Kimberly Wilson's Blog, page 118
July 9, 2015
Tranquilosophy: Pen July Dreams
Week 27 of 52 Weeks of Tranquility
Bonjour July. We’re officially in the second half of the year and connection to our New Year’s resolutions may feel like a different era. Almost as if penned by an entirely different person. I wanted to do what?!
Staying connected to larger aspirations is why I encourage penning monthly dreams. That way the bigger picture doesn’t get lost with the laundry, bills, workouts, and day job.
Take a moment to sit down and reflect on your dreams for July. Assess how you’re doing in pursuit of your bigger goals. This helps avoid the “rinse and repeat” syndrome—get up, go to work, watch TV, go to bed.
Make it an artistic playdate. Grab your Daybook, crafting supplies {washi tape is a must!}, and a Sharpie.
Begin by reviewing the previous month and note what you accomplished. Day at the lake. Check. Time with family. Check. Complete big project at work. Check. Daily meditation. Oops.
Carry over any of the oops’—you know, the ones with the best of intentions, but it didn’t quite come to fruition. Confession: about a quarter of my monthly dreams fit this category.
Next, add flair to your Daybook. Don’t worry, if you don’t have a Daybook, you can do this in any planner or on a plain sheet of white paper.
After the flair has been added, pen the big happenings on your radar: workshops, meetings, retreats, projects, classes, travel, and special dates such as birthdays or anniversaries.
Then ponder those bigger annual dreams {yep, the ones from New Year’s} and add an associated action step into this month’s spread. For example, if one dream this year was to complete a book proposal, add “write chapter summaries” to your month’s dreams.
Ponder the personal goals you’d like to see made a priority this month and add them, too, with a pretty pink marker. Consider “weekly date nights,” “take four yoga classes,” or “finish reading memoir.” Self-care deserves your utmost attention just as much as projects on deadline.
Make this process a sensory-filled ritual. Set aside 30 minutes, light a candle, and surround yourself with your favorite art supplies. Let your inner artist out to play.
Acknowledge last month’s efforts and get excited about this brand new one beckoning you to make the most of it. You deserve it. And so do your dreams.
Share insights and photos of your month’s dreams in our Facebook group and/or using #52weekstranquility via other social media channels.
Watch for Week 28 of 52 Weeks of Tranquility here next week. Thank you for being here with us. Bisous. x
52 Weeks of Tranquility
This complimentary program is designed to help us stay motivated and engaged in 2015. Each week I’ll send inspiration to your inbox via Love Notes.
Joining later in the year? No worries, read previous weeks here.
To find support and community, join the private Facebook group and use hashtag #52weekstranquility to create additional online connections.
Connect live by calling in to seasonal Tranquilosophy podcasts. Next one happening Monday, September 21. Can’t join us live? Recordings are available.
May we savor deep moments of tranquility.
The post Tranquilosophy: Pen July Dreams appeared first on Kimberly Wilson.
July 6, 2015
Tranquility du Jour #341: Everyday Mindfulness
Bonjour. Welcome to the 341st edition of Tranquility du Jour with Annie Mahon. Be inspired to bring mindfulness into your every day through eating, speaking, and living.
Direct download: Tranquility du Jour # 341: Everyday Mindfulness
Featured Guest:
Annie Mahon grew up in Macomb County, a blue-collar suburb of Detroit, during the 60s and 70s. Starting in junior high school, she spent her lunch money for “spiritual” pursuits purchased for $1 in the smoking area. At the University of Michigan she continued her spiritual quest in sorority life, leading to excessive alcohol use, an eating disorder, and academic probation. She interspersed poetry, journaling, and sleeping too much with reading about Buddhism and occasional attempts at meditation.
All of this somehow resulted in a graduating with a master’s degree in Computer Science, a move to DC, and a brief stint in the quintessential office place, IBM, before moving to an exciting but soul-killing position in sales at Oracle. During her first months in DC, where she reverse commuted an hour from city to suburbs, Annie was stalked by a handsome stranger. He sat down with her at an outdoor café one morning and asked her what part of Michigan she was from. It seems that this man had a second floor condo with bay window (and high-powered night scopes) across the street from her first floor efficiency apartment, and had been monitoring her comings and goings, including her family’s visit in a car with Michigan plates. Obviously, she married him.
