See you there!

So you guys, this is the last post on Plans On A Comet. Ok there will be a short one when my new website launches, so you know where to find me. POAC will stay put so my archives will always be available. If that’s of any interest to you guys, ahem.

I am moving to a bigger house, one where I can do renos when I want to, which is more in line with who I am right now. It will also be my business home as I am shifting gears right now. POAC and its predecessor Des Hauts et des Bananes have been my home for a while as I have shared my journey to creating the life I want to live, my transition, hopes, fears and dreams, and I will always be grateful for you cheering up on me. Now I am not saying that I have made it but it’s a good step to make a real difference in people’s lives and make a living out of it, ’cause I kinda need to source dark chocolate, always. Do not fear, though, I am changing sites but I am not becoming an old fart with no humour. You know me by now, I can’t be serious all the freaking time, that’s not me

Anyway, let’s end this with a bang. Your questions, my answers, yeah!

Cindiasked if Belgium was still as beautiful as she remembers and why I came to live here in the first place. Well Cindi, Belgium might not be the most striking country ever but it has its hidden treasures and yes, it is beautiful. I came here because of work, very simply. I was supposed to stay for 3 weeks, it’s been 12 years. Oh my…

Jill wanted to know what made me decide to go from yoga practitioner to yoga teacher. I think you have heard this countless times, but again it’s very simple: yoga has made me realize how powerful I really was and I wanted to share that. You know, the stuff is good, you wanna pass it around and not keep it to yourself. Like good dark chocolate, only the effects last longer.

My dear friend Meredith asked me how my crazy kitty has inspired me. So, yeah, this little fur ball has made such a difference in our lives… I had never thought you could love a lil’ pet as much as we love her, she’s been a joy to live with. Mostly she has been repeatedly showing me how to live in the present moment. No questions asked, not too much thinking, she wants something she goes for it. She’s brought a lot more play into my life (especially when she wants to play and you are writing an über serious post, but how can you write when you have tiny teeth sinking in your fingers?). And also, unconditional love. It is said that cats are independent and don’t give a sh*t about you unless you feed them. Of course they want food, who doesn’t, but she’s also a giver, and she gives us a lot, trust me on that one

Sabrina asked about my journey as an artist / writer / yoga teacher. Tough one, there’s not really a linear story I can really tell. Yoga has opened up things in me that were buried deep down, under the belief that I was not creative. But I started writing on blogs and online magazines, I pulled my paints and crayons and papers from the cave I had hidden them, and things happened organically. Right now my art has taken a back seat, to be honest, but whenever I feel the urge I draw / paint / collage. When I make art, write, or move on my mat, I feel fully myself. Full self expression in various forms

And Paula, fellow bilingual blogger, asked why I write in English. When I started blogging I wrote in French, but to put it bluntly, my readership is mostly located in North America and, er, no one understood what I wrote I have always loved the English language and my influences are definitely British. It’s a pleasure to be writing in English and learning new things every time I read your blogs my fellow bloggers, so thank you all for keeping me on my English toes

Phew! You know what? I’ll be doing again these Q&A things on my new website, it’s FUN. And you know what? By next time, I’ll have learned how to work the video software on my lil’ computer, that could be even more fun!

Stay tuned for my new address. I first said I would move there on the 15th, but let’s take some pressure off (off my shoulders that is, man!) and … next Monday, that will be it. So. Excited!

Have a great week peeps, and get ready for some juicy goodness coming your way next week!

© Emmanuelle Lambert - January 2012

You know how it goes, right?

10th February already, and this year so far has been a bumpy ride my friends. I won’t go into details, but the amazing has interlaced hands with the painful. Oh no, nothing serious, but let’s say santosha hasn’t been my niyama of choice lately.

My take on things is that there is always a lesson to whatever happens to us and / or the circumstances we find ourselves in. My first lesson of the year was a lesson in surrendering. My second lesson is that I am on the right path, as bumpy and scary as it is. 

Obstacles and road blocks have been paving my way, and they make the rest of the road look shiny and bright. The bad makes the good stand out, and I can clearly see what brings me joy and what doesn’t.

