Your Own Vision

Uplift your life with a new perspective

sunrise in Ogunquit

"I can see clearly now, the rain is gone,
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day."
**Johnny Nash...Not Johnny Cash (Rick)

Have you ever taken a different way to work, changed your routine, eat breakfast for dinner or watch the sun rise someplace different.  I go to the beach each Wednesday morning watching the sun rise.  Each week I find it amazing, never the same old sunrise.  I see something different each time I go, it never gets old. 


When you feel stuck, hit a plateau you need to change it up. You need to take a fresh look at your situation.  A new way, different angle, a different viewpoint, a different perspective.  Yes, a different perspective. 

According to Christine Kane, a business coach, who writes about uplifting your business, there are 3 requirements to uplift your life.
1. perspective
2. strategy
3. connection

How do you change your perspective?  You need to look at your life completely different.  It's hard to do this when you get stuck.  Make a change.  Seek help from those you trust.  Rise above your situation and look down at it as a whole.  I know, it's hard.  Again, look for help.

OK, now that you have a different perspective you need to find a strategy that will work.  Strategies that work are: what is the best practice, or approach, who are the ideal people around you, or clients, are you in a position to do more, be better, what are your products, programs and ideas, and who is on your team. 

Most importantly, find that connection.  Meet like minded people, surround yourself with positive, energetic, enthusiastic energy.  Do not allow others to let you quit.  Do not give up.  Push forward.  Commit to do better, be better.  You need to emerge your mind, body and spirit to move you forward, get help with the changes you seek and promote You.  Promote your Self. 

If you have a yoga practice, think about moving through your poses with breath, finding new and exciting ways to move through your sequences.  Take a look at your transitions, how your breath moves you from pose to pose.  Take a look at how strong you feel in each pose, hold your pose one breath longer than you think you can, or want to. 

Practice.  Practice, Practice. 

Find your way.
Begin to see clearly what you need, and where you need to go.
Be grateful for what you have and the process of getting there.
Be satisfied with what you have, but look towards the future for exciting new events.
The rain stops, and you will see clearly.
Be patient!
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Janine is a yoga instructor and Life Coach practicing from her home studio. She invites students to her studio for one on one personal sessions, as well as traveling to the home for small groups. She leads educational coaching series along with personal one on one life coaching using the Co-Active Coaching techniques. You can reach her at 207-251-9577

The practice of Non-violence: Ahimsa

Umaine Farmington Lacrosse

Giving 100 percent in your yoga practice. 

When you give 100 percent in your yoga practice or any activity at all, sit ups, running, lifting, raking, sports, crocheting, housecleaning, ahhhh the list could continue forever, can actually cause injury, not healing. 

Our society often believes that giving 100 percent means going all out with extremely effort, tear through the discomfort, fear, boredom and distractions.  The 'No pain, no gain' theory is still being sung to some of us each and every day.  The downside of all of this is injury. 

Giving 100 percent means to be present...at any given moment.  Whether you are on the field or on the side line waiting to go in...you are focused, alert and in the game.  You can turn on the heightened awareness, focus only on what needs to get done and move forward.  Apply this to your careers, recreation, relationships and health as well.

Who pushes us to our edge?
We should be pushing ourselves to our edge.  And that point is different every day.  Each time you come to your 'mat', you should ask yourself, "Where am I today?"  "How am I feeling?  What parts of my body need extra attention?  Where should I set my intention for the next hour?"

Don't look at yesterday. 

For those of us that suffer from an injury or disease, we need to pay attention to this awareness with heightened attention.  Honor yourself.  Take care of yourself.  Push yourself to your own edge.  Trust your inner guidance.  The yoga instructor should know your overall challenges, but they do not know your day to day inner most challenges.   Sometimes these 'inner most challenges' arise during the practice.  Listen to them.  Trust your gut. 

The Yoga Sutras describes and provides a plan or a map for living.  This plan has eight limbs, the first being the yamas.  The yamas give us five moral restraints.  Ahisma, the first of the yamas , teaches us about non-violence.  This is about taking care of yourself.  You do not hurt others nor do you hurt yourself.  Protect yourself by staying present, alert and open.  Back off when you need to, push when you must. 

Now, go and give it 100 percent today.  And remember, you have everything you need. 
Enjoy the journey and stay safe.


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Janine is a yoga instructor and Life Coach practicing from her home studio. She invites students to her studio for 1-1 personal sessions, as well as traveling to the home for small groups. She leads educational coaching series along with personal 1-1 life coaching using the Co-Active Coaching techniques. You can reach her at 207-251-9577

April means what?

footbridge at low tide

Believe in the low tides as much as the Highs

According to numerology, April represents 4, 5 (2012) and 9. (4+5).

