“Between stimulus and response there is space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” ~ Viktor E. Frankl The Gift of Time
The Power of the Pause Hello beauties! If I drew a pie chart illustrating how the flow of the year feels for me? I’m not sure mine would look exactly like the cartoon above. But, I appreciate the easily digestible visual as a way to represent a rather complex concept . . . the passage of time. Relaxation opportunities, vacations, time with dear friends? Often these moments whiz by. 🚀 Flight delays, meetings, doctor’s appointments? Can feel as if they are trudging by at glacial speed. The hour at lunch with my girlfriend last week cannot be the same as the hour I spent getting my most recent mammography and bone density scan, can it? I’ll never forget being gifted a two-hour massage. It sounded SO luxuriously long, but truthfully? I questioned whether or not I would really enjoy the prolonged experience. Ha! 🤣 When the massage therapist let me know our time was up, I really did look at my watch in disbelief. I was certain I had been shorted. 😅 There was NO WAY a full two hours had passed. And yet, as the tension in my body unraveled, that time had simply melted away. Today we all have these additional 24 hours, so I’m hoping we can take at least a few moments to pause. Why? Because the pause holds so much magic! ✨ If you skimmed the quotation up above, please take another read. 🙏🏽 This is just one example of how powerful a pause can be. The pause can simply be one or two breaths in between stimulus and our response, and that space can make all the difference. Next time you begin to feel annoyed, or impatient, or defensive, or overly reactive, see if you can gift yourself a bit of spaciousness. Enough space for a breath . . . down into your belly if you can . . . and to feel your connection with this earth. Making big shifts in our day, our week, our year, and our life truly can begin within the space of a breath. Please join me: Sit a little taller ✓ Soften your eyes ✓ Soften your belly ✓ Take a nice, expansive inhale ✓ Release that nice and slowly ✓ Want even more benefits? Do another 2 - 4 rounds 🥰 Now, take this shift with you and remember how simple and powerful it really is! Not every single thing in life has to be complicated. We really can create change one breath at a time. Thanks for being here and taking this leap with me 🐸 ~ m
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“We’ll be friends forever, won’t we, Pooh?” asked Piglet. “Even longer,” Pooh answered. ~ A.A. Milne Warning Signs ❌
Healthy Emotional Habits ✅ Hello friends! I’m so happy you are here. 🥰 Today, a brief note . . . because I am indulging in time with one of my all-time favorite humans. 💕 Darcy and I met when we were 10 years old. Initially, we bonded over sports and potato chip cookies (her Mother’s specialty that really are better than they sound 😉). And, even though we haven’t lived in the same state as one another since high school graduation, our original connection has not only lasted. It has strengthened. When I first saw the post above about Green Flags, I took it in as inspirational. Reminders for the kind of person I want to be for others. Then, when Darcy arrived, I re-read the list. Yep. She checks every single one. ✅ Wait. Not checks. She gets gold stars everywhere!. ✨⭐️✨ So, as we talk and giggle and treat ourselves to massages, I am truly basking in the gift of friendship. I hope we all have people in our life who are full of green flags. Who lift us up. Help us be better. And love us through and through. And, I hope we can all be Green Flag people for others whom we connect with and care about. Until next week, big light and love 💚 ~ m 
“The stress cycle needs to complete, and just eliminating the stressor isn’t enough to do that.” ~ Emily Nagoski Stress vs. Stressor
Complete the Cycle Hi beauties! I love writing to you each week, for so many reasons, but today it’s primarily because the newsletter provides me with a platform to share in more depth. I am deeply committed to the premise that each and every yoga class I teach must move beyond the physical body. Yes, it’s wonderful to loosen up, gain strength, and improve balance through physical postures (asanas), but that’s just a tiny bit of what yoga is about. So, I try and share more as we move through our asanas; however, there’s only so much talking that can happen while we are holding Warrior II?! 😉 (I know, I know . . . many of you are rolling your eyes and thinking: Michelle, you talk WAY too long when we are in Boat and Chair pose! 🤣) Today, I want to share some of what I talk about when hired to speak to groups. We all know about stress. Or, at least we think we know all about it because each of us experiences stress, and stress is something that’s readily talked about. However, did you know that there is a difference between stress and the stressor? Okay, it’s that time of year, so I’ll use filing taxes as the example. (Ugh. Sigh.) Maybe you fly right through it, but for many of us, filing our taxes (or preparing for someone else to file them) isn’t simple, easy, nor fun. In fact, for most, it’s downright stressful. That entire process of filing our taxes is what Emily and Amelia Nagoski, in their book Burnout, refer to as the stressor. Filing taxes, the stressor, is the thing that causes the stress. Oftentimes we think that as soon as we provide that final signature, or hit “SEND” and actually file those taxes, then we are finished. Task