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as we go down to the river and play ...

me@pegmulqueen.com (peg mulqueen) — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 22:06:00 GMT

how board games saved the family!

me@pegmulqueen.com (peg mulqueen) — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 13:55:00 GMT

here in montana - we have no t.v. ... no x-box ... and no dishwasher.

there is no local swimming pool. no mall to shop. no yoga studio within 100 miles.

the nearest real grocery store is an hour away.

so - we plan our meals for the week ... take turns washing dishes ... read books ... and play board games.

and we plan family activities - like fishing, hiking, camping, and exploring new places on the river.

i self practice on the deck - to the sound of the river, with the occasional flock of turkeys or random deer to keep my company.

the kids have chores - but not like at home. at home, the jobs they have can be put off until later. and they often get paid for them. here - they MUST do them. we depend on everyone to do their part. it's vital and necessary.

at the end of the evening, once the dinner dishes are done- we break out a board game. (and its amazing, now, how quickly the kitchen gets cleaned!) all iphones and computers must be put away - just because some of us have been known to cheat (billy!)

we have three favorites right now: trivial pursuit, scrabble, and taboo. we pick teams (usually boys against girls). and we get boisterous, loud, and might i say competitive? we laugh, we challenge, and we demand rematches!

at the end of our intense scrabble game last night, robert asked if he should turn on the cable ... and without hesitation, both kids emphatically said, NO.

i must say - this surprised me. at home, there are regular fights over the television. over who gets to watch their show. i nag billy to get off his x-box ... put a timer on it ... i've even hidden it at times to discourage. meghan sneaks off to her room to catch the episode of glee that she missed.

because as simple and beautiful as our life here may sound, it is certainly not what they are used to. can you right now imagine turning YOUR home into something short of pioneer days? (ok, so i'm exaggerating as we clearly have plumbing, electricity, not to mention, internet!)

i believe the true reason they so adamantly dissented on the cable is because they know once this happens - we will stop playing family board games. and deep down inside, i know they are right.

the simple truth is, each time we add something - we lose something too. in an effort to entertain and even bring ease into our lives - we must sacrifice something else.

keep in mind, my kids are 17 and 13 years old. these are teenagers who by all rights, should want to sequester themselves away. splinter from the family and get lost in their own world. yet i must ask, is this natural ... or of our own making?

i say, bring on the board games! perhaps i won't need a timer on COD (code for, call of duty). maybe there will be no debate on whose turn it is to choose their show. and what if ... just imagine ... if the usual splintering of the family is not as necessary as i once thought?

all these things we think are so necessary - simply are not.

do you have a family ritual? please share!

a heat(ed) advisory

me@pegmulqueen.com (peg mulqueen) — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 18:44:47 GMT

biased.

you are. and iam, too.

biased to what you know. biased to what i am used to.

according to one of my graduate professors, marriage therapists who have been divorced themselves may be quicker tomove a couple toward separation and those who remain in first marriages, more resistant. he cautioned - we must each be cautiously aware of own experience, and how it tends to influence our judgment.

so in this new age, experiential, large-group-awareness-programmed trend of operation that allows anyone to be a coach/counselor/mentor and everyone to be an expert – i find myself increasingly frustrated with the idea of “feedback.”

people loooove to give it. like it’s some precious gift, or something. yet just plop it on your plate like the crappy food in a school cafeteria line … you’re gonnalike it.

(and once you get it, btw – you are screwed. because whether you “eat it” or refuse it – you are judged to be either weak and ineffectual or stubbornly unaware).

last night, my daughter and i took a local yoga class. i wanted and hoped for an ashtanga class. after all, this is what i know and love.

it wasn’t.

instead, we did this whole hip and lunge series in place of my beloved standing postures. and then, when familiar poses were introduced, the instructor had the audacity to change my hand or foot placement.

i admit, my brain became a congested traffic jam with the rush of selfish opinions.

one aspect that WAS familiar was the temp. a comfortable 80-85 degrees with only moderate humidity! yet, just as the coveted sweat beads took shape on my forehead, I noticed the student next to me roll up her mat to leave.

