Last weekend two of my granddaughters and I walked over to the local playground. We held hands and slid down the three side-by-side slides -- screaming and giggling. Total abandonment. Just plain fun!

Today the strange title above caught my attention: The Serious Matter of Play. Who knew that play is a “serious matter”?  Ruth Silverstein’s article got me thinking.  

It would seem that in this 21st Century we have studies on just about everything imaginable, including playtime. And as soon as there is a study on it, well it becomes a “serious matter”.

Silverstein provides a variety of learned reasons why children should play, including my favourite, “a time to practice socialization skills”.  Furthermore, she makes the observation that many kids are so programmed that they barely have time to “handle unstructured play time”.  How sad. 

The article led me to consider liberation - a goal for me as I take my yoga practice off the mat and into the world.  How liberating for anyone of any age to just have fun.

Have you played this week?  Not only is it a “serious matter”, but it is liberating!

Have you ever looked a challenge in the face and signed up for it anyway?  Maybe a 5k run, or a 50 k run. A project at work. Maybe a diet.  Maybe....well you get the point.

I signed up for the  “Living Your Moksha Challenge” last week. By doing so I’ve joined Moksha yoga students globally for 50 days. (Moksha is a form of yoga practiced in a hot room (102*F).)

The point of the challenge: try something new -- take the experience of yoga beyond the mat.  The hope is that we may find freedom, liberation, peace, connection and joy in places we have never found it before. Or maybe not even sought before. 

I don’t know where this will lead, but I thought it might be fun to share some of the changes or findings with you.

So often we fragment our lives as though we are little compartments: work compartment, home compartment, friend compartment, volunteer compartment. Etcetera.

So to be challenged to take my yoga experience off the mat and into my other compartments is .... hmm.... interesting.  What will that mean?

Is there something you may find challenging that you would like to take a second look at and try it?

When my kids were in elementary school they loved April Fools Day. One year they called Grandma and told her all about the new puppy we had just bought the night before.  They muffled their giggles as they answered Grandma’s questions about the breed, the colour, and of course, the name. Finally they could not contain their laughter any longer and yelled “April Fools Grandma!”.  There was no puppy.

The reason they found it so hilarious was that they knew Grandma did not like dogs! They also knew her well enough that she was trying to be excited for them, but when they told her there was no dog, she truly was excited!!!

Why do I tell this story?  I love watching personalities communicating with one another. The interaction between Grandma and the kids was priceless. Grandma was a “people pleaser” and the kids knew that at the tender age of 6 and 8. They used this knowledge about her particular trait to their advantage to create a hilarious  event that we still talk about many years later! 

Last day of March.  Last week of March Madness!  

Have you let go of some of your grudges and/or resentments? (part i: the past) 

Have you had time to figure out “what’s working and what’s not working for you?” (Part II: the present)

Now, according to popular author  Debbie Ford, the last part of this 3- part series is to, you guessed it, look towards the future.

Here’s where the fun begins. At least I think it is fun!!!!

Take one value that you particularly want to think on. Just one.  I know there are so many to choose from. Let’s see: integrity, compassion, abundance, grace -- to name a few. Then, using your senses, surround yourself with images, sounds, scents that invoke this one value you want to work on.

Carve time out on a daily basis to think about and then act upon ways you can express that one value. Start to listen to your own still small voice to see where you might want to go next. What is it you would like to do, keeping this one value in mind. 

Want to explore and develop your values more?  Contact us for a way to do just that! 

When is the last time you coloured? 

Perhaps not since you were a child? 

A couple of weeks ago I was drawn to a kit that included pencil crayons and Mandala colouring sheets. (What is a mandala? Well it is a circular symmetrical design. You can create your own or buy pre-printed designs to colour yourself. Print them for free from this website  http://ow.ly/4pqeh.)

I fell in love with the patterns and the amazing colours of the pencils in the kit. This is no “colour by numbers” kit; instead it is one that encourages you to use your imagination. You don’t even need to colour in the lines if you don’t wish to do so.  

As I caressed the beautiful gift box and gingerly took out the mandala sheets I thought this would make a beautiful gift. The person I chose to give it to is a wonderful human being who  constantly wishes to please others, and often spends a lot of time helping others. 

Why give a “people pleaser” a mandala gift set?  Colouring in a mandala - especially not within the lines -- is such a mad thing to do this month for someone who goes out of their way to please others.  You can enjoy playing with the design and colours that please you.  

Happy colouring!!!

Ever watched kids rock climbing? I was invited to watch a six year old rock climb at a local YMCA on a busy Friday night.  With a great deal of focus she easily made her way up the first wall. I took pictures and applauded her.

