Tag Archives: Life

Gratitude, Thank you.

Laura Mary • April 8, 2014

Everyone has someone in their life that has transformed them and changed their life forever. I was touched to hear that my favorite Skidmore College professor is retiring. Hearing this news, has re-inspired me to reach my highest potential and beyond. Mary Ann had (and continues to) inspire me. Who can you reflect on today? Who in your life has left an imprint on your heart? Reach out to them today and express your gratitude.

A tribute to Mary Ann,

In all my time as a student, I have never come across such an influential teacher.

I feel so fortunate to have met Mary Ann during my junior year at Skidmore. I needed her signature as the chair of the psychology department, because I was applying for the American Psychological Association (APA) Summer Science Fellowship in Washington DC. During the following semester, I was placed on the waiting list for her Cognitive Psychology course, it was reserved for seniors. I was quite eager to take a class with Mary Ann, I saw her in the hallway before the first day of class and thankfully, she let me in!

Class after class, I listened to her in awe; she was (is) so brilliant. She would break down and describe scientific studies with such ease and made complex studies comprehensible to students. It was crystal clear to me that Mary Ann was passionate about her research and her teaching.

Out of all of my professors at Skidmore, I felt the strongest connection and bond to Mary Ann. I knew that she really wanted me to learn and succeed. With the help of a strong letter of recommendation from Mary Ann, I was awarded the very competitive APA Summer Science Fellowship.

I was completely honored that Mary Ann wanted to work with me on a senior honors thesis project. Mary Ann believed in me and that, more than everything I learned in college, was the most valuable lesson. By believing in me, she instilled within me a sense of confidence, that same confidence that she held while lecturing in class. She believed that I was smart and could conduct high quality research. I thank Mary Ann from the bottom of my heart.

My favorite academic memory from Skidmore was the completion of my senior honors thesis. It was hard work, but I completed it with the help of a strong, compassionate, and brilliant mentor, Mary Ann. Skidmore will be losing one of their greatest professors.

I am very excited to see what is next for Mary Ann, but more than anything, I would like to see her take time off to enjoy life in all its glory. I know that her next steps will be nothing short of brilliant, I have faith that she will continue to affect and shape the lives of everyone that comes across her path, just as she did to me.

Mary Ann and I have kept in touch since my graduation in 2009, even though I now live in Honolulu, Hawaii. Mary Ann’s interactions and emails with me were always so pleasant, she was extremely positive, and taught me that I have within me all the tools I need to succeed.

I was (continue to be) completely inspired by the fact that Mary Ann had found a life’s work that she was passionate about, and as a young graduate, I was eager to find my passion in life as well. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Mary Ann!

More than anything, I would like to tell Mary Ann, I believe in you.

With Love,

laura mary

Why Yoga?

Laura Mary • March 26, 2014

Purpose

The purpose of stepping onto your yoga mat is to feel good. Yes, there is also the mind-body challenge, but ultimately the hope is that when you roll up your mat after practice – you feel better. It’s really that simple.

Hope

The hope is to leave your mat feeling better, lighter, and happier. Your practice puts those heavy problems in your life into perspective because for 75 minutes of your day (or however long your practice might be), you can’t think of them; you are focused on much more important things like how to balance on one foot or float from down dog to crow. You know you can get through whatever it is you are going through because you just held a handstand for 60-bleeping-seconds.

How often is it possible to completely clear your head of the frenzy of thoughts, to-do-lists, and worries that generally take over your mind? Well, if you are breathing deeply, in the moment, in a handstand, I assure you – your to-do-list will be waiting for you when you are done.

This is why, initially, the postures are so important. You learn the alignment and postures, so that you can arrive to the place where thoughts and worries are no longer holding center stage. Only after the postures are learned and this space and freedom in the mind is felt can you find the space, calm, and focus to surrender in savasana or find a seated mediation.

In essence, your yoga makes you feel strong, whole, beautiful, and full of love, from the inside out. Starting from wherever you are today, you know that in one week’s time, however small the progress might be that it is there. Breath by breath, posture by posture, you are healing, growing, and nurturing your entire body, mind, and soul.

All at once, you face head on your toughest critic and your biggest advocate. And as the weeks pass, you really do begin to feel lighter. You walk with a little more pep in your step. You stand a little taller. You begin to see more love around you and feel even more love within you. Your practice transforms your life. Your practice becomes more about nurturing your trust in love, kindness, and acceptance. Your practice builds trust from within. And as months pass, you begin to realize, to know, from the bottom of your heart, that you yourself are a gift. No one else in this world is exactly like you, and for this reason alone - find a smile and run with it.

Enjoy your next practice, because you can!

With Love,

“So become more and more loving, and you will become more and more joyful. And don’t be bothered about whether your love is returned or not; that is not the point at all. Joy follows love automatically, whether it is returned or not, whether the other is responsive or not. If you are loving, you are joyful, and that is more than enough, more than one can expect. That is the beauty of love – that its result is intrinsic, its value is intrinsic. It does not depend on the response of the other. It is totally yours.” -Osho

Reflection

Day after day, flowers share their beauty with the world. They blossom full of grace and love, regardless of whether or not we stop to admire their perfection. Their scent smells just as sweet, even if their presence is taken for granted.

Trees continue to do their thing even if we forget to bow down in gratitude for the oxygen they provide (because we all bow down, right?), and stars shine bright even if we fail to gawk at them.

Similarly, we share this unlimited capacity to love. The good news is that you can love just like a flower. Your love is not dependent on the admiration of others. Yoga invites the practice of opening your heart completely, celebrating, and living joyfully, without expectation or reciprocity from others. The experience of love, of joy, is yours and yours alone. So why hold back?

There is no such thing as offering too much. Writing this even makes me smile, today make a point of not holding back in this department. Share smiles with strangers, tell your family, your friends, your boyfriend/girlfriend how you feel about them. Offer up lots and lots and lots of love, start NOW! 🙂

My Life These Days

Pretty flowers in unexpected places...

My <3...

<3 is all around you...

Just <3...

With Love,