Hello Lovelies!

Big things are happening.  I’m managing and teaching at a wonderful new yoga studio called Yoga Palace, and I’m getting married in a few weeks!

Yoga Palace is a wonderful place to practice and learn.  We teach vinyasa without heaters, letting the heat build from within.  We have slow flow which is challenging and meditative, calling on core strength to sustain longer holds.  Our deep stretch focuses on flexibility for athletes and cubicle warriors alike.  So come check us out.  We have a special for new students, $39 for an unlimited month, and we have classes to fit  any schedule.

I’m so excited to be playing a role on the business side of this studio in addition to teaching.  Our yoga director is the fantastic Christine Navarro, and the owner/investor is Candace Khashman of Peekaboo Couture.  Between the three of us I’m sure you’ll be seeing big things from Yoga Palace.

In the coming months you’ll start seeing me by another name (and I don’t just mean kaitlin@yogapalaceclt.com).  I’m taking my future husbands name, so starting in mid-October I’ll be known as Kaitlin Lacey!  I can’t tell you how thrilled I am!  If you see the new name around, know that it’s still me.

Stay awesome.

A good number come in skeptical, but once they feel the energy flow over and through them, there’s no longer any doubt.  We work through the practical aspects by sharing reiki in pairs with live feedback, and by the end of the second day my students feel confident in their ability to use reiki.  It’s a useful tool for clearing negative or stuck energy, giving yourself a boost, and manifesting change in your life.

Get rid of old gunk, overcome fear, and own your power.  It’s a celebration!  Join me, there are still spots left.  Click here to register, or see the Classes & Events page for more info.

A good number come in skeptical, but once they feel the energy flow over and through them, there’s no longer any doubt.  We work through the practical aspects by sharing reiki in pairs with live feedback, and by the end of the second day my students feel confident in their ability to use reiki.  It’s a useful tool for clearing negative or stuck energy, giving yourself a boost, and manifesting change in your life.

Get rid of old gunk, overcome fear, and own your power.  It’s a celebration!  Join me, there are still spots left.  See the Workshops & Events tab above for more info.

For example, taking care of my small friend who is 17 months old.  Beyond keeping her clean, fed, and warm it’s tough to measure what I do.  I could count the times I make her laugh or smile, or I could try to determine what I have taught her that would otherwise have taken longer to learn, but there are no parameters on love or caring.

Another example is this website.  Sure it exists, but I can’t touch it, and when I close my netbook it’s gone.  Whereas the half knitted sock next to my couch remains.  (It makes me feel old fashioned to admit a preference for stuff that can be held and felt, but I suspect it might be a blessing to disconnect from the computer so easily.)

When I knit it’s tangible.  I start with yarn and an idea, and I make the yarn into the idea.  Progress is easily measured in rows or inches.  When I’m done I bind off and weave in the ends, and then I have a beautiful finished item that will keep someone warm.  Origami is another of my hobbies, and it’s much the same.  I fold the paper into the idea, and when I’ve made my way to the end of the instructions I have a pretty decoration.

I find it essential to my emotional wellbeing to finish these kinds of projects.  Creativity releases emotions, but more than that I get to feel a sense of completion.  My new years resolutions are pretty standard: get fit, meditate more often, wake up early each day to start my day well, and heal my knee.  All except the last have no end (they do have more parameters than mentioned here though).    How will I ever feel a sense of accomplishment without a conclusion?  I can set mile stones, but I need a tangible creative outlet to feel fulfilled.

What do you do when you need the feeling of having completed something?

Blogger’s Note: Thank you for your patience over this last month.  I got engaged in early December, and between wedding planning and the holidays my blog got pushed aside for a while.  I’m happy to report that things are back on track, and you can expect regular Thursday posts once again.

There was a poster on the wall in the studio where I did my yoga teacher training that said “There are two rules on the spiritual path: begin, and continue” – Sufi Saying.

It occurred to me recently, that that is how I create anything.  Whether it’s a knitting project (like the work in progress to the left), a meditation practice, a blog, or my way of living, first I begin, then I continue.  The trick is to keep continuing.

Given that, I’m not going to beat myself for not having blogged the past few weeks.  I’m simply going to move forward, and take with me the lesson that it helps to have some posts ready for days when it’s just not going to happen.  Also, it’s not good for me to wait until the day I’m supposed to post, because then I feel rushed and pressured to think of something to say.

Is there some area in your life where you’ve left off and need to continue?

About a week ago I was having a conversation with my best friend Summer.  I didn’t have much to add, and was feeling kind of boring.  Not boring in a bad way; more of a steady, pleasant mundane.  I told her so, and she said:

Mundane is good. Mundane is what makes the world go round, the kids grow up and the dishes get done. Mundane is nice.

My birthday was yesterday, so I’ve been reflecting and taking stock of my life lately.  I realized that mostly I’ve looked for big break throughs because they’re easy to measure.  Sometimes huge exciting things happen, but more often it’s the little things (not to sound completely cliche.)  I find myself more contented than ever before, and it’s mostly based in the everyday mundane.  Laundry, dishes, taking care of other people’s children, and getting up early to knock out office work.  These all leave me feeling satisfied.

This embodies the yogic observance of santosha, or contentment.  At the root of santosha is the practice of joy and gratitude.  Some ways to practice santosha:

• Keep a gratitude journal
• Count your blessings at red lights
• Do your best at everything so that you may claim your labor as the most precious part, instead of the fruits thereof
• Friend The Attitude of Gratitude Project on Facebook to be reminded what other people are grateful for
• Go on a media diet
• Meditate
• Give to others

Contentment makes the other yamas (restraints) and niyamas (observances) easier to practice, and is necessary to achieve enlightenment.  My next step is to use santosha as a foundation for courage.  When I root down in my yoga postures I’m able to lift up.  When I ground my life, I create a base to build upon.  The idea of becoming enlightened all at once from working your tongue up your sinuses or some other wild sounding practice is pretty exciting, but I think if I’ve got a chance it’s probably through just this kind of simple practice.  Changing my attitude, and finding more room for my true self than I ever would have imagined.

Do the mundane things in your life help ground you?  How can you use that for growth?

“If you design your life around the goal of happiness, then your capacity to help and serve others will eventually become unlimited, for only with limitless joy and enthusiasm can you have the courage to do what needs to be done and the mental clarity to see what needs to be done.”

My reaction was, “Oh! Of course I deserve to be happy.  How else would I be able to spread joy?”  You see, I’ve been feeling guilty for having such a cushy, happy set up.  I love all my forms of employment.  I have enough free time to spend with my loved ones and create beautiful things.  I get to be outside often, and practice yoga to my hearts content.  I should be singing from the roof tops at such good fortune, so why do I feel like I shouldn’t have it?  I thought about it, and none of the reasons I came up with made any sense at all.  There’s also a pretty huge reason to go for happiness: the work that I do is important, and it helps people.

So now I get to claim my happy!  All this weekend (including Friday) I’m going to wear an awareness bracelet for happy.  If I catch myself with any guilty thoughts, my bracelet will help me notice so I can change them.  It shouldn’t be too hard since I have some awesome things planned

I’m off to spread joy!  How will you claim your happy?