Working at a job which championed the Genghis Kahn motto “It’s not enough that I succeed, everyone else must fail” encouraged her to try motherhood, which seemed like a gentler place to live. But giving birth to four children in three years left her with less time, way more belly, and even more questions about life and how to live it. Meditation and reading books by Thich Nhat Hanh, Angeles Arrien, and Pema Chodron helped. She took a side trip into Christianity and what-it’s-like-to-be-a-minority by attending Divinity School at Howard University, where she received her M.S. in Religious Studies, and discovered which direction her path was not leading.
In 1999 she accepted the Five Buddhist Precepts (aka the Five Mindfulness Trainings) from Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh at a retreat in upstate NY. The fifth training suggests letting go of using drugs and alcohol, which was a challenge, requiring Annie to more fully engage in life and her mindfulness practice to get through each intoxicant-free day with four kids, a husband and graduate school.
Being more awake in the world isn’t always easy. For the first couple of years after accepting the precepts, Annie struggled off and on with anxiety and depression, periodically falling back into old escapist habits. This shifted quite suddenly on 9-11-01 when she got the message that life was too short to waste sitting on her ass, and that if she ever wanted to contribute to the world, now was the time.
On that day, she connected with peace activist Coleman McCarthy, and later that week began teaching mindfulness, conflict resolution, and peer mediation in nearby Washington, DC public schools.
Realizing that kids learn best by moving their bodies, and wanting to support their continued mind-body connection, she began teaching kids’ yoga in schools and local venues, eventually opening a children’s yoga studio, Budding Yogis, in her neighborhood. That program expanded to become a full-scale adult and family yoga and mindfulness community studio, serving 900 students per week. In 2011, with a nod to her anarchist daughter, she reorganized the studio into a workers’ cooperatively owned business, Circle Yoga Cooperative.
Always wanting to expand her understanding of mindfulness practice and real life, Annie attends several retreats each year with various mindfulness teachers, including her main teacher Thich Nhat Hanh, and trained in an 18-month program at Spirit Rock Mediation Center in Marin County with Insight Meditation Teachers Jack Kornfield, Phillip Moffit, Anne Cushman, and many other renowned meditation and yoga teachers.
In 2009, she furthered her commitment to mindfulness practice and the mindfulness community by accepting the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings, which continue to challenge and support her practice and make her part of the Tiep Heim Order of lay Buddhist practitioners, a community founded by Thich Nhat Hanh in Vietnam during the war. Her most recent training was a two-year massage therapy program, grounding her mindfulness in the body senses and touch. She became a Licensed Massage Therapist in 2011.
Annie has been writing all her life, starting with her Dear Ziggy journal in junior high school, editing the University of Michigan Greek Newspaper, writing for the U-M yearbook and founding and editing the Micro Digest, the U-M Computing Center’s first newsletter. More recently, she has become known for her monthly essays on mindfulness, a self-published book of essays, Thoughts from Annie, and various articles on mindfulness and families. When not visiting her children, traveling the world, trying out new fitness modalities, writing, or walking with her dogs, she practices yoga and mindfulness with her community at the Circle Yoga Cooperative in DC.
Savvy Sources:
Website: rawmindfulness.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/rawmindfulness
Twitter: @rawmindfulness
Year of Mindfulness for Women
Upcoming book: Things I Did When I Was Hangry
Join my complimentary 52 Weeks of Tranquility Program
Seasonal online book club:
Tranquilosophy Seasonal Podcast: TODAY: Monday, June 22 at 3pm ET
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The post Tranquility du Jour #341: Everyday Mindfulness appeared first on Kimberly Wilson.
July 3, 2015
Week in Review
Baked strawberry cupcakes {with lots of help from Tim}
Penned July Dreams into Daybook
Began reading How to Write a Memoir in 30 Days
Received birthday peonies from Tim
Week in Review
Read Anne Cushman’s great piece on 6 Steps to Establish a Daily Practice
Signed up for a 5-day writing workshop
Saw clients at The Women’s Center
Penned my July dreams
Posted my overall goals across an armoire with pink Post-Its
Baked pink cupcakes
Hosted a TranquiliT birthday sale
Penned Tranquilosophy: Write {Week 26 of 52 Weeks of Tranquility}
Shared My Paris video
Tons of coordination with pug rescues
Set up appointments with two rescue pugs in Oklahoma
Shared piece in Tranquil Space newsletter
Conducted three podcast interviews
Sat at cafe to write for a few hours
Turned 42 and felt like a queen {thanks for your kindness}
Penned thank you notes
Savored a hot stone massage
Purchased The Tools
Met with printer regarding Daybook 4.0
Created and sent Love Note
Coordinated Costa Rica 2016 {date TBA}
Opened registration for Penning in Paris 2016
Coordinated orders with seamstress
Met with therapist
Attended peer group supervision
Volunteered at Hospice
Met with writing group
Started Write Your Memoir in 30 Days
Brunched with girlfriend
Shared sweet pig video
Consumed many green juices {and much salt water taffy}
Found hiding place of said salt water taffy {yes, I’d requested it to be hidden}
Opened birthday gifts with glee {I got a pink pig watering can!}
Weekend Wish List
Yoga
Volunteer at Hospice
Order parfum making supplies
Read Full Catastrophe Living
Dinner and Audrey Hepburn exhibit with girlfriend
Physical therapy session for broken wings {shoulders}
Package TranquiliT orders
Write
Et toi? What’s on your weekend wish list? Bisous. x
The post Week in Review appeared first on Kimberly Wilson.
