Love and Kindness

Love is often the topic and focus for February because we celebrate Valentine's Day. This month we're diving into one aspect of how we can show love, through acts of kindness.

Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God's kindness: kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile. -- Mother Teresa

Last week I was talking to one of my classes about how we show love. The children expressed several great answers; one child said be helpful to others, another said you can give hugs, and a third child said be kind to a friend or family member.

The last student's answer reminded me of conference I had watched given by Dr. Wayne Dyer, author of several great self-empowerment books. Part of his talk was about random acts of kindness. He shared some statistics that grabbed my attention. He shared that a receiver of an act of kindness has their serotonin levels increase as well as their immune system strengthened. The giver of an act of kindness has the same increase in serotonin levels as well as their immune system strengthened.

The part I found fascinating was, an observer of an act of kindness experienced an increase in serotonin levels and a strengthened immune system. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that acts as a chemical messenger and believed to affect psychological functions. It is the feel good or well-being feelings we experience. The more serotonin you have the better you feel. It is also what many anti-depressant drugs try to stimulate.

By practicing random acts of kindness you make yourself feel good psychologically, but also physically! These acts of kindness could be as little as a smile.

Other random acts of kindness to increase your feel good chemicals and strengthen your immune system are:
- Giving a hug
- Giving a compliment
- Letting someone over in traffic (instead of racing ahead)
- Giving someone change
- Acknowledging someone for their effort
- Giving a gift, flowers, or a 'thinking of you' card
- Inviting a friend for coffee, tea or lunch
- Calling a friend or relative you haven't talked to in awhile
- Sharing a positive thought or quote
- Picking up litter
- Volunteering

To your health!

Courage - Happy New Year

We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we stop to look fear in the face. We must do that which we think we cannot. -- Eleanor Roosevelt

This is one of my favorite quotes. I have a copy of it on my desk, in my phone and a few other places to remind me that even though I might feel afraid, I must do the thing I think I cannot.

At the beginning of each New Year, many people create resolutions. A few years back I decided rather than making resolutions I would create a theme and intention for the year. My theme for this year is trust and I am finding that with the intention of trust comes courage.

Life gives us many opportunities to practice courage, no matter what our age. We need courage to overcome our fears. It takes courage to know that we can achieve our goals even though other people might not believe we can or agree with what we are doing. We use courage to speak up for ourselves or to stand up for what you think is right. It takes courage to fall in love, to be our true self, and to achieve our dreams.

The trouble with courage is that its counterpart is fear. Do you ever notice how sitting and thinking tends to make things much bigger or more dramatic than they really are? It gives the mind more time to come up with reasons and excuses for why we should wait, put things off, or just not do it. The one way I found that works best to overcome fear and use courage to its fullest potential is to be in action. The mind is welcome to continue to worry or come up with ways to stop you, but if you continue to just be in action, those things you want most become attainable.

I hope all your wishes come true for 2009.

Ten Pathways To Peace

Being a child of the 70's I've always been a fan of the peace sign and am surprised to see it everywhere when I step on school campuses. Kids are wearing the peace sign in all its forms on their backpacks, clothing, and jewelry. Peace seems to be the new fad.

We wish each other peace in our holiday greetings and we wish for world peace. It's a great thought and a wonderful wish, but how often do we sit to really cultivate that awareness of peace inside of ourselves.

On my bathroom mirror I tape the following quote from German mystic Thomas Kempis:

First keep the peace within yourself, then you can also bring peace to others. -- Thomas Kempis

I don't feel I can teach peace without practicing peace and being peaceful myself. I can quickly tell the difference in the days when I start off taking time to be peaceful and the days I don't.

So the magic question is, how do you keep peace within yourself? It lies within all of us. It is a matter of silently checking in, taking the time to allow it to come forward. It can be done anywhere you have a moment to yourself.

Here are some helpful reminders:
1. Taking some deep breaths
2. Being in nature
3. Meditation
4. Prayer
5. Yoga
6. Sitting still
7. Looking up at the stars
8. Listening to calm, soothing music
9. Watching a child sleep
10. A big hug from someone you love

When we can take a moment to bring peace to our lives we are more easily able to bring that peace to the events and people around us. May you be filled with peace this holiday season.