“it’s too hot in here.”

really?? students in dc would complain they were chilly in this room! but this is montana …

a few minutes later, another student *advised* the instructor to open the window … stating it was far too hot for a yoga practice.the teacher succumbed - all the while, explaining the benefits of a more heated practice. so which was it?

the breeze from the window was not enough. student #2 left anyway.

meghan and i exchanged puzzled looks. go figure!

was it too hot ? we certainly didn’t think so. but it’s really all you’re used to …

perhaps the more important question is, why does it effinmatter so much? how much do a few degrees of difference in temperature or sequence really and truly matter? i’m telling you, my fellow experts in opinion …

... if there are so few set rules in life. why must we all vomit all over everyone else, our own interpretations of them?

you see, truth is so interwoven with personal experience, it is absolutely impossible to individuate its separate strands. and the blending of the two is often, all we are able to see.

feedback isn’t the special gift … but objectivity is.

after many days of hiking, we left this class and my daughter said, “that wasn’t what i thought i wanted –but it sure was what my body needed. I’m really glad we went.” as was i. it was a wonderful class - once i let go of all i thought i knew.

yea. see what happens when you keep an open mind? you just might learn or gain something. good thing we didn’t offer up our own brand as THE brand.

so might i suggest that the next time someone offers unsolicited advice or ignorantly packages their judgment as helpful feedback –you kindly ask them to bury their precious gift within the great divide on which they seat themselves upon.

of course, keep in mind that this is just my own extremely biased opinion.

saying good-bye

me@pegmulqueen.com (peg mulqueen) — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 14:33:00 GMT

live recording of last intermediate class at down dog yoga

if you are having difficulty downloading, please visit my iweb version here.

why is saying good-bye so difficult?

it is an inevitable piece of life.

chapters close. waves complete. for a new road to be taken, we must turn off the one we are on.

new chapters cannot open until the former is closed. new waves form after the old ones complete. and new roads bring along new opportunities, new experiences, and new territory.

in our yoga practice, the sequence is designed so that the preceding asana leads and prepares us for the next. it is intelligently designed to get us ready to move on. in ashtanga yoga, when we come to a posture where we still struggle – we stay. there is work to be done and openings to create.

but once our work is complete in that stage – it is time to move forward as the next stage is about to unfold.

odd how my work on my mat often mirrors my life.

i am at a new stage in my yoga. i recently was added a new posture. at first, i resisted. i didn’t want to even practice it … i wanted to stay where i was, comfy and cozy. so stay i did. screw pasasana. i can’t do it anyway … its too hard.

but pasasana is the gateway to all those second series postures that bring in backbending … a bit of uncharted territory for me. and i can't get there without it.

so then i had a new mindset. i was going to take it on. wrestle, conquer, and move on quickly. not really interested in spending time in this transitioning stage and more willing to skip it entirely, actually, in order to move to the next.

damn that pasasana.

a posture that represents one series concluding and the next one beginning.

so here i am. truth is, i’m ready to face this next phase. but i have to make peace with the place i'm in now – which is allowing one era to conclude as the next unfolds. it cannot be rushed … or skipped.

my daughter is getting ready to leave for college. one chapter has closed and another exciting one is about to begin … soon - but not just yet.

my friend is getting ready to move across the world. she’s getting ready to journey on, but before, we will enjoy our final few moments of company.

they are both ready. everything they’ve each experienced in their lives up until this moment has prepared them for their next journey. and i'm honored to be a part of that past. but the next wave is forming in the distance – even as they ride this final one out. we each can see it taking shape, but first we must ride this one to its conclusion ... enjoy these final moments before swimming out to meet the one we are meant to ride next.

my life also, is shifting in a new direction.

so you see, the battle i have formed on and off the mat, is all for naught. fast forwarding to the next place or stalling the inevitable conclusion will do nothing except needlessly expend myenergy. i will neither slow the change nor stop it. because its not up to me.

