Celebration & Pause
BY Heather Zollman
Celebrate
Our daughter Sydney graduated from High School last week.
We were so excited to celebrate her, her friends and what they’ve accomplished! It was a week of lasts for the kids…
• Last choir and band concerts
• Last day of school
• Last time walking the halls as a high school student
• Last sporting events
• Last tests
• Honors and scholarship banquet and the graduation ceremony to top it all off.
We celebrated our children with pride!
As parents, these were the lasts for us with this class as well.
Graduation is not only about the students, but also the families who love and support them.
We planned Sydney’s party for 2 days after graduation, in thoughts of relaxing the rest of the summer.
It was fabulous!!!
We originally planned to go on a road trip a few days after all of this ended, and came to our senses about a month before.
When I say “we”, I am actually referring to me.
I do this every year.
I urgently want to know everyone’s schedules so that I can see where to fit road trips in between many, many baseball games and other happenings.
This year, I came to my senses and got over myself. And my family is grateful for it.
I decided to approach this summer with the intention of relaxing and enjoying the days and letting go of expectations.
FLOW.
As I practiced Kundalini and Qigong in the backyard under this morning’s sun, the word FLOW connected with the breath and movement.
A moving meditation.
I felt my body and mind relax a bit more with each breath and FLOW.
Pause
I’ve been speaking to organizations and businesses in the corporate wellness area recently (and am loving it!).
Each one is a bit different and geared towards the group, but the underlying theme is the power of taking a pause.
• Social Workers
• County workers
• Teachers
• Students
• Assistants to Superintendents of School Districts
• In-Home Care Takers
Together we…
• Gather
• Connect
• Pause
• Check-in with ourselves
• Breathe
• Tap
• Shake
• Move
• Learn
• Laugh
• Sometimes Cry
All of these things are done within taking a pause.
What does this have to do with celebrating our daughter?
Well, I had to take a pause.
People kept asking me, “How are you feeling with Sydney graduating? Are you crying all the time?”
These questions make me giggle, because we don’t know how we are going to feel about something until we get to the moments.
I didn’t have classes on the studio schedule for the week after graduation, because we were supposed to be on vacation.
I made a comment to my husband that I should probably load the week up with classes since we’d be home and he responded with, “Why? Why not just take the week off?”
The initial reaction of, why would I take the week off if I’m home and that would be lazy was felt.
Then I paused.
I’ve learned something about myself throughout the years.
I tend to fill spaces with doing. Sound familiar? Are you the same?
Funny.
I teach that space is powerful!
Space in the body.
Space in the mind.
That’s what Yoga and other healing practices provide us!
Space.
So, I’m not teaching classes this week. I’m hanging out, enjoying family and nature and doing the behind-the-scenes-work-stuff.
And it’s fabulous.
The pause allows space to write, create, envision, learn and relax which helps me be a better teacher and show up for my people in an authentic way.
Where can you add pauses in your days?
Are you filling space, where you could benefit from allowing the space to be and enjoy your moments a bit more?
Something to ponder.
Be Inspired & Enjoy the Journey!
Celebrate
Our daughter Sydney graduated from High School last week.
We were so excited to celebrate her, her friends and what they’ve accomplished! It was a week of lasts for the kids…
• Last choir and band concerts
• Last day of school
• Last time walking the halls as a high school student
• Last sporting events
• Last tests
• Honors and scholarship banquet and the graduation ceremony to top it all off.
We celebrated our children with pride!
As parents, these were the lasts for us with this class as well.
Graduation is not only about the students, but also the families who love and support them.
We planned Sydney’s party for 2 days after graduation, in thoughts of relaxing the rest of the summer.
It was fabulous!!!
We originally planned to go on a road trip a few days after all of this ended, and came to our senses about a month before.
When I say “we”, I am actually referring to me.
I do this every year.
I urgently want to know everyone’s schedules so that I can see where to fit road trips in between many, many baseball games and other happenings.
This year, I came to my senses and got over myself. And my family is grateful for it.
I decided to approach this summer with the intention of relaxing and enjoying the days and letting go of expectations.
FLOW.
As I practiced Kundalini and Qigong in the backyard under this morning’s sun, the word FLOW connected with the breath and movement.
A moving meditation.
I felt my body and mind relax a bit more with each breath and FLOW.
Pause
I’ve been speaking to organizations and businesses in the corporate wellness area recently (and am loving it!).
Each one is a bit different and geared towards the group, but the underlying theme is the power of taking a pause.
• Social Workers
• County workers
• Teachers
• Students
• Assistants to Superintendents of School Districts
• In-Home Care Takers
Together we…
• Gather
• Connect
• Pause
• Check-in with ourselves
• Breathe
• Tap
• Shake
• Move
• Learn
• Laugh
• Sometimes Cry
All of these things are done within taking a pause.
What does this have to do with celebrating our daughter?
Well, I had to take a pause.
People kept asking me, “How are you feeling with Sydney graduating? Are you crying all the time?”
These questions make me giggle, because we don’t know how we are going to feel about something until we get to the moments.
I didn’t have classes on the studio schedule for the week after graduation, because we were supposed to be on vacation.
I made a comment to my husband that I should probably load the week up with classes since we’d be home and he responded with, “Why? Why not just take the week off?”
The initial reaction of, why would I take the week off if I’m home and that would be lazy was felt.
Then I paused.
I’ve learned something about myself throughout the years.
I tend to fill spaces with doing. Sound familiar? Are you the same?
Funny.
I teach that space is powerful!
Space in the body.
Space in the mind.
That’s what Yoga and other healing practices provide us!
Space.
So, I’m not teaching classes this week. I’m hanging out, enjoying family and nature and doing the behind-the-scenes-work-stuff.
And it’s fabulous.
The pause allows space to write, create, envision, learn and relax which helps me be a better teacher and show up for my people in an authentic way.
Where can you add pauses in your days?
Are you filling space, where you could benefit from allowing the space to be and enjoy your moments a bit more?
Something to ponder.
Be Inspired & Enjoy the Journey!