made an impact on me, and that is successful.  I believe it is perspective that will make or break any situation.

My time away brought me back to gratitude.  I am so grateful for my yoga education, my years of experience and my desire to continue to bring the very best and high quality instruction  to my students.  I know I am doing what I have been called to do.   So fall classes here we go, I look forward to new beginnings and a season of transformative movement!  My heart is full and ready to give!

Top 5 Reasons to Keep Fitness in Your Fall Schedule

After this hot, lazy summer, I know you welcome fall and the many new activities you find yourself committed to – it’s that time of year when you’re busier than ever! But just because the end of bathing suit season is in sight and you find yourself going nonstop, it doesn’t mean you can slack on your fitness! Just in case you’re talking yourself out of a fall fitness schedule, here are some reasons why you SHOULD keep fitness penciled (0r rather, permanent marker) in.

Jump start your 2012 weight loss goals- Why wait until a new year to begin a healthy regimen?   Beginning and keeping up physical activity now essentially puts you 4 months ahead of the game! As January rolls around you won’t be starting over or trying to squeeze something new into your hectic schedule.  Enjoy the confidence boost you get when you take your place in the gym or favorite fitness class with a leg up on the crowd.

Keeping fit this fall is a huge bonus for those who dread putting on the holiday pounds.  Being active, healthy & staying in shape is a huge incentive to be accountable and eat right with the stretch of holidays ahead of us.

Scheduling fitness is great for accountability.  People who regularly attend classes such as Yoga or Pilates in which commitment is required (both verbal & monetary) have higher success rates in maintaining their fitness goals.  Pick a class that is on a day and time in which you are readily available to commit.  For example Mom’s may find that a morning class is a good choice because they drop their kids off at school and head to the class.   The social butterfly may do better to work out during the beginning of the week versus a Thursday for example as engagements after work are likely.

Fitness is the key in keeping balance physically and mentally.  For many of us the fall schedule can be too much.  We maybe on overload keeping up with all the new things that are added into our daily routines.  By taking the time to focus on your physical and mental health routinely you are making a direct deposit into your overall wellbeing.  You will have better clarity and mental focus as well as inner peace and confidence.  This is key to living a balanced life!

Be motivated to schedule fitness this fall for the best reason of all: stress relief! Regular movement Exercise can decrease ‘stress hormones’ like cortisal and increase endorphins, your body’s ‘feel-good’ chemicals, giving your mood a natural boost.  Physical activity itself can take your mind off of your problems and either redirect it on the activity at hand or get you into a zen-like state.  Research suggests that physical activity may be linked to lower physiological reactivity toward stress. Simply put, those who get more exercise may become less affected by the stress they face.

For more fun reasons, check out the website and Facebook page see what we’re doing!

Confessions from the Mat

Sunday morning is my day off from “Mommy duties” as my sweet hubby takes over to do the morning routine with Joah, my son.  I must say that Sundays are especially spiritual for me.  I believe in a day of rest.  I believe in taking time off from the pressures of a work week and tuning into the lessons that are set out for me to find.  Today was no exception, I woke up feeling called.  Almost like a hide and seek of sorts, my instincts were telling me that I had some work to do today….some work on me.   So my calling came in the form of my yoga mat.  My dusty, lonesome yoga mat that has enjoyed my company only when it’s in use for me to teach classes.   I must confess, my personal practice or at least asana (the physical aspect) of my practice has taken a back seat.  My one on one time in the physical movement of yoga as been pushed aside for countless reasons.  Too busy, too tired, too this, too that.  Blah, Blah, Blah.  I can rationalize this because I DO get up every morning before my son awakens to do my meditation and prayer time.   Great right?  Yes, in the fact that I start my day mentally aware, in tune, and for the most part relaxed.  Routinely,  I give my day over to a power greater than myself and relinquish my duties as queen of the universe .  Today was different.   I needed something more.  I needed to move….I needed to breathe…I needed my time on the mat.

So what brought me to this place?  Well it’s quite simple: Pain.   Raw and unnerving pain.  I have been working out with voracious intensity this summer.  Teaching yoga, Pilates and my newest element Power Stroller.  Power Stroller is an intense form of interval training and a great all over body workout.  I love it and have noticed the positive differences in my body.  However, the intensity of Power Stroller combined with the Yoga and Pilates classes that I teach have taken a physical toll.   A few days ago an irritating pain began in my knee.   Thankfully, I do listen to my body and began icing immediately.  Within two days this irritation had grown into little aches and pains shooting up and down the entire left side of my body.  For someone like me whose body is their lively hood, enough is enough.  With the awakening of the day I considered my choices  and the message was clear.  Take some restorative and healing time for yourself.  Get out your mat and let everything go.

I started my practice slow and cautiously, with gentleness and with an open mind. I have learned that forcing solutions gets me no where and that to evolve a process needs to occur.   As I moved with ease and comfort I let my body take over.  I breathed into the pain.  I felt, experienced it, acknowledged it.  I affirmed my feelings and looked at my body from a place of love and compassion.  Soon my pain lessened and I began to feel the familiarity I have come to find on my mat, peace.  My practice welcomed me like an old friend.  I enjoyed each moment, each pose, each breath even when it was extremely uncomfortable.  Gratitude replaces feelings of worry or anxiety.  I was grateful to be back in the place where change is for my positive growth.  I was exactly where I was supposed to be in that moment.   On the mat there is no place for me to criticize or judge myself for the condition my body is in.  My practice teaches me progress not perfection.   I thank my practice and my mat for gently calling me back to a place where I can experience all my feelings.  A place of realness.  A place for growth and transformation.  My personal mantra is “transformation through movement”.  I believe you have to experience moments of pain to transform.  So I take heed, I hear what my body is saying.  It says slow down.   Be aware.  As I finished my practice, I walked off my mat with very little physical pain.  Instead I had gained a very full heart and much to be grateful for.

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