yep - while i am wrestling with pasasana, the transformation to the next will occur around me – despite me. i will have done nothing to stop it or speed it or change it.

better for me to take the time now to celebrate what has been and know that each of us has been prepared well for the uncharted journey that lies ahead.

and no matter how hard that is - our good-byes transition us to our next place.

so we can choose to make it a struggle by wrestling or avoiding -

or we can be in this glorious moment.

remembering what fun we had and relishing in the excitement of what's to come.

don't cry because it's over. smile because it happened. (dr. seuss)

a leap of faith

me@pegmulqueen.com (peg mulqueen) — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 15:40:00 GMT

i don’t think my mom dropped me on my head as a baby.

i haven’t had anyone significantly let me down … no tragic disappointments … or any other good reason to distrust.

so when andrei stoica invited me trapezing for his birthday, with the promise to “catch me” even – i was considering a list of excuses as to why i couldn’t make it. unfortunately, i didn’t have any.

I moved on to kibitzing with my friend donna ... yea, no way am i gonna jump off that platform. and if i do, what makes andrei think i’ll even let go of the bar – no less, let him “catch” me! HA!

to which donna answered, in a perfectly zen master kind of way

“perhaps you should drop all your anticipation, your expectations … let some control go and just let whatever happens – happen. in fact, i think it'd do you some good to let someone carry you, catch you as you fall, even.”

can you believe it? can you believe she used my own yoga BS on me?

ok – fact is, i’ve sadly come to realize that despite a relatively safe and supportive upbringing - i’ve got some real control issues.

i remember the first time a minister gobsmacked me with this piece of information. he said, you know what your problem is? (like i only have one.) he pulls out a chair and tells me to sit down – but just before my arse hits the chair he tells me to hold it, hovering all my weight an inch above the seat.

“right there, that’s your problem. you give the illusion of trust … you pretend you have faith… but all the while, you refuse to let God or anyone else carry you - and you never give up control. tiring, don’t you think? so - just sit the hell down!”

“for once in your life, believe in a force greater than you. try taking a proverbial leap of faith and figure out, there WILL be someone there to catch you.”

i arrived at the trapeze school, greeted by an amazing support system. friends who totally have my back. and andrei, with his strong, capable arms.

all that was left was for me to let go. hand it over. believe in a strength other than my own.

as it turns out - it may have been andrei's birthday, but it was me who received the gift ...

the gift of trust.

thanks andrei!

Check out WelcomeOmDC and their post, how is trapeze a lot like a bank robbery! and special thanks to their photographer, brandon, for his amazing images.

what makes a true yogi?

me@pegmulqueen.com (peg mulqueen) — Thu, 13 May 2010 20:28:00 GMT

if it walks like a duck,

quacks like a duck,

looks like a duck,

it must be a duck.k

if it looks like a duck ...

the yoga mat is not a fashion walk. admittedly, i like wearing the latest colors along with the best of them while taking great pains to avoid pants that make my @ss look big(ger).

but, frankly, the attire we wear has begun to take on a life of it’s own as yoga classes that encourage individuality, simply display the masses of warriors in today’s latest uniform.

i'm #1 offender - but just so long as you realize the costume don’t make the actor real.

if it quacks like a duck ...

so you know the language and not afraid to use it.

sure, you’re a vegan to uphold the principle of ahimsa (non-violence). but if you shame the non-vegan, how is this ahimsa?

and i’m glad you understand satya - but if in one breath you profess your alignment in truth and the next shares this nugget of gossip ...

you see where i’m going, eh? anyone can learn a few words of sanskrit, but can you stand on your head while reciting lines from the gita ...? actually, i still don't care.

i just want to know that what you say is from a place of compassionate and pure intention.

if it walks like a duck ...

that’s what i want to know. do you walk your talk? are the clothes just a costume - or do you really seek the life?

being a true yogi has nothing at all to do with appearance. or the sutras you’ve memorized. or <gasp> even the mat your carry.

and there should be no need to preach - for the steps we take in our own lives will ultimately speak for themselves.

for a true yogi will walk the waddle.

monday's mantra: live life as a radical optimist

me@pegmulqueen.com (peg mulqueen) — Mon, 10 May 2010 02:11:00 GMT

“the glass is half empty,” states the pessimist.

