Your Partner in Health
Valley View Wellness Coaching Blog
Fri, 12 Mar 2010 23:41:36 GMT
Jan 07, 2010 05:50PM
Mini Self-Care Retreat with Certified Wellness Coach, Shannon Sprague
Sunday - February 21, 2010
1st Session-Why Be White Bread When We Can Be WHOLE Grain?
Embracing Our Authentic Selves 11:00AM-1:00PM-$30.00
This workshop invites you to embrace your roots, flow with your true nature, while shining out, courageously, your authentic self. We will use our organic energy as we let our inner Warriors stand tall, rooted like a Tree, being at peace with our flow and coming to accept ourselves just as we are, knowing we are already perfect and whole!
2nd Session-Socks On, Naked Yoga-Naked Hearts That Is J
Opening To Our Heart?s True Desires 2:00PM-4:00PM-$30.00
Explore through gentle yoga postures that promise to open our hearts, inviting us to discover our heart?s deepest, true desires. Yes, you are invited to keep your socks on during this session! Once again, through discussion, yoga and sharing we may uncover some great heart-felt gifts that we didn?t even know were there. If you have felt ?stuck? in a ?rut? or just ?not right? this workshop can help you uncover what it is that is not working for your right now. It is when we reflect, become introspective and go within that we find Our own true, right answers!
Salem Kripalu Yoga Studio
97 Shops, 407 Main Street, Suite 206
Salem, NH
Space is limited so sign up early! Sign up for the whole day and receive $10 off!
call 603/845-3625 or visit www.valleyviewcoaching.com to register today!
Dec 10, 2009 08:51PM
Holiday ?Lights?
During this time of year, it is oh so very easy to get caught up in the chaos of the season. From the endless buying, decorating, wrapping to the checking of the Christmas list one more time, checking the budget in hopes of not going over. Sometimes I think the true spirit and magic of the season can be lost on all of this checking, double-checking and triple-checking. Or what about the thoughts that ?oh, I hope we did enough,? or the ?what if that person spends more on me or my kids than I can on them?? Talk about pressure! Then there is the family drama that can come this time of year. This one doesn?t get along with that one, but feels that they have to visit out of obligation. No wonder this time of year is one of the most stressful! My Husband personally can?t wait until January 2nd!
I recently attended a Christmas concert at my daughter Grace?s elementary school. This was Grace?s first show of this kind, given that it is her first year of elementary school. As all of the children were so beautifully lined up on stage, teeth missing, awkwardly shifting from one foot to the next, hair barely in place, nervously smiling, the music teacher first thanked us for ?our? children and reminded us ?they? truly were our gifts this holiday season. I had an instant flashback of my season thus far, as if someone hit the rewind button.
I vowed this year to keep my Christmas list to a minimum, with a focus of mainly my children and not to get caught up in the stress of the season. I vowed to send electronic Christmas cards thus cutting down on resources and costs. I vowed to pick a cause to focus on, helping needy families and such, instead of myself, my stress and my needs. I vowed to continue to teach my children about appreciation, gratititude and acceptance, although we are still working on that ;) I vowed to not get caught up in the family drama that this time of year can bring, trying not to get too stressed about anything and to simply enjoy the season. Being with people that I can be at ease around, forgoing those situations that are simply too tense.
It came to me that although I, too, put up my holiday lights outside of my home and on my Christmas tree, those twinkling light bulbs are not my ?true? holiday lights. I will share a list of my holiday lights in hopes to inspire you to take a moment, sit back and reflect on what this season means to you. Sit, contemplate and maybe even write down a list of your holiday ?lights.? Peace to you all during this joyous time of year!
• Marshmallows barely melted in hot cocoa
• Building a snowman with my children
• Trying to interpret the words on their Christmas Lists
• The smell of my Christmas tree
• Time spend alone with my Husband or a friend
• The Christmas candy that reminds me of my childhood
• The one Christmas ornament I have left from when I was a child
• Baking cookies with my 2 best cookie makers
• Watching my girls run to the advent calendar each AM
• Laying on the living room floor with tons of blankets and pillows watching a movie with my family
• Watching my daughters tackle my husband, who once worried about ?what he was going to do with girls?
