Tag Archives: Life

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Oh June,

I can't believe you are almost over!

Love List:

1. Weekday beach breaks between teaching yoga classes. Reality check, is this actually my life? Yep, okay, pinching myself.

Love List: What I'm Lovin' Lately

 

Love List: What I'm Lovin' Lately

2. This book. I am so inspired by this lady. I am doing some major soul searching these days; I’ve read two of her books over the last two weeks!

Love List: What I'm Lovin' Lately 3. Yummy dinners for one, though they are suitable for two.

Love List: What I'm Lovin' Lately

 

Love List: What I'm Lovin' Lately

Love List: What I'm Lovin' Lately4. Farmers market flowers, Hawaii style. With a great reminder from my favorite guy, 'everyday is love day,' so true. There is 'Donezo Washington' our exotic beta fish!

Love List: What I'm Lovin' Lately Love List: What I'm Lovin' Lately

5. Volunteer work on farms, complete with my favorite things: Yoga, fresh juice, live music, dogs, and the great outdoors. (NaloSTE)

Love List: What I'm Lovin' Lately Love List: What I'm Lovin' Lately Love List: What I'm Lovin' Lately Love List: What I'm Lovin' Lately

 

Love List: What I am Lovin' Lately Love List: What I am Lovin' Lately

6. This beautiful Himalayan Light; a gift from my wonderful teacher training mentees, thank you! Yep, Derek, the place is officially, a hippy haven. I can't wait for you to get back here!

Love List: What I'm Lovin' Lately

7. Fresh juice and homemade soap from the wonderful Tawney (she rocks).

Love List: What I'm Lovin' LatelyLove List: What I'm Lovin' Lately 8. Leaving 'work' and soaking in the epic double rainbows from the parking lot. I love you Hawaii. Thank you for providing me with constant reminders of how beautiful and precious life truly is, everydamnday.

Love List: What I'm Lovin' Lately

9. This song: “‘Cause you’re stronger and you’re better and you’re ready for whatever.” I've got it on replay!

10. Snapchats from this pair of best friends. STAWP, this is too cute.

Love List: What I'm Lovin' Lately

What are you loving these days?

With Love,

laura mary

 

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Fire Starter Sessions

They have begun...

Dreaming...BIG...

"If you try to keep your most sacred ambitions off your weekly calendar and your most genuine traits off your resume, then you're missing out on the power of real integrity." - The Fire Starter Sessions

"Anything or anyone that does not bring you alive, is too small for you." - David Whyte, poet

Danielle Laporte is an inspiration. I highly recommend this book.

Dream big, you are 'freer than you think you are.'

With Love,

laura mary

 

 

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Yoga: Truth and Inspiration

Wednesday,

You are productive. Hello, 4:30am wakeup call, 6am yoga class, teaching a private yoga session in the park, followed by my own yoga practice. I was ready for you.

Did I mention that there were sea turtles swimming right in front of me?

Is every day as inspiring as today? No. I thought about what life details I wanted to share on my blog, and I decided that I want to share what I am feeling. If and when I go through a really rough time, I am not opposed to sharing my feelings.

The truth is right now, I feel pretty damn good about life. Furthermore, I generally write when I feel good, it’s not that everything in my life is always rosy and peachy, but right now it feels that way. I am writing a lot these days because I have something to share.

It feels really good to share and not hold back. Today was awesome.

As a yoga teacher, I practice standing in my own authentic truth, speaking my mind, and not worrying about what others might think. Today, I was basking in my own truth, in a puddle of savasana, I smiled, hugged my knees to my chest, and was one refreshed and happy girl.

Home Shenanigans:

Laundry…

My amazing new book, in love…

Yoga: Truth and Inspiration

 

Some green refreshment…

Yoga: Truth and Inspiration

 

Realization - by standing in my own authentic truth, I inspire.

With Love,

laura mary

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Love List: What I am lovin' these days...

 

Hi loves, I hope you are all enjoying your Saturday!

Today has been complete with many of my favorite things and it is only 10:15 am!

All of these simple pleasures, caused me to pause in gratitude, and just enjoy. It also inspired me to write a love list, of all of the things, people, and places that I am loving these days.

Here you go!

LOVE LIST:

^ This girl.

This song.

This Farmer's Market.

My friend's juice company.

This Kona Coffee.

Licious Dishes (all raw, vegan, amazing, pure yumminess).

