Living Your Best Life Day 4

Yup, that's right. . . Apparently a baby laughs just about 300 times a day! That's amazing.  And unbelievable that we don't partake in this fun action on a more regular basis.  

Laugh More.  

Find something funny in your life today and laugh at it.  Better yet, find something about yourself yo laugh at.  

Living Your Best Self Day 2 and 3

Well, my apologies for the days getting away from me.  Let's get back on track with 2 days in one!!!!

Today's Reflection:
Relaxation is the process of observing your tension.  

If you can take 10 minutes and just lie down, you will be able to notice where in you your tension lies.  You can feel the tightness almost instantly, being able to breathe through that and focus on your breath will allow this tension o LET GO!!!

And Today's Reflection #2:
We are not seeing a situation as it truly is if we had expectations.  

Notice how we have a tendency to want things to turn out our own way after a conflict arises? Next time ask yourself this: How would this be and what would I say now if I could see what the other person sees?

Living Your Best Self Day 1

As I reflect on how I want each day to start, I realize I must make the commitment to reserve the space and time to myself for this to happen.  So I reserve at least 15 minutes to reflect.  I want to reserve more, but sometimes My beautiful baby girl needs more of my attention as she needs play time with her momma and not her momma playing on the internet, Facebook, instagram, or googling STUFF.

Today's reflection:
Living well in not about being calm; it is about being present.  

For 5 minutes today, practice just being present with your emotions without reacting to them.  Notice how they come and go.

Reflections of a Momma

Well, I guess the only logical place to start is by saying Happy New Year!! It's 2016! How the heck did that happen so fast? I swear it was just Halloween???? Now I get how fast time goes with a new babe in the house.

I have been very focused on taking in all of her.  Her sounds.  Her cries.  Her growth.  Her cuteness and sweetness.  I didn't want too many distractions, and I have allowed my blogging to go.  So we are back.

Today's thoughts:
New Years Eve will never be the same LOL.  And I am just fine with that.  Instead of getting my glam dress on and shoes to hit the town, I got my baggy pants on and a t shirt that had to be changed 30 minutes after putting it on due to the predictable baby puke ending up on my shoulder because I left the burp clothe on the bed.  MY BAD!!! And you know what? I wouldn't change it for anything.

It is a privilege to be able to watch this little mini me sleep through fire works, the neighbours hollering over loud music, the sirens whizzing by.  I get to watch the night unfold from a far, from the balcony, with big clear windows and my glass of milk snuggled in.

There is more to come, but for tonight's #newyearsresolution, I choose to commit to more frequent blog posts, even if they are just one sentence long to reflect the day, the events, the feelings, and the momma-hood.

Happy 2016 To All, and To All a Good Night.

Dream Talks 2.0

If you haven't read my last post entitled Dream Talks, the basis of this event put to fruition by April Tioseco Bellia And William Oliver is as follows:

DreamTalks is similar to TedTalks, but focused on Entrepreneurship, Wellness, and Spirituality. They are bringing an exciting and uplifting event to entrepreneurs around the world, starting in Vancouver... their mission is to give entrepreneurs a platform to share their dream with the world, and the support to bring that dream to life.

This Dream Talks was much different than Dream Talks 1.0, I was lucky enough to have my brand new baby girl to be a part of this one, the first one I was pregnant with Marcella.  I was fortunate enough to be present for 3/4 of Dream Talks 2.0, the other 1/4 was spent being present with my Dream Girl.  

What I relearned September 25th, 2015 was something I have always planned to teach to my baby girl:  Anything you can dream is possible.  
Tapping in to the heart level is the key to happiness.  

Our society is so good at trying to get us to forget that our hearts and souls matter the most.  We have a tendency to interact on more of an intellectual level than we do the heart level.  Who knows more about politics, the news, this or that seems to take over a conversation rather than connecting with those that are like minded or with similar energy and positivity.  We get nervous to discuss our dreams with others out of fear of judgement.  I will be teaching my daughter the exact opposite of this.  

