Old Friends

Friendships are truly something to cherish and be grateful for. I love meeting new people and getting to know people from different backgrounds and circumstances. Today I talked with a friend of mine that I have known since college. I cherish that wonderful easy flow of conversation that comes from knowing someone else really well and the feeling of deep trust and comfort that makes everything easy and relaxed. So today I am thankful for friends. I'm thankful for those I have known for more than 30 years, as well friendships that are being established and growing now.
Here's to friendship!

Fire

This time of year, when it gets dark and feels cold, I love the light and warmth of a wood burning fire. It feels so great to snuggle up with a glass of wine and a blanket and hang out by the fire. I hope you are finding ways to stay warm today.

Coffee

Sitting here in my PJ's reading the morning paper and drinking coffee. One of my favorite things. I love it when I have time to be leisurely in the morning as opposed to having to rush out the door. I hope you have some time to relax and take time for things that you enjoy this weekend!

2 more days of the gratitude blog....please feel free to add your own comments.

The Start of the Holiday Season

I love Christmas. I even like Black Friday because it has been a tradition of mine to officially start my holiday shopping, decorating, and celebrating the season on this date. As I write this, I have already been out for a bit of shopping and soon will be off with friends for our annual Black Friday gathering. While I will not continue to blog each day about what I am grateful for once the month of November ends, I am going to try to continue this new habit to see the blessings and all that there is to be grateful for in each day. I hope today brings you many things to be grateful for!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

I hope that you are having a day to be with people you care about. Along with Thanksgiving, today is also my 27th wedding anniversary. So, today I am celebrating and thankful for love.
Have a peaceful day and a day full of gratitude!

Thankful for Work

Today I am thankful for meaningful work. I feel so lucky to have 2 part-time jobs (yoga teacher and clinical social worker) that are challenging and rewarding to me in so many ways.

While the old saying about no one wishing on their death bed that they'd spent more time at the office may be true, I hope that the work and tasks you do today bring you a sense of accomplishment and joy.

The Moon!

I love a full moon on a clear night. I can't say exactly why, but it feels calming and somehow magical to have the night sky illuminated with a big full moon. Ever since the movie Moonstruck (anybody remember that one?) I have paid a bit more attention to the moon, to the point that if I awaken at night and see moonlight flowing into the windows, I WILL get out of bed to have a look.
The Moon is full tonight and the sky is clear for now. Have a look! Gorgeous!

BLACK FRIDAY ALL WEEK!

Hey all,
As a blog reader, you are getting this information first!
For ONE WEEK ONLY, I have decided to run my very first Black Friday promotion and sale!
Here's the deal:
Register right now (and until Tuesday December 1st at midnight) for my January Workshop entitled Live Your Yoga: Love Your Body and Transform Your Health.

The Black Friday price: $129.00 That's a $40 savings...$50 off if you want to pay online!!!
Hurry....this workshop only has room for 10 participants and this offer WILL NOT be repeated or extended!

Mail in your payment (postmarked by Dec 1) or go to the top left of this page and click on "Website" to take you yoga-moodra.com. (Select More and the Workshop appears in the drop down menu).

Lefse!

Today I am grateful for lefse! If you've lived in MN for any length of time, then I am assuming that you know about lefse. In my family, it is a sought after treat that is available only at holiday time. I'm about to have a piece right now that our neighbor brought to us (he is the best preparer of lefse, bar none!).
I hope you get to have a special treat today, or at sometime over the upcoming Thanksgiving weekend.

Possibility

Today I am grateful for the idea of possibility. If we truly start to ponder all the capacity and strength that each of us have, there is so much that we can do! I happened to run across this lovely quote today and wanted to share it:

"You are ready and able to do beautiful things in this world." Jim Carrey

So, we've heard it before, but quit thinking small and quit talking yourself out of something new that you are yearning to do. The world is in need of courageous people that are willing to step out and share what they have to offer to make the world a better place. Have a beautiful Sunday!

Sweat!

Today I am thankful for a good sweat! I took a hot yoga class this morning and love the intensity of the heat and how cleansing it feels to sweat profusely.

Humor!

I love to laugh....who doesn't??? Today I am thankful for all things funny, silly and humorous.

A few updates: As a reminder, we DO NOT  have yoga class next week during the Thanksgiving Holiday week.

The new schedule for Yoga Moodra classes at all 3 locations is now set. See the sidebar for class dates, times, cost. Put the class dates on your calendar now so that you have time set aside in the New Year for your yoga practice.

If you have not yet had a chance, please take a moment to look at my brand new website. You can move between this blog and the website simply by clicking the Website button at the top left of the page (above the follow by email). This blog can be viewed from my new website as well, by going to the MORE page heading and selecting Blog from the drop down menu. Cool huh? Let me know what you think of yoga-moodra.com!!

While on the website, also have a look at my month-long January workshop titled Live your Yoga: Loving Your Body and Transforming Your Health. Anyone who is serious about making some health changes in the New Year should consider it! We often need at least 21-28 days to solidify a new habit, so the workshop takes place throughout the month of January to provide you with support you need to change your health for the better. Sometimes we wait until there is a health crisis or some other kind of "wake-up call" to action. Really, is there anything more important than your good health?

