Ushering in Change

Tonight I had the privilege of attending my girlfriend Carrie's Inaugural Ball at the Ivy hotel. On this day in history I must say that I found myself caught in the wave of excitement. It has been a hard four years for many of us, and definitely as a nation we have felt the decline in our spirits. With our loved ones in Iraq, and many people living in fear, I am grateful to see a spark of hope among the masses. It is reflected in the incredible turnout at President Obama's (a sigh of awe as I refer to him for the first time as my president) swearing in and the anticipation of many where there had been resignation due to the economic crisis.

No matter what your political beliefs I believe everyone can sign on for Obama's message of service and change. This nation is in desperate need of change. We need to change valuing things for valuing experiences. We need to change our separation for oneness. We need to change our ego for spirit. We need to change our taking for service. And more than anything we, as a country, as a community, as individuals need to be the change. I know we are ready for it because as a collective we ushered in change today.

And if it is change that we dream of then we must know that it WILL manifest. For not many years ago Martin Luther King Jr. said "I have a dream", and today his dream came true. So will ours, so will ours!

The final countdown

Only three more days and I will be sunning myself on the beautiful beaches of Vieques, Puerto Rico. I am beside myself after the last week of sub zero temperatures and going to multiple hot yoga classes a day isn't quite as effective when I walk outside and am instantly transformed into a walking icicle as the sweat from class freezes on my body.

I am reading You are what you eat and despite the author's best efforts I don't want to eat green leafy vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. The only thing that soothes my soul and freezing tucus is mashed potatoes, hot cocoa, and warm oatmeal cookies. Hardly a colorful and vibrant food selection, but what is to be expected when the closest thing around me to vibrant is my glowing white legs??

I'm a ready for some sun, waves, and natural heat, bring it on...the final countdown 3 days....

Designing my 2009

Radio silence is over....come back red rover.....are you there????

I'd like to say my life is so filled with fascinating things that I have no time to blog about life's goings on. More truthfully stated it would be a break down of season finales of my favorite shows. Here's what you missed.

For the second season in a row a female won the biggest loser, a new season has also started with the largest contestants ever.

Real and Chance did not both find love. Chance turned down his two lovely suitettes (female suitors) and Real said yes to Cornfed (we'll see how that turns out)

Heroes is really just too confusing to explain, even I don't know what is going on.

Top Chef is down to 8 and so far I have correctly called the chef that must "pack up your knives and go" all but one time.

Angela and Dwight have finally been outed to Andy on the Office.

Monk and Psych have officially started up again and Burn Notice starts next week...this of course means I will be beside myself with scheduling TV watching!

Honestly though it is January and the apple doesn't fall far from the collective tree so I find myself thinking of resolutions as much as the next person. I like to take a different look at it though.

The process of recollection over the year 2008 and thinking of the year to come is what I like to refer to as Designing my 2009. Rather than make resolutions I am sure to break within weeks, I designed for myself my dreams/goals for the coming year. I took all of these dreams with me into a workshop that my teacher Pauline leads each January called Envisioning your Life. For one day the focus is opening to your intentions and dreams for the coming year. The piece de resistance (french meaning climax, english meaning "I don't want to!")of the day is creating a vision board.

My resistance was not actually in the creation of my board. In fact they are not new to me, I've done one every year for the last three years. However this year I didn't have 2 weeks to make my board. I had ONE HOUR!!!

Panic and desperation set in as my perfectionist mind took hold chattering about the impossibility of getting it right in "What 30 minutes now??" How does 30 minutes go by so quickly paging through magazine pictures and panicking to yourself "No WAY 15 minutes left?!?" This is killing me. I'm cutting and muttering, pasting, and muttering. And yet I did it. It was definitely a challenge but so valuable for me to get out of my head and be forced to design my vision within this time constraint. It ensured a heartfelt expression of what I really want for my 2009 rather than what I think looks pretty.

Pretty or not here it is!


So it possibly bears a bit of explaining and that I will do.

A picture of myself (and Matt) is in the center. Surrounding the picture of us (above/below) is beautiful sky and clouds. This is my representation of God. Above and below is written "I, Lisa, manifest mindfully and joyfully for my good and the good of all". The board is then split in two by the sky, the right side is my career and the left side is my personal life.

Here are some things I desire to manifest in my career and are represented on my board....mindful movement for everybody (this in the form of expanding and teaching more IntenSati classes), inspired workouts, creating new and exciting programs, many students in my classes, body + soul in my training, playfulness, more writing (hence a new post), writing from my heart the things I know and things that have changed me, financial freedom, sharing joy with humanity, teaching open heartedly and without judgement.

Here are some things I desire to manifest in my personal life that are on the board....time spent with Matt biking, hiking, loving, less TV watching, traveling, finding the delicate space that I can hold myself in balance, more prayer, meditation, a deeper yoga practice, eating whole foods, enjoying my indulgences, loving and accepting myself as I am, more forgiveness less perfectionism.

Wow! You can get a lot on a board in one hour. I know one thing. Every year I've made a board has been better than the last so I can't wait to see what this one brings. I'm shooting for the sky, but you can't reach the sky if you don't aim high and give it your best go.

Blessings to all of you in designing your best life in 2009! If you are interested Pauline had such high demand for her first workshop she is leading another one January 31st. If you would like the information e-mail me and I will forward it on to you.

Love, Love L-