completed. Stress removed. Right? Unfortunately, not so. You see, when we are being impacted by a stressor (working on filing our taxes), our body experiences an entire range of responses. When we finish filing, our body doesn’t really understand that we have completed the task. There is no “off switch” for the chemicals we have been stewing in while under the influence of that stressor. In other words, while the task may be completed, our cycle of being stressed is not. Take another look at that picture of me and Javi out on the pier. That was taken this past Sunday when the snow on the ground was gone. And yet, look at the giant pile of snow, and sand, and grit, and debris behind me. Yep, that’s what’s left after our winter storm. That’s sort of how stress is in our body. It builds up and doesn’t immediately dissipate nor automatically disappear. In fact, we have to move through our cycle of stress in order for the stress to be removed. HOW do we move through our stress cycle and get it to leave our bodies? Thankfully, there are effective strategies, and we’ll talk more about them in future letters. But, sneak peek . . . Breath and Movement top the list! 🥰 So, please be kind to yourself. Even those of us with privileged lives can experience a lot of stress and/or live under a chronic low-level of stress. This stress does impact our body and our well-being. And, it’s not enough to simply brush it off and announce we’re fine. We are worth much better self-care, and we can support one another on our path of living well. Big love, ~ m P.S. Did you miss it last week? I wrote a guest blog post for One Bigg Island in Space. Check it out! You can find it here. 
“Love takes off the masks we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within.” ~ James Baldwin Simple Question
Big Impact Hello! I don’t know if you heard all the recent Elmo buzz? (Yep. I really am talking about Elmo . . .that red furry character from Sesame Street). 😉 In case you missed it, Elmo issued a two sentence tweet (do we still call it that?) that created QUITE a stir! In fact, television talk shows and major news organizations were all a twitter about it. 😅 At this point, I hope you are wondering: What did Elmo say that warranted this much attention? Well, here is his post, in its entirety: “Elmo is just checking in! How is everybody doing?” That’s it. Last time I looked, this post had received over 158k likes, nearly 15k reposts, and over 45k responses! While I don’t claim to have read all of those tens of thousands of answers, it’s clear there was a lot to be said. And, from what I gleaned? The answers were not exactly encouraging about our well-being. 😟 This got me wondering . . . is it that simple to show some love? Simply by checking in and asking how someone is doing? I believe it is. By engaging with another we are not only opening up a conversation, we are extending compassion. We are demonstrating our desire to listen. And, we are showing that we care. In this season of LOVE, when things may seem complicated, commercial, and/or costly . . . let’s remember how simple it can be to take off our mask and lead with love. If ever we’re not sure where to start? I think Elmo has given us a solid foundation from which we can build upon. 🥰 So, how ‘bout it everyone? Join me? Let’s ripple out our light and love simply by checking in on someone. I’d love to hear how it goes Happy New MOON! ~ m P.S. I am HONORED to have written a guest blog post for One Bigg Island in Space. Check it out! You can find it here. 
“In the depths of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.” ~ Albert Camus Internal Curiosity
Soft Gaze Hello friends! I have to tell you. I’m not sure I’ve evolved to the place Albert Camus mentions up above. 🤔 On Sunday, while walking Javi for the fourth time, I suddenly had a spring in my step. The SUN was actually visible, and there was a color known as “blue” in the sky. As we were strolling, I noticed a neighbor of mine was also out. With the enthusiasm of a child set free in a candy store, I called out: “Look , , , it’s the sun!!” In truth? The color and the light lasted about 5 - 10 minutes. That burst sure did give me a lift. For those of you here with me in West Michigan . . . you know the grey, fog, and rain of which I speak. It can seem bleak. I appreciate the concept of cultivating an “invincible summer within.” After all, my highest best self, my heart center, is always right here. There are so many tools we have in our kit to help lift energy and elevate mood. So, it is with a soft gaze that I look upon my own energy, my own thought patterns, during this season of hibernation. Let me reiterate. I am a huge proponent of internal curiosity. But, so often our internal gaze is harsh, and full of judgment and repudiation. This winter, no matter where we reside, and what weather we are experiencing, let’s soften that gaze. Let’s offer ourselves the loving kindness we bestow upon those we hold most dear. As much loving kindness as a Great Grandfather extends to his baby boy when they meet for the first time. How much more transformation is possible when we offer ourselves this grace? This gift of a soft gaze and loving kindness? And remember: “There is always light, if only we are brave enough to see it-- if only we are brave enough to be it.” ~ Amanda Gorman Here’s to finding our own invincible summer within and being a source of light. ♥️, ~ m |
AuthorMichelle Shaw: Archives
August 2024
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