“The only true thing is what's in front of you right now.”
- Ramona Ausubel
I love love love the concept of a "game time call." It's yoga and football coming together, which rocks. It's worlds coming together and I'm all about connection.
I also love it because it's about the reality (or, er, my reality, that is) that it's all about the NOW. We can plan and that's cool, but in the end, often times we're pulling things out of thin air in the moment.
So it's a great idea if you can be calm in the moment and operate from a centered place. And in my humble opinion, the best way to be able to do so is to commit to a regular yoga practice. But hey, that's me. Find your "yoga," and do it, a lot.
Have the best day ever!
Namaste!
Taylor plus 5
“Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it.”– Buddha
Say the words -- or better yet, write out the words, "I am so proud of…."
Then without thinking about what you SHOULD say or write, fill in the blank.
If done "correctly" – i.e. with an open heart – this simple exercise will give you loads of information.
About yourself. About your intention. About what means most to you. About what your true goals are on this planet.
I just saved you a lot of time, energy and money because you don't have to go to a shrink and do a personality test to see what you really want.
Wasn't that easy?
Most things are.
Have the best day ever!
Namaste!
Taylor plus 5
“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
― Maya Angelou
Be somebody who makes everybody feel like somebody. How others feel about themselves after being with you says a lot about … You.
If you are grounded and happy and connected and confident about yourself, you will make those around you feel like they are fabulous. Because they are!
If you feel you are fabulous and you feel others are too -- and they are pure potential -- then that light will spread to the world.
Have the best day ever!
Namaste!
Taylor plus 5
Always walk through life as if you have something new to learn and you will.
~Vernon Howard
My family is a big fan of Wegmans. We feel so blessed that they opened one in Newton, Massachusetts.
The thing I love most about Wegmans is the energy. It has great energy and the people who work there are so happy and really want to be there.
This sign, "We listen. We learn," sort of says it all. Wise words. If you can listen well and learn from your adventures, you're all set. You will create your BEST LIFE EVER in no time.
Have the best day ever!
Namaste!
Taylor plus 5
“It is not uncommon for people to spend their whole life waiting to start living.”
~Eckhart Tolle
People wait:
- All day for 5 pm - All week for Friday - All year for summer - All life for happiness
Stop waiting and start living. Start NOW. You've got this, and I'm rootin' for ya!
Have the best day ever!
Namaste!
Taylor plus 5
“If you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.”
― Roald Dahl
We don't heal the past by dwelling there. We heal the past by being totally present in the NOW and shining our light.
People sometimes ask me if I teach denial. Absolutely not. I'm trained as a Clinical Psychologist and healed from my own painful past by facing it.
What I teach is to not dwell in the past if it don't feel good to do so (i.e. ok and great to dwell if it's a happy memory, because that happy memory be creating more happy memories in the NOW). It's ok to revisit it to heal it, but then move on.
Here's a simple BEST LIFE EVER "rule of thumb": If it feels good, by all means, dwell in it! If it feels bad, don't.
Pretty simple, eh? Most things of value are.
Have the best day ever!
Namaste!
Taylor plus 5
“Yoga is the study of balance, and balance is the aim of all living creatures: it is our home.”~Rolf Gates
I took the 5 AM Acela to New York last Thursday and had the day from hell.
I should have known. I felt sick to my stomach when anticipating going, and so I know better. I know to listen to that feeling. I – almost always – listen to my intuition.
I usually love love love teaching in New York but something told me that that day was going to be off.
Nothing flowed. My train was pulling into Penn at 8:44 and lost power -- all the lights went out –- and we sat for 30 minutes in the dark, one minute from Penn station.
So I missed taking our Brooklyn Studio Coordinator's class at 9 AM -- and also missed my practice.
It was about 10° so my walk -- or jog rather -- from Penn to Prana NYC was painful. I have chilblains so my hands felt like knives were stabbing them – and when I arrived at the studio I knew I couldn't interrupt Craig's class that late. I walked directly to the Sixth Avenue F train to scoot to Prana Brooklyn to teach.
I never teach without practicing beforehand. I walk my talk.
My energy was off so I was attracting off things to me. I won't get into details but man it was the day from hell.
After teaching at Prana Brooklyn I took the F train to Union Square to meet with our Studio Coordinator at Prana NYC, but I got caught up talking to students and never got to talk to him.
When I got on the Acela to scoot back to Newton for dinner time with my kids, the train was packed and I sat down next to a woman who glared at me as if she wanted the seat to stay vacant. The conductor had announced many times that the train was oversold.
About 30 minutes into the 3 1/2 hour ride I laid my gloves on my seat -- left my backpack in the overhead bin – and went to get a snack at the café car.
Walking back through the quiet car – my favorite place to sit – I couldn't find my seat. My third walk-through I realized that a dude was sitting in my seat. I smiled and said, "Oops that's my seat." He said, "Oh, she said it was empty," pointing to the woman seated next to my seat.
I looked at her like, "WTF?" And she said, "I didn't know if you were coming back."
Nice.
Then while catching up on emails our beloved babysitter told me she was out of town over the weekend when we were teaching teacher training. I incorrectly assumed that she was booked to babysit.
*Sigh.*
I could go on but I won't because Law Of Attraction is real and working every moment.
I got home and said to Philippe, "I gotta get this practice to more people. I don't know how they're walking around like that (having not practiced)."
