Align: YES!

original watercolor by Kate Kroska

Musing…

 "Give up all the other worlds except the one to which you belong."  -- David Whyte

The harmony we experience when we’re aligned with “our world”  - values, passions, purpose  - is like a river of joy moving through us.

Kate’s Turn: 

As I continue to explore different options as I move through this lifestyle/career transition, I listen for the response I have inside of me when I research a position, consider a collaboration, learn more about a class or training, etc.  I’ve read several books about midlife planning, sometimes called the second act, encore, or prime time, as I am very interested in developing a teleclass to help people consciously create a life in which they are fulfilled and satisfied during this life stage. 

One such book really resonated with me because it focused on developing and using creative skills, like the Masters used, to navigate through life’s changes.  When the authors offered a “coach’s studio” to teach us how to use this in our coaching practice, I had an immediate “YES!” in response.  Finally, a path that aligned my work with my passion of creativity.  And you guessed it  - I am LOVIN’ that river of joy within me as I immerse myself in that creative world – the one to which I belong!

Get Fired Up:

Well – it’s YOUR world too!  Creativity is an inborn trait we draw upon in the art of living.  Listen to what you say “YES!” to – where your being expands rather than contracts – THAT is your alignment gauge. 

"Trust yourself", said Golda Meir, "Create the kind of self that you will be happy to live with all your life. Make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny, inner sparks of possibility into flames of achievement."

Align: Stillness

Musing…

“At the still point of the turning world. Neither flesh nor fleshless;

Neither from nor towards: at the still point, there the dance is,

But neither arrest nor movement. And do not call it fixity, Where past and future are gathered. 

Neither movement from nor towards,

Neither ascent nor decline. Except for the point, the still point,

There would be no dance, and there is only the dance.“ - T.S. Eliot

Charise’s Turn:

I started teaching yoga to staff at the National Zoo in November. When the opportunity was presented, I was delighted. As I sat in my car before the first class, my thoughts turned to whether they would like the way I teach and whether I needed to alter my approach for a group new to yoga. All of these thoughts collapsed within the recognition that all I could do was be myself and the rest would follow. There’s really nowhere else to go but to align with who you are, time and time again. As we are now starting our fifth month of classes, I see how we are way beyond everyone’s initial comfort zone. We are entering still points within yoga movement where each person’s position, energy, and focus are in balance -- while supported by a feeling of trust and openness.  

Get Fired Up:

Within the questioning of how to proceed with a new idea or endeavor, see what arises in the quietness of your being. Tap into the essence of who you are.

You can start with your breath – follow your in breath and out breath, breathing in and breathing out, and notice the stillness between one breath and the next – the dynamic stillness within which your breath arises.  Breathing in, breathing out...