Bonjour. Sure I’m a week behind in reality, but in concept I’m 100% present with the reverb10 efforts! That counts for something, no? Below are my responses to the past week o’ prompts. I hope you, too, are taking a moment to reflect on this year and what lies ahead. Love the feeling of a fresh slate ready to be painted upon. Yay 2011 and yay YOU!
December 12 – Body Integration This year, when did you feel the most integrated with your body? Did you have a moment where there wasn’t mind and body, but simply a cohesive YOU, alive and present? (Author: Patrick Reynolds)
What a perfect question for a challenging year for the ol’ body! Just recently I posted on Facebook: “dear arm muscles, where did you go? so i had to take 6 mos off of chaturanga thanks to shoulder + hand surgery … but i beg your return. pretty please. yours, k” That cohesive me emerged during my first yoga class back on the mat. It was love at first breath and I felt full of gratitude.
December 13 – Action When it comes to aspirations, it’s not about ideas. It’s about making ideas happen. What’s your next step? (Author: Scott Belsky)
Working on my right brain business plan over the hollydaze. Picture moi, magazines, large sketch journal, markers, and Carla Bruni playing in the background. Oui, will post photos and share the experience.
December 14 – Appreciate What’s the one thing you have come to appreciate most in the past year? How do you express gratitude for it? (Author: Victoria Klein)
A working body! SO grateful and it’s expressed by moving daily via yoga, gym, walking, and dancing.
I have an art journal page about this that I’ll post near the end of the year. GREAT question.
Over tea this spring, a friend mentioned to me her lesson of “process vs product” while we were chatting about meditation. It continues to hit me over the head and this mantra served as a theme for me throughout the year.
December 17 – Lesson Learned. What was the best thing you learned about yourself this past year? And how will you apply that lesson going forward? (Author: Tara Weaver)
How much my body needs yoga AND how aligned am I with my ability to do yoga. This has been a great learning opportunity as my body heals and all the modifications that I have to do. My identity for many years has been tied up in my ability to do yoga. Returning to a beginner’s mind (and ability sans arm muscles) has been an amazing (and challenging) learning opportunity!
December 18 – Try. What do you want to try next year? Is there something you wanted to try in 2010? What happened when you did / didn’t go for it? (Author: Kaileen Elise)
In 2011 I want to try to offer up consistent inspiring and informative content on Tranquility du Jour. I’m toying with adding weekly style pieces based on requests for ways to don TranquiliT, artistic play how-tos, and a tranquility tip of the week.
There was SO much I wanted to try in 2010 and my focus was spirituality and creativity. I feel like I did a pretty good job with it all despite the surgical wrenches thrown in the way.
December 19 – Healing. What healed you this year? Was it sudden, or a drip-by-drip evolution? How would you like to be healed in 2011? (Author: Leonie Allan)
Healing is a concept I very rarely ponder. My healing focus was so physical this year with my various surgeries and months of physical therapy that followed. They were slow deterioration that resulted in a sudden shift of mobility. For healing in 2011, I hope to get my body and strength back to where I was pre-surgery and to continue to open my heart more and more!
December 20 – Beyond Avoidance. What should you have done this year but didn’t because you were too scared, worried, unsure, busy or otherwise deterred from doing? (Bonus: Will you do it?) (Author: Jake Nickell)
Daily meditation. It’s been a goal for about a decade now. Grrrr. I am very sporadic with it despite believing fully in its benefits. I’d love to commit to it in the new year and will be offering a weekly class on it, incorporating it into all my retreats, and looking for a mindfulness-based stress reduction retreat to dive more into it.
December 21 – Future Self. Imagine yourself five years from now. What advice would you give your current self for the year ahead? (Bonus: Write a note to yourself 10 years ago. What would you tell your younger self?) (Author: Jenny Blake)
Oh my, I’ll be 42 years old and have my MSW, hopefully be a LICSW (licensed clinical social worker). Tranquil Space will be 16 years old (gasp!), TranquiliT will be 13 years old, Tranquil Space Foundation (TSF) will be 9 years old, Louis the Pug will be 12 years old. I will have been dating le beau for nearly 12 years. I hope to be doing exactly what I do now with new skills (thanks to MSW + Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction + more leadership training), growing TSF to serve more women and girls, volunteering at the Pig Sanctuary, teaching yoga, and spending more time traveling. I hope to have written a new book (topic TBD) and conquered handstand.
My advice would be to:
not sweat the small stuff
live lokah samasta sukino bhavantu
take time off to bask in being + studying
travel, create, and see the world beyond my bubble
return to always carrying my ideas journal
build relationships
respond vs. react
eat more greens
