"The Universe is not outside of you. Look inside yourself; everything that you want, you already are." ~ Rumi Hello, my friends! From January 1 until the first New Moon of the year (this Saturday, January 21!), I like to reflect, and dream, and get very clear within. As I reflect, I am full of gratitude.
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"Life gives you plenty of time to do whatever you want to do if you stay in the present moment." ~ Deepak Chopra Namasté, friends! For those of us in West Michigan, we are experiencing grey days. A lot of grey days. In fact, people are quoting and posting statistics about the amount of sunshine we have seen since the beginning of December. I can't bring myself to share the numbers with you; somehow, reading those scant figures further cements the grey into my brain and my being. 😅 And yet, these grey days are a beautiful reminder of what yoga is all about. Being present in this moment. Open to all that is within and around us. As it turns out, even these grey days are abundantly beautiful. I am grateful to live in a place that is full of natural wonder. Lake Michigan is an expansive wilderness, and especially this time of year, it truly can be wild. For those of us here this time of year? Find out more about how to help yourself through the grey days by clicking here.
"let your growth and healing attract emotionally mature people and good situations. when you change from within, your outer world gets brighter." ~ yung pueblo Hello, beautiful beings! We've turned the page to 2023. The end of a year always has me thinking about new beginnings. And, I hear lots of talk about resolutions. Making a resolution usually begins with, "This year, I am going to . . . " Fill in the blank with any and all goals that are set. Maybe this year we will all to our goals. However, it seems most people do not. The statistics, from Discover Happy Habits, are not encouraging:
When resolutions are made, people have been reflective and determined what it is they want to change. The desire to change is both genuine and heartfelt. So, what goes wrong? Or, maybe more importantly, how can we approach our resolutions differently? Learn more about committing your best self and sticking to it, by clicking here.
"if you want the moon . . . do not hide at night. if you want the rose . . . do not run from the thorns if you want love . . . do not hide from yourself." ~ rumi Hello, friends! How are you weathering the holiday season? ☃️❄️⛄️ Sorry. 😉 I couldn't help myself. It seems every aspect of this year's holiday plans, feasts, and festivities were impacted by Mother Nature. I hope everyone in your orbit remains healthy and cozy. I am so grateful that we never lost power, that we didn't have to travel, and that we had all the ingredients for frivolity and delight right in our own home. Thank goodness my husband likes to plow and shovel. The little dog track he created for Javi in our backyard? It's fantastic. Thank you to local friends who made room for us at their tables. You all know how to feast! Our time together was deeply nourishing. And, I am so. darned. grateful for my practice. Yes, my time in asana, physical postures, served me well. This holiday season I definitely leaned into aparigraha, or non-attachment. Releasing expectations, and surrendering into presence, helped me flow and kept me feeling whole. Caroline Myss recently published a beautiful blog that posed Seven Questions for the New Year.
While I found each of the questions interesting and helpful, I was especiallytaken with these three: Click here to continue reading . . . "Years wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul." ~ Swami Bua Wow! What a powerful moment. Poised between Winter Solstice and New Moon, I hope today you will create the spaciousness to Rest, Reflect, and Rejoice.
If that's not possible today, how about intentionally setting aside some time for these three R's before the New Year? My recent time spent in rest and reflection has brought forth so many reasons to rejoice! Here are just a couple . . . To continue reading, click here. "manage your reactions, but do not suppress your emotions" ~ yung pueblo Beautiful friends, Hello! How's your holiday season so far?
