breathe & smile. smile & breathe.

lately, i've been a roller coaster of emotions.  with the wedding drawing near, yoga teacher training beginning and some time-consuming (but exciting) work projects on my plate, i've been up-down-high-low-happy-sad-pissy-sweet a lot lately.  poor craig.

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that said, i have been making a concerted effort to focus on the positive...cause after all, perception is reality, right?  but sometimes it can really just feel like the world is coming at me, no matter how hard i try to convince myself otherwise.  in those moments, instead of moping or crying or getting mad, i'm breathing.  and smiling...if i can.  and then breathing some more.

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i'm finding that this oh-so-simple tactic is really helping me get my feet back on the ground when my head is running wild and my emotions are out of whack.  instead of beating yourself up for not being able to "change" your mood, stop trying.  breathe.  and smile (if you can).  and then breathe some more.

when you control the breath, you control the mind - no matter what it's saying to you...

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smile.  breathe.

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om monday: smile asana

did you ever notice that when you smile, it can have a physical effect or your body?  in yoga, we're often encouraged to enjoy a "smile asana" (i.e. a smile pose) when we're holding muscle-burning postures.  bringing a genuine smile to your face when your thighs are on fire, truly does make it easier to hold...and dare i say enjoy...

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my one teacher describes it as buddha-face - that totally "blissed-out" look of sheer contentment. 

smiling makes us look more attractive, feel better, appear younger & reduces stress!  (see all smile facts {here})  so, if you're looking to tap into the fountain of youth - i recommend starting with a smile or two...and maybe even a bit of laughter, because, after all, laughter is the best medicine.

smiling is the best makeup, eh?  let's test this theory:  early morning smile...no makeup.

having trouble turning that frown upside-down?  i always find that a visit to youtube can work wonders : )  babies & dogs generally do the trick for me.  haha  (you'll need sound on for this one.)

what makes you smile : )

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bet you can't not smile : )

what can i say?  she's just the cutest!  and she makes me laugh (all the time).  i really can't look at her without smiling.  yes, that's right...i'm a proud (dog) mom.  my (dog) baby, olive, is just the sweetest.  craig, my fiance, and i adopted her last november, and she's been making us laugh ever since.

whenever she's outside, she just has boundless joy.  sometimes i watch her and am awed (and a little jealous) at how little it takes for her to have an absolute blast.  olive really knows how to make the most of simple pleasures.  a walk.  time spent outside.  watching a bird or squirrel.  greeting a loved one when they come home.  way to go olive.  you're totally zen and you don't even try to be.  you're really much more advanced than the rest of us : )

what you can't hear (because i dubbed over my voice with the cute music) is that during this entire video (yes, the entire 2 minutes) i'm asking olive to "roll over".  which, as you can see, she decides she'd rather not do...

here's hoping this video leaves you smiling : )

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