The week between Christmas and New Years Day is always a powerful one for me. It’s a time when I reflect on the months behind me and look toward a new year full of possibilities. Are you starting to think about your intentions for 2012?  

I have two exciting announcements that will help you have your most empowered and healthiest year. The first is about my empowerment workshop series, Learning to Be the Change (formerly Flowing Through Change), which I’m offering January 7 through February 11 at Urban Yoga. And the second is about a new partnership I’m happy to be cultivating. Beginning on January 9, I’ll begin sharing the healing art of Vedic Thai Yoga with my friends in Mansfield at Gratitude Yoga, 2771 E. Broad Street.

 Begin 2012 by finding your strength and setting clear intentions. Most of us have a general idea of what we “want to do,” but are  held back by real and perceived obstacles, shaky plans, and our own fears.

 If you feel stuck in old patterns or feel like you don’t know what to do next, this workshop series is for you.

In this workshop, you will:

You’ll experience a number of discovery processes that utilize meditation, yoga, and guided journaling (journals provided).

You’ll also receive a bonus one-on-one session with me to help ensure you keep the momentum you create during the workshop.

Saturdays, 1:30-3:00pm

5-week series

Jan. 7-Feb. 11

(no meeting Jan. 21)

$125 before Jan. 1, $135 after

As the bones of the land around us are exposed by the changing of the seasons and the return of colder weather, we return to the rituals that have been celebrated and practiced for many thousands of years. These rituals, like the trimming of the Christmas tree, the hanging of the greens, and the exchanging of gifts, bind us as families and communities.

In addition to these big, macro-rituals, we all have rituals that exist within our own household. For Weldon and me, one of those is our Christmas morning breakfast. Before we open our gifts to each other and move on to the bigger celebration with family, we share a small meal together, just the two of us. One of our favorites is my quick and easy Christmas Morning Oatmeal. We’re happy to share it with you here.

Have a beautiful, restful, and peaceful holiday season. May it be filled with friends, family, and love.

This tasty oatmeal is also full of good nutrients:

 Isn’t it lovely how our hearts just seem to get bigger and warmer, even with the longest night of the year approaching? We light our ovens, open our homes, and partake in the joys of giving.

As you plan your holiday season this year, remember that giving and receiving are both part of the same cycle. And that it’s OK–actually, it’s necessary–for you to take care of yourself, even before you take care of others. It only makes sense. If you’re not well, you can’t serve others.

Here are three simple ways to take care of yourself during this busy time of year:

1. Eat breakfast. Start your day by replenishing your energy with a nice balance of protein and carbohydrate. Have an apple with peanut butter, a fruit smoothie with your choice of milk, or a piece of toast and a slice of ham.

2.  Get enough sleep as often as you can. Most adults need 5 90-minute sleep cycles to feel refreshed. Life happens, though, and we can’t always do that. Pay attention to your sleep habits and adjust your bedtime or waketime a few days a week if needed.

3. Breathe. It sounds silly simple, but how many of us pay attention to our breath during the day? Try it now. Breathe deeply into your belly, then completely empty your lungs. You can do this any time, anywhere: at a stoplight, in a meeting, in front of the microwave, in line at the mall. And remember, even one conscious breath is a meditation.

What do YOU do to take care of yourself during busy times? Share your wisdom in the comments below! 

Well, our party season started last night. Weldon and I were sitting together at one of our favorite holiday parties of all time, eating our delicious snacks and  drinking our special wine, just having a nice time together being OUT. I was on my second glass, actually, and was feeling pretty good. “I should drink more,” I declared to Weldon.

“That’s my delicate flower,” he said sarcastically and with love.

“You know,” I said, after further reflection, and maybe another sip or two, “the way I feel after a couple of glasses of wine is how I SHOULD feel when I meditate.”

“You should drink WHILE you  meditate,” Weldon said.

“I don’t know,” I said. “How would that work?”

