LOOKING FOR NEW INSPIRATION

It is time for me to regroup on all of my New Years Resolutions. Downward Dog For Cats was a month ago and I need to focus on some new projects. I am also still volunteering weekly with the cat rescue, but I need to find something else to do along with the cat rescue. I love the cats so I continue on with my obligation to them, they are my second animal family.

I have earned so many classes at City Yoga, and I am going to start taking the early morning classes. What a way to start the day. I have been writing a ton lately, so I am thrilled about that. My book will be done the autumn.

Time for me to watch the Olympics and get new inspiration. It was a hot day today, and I walked for miles in the scorching sun so I am wiped out. Signing off, love and light to all.
Namaste'
Rose

Correspondence and Classes

Good evening to all. It is January 18th and the first month is breezing by. I am doing my best to be  mindful in the moment. I did drop the ball on one thing, I forgot to send out some birthday cards to some very special people. This week I will send out some late cards, and also mail out Happy New Year cards to friends and family. One of my new year's resolutions is to stop neglecting correspondence, and get more organized and be a better friend and family member. Not everyone I am close with is on Facebook and it is nice to receive real mail every now and then. I need to remember those I love, especially since they are so far in distance.

This week I will buy some cards and go to a lovely coffee shop and write to the special people in my life. I also bought a beautiful calendar/day planner at the yoga studio.  I get 20% off since I volunteer and it will really be the key to help me remember important dates. It even has a lot of pockets, which gives me a place to store greeting cards until it is time to mail them. My goal is to mail birthday cards in the beginning of each month,and keep a list of every one's birthday in the calendar.


I am up to three hours each week volunteering at two different studios. That means I get 3 classes for my service each week, this week I earned four classes since I trained today. The classes never expire so I can take three classes a week if I so desire, or I can use them whenever I please. The one studio is an ongoing work exchange for classes program once a week. The other is just a substitution program. I am subbing for one of the volunteers who is out of town. By the time she returns I will have close to ten classes at the second studio. After she returns I will sub when they need me. This is great because each studio has different classes I would love to try. You give therefore you receive.


Of course I walked today, for an hour and I have been following my weight watchers points; drinking my water and taking my supplements. I feel like I am on the right path. It is a marathon and not a sprint so I am enjoying the process of improving myself inside and out. There is a new show on television called the Revolution which is really inspiring. It is about making over your life, kind of similar to what I am doing in this blog. Resolutions take time and perseverance. If you slip up or find yourself losing focus, just remember to pick back up where you left off. Do not give up on your belief in your dreams.

Perseverance is a great element of success. If you only knock long enough and loud enough at the gate, you are sure to wake up somebody.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I am getting sleepy so it is time for me to sign off. Funny, when I lived in NYC I would stay up til 3 or 4 am and sleep all afternoon. Here in southern California I am up before the sun and ready for bed before 9 pm. I like to do some light inspirational reading before bed, with TCM on the tube.  Much love and light to all and goodnight. 

Third week of January

Good morning to all on this lovely Tuesday morning. Some of you around the country are waking up to cooler temperatures, snow and rain. Be safe in your daily commutes and keep warm. I hope you are all still motivated with your resolutions. January is now in full swing, time to kick it up just a notch. I understand when you live in a winter climate it is hard to stay motivated, but just keep going. It will be worth it as the year progresses. 


The L.A. weather today is a little cooler for our standards, we woke up to 40 degrees and it will be 61 as a high today with sunny skies. I find this type of weather perfect for walking. It is not too hot and just cool enough, as you walk and work up a sweat you are still reasonably comfortable. The sun makes all the difference in the world, as does having a walking partner. We walked for an hour yesterday and clocked 2.9 miles on the pedometer. The time goes much faster when you walk with a friend, and I find you really keep the pace as well. We plan to walk together Mon-Tues-Wed. for an hour each day.Not only is is great exercise and company, but we discuss all of our goals and truly motivate one another. A power walk and a  positive  jam session. Since I volunteer at the yoga studios on Thursdays and Fridays I will have to walk on my own on those particular days.


Speaking of volunteering, one of my other non-fitness related resolutions is to do something to give back, something I am passionate about. Well I will be volunteering at a local no-kill cat shelter starting in a few weeks, visiting and playing with the cats and helping feed and clean. I stumbled across them on Santa Monica Blvd as they were having adoption day at a local pet store. I gave a donation and told them I was open to help, the cats were so precious. I almost walked away with one.


After our walk I did a little additional walking on my own, running errands on foot. I went to weigh in and decided I am going to work towards a weight loss of sixty pounds. When I tell people that is what I would like to lose they look at me with a strange look, but I am going by the numbers and this is the goal I have chosen. I understand I have an hourglass type figure but I still believe it is the right amount for me.Of course the inches I will lose will make a difference as well, and I will be open to change in this journey if I get closer to my goal and I find I am becoming too thin. I will weigh in every Monday and document my weight change each week, loss or gain. 


Off to eat my latest discovery. Post shredded wheat cereal with no sugar/sodium and very high fiber. I know oatmeal is healthy but sometimes you want cold cereal that is quick yet delicious. With blueberries and low fat milk you cannot go wrong. There was a time when I did not eat breakfast, now I find eating a morning meal is so important to get your metabolism and day going. 


Have a wonderful Tuesday everyone. Be sure to take time in your day to enjoy the moment; to enjoy the process of reaching your goals. Try not to let your day speed by, be mindful  and remember to breath and smell the roses. 

Feeling Grateful

Good morning to all, it is early Friday morning here on the west coast. The weather is going to be beautiful today, highs in the 70's and sunny. I was watching Goldie Hawn on television yesterday, she was featured on the Dr. Oz. show. I truly love her spirit, at 66 she embodies pure joy. She was speaking about happiness and how we can achieve it through gratitude. I believe gratitude is the key to bliss, to be grateful for every blessing in our lives. That does not mean we should be complacent  and  not strive for more, but that we choose to love our lives in the present and all of the beauty that surrounds them; to be mindful of every moment. The small pleasures as well as the grand; the loves of our lives, the smiles from strangers, the first morning cup of coffee that teases our senses and warms our soul. Happiness can be sought and never found if we do not express the gratitude for the gifts we have been granted. I  for one agree with Goldie Hawn that each and every day we should show gratitude for five things in our lives. If you believe in energy and the law of attraction you will see this works, when you show sincere gratitude and have a optimistic attitude it comes back to you like a ricochet of  positivity.

Every Friday afternoon I volunteer an hour of my time at City Yoga in exchange for classes. I feel it is a wonderful way to take classes and also to be able to lend my services; I give so therefore I receive. I was contacted from Swerve Studios, the home of Yoga Booty Ballet, and they would like me to fill in for a month for their SEVA volunteer program in exchange for classes at their studio. I am so excited to have the opportunity at both studios. I believe Swerve has ballet classes, like my mother said yesterday ballet was my first love, something I did most of my life. I majored in theater/dance in college and I danced up until about ten years ago or so, and how I have missed it. These volunteer opportunities go hand in hand with my resolutions and I am grateful for the opportunity to take yoga and ballet. My walking is on pace and I now have a wonderful walking partner, we begin Monday walking together. It will be refreshing to have someone to walk with.


Well I am off for now, as I look down at my precious two cats I am overwhelmed with abundance and joy, and I am so grateful for every minute I am breathing. Time to make a pot of coffee and get going with my day. Onward 2012. Like Dean Martin once sang in a song. ~GOOD MORNING LIFE~
Love and Light to all,
Rose