energy management

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{ breathing space }

July 25, 2010 in breathing space, energy management by eringoodman | 7 comments

 

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Although I am not able to literally slow down right now (I’ll be back at the Kenyon Mill Summer Festival from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. again today and at the East Greenwich Farmers’ Market tomorrow) I wanted to take a minute to remind myself, and any of you who might be feeling overwhelmed with the pace of busy summer weekends, that I get to choose how I want to feel.

And that at any moment in any day, I can…exhale. return to center. And that doing so makes all the difference in the world.

 

wishing you a peaceful day. 

no sleep ’til circus smirkus!

July 19, 2010 in energy management, family fun by eringoodman | 7 comments

Today is the day!! Circus Smirkus is here! 

This is the first time we have counted down to a special event in this way (counting sleeps) and it will definitely not be the last time – what fun!

It really kept things in perspective for John and me as we worked our way through clutter clean-up and random home repairs — you know those little things that you are able to ignore for months but that you absolutely MUST take care of when you are expecting visitors. (Please tell me this happens in your house too.)

Having a deadline and feeling the excitement build each day as we subtracted another ’sleep’ from our chalkboard was a really powerful incentive to keep checking those little projects off our list!

I picked up a new shower curtain over the weekend. It’s amazing what a cheerful sheet of (non-PVC!!) plastic can do to brighten up a small space.

Counting sleeps was also really tangible and understandable for our children. Each day as the number on our chart got smaller and smaller, their energy and excitement grew bigger and bigger. (And the actual ’sleep’ part of counting sleeps became more and more elusive!)

The kids and I made these colorful paper collages over the weekend to help welcome our guests.

On Friday when we received an e-mail with the names and bios of the troupers who will be staying with us, it all started to become really amazingly-awesomely REAL!

Later today we look forward to attending a potluck dinner with all the troupers and host families. Then for the next several days we will be feeding and driving (note to self – clean out the third row seat of the car!) and doing whatever we can to make our guests feel at home.

I have a new kidoinfo column scheduled to run this week and an exciting project that I’ve been working on with Lisa Delzer of Visionary Mom, which I will pop in to share with you at some point in the coming days, but for now — it’s time for me to sign off and enjoy our time with the circus!

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Have a wonderful week!

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yoga on the farm

July 5, 2010 in community, energy management, events by eringoodman | 15 comments

Often when people find out that I’m a yoga teacher what soon follows are comments about how I must be very flexible or that they can’t do yoga because they are not very flexible.

It’s really not about that, I always respond.

The pictures we see in magazines of people ”doing yoga” may be about bending and contorting pretzel-style, but yoga - real yoga - is not about the length of your hamstrings.

True yoga is about a very different kind of flexibility - especially when it is practiced at a community farm!

As in the kind of flexibility that is needed when you learn two days before your summer yoga program is set to start that the tent that is always up before the Fourth of July weekend, the tent we are blessed to use as our summer yoga studio, is not going up until the fifth of July this year.

And the quick (and relatively smooth) shift to a new location tucked in the shade of the farm house.

It is about OMs chanted in harmony with birdsong, punctuated by passing farm trucks.

And parents and children learning to find moments of peace together — one practicing Downward Facing Dog, while the other “decorates the dog” — during a family yoga class.

It’s about expressing gratitude for this amazing community that we are blessed to be a part of and giving thanks for all those who joyfully share their gifts each week in the form of music, art, produce, pastries, meats, cheeses, ice cream, flowers and so much more.

And the wonderful people who come out each week, shopping lists and market baskets in hand, to offer their dollars directly to the farmers and artisans.

And for me yoga on the farm is about realizing a dream, a little spark of a wish that was born in my heart several years ago to do what I can, using the unique gifts that I have been given, to help grow the community at this beautiful community farm I love so very much.

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Community Yoga at the Coastal Growers’ Market at Casey Farm runs through Sat., Aug. 28. See my events page for more details.

gettin’ out of dodge

June 21, 2010 in energy management, family+career by eringoodman | 20 comments

.{ photo by lily. photo effects using picnik by mama. }

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Last year the kids and I, along with a dear family friend, took a road trip to Vermont to celebrate the end of school / beginning of summer. We had so much fun on the trip that we decided that it should be an annual event — a way to mark the transition and settle into the rhythm of summer.

