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“What I know is, is that if you do work that you love, and the work fulfills you, the rest will come.”
~ Oprah Winfrey
My husband decided that he was going to take over the house cleaning – that we did not need our cleaners to come once a week for a deep clean. Please note: we have five children and four of them are small.
Just sayin.
So… he bought all of the gadgets – who knew there were gadgets to be bought for house cleaning? – and was super excited.
For about a minute.
The house cleaners are back once a week and all is well.
Stick to what you love and:
A. You will be great at it.
And
B. You will love it, and that's what matters.
Have the best day ever!
Namaste!
Taylor plus 5
“Miracles happen to those who believe in them.”
- Bernard Berenson
I grew up in the Midwest – Lake Bluff, Illinois – and my grandparents lived in LaGrange, so we got to see them every week. I was especially close with them. My Poppy and I loved to play crazy eights for hours.
As the story goes, when I was five my Poppy took me to the Lake Bluff fire department to see Santa. Santa flew in on a helicopter (!) and gave candy to all the kids.
We stood in line, I sat on Santa's lap, told him what I wanted and got my candy.
Walking home from the fire station, my Poppy asked me, "How was it hon?"
I replied, "He's just a big fake."
My Poppy said, "Really?"
"Yeah," I replied, "But I've noticed, the kids who believe get a lot more than those who don't."
I would agree with that premise to this day.
Have the best day ever!
Namaste!
Taylor plus 5
“Encourage, lift and strengthen one another. For the positive energy spread to one will be felt by us all.”― Deborah Day
You know why strangers sometimes support you more than people you have known for a long time?
Because people that know you from way back when have a tough time accepting that you come from the same place . . . but they're still in the same place.
Have the best day ever!
Namaste!
Taylor plus 5
“Happiness is the soundtrack of my life.”~Terri Guillemets
CS Lewis said, "Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny."
I like his words and the idea behind them, with a few small tweaks.
1. I don't believe anyone is "ordinary." I believe from the bottom of my heart that you are extraordinary. So is he and she -- and so am I. We are all shiny sparkling lights with unlimited potential and possibility.
2. I believe we all have extraordinary destinies awaiting us. And we don't have to go through hardship to get there.
Often we think we do (have to go through hardship to make our dreams come true) because that's what our culture and the mainstream has taught us. But don't buy into it people. You can be, do and have anything that you want and you don't have to go through hell to get there.
BTW, I did live through hell as a kiddo -- and now am living my BEST LIFE EVER. But you don't you have to. You don't have to pay yo' dues, and I hope you don't. I hope you take the straight line to JOY and LOVE and PEACE and SUCCESS.
I'm rootin' for ya!
Have the best day ever!
Namaste!
Taylor plus 5
“To change one's life: Start immediately. Do it flamboyantly. No exceptions.”
~William James
Do it NOW. It doesn't have to be perfect. In fact, it won't be because nothing is perfect.
But just try. Just take a first pass. Then work from there.
The time is NOW.
Have the best day ever!
Namaste!
Taylor plus 5
“A friend is one of the nicest things you can have, and one of the best things you can be.”
- Douglas Pagels
What kind of a friend are you? Are you a giver? A taker? Selfless? Selfish? Kind? A vampire? Protective? A back stabber? Supportive? A gossiper? Loyal? Heartless?
Those are some pretty black and white adjectives but you get the idea. Assess how you size up as a friend. Would you want a friend like you?
If yes, rock on. If no, begin again now. It's never too late for a new beginning.
Have the best day ever!
Namaste!
Taylor plus 5
“All seasons are beautiful for the person who carries happiness within.”
— Horace Friess
Today will be _____. *
*My humble suggestions:
~ Epic ~ The best ever ~ Wonderful ~ Awesome ~ Fantastic ~ Enlightening ~ Transformative ~ Super fun ~ Easy and exciting ~ Full of adventure
Create as you wish. It's all up to you. It's all about the focus of your mind.
Have the best day ever!
Namaste!
Taylor plus 5
Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.
~Winston Churchill
I got this email from a reader and loved it loved loved her attitude about tanking her exam:
"Taylor,
I tanked the exam. I won't get the results for several months, however I looked up several question I remembered and I missed them. The frustrating part is that I had either hi lites or circled them in my books and notes. Whatever! I did all I could, No regrets and I will end up exactly where I should be! All The best!"