Trust We Must

This month's topic is TRUST. It feels appropriate with everything that is happening in this great nation of ours that we consider the concept of trust.

Whether it is trusting that our new president can make good on his promises, that the economy will get better (eventually), that our own finances will make it through, and/or trusting that we can stop and hopefully reverse global warming. From big issues like these to small everyday experiences, life gives us opportunities to practice trust.

In the practice of yoga, trust is important. You have to trust that your body can do the pose, and in some cases trust that you can hold and relax into the pose for the length of time you're being instructed. Balance poses and inversions provide opportunities for building trust both in body and mind. Inversions are shoulder stands and hand stands poses where you basically put the body upside down.

Why trust? Because trust helps build relationships within ourselves and with others. When we are able to place faith in ourselves or others we are able to live harmoniously, accomplish tasks, set big goals, and allow others to support us along the way. This quote by author Foster C. Mcclellan speaks to this very point:

Trust yourself. Create the kind of self that you will be happy to live with all your life. Make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny, inner sparks of possibility into flames of achievement. -- Foster C. Mcclellan

I find for myself that trust and gratitude work hand in hand. When I allow myself to trust, especially when I am anxious about an outcome, I notice that shortly after the outcome has come to fruition I am filled with gratitude.

Perhaps as Thanksgiving approaches we can practice trust in knowing our families will get along, that meal plans will work out just fine, and that in the end there will be much to be grateful for.

Sunny Side Up - Staying Optimistic

"Keep your thoughts positive because your thoughts become your words;
keep your words positive because your words become your behaviors;
keep your behaviors positive because your behaviors become your habits;
keep your habits positive because your habits become your values; keep your values positive because your values become your destiny."
- Ghandi

This month our topic is Optimism. I'll admit that again this topic comes from what is going on with me. The topic of optimism came forwards as a gentle reminder this past week after having moments of what I learned in my master's program as "negative self talk" or "limiting beliefs" in regards to my 3-year anniversary of living life cancer-free. Understandably so, I get nervous or anxious for my bi-yearly exam. I forget momentarily about thinking positive and that this exam is a confirmation of being healthy and well.

We're faced with moments in life that provide opportunities for us to choose whether or not we want to take on a situation with a positive or negative mind set. What we choose often determines how we feel about the situation. I personally have found that when I choose the positive mind set things seems easier, lighter and more manageable. When my mind goes the negative route (which we are prone to do) the situation is bleak, frustrating and painful.

Having a positive view on life makes the day a little cheerier, more fun and happy. This doesn't mean we don't feel our sadness, anger or frustration. As a yoga teacher, one of the things I teach my students is to be present and to acknowledge how they feel in each moment. Yet, there are things we can do that can shift our mindset if we find that the conversation in our head is not an empowering one. My case in point, on the day I was told I had cancer I cried, got angry, frustrated, and sad and then it occurred to me- being upset, sad and angry was not going to fight the cancer. If I was going to beat this I was going to be positive, strong and look for the blessings this was going to bring. And here I am!

It is certainly easy to get wrapped up in doom and gloom. But it's our view of how we see things that make up our world. For me, I choose the bright and sunny, glass half-full, life is good view.

This month our topic is Optimism. I'll admit that again the topic comes from what is going on for me. The topic of optimism came forward as a gentle reminder this past week after having moments of what I learned in my master's program as "negative self-talk" or "limiting beliefs" in regards to my 3 year anniversary of living life cancer-free. Understandably so, I get nervous or anxious for my bi-yearly exam. I forget momentarily about thinking positive and that this exam is a confirmation of being healthy and well.

We're faced with moments in life that provide opportunities for us to choose whether or not we want to take on a situation with a positive or negative mind set. What we choose often determines how we feel about the situation. I personally have found that when I choose the positive mind set things seems easier, lighter and more manageable. When my mind goes the negative route (which we are prone to do) the situation is bleak, frustrating and painful.