“no silly, the glass is half full,” muses the optimist.

but the RADICAL OPTIMIST insists it is neither and nor -

for the amount in the glass is what is and exactly what it should be.

i like to believe in the best of me, those around me, and my world in general. i am pretty sure there’s not much i cannot ever do ... or learn. i think most people’s intentions are good and honorable ... though at times, misunderstood. and the world is a welcoming place - infinitely benevolent.

my husband, on the other hand, thinks a healthy dose of pessimism is not only practical, but intelligent - and perhaps i am foolish to relinquish without pause.

i am yin to his yang. and he provides roots that allow me to flower.

fortunately, we balance each other out - and neither of us is actually wrong ...

... nor right.

radical optimism suggests we view the world with no measure of outcome whatsoever. all is as it should be - beyond what we might consider good or bad, right or wrong, gratifying or painful.

radical optimism says that this moment is perfect as it is. perhaps not as we planned or as we want - for our desires are not relevant.

experiences are not measured by the results they tender. because everything is exactly as it should be. for now. in this moment. for reasons we may not yet understand. for reasons we may never.

instead of focusing what is missing or attaching to what is there - you can open yourself up to the unique moment that is, and all it has to offer.

next week, meet the outrageously faithful.

arm balances

me@pegmulqueen.com (peg mulqueen) — Sun, 09 May 2010 03:32:00 GMT

we were learning to fly

though we ain't got wings

and coming down

was the hardest thing!

... to paraphrase the great tom petty! yesterday, i led a workshop focusing on arm balances. a request was made for me to show each we learned - presumably so everyone can practice at home (?)

here they are! enjoy!

bakasana <crow>

parsva bakasana <side crow>

ardha bakasana <half crow>

eka pada koundinyasana ll

buja pindasana (shoulder press) to tittibasana (firefly)

galavasana (flying pigeon)

astavakrasana (crazy eight)

yogini dandasana

and below is a short video from our time together ... to quote another great soul, kathryn budig:

stay calm and bakasan on!

take flight - this saturday

me@pegmulqueen.com (peg mulqueen) — Thu, 06 May 2010 20:52:41 GMT

There is great freedom, power, and beauty in arm balancing.

This Saturday, I will offer a workshop that will offer students the tools and techniques they need to tackle a wide array of arm balances from bakasana (crow pose) and tittibasana (firefly) to koundinyasana (sage pose) and yogini dandasana!

Join me, learning techniques to develop upper body strength, and discover safe and fun ways to overcome the inevitable fear and apprehension of doing something new. But most of all, prepare to be a kid again.

monday's mantra: believe in six impossible things before breakfast

me@pegmulqueen.com (peg mulqueen) — Mon, 03 May 2010 01:36:00 GMT

"Alice laughed: "There's no use trying," she said; "one can't believe impossible things."

"I daresay you haven't had much practice," said the Queen. "When I was younger, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast."

Alice in Wonderland

“there’s no way the door locked itself.”

my friend was convinced there was either someone in her house ... or a ghost. sitting in her back yard, suddenly locked out of her home - she was more willing to accept caspar as the culprit than believe in the impossible: that the door locked itself.

i stayed on the phone with her as she walked through house, checking for the perpetrator. if it was of human persuasion, i’d call the police. not sure what i’d do with the other . . .

so convinced it was impossible that the door simply latched itself, she would only humor me by re-opening the door and let it swing closed - just the way she had minutes before. and no, the door didn’t lock again - but it came pretty close.

seems the impossible may have been possible, after all.

happens all the time. we are so sure of what we know, so sure there’s nothing more. we think we have all the facts and are intimate with the realm of what can be and what cannot. we accept limitations in the name of realism and like alice, declare, “there’s no use trying.”