Finally, be on the look-out next week for my first-ever Black Friday deal!! Because it is a holiday week and I don't want you to miss out, the deal will be good for one week. Stay tuned!!

Fresh Starts

Today I am thankful that each day (and really each moment) is an opportunity for a fresh start and a new beginning. While we may try hard each day, sometimes we have to admit that we were not at our best. Maybe we were unnecessarily harsh with someone, or maybe we just ended up wasting time that could have been better spent.

A fresh start means that we can apologize or clear the air with someone if we need to and then let go and move on while trying to learn from our mistakes and errors. We can quit obsessing about our to do list and simply begin.

Start fresh today, do your best, and make it count!

Poetry

Today I am thankful for poetry and a well turned phrase. As I wrote yesterday, I love to read. I think there is something extra magical about well written poetry. When it's good, it seems to touch the heart and capture the "essence" of a feeling or experience.

Books

I love to read! When I can, I try to read about 2 books a month. I'd be really smart by now if I was reading only non-fiction! Even reading fiction, I love the fact that it opens your mind to new ideas and circumstances and offers opportunities to see events through a character's perspective. I'd love to hear about your favorite titles, or anything else that has you feeling grateful today.
Peace!

Surprises

I guess I was so busy enjoying the beauty of the day yesterday, that I forgot my daily gratitude post! So, I'll do 2 today!

First, wasn't yesterday a fabulous surprise? To have 61 degree weather in mid-November is a true blessing. I did some errands with the sunroof open and found myself giddy over the surprising warmth and beauty of the day.

Second, I am thankful today for dedicated yoga students! So many of you have been participating in my classes consistently for several years. What a delight! I am thrilled that you have made yoga a part of your schedule and your life. Some of you have shared how you feel yoga practice has been helpful to you. I'd love to hear more about what the practice of yoga has meant in your life.
Thanks to all of you for being a blessing.

Compassion

Today, as news of the tragedy and violence in Paris touches us all, I am thankful for compassion. It is important to remember that there is goodness and beauty in the world, even in the midst of pain. Sometimes that beauty shows up in the care and actions of others. Practice compassion today. Be helpful and gentle wherever and whenever you can. There are more of us than them and love is more powerful than hate.

"Nothing is so strong as gentleness. Nothing is so gentle as real strength." St Francis de Sales

Peace to all today

A BRAND NEW WEBSITE!

Yee-Ha!! I have just completed a Yoga Moodra Website! So thankful that I have another way to reach students and others who are interested in the practice of yoga.

Please have a look! Current classes are listed as well as all the information on a new workshop offering coming in January!

http://www.yoga-moodra.com

music

Today I am thankful for music! I love sad love songs, head banger rock songs, the blues, classical, and even a bit of rap and country or bluegrass. It's all so good and so full of emotion. Put on your favorite song today and enjoy.

Thankful for healing

Re-Post

After some questions about how I got started as a yoga teacher, I decided to re-post something I wrote several months ago. Today I am thankful for the body and it's AMAZING ability to heal. And I am thankful that part of my healing journey resulted in becoming a yoga teacher!

Trauma, Transformation, and Yoga

Some of you may be aware of my story about "how I decided to become a yoga teacher." Usually if I get asked this question, it is just a minute or 2 before the start of class, so my answers are brief and don't really tell the full story. I want to share my story here, as I think that many of you will be able to relate to the changes that happened in my life after a difficult and painful experience.

In July of 2004, I had a motorcycle accident that resulted in a crush injury to my left foot. After 2 orthopedic surgeries, I knew I wanted to return to the active person that I had been before the accident. I had started a one time a week yoga practice about a year prior to my accident and absolutely fell in love with the serenity and calm that yoga brought to my overactive mind. As a mental health therapist, I had now found a whole new set of tools that were helpful with not just physical flexibility, but mental clarity and flexibility as well! I was personally starting to see some great physical changes too. I began eating less junk and was in touch with how my body was feeling. I lost 10 pounds and felt calmer and stronger in every aspect of my life.

So, what a great blessing it was to have a yoga practice to return to as I was recovering from my accident and injury!!  My first few classes had me coming in on crutches and wearing an orthopedic boot. I literally did maybe 3 or 4 of the postures, and would rest or find savasana during the rest of the class. During final relaxation,  I would feel this amazing sense of compassion and care sweep over me. I imagined that I was being held in God's hands and I began to trust that I would come through my pain and eventually recover.

As time went on, and I felt stronger and my body healed, I began to feel that maybe I had something to offer to others through yoga. I had come through a traumatic accident, and yoga had been a huge part of my recovery both mentally and physically. Maybe there were other people out there that needed yoga's power. Maybe because of my experience, I could help others find healing emotionally and physically. These thoughts would not let me go, so I decided to step way out of my comfort zone and take my first yoga teacher training class. Here I was, a 42 year old woman, with no background in fitness. I was never a jock. I liked playing golf, walking, and doing yoga....but I wasn't particularly strong, fit or bendy! I was scared that the others in the training would laugh me out of the room!! Luckily for me, in my first training what was emphasized was the notion that there is a "place in the yoga community for everyone" and the idea that yoga wasn't a competition or a place for comparisons and judgment.

