In No Particular Order...

      This week's selections originated in a "mountaintop experience."  I was sitting with my cat, Joy, meditating in the sunshine this winter.   Between one moment and the next my perspective shifted completely.  It was as if I could see my life and business from the outside.  I realized the mistakes I had made in my business in 2012.  I had been "selling" what I was interested in, not what drew clients to me.  People come to my business for a light, happy healing and learning experience.  It is all about fun and play.
     Unfortunately, in some ways, I had forgotten how to play, what makes everything fun in life.  So, like all people who have educated the play out of themselves, it was time to do a little research.  Here are some of the results (and, leave me a message if you want more, I have loads of material):



The Red Rubber Ball at Work: Elevate Your Game Through the Hidden Power of Play

     From the clever cover (yes, the ball really is rubber) to brevity of the stories this book is a wonderful physical representation of the powerful ideas within. Through many examples, Kevin Carrol demonstrates how entrepreneurs in a wide variety of fields transformed their childhood play into thriving businesses.  The variations allow the readers mind to work it's way back to early memories then project forward into their own lives.  At first, I found the third person narrative format off-putting, but after the first chapter it became more comfortable.  He also includes recommendations for further reading and putting the principles to work in your own life.  As he says "Start now. The ball's in your court..."

    I'm also a big fan of the TED talks.  We believe that we should work to be happy, but could that be backwards? In this fast-moving and entertaining talk, psychologist Shawn Achor argues that actually happiness inspires productivity.

      Did you know that to college students $5 looks like coffee?  At TEDxCambridge, Michael Norton shares fascinating research on how money can, indeed buy happiness -- when you don't spend it on yourself. Listen for surprising data on the many ways pro-social spending can benefit you, your work, and (of course) other people.

Love the Body You Have

I had an interesting thought a few days ago sparked by a hole in my photo album.  I’ve been searching for pictures for my website and, though I've been teaching yoga for years, there are only 4 pictures of me doing yoga and none at all of my classes (the photo at left I call downward dog with upward cat).  I realized I had never been satisfied by how my body looked as I did yoga.  Not that I was embarrassed, I have no problems demonstrating anything. I just don't feel photogenic.  Aren't all yogis tall and slender? 

Now, this body has taught yoga class every Tuesday for the last 9 and a half years, how could I be so disrespectful of it?  What if, rather than considering the body mine, I look at it from the outside and think about it as if it were someone else’s.  What if I treated my body like it was loaned to me by a friend?  Think about how careful you are when driving a friend’s car.  It gets returned without a scratch and the tank is full of gas, right?

So, if the body is a loaner, the first thing we need to do is appreciate the gift.  After all, how would my spirit express itself without hands to type or a mouth to laugh?  It puts gratitude in a whole new light.  I can see the strength and endurance of the legs, the cleverness of the hands, the pleasure of curly hair.  Arm balances are so easy in this body, and so is sitting on the floor.  The neck hurts, so I should take better care of it.  It’s tired, I'll

give it a rest.

Isn't this mental shift interesting?  It’s like treating ourselves the way we treat a beloved pet.  Ignore the slobber, appreciate the love.  This week try one yoga practice or one meditation session from this point of view.  It is remarkable.