FEVER

SONG OF THE DAY!!!!

now that the sun is shining bright and the clouds have cleared

I'm using this song as my inspiration!

I highly recommend. . . . . .loud and proud baby!!!

Balance

As the end of the month approaches, I would like to reflect.
Admittedly, as I read my own words, I can see that the word DARE has its own set of connotations
The concept of the DARE month was to ask you to take a step INSIDE yourself, listen, observe and without judgement, see what and where some attention could lovingly go

As an attempt to tie it all together, to unite all of the dares and use the lesson(s) in a positive way I offer the word BALANCE. Moving towards balance in every essence of the word. In life, in love and for your everyday choices. Balance is one of those words like love, center, goals we use them so much that they can easily become meaningless. I read somewhere once this, which resonated with me ``I used to hear someone say they loved me, and I assumed it was the way that I loved. Then I was crushed when that turned out not to be the case. Now, when someone says that word, I wait to see how they express it, and if our two ways of being match in a harmonious-enough way.``
Two people are two people with different sets of expression, morals, goals, communication and it can be a difficult and an upsetting experience to go through once you realize that they may not mesh in every way. To have the same exact concept of something can lead to disappointed expectations, but it could also be a wonderful lesson that can ultimately lead you to your own clarity of self expression and love

When you realize that balance, like anything else, is both universal as an idea, and utterly personal in application, it frees you to look around your life and claim how you can best come to your truth
Now lets not mix up and confuse balance with perfection. Balance is and idea of harmonious arrangement, where everything settles and floats, where the glass is both half full and half empty, where something is neither too prominent or deficient, you get the idea. . . . .yet nothing in nature is perfect
Perfection seeking is a difficult habit to break, yet it does no good to, well, anything really. We tear ourselves apart, we pick apart our loved ones, wishing for more romance, or more of this quality, and less of the other, struggling along the way and paving a journey with disappointments and lost ideals
We also pick apart our achievements feeling less than someone else who has a better paying job, or got a big bonus or was promoted, we read magazines and compare our faces, style, body to synthetic apparently perfect images that have all been enhanced and retouched. Watching television and movies we see other people living fabulous lives, having the time of their lives, who, we are told, or believe or think look better, have it better, and are doing what perhaps we never got to do.
But if this is how you think, in any part of your life, you are setting yourself up

It is true that sometimes you will feel naturally happy and sometimes, life will confront you. Fears, insecurities and doubts will arise, but life and all its lessons can get you closer to your true self, or you can allow it to lead you farther into the pit of despair. Remembering you have a CHOICE is powerful
When you can own everything you are, the shadows and light, the things you like and your imperfections, and strive to bring yourself towards health, towards integrity, towards center as much as you can. When you can forgive yourself the times you can't it is only then, you can move forward and see that the measure of balance and loving life becomes not how perfect you can be or expect others to be, but with love, understanding and integrity you can treat your and others' imperfections.
Continue everyday to seek balance. . . . .I dare you!

LULULEMON

FOR THE MONTH OF MARCH(which is allllllllllmost here)
I WILL BE TEACHING AT LULULEMON
THE QUEEN STREET SHOP
8PM
TUESDAYS

(oh, and it`s FREE)

Follow allong with me and get your sweat on!!!!!!!!!!!!

HIGHEELS

Not quite a dare, or perhaps to some. . . . . .my love of the Heel. Finding inspiration in both current and old magazine fashion spreads, while watching old movies, and collecting vintage(and not so vintage)high heel shoes I sometimes wonder what harm they are really doing? or not doing?
Rather than go into a long history of why and how and where, read the following tips and use accordingly, especially after a particularly long nite!!!
I also frequent this blog for more inspiration!
http://www.theglamourai.com/

These moves will help soothe aching feet.

Face it. You will never, ever give up your favorite high heels. No matter how much torment they put you through, you still get a thrill pulling them out of the closet and slipping them on for a night or day. You would, however, like to give up the aching you feel after a nite out dancing, so try just one of these, or all three and enjoy

Try a tennis ball
Place the tennis ball on the floor, then stand up and place your bare foot onto the ball so it’s under the arch of your foot. Roll the bottom of your foot back and forth on it, increasing the amount of pressure as you go by pushing your foot more firmly into the ball. If you feel unstable, hold on to a wall or try lying on your back with knees bent

Stretch
Sitting down, cross your right ankle over your left thigh. Weave the fingers (or fingertips) of your left hand in between your toes. It’ll look like you’re holding hands with your foot; your palm is against the ball of your foot. Using your hand to power the movement, circle the foot around 10 times clockwise—make big circles—to bring more flexibility to your ankle. Repeat circling counterclockwise.
Spread your fingers apart to stretch your toes out to the sides for 5 deep breaths, inhales and exhales. Remove your fingers so your toes remain spread on their own, and hold for 5 more deep breaths.
Remain seated with your right ankle over your left thigh. Place your left hand on top of your right foot and bend your toes down towards your heel. Then pull the top of your right foot backwards, bending your toes back towards your shins.
While still seated with your right ankle over your left thigh, massage the bottom of your right foot with your thumbs, pressing against the tight places. Hold onto your foot near the ankle and shake your foot around.

