Kimberly Wilson's Blog, page 133

November 1, 2014

week in review

loved the yellow leaves

savored a pink sprinkle donut

explored writing story structure

mohonk mountain house at sunset

adored the little dancer
week in reviewsaw the little dancer at the kennedy center {highly recommend}biked to and from the above artist datetrain to poughkeepsie, new york 5-day writers' retreatsunset hike with le beaumet a group of amazing writershours of anthology efforts + editssent love notepenned mindful mondaysat firesidesavored tea + cookie hour released playing BIG podcast with tara mohrbasked in the fall foliage vista shared things i lovepenned piece on writingsoaked in the tub penned tranquilosophy, part 4 of seriespicked up le pug from his grandparentsdaybook edits to designerdrive back to dc from the catskillslisted to mindfulness as a path to change on the unmistakable creative podcast {loved!}unpackedextended anthology pre-sale offer through november 10catch-up call with parentsovernight in harrisburg, penn on halloweenfell in love with white bean soup
weekend wish listlearn lots at yogananda filmmake tuscan kale and white bean soup {omg, i'm cooking!}get organized post-week awaysavor 6-hour mindfulness-based stress reduction daylongreconnection time with petspen november dreams
et toi? what's on your weekend wish list?bisous. x

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Published on November 01, 2014 11:30

October 30, 2014

tranquilosophy: TDJ 10 years, part 4

Happy 10 years to YOU and Tranquility du Jour. Thank you, dear reader, for being a part of this journey. This is the final post of this 4-part series on the past decade of blogging.

Here's a link to the piece about blogging from the upcoming Tranquility du Jour Anthology , an old favorite on uneasy feelings, and my biggest inspirations for blogging. Today I'm sharing my very first blog post and a story on its evolution.

On Monday, October 25, 2004, I penned my first piece:

as an avid journal writer and a firm believer in creating community, i thought putting together a blog for the tranquil space community would be a great way to share ideas about yoga, the practice on AND off the mat. watch for ideas on creating a home practice, ways to create a signature style, figuring out headstand, how to breathe deeper, tips for creating an oasis at home, and all sorts of other lifestyle related tips for living your practice. i will post to the blog as the muse hits. please check back regularly and feel free to share your thoughts or questions with me at kimberly@tranquilspace.com. please visit our monthly newsletter for all the updates at tranquil space yoga in dupont circle where yoga is not just poses, but a lifestyle.

Since this post, my blog, and life, has evolved greatly. What started as a blog around yoga aligned with Tranquil Space, transitioned into a space for me to muse, brainstorm, grieve, open up, and teach.

I began work on my first book, Hip Tranquil Chick and transitioned more into writing about the yoga lifestyle. Over the next few years there was the podcast, a passion for Paris that became pronounced (okay, maybe obsessed over), and the interjection of photography.

Once I began perusing other blogs, I was blown away by their beauty and have since been on an ongoing mission to enhance my readers' experience. There's even a new look and platform coming your way (that we've been working on since April). Yep, Rome definitely wasn't built in a day.

Tranquility du Jour Anthology was uploaded to the printer today after 1.5 years of pondering and six months of working on it daily. How apropos that it is nearly 10 years from the exact date of the very first post. {Note: The special pre-sale offer ends tomorrow, October 31}

Below are a few more sneak peek pages highlighting three topics that have transformed me over the past decade: yoga, creativity, and travel.

Think back to who you were and where you were in October 2004. What were you wearing? Where were you living? Who were you with? How did you feel? Reflect on how far you've come. Lessons you've learned. Losses and gains.

I was a 31-year-old dreaming of writing a book, living and breathing my 5-year-old yoga studio, in a 10-month relationship, a new home owner (hello, Pink Palace), wearing lots of pink and black, listening to Eminem, and starting to design my own pieces for TranquiliT. Deeply wishing for a tribe.

And I've found it. Reader essays sprinkled throughout the Anthology came in from Australia, the US, Canada, Spain, France, and England. I'm oh-so-grateful to have connected through this medium.

