Schedule Your Bliss
Greetings friends!
I am starting this letter with a huge, deep breath because it is October and what that means for me is that I finally get to move into a solid and lasting routine. That might sound boring to you but right now it’s pretty much the most exciting thing in my life. Index cards with the family schedule are posted around the apartment, ICal is up on my computer with all of its beautiful color coding, a year-long view of family vacations, personal retreats, family/friend visits and work courses and retreats are “on the books” and in excel spreadsheets. I am positively giddy. You Americans may be way ahead of me, but here in Spain, October 1 is the magic number. September is for letting go of the month at the beach and getting used to being back at work and school. That means my 10 year old gets out of school an hour early for the entire month of September and my 13 year old “experiments” with different classes until she figures out what she wants to commit to and I wait semi-patiently to begin my language classes again while struggling language-wise to register for said classes. And then finally, the magical month, October, arrives.
I love Spain and I am trying to live like a Spaniard and in most regards, I’m pretty good at it. But like you, my mind/body/brain craves routine. This triumvirate loves predictability and while I might sometimes label it “boring”, the truth is, my capacity for spontaneity, creativity and even peak experiences are nurtured by routines and schedules. My daily lemon/ginger water before coffee helps me make better choices throughout the day. My Tuesday morning yoga class assures me that at least once a week, I’ll have a full 75 minute community practice, which offers me something important and different from my home practice. My 4 language classes and work schedule demand that I set aside time for my favorite hikes and at least one weekly trip to an art exhibition or museum. And a life built around school vacations and the needs of a family of four, means that both personal and professional retreats have to be scheduled months in advance. In other words, the best stuff comes out of a life well-planned. And for me, it’s also where I’m most creative and where I feel the safest.
Our brains love to be comfortable. Repetition builds neuropathways or “grooves” in our brain and those grooves get deeper over time, making those healthy rituals and practices easier to commit to. Easier and more comfortable! And when we’re comfortable, we don’t have to be so vigilant. We can let our guard down and be more present in the moment. When we’re more present, we’re more engaged and we feel more connected. When we’re more engaged and connected, we let go of worries and hyper-vigilance which actually allows us more space to step out of our comfort zone, to take more risks, learn more, be more spontaneous and more creative. You see where I’m going? Routines create predictability, predictability creates safety, safety leads to a calm grounded presence and pretty soon, you’re on a Costa Rica retreat on a boat surrounded by dolphins! True, that last bit might be a leap but one that’s not as big as you might think.
My moving to Spain, for example, in many ways came out of creating a life that felt safe enough to take a leap. Let me say that one more time. My moving to Spain, was only possible because I felt solid enough in my life that leaving it didn’t feel terrifying. Instead, it felt like a reasonable adventure. An adventure that involved lots of planning and countless spreadsheets and synced calendars to make it happen.
With that said, let’s sync our calendars.
I’ve got two exciting “Save the Dates” to offer you.
#1 Costa Rica Retreat: Yoga, Nature and Surf in the Osa Peninsula.
What could be dreamier than practicing yoga on a gorgeous deck in the jungle, 50 feet from the beach while listening to the sounds of howler monkeys and macaws? I cannot wait to go back to this wild paradise!
#2 Your Brain on Mindfulness 8-week online course.
Your Brain on Mindfulness is designed to completely shift your relationship to the stressors in your life. We'll work with a unique blend of practices that will help you feel calm, even when life is chaotic.
While each of these experiences are different, all of my offerings have a common thread; they quiet the noise so that you can get clear about what is wonderful about your life AND what you want to change. When you’re stressed out, this is really hard to do. I’ll help you:
Take a pause and find your center
Truly listen to what your body/mind/brain is trying to communicate
Work with practices that rewire your automatic responses to stress to feel more calm, present and happy
Everyone’s talking about self-care lately and for good reason. The busier life gets, the more rituals and routines we need - big and small. The more we have on our plate, the more stressed we are about getting it all done. And our mind/body/brain needs a pause. It needs small moments throughout the day and big moments like retreats to let go of our daily responsibilities, to relax and rest in comfort. It’s when we do this that we are able to learn, take risks and be fully engaged in the present moment. And no surprise, the present moment is often amazing!
I hope you will join me in 2020. Whether it’s with Your Brain on Mindfulness, a retreat, or an online yoga therapy session, I’d love to experience the present moment together!
As always, I love hearing from you so please send me a message and let me know how you’re doing.
Un abrazo fuerte!