Does Love At First Sight Really Exist

One of my readers told me this amazing and heartwarming story and I wanted to share it with you. I[❤] ️ love stories that give us hope and are magical and filled with sparkles-- and this is one of those stories.

"It was winter time and my mom and I had planned a trip to Florida, just the two of us. I have been feeling particularly stressed before the trip but decided to just surrender and relax while on our vacation. Because it was just my mom and me, I had some extra down time on our vacation and decided to do something for myself.

I was at a place in my life where I was really hoping to meet someone special - someone I could spend the rest of my life with. I decided to give match.coma try.

 I said to myself, "I believe that I could potentially meet the person I spend the rest of my life with on match - it could happen."

I created a profile and decided to make it as authentic as possible… Just me. Really me.

 It felt really good doing it. I also didn't tell anybody about the profile - aside from my mom.  I wanted it to be my thing - my special thing.

While on the trip I received an email from my now husband. His email was thoughtful, funny, romantic and authentic. It definitely made me laugh. We ended up going on our first date a week after I got home from the trip. Our first date was magical, and something just felt right for both of us.

My usual anxious self felt incredibly calm around him and his usually grounded self felt what he described as being electrocuted. We both knew very quickly that this was it. It was love at first conversation - first touch - but we are also incredibly attracted to each other of course. I can be myself with him and that felt amazing.

However, we both had some fearful thoughts (which we later shared with each other) - we worried it was too good to be true. Thankfully, we both decided instead it was good enough to be true.

Two years later we got married.

I won't say that neither of us have ever felt fear.  I've struggled with worthiness, but we've always found a way to work through it. I've always set intentions, prayed and meditated, and my husband will talk his fears out with me and go through his own process in his mind.

I want people to have hope that this can happen for them, if they are their authentic self.  Don't try to be someone you're not."

Projection

The first day of orientation week at Brown University I met my first husband. It was love at first sight and I declared to my whole freshman hall (I have always been bold), "This, this is the man I am going to marry."

And I did. Seven years later.

But not before some drama unfolded.

After we had been together for over six years, we introduced one of my best friends to one of his best friends. A few months later, they were engaged.

Now let me remind you that I was 24 years old and stupid. I would not go back to my 20s if you paid me - gasp. So with that said, I can tell you that my reaction (reaction, not response, this was pre-– yoga) was not admirable. I was pissed! I was like, "How is that fair? Why are they engaged after two months and my douche bag boyfriend is still dragging his feet?"

(One could argue, and fairly so, that he was "dragging his feet" because we were a bad match -- and split up 11 years later after 18 years together.)

But back to age 24. I was actually happy for my friend, even though I knew that it was not right for them to be together. How did I know? Her response to my congratulations was, "Well ... the ring is so pretty, I just couldn't say no." 

She broke it off three weeks before the wedding.

What was upsetting to me was that I had been waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting to get engaged. And of course married. I just wanted to be together. I didn't give a hoot about money or being "established" before we did so. My boyfriend/ex husband did. It was important to him. He was working at Merrill Lynch and wanted to feel secure before we got married. Looking back it's all there. All of the reasons we were not a good match. But I was young, and stupid.

I am so happy that we did get married and have a beautiful child together. And we are friends today.

Recently, a dear friend got engaged. I was so happy for her and her fiancé. A little while after their engagement, I called another dear friend and asked if she was OK. She was like, "What?" I gently sad that I understood that it was hard to hear about an engagement – a quick engagement at that – when you had been dating your boyfriend for many years. I told her my story.

She laughed and said she was totally fine. And she meant it. She explained that they are in a great place in their relationship and there have been countless friends who have gotten engaged and while at times it was difficult, this was not.

I laughed as I heard this and realized that the big P was at it again. Projection.

Notice today how often you project your own feelings and experiences on to others. It's pretty astonishing. And just with this awareness, we can walk through the world as an even better friend, partner, spouse, parent, sister. 

Be the Inspiration. 
✨ 🌟 💫 ✨

That's A Fine Looking High Horse

Yesterday a dude called me narcissistic because my email ends with.me.

I guess there are a lot of Narcissists out there -- as evidenced by the number of .me addresses.

He also asked me to apologize – for being so sparkly and positive.

I can't make this shit up.

My sister sent me a bumper sticker that reads, "I dream of a day when chickens are allowed to cross the road without their motives being questioned."

I dream of a day when people can be sparkly and bright and spread the light without being called a narcissist.

Some gonna love you. Some are not. Spread the light anyway.

Have the best day ever!  ✨ 🌟 💫 ✨

How Yoga Found Me

In the omnipresent chaos, beauty and electricity that pulse throughout our modern world, yoga has become my home.  I try to practice every day if only to remind myself what sanity, singularity and slowing down feels like.

