Unforgettable Gift Ideas:

Photo source: TheKitchenRemix.com

The holidays are sneaking up on us all pretty quickly! Are you looking for some inexpensive, rare, and unforgettable gift ideas for your loved ones? Here are some suggestions that I bet many people would probably LOVE to receive:

For your child:

1. Appreciation (verbal or nonverbal) for something they have built, cooked, or created for you

2. An extra-long hug when they have a bad day

3. Enthusiasm when they share a new idea of theirs

4. 100% of your attention (no phone, tv, radio, or other distractions) when they want to get something off their mind

5. Unconditional love & compassion when they mess up

For your spouse:

1. Appreciation (verbal or nonverbal) for something they have built, cooked, or created for you

2. An extra-long hug when they have a bad day

3. Enthusiasm when they share a new idea of theirs

4. 100% of your attention (no phone, tv, radio, or other distractions) when they want to get something off their mind

5. Unconditional love & compassion when they mess up

For your parents:

1. Appreciation (verbal or nonverbal) for something they have built, cooked, or created for you

2. An extra-long hug when they have a bad day

3. Enthusiasm when they share a new idea of theirs

4. 100% of your attention (no phone, tv, radio, or other distractions) when they want to get something off their mind

5. Unconditional love & compassion when they mess up

For a great friend:

1. Appreciation (verbal or nonverbal) for something they have built, cooked, or created for you

2. An extra-long hug when they have a bad day

3. Enthusiasm when they share a new idea of theirs

4. 100% of your attention (no phone, tv, radio, or other distractions) when they want to get something off their mind

5. Unconditional love & compassion when they mess up

With love & optimism,

Laura

The Winner's Circle

I woke up this morning, and I wanted to write. Sometimes I like to write about yoga, sometimes I like to write about other stuff. This happened to be a morning when other stuff was on my mind. There is no rhyme or reason for the format, here is what came out through my keyboard:

"From an early age, we anticipate a long life ahead of us.

One so long that we end up doing boring things at the end.

Like playing backgammon.

As if we had already done every crazy thing we had ever dreamed of doing.

And all that is left is quietness.

Or at least that is what is assumed.

What really happens is something else.

Some of us are dealt a hand with illness, trauma, misfortune, or instant chaos.

Some of us are not.

Life sometimes feels like a botched lottery system.

Babies, Children, Teenagers, Twenty-, Thirty-, and Forty-somethings are supposed to be exempt.

They’re not even close to being bored yet.

How can their time for new discoveries, new friends, and new foods be up?

I have always wondered if there is another reason for each life on earth.

Our big-picture stories mislead our dreams and aspirations.

Our daily endeavors become ticker marks rather than masterpieces

Some days we forget to notice the sunshine warming our faces.

We take it for granted then complain when it doesn’t show up.

Theories of what our lives should begin by being woven into our bedtime stories.

Who would you become if the standard 100 year expiration was cut short

To 50 years? 25 years? 10 years? 1 year?

How much more would you have lived in each of those years?

What would you do with your time, if one minute instantly became 30-seconds?

12 hours available to us each day. Assume that 4 of which are still needed for sleep.

That leaves 8 short hours awake allotted for family, friends, health, fun, and work.

Would you have the courage to let go of the thoughts, words, and actions

You spend on daydreams, ideas and expectations for several years from now?

Would you rush home immediately to spend more time with family and friends?

Now, what if you were told that your expiration date could be extended

One more hour for every healthy choice you made?

Eating a vegetable, going for a run, sleeping enough, drinking water

Would this be enough to encourage you to take time away from work or fun

To be able to expand the time available for being with family and friends?

Would you be able to find a way to make things work, financially,

Knowing in advance that it is unlikely that you will live long enough to retire.

What would your daily routine consist of?

How many hours would you commit to each priority?

Would it be possible for you to reassess the importance of each?

This is a hypothetical suggestion, of course.

