Making Every Moment Sparkle in 2020

One of my big intentions for this year is to “make every moment sacred”, and I don’t necessarily mean completely in the woo-woo sense, only half-woo!  :) Let me explain by first owning that I live a pretty privileged life. I’m able to support myself by teaching yoga, and with a pretty cushy schedule (no classes before 11am most days, and all centrally located to my home).  I have 2 legs, all 10 fingers and toes; by most accounts I'm in great health.  I’m able to do my work from home, and spend time with my 14 year old dog, who is also quite healthy, although rather disgruntled.  My parents, while divorced pretty early in my life, always made a point to show me I was loved, told me I was special and that I could do anything. I was born into a life with many inherent privileges; and thus, afforded many opportunities.  I could spin an equally long list of complaints, challenges, or wishes for my life, but at the end of the day my life is pretty sweet. And yet, I still find myself getting caught up in the minutiae and rushing  from one event on my calendar to the next, in a constant frenzy of checking off to-do list items.   

Now you may be asking yourself, why am I telling you all this in one of my first blog posts of 2020?? Back to my intention, make everything sacred, even sitting down to write. I’ve been struggling with what to write/share/express, which looks like stalling on working on it. I try my best to be authentic in my journey, and today is no different. I would love nothing more than to just show up and teach yoga, and yet there are so many more expectations for today’s yoga teacher.  We are encouraged to create new streams of income via writing, coaching, massage, etc, while maintaining a strong online/social media presence that will help develop our brand...pretty sure I missed that part of the Yoga Sutras!!  But what is present in the sutras is the concept of Ishvara pranidhana.  Traditionally, this principle takes on a religious context, and refers to a guru/god/higher power, in that it asks us to surrender to something greater in the universe than us, and to have a little trust/belief.  How this lands for me brings me back to my intention: seeing the sacredness in the everyday. When I remember to see the guru/god/higher power in the daily tasks, an extra sparkle, or duty to complete the task, appears.  I’m no longer simply going through the motions, I’m able to act from a space of connection, and from this space is where everything flows like honey.  

With this intention in mind, I've decided that I will share one of my tools that I'm currently working with to keep me moving forward.  This time, I'm sharing a template I've created for myself that helps me stay aligned with my goals, while holding myself accountable.    This practice gives the opportunity to dream BIG, and offers practical steps for getting me there.  Feel free to print this, copy it down on spare paper, or create your own that better suits your needs.  Whatever you do WRITE IT DOWN!! There is magic that happens when pen hits paper, and that magic quadruples when you say it out loud!  The last step is to smile or laugh at some point during this process.  Joy is the secret sauce to manifesting, that radiates outward into the universe. This way, no matter where you land on your spectrum of success, you will be sure to en-joy it! Otherwise, what's the point?!  This life of mine is dedicated to creating magic, and that magic needs both clarity and trust. I'm learning to only say yes to the things that feel like "HELL YES", and when I'm clear in my big picture, that feeling is more obvious. I'm committed to sharing my secrets to en-joying the gift of life.