What are you grateful for? Take a moment to pen a few items.

Merci beaucoup for resonating with Tranquility du Jour. May we continue blooming, shedding, and evolving this next decade. I'm grateful we found each other and I hope to offer you much more tranquility in the years ahead. I bow to you with gratitude and delight. Bisous.

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Published on October 30, 2014 19:04

October 29, 2014

wednesday well-being: writing

We write to taste life twice, in the moment, and in retrospection.<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "ＭＳ明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">—</span><span class="st">Anaïs Nin</span><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="st">My mind is swirling from the past few days of </span><span class="st"><span class="st">trying to get in touch with my 20-year-old self for a future memoir and </span>loads storytelling technique. <i>Exhausting</i>. Especially while tying the final pretty pink organza bow around the <a href="http://www.kimberlywilson.com/books/a... du Jour Anthology</i></a> going to print any moment. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="st"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="st">Above is a photo of my process here with <a href="http://trackingwonder.com/our-story/j... Davis</a> (<a href="http://blog.kimberlywilson.com/2007/0... here in 2007</a>) and an amazing group of writers. I've been toying with a memoir outline, pondering the concept for well over a year, and am finding the journey into a new genre, well, oh-so-challenging. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="st">I've described it to a few colleagues as that teary feeling I had in 7th grade special honors math class when I <i>really</i> should have been in remedial math class. Yep, an 11-year-old all over again not grasping basic algebra. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="st">Or whatever we did with numbers at that age. I still cringe when thinking about the teacher coming over the my desk to help me understand the basics as my eyes welled up with tears and my peers quickly turned in their easily-understood assignments. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="st"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="st">Before I dash off to slumber, I wanted to share a few writing quotes to show that the process is cathartic and empowering as well as incredibly vulnerable. Yes, it's hard. Yes, you may feel like you're back in subject where you struggled. Dumb math. And, yes, it's good to challenge yourself.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="st"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you</i>.<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "ＭＳ明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">—</span><span class="st"></span>Maya Angelou </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><i>There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed</i>.<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "ＭＳ明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">—</span><span class="st"></span>Ernest Hemingway</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.</i><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "ＭＳ明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">—</span><span class="st"></span>Stephen King</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br />And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt</i>.<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "ＭＳ明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">—</span><span class="st"></span>Sylvia Plath </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>How vain it is to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live</i>.<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "ＭＳ明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">—</span><span class="st"></span>Henry David Thoreau </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>The role of a writer is not to say what we can all say, but what we are unable to say</i>.<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "ＭＳ明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">—</span><span class="st">Anaïs Nin</span> </div><br />Share your story. And avoid math class. <i>Bisous</i>. x<br /><br /><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/HipTra..." height="1" width="1"/>

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Published on October 29, 2014 20:11

October 28, 2014

things i love

image courtesy of deliciously ella1. beautiful setting

image courtesy of buzzfeed2. j'adore jungle-like sunrooms

image + how-to courtesy of ruche 3. love succulents

image courtesy of alyson latham4. yay thrifted ball gown skirt from goodwill {my 15-year fete ensemble}

image courtesy of buzzfeed5. clawfoot tub envy

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Published on October 28, 2014 18:51

October 27, 2014

tranquility du jour #324: playing big

Welcome to the 324th edition of Tranquility du Jour. Today's show features Tara Mohr on Playing BIG. You'll learn how to play big, how to unhook from praise and criticism, and how to find your calling{s}.

Direct download: Tranquility du Jour #324: Playing Big (mp3)

Featured Guest:

Tara Sophia Mohr is an expert on women’s leadership and well-being. She is the author of Playing Big: Find Your Voice, Your Mission, Your Message . She is the creator of the acclaimed Playing Big leadership program for women, which now has more than 1000 graduates from around the world. Tara writes a popular blog on women’s careers and wellbeing at taramohr.com and has been featured on The Today Show and in publications ranging from Huffington Post to Harvard Business Review to MariaShriver.com. Tara received her MBA from Stanford University and her undergraduate degree in English literature from Yale. In 2010, Tara was named a Girl Champion by the Girl Effect organization, honoring her work on girls’ education in the developing world. She is also a poet, and the author of Your Other Names: Poems for Wise Living. She lives in San Francisco and loves dance, art, and long walks with her beloved husband, son and golden retriever.