With Love,

laura mary

 

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Quote of the Day: Being Prayer

Being Prayer

… be awake to the Life
that is loving you and
sing your prayer, laugh your prayer,
dance your prayer, run
and weep and sweat your prayer,
sleep your prayer, eat your prayer,
paint, sculpt, hammer and read your prayer,
sweep, dig, rake, drive and hoe your prayer,
garden and farm and build and clean your prayer,
wash, iron, vacuum, sew, embroider and pickle your prayer,
compute, touch, bend and fold but never delete
or mutilate your prayer.

Learn and play your prayer,
work and rest your prayer,
fast and feast your prayer,
argue, talk, whisper, listen and shout your prayer,
groan and moan and spit and sneeze your prayer,
swim and hunt and cook your prayer,
digest and become your prayer,
release and recover your prayer,
breathe your prayer,
be your prayer.

~ Alla Renée Bozarth

 

With Love,

laura mary

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Reflection: Wake up and do your Best

Wake up and do your best.

Basically, all you can do every day is wake up and do your very best. In your journey, what matters is what you think, what you say, how you act, and why. Will you be perfect? No. Will you make mistakes? Yes. Don’t let the critics get under your skin; let them go, there will always be critics. The supporters? Keep them close and don’t let them go. You hold the compass and decide not only where you are going, but also how you will get there and who you will take with you.

You choose. So choose wisely. Choose inspiration. Choose good people. Choose health. Choose kindness. Choose love. Choose enjoying the process, the highs and the lows. Choose learning and strength through the struggle and challenges, because this is it.

You will be dealt a balance of highs and lows. For some reason, I’ve always thought that when things are ‘right’ they must therefore be ‘easy.’ As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized how flawed this thought proved to be. 

For example, yoga, Navasana (Boat Pose), never gets easier; but it’s certainly ‘right’ I feel myself quivering and shaking, and getting stronger with every breath spent holding the posture. Relationships are another great example; one of my very best friends in the whole entire world and I have always bickered like sisters, okay sometimes more than just bickered we could call it full on blow outs. With that said, we’ve always worked through our difficulties, maybe with a whole lot of tears, and emerged stronger. Was it is easy? Hell no. Was it worth it? No doubt.

Sometimes, waking up, and facing the up and down journey through life can be hard. But that’s what makes it so real, so amazing, and so worth it.

What really matters is getting out of bed and doing something. Our time here is fleeting, we never know when it will be over, so why not do your best? Why not connect with everyone that you can, hear all of their stories? Why not, stretch the limits of what you feel you are capable of? Why not feel ridiculously happy, because who really cares if others express jealousy? Why not let go of your own feelings of jealousy, because who is it serving? Why not step up to the plate, swing your little heart out, and maybe strike out? Because getting out of bed and doing your best, is the best thing you can do. If you fall, get back up, and know that in someway there is a lesson there. Maybe it is hidden or maybe it’s glaringly obvious, but it’s there.

Surround yourself with good people that support and love you, the light and the darkness, where you are now and where you are headed. Thank you to awesome teachers, like Marissa Jeanne Sinclair, who inspire and live their yoga. Thank you to all of my incredible supporters, family and friends, for loving and never failing to be there.

"When you get to a place, where you're seeing the positive in others more than the negative, it means you're doing the same for yourself. 

You amazing, wondrous vessel of spontaneity, creativity, beauty and strength. - The Universe"

Set your goals high, think about them, write them down, and then go after them.


With Love,

laura mary

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Universe Memos

 

Life Lately:

I’ve never been a “writer,” per se, but now I feel their pain. Writer’s block, is a real phenomenon. Don’t be discouraged, there is a way to combat writer’s block, and that is with the power of intention. There is a huge power in setting intentions and then leaving them be, to develop as they will.

Oh the trials and tribulations of being me…

If you want to write a blog post and you don’t have an idea yet, whatever you do, don’t sit down to write one. Go do something else, like take a shower; really, you can do anything you want, except sit down to write.

While you have the intention of wanting to write, go off and do something else. As soon as you forget about the intention (though it has still been planted), suddenly, BOOM, ideas start flowing at a rapid pace.

Now, you have about 7 theme ideas in your head and you are trying to finish up your shower, whatever you do…don’t get out of the shower and plan on writing, because unless you repeat those 7 theme ideas in your head continuously (and all of the thoughts that stemmed from the original idea), you will only remember the last idea formulated.