Think of this month as a garden.  You want to nurture the garden, go within and gather strength. 
The number 5 represents choices and decisions.  Decide what are you going to "plant" in your life.  What new choices do you have?  What decisions do you need to make?  Bring these two into balance by paying attention, nurturing yourself and moving forward with confidence. 
The number 4 represents a time to pause and regain our perspective.
The number 9 is about endings, emotional experiences and unconditional love. 

My advice to you this month is to make sure you nurture yourself with self care.  Be sure to get rest, read a good book, stop and pay attention to little things, and don't get caught up in other people's drama. 

OK, so for that garden.
plant the seeds to move forward, but move gently. 
Think about what a garden needs and bring that into your life this month.  Jeremy Geffen, MD states this beautifully in his integrative program, The Seven Levels of Healing.  He states and teaches in Level 3, that our bodies need nurturing and care as well as space and sunshine.  He wants you to look at your body as a garden to heal and grow, not a machine to fix.  Take this same idea and bring it into your emotional state, your dreams, ideas and passions.  Make room for these to grow. 
Plant the seed
Be patient.
Weed, water and provide the necessary nutrients to thrive. 
Enjoy the outcomes!

I suggest putting a post-it note on your bathroom mirror:

 "Pause, Breathe, Relax and Gain Strength"

What better way to do all this.......Restorative, gentle hatha yoga!!  I just could not resist that...plug!

Use your own guided awareness to move you through the month of April.  You will need this 'time- out' because May comes on strong. 

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Janine is a yoga instructor and Life Coach practicing from her home studio. She invites students to her studio for 1-1 personal sessions, as well as traveling to the home for small groups. She leads educational coaching series along with personal 1-1 life coaching using the Co-Active Coaching techniques. You can reach her at 207-251-9577

Yoga and a Distracted Mind

Sand sculptures in Fort Myers 2011

In a fog?

I have so much on my mind, I find myself in a fog.

Some yogis call it Monkey Mind, Clutter or Chatter.  Everyone has a mind that is distracted.  Our minds wander from the here and now to other places 30 to 65 percent of the time.  Our mind is constantly thinking of the future, the past and at times even the present.  You can learn to stay present in your mind and body through yoga.  Start with moments and gradually increase to brief moments.

There is a wonderful book called, Essentials of Yoga Practice and Philosophy, put out by Sivananda Ashram Yoga Farm.  This book is a summary of the core teachings of the two Masters, Swami Sivananda and Swami Vishnu-devananda.
According to this book, Yoga helps us to see things more clearly, by controlling the mind.  If we are angry we find reasons to be angry. (that could be as simple as a piece of burnt toast)  If we are depressed we look at life that way.  By learning how the mind works, you can then recognize your own mind.  Take a look at these examples of the mind and how it functions and use it to clear your mind, become focused and see that you have the power over your own thoughts.
This book covers twelve different analogies to help understand the mechanics of the mind.  I will give you three, giving you a taste of what this is all about.

The first one that many of us can relate to is the drunken monkey mind.  This is the sort of mind that is restless and jumpy.  Everyone has a mind that wanders.  Multi-tasking is one of the things that some of us take pride in.  However, when you are multi-tasking or jumping from one activity to another you are not putting your full attention in the present moment.  You miss the details.  Your thoughts become random and a bit disorderly with little focus.  So, stay present and do one thing at a time with attention. 

The second, imagine your mind is like an old 45 record.  Ahh, the young kids are saying right about now..."a what"?  Anyway, it has 'grooves and habits'.  Your mind thinks back to old habits and previous experiences.  Remember when that record would get scratched.  What would happen?...the lyric would repeat and repeat and get stuck.  We need to lift that handle at times, move it ahead and move to the next groove where it is positive with no scratches.

Thirdly, I would like to introduce the mind that is related to the body.  In yoga when we ask you to straighten your spine, you are actually straightening your mind as well.  The actual poses help to clear and focus your mind.  Simply align your shoulders over your hips, ears over your shoulders and lengthen up, to strengthen and straighten your mind.
Yoga and meditation combined helps to move us forward in clearing the mind and staying focused so that we can control our own minds.  One way yoga helps is that it slows the body down, allowing it to fully capture and understand your thoughts are only thoughts.  You have control. 

Did your mind wander?  Where you able to bring it back?
Practice mindfulness, and stay present.  Enjoy life.

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Janine is a yoga instructor and Life Coach practicing from her home studio. She invites students to her studio for one on one personal sessions, as well as traveling to the home for small groups. She leads educational coaching series along with personal one on one life coaching using the Co-Active Coaching techniques. You can reach her at 207-251-9577