Bath
Fill up a basin or your bathtub with almost toooo hot water, add Epsoms salts and a splash of peppermint essential oil, slowly dip both feet in the water and allow the soothing affects of the water and added ingredients to take over and relax, breathe and sit about 20 minutes, or until the water is room temperature
towel off feet and massage in lotion, preferably peppermint or specific foot lotion to aid in muscle release and prevent swelling
I recommend this brand, it has magic in it i swear!!!!
burts bees footlotion

Also, if you are feeling inspired to make your own, try out this recipe!

Dare4

So read this proverb that I recently learned. . . .and take what you will from it
Atop a stove there are three covered pots of boiling.

In each of the pots is a different food thing

The first pot, there are boiling carrots,
In the second, hard-boiling eggs,
and in the third, it's a pot of tea leaves, which becomes tea
Notice that when confronted by heat, the carrots got soft and lost their color.
The eggs hardened their shells against it...
...and the tea leaves changed the water.


You have three major options whenever life turns up the heat on you:
Like the carrots, you could become a victim, go passive and lose your center.
Or you might, like the eggs, get reactive, defensive, and hard.
Or, you can use the challenge to your advantage, and like the tea leaves, use the situation to meet your goals of being strong, compassionate and loving and infuse the situation from the power of your essence.

The transformation into a happy, healthy and empowered you comes when you realize that you can take any, and I mean any experience, and either allow it to make you into less than you can be...or more than you ever dreamed. It's not the absence of fire that empowers you...it's how you walk through it.

Challenges we all face, from cravings to dysfunctional habits, relationship struggles and self-esteem issues, worries about money and stability and where to turn when life seems bleak, these are all different aspects of the same fire. And guess what? This fire is not something that automatically has to burn your house down, and turn you into a helpless mess.

In fact, the whole spectrum of your life, from the hardest day to the most peaceful, contains nothing but energy for you to use either constructively--or destructively. It's the stories we tack on to our
reality that make the difference between the two.

ROLLIN

MUDDY WATERS
ROCKS AND ROLLS
AND KNOWS IT RIGHT
HAVE A MOMENT
HERE
AND PRACTISE LOUD AND HARD

have a listen

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius.html

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius.html

I love TED Talks! they are full of inspiring people, curious thought and insight
Elizabeth Gilbert, a well spoken, wonderfully creative and humorous soul talks about how to cultivate creativity
To take a moment, soak in all the lessons of life, and have a listen

CHOICE

If you are in my close circle, you are well aware of my topic of the week
its a big word, CHOICE. Every day, all day, we make choices, hundreds of them.
If only we could start making mindful, aware, positive choices, moving us towards our best outcome, our best version of our self, mind and heart and spirit

If you're reading this and thinking. . . . .ya RIGHT
well, it really is that easy, to choose happiness each morning, to choose to eat well and hydrate properly and choose how to speak, think, and express in life

Just think of how much energy it takes to worry about things you can't change, or get all wrapped up in other peoples bizzzness, or engaging in the worlds dramas. I'm not saying that its the end all be all, rather, I'm suggesting a little DARE, a third dare of this month, and that is to actually CHOOSE differently, and watch the result, notice the shift in yourself, transform the moment by choosing differently than you would before.

To talk physics, for a minute, which is SO fascinating, lets look at what transformation means.
check out the definition!
and what does choice really mean, REALLY???
It states that in order to change things, you have to do things differently. How you do them should match your goals, and the more you change your habits, the more you'll transform.
In other words, choose to change and transform.
Of course if you try to do too much at once, it all seems overwhelming. Rather than taking it all on, just slowly start to open the tight fist of the familiar the old and the comfortable. Sudden and drastic change can cause us to hold onto old habits and not let go, so instead go slow, choose different one choice at a time. Challenge the BEST in you to rise up, take on the transformative powers of change, of choice and see what happens.
Take on the CHOICE!!

dare pt2

TRANSFORMATION

Last nite, spending an evening with close girl friends, after taking on my first DARE of February(an impromptu apartment move at 10pm, in the freeeeeeeeeeeeeezing weather!)
The talk of Transformation came up
and it remained our topic all nite
we talked, laughed, cried, got serious
and digested the idea of SAMSKARA

Samskara, the imprints left on the subconscious mind by experience

The word samskara comes from the Sanskrit sam (complete or joined together) and kara(action, cause, or doing). In addition to being generalized patterns, samskaras are individual impressions, ideas, or actions; taken together, our samskaras make up our conditioning. Repeating samskaras reinforces them, creating a groove that is difficult to resist. Samskaras can be both positive and negative, it is the way in which we see themIf you want to look and feel amazing, it is your responsibility to yourself and all those around you do what you have to in order to attain it. Take your destiny back into your own hands. Only then can you guarantee yourself real transformation, no matter what else the people in your life decide to do for themselves.

So stop waiting around for life (or other people) to be ready, and instead begin to see each challenge to your goals as an opportunity to re-claim yourself and take on a new lifestyle. Then you strengthen your ability to make the choices and take the actions to move towards SOMETHING, not away, every day--and in so doing, you will soon create health as your new reality. Like anything, it gets easier the more you practice.

This is going to take real animal-like power, a true stubbornness, dedication, focus...start RIGHT NOW! Begin the process. . . . .even if it seems daunting, or not the 'right time' just start,

Old habits die hard, as we know, and at times you will feel a pull back into OLD patterns, old ways of relating to yourself that don't really serve your goal of transformation.

and the egg. . . . . .you know who you are!