Because the end of school also falls around the time of Father’s Day, a ”Mama and kids trip” also allows us to give the much appreciated gift of a quiet house to a very hard-working Papa.

I wasn’t working at this time last year and planning a trip was a very different experience – something I put a good amount of time and creative energy into. This year we are winging it in a big way. (A common theme around these parts in the last few months.)

Although I was mentally planning our time in Vermont, I neglected to actually pick up the phone and confirm our plans with our hosts. And when I finally did, I learned that they would not be home during our intended visit. Oops.

My work schedule and coordinating with our friend’s family does not leave much flexibility for changing our travel week. So, after a couple of tiny mama meltdowns, I tossed my arms up in the air and decided that instead of visiting Vermont, this year we are heading off via train to explore life in the city!

We do not have an itinerary. We will each carry one and only one backpack.

And in my heart I will hold this intention – to unplug from work, e-mail, cell phones, and to-do lists for 72 hours and be present with my beautiful travel companions. 

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Have a beautiful week, friends.

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 *** Although I will be away, I will still be participating in Rae Grant’s latest book tour. Please stop back here on Wednesday to learn a little bit more about Rae and enter for a chance to win her latest book, Homemade Fun!  ***

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calling time out

June 14, 2010 in energy management, family+career, living our dreams! by eringoodman | 11 comments

 

I love watching my kids when they are engrossed in play. They run like wild in this direction and that and then somewhere along the line one of them yells Time out!

And just like that, everything stops. 

They instantly switch out of their roles as dog catchers or eagles hunting for prey. Their voices change from growls and roars to casual spoken observations like, “I have to go to the pee.” or “Let’s ask Mama if we can have ice cream.”

A few minutes later someone yells Time in! and their play resumes.

I have been running like wild for weeks now.

Writing. Blogging. Teaching. Taking photos. Washing eggs. Working at the market. Organizing CSA pick-ups. Hosting parties. Hanging signs. Running workshops. Attending meetings. Returning phone calls. Writing e-mails. Learning how to milk cows. And how to write grants. Trying to figure out how to keep my family healthy, happy, fed, clothed and (at least occasionally) bathed while working long days.

Plus…Dancing. Singing. And learning to play the guitar.

Loving every moment of this dream-come-true life that I am living.

But still…Running. Running. Running.

I realized over the weekend thanks to a few fairly critical (and fairly costly) balls that were dropped and a grocery store mama-meltdown that had perfect strangers scrambling to help get me and my kids through the line and out of the store, that I need to step back and call Time out.

I can keep powering on full speed ahead – fueling myself with energy nuggets, avocados, and almonds while in constant motion – for a while. But at what cost?

This week marks the end of the school year for my children. And we have some special people to celebrate this coming weekend – namely a girl who is turning six, a Papa, who in addition to working full time himself, is absolutely rockin’ the homefront while I’m burning the midnight oil at the farm or in front of this screen, and a Grandpa, who on more than a few occasions has found himself working at a farm with his daughter or helping her to chase down random tools or parts that are needed for whatever project is top priority for the day.

Which is all just a long way of saying - something’s got to give. And this week it is the blog. I hope you all have a wonderful, peace-filled week. I’ll likely be back on Friday with a photo or two from the week. And I’ll definitely be back next week to share a special author interview and book giveaway!

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Be well friends.

what’s working :: mapping out the day

June 2, 2010 in energy management, waldorf-inspired, what's working! by eringoodman | 15 comments

For the past three years we have been greeted by the cheerful blackboard outside our children’s Waldorf-inspired nursery school.

At the top of the board there is usually a short verse and a drawing inspired by the current season. Below the drawing, information is shared with parents — upcoming school field trips, reminders that tuition is due, requests for household items that will be recycled into beautiful art etc.