You might wonder why I would think to write and suggest something so absurd.

The truth is: most of us will wake up and no longer have the 24-hour luxury of 100-years.

Some of us have already witness loved ones whose lives have been much shorter than that.

The truth is: no one actually knows how many years or hours we will each have.

There is no scientific formula to calculate our combined genetics, diseases, and fate.

We like to believe we are in control of our lives, with time to correct our mistakes or regrets.

Do we tell ourselves we will live until 100 because it comforts our fear of an unfinished life?

“100 years seems pretty far away… I’ve got enough time” is the subconscious belief of many

When someone’s life is cut short, before 100, we have an instant feeling of sorrow

They didn’t get to live the rest of their life. They had so many more years left for so many things.

“I’m sorry for your loss” is a common sympathy expressed to grieving family and friends.

Regardless of how much optimism and rose-color glasses we wear when thinking about this stuff

At the end of the day, we still hold onto the goal of 100 years as if it is the winner’s circle of life.

Though I am barely over ¼ of the way there… I extend a few invitations to you:

Rather than assuming we “get” 100 years to live, why don’t we celebrate every year we are given?

We already have convenient celebrations in our lives for this, they’re called BIRTHDAYS!

Rather than offering emphasizing that they “lost” a loved one, with sad music and tears,

Why don’t we hold one last celebration (like one last birthday party) for the love they shared?

Rather than feeling cheated or unlucky when told our shortened life expectancy by a doctor,

Why not embrace the love that we have built up around us up until that very moment.

Perhaps our daily lives are actually meant to be spent creating a giant cushion of support and love

Maybe our goal isn’t to live until 100 by any means possible

But instead, to gather enough amazing stories, and wonderful people in our lives along the way

So that if we do live until we are 100,

We have enough to keep our hearts full of joy and peace

While we sit quietly playing backgammon.

And if by chance we do not live until we are 100,

May we each choose to spend our time here sharing our love with others

So that if they are given 100 long years on this earth

Without us and others who will pass before them

Let us leave them with enough happy memories, laughter, and adventurous stories

For them to relive in their hearts, while quietly playing backgammon."

Written by: Laura Searles  

Photo by CJ Fuchs Photography

Feeling True Gratitude

Photo courtesy of Larry Stanley

I just posted the following tweet on my twitter account @blissfulauras:

"Tonight I am grateful for electricity! Many people in the world do not have the luxury of fully lit rooms at night."

After posting it, while sitting in my fully lit bedroom, typing away on my electricity-powered laptop, I received a spark of inspiration. I began to think about what gratitude is, how it feels, and what it expresses. Within 30-seconds, I got up and turned my light off. I lit some candles and sat in their dim light for a few minutes before deciding to write this post.

I sat in their flickering dance, imagining what sort of activities others around the world were partaking in at that very moment. Their surroundings swallowed by the darkness of the night, with their focus determined by the soft glowing flame held up by a column of wax.

This got me thinking about my initial post about having gratitude for electricity, and it made me wonder: can true gratitude be felt until we are without that which we are grateful for? Whether we choose to be without it, or are dealt the cards of not having it, a "lack of" something almost always enhances its truest appreciation and worth.

Until I experience life without access to electricity, will I ever truly appreciate what it brings to my life? I'm not really sure, but I plan on exploring this concept as often as I can, even if it is in a meditative or visualization through imagination practice.

YOUR MINDFULNESS PRACTICE:
If you're wondering about the depth of your own gratitude towards certain aspects, things, and people in your life, join me on this new exploration. The next time you acknowledge something of value in your life, take 3-5 minutes to sit quietly, close your eyes, and imagine how your life (or the lives of others) might be different without it. Without judgement, witness whatever feelings or emotions show up for you. Notice if anything changes in the way your body feels. Be open and observe any changes with your overall energy. Once you've completed this exercise, write down in a notebook any new perspectives or actions you'd like to take.