What brings me joy is seeing the look on the face of the people who trust me enough as I teach yoga to or coach them, as they emerge from a class or a coaching session with me. I see the smile and glow on their face and it makes me so happy it’s hard to describe. These moments are what keep me going through the day, they are why I do what I do and why I will keep doing what I do because there is nothing better than being a catalyst for change in others. So to my students and clients: THANK YOU. Your commitment to yourself inspires me every day. And also, you laugh when I crack stupid jokes.

So keep shining your light, keep going, and you will in turn inspire others. This is how we will be the change we want to see in the world. 

Wow.

It looks like my previous post really resonated with you. I do hope you, who are reading these words, will never forget to take care of yourself. Promise?

Mind you, how can you forget when this little reminder comes from a band called Ned’s Atomic Dustbin? (blast from the past, woah!)

Enjoy

PS: I haven’t forgotten your questions darlings, I have even seen more coming. Can you smell what I’m cooking?

PPS: Plans On a Comet has entered its second to last week dears. The next “Music Monday” will be the last – get ready for full exposure of one of my little musical dirty little secrets. Oh yeah. And mark your calendars: 15 February 2012.

© Emmanuelle Lambert

I used to believe selfish was bad. Evil. Bleh. Boo. And deep down, I wouldn’t admit I was selfish. And still, let’s face it: I am.

And still, again, being selfish is the best thing you can do for yourself. Not boo.

Being selfish means you take care of yourself. Being selfish means you make yourself a priority. Being selfish means you are in a better place to give a hand to others because you are not going to fall with them but pick them up. Being selfish means doing what you love for a living, being a beacon of full self expression and inspiring others to do the same. 

I have seen people lose weight and sleep because they wanted to get something done for their boss first. I have seen people faint because they had worked too hard. I have seen people shake out of being tired because, you know, “there is so much to do that someone has to do it and that someone is me, to keep the project going forward smoothly“.

No hey oh wait, “smoothly“? Is it “smooth” because we as a society allow people to sacrifice their own well-being for the “smooth running” of a project / company / something somebody else asked them to do?

Does that make you a better person? Tell me, who says so? Does looking good justify health problems? Meh, don’t think so. This to me is boo bleh bull poop and whatever you name it.

So next time you feel guilty because you turn off your computer before 8pm to spend time with yourself, please don’t. You want permission? There you are, your permission slip: you have permission to be selfish. You have permission to be your own priority. You have permission to stand up and out. Be you. For f**k’s sake.

(and no, I am not forgetting your questions, dear friends and readers. Stay tuned,  I am preparing you a lil’ something ).

I have had my dashboard open for over an hour, pondering Jamie Ridler’s question for Wishcasting Wednesday. 

Seriously, I have no idea what I wish you knew about me, so I had an idea. Instead of telling me my life story (oh, wait…) I will make this short and sweet, and ask *you* peeps  the question: what do *you* wish to know about me?

Ask and you shall receive

Joy, or my word of the month of February. Yes, I have a “word of the year” AND a “word of the month”. Says me.

Let me tell you a little story: Saturday morning I finally went for the massage my body and soul had been requesting loudly for a long time. I think I had never felt my shoulder blades sliding to the sides of my body this way, nor the gap between each of my ribs. It felt like a steamroller was playing the xylophone with every bone in my upper back. I had never realized I was so tight and tense, to the point that the massage therapist told me I should do stretching exercises (the look on her face when I told her I was a yoga teacher was priceless).

While she was crushing every bone up there, I could feel the tension, the tightness, the contraction. How ironic, when my word for this year is “expand”. I had an epiphany, right there on the massage table: what came up in my head was “I need to breathe in more space and joy”. That was it. Joy, this word has stuck with me for the last couple of days.

I do experience joy when I teach and coach, but what about the rest of the day? Well, not so much. I have such a tight grip on the way I work – and live! – that I forget how to let loose and breathe into what I do. Even though I am learning to surrender, the control freak inside of me doesn’t let go so easily.

The thing is, if you let it in charge for too long, there is no room for delight and joy, there is no room for serendipity, there is no room for opportunities. 

I have opened the door just a bit, now’s the time to slam it open and invite joy on every level, in every area of my life.

