Reaching out to expand our offerings...

Are you headed toward a dryer FIRE?

 Is it time for a deep clean?

I had the perverse pleasure of cleaning out our dryer lint this afternoon. And not just that bit on the lint screen, but deeper into the dryer. The feeling was like that weird satisfaction from picking a scab or popping a zit. It's gross, but there's this feeling of relief once the deed is done.

A weird fact to go along with this weird post (which does have a point): Dryer fires are the number one cause of household fires linked to appliances every year. That's about 15,000 fires annually.

Even stranger are some of the pictures I came up with while searching the internet for the best ways to clean out dryer lint. That first one is from a blog about upcycling and making "modeling dough" for kids out of dryer lint. Ick!

Ranking among my favorites are Moran Rubin's "Dust Bunnies" Sculpture crafted from dryer lint.







And the craziest might be the blogger who took on the challenge of turning dryer lint "blah into TADA!"
She made birds' nests out of dryer lint, in addition to a WEEK-full of other things. I think the handiest was the fire starting kit, as dryer lint is, as aforesaid, flammable.

 The fire starter...

As I was digging into the dryer and pulling out bunches of lint, I got thinking of the potential real hazard of all of this lint starting a fire in our own home.

I imagined this buildup of lint akin to all of the thoughts we mull around over and over in our heads like clothes tossed in a dryer. These thoughts might relate to emotions around a difficult relationship or seemingly small tiffs with a family member, co-worker, or friend. We may want to communicate our feelings, but are afraid of what might happen. Just like that lint that gets pushed deeper into the dryer vent, our thoughts can build up and finally get pushed deeper into the recesses of our minds.

Perhaps these thoughts spinning in our minds are day dreams we want to make real someday about living our passions, moving to our dream location, trying something that really scares us. We might have negative self-talk, memories of past experiences that didn't work out, that begs our minds to tell us to play it safe. We can shove them so deep we just forget about them for a while, which can turn into months, and even years.

 Just as the dryer lint which, if allowed to build up, can cause potential danger, allowing negative thoughts to build up, unresolved emotions, or inaction can cause real dangers as well. People suffer in the form of physical and emotional illnesses or one day at work, just snap. We see it in the form of countless cases of bullied kids who exact revenge to the grave detriment of themselves and others.

Now it just got serious. 

I guess because this topic really is. Take inventory of what's built up in your own mind. What needs to be cleaned out by tending your close relationships, speaking your truth, or mustering the courage to take a step in the direction of your passion.

Those challenges are there for the express purpose of helping us to grow and evolve as humans into more compassionate, connected beings.  Addressing those challenges helps keep the mind clear. Those challenges can hide for a bit, in the inner duct work of your mind, but they will always be there until you take action to create true mental clarity.

Don't wait until the fire starts. 

Taking action might mean taking a deep breath and then diving right in:

• Address a conflict that's been festering for a while.
• Seek out professional help.
• Talk to a good friend or neighbor.
• Take time for yourself to do something active that clears your head. Go to the gym, run, do yoga. 
• Journal. Just getting your thoughts out on paper is a powerful way to unload. 

If you're just not sure what to do, please message me. I'm happy to help or to at least help point you in the direction of resources to get you the help you need.

Or, if nothing else, please call the good people at Sears to come clean out your dryer : ). You might just be surprised at what they find!

What are you nurturing in your life?

How can you honor the "Mother" inside you? 

It doesn't matter if you are a man, woman, or kid, whether you have kids, want them, or if that's the last thing on your mind.

We all 'mother' something in our lives... giving love, attention, and care to something we'd like to grow stronger and to see prosper. There is no other feeling like the satisfaction of seeing our passions flourish in the world.

"What are you nurturing in your own life?"

We can take this question as a meditation on our daily actions.

• Where do your thoughts take you today?

• How are you spending your time?

• How do you feel as you go through your day?

Notice, today, where you put your attention. Where do you feel stressed or frustrated? In those moments where the negative mind takes over, or you see a perceived road block, notice how turning your attention toward your true loves and passions helps you focus.

Worries that seemed important may just melt away. 

That focus on nurturing what you love will bring to your life people and things that support your passions.

Nurturing takes daily patience, attention, and time to manifest your passions in your life.

Here's to that powerful, mothering energy in all of us!

Turn up the volume on what you love!

It's kind of a no-brainer that we are happiest when we focus on what we love. Well, actually, it's more like a double-brainer.

Scientific research shows that when we turn up the volume in our minds, focusing on what we love, we get surges of dopamine and endorphines, those awesome stress-reducing hormones & neurochemicals that make us feel great. Or at least really good for a while, like after a run, or workout, or... other athletic things....