Savvy Sources:
Book: Playing Big
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Seasonal online book club pick: Paris Letters Tranquility du Jour iPhone and Android app

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Published on October 27, 2014 16:05

mindful monday: kindness

spot for this week's writers' retreat
Bonjour from Ulster County, New York.
I'm gearing up for a 5-day writing program with Jeffrey Davis of Tracking Wonder. You may recall his podcast interview here many moons ago on the writing life.
We're staying at the Mohonk Mountain House--a 145-year-old hotel complete with a fireplace in our tiny room and a tea and cookie hour. I feel at home. The mountain is filled with vibrant yellow, orange, and red leaves that beckon us to settle in after weeks of moving quickly.
It's the perfect reset button as I tie a bow around the Anthology (going to print tomorrow, fingers crossed) and return to my memoir-writing dream.
During this summer's mindfulness training with Jon Kabat-Zinn, I got chills when he recited a poem titled "Kindness." When my mindfulness-based stress reduction teacher also shared it, I knew I needed to post it here.
It's by Naomi Shihab Nye and here's an interview with her on the making of the poem. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
Kindness
Before you know what kindness really is
you must lose things,
feel the future dissolve in a moment
like salt in a weakened broth.
What you held in your hand,
what you counted and carefully saved,
all this must go so you know
how desolate the landscape can be
between the regions of kindness.
How you ride and ride
thinking the bus will never stop,
the passengers eating maize and chicken
will stare out the window forever.
Before you learn the tender gravity of kindness,
you must travel where the Indian in a white poncho
lies dead by the side of the road.
You must see how this could be you,
how he too was someone
who journeyed through the night with plans
and the simple breath that kept him alive.
Before you know kindness as the deepest thing inside,
you must know sorrow as the other deepest thing.
You must wake up with sorrow.
You must speak to it till your voice
catches the thread of all sorrows
and you see the size of the cloth.
Then it is only kindness that makes sense anymore,
only kindness that ties your shoes
and sends you out into the day to mail letters and purchase bread,
only kindness that raises its head
from the crowd of the world to say
it is I you have been looking for,
and then goes with you everywhere
like a shadow or a friend.
Wishing you a week of kindness. Toward yourself and all other beings. Bisous. x
Before you know what kindness really is you must lose things, feel the future dissolve in a moment like salt in a weakened broth. What you held in your hand, what you counted and carefully saved, all this must go so you know how desolate the landscape can be between the regions of kindness. How you ride and ride thinking the bus will never stop, the passengers eating maize and chicken will stare out the window forever. Before you learn the tender gravity of kindness, you must travel where the Indian in a white poncho lies dead by the side of the road. You must see how this could be you, how he too was someone who journeyed through the night with plans and the simple breath that kept him alive. Before you know kindness as the deepest thing inside, you must know sorrow as the other deepest thing. You must wake up with sorrow. You must speak to it till your voice catches the thread of all sorrows and you see the size of the cloth. Then it is only kindness that makes sense anymore, only kindness that ties your shoes and sends you out into the day to mail letters and purchase bread, only kindness that raises its head from the crowd of the world to say It is I you have been looking for, and then goes with you everywhere like a shadow or a friend.- See more at: http://spiritualityhealth.com/article...

