50 States of Yoga

What is Vagabond Zen? They're just a couple of words that I feel describe me, my goals, and balance me and my eagerness to reach and reach for the shiny objects all around the universe.

I've been attached to "vagabond" since my early 20s. My BFF {at the time} and I were discovering ourselves and taking advantage of the gift of travel - as we worked for an international airline together. She was known as "the gypsy". A year or two older, she had already had a strong sense of herself and her artistic nature. She wasn't afraid to be creative, dress fashionably, and loved to travel in a very bohemian spirit. I adored her. I admired her sense of wanderlust and her freedom of self. I don't think she knows this - but I truly admired her. She mesmerized me; her confidence was empowering for me. While spending so much time with her and growing my own passion for travel, I decided I needed a moniker too - and somehow The Vagabond was born. When I was 24 I bought my first brand new car - a Jeep Wrangler - and even made her license plate read vagabond. That was the beginning of me as the vagabond. An identity I have proudly held onto and even tattooed into my skin.

To New Year's Resolution or Not?

Image from here.

This Saturday I will be having some girlfriends over for our 3rd annual Vision Board making event. Since I've been sober {4 years!} I have had less and less interest in parties, especially late night celebrations like New Year's Eve. So instead of celebrating a new year approaching with a late night of debauchery, I cherish my time with friends, being creative, and manifesting positive visions for the new year!

My vision boards have become my new year's resolutions. I paste on all the things I would like to accomplish in the coming year. Practice more yoga. Meditate more often. Travel with my husband. Exercise. But... they're also things that sort of fall out of my head.... even though they never fall out of sight {My board is in my bedroom to see every day!}. I think the shiny, new feeling wears off and I just forget about it. Forget about the goals I've set for myself. Forget about the promises I've made to me.

Well, I have just read this article, Instead Of Making A New Year's Resolution, Try This by Dr. Paula Watkins, and I'm newly inspired!  In a nutshell, Dr. Watkins suggests instead of making a year long resolution, make a resolution for a moon cycle. As soon as I read that, I had to check when the next new moon was. It's probably no coincidence that it falls on January 1, 2014. That is all the nudging I need. This weekend when I make my vision board, I am going to make promises to myself again, paste things that I want to give myself - like some of the old ones, practice more yoga, meditate more often, but some new ones too... ones that I can reflect on, every new moon, and choose another goal, another vision to focus on for a moon cycle.

2013 Vision Boards

For my New Year's celebration, I did not stay up until midnight or go brave the cold to watch fireworks with the masses. I worked both NYE day and NY day - so my work schedule pretty much made that an impossibility.  What I did though, was have a few amazing friends over to create vision boards for 2013 -inspiring us all year long on our journeys.

My vision board is sort of three phases.

The lower section is to remind me of my meditation practice and to create a deeper, more rooted base with meditation - which will ultimately be a stronger foundation for the rest of my life.

The middle section is movement.  To ride my bike, practice more Qigong and general movement.  Get up off the couch and move my body.  I have some joint and movement issues, and I believe the more I do gentle movements the better my joints will feel.

The top section is my wings.  My wings to travel and be free. Float like a feather and wander new places.  Nurture my curiosities.

Here's a photo of me and my awesome friends, showing off our 2013 vision boards.  =D