Here's the 2 for 1 Groupon:

When we set our minds to focus on what we love, we actually turn down the volume on the limbic system,  the control center for emotions of fear, anger, anxiety and depression.

Aligning ourselves with what is most important in our lives gives us a two-for-one deal: enhancing positive emotions while simultaneously quieting negative ones.


How does this relate to living our passions?


The latest brain research shows that the brain itself does not distinguish between actual physical practice and mental visualization. If we mentally visualize our passions in life, our brains create equally good feelings as if we were literally living our dreams.

That means that even if our dreams and passions are still in their infancy in our minds, we are setting the stage to birth them into reality through time, intention, and action.

So here's an action step:

Align yourself with what's most important in your life. See it in your mind. If worry or anxiety arise, like where will you get the money/time/energy to do x, y, z, take notice and return to those positive thoughts. Then take notice of what begins to show up in your life.

By setting your thoughts toward the positive you are already setting the stage for your passions to show up. If you get some 'static noise' in your mind of worry or stress, turn the volume back up on what you love!

If we needed a reminder to practice yoga daily...

The Healing Effects of Yoga: The Holistic Way of Caring For One's Body

Loving this one and reminding me why I practice and teach... enjoy ~

What makes you most vulnerable... makes you beautiful

A few days ago, I saw the preview on facebook: a hooper who I've seen rise as a shining star in the hooping world and a talented writer, as well, made it on to the cover of Yoga Journal. I felt a surge of pride in the hooping family to see Shakti Sunfire's gorgeous spirit shine through on this cover.

As a reader of Elephant Journal,  I enjoyed some of Shaki's musings. Her writings really caught my eye about a year ago as she was pondering how to really make it doing what she loved. She touched on a few things that really made sense that, as I seek to help others to materialize their dreams, I'll condense here, with some of my own additions...

1. Be vulnerable. Being vulnerable allows you to surrender to your true self. In this state, we can be open to new answers rather than the same old thoughts that keep us stuck, treading water. Take the risk to let your own light shine. This requires letting go of the outcome. Letting go allows you to release the fear of failure as much as the desire for success.

2. Build bridges. Don't feel that you have to go it alone. Your ideas only do so much good stuck in your head or afraid that others will take what is yours. With almost 7 billion people on the planet, someone's bound to already have the same idea or be doing the same thing as you. Collaboration is the new paradigm.

3. Be worthy. Those who succeed find that success from a deep state of self-worth. This goes hand in hand with being vulnerable. It's like taking the chance to tell someone you love them for the first time: you've got a chance to feel the shame of rejection or the ultimate feeling of belonging and of love. As Shakti says, "We all have the tools we need to manifest our dreams if we were only to believe ourselves worthy of them."

Thanks, Shakti, for believing in yourself. Allowing your light to shine gives others permission to do the same.

Letting go of fear

 

This is a post from my hooping site that I wrote about 3 years ago. The hoop has been an amazing companion on my journey to being my authentic self...

Since I started my hoopdance company last month, hoopers have been coming out of living rooms, hallways, bedrooms... there are 'closet' hoopers all over the place who surface to meet me when I'm out hooping. They tell me how they have their own hoop and practice at home, or know a neice in a 'hoop troupe' in some city making a living off of this awesome dance/movement art. I'm inspired and motivated. Especially when I meet the people who want to hoop and who are afraid.

They'll say they're afraid of how they'll look to others or that they can't do it.

That's what this blog is about: facing fear. When I first started really hooping last year, I had to face my own monkey mind of fear of how I looked to others; I wanted to practice outside under the beautiful sunshine by the ocean and felt awkward dancing around with this big thing spiraling around me. With a sparkly hoop of course people would notice. Coming from a dance background, this self-consciousness was a strange feeling because I used to feel great moving in my own skin, never giving a second through to what other people thought when I was on stage or in a club. I had somehow lost that state of flow.

So I get those negative self-thoughts, those doubts, those judgements. Whatever I felt in my own mind, I took a deep breath and walked down the road to the beach and got my hoop on. Instead of laughter and pointing, I'd get thumbs up and smiles, still deflecting them as if they really weren't for me.

I meet people who want to come out and hoop, but say they can't do it, or that they fear looking stupid.  I realize how powerful a tool the hoop is to face our own fears and to do what we love. If we can be held back by our fears in our own minds, with something as fun and freeing as hooping, what bigger dreams and aspirations do we hold ourselves back from?