July 2, 2015
Tranquilosphy: Write
Week 26: Write
The blank page beckons. It provides the opportunity to unleash emotion, memories, fantasies, and dreams.
Writing is a blend of vulnerability and empowerment. Hemingway said, “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” Yep, full-fledged vulnerability.
I grew up to the dings and taps of my father’s typewriter as he wrote into the wee hours. The instrument provided power to create and share. I was smitten.
For years writing served simply as an emotional outlet to capture my struggles, relationships, and doubts in a lined spiral-bound journal. Then I began writing for my yoga studio—newsletters, agreements, marketing materials. Shortly thereafter I found my way to blogging, writing books, studying writing, and occasionally teaching about the writing practice.
My journey continues to evolve the more I learn and explore. It’s truly a practice ripe with possibility. And the best part? There’s no one way to do it. From love notes to snail mail to memos to journal writing to essays to articles to op-eds to books, the options are limitless.
Yet to write takes time, effort, and the desire to bleed . . . at least a little.
Writing has been shown to speed up emotional and physical healing, to help change our perspective, and to lead to long-term improvements in mood, stress levels, and depressive symptoms. So, it looks like it may be worth the bleeding.
What do you feel bubbling up inside longing to get out? Does the thought of a blinking cursor or blank sheet of paper make you queasy? Is there a book idea swirling around in your mind?
Begin with pen and paper or a Word document titled “Writing.” Simple. Write what’s on your mind. Write what’s keeping you up at night. Write about the day your life changed. Write about your scar. Write about your relationship. Write the back cover copy for your memoir. Write your eulogy.
Make writing a priority this week, even if for only a few minutes during your lunch hour. Record your day with sensory details. Jot your dreams. Describe the setting you’re in. Share what you’re feeling. The point is to translate what’s in your head onto paper and observe what transpires without judgment.
Bleed a little and watch magic happen.
Share your experience this week in our Facebook group. Snap a photo of your writing practice and share it using #52weekstranquility.
Watch for Week 27 of 52 Weeks of Tranquility here next week.
Thank you for being here with us. Bisous. x
52 Weeks of Tranquility
This complimentary program is designed to help us stay motivated and engaged in 2015. Each week I’ll send inspiration to your inbox via Love Notes.
Joining later in the year? No worries, read previous weeks here.
To find support and community, join the private Facebook group and use hashtag #52weekstranquility to create additional online connections.
Connect live by calling in to seasonal Tranquilosophy podcasts. Next one happening Monday, September 21. Can’t join us live? Recordings are available.
May we savor deep moments of tranquility.
The post Tranquilosphy: Write appeared first on Kimberly Wilson.
July 1, 2015
Tranquility du Jour TV: Paris
Savor a video peek at a few of my favorite sensory-filled Parisian experiences.
When asked why I love Paris so much, I begin to gush.
The attention to detail. The style. The architecture. The green spaces. The bookstores. The sidewalk cafés. The museums. The impressionism. The Seine. The rose petal ice cream. The flowers. The ability to sip tea for hours without being encouraged to leave. The views of people reading of real books. The patisseries. The boulangeries. Ladurée. The taste of rosé . . . at lunch. The Eiffel Tower. The champagne. The farmers’ markets. The music. The vintage shopping. The flea markets. The bridges. The lampposts. The artistic flair. The pigeons. The abundance of chairs in the Tuileries and Luxembourg garden beckoning you to stay awhile. The hammams. The churches. The chocolate mousse.
Ah, the City of Light. So much packed into one pretty place.
Going to Paris? Peruse my go-tos. Bisous. x
The post Tranquility du Jour TV: Paris appeared first on Kimberly Wilson.