yet - as i write, i have seen the impossible happen. miracles. and nearly every single day.

i have felt a God my eyes could not see ... found a love made only from dreams ... discovered more strength in my 40's than my 20's ... survived one child’s adolescence (i now have hope for child #2) ... and seen a woman become president (almost!).

crazy stuff, actually.

admittedly, i have my doubts. but still, i choose again and again - to believe.

when i was little, i was confident i could fly - or at least, learn. so i would practice my skills between the living room couch and chair, ~~jumping~~ flying from one to the other. i was sure i could increase my time and distance with practice. but even if i didn’t, i sure as heck had a great time trying!

(this, by the way, may be news to my mom who sometimes reads this blog. so, sorry mom!)

even now . . . i practice flying still. because flying is still #1 on my list of impossible things.

what’s on your list? how many things can YOU still believe in?

quick! it’s almost breakfast!

come learn to fly with me this saturday

Take Flight: An Arm Balance Workshop

May 8 - Saturday in G'town Down Dog Yoga (12-2)

Details here!

monday's mantra: be true to yourself

me@pegmulqueen.com (peg mulqueen) — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 16:05:00 GMT

can you disappoint another to be true to yourself?

the invitation, by oriah mountain dreamer, is one of my favorite poems - i share it every so often at the conclusion of a yoga class.

and yet, i come to this part of the poem – and i choke.

because i don’t know the answer . . . though am slowly finding out.

i’m sure as heck not alone, either.

as my friend struggles to speak what she believes – she fears others may condemn her.

as my daughter makes her choice of college – she is aware her mom may be secretly crushed.

any person that has come face to face with any major life decision, heard the cry for change, or felt destiny’s pull has asked this question.

can you bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul?

in order to consciously live the meaning of our lives, there are decisions and choices we must make that will defy another’s expectations. perhaps even someone we adore and respect.

but in the end, the truth we must live is ours, and ours alone.

yoga is about discovering who we are – the process of individuation. but once this revelation begins, we must stay true. it’s a daily calling, that constant tug of our inner soul.

it might not always be the most popular path. we will risk disappointing others, for sure.

but, as the poem reminds us - when we’re alone, in the empty moments, the company we must enjoy and embrace is all our own.

monday's mantra: if you don't like something - change it

me@pegmulqueen.com (peg mulqueen) — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 15:04:00 GMT

my son - who continually excuses his forgotten homework on a dysfunctional and under-developed frontal lobe - came home the other day and announced he was turning over a new leaf. (perhaps it was that day’s recess detention . . . ?)

he said he was changing his ways. becoming different. the kid who leaves his books at school, forgets his homework and sneaks in another hour of video games, is a kid of the past. though he admitted he won’t be perfect, and at times he’ll need reminding - he promised to be working towards (gasp) becoming a responsible student.

that was friday. i figured over the weekend he would come to his prepubescent senses and forget his pledge, sliding back into not-so-old ways. but this morning, he woke up early, packed his book bag with the late work of last week, and renewed his commitment.

and he makes me remember that i too can change any time i feel like it.

make a promise to be better. less judgmental. more forgiving. rather than excusing my less than desirable traits to variables outside my control - i too can change my ways whenever i want.

i too might slip up, but let it not keep me from trying. i too might need reminding, but lest you lose faith in me, be patient. and every morning, i can renew my commitment towards becoming the person i want to be.

our life stories are not yet written. the text changes continually. and while we cannot go back and rewrite the beginning, or even the page before today’s, the next words and chapters are ours to develop.

this monday’s mantra comes from my son, billy: if you don’t like something - change it.

so simple, it took a 13 year old to point this out to me. thanks billy!

monday's manifesto: do one thing a day that scares you

me@pegmulqueen.com (peg mulqueen) — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 21:24:00 GMT

do one thing a day that scares you

lululemon athletica

i am afraid of getting in front of large crowds. and by large, i am considering any group of people beyond 10. i believe the name for this is “stage fright.”

though i loved theatre (am told I can be rather dramatic) and almost minored in it in college, the anxiety i felt before any performance – simply in front of my classmates – kept me from pursuing.

though i love to sing, and can even carry a note rather well in my shower – my voice too often quivers and shakes when anyone beyond my family is listening.

so when laura mann of lululemon athletica asked me to lead the yoga class on the monument lawn during the cherry blossom festival, i admit i had to take pause. i told her i was pretty sure i was away (after all, it was spring break).

