What’s the saying, “No pain no gain”? I have found that many people aren’t willing to go through the pain. Who does, right? It’s disappointing to live in a world where we choose instant pleasure and what feels good now. So many people tell me, “It’s too painful” and “It’s too much work”. Well guess what, everything in life has a price and its up to you to take it in as “pain”. I choose to do the work, pay the price, feel the pain so that I can own my gains!

When you are on foot at a stop light and it turns yellow/orange, do you run or stop and wait. The other day I came upon this dilemma. I stopped, decided to wait because I didn’t know if I would make it. Then here comes literally an 80 year old man running pass me to make the light! I was so inspired by him to “not wait”. He didn’t doubt that he couldn’t make it. He wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity for the “now”. As I stood there watching him run across I realized that opportunities come and go quickly. It doesn’t do us good to stop, doubt and wait. Go for it, Run!

Yesterday I found out that a dear friend of mine tragically lost her brother. On Saturday I attended a memorial service for a good friend’s mother. It is apparent that death is amongst us but what isn’t always so apparent is our opportunities for life and living, like saying “I love you” more often, taking risks to help others, going after dreams. We are all given chances to live our life to its fullest. It’s up to us to be available to those paths, recognize them, take action and begin the journey to living.

I ask all my clients, “What is your favorite body part?” The answer lies in not so much what they say but how they say it. Did they sigh? Did they scrunch their face? Did they make a joke? Can you answer this question and be proud of your body regardless if you want to change it? In other words can you acknowledge the good and appreciate yourself?

The other day I forced myself to attend a restorative yoga class instead of a power yoga or a session at the gym. I wanted to workout and thought I needed a stress reliever like a good sweat. Little did I know that laying on yoga props in calming postures for up to ten minutes was what I needed most. As my thoughts and wants all melted away with the music of “singing bowls” (google that) the need to be there was apparent. I needed to recharge, unplug, reboot. The need to have less stimulus, less stress, less distractions was overwhelming and sometimes we have to force ourselves to go in that direction. Sometimes what we want isn’t always what we need.

Lately I have been most surprised by life. Is it because I have begun to have less expectations? Is it because I choose to not label? Is it that I keep my mind open to all that is possible? Either way, it has allowed me to experience surprises in both people and my body. Today I lifted heavier than I have in months. Today I pushed harder in my movements and went through my circuits seamlessly. Today I surprised myself with more strength, more intention and focus than I have had in a long time. Allow yourself to be surprised!

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I spent almost three hours in the dentist chair. Sitting there I realized that there are things in life you cannot control. For me, I floss, brush, rinse, avoid sugary and chewy foods but I am always dealing with teeth issues. It’s so frustrating and rather painful to be in such a vulnerable state. No matter how hard I try, how badly I want it, for some reason I can’t seem to get the results I want. Isn’t that the case sometimes with our bodies? I get that and after being forced to sit for almost three hours I know that fighting it or being upset about it only makes matters worse. I am who I am and although it isn’t always what I had hoped for, planned for or prepared for, acceptance is the key.

I use to teach yoga. At the end of class we all sit together with our hands in prayer at our hearts, eyes closed. Then we raise our prayer hands to the middle of our foreheads and bow down. At that point I would say, “Take a deep breath in and bow down to Mother Earth. She who feeds us, supports us and grounds us. Namaste.”

There is a fine line between pain and pleasure meaning that both are to be experienced and sometimes it isn’t clear which is occurring because if you are truly taking on life then the two feelings can almost exist at the same time. For example, when I am working out I feel the “pain” of my muscles working hard and at the same time I feel the pleasure of doing something solely for myself. It’s your choice to focus on pain or pleasure but you must acknowledge that they are a symbiotic pair.