Expand, yes, every minute of every day.

What is *your* word of the month to come? 

PS: have you seen Tanja‘s lovely review of my Little Guidebook of Daily Intentions? Thanks Tanja!

© Emmanuelle Lambert

Guess what? A follow up post, yeah!

Guys, this was not planned, but I have to tell you something. Remember what I told you about swimming upstream and ending up drained on a dead shore? And that going with the flow thing? 

Well, it seems the Universe was telling me “Ask and you shall receive, but don’t half ass this, little one, thou shall not fool me”. I can’t tell too much right now but everything is aligning to make epic sh*t happen (when I am über excited, I turn into a foul-mouthed badass, can you tell?). Freedom is in sight, earlier than I expected. 

I won’t lie to you, I am scared sh*tless (will I ever stop) but oh so excited and above all, what is NEW to me, I fully trust. Unconditionally.

The funny thing is, my mind, the naughty monkey, is whispering in my ear “you should be worried to death, because that’s YOU, this is your default programming, you are a worrier, why the hell aren’t you biting your nails right nooooooow?!?”

I hear you, lil’ monkey, I hear you. I hear that you are trying to protect me. But fear not. I can do this. We can do this.

So peeps, you who are reading me and who are scared sh*tless about doing what you truly want to do with your life: go for it, try, do, rise and shine.

I will leave you with one of my fave quotes EVAH, which has been an inspiration ever since I read it for the first time:

“And the day came when the risks to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom” – Anais Nin

Rise. And shine.

(and if you need support, check out my coaching page and contact me now to apply for a complimentary coaching session)

Holy cow, these Wednesdays seem to be the only day of the week, they come around so fast!

Today, Jamie Ridler asks the following question: what do you wish for your health and wellness?

Which I find utterly ironic, as I am staying at home today, being unable to stand on my feet without feeling I am high on some kind of drugs (I am not). And resting so I’ll be ok to teach yoga tonight (yes, I didn’t go to work but I will be teaching tonight – priorities peeps, priorities).

As a yoga teacher, I have become acutely aware of the fact that taking care of myself is paramount to a) be an example to my students and inspire them to go easy on themselves, b) be able to teach yoga regularly and, to put it bluntly, make part of the money I need to support myself and my family (right now a Lovely Boyfriend and a Krazy Kitty), besides coaching.

So I wish for my health and wellness that I keep and even increase that awareness and I keep being a self care warrior, starting with myself to better serve others.

What do you wish for your health and wellness?

This January month, well… it’s been weird. I’ve been having a hard start to 2012, which only seemed to truly begin for me on the day of my birthday (7 January, write that down once and for all. And shower me with dark chocolate, thankyouverymuch). Since then, I’ve had sucky days and sticky weeks.

I chose to take some distance, go with the flow and not try to swim upstream. I tried the upstream thing, and the outcome was not pretty, trust me on that one.

As you may know, I was forced to be at the office more than I wanted, more than what I am used to. At first I fought this, I thought it was a step further back, I thought my Grand Scheme was going awry, and I fought it with all my heart. Only to end up drained and cast away on a dead shore.

Then I chose to relax into it, observe my thoughts and feelings, let the lesson, whatever it would be, being taught to me. I have learned the true meaning of “surrender”.

Friends, to put it bluntly, sometimes the s**t hits the fan and as much as you fight it, it still happens. “Sit back and relax” is not easy, far from it. And it doesn’t mean that you give up, oh nonononono. The Universe, or whatever you want to call it, has a way of teaching you a thing or two that become apparent once you choose to observe. 

I’ll be brutally honest: I have doubted, yes – you can’t be cheerful all the bloody time, unless you’re a Care Bear (last time I checked, I was not covered in fur and rainbows were not coming out of my round belly). I have cried, I have thought of giving up and settling in, I have considered – ohmyguru – staying put.

Well, after a week of letting things be, I am back. I have gained even more clarity on where I am headed and I am more determined than ever to serve and make a positive difference. I see me when I work here and I see me when I coach or teach yoga, and man, is there a difference in how I feel when I do these things. So yeah, I am back.

What will it be, swim upstream or go with the flow?