Today, simply a moment for us to pause. And check in. Deep within. Right now, many lovely routines of my daily life have been interrupted. By our construction project. By our adorable puppy. By additional social activities, festivities, and family gatherings. I have chosen to spend my energy in these ways. I am grateful for the connectivity, the nourishing conversations, the full belly laughs, the delicious foods, and the sparkle of the season. Directly alongside the joy, I understand that my sleep has been impacted. My patience has splintered. My self-care has started to slide. This brings me to the concise and powerful quotation above by yung pueblo. Please, take another look. For me, this message holds a lifetime of learning . We want to respond, rather than react. We cannot choose, nor control, how others engage, act, or behave. We can only chose how we respond. We want to know ourselves fully. Feel all the feelings. With full permission and an open heart. And, as we head towards Winter Solstice, I hope we all sit with both thedarkness, and the light, that makes up who we are. I know that I want to learn from it all, continue to expand, and love myself completely. Want to know more about how to continue shining our own light?
Click here to continue reading more. "We must be willing to get rid of the life we’ve planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us. The old skin has to be shed before the new one can come." ~ Joseph Campbell Hello, beauties! Thank you so much for all the comments and conversations around setting healthy boundaries. I appreciate your insights, suggestions, and your courage to share! It's interesting. Some of you say that boundary setting is easy at work, but difficult at home. Others say exactly the opposite. Sounds like many of us view setting healthy boundaries as an area where we can grow. Believe me, I'm definitely a work in progress in this category. If you missed last week's deep dive, or you simply want to revisit and refresh, you'll find the entire newsletter here. "The beginning is always today." ~ Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley And, WOW! A HUGE thank you for the outpouring of interest in my New Year's program: Let Go To Grow. ✨ This six-week online yoga journey begins Sunday, January 1. Now's the time to join!
To continue reading this week's newsletter, simply click here. "Boundaries help you thrive." ~ Yung Pueblo Hello, friends! Be sure not to miss the exciting announcement at the end. Hint: It's in the P.S ✨ Happy first day of December! This may sound really strange, but as we enter the holiday season, I find myself thinking about boundaries. This word gets used a lot lately. For example, I keep hearing about, "Setting healthy boundaries." That sounds good, but . . .
I've gotten better at not being super over-scheduled. However, I still find it difficult to prioritize my own solitude. My need to rest and reset. So, as we approach the sparkle and cheer of the holidays, I'd love to be better about honoring my own energy. My own nervous system. And, I'd love to do this in a way that is clear and kind to all those I interact with. (Yep. The thought of "disappointing" someone remains troublesome for me 😉). Setting healthy boundaries sounds like something super powerful to build into our toolkits. Let's take a deeper look. To learn more about empowering ourselves by setting healthy boundaries, click here.
"Today, let us swim wildly, joyously, in gratitude." ~ Rumi Beautiful yogis, I have SO MUCH to be grateful for. Thank you. Thank you for the gift of your presence in my life. I am deeply grateful for the light you shine in my world. My wish? That we transcend this day of giving thanks and commit to living a life full of gratitude. First, let's get clear about what it means to practice gratitude. According to Robert Emmons, psychology professor and gratitude researcher at the University of California, Davis, there are two key components:
A few fantastic ways to deepen our practice of gratitude? Click here
"Don't think that you and the world are two separate things. When you breathe in mindfully and gently, when you feel the wonder of being alive, remember that you're also doing this for the world. Practicing with that kind of insight, you will succeed in helping the world." ~ Thich Nhat Hanh Hello, beauties!
What a time of transition! Mike and I had barely said farewell to the 2022 sailing season when the snow started falling. While I relish pulling on my favorite cozy sweaters, and I love the flicker of candles throughout the house at night, the changes in light and temperatures also create some challenges. As we head into Thanksgiving, a simple message from me: Every breath of effort you give to nurturing your best self. To raising your vibration. To living attuned to your True Self? It matters. It matters for you. For your nervous system. For everyone you are connected with. It matters to me. And, it matters to the world. If you need further convincing of this, or you simply missed the quotation up above, take another look. May we all remain inspired by our practice, trusting the ripples we are putting out into the world. I am deeply grateful for you and this community! Here's to feeling the wonder of being alive, ~ m ♥️ |
AuthorMichelle Shaw: Archives
January 2023
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