Then she climbed an easier rock, and once again performed perfectly, and quickly.

When her turn came to scale the difficult rock, I watched with great interest. I knew her personality type. She is a focused perfectionist. So far, she had climbed flawlessly. 

But this rock was higher and tougher to scale. She furrowed her brow until two deep trenches emerged between her eyebrows.  She tried over and over to get her footing, even banging into the wall more than once without flinching. She was determined to get to the top no matter what. The sign of a perfectionist. 

Finally she had to give it up.  Her legs simply were too short to reach some of the smaller rocks so she could make it to the top.  Sometimes in the case of this personality type a little “March madness” goes along way: give yourself a break from being a perfectionist.  Enjoy the process even if it means you cannot complete it perfectly!

Hopefully you have written and released  your list of past grudges or resentments this past week so you can move on to the present.

This week well known author Debbie Ford suggests that you take a long look at your present life. Ask yourself, “What is working for you ?”  “What is not working for you?” 

These questions are at the top of my list as I journal early in the morning this week -- something I’ve done for quite sometime as a result of reading Julia Cameron’s book, The Artist's Way.

Ford takes it one step further though. She suggests that you continue to be aware of the present moment by literally setting an alarm clock hourly. When the alarm rings you take  five minutes to really be present in the moment.  In the real world this might be very difficult to do I know. But do what you can. 

As part of your Mad March moment, do something different this next week. Surprise yourself, even challenge yourself. I find when I do something unique for me it does keep me in the present since I have to really concentrate on what it is I’m doing differently.

Being in the present is a gift to yourself because you listen more intently to you. 

Enjoy the moment.

Top of the Morning To You!

Today is St Patrick’s Day, a celebratory day for the Irish in North America, and so many others are joining in this celebration.  

North Eastern USA has been part of our family’s St Patrick’s Day for a number of years now.  Only because it falls in our annual school holiday. My family’s heritage does include Ireland -- back many generations. We wear green and have been known to decorate a little with shamrocks. 

In this area, we have observed that everyone celebrates with the Irish.  Parades. Food. Lots of green.  Presumably not everybody is Irish, but everybody does celebrate. Even the ladies in Starbucks are wearing big green bows.  What a festive day, with lots of smiles to go around.

Shake it up a bit. Go Mad this month. Celebrate an occasion with others that you might not have done before.

Happy St Patrick’s Day everyone!

If you are this type of personality, or you know someone who is cautious, read on to discover how you can shake things up a bit in March Madness.

While on vacation we decided to go horseback riding. I was a little nervous and told the guide this. He immediately decided I should ride Dora. As he described Dora, he added,  “they all have individual personalities”. 

So I decided to observe Dora carefully and see if she fit a certain temperament type. She did.  (It also served to take my mind off the fact that I was a little afraid of riding a horse.)

As we took off on our jaunt around the countryside, Dora immediately fell in line at the end. She walked when the others walked and trotted without hesitation whenever the guide suggested it. She followed the rules and I relaxed, knowing she was not going to take off on me!

Throughout the morning hike, Dora kept her head down, carefully watching the trail ahead. It is spring thaw here,  which means there is lots of mud. Dora cautiously walked around the muddy parts, making sure she did not slip or even worse, throw her rider.  Thank you Dora.

But then it happened.  Dora hit a spot where there was no way she could go around the muddy path.  She had to take a chance. This was her “March madness” moment. Dora had to walk through the muddy trail, risking a slip. She looked at the path, snorted and then proceeded.  

She took a risk. And she got to the other side.  

Sometimes this personality has to shake things up a bit and take a risk.  Shake yourself out of your comfort zone. Try it. Like Dora you will very likely survive and discover fun on the other side!

Part of March madness for many physically healthy types revolves around a body cleanse, so I liked the notion of a “consciousness cleanse”, as ascribed by well known author,  Debbie Ford. 

In keeping with my notion of doing something a little mad this month and shake things up I love Ford’s idea. She suggests that you take three weeks to assess your past, acknowledge your present, and dream a little about the future.

Start your “consciousness cleanse” this week by looking at your past.  Our minds get so cluttered with stuff that just doesn’t serve us anymore. So this week shake things up a little by actually writing a list of your grudges and resentments. 

Then you rip the piece of paper up.  Talk about a feeling of power over these annoyances. I once tried this and threw the little pieces into the fireplace. I admit I did it every day for a few days before I felt completely free of the particular items. But it worked. 

Ford also suggests that you go one further and get rid of 100 pieces of clutter from your past in your home, your office, and anywhere else you reside.  Why? What goes on inside of your head is a reflection of your external surroundings. 

All this should fill your week. Shake it up a bit during March madness and feel free of some of the things in your past.