And at the bottom of the board is where the teachers communicate with the children. A child’s name and symbol in the bottom left of the board tells us who the Dear Friend is that day. And words and a small drawing tell us what the main activity will be for that day — baking, painting, hiking, a birthday party etc.

For three years I have been photographing this board and pausing to savor the sweet verses and drawings. And feeling so much gratitude for this beautiful community that we are blessed to be a part of.

And sometimes, on the tough, disheveled kinds of days, sighing and wishing that I could be more like my children’s teachers — more grounded and focused and consistent — both for myself and for my children.

And then finally earlier this year, it dawned on me that I could start (baby steps, right?) by creating our own blackboard and beginning to map out some of our family’s rhythms.

So I dug out my chalkboard paint and taped off a spot on a door in our kitchen and got to work. I always like to begin all painting projects with a word or drawing — something to symbolize the energy I’d like us to experience in that space – and for this one it was a nice big smiley face.

It was January when I created this blackboard and since that time it has become fully integrated into our family’s days — though I must admit that at first it was extremely uncomfortable for this free-spirited mama, who likes to wander where her heart takes her, to focus our day’s activities to that which could be easily represented on a blackboard.

But over time our own unique family rhythm has emerged…school days, home days, farm days, church and family days…with plenty of special celebrations and adventures mixed in. 

(Rosy, by the way, is one of our amazing mother’s helpers, who joins us on many of our adventures.)

At the top of the board, I write a quote that I find inspiring – something that reminds me that I get to choose how I feel as I move through my days and I get to choose where I want to place my focus – and then I let my little chalk wander around into some sort of a drawing or doodle. I change the top part of the board when the spirit moves me and we update the bottom half together each morning.

Easy peasy and it really works for us!

How about you? What’s working in your world?

 

three deep breaths

May 25, 2010 in energy management, mindful moments by eringoodman | 14 comments

Still plenty of time to enter the Mom Evolve giveaway. Winner will be announced this weekend.

 

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Every yoga class I lead begins with three deep breath as I invite my students to tune out the outside world and settle into the present moment.

As they sit and breathe slowly and deeply – in through the nose and out through the mouth – I feel their energy begin to soften. I feel them begin to detach from whatever challenges they are experiencing in their daily life and move into the role of peaceful observer.

As we add gentle physical movement to the breath, I watch the space between the bottoms of their ears and the tops of their shoulders lengthen and the furrow in their brows melt away.

I know the power of the breath. Deep in my being I know it.

And yet I still forget.

I forget when I’m cooking dinner and phone is ringing and the cat is climbing on the table and my daughter is screeching at the top of her lungs because her brother took her favorite cup and the dog is pacing under my feet waiting to eat and when I finally find the phone, I discover it’s my husband, who is sorry but running a little late.

In moments like these I often forget that I have the power to choose how I want to feel.

But the beautiful thing about forgetting something important is that you get to relearn it, which is exactly what happened this weekend when I was attending the annual plant sale at our friend’s farm (something I look forward to greatly) with my children and my sister.

The kids were weaving their way through the crowds…running from the chicken pen to the goldfish pond…laughing and playing.

I smiled and thought out loud to my sister how wonderful it is to be able to browse the plants and not worry about the kids. Such a big shift has occurred in the last year and their new level of independence is liberating and exciting for me.

And then somewhere between cherry tomatoes and cilantro things started to fall apart. 

The sun was hot. The kids were hungry. They were no longer playing and having fun. I was no longer browsing in peace. They were now hanging on me and whining and arguing with each other.

I pleaded for just a few more minutes wanting desperately to find just the right plants for our yard. But they continued to whine – and beg me to buy all sorts of random plants that I did not come there to buy.

I felt deep feelings of frustration and resentment surfacing. My jaw was clenched. My stomach was tight. I started to feel tears of frustration welling in my eyes.

And just as I was about to throw up my arms in frustration, I looked up and saw an empty chair in the shade. I put down all my plants and walked over. As I sat there I reminded myself to take three deep breaths.

And as I did everything began to shift.

The kids followed me up to the chair. I told them that I needed some quiet time and that they could play nearby or go find Auntie Jill.

As I softened internally, the world around me began to soften as well.