Just like in Jacky Yenga's house she will know this: DANCING IS A WAY OF LIFE. MUSIC IS A WAY OF LIFE.  SINGING.  AND ART.  We will dance, play music, come together to celebrate with song and dance.  Her dad will play the guitar, I will bang the drum, she can learn how to do all of these, I will relearn how to play my cello, she can have that cello if she chooses she wants to play.  We will wear tutus, tap shoes, and tip toe like pixies.  She will spread her wings like a butterfly to get wherever she needs to go.  Ingo Loge reminded me of how beautiful butterflies are and how they represent change, growth, and beauty.  

There were SO MANY reminders of how to embrace our inner child and our hearts.  The constant theme that resonated most with me was the dance, movement, music.  And as per her usual high energy and positivity, Tree (Theresa Walsh) graced the stage with her high energy GROOVE session.  The Dance!! We smiled, we grooved, we jumped, we cleared chakras, but most of all we came together  without walls up, without our hearts guarded and with arms wide open to the space and bodies ready to dance!!!! 

The dancing continued with the ever so energetic Emerson Lim.  What an awesome break in the day to experience his Ecstatic Yoga Dance.  Everyone again was up and out of their seats to yoga-dance to the music.  It is so awesome to get a different perspective on yoga through upbeat, happy, and energetic music.  Arms in the air, feeds off the ground, smiles all around!!!!! How could you not want to move? 

Ashley Wiles of SOLE girls reminded us some amazing advice:
    We need to live the life of our dreams!!!
    This is part of our purpose. 
    How have we done this?
    How can we share this?
    How have you come through all crap you have been through?
Really learn to take a step back and sit with yourself and ask these very important questions.  We must be present to understand these simple questions.  As best pointed out by Udo Erasmus: The only time we really feel taken care of and living our truth is when we are present.  The disconnect is what is causing the problems. . . When our awareness goes "out" we lose our connection from within. . . We must work from the heart level, our hearts are thirsty for this.  

Most of all our hearts are thirsty for our truths! Our passions! And DREAMS! Talk about your dreams and you will be amazed at what will manifest!!!

Reflections of a Momma to Be. . .

Momma to Be. . . .

If you met me a year ago there would be some similarities to who you would be meeting today.  I would definitely not look the same.  Our conversation would be very different.  And for sure I’m mentally and emotionally very different.  Life is ever changing realistically and we can either update along with those changes or get stuck in our old patterns and "ways." I have always chosen to update.  So here we are well over a year later and this is what I can share to date.  

The last 8 months of my life have been all about learning how to LET GO all over again.  And when I say LET GO, it’s more than just one form of letting go.

Mentally: I had to let go of other people’s STUFF.  I have had to learn how to let go of what other’s think.  I have had to learn how to let go of what other people will say or how they will react.  I have had to let go of fear.  And I have had to learn how to let go of something I have known for a good 30 plus years. . . . my body!

As a dancer, dance instructor and pilates instructor, that is something difficult to do, knowing all the "what if's" that will happen on my insides and outsides.  Books can scare the bejesus out us, and as women we have this concept of what beauty looks like based on a warped sense of reality put out there by magazines, Facebook posts, selfless, and so much more. It is toxic the information that we are spoon fed over time and how it really creeps up on us in such a vulnerable time in our lives.  All of a sudden we have known our bodies for 30 plus years as they are, mine literally has looked the same I feel like forever. . .  we literally only can control the food we put it in this body during pregnancy and hope for the best.  We just pray that we don't get stretch marks because those won't look good in our bikinis anymore and our man may get a wandering eye, or our boobs will get saggy after breast feeding and then our perky boobs will be no more and that again may lead our man to a wandering eye.  Even better!!!!! The whole peeing your pants thing. . . WOW.  That is a scary one! Pelvic Floor muscles really get tested during pregnancy.  My scary "ah ha" pelvic floor moment was when I was trying to get away with wearing regular jeans still and I was brushing my teeth.  While I was leaning over the bathroom sink with my just about too tight jeans on and the pressure of the button against my belly and my belly leaning over the edge of the sink I found myself about to cough and there was that moment. . . Uh oh, did I just??? Wait. . . Nope I didn't I caught it, but that was a close call!!!! 