“It would be a meditini,” he said.

“A meditini?”

“Sure!” he said. “I think it would be very popular.”

“I think I’d be in big trouble in the yoga community if I tried to have a meditini class. Even though David Romanelli does his awesome yoga and wine workshops. I think meditinis would be a step or two over the line.”

“Meditini,” he said, ignoring my hesitation, “it’s made with vodka and patchouli.”

I love my husband.

So here’s what I’m able to take from that conversation now, in the light of day, and with a hot cup of tea and a piece of dry toast in my tummy. It wasn’t so much the wine. It was the energy of the people around me that I was feeling. It was being out in nice shoes and a skirt with my husband. It was my absolute presence in the here and now.

I was enjoying the wine, there’s no doubt about that. But the real elixir of the evening was the party itself.

Where do you feel 100% present? Share your experience in the comments below.

Get them while they last! Just $2.75 each!

Think you have to drive for hours to “get back to nature?”
Not so, friends.

Offroad Yoga

October 16, 2011

Tandy Hills Park

3400 View Street, Fort Worth, 76103

8:30-10am
$35 before Oct. 9, $40 after

Contact me to register. (beth@laughingladybugyoga.com)

(A portion of our proceeds will be donated to Friends of Tandy Hills.)

Join Gemma Hobbs and me, and a group of others that love hiking and yoga, on October 16 at Tandy Hills Nature Area, a 160-acre park just east of downtown Fort Worth.  We’ll begin with a  2 1/2 mile hike, stopping halfway for a yoga stretch, and we’ll end with a mini-yoga class under the wide Texas sky.

Don’t forget:

• Wear comfortable hiking shoes, not sneakers (this trail is hilly, and rocky in some places)
• Bring your yoga mat
• Bring water

The Art of Eating Mindfully, A Collaborative Series with Gemma Hobbs

Why do we eat what we eat? When do we really taste the food we are chewing? Why isn’t one sip of Coke, a sliver of a potato chip or a bite of chocolate sheet cake enough? Eating is one of the most fundamental acts we engage in. We need food for nourishment, and what we choose and how we chew it make an enormous difference in our energy and vital functions.

This is not necessarily a nutrition or weight loss course, though these subjects will be discussed. Our purpose is to dive deeper, increasing your awareness around food and food choices, thus increasing your enjoyment of eating, and therefore life itself. You can learn to identify different types of hunger and use that knowledge to feed yourself wisely. Once you learn to listen to your body in this way, you’ll find your ideal weight.

Mondays October 17-November 7
6:00-7:30pm
$120 for four weeks

Special Holiday Session
Eating Mindfully Holiday-style
Monday November 14th
6:00-8:00pm
$45

Contact me to register.

Center for the Healing Arts
312 W. Leuda Street
Fort Worth, Texas  76104
817-882-9750

I wish you the best Christmas ever! Filled with lots of love and laughter, grace and gratitude.

Saturday January 15, 2-4pm
Center for the Healing Arts
$35 by 1/3/11, $45 after

Your body has innate knowledge of how to heal itself, once its energy channels can flow freely.

In this beginner-level workshop, Gemma and I will lead you through self-healing techniques you can practice every day or whenever you need to tap into your natural healing power. Head, hand, foot, hip and back massage techniques are included. Detox tea and guided meditation will close our session. Space is limited, so reserve a spot soon! You can make checks payable to Laughing Ladybug Yoga.

Gift certificates are available in cute little gift bags.

Have you ever told anyone, “I’m not flexible enough to do yoga?”

I’m here to tell you that you’re wrong. If you can breathe, you can do yoga. Flexibility is just a possible side-effect, not a requirement to start.

Come give it a try in a beautiful studio on 8th Avenue in Fort Worth, Urban Yoga. Fill your next 6 Saturday afternoons with movement, music, laughter, and new friends. I promise you’ll be glad you did.

Contact Urban Yoga to register either by phone or online.