This is Christmas.
I am loving every moment of this Holiday.
Taking the time to enjoy the quiet, the peace, the frigid cold, all of it.
You create your own reality. 
Are you happy, are you sad, are you angry or are you thankful?
We have blessings that we fail to recognize. 
We are blessed.
Please take a moment today, this weekend, this week, and practice being thankful for your blessings.
Whatever your circumstances, we are still blessed. 
MERRY CHRISTMAS - NAMASTE 

End of summer, July 2022, as I sit here in my comfy Papisan chair, stressing about work, family, my health, and other things, I am compelled to return to Yoga. 
My body has shut down, my mind has shut down, and I am unsure of everything, but wanting peace. 
Fall of 2019, I accepted a position back in Healthcare, another on-call 24/7 position, Emergency Room management. Another promise of no weekends and limited hospital departments. Another false truth, but something I felt I wanted to pursue. I needed to regain my financial independence. 
Then, as I started to progress and shine in my position, so did the demand.
Barbara you are now responsible for x, y and z departments. Barbara you are now responsible for additional areas. Barbara you need to train the trainers. Barbara I need you to do this. Barbara we are short staffed you need to cover shifts in the ER. Barbara please set up your own interviews for new hires. We can't rely on the recruiters.
Barbara follow up with preboarding, they aren't taking care of the candidates and we are losing people. Barbara you need to be the employee, lead, manager, supervisor, recruiter and director. Barbara you need to handle the IT on these multiple projects, this is COVID, there are travel restrictions but we are moving forward anyway.....
Then, there are almost 50 employees 24/7. "I can't clock out, I forgot to submit my payroll, I'm blatantly not following these directions, my relief didn't show for work this evening. Barbara another employee left before their shift end at 3am, Barbara we have a patient who was misidentified. Barbara you did this wrong. I'm going to physically assault Barbara, if she writes me up again. Barbara the new employee has bugs, etc. etc. etc."
How am I to do my own job? How am I to build meaningful relationships and provide input on how to do/be better? How am I to quality review my team while I am exhausted? 
I cant................. Especially when I continue to get pneumonia, sinus infections, and now this.. My body has shut down, my mind has informed my body "We are done, Barbara wont quit, but we HAVE to."
She's not respecting us, or taking care of us, we need to STOP. 
Life is so confusing right now, I am unsure of what to do, or how to do it.
These few years have been dedicated to work, the job, uncertain times, and this pandemic has been exhausting. 
The one thing I AM SURE of is Yoga...... Yoga is life. Yoga is peace. 
Yoga gives me the opportunity to decide. Yoga gives my body and mind the opportunity to work harmoniously together to enhance serotonin,  peace, and the love we currently need.
I can practice Child's Pose (Balasana), Corpse Pose (Savasana), on my mat with minimal fatigue but the benefits are priceless. I need to focus on what I CAN DO. YOGA
They say we are post pandemic, are we really? I am not, most of the front line healthcare employees are not, and we CAN NOT sustain this way of living. 
I am going to place some eucalyptus oil on my Yoga Mat and practice the breath today as I try to heal mentally and physically. I need to be OPEN to new opportunities, new ways of letting go of stress, and help my mind/body become strong again. I am unsure of what any of this means right now, but I am sharing because I do not feel like I am alone.
Do you feel we are Post Pandemic? Has your life changed? Have you returned to your mat?
I want to practice again with you, and help each other let go of anything that doesn't serve us.
             ******* Balasana (Child's Pose) guided audio for you below ********** 
​~Namaste 