• Listening to my daughters belt out Christmas carols with the confidence of a professional
• The smell of a newspaper and coffee on a cozy Sunday AM, family by my side
• Listening to my oldest daughter explain to my youngest who Jesus is
The realization that as long as my Husband and two girls are okay, than so am I!
Happy Holidays to you all and may all of your holiday ?lights? shine brightly!!!
Nov 02, 2009 06:09PM
At What Temperature Do You Approach Life?
I have recently started a training program to become a Yoga Teacher. It is a nine month program that will be completed in May of 2010, which will make me eligible to begin teaching next summer. Very exciting for me! I?ve been practicing yoga for almost 10 years and it truly has been transformational for me, so for this reason I decided to share these gifts with others through the art of teaching. At the beginning of my training, my teacher asked us what type of students we were, hot, medium or mild. Hot meaning we jump into our teachings full force, with an all out effort, a sense of seriousness about us, intensity rising and a hint of perfection on the brim. Medium, being well, a medium approach, effort with some surrender to not being so intense and perfect. Mild, doing ?okay,? not worrying about too much, if it gets there, it gets there. I contemplated this for nearly 6 weeks, not really knowing where I fell until one much fated fall day in a swimming pool, of all places.
I had recently signed up for some private swimming instruction after years of wanting to learn different strokes and technique to add aquatics to my exercise routine. I was practicing what I had learned thus far, one afternoon, gleefully supported by the water, wearing my new pink goggles, feeling free as a bird as I began to spread my water wings. Up to this point, my swimming coach had directed me on air exchange (breathing in the water) and some very basic physical movements, such as kicking, floating and things of that nature. I decided that day, however, that I was going ?to show him? and put the whole thing together and attempt a front crawl. I got about ½ way down the length of the pool before I began gasping, choking, feeling light-headed, experiencing foot cramps and looking like I was being eaten by a shark. So, this went on for about 30 minutes while I was wondering, ?why the heck can?t I do this, how hard can it be?? before it hit me like a ton of bricks that I am indeed a HOT learner. Not only am I a hot learner, but my general approach to life is hot as well.
I don?t know if it was the support of the water, my recent yogic teachings, my increased state of mindfulness or all of the above, but what an unexpected lesson I received that day in the pool. At what temperature do you approach life? What type of a learner are you? Are you happy being where you are? Where could you make some space, changes, or soften?
I have since taken several steps back and have enjoyed learning to swim in bits and pieces. Systematically going through the steps intended to help me to become proficient enough to save my own life! All the while coming to the realization that I would be a very happy MEDIUM!!!!
Sep 17, 2009 04:10PM
Riding the Bumper Cars, Alone?
As I was watching my 6 year old daughter, Grace, ride the bumper cars, alone, this year at the Skowhegan fair, I started to reflect on what this great feat of independence means. Think about it. You have to be at least 48 inches to ride this ride without an adult and she has, indeed, reached that milestone. Sure, she has reached many milestones in her life such as, eating with utensils instead of her hands (occasional regression), crawling, walking, sleeping through the night (again with an occasional regression), starting kindergarten and now this. This milestone is a bit different though and comes with more of a responsibility.
I mean after all, here was her first ?prerequisite? that she has had to accomplish before being given the ?right? to ride this ride. She was very proud of herself as she stood next to the height marker and the ride operator waved her on. There is also room for disappointment, what if she was just ½ of an inch too short? I believe that learning to live with and cope with disappointment is in invaluable lesson for a child. Although, as a parent it is difficult to witness a disappointment, if they are rewarded for each and everything in their lives, how will they ever learn to cope when things don?t go the way they expected as they become adults? Therein lays the dichotomy.