“but you don’t understand – there will be thousands of people!” laura thought the excitement of a large crowd would entice me. but the true reason for my hesitance was fear . . . and how could i tell laura that her words did more to strike terror in me than convince!

how many times do we let fear make our decisions? how many opportunities do we let pass us by because we became caught up in our own scary story?

too many.

but what was i afraid of? and oddly enough, it was just the thought of being scared that scared me. isn’t that strange? it was more my anticipation of inevitable anxiety, the thought of my voice as it might quiver, my story as i have written. nothing at all real.

so i said yes.

still, the night before left me sick with anxiety. i even had my escape plan. faith hunter, this month’s cover model of yoga journal and an amazing yoga teacher - as well as 20 other fabulous teachers, would be there. each so beautiful and chill, i knew any one of those teachers could easily step into the role if i suddenly fell ‘ill.”

as the time neared, and the crowd gathered, i felt my heart speed up, a bit short of breath, and the ol' "butterflies in the tummy” finally made their appearance.

but courage does not mean the absence of fear -

simply the ability to move forward, despite the fear!

which is what i did, of course. move forward. accept the challenge. take the chance my voice might waver and my knees might knock. because nowadays i've decided - i'd rather have tried and quivered than sat and wondered . . . how 'bout you?

the gorgeous and very chill, faith hunter

nearly 2,000 yogis and yoginis gathered - shattering a previous record!

catch it on YJ's blog, by editor kaitlin quistgaard

welcomeOmDC was there too!

cherry blossOM yoga

me@pegmulqueen.com (peg mulqueen) — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 10:23:00 GMT

i'm really delighted to be leading this year's cherry blossOM yoga in d.c. - sponsored by lululemon athletica. i'll be surrounded by other dazzling dc yogis (including lana beex, mimi rieger, david kyle <whom we've adopted!>, alison adams, cassandra walsh, and many more faces you will recognize!) - on stage.

we'll even feature live music!

so - please join me . . . april 3rd @ 11 am - on the sylvan theatre mall - and a thousand of your closest friends

bring your mom, dad, kids and grandparents, brothers and sisters, friends and neighbors! come wearing your brightest colors . . . rain or shine!

monday's mantra: from doubt, births wisdom

me@pegmulqueen.com (peg mulqueen) — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 12:32:00 GMT

when my daughter received early admissions into her top choice for college, the decision was easy: that’s where she would go.

two months later, she received another letter of admissions - from her other top choice.

now she’s confused. she is full of doubt. the decision that seemed easy months ago, now troubles her.

and this makes me happy.

and not because the first college is far away and the second is close! but because now she will have to examine her choices. she will have to think critically about both. she will question her motives, her desires, her priorities, and her vision for the future.

because this is what doubt does - it makes us question.
and questioning does not weaken our choices - it strengthens them.

my friend came to me the other day, questioning some feedback she’d received. it made her question herself . . . her ability . . . and it shook her confidence. after a week of struggling with insecurity and uncertainty, what she discovered is the criticism she was offered had less to do with her - and more to do with the giver.

but it took a week of questioning. and after that week - she emerged with a clearer image of who she is. and who she is not.

i remember when i asked my college professor for a recommendation into graduate school. she said, “you are not graduate school material.”

that one sentence stopped me in my tracks. apprehension and insecurity set in. though i was no model student early on, i felt like i had turned a corner and my education had taken on new meaning. i hadn’t considered i may not have what it took.