June 30, 2015
A Birthday Treat for You x
Today is my 42nd birthday {insert confetti toss} and I’m offering a special discount on ALL purchases from TranquiliT. Yep, even lifestyle items such as books, tees, and CDs.
Oh, and the best part, ALL orders made today will receive a complimentary copy of Get Your Yoga On CD. Use code BIRTHDAY at checkout to save 20%.
Below are the strawberry birthday cupcakes I made last night with Tim’s help {of course}. As you may know, I’m not much in the kitchen, but I can frost and sprinkle like a champ!
Thank you for your love, support, and kindness. May your mid-year day be sprinkled with joy. Bisous. x
The post A Birthday Treat for You x appeared first on Kimberly Wilson.
June 28, 2015
Penning in Paris 2016 {reg opens next week}
Ooh la la, registration opens *next week* and I want YOU to be the first to know about Penning in Paris 2016: A Writer’s Retreat.
Let me know you’re interested by simply sending an email that says “oui“ and:
I’ll reveal next year’s dates to you 48 hours before the rest of the world.
You’ll have first opportunity to join me in the City of Light next year.
Let’s Pen in Paris
Picture yourself writing in sidewalk cafés where Hemingway and de Beauvoir wrote, sharing your literary dreams, and deepening your commitment to a writing project . . . in Paris.
During this five-day retreat you’ll learn writing tools, tips to find your voice, how to create powerful openings, ways to structure your prose, the path to publication, and more.
The adventure includes yoga and writing in Luxembourg Garden, a luxurious afternoon tea at Ladurée, jaunts to English bookstores, a cruise on the Seine, meditation in the Paris’ oldest church, and time in the Tuileries.
Here’s what former participants are saying:
A unique retreat, I can’t think of any other teacher/host or set up like this, and I’ve been on plenty of retreats – pleasure, creativity, camaraderie and spirituality without over-worthiness or guilt. And everyone came back thoroughly inspired and nourished. What other retreat takes place in a way so deeply immersed in – rather than escaping from – the beauties of the world? While eating rose flavoured sorbet? While meditating in the oldest church in Paris, or drinking champagne with like minded ladies? I loved it.
I highly recommend Penning in Paris. It was a lovely experience in a beautiful city. Kimberly is the perfect host. She helped me find the inspiration, direction, and motivation to become a better writer. I appreciated her guidance on finding my voice. It was great to write and share with a group of supportive, like-minded women. I now have the courage to start my own blog. I would do this retreat again!
Anyone who is at all interested in the Paris retreat should honor their heart and inner writer by signing up. Kimberly sets the stage for a life changing experience on so many levels. I can’t recommend it enough!
This retreat had the perfect balance of structured time and free time. It was fun as well as productive and inspirational. The workshops were instrumental in helping me break through some personal barriers, leaving me with lots of new writing tools and focused goals that will be useful for a long time to come. The new friends I’ve made as a result of this experience are priceless!
The post Penning in Paris 2016 {reg opens next week} appeared first on Kimberly Wilson.
June 27, 2015
Week in Review
Week in Review
Brunched with girlfriend
Volunteered at Hospice
Dinner date with Tim
Tea date with girlfriend
Call with Teacher Director
Hosted Summer Seasonal Podcast
Soaked in the tub with almond oil
Penned Week 25 of 52 Weeks of Tranquility: Eat Your Veggies
Sent weekly Love Note to subscribers
Hosted giveaway {congrats Michelle!}
Tallied top 4 color choices and ordered swatches {thanks for voting!}
Released podcast #340 with Shannon Ables on Simply Luxurious Living
Interviewed two ladies for the podcast
Followed up with pug rescues
Savored daily green juices
Set up podcast with Laura Vanderkam {author on online book club pick}
Chose I Know How She Does It for summer online book club
Purchased What French Women Know, I Know How She Does It, and Scrum
Met with beautiful clients at The Women’s Center
Celebrated the Supreme Court’s ruling on marriage equality
Hosted a mentoring session
Met with therapist
Joined peer supervision therapist group
Met with social work supervisor
Took 3 yummy yoga classes
Shared Tranquil Space Arlington’s new look {see above pic}
Savored 13-year celebration dinner with senior Tranquil Space teachers
Weekend Wish List
Order parfum supplies
Soak in the tub
Savor a foot massage
Meet with writing group
Volunteer at Hospice
Brunch with girlfriend
Read more of Full Catastrophe Living
Start Write a Memoir in 30 Days
Listen to rain
Begin writing microcourse
Et toi? What’s on your weekend wish list? Bisous. x
The post Week in Review appeared first on Kimberly Wilson.