So here I am, nearly 11 years after my accident, and more than 6 years have passed since I completed my yoga training! What a blessing and a gift to share the power of yoga with others! Out of my accident, out of trauma, recovery, and feeling transformed by my yoga practice, I am now in a place in life where I get to share the healing and spirit-filled aspects of yoga practice with other people. It is my deepest hope and life's dream to be a conduit for healing, to help others to step out of their own comfort zone, so that they may discover the deep truth that yoga lays plain: We are all full of goodness and light and have gifts we need to bring to the world. When we say "Namaste" we are acknowledging our divine nature, and our connection to one another and the larger world.

Maybe as you read this, you're recalling your own challenge with an illness, a trauma, or an injury. Maybe like the old me, you have a deeply held idea that yoga is "for flexible and fit people" or maybe you worry as I did that others will judge you and laugh you out of the room. If you are ready to step out of your comfort zone, and want to be open to the opportunity for greater health, better body awareness, and a calmer mind and spirit, get it touch with me !! If my classes and teaching style are a good fit for you, fantastic! If not, let me help you find your space in the yoga world....there is a place in the yoga community for EVERYONE.

Walking

It's yet another fabulous fall day! I went for a walk this morning and realized that I am SO grateful to be able to walk without pain. As some of you know, I had a motorcycle accident 11 years ago that resulted in a crush injury to my left foot. I now have 4 plates and 17 screws in my foot as a result of orthopedic surgery! It took nearly 3 years after the accident for me to heal. While I still have chronic swelling in my left foot (so no 3 inch heels for this gal!) I can walk without pain. What a miracle. I'm thankful for the great medical care I received and the gift of walking!

Technology

Today I am thankful for technology. While I am probably the first to admit that tech is not something I love and feel much aptitude for, it is amazing how much it has become a part of our daily lives. Currently I am working on a website for Yoga Moodra, (which will be ready to go soon). The fact that I can communicate with my yoga students via email, cell phone, and this blog is simply fantastic. How did we ever do things before??!!
Today I see that this blog has now surpassed 12,000 page views. Unreal. Thanks for reading!! Thanks for sharing your own gratitude comments here too. Be Thankful and have a great day!

Sunday morning

This morning I am ever so grateful for a good night's sleep. I am lucky and do not have major sleep issues like some, but there is something so fabulous about sleeping deeply and waking feeling rested and ready to go!

Sunshine!

What a lovely clear Saturday! Bright blue sky and lots of SUNSHINE! My favorite!! I think I will go our for a walk this afternoon so that I have time to enjoy the sun's warmth (and build my Vitamin D reserves!). Today I am thankful for sunshine.

Thanks for eggs!

I just finished having a yummy toasted bagel and egg sandwich. One of my favorite ways to do breakfast. For some reason, eggs have started tasting really good to me in recent years, especially cage free or organic eggs. If you haven't compared a typical grocery store egg with an organic or cage free variety, you don't know what you are missing!

Beyond the fact that I like eggs, I am reminded of a story that was told to me by my now 90 year old friend Joe, who is a Holocaust survivor. After the war, he lost his entire family, except for his sister. He found her in a hospital after the war recuperating from her concentration camp experience. When Joe asked his sister what she would like to eat, she replied "Oh, I would love to have an egg!" What a simple and profound thing. Makes you feel pretty darned grateful for all of the food choices you have each day, right?

So, I'm grateful for eggs. Share with me what you are grateful for today as we continue the month long 'attitude of gratitude' here on the blog!

Another day of Gratitude

Today I am thankful for good health. I am taking my mother in today for a same-day surgery (minor) so it brings to mind how blessed we are when our health is good. Today I feel well rested, clear headed, and ready to face the day (with the help of coffee!). Often, it is only when we are sick that we realize how much we take for granted our good health.

Thankful

Today I am thankful for GOLF! I am amazed that I will have an opportunity this afternoon to play a round of golf in NOVEMBER...in MINNESOTA!

Please share with me what you are grateful for here on the blog! Cultivate an attitude of gratitude!

Happy November!!

For me, the month of November always highlights the idea of gratitude.  We typically give thanks on our national holiday of Thanksgiving, but why not make this a more consistent and daily practice?? I am going to be more deliberate about practicing gratitude this month by posting one thing that I am grateful for each day on this blog for the month of November. Please join me by adding your comments about gratitude. The act of writing down what we cherish makes the process more deliberate and meaningful.
It is already November 3rd, so I am behind! I'll catch up by naming 3 things today!

1. Can you guess? I am thankful for YOGA! Not only has it been a healing practice in my own life, I absolutely love teaching and sharing the gift of yoga with others.
2. I am thankful for relationships. What a gift to have a loving spouse, fabulous sons, and good friends and neighbors.
3. I am thankful for the beauty that presents itself in the changing of the seasons. It's pretty amazing when flowers bloom in spring and when trees "show their colors" every fall. Our natural world is a wonder.
Ok...your turn! Post your comments if you'd like, or keep your own gratitude journal this month!!