Do you HATE your body? Well, it doesn't hate you.

In fact, your body LOVES everything about you, unconditionally!!

Regardless of the way you treat (or mistreat) your body, it will always take care of you the best it can.


Your heart never stops believing in you. It continues to serve you and supply your body with the necessary blood to keep it running.

Your brain never stops believing in you, either. If you are faced with a problem, it will do everything in its power to find an answer or solution to help you succeed.

Your stomach never stops believing in you. Regardless of what food you choose to eat, your stomach is constantly trusting that it is full of the nutrients and energy that your body needs, so it does its job and breaks it down efficiently.

Your skin never stops believing in you. It protects your most vulnerable organs, bones, nerves, and muscles, allowing you the freedom of exploring this world without infections.

Your lungs never stop believing in you, either. They are constantly taking in whatever air you choose to breathe, and transports the molecules throughout your blood stream to help your major organs function at their optimum potential.

Your adrenal glands never stop believing in you. They bear the grunt of every ounce of stress, worries, or fear that you face each day, continuously working to help keep you as healthy and stable as possible.


So, the next time you look in the mirror and say "I hate my body" just think of all of these body parts as your own personal cheerleaders who believe in you, and are doing their best job to offer you a chance at doing yours.


YOUR MINDFULNESS PRACTICE:
Today, I challenge you to observe the environment and food choices that your day consists of. This exercise will help you to understand the relationship that you have with your body. Are you nurturing it or ignoring what it needs to function properly? Is the energy around you positive or negative? Do you sometimes make choices that please your ego rather than your body?

Find more positive body images here: http://thebodypositiveproject.tumblr.com/

Want to see what raw vulnerability looks like?

Below is a snapshot I took of myself the first month of teaching yoga -- inside a giant fitness studio -- during one of my class time slots when no one showed up. I can remember that day so clearly. Rather than let feelings of defeat or rejection creep deep into my heart, I put my rose-colored glasses on and decided to have myself a field day doing yoga all by myself in a beautiful brand new studio. I seized the opportunity to utilize the space to get myself ready for the students who would love the energy and yoga that I have an abundance of. The students whom I knew in my heart would show up for my classes and discover new things about themselves or revisit hidden layers of themselves they hadn't embraced in years. Someday they will show up, I told myself, even if it wasn't that day or at that studio. And lucky for my courageous little heart, eventually those students did show up :)

It is difficult to describe the feelings I had that day,
after all of the time (7-months),
the money (equivalent to 5-months rent),
the sweat, tears, and determination
that I had devoted to learning how to share the incredible healing powers of yoga in a compassionate and nurturing way
-- and remembering every one of my critics and doubters lined up
with a list of reasons why I was going to fail,
and how teaching yoga is not a real career.

I have included a powerful quote by Theodore Roosevelt (recently reminded of by Dr. Brene Brown and her amazing take on vulnerability and courage) explaining why I never threw in the towel, and why you never should either :)

Autumn Winds & Opportunities

Warm summer breezes in New England are slowly turning into cool autumn winds. Tank tops and shorts, covered by sweatshirts and pants. My neighborhood trees have already announced that fall has arrived by scattering multicolored leaves on front lawns and sidewalks.

I've always loved this time of year. Apple picking, giant piles of leaves, pumpkins, and comfort food! If I were to explain what autumn is to someone who had never experienced this season in New England, I would share that it crisps the air and foliage outside, while simultaneously encouraging inner warmth through activities and meals.

Though I am in my late twenties, I still also associate the start of fall with learning and growth. When in school, the first few weeks always invited a new sense of personal identity and introduced interesting ideas that expanded my knowledge even further. Another grade higher, new teachers, classmates, books, lessons, and freshly sharpened pencils. The season of autumn is bursting with new opportunities to expand horizons, explore life in different ways, with fresh new perspectives.