June 26, 2015
Summer Seasonal Podcast
A BIG thank you for tuning in Monday for the Summer Seasonal Podcast. We had a global group from the US, Argentina, France, Canada, the UK, and Australia. Loved having you with us!
Enjoy these images created from podcast participants spotted via social media. J’adore!
If you missed this quarterly live offering, the mp3 is available for download {$10}.
Thanks again for tuning in and s‘il vous plaît save the date for our Fall Seasonal Podcast on Monday, September 21 at 3pmET. Wishing you heaps of happiness and sunshine this summer.
FAQs
1. How do I join the live podcast?
Super duper easy. Call {yep, with a real phone or Skype} 712.432.3066 and enter the conference code 229226. Yes, same information for all countries. We typically have a global audience.
2. I can’t join live 3pm ET, can you offer it at another time to fit my schedule?
Ah, scheduling! This complimentary live event is offered four times a year and I’ve found 3pm ET to be my sweet spot that also accommodates others around the globe. If you can’t join us live, we do offer the recorded mp3 within a few hours of the event and these can be found on our digital page.
3. I purchased the mp3, but haven’t received it. Help!
This process is automated, so the file is automatically delivered to the email address you purchased it from. However, if technology doesn’t work in our favor, please don’t panic. Check your spam folder and, if it isn’t there, simply send us an email. We’ll get you the mp3 via another mode at our earliest convenience. We kindly request 24 hours, although it is typically within a few hours. We are not always in front of the computer, so your patience is greatly appreciated.
The post Summer Seasonal Podcast appeared first on Kimberly Wilson.
June 25, 2015
Tranquilosophy: Eat Your Veggies
Bitter. Sweet. Crunchy. Chewy. Greens. Yellows. Reds. Whites. Oranges. Crispy. Mushy. Baked. Fried.
They come in all shapes, sizes, tastes, and textures. Welcome to the wild, wild world of veggies.
This photo was snapped at a farmers’ market in Paris and the colorful array almost beckons you to consume them.
Infusing more plant-based alternatives into your diet offers benefits not only for your health, but also the environment and the animals. You know I’m like crazy obsessed with pigs, right?
Guess America’s most consumed veggie? Yep, the potato. Bonjour French fries! Sigh.
Although my sweet tooth has controlled me since infancy, there is something satisfying about a huge spinach salad topped with strawberry and apple slices, blueberries, grape tomatoes, walnuts, and a splash of balsamic vinaigrette.
Another easy way to consume heaps of veggies is to drink them through smoothies and juices. My go-to smoothie recipe is two to three overflowing handfuls of spinach, an assortment of one to two cups of frozen or fresh fruit, a few baby carrots, a cup of unsweetened almond milk, a spoonful of coconut oil, half an avocado, and sprinkles of protein powder, chia seeds, and/or flax seeds. Lots of fat and protein to satiate!
Soups are another simple way to eat your veggies. My favorite is a veggie cassoulet filled with beans, carrots, potatoes, onion, vegetable bouillon and a few savory rosemary sprigs. Yummy served hot or cold.
More of a snacker? Pack a bag of crunchy baby carrots to help offset a tempting afternoon jaunt to the vending machine. Savor celery dipped in sugar-free peanut butter for a crunchy protein kick. Try avocado sprinkled with Montreal steak seasoning {my favorite spice}. Make kale chips. Nosh on sweet potato hummus with whole wheat pita bread.
Next time you sit down to savor a meal, notice the colors in front of you. Are they bland, processed, from a bag or box, lacking life? No judgment, just notice. From there you can make simple small changes.
Spice up your plate up with a few cancer-fighting, immune-boosting colorful veggies. Spare the animals, conserve the environment, and honor your health. A true win-win!
Share insights, favorite recipes, and photos of your colorful veggies in our Facebook group and/or using #52weekstranquility via other social media channels.
Watch for Week 26 of 52 Weeks of Tranquility next week. Thank you for being here with us. Bisous. x
52 Weeks of Tranquility
This complimentary program is designed to help us stay motivated and engaged in 2015. Each week I’ll send inspiration to your inbox via Love Notes.
Joining later in the year? No worries, read previous weeks here.
To find support and community, join the private Facebook group and use hashtag #52weekstranquility to create additional online connections.
Connect live by calling in to seasonal Tranquilosophy podcasts. Next one happening Monday, September 21. Can’t join us live? Recordings are available.
May we savor deep moments of tranquility.
The post Tranquilosophy: Eat Your Veggies appeared first on Kimberly Wilson.