Having a positive view on life makes the day a little cheerier, more fun and happy. This doesn't mean we don't feel our sadness, anger or frustration. As a yoga teacher, one of the things I teach my students is to be present and to acknowledge how they feel in each moment. Yet, there are things we can do that can shift our mindset if we find that the conversation in our head is not an empowering one. My case in point, on the day I was told I had cancer I cried, got angry, frustrated, and sad and then it occurred to me- being upset, sad and angry was not going to fight the cancer. If I was going to beat this I was going to be positive, strong and look for the blessings this was going to bring. And here I am!

It is certainly easy to get wrapped up in doom and gloom. But it's our view of how we see things that make up our world. For me, I choose the bright and sunny, glass half-full, life is good view.

Ways to Practice Optimism:


- Be aware of your thoughts. Let your negative thoughts pass, don't focus on them or engage in negative self-talk.
- Smile and laugh - A LOT!
- Increase your social activity. Surround yourself with healthy, happy people and their positive energy will affect you in a positive way.
- Keep the big picture in mind. Distractions and pettiness can irritate you for the moment; never lose sight of your dreams and goals.
- Try to find the good in each situation.


One last note!
I feel compelled to take a moment, given I'm a survivor and it is breast cancer awareness month, to remind all of you women out there reading this that you practice those breast self exams every month. That is why I'm here writing you today. I'll be the first to admit they are scary, but the alternative (letting it go) can be even scarier.

Dare to Be Aware

"Whatever you are doing, ask yourself, 'What's the state of my mind?'" - Dalai Lama

I am finding the topics I share with you each month are practices I am personally working on. Here we are in the middle of September and I have noticed over the past two weeks of hiring and training instructors, getting school schedules set, working on a DVD, hiring an administrative assistant and doing it all with an intention of ease and grace, I have to slow down and practice awareness or mindfulness. With so many things going on I find I can get overwhelmed and consumed with all I need to get done and I forget to do those things which ground me, such as taking time to nurture myself or make calls to my family or friends. I find I feel most successful when I am able to take one day at a time or one moment or task at a time.

A friend of mine is reading Peace Is Every Step by Thich Nhat Hanh and we were discussing mindfulness and enjoying the moment. We were talking about how easy it is to get caught up in our own life with our wants, needs, dislikes, and desires and forget to be mindful of the moment or the appreciate the people around us. Life can be much sweeter by slowing down and practicing awareness of how we are acting, what we are saying, what and how we are eating, how we are feeling, and even what we are thinking.

Here are some examples of ways you could practice Awareness or Mindfulness:
- Take a few moments to focus on your breath, pay attention to how it feels as it moves in and out of your body
- Meditate (even if it is for five minutes)
- When in nature, stop and pay attention to everything around you (colors, smells, and the wind)
- Practice awareness while you are doing household chores. For example, if you are washing the dishes, focus on washing the dishes, try not to think about other things.
- When you feel angry or upset, recognize how your are feeling and take a few deep breaths before reacting, or overreacting
- Watch a sunset
- When someone is talking or sharing something with you notice if you are really listening or waiting to say what you want to say next, see if you can listen without an agenda of what to say next
- At the beginning or end of the day take a moment to state 5 things you are grateful for
- Go for a walk (wisdom from my grandmother-in-law)

Take the time to slow down, appreciate life and what is happening around you. Doing so allows you to re-group, de-stress and find peace in the moment.

"The moment we give close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself" - Henry Miller

Nurturing Your Self

This month's topic is Nurture. It is something I am personally working on and fresh on my mind. When we think of nurture we tend to think of nurturing others- our family members, our spouse or significant other, children, and friends. Many times we forget about nurturing ourselves. It is not something we are really taught to do. And sometimes something we are forced to learn about ourselves.

I'll be the first to admit that having been diagnosed with breast cancer I was given an opportunity to take nurturing myself to a new level. Learning to slow down and take care of my health and myself became my top priority. It was a big adjustment to make. I was used to doing things myself, not needing help from others, etc. I quickly learned in order to keep YogaBuddies going and take care of my health I would need to accept the help being offered to me. I am grateful for the instructors who helped out at that time, for my husband, who was amazing in helping me throughout the whole process, and to all my friends and family who showed up in various ways to show they cared

Learning to slow down, take time for myself, relax, and know that it is okay to not do-it-all have been a wonderful lessons that now make life life easier and leave me feeling happier.