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Published on October 27, 2014 13:24

October 26, 2014

week in review

airplane reading

garth brooks concert get up

le pug's 10th birthday

tranquil space's 15th

more 15th love

and more {with le beau, pic by marie maroun}

special gift package with anthology pre-orders

sneak peek at tranquility du jour daybook draft cover
week in reviewflew to and from jacksonville for garth brooks concertcelebrated le pug's 10th birthday with party hats, doggie cake + bubblyhosted friends for le pug's eventtook two mindfulness-based stress reduction workshopstaught 1.5 hours of advanced teacher trainingsaw clients at the women's centerenjoyed working by the fire acupunctureread show your work savored wine + olives at the airport wine barinterviewed tara mohr for monday's podcastmentoring sessionmeeting with social work supervisoranthology edits and photo updateshair cut + colortaught 4 yoga classestook 3 yoga classes1 gym jauntsent love note to newsletter subscribersinvited teachers + managers to showing of awake: the life of yogananda solidified daybook cover with designer15-year fete set uprewrote anthology epilogueshipped online salespenned and gave speech at 15-year fetespent most of saturday in bed recalibrating sipped many green juiceshad date night with le beaugot hair did for 15-year fetebiked 8 miles
weekend wish listsavor artist date the little dancer at the kennedy center tonightpack for 5-day writer's retreat at mohonk mountain house
et toi? what's on your sunday night wish list?bisous. x

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Published on October 26, 2014 15:18

October 23, 2014

tranquilosophy: TDJ 10 years, part 3

Two weeks ago was the launch of this 4-part series on my 10 years of blogging. Here's a link to the piece about blogging over the past decade and an old favorite on uneasy feelings. Today I'm sharing my biggest inspirations for blogging:

1. Snapping photos: using them to support blog post development
2. Mindfulness and yoga practice: mainly juicy quotes or takeaways
3. Travel: especially France and most especially, Paris
4. Reading: favorites and more on Goodreads
5. Thrifting and window shopping
6. Challenges, lessons learned, struggles
7. Writing classes
8. Fellow bloggers: Susannah Conway, A Beautiful Mess, Be More With Less, Gala Darling
9. Continuing education: conferences, workshops, online courses
10. Daily life: pets, Le Beau, studio, meals, tea time

As you can see, so many things serve as inspiration for these blog posts.

When we sit down to write, often the biggest challenge is the blank page or screen. Getting past that discomfort is the first step. That's why starting with an image, list, quote, or lesson offers a muse for a piece to flow from.

Inspiration can be found anywhere. It's up to us to mine it and find the meaning inside. Bisous. x

Tranquility du Jour Anthology releases early November. Pre-sale goodies available through October 31. Pre-order your copy.

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Published on October 23, 2014 11:10

October 22, 2014

wednesday well-being: tranquility zone

En route to see Garth Brooks {omg!} in Jacksonville, Florida last weekend {whole other blog post coming on that!}, I passed this sign outside the hotel elevators. Tranquility Zone.

I leapt in front of this pretty purple declaration for the above photo, basking in an unexpected moment of synchronicity.

The idea of a Tranquility Zone reminds me of the "in silence" button one wears while on retreat to let fellow participants know they're not talking. Thus, talking to them is fruitless. {Insert sigh of relief}.

As an introvert who craves, and needs, lots of quiet, the "in silence" button offers a pass at small talk and an opportunity to go deeper into the experience at hand.

My professional life has been built around the term "tranquility." As you may have heard, we teach what we most need to learn, so stumbling upon a Tranquility Zone was just what I needed to receive this gentle reminder.

Despite life's ongoing encouragement to go faster and do more, we have the choice to step off the treadmill from time to time {ideally daily} and into the Tranquility Zone.

What is your Tranquility Zone? For moi, it's soaks in the tub, sitting fireside, doing yoga, and reading in bed, to name a few.

Declare a special nook, time of day, cafe table, or activity your Tranquility Zone and hold onto it like you would a lover. It's sacred and being with it is a non-negotiable. Bisous. x

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Published on October 22, 2014 08:04

October 21, 2014

things i love

image credit2. how i long to spend downtime
image + recipe credit3. clever oatmeal treats to-go
image + how-to credit4. fringe party decor
created by le beau5. tranquil space's 15-year infographic