Try that experiment, but, if you are not vested in the outcome of the blog post, you may find different results. However, I can conclude that I am clearly vested in the outcome of my blog, as this current post is the only idea that I’ve been left with since my shower ended.

I am going to interpret this as a gigantic memo from the Universe to slow down, let go of my attachment, and go do something that I enjoy. So I will go practice yoga for an hour with a notebook beside my mat…

And hopefully, you will all be hearing from me tonight!

I hope you enjoyed my stream of consciousness, I wrote this at midnight and I’ve been up since 4:30am! OH, life, why are you so awesome at dishing out lessons in the most unusual of manners?

With love,

laura mary

 

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Yoga: Life and Feeling Centered

 

Life Lately:

Okay. Well, it’s been a bit since my last post. Life has been pretty wild lately. This blog post will be everything but neat. Here is what’s going on with me these days!

Derek is in LA for 3 months (all summer). Before he left for home, we spent all of our time together. His family was visiting as well and we kept ourselves quite busy, it felt like we were both on vacation too.

We had a blast to say the least. Now, Derek is gone, I miss him a ton but I am taking this time to really focus on myself. Since he’s been gone, I’ve realized even more so what a rock he is, in supporting me in everything that I do. Not only does he make the bed and coffee every morning (hehe), but he also attends all of my classes, supports my teaching, and my dreams. I have never felt more myself, more beautiful, more challenged, and more loved. As I figure out where I am headed, I am so thankful that I have him as my mirror (even if from a distance) to look at and keep me real, grounded, connected, and practical.

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind. I left my job at the Cancer Center and I am currently teaching yoga full-time and doing wellness visits; I turned 27 (how in the WORLD did that happen?), Derek left for California, and I am faced with many real, hard, and practical life decisions…basically, I have to grow up.

I have to get real about the direction I am heading in life, which is an exciting one, I know that much – but rather than flow through in typical yogi way, I have to plan. I still set goals and write down my dreams, but I need to plan just how I am going to end up to where I want to go. This has resulted in me being even more obsessive with my planner (aka “homework assignment notebook,” as I refer to it). Meanwhile, I’ve been teaching so much yoga (17 classes this week + 1 wellness visit + coaching teacher training). Which is absolutely amazing (I will get there). Hopefully, I will adjust quickly to the life of a full-time yoga instructor.

While, I am trying to fit in as much career planning as I can, I am trying my very best to stay inspired with my yoga practice, teaching, and life. Life inspiration for me, means that in addition to practicing, I must go to the beach, hike, read, and spend time with people I love (but it’s for my job, I promise). But the truth is, I can't fit it all in! It hit me the other morning when I woke up, that my “to-do-list,” was complete with everything I love to do. One of the many joys of life these days is that – I never want to miss a single day of work. I love my job, I love working with and helping people; all of my students inspire me to be the best version of myself. Furthermore, I work with a group of teachers that are absolutely amazing.

And...What's the Problem?

However, with all of these wonderful shifts and changes and the beautiful ebb and flow of life, it has left me feeling a little less than centered. While I was working full-time at the Cancer Center, I made it an absolute priority to practice yoga #everydamnday (yep!); Now, I’ve noticed, my practices are a little bit shorter, I am snacking and grabbing quick bites to eat in between classes, and I have had less time to write. I know I need my rest, green juices, sweat sessions, mediation, time in the mountains and in the ocean to feel really, truly, centered. Derek knows best what I am like when I go a few days without practicing (don’t mess). Suddenly, rather than hold my own space strongly, I see a funny smirk on a person and think, ‘oh gosh- I hope they are okay, was it something I did or said? Okay, I better take this issue on and work it out.’

And I didn’t quite realize that I was doing this, until I came across this beautiful Marianne Williamson quote.

“What's difficult in life is to stay centered when somebody says or does something that tempts us to close our hearts because their heart was closed. That is hard. But that is also how we grow. We go through those circumstances in order to evolve into people who can hold our loving center no matter what the world throws us.”

- Marianne Williamson

I read this quote today and it hit home. It really struck me. While, my energy levels are perhaps depleted, and I am not feeling fully centered, I need to practice staying strong and holding my own space, regardless of what is going on in life.