I am grateful that we (YogaBuddies Instructors) have the opportunity to teach our students how to nurture themselves.

So where do you begin to nurture yourself if you weren't taught at the age of 8? Often it's the things you do or don't do when you need a break.

Here are some examples of ways to nurture your Self:
- Take a walk, go for a run, go to a yoga class or the gym
- Meditate (even if it is for five minutes)
- Be in nature (go to the beach, take a hike in the woods, sit under a tree, or do some gardening)
- Read a book
- Take a nap
- Take a bath
- Journal
- Get a massage or a manicure or pedicure
- Take a vacation
- Have lunch, dinner, or tea with someone you enjoy
- Go to a comedy club
- Go to a movie
- Do something that makes you happy
- Do nothing

Taking the time to nurture ourselves is healthy and helps us release stress. We become grounded and centered and we shift from doing into being. When we nurture ourselves it allows us to be present in the moment. Nurturing allows us to honor ourselves and our lives.

"We nourish the soul when we find value in the stillness of the moment, recognizing that the present time is the only time there is." -Gerald Jampolsky, M.D.

Practicing Patience

It's summer, and not only are temperatures rising but so can tempers. With summer comes family vacations, trips to theme parks and trips to visit other family. The saying "patience is a virtue" could never be truer!

Things requiring our patience include: waiting in a long line; traffic; visiting family; waiting for an important call or email; waiting for a late friend or business associate for a meeting; waiting for a delayed plane, train or bus; waiting for a child to express what they want or finish what they are saying; and managing a child that does not want to go to bed or take a bath or eat their food.

In researching this issue, I found that research supports patience is not something we are born with, rather it is something we learn.

Yoga has been a tremendous vehicle for me to learn patience in my life. I still remember my first yoga class- my feet, hot and sweaty, were slipping on the mat in a yoga pose in which I was trying to look good. As I followed the instructor's many verbal cues: "square your hips, turn your back foot at a 45 degree angle, make sure your front knee is not over your ankle, reach your arms up, but watch that your shoulders don't rise, turn your pinkies towards each other and breathe", I really wondered when I was going to experience the calm everyone talked about!! After ten years of practice, I feel I've come a long way and I still find patience is the key to my practice. These days I practice a slower style of yoga called Yin Yoga, where you hold poses for 3 to 5, sometimes 10 minutes. I like this style because it causes me to slow down, pay closer attention to my body and breath, and practice a deeper level of patience.

I find the patience I practice in yoga follows me off the mat and in the grocery line, in traffic or waiting for someone to get back to me.

Patience helps me when I'm teaching a yoga class and the class I have in mind to teach changes when a child wants to tell me their story, which cues another child to share her story, and so on. Patience is one of the character building words we teach our students in class. It is one of the words I've had instructors thank me for having in the program because it reminds them to be patient, both in class and in their lives. When I am leading a training one of the things I remind my instructors is to be a model for showing the yoga poses correctly and for the character building lessons we teach. I feel it is inauthentic for us to teach kids compassion, peace, non-judgment, caring, forgiveness, acceptance, and patience if we are not practicing these virtues ourselves.

So what is the best way to practice patience? First, remember to be gentle with yourself, practice patience in small increments, and build as you go.

Ways to Practice Patience:
- Take deep breaths.Count to ten.
- Take a moment for yourself.
- Practice patience in small increments (either by time such as 5 minutes, the drive from home to office (one day), and/or standing in a line). As you reach those milestones you can gradually build on them.
- Practice empathy. Depending on the situation, imagine yourself in the other person's shoes. This is a good one to practice with family.
- See the innocence in a child's behavior when they are interrupting you at work or on the phone. (They are not interrupting to bug you.)
- Notice how your body feels when you are not experiencing patience as well as when you are. Use this information as cues to practice patience.
- Resist the impulse to finish another's sentence. By listening fully we show our respect and let the other person know they are worthy of our time.
- Give yourself plenty of time to get somewhere.
- Read a magazine instead of watching the clock when at a doctor's appointment.
- Only do one thing at a time.
- Remember some things take time.

