testing the waters
so i’ve had this idea percolating for some time now. really, it’s been on my mind ever since attempting [and somewhat failing] to complete the 40 day revolution. my experiences with this project certainly weren’t all negative — i did get into some beginning meditation, practiced more yoga than ever before, and opened my mind to some new ways of thinking.
but i didn’t finish.
heather completed this challenge right around the same time [i got the idea from her!], and had a wonderful experience. i think a few factors contributed to our divergent experiences:
✔ community and support: [most importantly] she was doing her challenge in a formal fashion – the program was run by her local yoga studio. she had a group of others she was participating in the program with, and had leaders to turn to for support and to answer questions.
✔ fit: perhaps the main focuses of the challenge aligned better with her current goals — and she was able to zero in on these areas without a lot of outside distractions
✔ readiness: i was somewhat of a mess around that time [of note, i was on fertility medications, which did not do anything positive for my mood]
an idea sparks
a little disappointed in my abilities to get the most out of this experience on my own, i looked around to see if there were any durham or chapel hill studios offering anything like the program that heather participated in — but i didn’t find any. plus, who knew if that would solve problem #2, above? i wanted a structured experience that still addressed the things that were most important to me. and i realized i was just as likely [perhaps more] to find spiritual peace in a fabulously organized closet as i am in a half-hour meditation session, so perhaps i needed a slightly different approach, anyway.
and then one day, i realized that no one was stopping me from creating a longer-term project of my OWN — tailored exactly how i want it! i wrote about this over a month ago. here was a one-day proposed mini-retreat [for a weekend] included in that post:
it was a start . . .
but once i wrote that out, i wanted more. more flexibility, more activities, a community/interactive aspect, and a longer stretch to design an experience that would be rejuvenating, fun, and maybe even a LITTLE bit transformative. my own happiness project of sorts!
i decided that a 6 week program would be an ideal length — enough time to really delve into self-exploration without a high risk of early burnout. i am currently in the process of working out the details, but i wanted to see if any of you wanted to join me!
look y’all — there’s even a logo 🙂
here’s the basic plan
6 weeks of suggested reading, writing, and [fun] activities, each centered around a theme:
♥ inside/out [self-care/body]
♥ time is life [time management]
♥ love is all around [relationships]
♥ relaaaaax [exactly what it sounds like!]
♥ finding flow [engagement]
♥ putting it all together [and making plans for the future]
activities will include:
✰ a balance between social experiences and meditative quiet
✰ weekly 24-hour mini-retreats – design your own, but i’ll also provide an example template
✰ a focus on relaxation + self-care – working towards finding a beautiful balance between work + play
and, the experience will be interactive as i will feature your recap posts [assuming there is interest] each week.
you can do 2% of 100% of this — and the good news is it’s only $39.99 to sign up!
[DUDE. i’m kidding. obviously it’s free!]
in fact, it will be more than free — i will be doing weekly giveaways to go along with each theme. i recently accepted another ad assignment and will be putting a chunk of those earnings towards this project.
who’s in?
so: anyone want to join me? just leave a comment in this post! i will be posting everything on the blog, but i’d love to know who is participating and my goal is to make this a more interactive experience [twitter chats? facebook updates? we’ll see]
other housekeeping issues
the olay review spafinder giveaway is ending in just 2 days — and your odds are still awesome. [come to think of it, a massage or facial would be an EXCELLENT way of kicking off the above experience!].
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5.11.11
workout: nada [on tuesday i ran 3.2 again and went to power/yin yoga — yesterday i just needed to recover!]
scallops supreme
local peas . . . and local pimiento [goat!] CHEESE . . .
best. appetizer. ever
i guess dinner was pretty good, too:
see sidebar for recipe from this month’s CL
although i didn’t get to eat it until 9:15!! josh’s hours are absolutely ridiculous lately.
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