As many of you may know, I just returned from a trip to Jamaica with my sister.

It was one of my most memorable vacations. There is something to be said about sisters…

Although we are different in certain things ( I kept the room temp at 78 degrees and told her every night that the AC was too high) LOL     We came to learn that we are very alike in many ways (she talks to more people than I do)  imagine that!

One of the qualities that I love most about my sister is ability to laugh (and I mean get hysterical) at things. I remember a time when my sister and her son were watching a movie,  they kept rewinding the scene because they were both laughing hysterically.  It dawned on me, I needed more laughter in my life.  Having this week in Jamaica with my sister was so much fun, and boy did we laugh…and laugh! On the way home on the plane there I was watching “Bruce Almighty” with her and laughing out loud.  It felt great.

My daughter happens to hilarious. She has a very witty, dry sense of humor. We tried to encourage her to do stand up (maybe soon)   If my daughter is over you can guarantee that I have tears rolling down my face, usually at my expense, but I am grateful. 

There is something to be said about laughter, “Laughing Lotus Yoga Center” in the city, offers laughing yoga classes.

Do you need more laughter, more fun….what are you willing to do to add LAUGHTER in your world?

Thanksgiving is almost here, that means friends and family getting together.  Thanksgiving is a time for gratitude. Wouldn’t it be great if we could find things in the month of November that we are grateful for that could almost make us laugh…really laugh??  The first thing that comes to my mind is I am doing Thanksgiving this year and so is my sister….which house will my parents go to?? That should be funny, between my sister and I torturing my parents, we all will have a good laugh. My son is supposedly bringing home 10 kids from college to my house for Thanksgiving….who’s laughing now?  I WILL…and at the same time I am grateful. My daughter will most likely have me in tears of laughter throughout the day, so again I am grateful.

Find laughter and gratitiude in the Thanksgiving season…please post your thoughts

Title: Tapas and Wine Party
Location: My Kitchen Restaurant
Description: Mediterranean Food Flare
$35 Admission
Start Time: 20:00
Date: 2008-11-07

Title: Launch Party
Location: house party
Link out: What’s On Your Mountain?
Description: champagne toast
Start Time: 8:00 PM
Date: 2008-10-03

Let me start with the simple question, from which this website has evolved.
“What’s on your mountain?”

Spin Enthusiasts hear me repeat this phrase in every class I teach. At certain times in a cycling class we simulate a terrain that represents a mountain. In our journey of life, we also encounter our own individual mountains. Cyclists will increase their resistance on the fly wheel to a point where the pedaling, or cadence, slows down, and it feels like they are riding up a mountain.

At times even an avid rider’s legs will become tired, or their mind will weaken….
This is when I ask:
What’s on your mountain?
What are you willing to do to get to the top?
How hard are you willing to work for what you want?

These powerful questions redirect their focus up the mountain. I ask them to imagine how good they are going to feel when they reach the top. The key for staying motivated is to keep visualizing the goal, the process and the outcome!

That’s when the mind comes into play….
When your positive thought patterns turn negative, you won’t get the desired outcome. When the little voice comes in and gets whiny. It is our responsibility to not incorporate these thoughts into how we go about reaching the top of our mountains.

Imagine repeating to yourself while pedaling,
“I am a champion. I don’t give up. I really want what’s on top of my mountain.
I Will Get It!”

Can you feel the difference already?

Yoga enthusiasts need to have a strong connection between their mind, body & spirit.
Take a balancing pose like the tree pose for an example.
If your mind is scattered and you attempt to hold the tree pose, you will not be able to.
If you are truly present in the moment you are in the pose, then you will be able to hold it. Try it…

This brings me to my personal mountain. As many of you know, I took my youngest child to college recently. Although I am extremely proud of him, there are mixed emotions running through me. I realize that he is embarking on a new chapter in his life and that I am as well.

New chapters can be viewed or felt like mountains at times. Things can feel foreign and a bit scary. Things can also feel exciting, with a world of possibility at our feet.
We can choose to look at the mountain and let it overwhelm us, or we can look at the mountain as new journey, full of new adventures and experiences.

For those of you that know either my son or me already know that both of us will view our new mountains as journeys, full of great possibilities, adventures, and experiences!

We also have our own challenges and doubts that can control our thoughts. But we always remind ourselves of how hard are we are willing to work for what we want and of what we are willing to do to reach the top.

I had a thought as I was writing the sentence above about the cadence slowing when cyclists increase their resistance.  If in a cycling class we must slow down the cadence because of the load on the fly wheel, then in life while approaching our own personal mountains we need to give our selves permission to SLOW DOWN and enjoy the journey, even the rough parts!

Come join me on this journey….