Have you practiced today?
Have the best day ever!
Namaste!
Taylor plus 5
“Sometimes the small pleasures in life are the sweetest.”
- Karen Marie Moning
Coffee
Popcorn
Bacon
Toast
Waffle cones
Roasted nuts
Have the best day ever!
Namaste!
Taylor plus 5
“Be present in all things and thankful for all things.”
― Maya Angelou
So you hear all this talk about living in the moment. Blah blah blah -- it's the "best ever."
But is it REALLY?
I actually do you live in the moment. I do walk my talk. So when friends and family commented that I "couldn't let Madison (age 17) follow her dream and go to Kent school in Kent Connecticut where she had earned a merit scholarship, because, well, I would just be too sad!"
I was like, "What are you talking about? It is the best fit ever for my girl, she is thrilled, and I am thrilled for her. It's the best ever!"
(I, like every parent, just want the best for my child.)
So low and behold, September 1, 2014 rolls around and this Supermom and her +5 and husband trek three hours to Kent, Connecticut and move my first born into a room that, may I repeat, is three hours from our home.
Still, best ever.
I was so excited! The school is absolutely perfect for Madison. I am so excited and it is such a good fit that I am wishing I had gone to Kent!
Fast forward.
Her room is beautiful with twinkle lights sparkling, we all chowed down an amazing lunch in the adorable Berkshires town, and we are giving her hugs and kisses goodbye. The three boys, ages four, four, and seven, are somewhat clueless. The 10-year-old sister is sobbing. Madison is sobbing.
I am still all smiles.
"What's wrong with you girls? This is an amazing new beginning! You are so blessed! You are going to thrive!"
Many more hugs and kisses later, I watch as my firstborn walks into the distance and I turn and get into our Prana van.
To say that I felt as though a sledgehammer hit me would be an understatement.
I cried for three straight hours until we pulled up to the white castle.
And continued to cry for three straight days.
Thank God the crying somewhat subsided on day four because I had a big photo shoot for Boston Magazine and my eyes had been beyond swollen and puffy for over 72 hours.
Do I regret living in the moment? Do I wish I had been better prepared for the moment I said goodbye to my child?
In retrospect, nope and no.
In retrospect I realize that for me, and as always, take what you want and leave the rest, being "well prepared" would have meant that I was worried and crying and sad for many months up until that day. But since I was truly living in the moment, I only experienced joy and excitement for my daughter's upcoming amazing adventure. And I'm glad that I gave that gift to her and my other four children.
Do I miss her?
You bet.
Are we closer now than ever?
Actually, yes.
Do we communicate even more now even though we live three hours apart?
To quote Mr. Big from "Sex and the City", "abso-fucking-lutely."
Yeah I'm going to continue living in the moment.
To be honest, I have no choice. I am a Yogi.
Have the best day ever!
Namaste!
Taylor plus 5
“Tomorrow, is the first blank page of a 365 page book. Write a good one."
― Brad Paisley
- Practice being kind instead of being right.
- Practice yoga.
- Practice gratitude.
- Practice conscious breathing.
- Practice being excited about my pure potential.
- Practice being excited how about my day.
- Practice being excited about being alive.
- Practice being a good listener.
- Practice patience.
- Practice generosity – with my energy, love, and material things.
- Practice letting go.
Have the best day ever!
Namaste!
Taylor plus 5
“Your ultimate goal in life is to become your best self. Your immediate goal is to get on the path that will lead you there.”
David Viscott, M.D.
You've heard that when someone annoys or angers you, it's about you. Is it is a reflection of something about you that is actually annoying or angering you.
I never fully understood this concept until I had kids.
All of my children are a mirror of me and teach me on a daily basis; but three of my five kids are an incredible undeniable mirror of me -- so much so that it's actually funny. Ironically, they are the three that look just like me as well.
I've noticed that when I get frustrated with them, it's always really something about myself. It's a mirror of me.
"Phoenix! Sit still!"
(Uhhhhh. Oh yeah I am totally vata and never stop moving.)
"Madison! I was speaking! Please don't interrupt."
(Uhhhhh. Oh yeah. She got the talking gene – from me.)
"Dakota! Please sit down when you eat honey."
(Uhhhhh. Oh yeah. It is just this year in this lifetime that I have finally taught myself to sit down while I eat.)
Notice today if something that annoys you is really a reflection of something in yourself that you aren't so psyched about.
And once you have that awareness, you're free! You can shift the behavior in a heartbeat.
Or not. Or you can just accept it with love.
Have the best day ever!
Namaste!
Taylor plus 5
“Expect your every need to be met. Expect the answer to every problem, expect abundance on every level.”
- Eileen Caddy
Always believe that something amazing is about to happen.
You're going to think anyway, so may as well think big.
You're going to expect anyway, so may as well expect the best.
You're going to talk anyway, so may as well talk about what you wanna create.
I'm rootin' for ya!
Have the best day ever!
Namaste!
Taylor plus 5
“Looking forward to things is half the pleasure of them.”
Lucy Maud Montgomery
Anticipation.
For me, it's as good – or better – than the actual "thing."
Watch children today and tonight. Watch the magic. Their eyes are sparkling, their anticipation keen. Feel their energy.
And replicate it! Every moment. Every day.
You are the creator and master of your life. Create it as you wish.
Have the best day ever!
Namaste!
Taylor plus 5