Even though she feels that she did not do well on the exam, her energy is high and she is surrendered to the process and the Universe. Even her use of the word "tank" is a wise choice, compared to the word "fail."
I actually think that she did fine on the exam and we will see; however, the importance here is her energy. Her attitude. Her focus. And her faith.
Have the best day ever!
Namaste!
Taylor plus 5
“Your children need your presence more than your presents.”~Jesse Jackson
The greatest gift you can give anyone is your time. Because when you give them your time, you are giving them a portion of your life that you will never get back. It is priceless. Precious.
I have always loved the quote, "Your children need your presence, not your presents."
So does everyone in your life by the way. Not just your children.
Have the best day ever!
Namaste!
Taylor plus 5
"Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths."
~Etty Hillesum
My good friend Mariam Gates is going to be at Prana Power Yoga Newton on Tuesday, March 31st at 2pm for a Book Signing + Family Yoga Event. Come join us!
Mariam says it best:
"I wrote Good Night Yoga: A Pose by Pose Bedtime Story, because after years of teaching children’s yoga, I wanted a way for my students to (literally) take it home. This book became a way to hand children the tools to create their own practice and for parents, caregivers and teachers to share in that experience.
There is a power in being able to pause and take a deep breath in and a long breath out. As I teach kids and train teachers around the country I am amazed by how this simple tool of slowing things down through breath and movement can be so essential to how we experience a moment, a day, and our lives. This book is my way of bringing that practice to life.
As a parent, part of the purpose of this book was also to create more ritual around bedtime. My daughter has always needed a longer lead-in to sleep. With this simple flow, we had a way to relax her mentally and physically and really ‘let go’ of the day.
We all, adults and kids alike, need opportunities for true rest, true renewal and a way to settle without there being anything else to ‘do’. This book is meant to support all of that. Enjoy!"
Good Night Yoga: A Pose by Pose Bedtime Story (pub. Sounds True, April 1, 2015)
Have the best day ever!
Namaste!
Taylor plus 5
“Be moderate in order to taste the joys of life in abundance.”~Epicurus
I am wicked careful about a few things safety-wise with my five children. Water. Vitamins. Traffic. Fire. Strangers.
Of course there are other things but for the purposes of this blog that's my list.I've always been in charge of the vitamin domain in our home. I order 'em, I store 'em, I divy 'em out every morning.
My BFF from Brown is a pediatrician and she told me a tragic story years ago. Her 18 month old patient's Mom was pregnant. They were vacationing in Mexico and the toddler got a hold of his Mom's prenatal vitamins and ate them all. His parents rushed him to the emergency room, but they said he was fine. No need to pump his stomach.
Their vacation was ending and they flew home. When they got home the parents took their child to my BFF for a check up because they were worried. He didn't seem right.
My friend was horrified and devastated. The child's stomach should have been pumped and she knew it was too late. She explained to me that once a lethal dose of iron is in the system for a certain amount of time you cannot extract it. You can't get it out of the body and it will kill you.
So the child passed away.
Tragic. Devastating. And avoidable.
So I've always been super OCD about the gummy vitamins. I store them so way up high that only I can reach them if standing on a chair and really reaching. They are in a cabinet over the microwave so you cannot access them from climbing on the counter. Super safe.One morning over the summer on Nantucket Philippe gave our son Phoenix, age 7, the gummy vitamins to divvy up. I didn't know this had happened or I would have been on it, but it did, and a few hours later I walked into the boys' bedroom to find the twins, age 4, polishing off the bottle of fruit/veggie gummy vitamins. Next to that bottle was the bottle of gummy multi-vitamins--unopened thank God. The omega-3 gummy vitamins were also in the lineup. There was about half of a bottle left of those.
My whole body started shaking and because of my daily yoga practice I was aware enough to know that I needed to stay calm and focused and do what needed to be done.
So I focused on my breath --in and out of my nose --and attempted to speak slowly and calmly.