Patience is a change in attitude and without patience we experience frustration, become easily annoyed, bothered, irritated and angry. With patience, we become more accepting of what is and we experience ease and a sense of peace.

The Attitude of Gratitude

The topic for this month is gratitude. With our school year ending I find myself reflecting on the past four school years since we started and how grateful I am for YogaBuddies and what I do. It is truly a blessing and a joy to teach kids yoga and to know I have created a company that is making a difference for kids' lives and specifically their health.

I know I wasn't always this happy with life and I believe having had cancer was a blessing that allowed me the chance to start living life to its fullest and to anchor in gratitude for being here in this life at this time. I mentioned in the newsletter last month that I learned different practices to being healthy; physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. One of the mental and spiritual practices I have had since b.c. (before cancer) is writing what I am grateful for at the end of the day. When cancer hit and it felt like my life could be in jeopardy it opened my eyes to the importance and beauty of life. I was, am, extremely fortunate that I found my cancer early and had a great prognosis. Having cancer provided a new outlook on life and I now compare things that may have upset me in the past to having had cancer and, of course, nothing compares and therefore life is pretty good.

As human beings we tend to get stuck in what's wrong, what's not right or think we don't have enough. Gratitude is the quickest way out of that rut. Gratitude is about appreciating life and ALL of it.

When we teach our students the word Grateful we ask them who they are grateful for and how do they show their gratitude. They are quick with their answers and respond with being grateful for family, friends, teachers, their homes, their pets and some of their material possessions. The answers they give of how they express their gratitude are caring for someone, giving a hug, doing something nice for them and saying thank you.

A friend just recently told me the newest trend in expressing gratitude and I highly suggest giving it a try--- the gratitude dance. If you haven't seen the YouTube video it's worth checking out!! I guarantee IF YOU TRY it, it will put a smile on your face!

Life is a gift. I am grateful for it. I am grateful to all of you who have supported YogaBuddies in whatever fashion that has been. And I'd like to take a moment to say thank you to my beloved husband Michael, if it weren't for him, the time and energy I give to YogaBuddies would not be possible. Thank you!

"The greatest weakness of most humans is their inability to tell each another they love them while they are still alive." Og Mandino

Healthy Body, Mind, and Spirit

This month our focus is health; taking care of ourselves physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. I was blessed with an amazing training at USM (University of Santa Monica) where I received my Master's in Spiritual Psychology to focus on those four areas of life. I learned how to keep in balance with all four areas; I created habits that I still practice 7 years later.

It is important to take care of ourselves as we care for others- our children, spouses, parents, grandparents, staff, co-workers and friends. If you have looked at YogaBuddies website, you have likely read that I am a breast cancer survivor. For two and half years I have been cancer free. The first question people ask, since I already look so young, is how old were you when you were diagnosed? I was 32. I am 35now. Having breast cancer was another reminder to me of how important it is to take time to nurture my Self. I feel my purpose in life is to teach kids (of all ages) to be healthy in all of its forms, including learning to being open, appreciating their bodies, nurturing and calming themselves, and practicing awareness of how they are feeling.


Here are some ways for each of the four areas mentioned above that you may consider trying to achieve a holistic, healthy life.

PHYSICAL - Exercise: walking, running, yoga, swimming, biking, dance, hiking, rock climbing, Pilates. Eating organic, Drinking plenty of water, Eating fruits and vegetables.


MENTAL - Reading, Learning something new/taking classes, Puzzles, Suduko, Crossword puzzles, Card games, Watching Documentaries, Playing an instrument.


EMOTIONAL - Journaling, Therapy, Hanging out/talking with friends, Taking deep breaths, Crying, Laughing- watching funny movies and/or going to comedy clubs.


SPIRITUAL - Meditation, Going to a place of worship, Being in nature, Practicing unconditional love