If someone is having a bad day, and they treat you in a way that leaves you feeling bad…let. it. go. It is not, I repeat, not, your problem to take on. I needed this amazing reminder today. For my 6 am class this morning, I did a lot of core work (always) and heart openers. I shifted my perspective for the entire day, I feel open. I have been practicing moving through today with a loving intention and more compassion. I have been less reactive and definitely more open.

You never know what someone else is going through. Rather than make their story (issue) about you, take a step back, and be a little bit more open and loving; find some compassion knowing that they have something to work through.

Be ready to listen.

With Love,

laura mary

 

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Reflection: Change is the Only Constant

 

Do any of you have a friend that simply rocks at giving advice? I do. Her name is Jackie. We grew up living three houses away from each other. We hung out almost every day, we would meet each other one house over at a house we dubbed the “Scary House,” simply because they never had lights on and it was set back far away from the road.

We spent many hours of our childhood together, and through tears, laughter, fights, challenges, she was always there. We would connect daily, to either kick the soccer ball, throw the baseball, play flashlight tag, bike ride, and eat handfuls of chocolate chips, and plums, like it was our job. We have been best friends since kindergarten. I am blessed with an amazing group of friends back on the east coast.

Whenever I needed an ear to listen to the dramas of my life, Jackie was my girl. She would patiently listen, and offer her truthful advice once I was ready to hear it. One of the best pieces of advice she ever gave, and still gives, was “change is the only constant.” The only thing you can be 100% sure of is that life is constantly changing; your world on a micro and macro scale is in constant flux.

Accepting Change

This week, I have been reminded of Jackie, as I am practicing both on an off of my mat accepting change. Rather than run the other way in the face of uncertainty, Jackie has instilled in me the beautiful reminder to embrace, and more than that to expect change. Change, for better or worse, is a part of life.

“The survival of the fittest is the ageless law of nature, but the fittest are rarely the strong. The fittest are those endowed with the qualifications for adaptation, the ability to accept the inevitable and conform to the unavoidable, to continually harmonize with the existing and changing conditions of the universe.”

Yoga offers the opportunity for us all to hone in and practice this skill of adaptation. You never know when you will be faced with change, but by practicing on your mat the acceptance of change, you will prepare yourself for real change off of your mat. For example, if you show up to class and your favorite teacher isn’t there, suit up, let go of the expectation you had, and get ready for a refreshing change and experience in class with someone new.

Practice acceptance on your mat, as some days you will be tighter than others, and some days you will be able to hop through to seated from downdog and other days your will find no space to do so. Change, happens everyday on your mat. Rather than judge yourself for those moments when certain postures just aren’t happening, find acceptance in knowing that this moment is just as important as the one where you make a leap forward in your practice and hold your handstand for 10 more breaths than usual. 

Welcome Change

Change is not something that we should fear. Rather, it is something that we should welcome. For without change, nothing in this world would ever grow or blossom, and no one in this world would ever move forward to become the person they’re meant to be. - Anon

Practice non-judgment, you are exactly where you are supposed to be, and in the end, it will all work out. If it hasn’t worked out, it’s not the end.

Namaste,
laura mary

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Intention: I will start today.

Have you ever had the experience where you are doing what you love, feeling peaceful, and happy, and suddenly you are flooded with brilliant ideas and you feel you can solve all of your problems, no scratch that, the world’s problems? I often have this feeling after a great yoga practice, while I am in meditation or savasana. Sometimes it even distracts me and makes me want to come out, so that I can take action, write my thoughts down, and make something happen. When the time to come out of savasana or meditation arrives, suddenly, you just feel peaceful and no longer do you have those brilliant and peaceful plans to disseminate and share.

What is the lesson here?

The lesson is to do what you love, whether it is practicing yoga, running, surfing, rock climbing, painting, cooking, or playing soccer, do it. Whatever it may be for you, the more you do that one thing you truly love, the one thing that floods you with inspiration, calm, focus, energy, and happiness, the more at peace, connected, strong, whole, and vibrant you will feel.

Your problems will suddenly seem manageable; your life will fall into place, in a manner that makes sense. Where you know that you can take the appropriate action steps to get to wherever it is you want to go.

More than that, by doing what you love, those around you will feel inspired by your presence. Subconsciously, they too will do more of what they love and their light will shine brighter in harmony with yours. In essence, by doing what you love, the world will feel the effects and be better off.

Today, go do what you love. Commit to it, with your intention: I will start today.

With Love,

laura mary