I want to help people become comfortable in their own skin, to gain self-confidence, to connect to their bodies, and to truly live their passions authentically in life. The hoop makes me face my own fears, and I realize that the more I let go, the more beautiful and authentic the dance becomes. Perhaps that's the real message: that we're not really in control anyway. Life is short. Who cares what people think. Dance! Be yourself. Have fun! That, to me, is the magic of the hoop.

fear is... beautiful?

Today I was afraid: Afraid of my potential, afraid of stepping into my true passion for how I want to serve during this time on the planet. I don't know where the fear comes from or why I am so afraid of it. Perhaps because my dreams are so close to my own heart.

I got really, really tired of this fear today. So I made a choice. I chose to take some steps TODAY to get over my own gigantic road block to my own success. I got out of my head and into action.

The path to achieving goals? DO.  Just do something. One thing on your list or in your head.
My first step was to start my kundalini yoga practice to unblock my root chakra. That's the chakra that allows us to be grounded in reality so our dreams can manifest in real life.

When I finished my practice, this bubbling of anger boiled up in me. That's not something I usually feel. I figured it related to stirring up my energy and possibly awakening some energy channels. I just took notice of it while, ironically, driving to the park with my daughter on such a beautiful day.

What unfolded made more sense than I could have imagined. I didn't know what to expect when I started the chain of events from my yoga practice. Somehow, I became more open to receiving support to achieve my goals.

The support showed up.
I met another mother at a coffee shop who recently  launched her own product in Whole Foods and other markets. We chatted and she invited me to join a women's networking group to support my own business launch.

At the park, I met with good, good friends I've know for years. We've talked for years about our dreams and plans for the future. This time around, our conversation was different. Our passions were clear to us and we committed to keep one another on track to reach our goals. We've got a check-in set for two weeks.

Tonight, another friend who's started The World's Biggest Dream Board posted my dream on her Facebook page. She's got people lined up to help me with my goal when I am ready. 

It may not seem like much, but to me, it's an affirmation that when you set an intention, and are open to what will show up in life, BAM! there it is, waiting for you, until you are ready.

I'll just end with one of my favorite quote's from Rilke's Fear of the Inexplicable. 


How should we be able to forget those 
ancient myths about dragons that at the last moment turn into
princesses; perhaps all the dragons of our lives are princesses
who are only waiting to see us once beautiful and brave. Perhaps
everything terrible is in its deepest being something helpless
that wants help from us. ~ Ranier Marie Rilke

Intuition

I used to be scared of my intuition. What if it took me farther from what I THOUGHT I wanted?....

In reality, my intuition was usually right, even when it meant leaving a relationship or job for something, well, actually, better and on track with my real desires and passions in life.

When faced with those changes, I didn't have the wisdom or crystal ball to see how things would work out. I just had to take a deep breath and trust that things would turn out, despite my fears or hurt.

While I needed to go through those stages to learn and grow, I realize that those times I have fully trusted my intuition, life goes on warp speed ~ quantum jumps ~ to magical places. I meet the right person at the right time, achieve my goals, create the life I want. Everything aligns.

When I take a step back and look at my life right now, I see how my intuition several years back pretty much blasted me into my present dream/reality: married to the love of my life, with a beautiful young daughter, living in Southern California, teaching yoga, and launching the next stage of my career. I still face fears, confusion, and procrastination at times. What helps is the reminder that I AM exactly where I want and need to be. And it is ok to relax and allow my intuition to again be my best guide.

So what's the cool thing about intuition? It's really not all that illusive and there are simple exercises to access it when you feel confused over a decision, even one as simple as what to eat for dinner tonight.

Intuition is a function of the right brain ~ yep, that creative, conceptual side of the brain where your artist and dreamer resides.

The left brain is the analytical side ~ for making lists and logical decisions. One compliments the other, of course, and in most people, one side is naturally stronger or more developed than the other. You probably know yourself well enough to know which side is stronger for you.

When you intuitively know a decision for yourself ~ your life goals, if a partner or job is right for you, or just if you need to change a food in your diet ~your right brain is synthesizing all of the information logically laid out in your left brain. It takes that list of pluses and minuses around a decision, or prioritizations, and gives you a split second thought, word, or feeling to guide you. What if you second guess it? That might be your left brain just checking in, or your own fears just getting in your path.

As you hone your intuition, your life begins to take off in magical ways.

If you are looking for ways to access or sharpen your intuition through simple somatic exercises, feel free to leave me a message or email steph@hoopify.com!

Happy intuiting!

Steph

My trusted friend...

Grateful amidst the rain and gray day to have a source of light and inspiration. The students who come into my life as we share an hour on the mat give back to me every time I teach. Thank you and namaste ~

Flourish anywhere...