because of that professor, i had to stop and examine. the questions were agonizing and the doubt was powerful and painful. i actually did not go right on to graduate school as i had initially planned.

but when i did, my resolve was so strong - i ended up graduating with nearly a perfect GPA. and later, a post-graduate career with a similar outcome. seems i may have been “graduate school material” after all.

when i’ve shared this story, incredulous friends urge me to track her down and share with her my story. show her how wrong she was.

but wrong, how? she caused me to question and to doubt. and in the end, i credit her with the drive and confidence i acquired. without that hesitation that she instilled, i would never have developed such firm resolve.

did you know that mother teresa admitted she never ceased harboring some small doubt of God’s existence? considering her life’s magnitude of work - did this make her less faithful . . . or more?!

so i know when your relationship ended, it caused you to question your worth. and i know when you left your job, your whole identity was challenged. you thought you wanted to get married, but when the date neared, doubt became crippling. and as a parent, there have been many a time you have seriously wondered if you can do anything right.

yea, well . . . bring it on!

because while you wonder and question, through the struggle of your doubt, you will find these to be opportunities to deepen your understanding of who you are and who you’d like to be. without these opportunities, your faith and confidence holds far less meaning.

so meg - if you are reading this, i want you to know how lucky you are to be questioning your choice and how blessed you are to hold reservations.

struggle a little and welcome the challenge.

because in the end, there is no real right or wrong. only the opportunity to become clearer by gathering information that will help you know yourself better.

after all, it has nothing to do with either college. (or that relationship or job, for that matter). rather, it has everything to do with knowing who you are and evolving into who you want to be.

no college will teach you this.

you’re learning it right now.

monday's mantra: anything is possible

me@pegmulqueen.com (peg mulqueen) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 18:34:00 GMT

i was the child at recess who no one wanted on their kickball team. i dreaded the tortuous process of picking teams, as i knew i would remain the last one chosen.

i was the girl in p.e., who often faked illnesses to free herself from the humiliation that just one class held.

i was the kid who sat on the bench during basketball

season - used on the court only as a very last resort.

in high school, i took up running . . . only to discover i had exercise induced asthma. i tried ballet, but lacked the long, graceful limbs of a dancer. i even gave gymnastics a go, but was told i'd never reach the level of the other girls who had begun much younger.

so when a group of students asked me this weekend, had i always been able to do handstands? - i had to laugh.

no. no way.

in fact, until just a few years back, i was the one who just watched others with envy as i clung to the story of my youth. me. this young girl who locked possibility inside walls of doubt and insecurity - finally grew into a woman, obsessed with its liberation.

fear did not evaporate like magic - and to this day, skepticism still tries to wrap its arms around promise, stifling the bloom.

but now, something has shifted. i don't want to sit on the bench and watch - and i'll risk falling and failure just so i don't have to.

and what i've discovered is that much of what i thought was impossible - for me, anyway - has become possible. each time i explore my limits - my limits change. i have to now wonder what sense there is for me to ever build such fences again.

because, honestly, there is only one thing i know for certain - i am clueless of what i'm capable of. clueless. i can't even begin to imagine what possibility and promise i hold.

though i do plan on spending the rest of my life trying to find out!

join me this weekend and next, for two special workshops exploring inversions. the first weekend, we will explore headstand and other basic inversions - and the next will focus purely on handstanding.

find out what YOU'RE capable of!

monday's mantra: there is no reality - only our perception

me@pegmulqueen.com (peg mulqueen) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 20:14:00 GMT

our opinions have nothing to do with how the world is - only how we see it.

our judgements have nothing to do with right or wrong - only how we interpret it.

our attitudes are not determined by what's thrown our way - only in how we react.

there is no reality - only our perceptions.

Out beyond ideas of wrong-doing and right-doing,
There is a field. I'll meet you there.
When the soul lies down in that grass,
the world is too full to talk about.
Ideas, language, even the phrase each other
doesn't make any sense.

Rumi