word of the year

welcome to 2012! i am more excited for this year than i have been the past several years. there's just something about 2012, i have a gut feeling that this year is going to be awesome!

for the past 4 years, i have chosen a word of the year. a word that is my collective overall goal for that year. let's take a little jog down memory lane to see where i've come from.

2009 my word was "focus." i was laid off from my accounting job and knew the accounting field just wasn't for me. my soulful, creative self was dying inside everyday i was in that office with my green visor on and counting on my abacus (HA!! ok, clearly this wasn't exactly what i did, but it sure felt like it!). :)

i need to focus in on what made me tick, what i loved, and what my purpose was. during my stint of unemployment, i really took time to explore myself (swadhyaya for you yogi(ni)s out there). i was seeking my authentic self.

2010 i couldn't decide on just one word, so i went for two: abundance & positivity!
i was changing my life, getting rid of negative situations, relationships, etc. i filled my life with an abundance of positivity. i started my massage therapy career and becoming a better yoga teacher.

2011 my word was manifest. and i did. just. that. i switched gears from massage into bowenwork. i manifested an amazing bowenwork practice and now i'm looking to open the morgantown bowenwork clinic. i'm still working on my website but i've got a sweet little facebook page here and a twitter account already set up. :)

and so, my word for 2012 is.....

because i'm going to make all of my visions, dreams, goals, and planning into a huge success!!

image credit

be the change

image credit found via whollyyoga

perfect morning

my day started out with being gently woken up by a thunderstorm. i love thunderstorms! i woke up feeling great! i immediately rolled out my yoga mat, sit on it and began to breathe deeply. i moved my body gently to stretch it after my long sleep. and after waking, i took another seat to meditate. after sitting for a little while i got up and made a mug of jasmine green tea.

now that's the kind of wednesday morning i love!!

image credit my android

my thursday moment of zen

may today there be peace within.
may you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
may you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith in yourself and others.
may you be content with yourself just the way you are.
let this knowledge settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise, and love.
it is there for each and everyone of us.
~ mother teresa

today i am in need of a moment of zen. as you know, my massage therapy exam is tomorrow. it's no surprise that i get test anxiety and yes, it's in full force today. i am working with my breath to try to put myself in a state of zen. i've also been using bach rescue remedy which seems to be most helpful.

mother teresa's quote is most helpful in calming my monkey mind. i believe that we are all exactly where we are meant to be and that there are infinite possibilities for us all.

thank you SO much for all of your well wishes, good luck vibes, etc for my exam tomorrow. i will keep you posted.

love & hugs & overcoming test anxiety

image credit ici

gussying up my planner pad & some news

i spent part of this snowy weekend gussying up my planner pad. after hearing kimberly wilson rave about the planner pad i knew i had to try it out. this is my second year with the planner pad and i don't see myself buying any other planner. i am a changed woman ;)

it's too bad that you can't get planner pads in colors, however, you can gussy it up any way you'd like. here's what i did:

front cover
inside front cover
inside back cover
back cover

now for the news... you'll notice on the inside front cover of my planner pad is related to all things buddhism and zen. a while back i asked if anyone had any input as far as a business name. i thought & thought & thought about it and finally come up with "zen from within." i think it's pretty fitting, don't you?!

although i haven't done anything with it, i've registered the domain. since owning my own business is a 5-10 year goal of mine i figured i'd snag the domain for safe keeping. i'm excited!! :)

power of intention

the mind is a very powerful tool. in fact, it has more power than the rest of our body combined. some of us set intentions for our yoga class, for our day, our week, month, even our year. in yoga we are asked to revisit the intention that we set at the beginning of class as a simple reminder to bring yourself back into the present moment. but our intention doesn't have to stop there.

your intention can change your total outlook on something. let me give you an example. at my last job there was a guy who came into our offices usually once to twice a week. i'm not sure when it happened but i got really irritated at him and hated to be in his presence. it got to the point that whenever i heard him coming down the hallway i could feel my blood pressure start to rise. if i were a dog, i'd have my hackles up for sure!! i could feel my face scrunch into a scour just as the sound of his voice although i was never this way to his face. i honestly don't remember why i felt this way. one day i had had enough of my own childish and pettiness and decided to make an intention to like him. it was hard at first because i was intending on changing my behavior (and we are creatures of habit, non?!). but each time he came in the office i asked him how he was doing and eventually i noticed that i started genuinely caring how he was. it was no longer a formality, i actually cared. for the next few weeks things got better and better and i started liking him and enjoying talking to him. all of this came about because i had intended to change my outlook on how i saw and felt about this individual.

you can really accomplish anything if you set your mind to it. if there is something you want to change or intend to happen follow these simple steps:

• write down your goal or intention

• share your intention with someone, blogging about it, etc. by doing this it will make you accountable and therefore more likely to stick to your goal or intention

• take one small step towards your goal or intention today

• acknowledge your accomplishment, no matter how big or small, and continue taking small steps toward your goal or intention

have you reached a goal or set an intention and that you have accomplished? please feel free to share.

image credit ici et ici et ici

psychoneuroimmunology

"psychoneuroimmunology (or simply pni) is the study of the interaction between psychological processes and the nervous and immune systems of the human body." - quoted from wikipedia

what does that mean exactly?

it's the controversial "mind-body connection."

i personally believe in "mind over matter." we make choices everyday that takes us in the direction or path in life. if we keep telling ourselves that we are sick then we will get sick.

have you ever known of someone who has gotten bad news from the doctor but has miraculously healed beyond any one's imagination? for example someone who was diagnosed with cancer and told that they had 3 months to live but is now 10 years in remission? that is exactly what i am talking about! those people have made up their minds that this disease (or dis-ease) will not get the best of them. the perfect example of this is the courageous and fabulous kris carr.

you've probably noticed the quote by buddha that i have on the left sidebar "what we think, we become." i truly believe that. energy follows our thoughts so why not think good ones?!

image credit leonardo gerard

monday moment of zen

"meditation brings wisdom; lack of meditation leaves ignorance. know well what leads you forward and what holds you back, and choose the path that leads to wisdom." ~siddhartha

welcome to my new series of "monday moment of zen". mondays can be a struggle for all of us. for a lot of us it's the start of a new work week when we are still longing to be in our warm beds or just lounging around with our family and pets. but we must face the world and the day ahead and why not do it with a moment of zen.

namaste!

photo credit ici

today i wander in wonder

i found this over at the zen in you and it just really resonated with me.

vision board a la staycation

i decided to post the vision board that i made during my summer solstice staycation w/ kimberly wilson. the idea was given to me by sarah over at the analyst. thanks for the idea sarah.

my vision board was focused on "zen & beauty."

those glossies really make for some major glare, :(
photos by moi