If there is any advice I can give to those who have not carried a baby yet in their beautiful belly work on those muscles WAY BEFORE ever getting pregnant! I'm telling you that will save you in so many ways during pregnancy.  You literally have to learn in a very fast amount of time how to allow yourself to let go of what was and step into the present reality of a changing body, a changing mindset, and a changing heart.  

I’m on the biggest journey I have ever been on.  The biggest ADVENTURE as I call it!!!!

From the moment I found out I had the opportunity to be a mother I felt so fortunate.  It is something I have wanted for what feels like forever.  And now it is here.  And you will hear this from EVERYONE: there is no perfect time to have a baby.  Really, there isn’t.  You know when it is right.  And this is right for me, for sure.

There will always be stress: What about my business? What about my job? What about money? What about the cat? What about the insurance, and the next 20 years? Yeah. . . Well. . . . BILLIONS have done it with far less and have done it without books and have done it without a partner and have done it far from “home.”

Home is where the heart is my friends.  My heart is with me, my partner and this baby and that is where our home will be.  For now the physical structure of a house is downtown Vancouver, but the heart that equals home is the group of us. . .

It is so true about the village effect.  It takes a village to raise a child.  Its not just a mom and dad you know.  I was so fortunate to have a village!!! My neighbours, my aunts, uncles, grandmas, cousins, friends, teachers, above all my mom and dad and my sister, but they needed support too and that’s what the village is for.  So as we near the birth of this precious little angel that chose us I find myself being pulled in the direction of where I have felt the village the most.  Although at times the village sometimes feels like it is not in this city at all. . . . . 

Coming from Long Island, NY where my family still resides and I have a sister with 2 boys of her own, I feel this huge push to figure out a way to get closer, to get back that way, to make sure we are all a part of this life together, rather than just touching base on the phone once a week or twice a week, where we only physically see each other in person twice a year.  That is clearly not enough.  

And then the next fear sinks in. . . . . What will one do for work? medical insurance? working visas? YADA YADA YADA. . . .

Gosh we can make ourselves literally go CRAZY!!!!!

On a daily basis I decide to take a deep breath, have some quiet time, and reflect on how I have gotten through all the other slightly heavy moments in life.  The best way I know how is through movement.  So I dance! I sway.  I rock.  I roll.  I circle my hips through space.  I stretch.  I focus on my insides and feel my way through.  I breathe.  I move.  I unleash.  This beautiful little being inside of me moves with me.  This has by far been so amazing to feel the baby's movement and how it is similar to mine and how it differs from mine.  What music the baby reacts to and what hands and food.  This little angel is going to be aware and I look forward to watching her intentions, intuition, and dreams develop.  I can only imagine the amount of love that will come as soon as this baby is born.  

Authenticity. . . . Who's got it?

A little something I have been thinking of lately, Authenticity.  This is absolutely authentic, and I appreciate the reminder to be true to myself, my philosophies, my teachings, my learnings, my instincts, but most of all, my passions.

I am a dancer through and through, followed by a being a teacher and a healer.  I know now how to communicate through my body, my mind, my soul, and especially my words.  I teach what I teach because I am passionate about sharing what I know, what I feel, and what I've experienced.

I have been noticing lately that I may be surrounded in certain areas with others who may not be as authentic as they once were portraying and it is rather heart breaking.  So with this new chapter of mine coming up where a few things need to be put on hold for a couple months, I can only hope that those who have given me their word, their bond live up to their end of the deal. . . . . I can only hope that what I was working for and towards will continue when it is time for me to be back in the classroom.  I know that there will be a lot of evolution while I am attending to my wee baby, but I also want to remind myself and others that just because this chapter of mommy hood is upon us, do not let other's stories get in your way, other's heart ache, other's opinions or doubts, or fears come between you and what you know you are capable of.

Deep down inside we know what is right and what is wrong.
Deep down inside we know what our strengths are and what our weaknesses are.
Deep down inside we know if we are hurting someone's feelings, heart, or soul.
Deep down inside we just know. . . . . . .