Independence also comes with a sense of responsibility; to oneself, society, the environment and the human race. Grace made several decisions while riding her bumper car, her courtesy to other riders, or lack thereof, how fast to drive, how hard to bump the other riders, how many times she went on the ride (several I may add) and how much fun she chose to have while riding. Taking it a step further, she will also have similar responsibilities when entering elementary school. She may be faced with social challenges, faced with a vast amount of differences, how hard to ?bump? other ?riders? with her beliefs and values, her contribution to environmental awareness (I may add that she is a blossoming environmentalist), her compassion for her fellow students and her choice to have fun.
So, as I stood there, watching her on the bumper cars, speeding along with the greatest grin in the word, I was thankful that I was wearing sunglasses that day to help mask my tears of joy, fear, pride, and trepidation that I was flooded with at the great feat I was bearing witness to and the great feat that lies ahead in first grade. I?m fully confident that all of the choices, responsibility, lessons and independence that Grace will be confronted with will serve to enrich her already wonderful, caring, compassionate, thoughtful, funny, frugal, sensitive, and loving being.
Here are your wings, Grace, fly with the essence of your name, dance when you have the chance, sing like nobody is listening, love like you have never loved, and enjoy your life and the journey you are about to embark on. Always remembering that we are here to cheerlead you along and to catch you if you fall!
Jul 04, 2009 03:51PM
Summer Simplicity
How many times have you had the impulse to do one more thing? Squeeze in one more chore? Make one more stop? Check one more time for email? What is this impulse that urges us to fill our ?space? and moments with endless things to do? The key in resisting this impulse is to learn how to say no to it. Sounds silly, doesn?t it? This impulse has an insatiable appetite. It doesn?t matter what we feed it, so long as it?s fed. It is an equal opportunity taker of space in all areas of our lives; our finances for the want of more money, our homes for the want of more stuff, our social calendars for the want of more things to do, etc. Most times, these impulses are fed purely and completely in a mindless fashion. Think about how many things we do each day, on auto pilot, without conscious thought. Does everything have to be done now? Can some task, activity, chore, or phone call be put off until a later time?
One thing we can gain from being in the present and practicing a concept called voluntary simplicity is truly experiencing our moments with all of our being. After all, they are our moments, why not give them the respect and attention they so deserve. Reframing them as being sacred, something to cherish, and savor is a necessity! When we are with a friend, we are truly with that friend. When we are cleaning the oven, we experience it with all of our being, even if it?s not a favorite task, we can still be present with it. This practice allows us to truly be with the emotions that our moments evoke within us. Voluntary simplicity can mean going fewer places, seeing less, doing less and being less, all so that we can have more! That is not to say to ignore all that is important on a day to day basis and put our responsibilities aside, but amongst the demands and organized chaos there is still plenty of opportunity to choose simplicity. Just slowing down can help you to practice mindfulness by allowing you to stay in the moment, instead of rushing off to the next task on your ?to-do? list.
How will you spend your summer with your friends and family? Overbooked with too many things to do; children in camps or overscheduled leaving little time for creative play and imaginative thinking; racing from one day to the next ?getting it all in? before school starts again; or something different? What would it be like to truly enjoy the hazy, lazy days of summer with friends and family at a much slower pace? What if we just spend time with our children, letting them take the lead, creating, playing, exploring, and just being? Think of the lessons that you are instilling in them, what a beautiful gift, to teach them how to just ?be?; how to just enjoy what life has to offer, moment by moment, without judgment. This newly found space is where creativity is born, emotions are listened to and gifts of true joy are received.
So, instead of just automatically saying yes to something or racing around trying to complete EVERYTHING, stop, slow down and create a little bit of space in your day. This concept can apply to all areas of your life. One tip to help you remain in the moment is to truly experience your situation with all five senses. Smell flowers; admire their color, texture, size; feel the petals, the firmness of the stem; take the time to truly taste what you are eating for lunch; slowly savoring every bite; and listen to the sounds of your environment. This practice works really well with children. Although, if you have spent any time with a child lately, you may have observed that they are little Zen Masters themselves. They spend most of their days in the present moment. Here?s a great idea, go hang out with some children, they may teach you a thing or two! Enjoy your summer, simply?. .
Shannon M. Sprague
PO Box 681
Pelham, NH 03076
603-845-3625
shannon@valleyviewcoaching.com