This fall, I am jumping at opportunities left and right. Not just any opportunities, but the ones that particularly relate to where I choose to see myself being in five years -- in my career, in my relationships, and in my personal journey. I am spending this time to establish where I want my roots to sink in, around people with positive energy and intentions, and open my heart to face challenges that will help me accomplish my true wishes for myself. Affirmations, vision boards, and traveling will be accompanying me on this path, helping to keep me engaged and enthusiastic each day.


YOUR MINDFULNESS PRACTICE:
Find a part of your day when you can take 3-5 minutes for yourself. Turn your phone on silent, mute the TV, turn off your computer monitor. Sometimes escaping to the bathroom can be a great place to find a few minutes of quiet aloneness. Once you have made the time, take about five calming breaths with your eyes closed to help center your mind and body. Send your attention to the area around your heart (aka your heart-center), and with your focus sent inward, ask yourself the following:
Is there any way I can adjust or rearrange my scheduled responsibilities (work or other) for a day or a week this fall, to offer myself the gift of "me" time? Can I make time to care for myself? Can I offer myself time to open up to new opportunities that could bring me more happiness? More peace of mind? More money? More self love? 

Year One, Ecstatic Gratitude

Walking away from a full-time job (including medical & dental insurance, paid sick time, paid vacation time, paid holidays, the list goes on...) to pursue a career in an industry I was a complete newbie in, was the first time I decided to let my heart speak to me louder than the commentary of everyone else. It was a HUGE gamble to leave my role in the all too familiar American Dream (not to mention financial security!) to try something completely new, starting from the ground-up, and the idea seemed completely bonkers in the eyes of some of my co-workers, friends, and family members -- but to those who knew me well, it was clear that there was no turning back once I made up my mind to go for it.  
 
My very first classes and workshops were made up of friends and family whom I am blessed to have in my life!! I will never forget the people who took time out of their lives to help support me in an unfamiliar dream I decided to pursue. Their comments and suggestions from the beginning have been immeasurable! A few have since admitted to not really being "into" yoga, and finding this out only made my smile beam brighter, because that means they came to my classes out of the goodness of their heart and for the opportunity to support me. Some of them even drove an hour in traffic after work to make it to my less-than-perfect classes during my first few months of teaching. Others were able to recruit (or perhaps bribe) friends of theirs to come take my class, just to help me have a few extra students.

I was also blessed with friends who took a gamble and lined up some of my first "outside of a fitness studio" gigs! To me, I will always appreciate these special friends who seriously went out on a limb for me (some without ever experiencing my teaching skills beforehand), they opened up their own workplace as a venue for me to share my gifts with others, trusting that my passion would shine through. I cannot begin to explain how deeply grateful I am for the trust and support that they provided me during the scariest year of my life, as a new yoga teacher!

I am forever grateful to have such kind and supportive spirits surrounding me. I will never forget my very first rookie-of-the-year teaching experiences, opportunities, and support from my very own cheering squad. I don't know that I have ever experienced this much love before in my entire life, and I don't know that I ever would have had I not chosen to follow my heart and quit my desk job. Without the gifts that I received, in various forms of kindness and trust, I would never have been able to teach the number of fantastic students I met along the way. I am such a lucky woman!

To my family & friends: THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for everything you have done to help contribute to an AMAZING first year of teaching yoga to hundreds of students all over the state of Massachusetts!! Thank you for being there when I needed you most: on the other end of teary-eyed phone calls; times when only one person (or no one!) signed up for my class; when I was simultaneously panicking and excited about teaching a new age-group; when I taught my largest class ever and ran out of yoga mats; when I had days facing self-doubt and anxiety about not knowing if what I have to offer is "enough" -- You gave me confidence, hugs, feedback, encouragement, and most importantly the reassurance that I did not make a giant mistake by stepping out from my cubicle and into the real world to share my energy and passion with anyone and everyone! I promise that you will all be the first ones I fly to my exotic yoga retreats once I make it big!!