Within a few minutes the kids and I were comfortably chatting and making a plan to buy them each some plants of their choice. Not the plants I intended to buy, but the plants that were clearly meant to come home with us.

As they selected their plants – a Firecracker Vine to attract hummingbirds, lavender because it smells so wonderful, and purple basil and pretty flowering plants because they are so beautiful, Mama — waves of deep peace and gratitude washed over me.

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Three deep breaths, my friends. Powerful stuff.

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filling the well :: quietly

May 12, 2010 in energy management, self-care by eringoodman | 8 comments

Of all the things I do to fill my inner well, there is one thing that I absolutely need (and that challenges this list-loving, Type A, go-go-go mama the most) and that is to make time and space every day for quiet.

Not just the quiet of removing myself from the external noise of every day life, but the peace that comes with being truly quiet in the body, mind and soul.

My work – writing, teaching and leading retreats – is much like parenting in that I have to fill up first so that I am able to give freely from a place of peace, joy and authenticity. If I neglect to do this, it is easy for my work (both professionally and as a parent) to feel like a burden rather than a blessing.

So with this in mind, I am going to step back from this space for a few days and spend some time being quiet.

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Wishing you all a happy New Moon (on Thursday) and a wonderful weekend!

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For those who are local, there are still a few spots in this weekend’s retreat.

More details here..

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filling the well :: at the ocean

May 7, 2010 in energy management, nature, self-care by eringoodman | 16 comments

As I prepare for my upcoming retreat, Filling the Well, I am consciously and intentionally slowing down and taking time to be still. In the coming days, I will share some of the ways that I personally “fill the well” and I look forward to hearing your thoughts, if you feel inspired to share, about ways you fill your inner well.  

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The coastline of our beautiful Ocean State is a sanctuary for me.

At dawn. At dusk. On blustery winter days. On quiet September mornings. On drizzling grey days. Down winding paths that lead to quiet out-of-the-way places. I go with friends. With my dog. With my children. With my husband.  

But mostly, I go alone — to release, to recenter, and to refill my inner well.

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I go to the ocean with…

butterflies in my stomach.

questions lashing at my mind.

tears in my eyes and aches in my heart.

 joys so big I cannot contain them in my body.

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In crashing waves, smooth tumbled stones, swirling shells, frosted sea glass and, most especially, in the quiet of my heart, I find answers. I find comfort. I find peace.

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How about you? Where do you go (literally or figuratively) to fill your inner well?

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breathing space :: new beginnings

April 14, 2010 in breathing space, energy management by eringoodman | 3 comments

I wanted to share little more about Treasure-Mapping, which begins today, and then I will be signing off for the next couple of days to spend some time reflecting and creating and preparing for my 2nd Treasure-Mapping Funshop this Saturday.

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Lily working on her Treasure Map last year.

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Spring is like another beginning of the year. What has been growing, building up, and maturing in darkness and silence during the winter is about to be expressed. Life is shifting, decisions are made, and beginnings are begun. Where do you want to go? What dreams are still sitting on the shelf? Open up your imagination, be inspired to do more than you thought possible. Look for things that resonate. Images of what you dream but can’t express, photos that make your skin tingle, magazine cutouts that speak to you. Put them where you can see them — on the wall, inside a cupboard door, hung above your desk, on your bedside table.

~Caroline Somp, A Year of Little Things

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I was thrilled to recently find these words – so appropriate for the Aries New Moon and the process of Treasure-Mapping, which begins today – in Caroline Somp’s beautiful book, A Year of Little Things. (Thank you Rae for sharing this sweet book with me!)

If you feel inspired to do so, I hope you will make some time today (or in the coming days) to flip through magazines and tear out words and images, doodle pictures, make lists, write, and talk about the dreams you hold in your heart!

If you want to grow a sunflower, you begin by planting a sunflower seed. I truly believe it is the same with our dreams! What is it that you most want to experience in the coming year? Now is the time to plant the seeds! 

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I created this basic guide for my workshop and am happy to share it with you. Treasure-Mapping Guide (pdf)

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Happy weekend (a little early) friends.

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