MY WHY.... I love Yoga, I love healthcare, I love being an entrepreneur. I have spent many years being a single mother, not having time for my children and not being happy with my life. I knew I needed a change. I have taught yoga since 2009, and it was my side job..
I started teaching yoga because I have always loved sports and fitness, but I had no idea what yoga was all about. Once I experienced the beauty and love of Yoga, I wanted to share that mind body experience with others (like myself) who have not had the opportunity to practice or understand all of the benefits of yoga.
Yoga brings me inner peace. It reminds me that we are all at different places in our lives and we all have traumas, joys and experiences that NO ONE but us can understand and thats OK. Sometimes its hard to understand others and where they are coming from, but do we need to? Not necessarily..
We simply need to be KIND, OPEN HEARTED and FORGIVING of OURSELVES (the hard one) and of each other. Many times when we are faced with challenges or having a bad day, we unknowingly push that negativity on to others. We say unkind things we don't mean, we post crappy social media posts that our lives suck (when they really don't), we have this negative energy expelling from our demeanor that sometimes sucks others in and effects their day causing a ginormous NEGATIVE DOWNWARD SPIRAL...
Practicing yoga reminds me that I can CHOOSE to be negative or I can CHOOSE to be HAPPY and THANKFUL. When I CHOOSE to be happy and focus on the positive things in my life, I am more THANKFUL for all of the beautiful things around me. When I SMILE that smile can be contagious and make others smile, I can SHARE my ENERGY and CREATE a BEAUTIFUL POSITIVE UPWARD SPIRAL that makes people smile more, be happier, and realize things don't always go the way we plan, but in the LONG RUN, things are EXACTLY the way they need to be.... NAMASTE 

After class my daughter told everyone that Final Savasana was her favorite pose. One of my other students let her know that she uses the same technique for falling asleep each night. This made my heart smile.
What is Final Savasana?
Final Savasana is the posture where we are expected to completely relax the body and meditate with the mind. Final Savasana (corpse pose) to some is the hardest part of their yoga practice. How do you stop your mind from thinking about the past or moving forward into the future? What are the benefits?
Practice, Practice, Practice. Consistency is key to meditation. Similar to riding a bike, speaking in front of an audience, and learning anything new, the more you practice, the more comfortable you will feel and the better you will become. Start a small meditation practice.
Go somewhere quiet, set a timer for 2-3 minutes. Get as physically comfortable
as possible and choose something to focus on. I recommend a mantra that makes you happy. Repeat that mantra over and over allowing it to consume your thoughts. If something else gets in the way, acknowledge it and come back to your mantra/meditation. In time, with practice, it will become easier with more focus and less distractions.
There are many benefits to meditation, I'm going to tell you my favorite eight.
My favorite eight benefits of meditation include:

1. Meditation reduces stress.
2. It improves concentration.
3. The practice increases self-awareness.
4. It slows aging.
5. The practice benefits cardiovascular and immune systems.
6. Lowers high blood pressure.
7. Lowers the levels of blood lactate, reducing anxiety attacks.
8. Increases serotonin production that improves mood and behavior increasing happiness.

Meditation in final Savasana can be your favorite, can be your most challenging pose and can be exactly what you need. How could a regular yoga and meditation practice improve your life? How can I help?
Namaste ~Barbara

Everyone keeps asking what I want for Christmas❤️ I want LOVE!! I want to share experiences, I want to make memories, I want to be around people who make my heart smile❤️ If you know someone who may be away from home, who may be a little out of touch with others, who needs some extra love, invite them in.... Show ❤️ LOVE... Our first Christmas in Maryland we were invited to a families home in Crofton, a family that we met from church. It was one of the MOST memorable experiences for me because we usually shared the Holidays with family only. It was then I realized we ALL have extended families, we ALL have the capability of sharing LOVE, and we ALL have the SAME basic need to feel LOVE & ACCEPTANCE.
​SHOW LOVE THIS HOLIDAY ❤️ We ALL need it❤️ Namaste 🙏🏼

Being Thankful is a practice. It's not something that simply is. We must be mindful to be thankful not only for the big things but for the things that we take for granted. Be thankful for the now. Be Thankful for each breath. Be thankful for family time. Be thankful for you❤️

Wow, its November already!! What is your intention for this month? Will you get your shopping done early this year and truly take the time to enjoy and appreciate your family? Slow down, set your priorities and let them be your focus❤️ Watch the leaves change, watch yourself change, watch everything change and enjoy❤️

"The only thing constant is change" We all go through changes, we all must learn how to best appreciate them. We struggle holding onto things, people, and experiences that we let the current moment slip away. When things are truly right, they are easy. Things flow, without thought, without force, without pain. Regardless of what outcome you may have in mind, things always have a way of working themselves out. Stop forcing. Stop trying to manipulate. Stop the internal fight that is afraid of change. A caterpillar becomes a butterfly. A tadpole becomes a frog. We all start from eggs.. We live in a world of constant change. Embrace the change and embrace the now. You deserve to become your own butterfly❤️ Namaste