Yoga for me, over time, has become therapy.  Therapy from the ever-present desire to run, to move, to achieve; therapy from that feeling we all share: be it emptiness, restlessness, worry, fear, or for me personally: the ever-yearning for something just beyond my reach.  

While on my mat, I remind myself to take time to “just breathe;” to just breathe and know that by simply breathing, I am in my body, and by being in my body, I am human, and I am the same as everyone else; I am okay.  

Yoga teaches me to simplify, to pacify, and to magnify: zooming in on the intricacies of sensation or emotion, or finding a macro-lens from which to observe a situation, softening my gaze until objects meld into one another, finding a visual focus from which to draw an “ohm.”

It is with heartfelt joy and anticipation that I invite you to join me on your mat, and find how yoga may transform your being.

Wise Words

Wise.

Words.

Sometimes I Travel To Crazy Town

One of my readers said the funniest thing to me and I just have to quote her here. She is a student at Prana and reads all my stuff and is a total love.  
She was telling me about something going on in her life and said, "Taylor, sometimes I travel to crazy town but I do my best to reside in Stacey town."
(I got Stacey's permission to print her name of course.)
I love what she said because it's real and it's funny and don't we all? Don't we all sometimes travel to crazy town, if even for a moment?
But our yoga practice,--no matter what that is for you--grounds us and brings us back to our roots and to our home town residence of joy and love.
✨ Taylor Wells ✨

Are U Carazay? It's Gonna Be Jammed!

I went to high school in the Valley -- Calabasas, California--in the early 80s. That was a carazay time.  It was totally fine, but I missed my roots in the Midwest. Everyone seemed so "out there," and imbalanced. They were nice but they were very scattered.

My parents put away a lot of wine in those days and man they started early in the afternoon. They definitely had issues, but in LA everyone drinks wine and they drink a lot of it.  It's "cultural" as my husband likes to say.  (When I would inquire about certain things about his mom who is Swiss German he would always respond with, "It's cultural." I never bought it.  Only when we lived in Europe for the summer, part of the time in Switzerland, did I understand what he meant, and now I get it.)

Have you seen that Saturday Night Live skit called, "The Californians?"  Oh M Gee it's so right on. As someone who lived in the valley I can tell you that it's accurate.

My kids have never seen it but they all quote it regularly with a valley girl accent – "Are you carazay? It's gonna to be jammed!"  Hearing a four-year-old boy say that with a valley girl accent makes me laugh every time.

So it's possible to reframe anything. Now I have a positive association with LA, the valley, and even wine, whereas before I saw the Saturday Night Live skit on YouTube and my kids started quoting Philippe and me from hearing us joke around about it, all of those things were painful for me.

It's all about our focus and it's all about the power of the focus of my mind. If you are experiencing something challenging and any association to that is painful, hang in there. And after some time passes, set the intention to reframe it in a positive way. Then leave the details up to the Universe.  It's right there with you and it does a better job than we ever do.

Sometimes It's Right In Front Of You

Have you ever been looking for something – you look everywhere and you are getting super frustrated – and then there it is, right in front of you.

Have you ever been trying to figure something out, you are racking your brain and for the life of you you cannot crack the code, and then boom! The answer comes and it is so obvious.

My playlist was not playing on my iPhone. For quite a while. Like over a month. I pulled in the experts (my teenager and 10-year-old) and even they could not figure it out.

Then yesterday I was syncing my phone and noticed, "Oh, the playlist box ain't checked. Duh."

Sometimes it's right in front of you. And what I've noticed is that when it is and I have not seen it, I could be more grounded. I could be more aware. I could be more focused.

And then I return to my breath. Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale.

When you are grounded, focused, and breathing deliberately, you will see what is right in front of you.

Wellcoin Part 2

“Make time daily to nurture your physical, mental and emotional health.”

― Lailah Gifty Akita

Please read Part 1 before you read this. 

A few weeks later I read an Underwood Elementary School newsletter, realized November 11th was Veteran's Day, and emailed all of the people I'd set up meetings with that day to reschedule so we could go on a family adventure. 

Glenn Laffel, M.D., Ph.D., and founder of Wellcoin, the "dude" I said I'd meet with at 4 that day, never got the email. 

Ahhhhh, cyberspace. 

Ahhhhh, the magic of the Universe. 

We had an amazing day with our family in Providence, RI at Brown and the kids wanted to stay out late but something, something told me we hadda scoot home. Very unlike me. I am very in the moment and Philippe is usually the one who has to remind me to leave the party. 

We pulled into our driveway at 3:57 pm and unloaded kids and stuff and the doorbell rang. 

