great blue inspiration

if you love great blue herons like i do and haven't seen this website yet, get yourself over there and enjoy the cuteness!!

herons are such majestic and graceful creatures.  according to north american native tradition, the blue heron brings the message of self-reliance and self-determination.  they represent a an ability to progress and evolve. the long thin legs of the heron reflect that an individual doesn't need great massive pillars to remain stable, but must be able to stand on one's own.

blue herons have the innate wisdom of being able to maneuver through life and co-create their own circumstances. blue herons reflect a need for those with this totem to follow their on unique wisdom and path of self-determination. these individuals know what is best for themselves and need to follow their hearts rather than the promptings of others. those with the medicine of the great blue heron may sit until the rest of us loose patience. and, when they follow the promptings of the heart, they are one of the most magnificent when they choose to soar.

if you know anything about me, this makes perfect sense why i love them soooo much!! ;)

~ info by blueheronenv.com & image credit

be the change

image credit found via whollyyoga

what i'm currently reading

babaji the greyhound

here are the two books that i am currently reading. each one is focused on a passion of mine: bowenwork and yoga.

what are you currently reading?

image credit my android

the wise woman's stone

the wise woman's stone

a wise woman, who was traveling in the mountains, found a
precious stone in a stream.

she reverently placed the gem in her bag.

the next day, she met another traveler, who was hungry.

the wise woman opened her bag to share her food. the hungry
traveler saw the precious stone in the wise woman's bag,
admired it, and asked the wise woman to give it to him.
the wise woman did so without hesitation.

the traveler left, rejoicing in his good fortune.

he knew the jewel was worth enough to give him security for
the rest of his life.

but a few days later he came back, searching for the wise
woman.

when he found her, he returned the stone and said,
"i have been thinking. i know how valuable the stone is, but
i would like to exchange it in the hope that you can give me
something much more precious. if you can, teach me the
secrets about the power you have within you, the power that
enabled you to, without hesitation, give me this precious
stone."

~ author unknown

i can't get enough of this. as you all know, i love quotes (hello monday moments of zen!!) :) i always share a quote as students are rousing from savasana and lately i have been sharing this. i hope you all enjoyed as much as my yogi(ni)s do.

hugs and _/\_

image credit

"the sunflowers"

come with me
into the field of sunflowers.
their faces are burnished disks,
their dry spines

creak like ship masts,
their green leaves,
so heavy and many,
fill all day with the sticky

sugars of the sun.
come with me
to visit the sunflowers,
they are shy

but want to be friends;
they have wonderful stories
of when they were young -
the important weather,

the wandering crows.
don't be afraid
to ask them questions!
their bright faces,

which follow the sun,
will listen, and all
those rows of seeds -
each one a new life!

hope for a deeper acquaintance;
each of them, though it stands
in a crowd of many,
like a separate universe,

is lonely, the long work
of turning their lives
into a celebration
is not easy. come

and let us talk with those modest faces,
the simple garments of leaves,
the coarse roots in the earth
so uprightly burning.

~ mary oliver

when my friend, jill, owner of sunflower yoga studio in indiana, pa posted this beautiful photo on her facebook page, i was instantly smitten. you see, sunflowers have been coming up a lot for me recently. i have been eating sunbutter like it's going out of style. love it!! such a perfect in between massage or yoga snack for me. i've also recently switched over to using sunflower oil while giving massages as it doesn't dry my skin out like some other massage oil i've used in the past. i think i'm going to have a sunflower grow out of the top of my head soon. :)

i asked jill to enlighten me to the significance of sunflowers. her response was "this time of year, we all need a little bit of solar plexus chakra energy, and sunflowers are the best symbol i know of...inner strength, warmth, radiance...let it shine!"

i am letting my inner sunflower shine, are you?

hugs!!

image credit

what if...

what if...
today you look at the world from another person's point of view?

what if...
today you say thank you and really mean it?

what if...
today you give someone a compliment?

what if...
today you say hello to a complete stranger?

what if...
today you give your seat on the metro to someone else?

what if...
today you give a stray dog some food or a home?

all of these are small ways you can show someone you care. so why not use today to make a difference in someone else's life?

image credit

releasing your limiting beliefs

i get this in my inbox daily and this one really resonated with me. i wanted to share this with you my lovely readers. enjoy and hugs!!

When times are tough we tend to engage in a lot of fearful chatter.

We replay limiting beliefs such as, “I can’t ask for a raise now.” Or, “I can’t make a career shift in times like these.”

This fearful chatter is helping neither your peace of mind nor your bank account.

Fearful, limiting beliefs block your inner guide (or "~ing" as I call it) and prevent you from creating positive financial outcomes, blinding you to opportunities.

Try this three step process for releasing fear and add more ~ing to your finances.

Step One: Identify your limiting beliefs by listening to the fear-driven messages in your mind. What limits are you buying into: "I can't get ahead"; "I'll always be broke"; "There's never enough"?

Step Two: Release the chatter. Kick off each day with the affirmation, “Today I choose to release my limiting beliefs and stay positive about my finances.” Then, if a self-sabotaging message pops up, recognize it for what it is. Let it go.

Step Three: Forgive. Our fearful mind loves to compare. When you perceive your finances as better than or worse than someone else's, you're creating a negative dynamic within the relationship—and in your earning capacity. So throw down an F bomb and forgive. Forgiveness will clear space to receive clarity and more ~ing.

What limiting belief can you release right now?

article on daily worth by gabrielle bernstein, author of "add more ~ing to your life: a hip guide to happiness" (which is on my amazon wish list!!)

image credit ici

visual journal

here's a sneak peak into my visual journal that i've been doing for kimberly's tranquilista lifestyle e-course. i'm having a wonderful time creating. i have so many more ideas & can't wait to create more. just love it when the creativity starts to f-l-o-w!!

shira sela

i am telling you, life just keeps getting better and better everyday! i keep receiving little thank you notes and tea bags from my tea traders. i am like a little kid running to check the mail everyday. i love getting snail mail. yesterday i went to the post office to pick up a package. i wondered what it could be. this is what i opened...

which on the back side of the girl holding the balloon was this lovely note...

and on the inside was the print...

isn't it magnificent?!

i entered a giveaway on sofia's fabulous blog and i won!! this 'blossom print' is by shira sela. be sure to check out shira's website and her etsy store for more fabulous prints.

adorable find

francophiles and target lovers may i have your attention please...

as i was browsing around tar-jay last night looking for a desk i saw this:
a map of paris memo holder for $19.99!! i thought it was adorable and if i had an office or even a home office (or room of my own) i would have totally snagged that!

um, carolyn, this totally fits in your budget ;)

8 petals of shining w/ summer solstice

as many of you know, last night was kimberly wilson's "shine with summer solstice" tranquilology teleclass. i wanted to share my 8 petals with all of you. here is the link to her next teleclass. you definitely don't want to miss out on all of the fun!

happy 100th day

as i'm sure you all know, today is obama's 100th day in office. considering we are fresh out of an 8 year nightmare and we've only scratched the surface BUT we've come a long way baby!!

cheers to obama's 100th day in office!!

lovely lotus

i find lotus flowers to be very inspirational, beautiful and very calming.

red bedroom

we have been talking about redecorating. we have thrown around some ideas of what colors in what room. for years now i have always wanted a red bedroom. so we have decided to redecorate the bedroom. something like the above picture would be welcome. something deep and dark red. any paint recommendations would be great. thanks