I learned what had gone down and thank the universe the twins had "only" consumed the fruit/veggie gummy vitamins, which contained no iron. I read the multi vitamin label and they did not contain iron either. Probably for just this reason. Neither did the omega-3's.
Still I was shaking and not satisfied with moving on. I called poison control and told the woman what had happened. I read her the labels of all three vitamin bottles. She calmly said, "This happens all the time with gummy vitamins. Don't worry about it. Even if they ate all three of the bottles they would be fine. There's not enough in them to hurt them and also because of the gummy consistency, very little is absorbed anyway."I was incredibly relieved, but persisted. I asked her many more questions, remembering my BFFs tragic story of her poor patient.
The twins were fine and are fine. I chucked all of those gummy vitamins and will never buy them again.
Why?
1. It ain't worth it. Ain't worth the risk.2. From what sister at poison control told me, they ain't absorbed anyhow! Big waste of time, energy, and money.
This morning I asked Phoenix, age 7, if he loved his chocolate Cheerios for breakfast. He replied, "Yeah mommy, but look. There's 25% iron in them. That's bad!"
I explained to him that a little iron is good and that it is safe because it is in food --and so not super concentrated – and only 25% of what his little body needs every day.
I talked to him about how in general, everything is good in moderation.
And the Buddha's wise words ring true yet again, "Find the middle way."
Have the best day ever!
Namaste!
Taylor plus 5
**This blog is dedicated to all parents who have lost a child due to a vitamin overdose. I send them light, love and healing every day.**
“Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change.”
― Wayne W. Dyer
Everything is relative.
Everything is about your foundation.
Everything is about your expectations.
My four-year-old son Montana told me yesterday morning, "Mommy, I hiccuped."
Turns out the poor little angel had thrown up. All over the couch. I brought him into the kitchen in which we were meeting with our Prana Power Yoga Winchester manager, and rubbed his back as he laid on the floor.
Soon he "hiccuped " again into a big silver bowl I had put beside him. I rubbed his back and said he was alright as he threw up several times into that shiny bowl. He was so calm and relaxed and just surrendered to the whole process.
When he was done I asked how he felt and he said, "Good." Then he fell asleep on the floor next to me.
When he awoke he said he wanted a pop tart, and the rest is history.
Montana doesn't have baggage about throwing up. He doesn't even know what it is. He thinks it's called hiccuping. So he surrendered to the process and then was done with it. No drama.
I, on the other hand, have baggage about throwing up. I threw up 20 times a day every day for all five of my pregnancies. And that ain't a good memory.
As always, my children are my biggest teachers.
It's all relative.
It's all about your foundation.
It's all about your expectations.
Have the best day ever!
Namaste!
Taylor plus 5
“Stay away from what might have been and look at what will be.”~Marsha Petrie Sue
If plan A didn't work, the alphabet has 25 more letters! Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breath out. Inhale, exhale. Now count to 10.
Inhale, exhale again slowly.
There, feeling better?
You've got this! And I'm rootin' for ya.
Have the best day ever!
Namaste!
Taylor plus 5
“Originality is the best form of rebellion.”― Mike Sasso
You rebel. I like you.
Now use that sass to go on and create your BEST LIFE EVER.
I'm rootin' for ya.
Have the best day ever!
Namaste!
Taylor plus 5
“The path to our destination is not always a straight one. We go down the wrong road, we get lost, we turn back. Maybe it doesn't matter which road we embark on. Maybe what matters is that we embark.”― Barbara Hall
I teach about 25 times a week at my five yoga studios and a few of the classes are really early. For example,4:30 AM at Prana Newton and 4:45 AM at Prana Winchester.
We live 25 minutes from Prana Winchester and so I leave our house at 4 AM. There is no one on the road and that rocks – no traffic!
Something I've noticed is that when you are driving in the dark (and there are no lights on the highway like on 128 N) and no one is on the road it's kind of tricky. It's like you can't really exactly see where you're going because there's no one else there to keep you in line – in the lines. I know this sounds weird but it's true. And I was thinking. . . it's a metaphor for life. When you forge your own path and are the only one on it, it's awesome and cool and there's no traffic; however, it's a little disconcerting at times and difficult to see where you are going.
Have the best day ever!
Namaste!
Taylor plus 5