And there was Glenn. 

"Oh," I blurted out, "We just walked in the door from the day out (there was stuff strewn about).  I rescheduled our meeting. Did you get my email?"  As soon as the words left my lips I wished I hadn't said em as Glenn apologized that no, he hadn't, and offered to come back another time. 

"Absolutely not," I soothed. "Now is as good a time as any."

Then Glenn told us about Wellcoin, a health currency that he and his partner JP were launching, and did Prana Power Yoga want to be involved?
 
Wellcoin is a unique online health and wellness platform that celebrates and rewards healthy behaviors and achievements of its users and creates ways for local merchants to join the fun, generate new business and strengthen ties with their customers.

Talk about a slam dunk. 

It was such a great idea, such a no-brainer to me, such a fantastic tool for real social change in our country in health care, that I blurted out (again, but this time with no remorse), "Who WOULDN'T wanna be a part of it?"  Glenn sensed my candor and excitement and did something he don't do in these meetings.  He asked if I'd like to help spread the word. 

The answer was clear, as it always is when you're aligned and grounded (get on your mat for that), and I've been spreading the word about Wellcoin ever since. 

Now I can write and love to do so, but just like no one takes care of your kid like you do and similarly, no one writes about Prana Power Yoga like I do, Glenn himself best describes Wellcoin, so check it out now at Wellcoin.com.  

And join.  Become a part. 

Like I said, slam dunk and no brainer. 

Let's take our health in our own hands people.  

And like Glenn says, "This is going to be fun!"

Wellcoin Part 1

"When you open your mind, you let happiness in.” 

~ Tanya Masse

Last fall I got an email from someone wanting to meet about something. 

I get 100s of emails a day (don't we all) and many of them are asking me for a meeting to discuss something the person wants me to do or sell or write about or teach or talk about or build or buy....and so on. 

Now I'm a very open person and am open to all that the Universe sends my way; however, I've also learned to listen to my higher self regarding these requests because I only support what I wholeheartedly believe in and, well, time is previous. 

So mostly I skim these emails and tune into the feeling. Does it resonate with me and my dharma? Is it in integrity?  Is it in line with spreading the Prana and the light?  Yeah, I really do this. 

This email was a spiritual slam dunk. I couldn't tell you what it said but I knew I was destined to meet with this dude.  So I scanned my (abundant) schedule looking for an hour time slot that wasn't months out. 

"Oh, cool," I thought, "Friday November 11th looks pretty open." (Duh). I didn't realize at the time that that was Veterans Day (no school) and I'd wanna go somewhere fun and adventurous with my plus 5 and Philippe. 

So November 11th it was. At 4pm.

Part 2 is tomorrow.  

Have the ✨ BEST DAY EVER! ✨

Namaste!

Taylor plus 5[❤]  from 🌟 Paris 🌟
 

Thank You Brown

“When you are grateful, fear disappears and abundance appears.”

― Anthony Robbins

I was at Brown on Sunday having brunch with our friends and all of our kids. I have so much gratitude for Brown and the gift it gave me.

Every time I step foot on campus I feel this gratitude - and a lot of joy. I feel like I am home. I get all squeally and it makes my kids laugh.

My parents did not have any money and I did not have any money but I was smart and I worked hard and I played tennis well, and Brown saw the potential in me. Brown believed in me.

The day I received my acceptance letter to Brown with a full financial aid package, a dream came true. I vowed that I would work hard and give back to Brown because it believed in me and saw who I was, and what I could become.

I did, and I thrived, and only in writing this blog right now do I fully understand why I go back to that campus in Providence so often and eat meals at the Ratty with my family and friends.

Prior to writing this, I just chalked it up to Brown being my "happy place." I knew it was not the clichéd "I miss my college days," because I don't.  I don't miss college and I don't wish I were anywhere or any time than where I am right now.

I knew it was something deeper and more spiritual.

For me, Brown is not about the Ivy League or higher education our privilege or entitlement. For me, Brown represents Faith, belief and pure possibility.

When I applied in 1983 it was super competitive to get in – not at all like it is now, gasp - but at the time it was a tough year historically to be accepted.

My acceptance letter from Brown was proof to me that the Universe was listening. It was right there in black-and-white. Without any financial resources, I had manifested a dream. A dream that was quite expensive (16k a year back then!)

I had been relentless with my focus and my belief – and it had worked.

Tomorrow, on Thanksgiving, find gratitude and say "thank you" for something or someone who has believed in you, who has had faith in you, even though the circumstances suggested otherwise.

Faith and belief are very powerful things. And two of the biggest gifts which can be given.

Be the Inspiration.
✨🌟💫✨

✨Taylor Wells✨