Friday, October 31, 2014

Have Fun Tonight


I love the creativity of dress up holidays
To all of my friends from all over the world that celebrate Halloween, have a great time and enjoy.  It has been an interesting experience for me this year because my kids are fully aware of everything going on all over town, especially in a big city like Los Angeles.  Halloween is big business, and people love to step outside of themselves, dress up, and have fun.  That was me, it was a fun party, a reason to get creative and fancy, and go out with friends.  My kids definitely have my party genes, they see events and everyone around them dressing up and they want in.

Luckily in March we have our own dress up holiday, so I look at this as rehearsal.  Tonight is Shabbat, so we will enjoy a quiet night at home with guests at our table.  Today in both of my children's school they have a costume party and a parade, and as long as there is no gore, blood, weapons, and haunted dark creatures, I am OK with that.

The best part is that my kids are fine with me figuring out what to wear from what they already have in their closets, they are not stuck or even that knowledgeable about all the characters out there.  My daughter has a pink princess dress, not any specific princess, just a beautiful girl with butterfly wings and jewelry.  We have a costume that looks like batman for my son, he needed a cape, so I found a long black skirt of my daughters that got pinned and he was happy with the results.

Here is a fun read about the laws Jews would have if they celebrated Halloween,
http://jewbellish.com/hilchos-halloween/.

I grew up dressing up and celebrating, so now we will dress up if its a school thing, but we will really get it on in the Spring on our dress up holiday, Purim.

Shabbat Shalom,
Coach Yulia


Thursday, October 30, 2014

4 Pounds!

CALL KATY NOW - 310.689.9438
















I cannot say enough about my experience with Katy and her Arasys machine.  I started blogging right after my third child was born, he is going to be three in March.  My original vision was to document my journey as a mother, wife, woman, Yoga teacher, and just be real about life and feelings.  I also wanted to frankly talk about the body, weight loss, how it all changes after children, and also health and fitness in general.  I have three children, each one left me with 10 extra pounds that I haven't been able to lose until now.  I feel strong, I am full of energy, my body fat is only 18% which means I am all muscle except for that 30 extra pounds.  No matter what I did, the actual number on the scale would not budge, but everything else was great.  I lost inches, body fat, and feel amazing, so my most challenging area is the abdominals, especially being stretched after three pregnancies in a row.

Katy started taking my Pilates class at 24 Hour Fitness, and started telling my about Arasys and how it was invented by her grand uncle, who co invented the pace maker, and she is so proud that it her from her family.  Just give her a call and she will tell you all about it, it is only $60 per session and if you get a series of 10, you get one free.  She is working out of her home and wants to promote this special before she moves to a beautiful spa in West Hollywood where the prices will go up.  Please message me and I can tell you all about my experience.

Sometimes you hear weight loss stories and it is from someone that you don't really relate to. Sometimes what works for one person, does not really fit another person's lifestyle or genetics.  I love to say nothing works and everything works.  It is not one thing that gets to your goal, but all the other things that were done before that.  Sometimes you hear of a person losing a large amount of weight, but they also had a lot of weight to lose.

The Arasys machine targeted my stomach specifically, although it could be used all over the body to improve circulation, it strengthens muscle and burns fat.  I went from 33 inches to 29 inches in my stomach, people have been noticing, and I am not being asked if I am pregnant anymore.

I still have more to go, but I am so excited that I have broken that 30 pound barrier, now my goal is 26 pounds, but as I go I will see how I feel, how my clothes fit, and focus on nutrition, exercise, sleep, and happiness.

Coach Yulia

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Not Obsessed

Read more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composition_of_the_human_body

Notice the chart above, human beings are made up of the same particles, minerals, and gasses as the rest of the world.  To my brain that means that everything is connected, but as human beings we do have the freedom of choice and could rise above it.  My Hebrew birthday, Daled Cheshvan, was yesterday, and I honestly had such a non stop day, it was amazing, but I was just living 100% me, and did not even notice to celebrate.  A wonderful friend wished me a happy belated birthday today, and it just made me sad that I missed one thing, on our Jewish birthday we have the power to bless everyone around us, and those blessings carry some weight, our birthday is a big deal.  I enjoy giving compliments, receiving and giving blessings, we are lucky that in the observant Jewish communities, everyday there is something to bless, and everyone says AMEN, and its non stop wishing each other well.  I would like everyone to know that you are always in my thoughts in a happy, positive and grateful place in my life, so feel good that you got my blessing through the conscious energy waves.

So back to those elements, I grow up thinking I was a Libra, but the Jewish lunar calendar is always changing days in the Solar calendar, the sun and moon move differently.  Actually notice that all the horoscopes start at the end of the month, they are all by the moon.  So when I found out my Hebrew birthday after I got married, the year I was born my birthday was in Scorpio.  So I was told I am a Libra with Scorpio dressing, which totally makes sense to me.  I love balance, beauty, justice, and am indecisive which are all Libra traits, and I have always been drawn to the Scorpio intensity, loyalty, and depth.  Of course we are not bound by the characteristics, but I do feel like everything else in the universe, it is a part of us, and I just find it fun.

The theme of today's blog is that I am just not obsessed too much with anything, and I am going to give a whole bunch of examples.

This crazy world we live in with its music, billboards, social media, my young kids get too much information.  Today we were driving by a billboard with a girl in a very skimpy bathing suit with her backside hanging out, but wearing leggings and shoes.  My daughter says, I see her tush, yuck, but I like her shoes.  I just crack up quietly to myself and happy with my kids interpretations.

I was genetically blessed with great teeth and gums, after babies not so much, but I was never obsessed with keeping my mouth healthy, I just brushed my teeth and went to the dentist.  I am taking the same approach with my kids, there is much more to life then the musts, have to's, and other things that are just a simple part of life, and not making it a big deal.

My Yoga teacher who is 82 years old says it simply:

When you live in the past, Depression
When you live in the future, Anxiety
So important to Think of Nothing, Feel Everything.

I don't know if that makes sense to you, but for me it makes perfect sense, I don't like to worry in advance, and the past is just that, definitely something to learn from, but not to get lost in.  Recently I have seen moms worrying about everything from pregnancy, labor, birth all the way to SIDS and Ebola.  Of course we need to be alert and aware, but I choose not to let all of these things to live rent free in my brain.  I just want to enjoy every morsel of life as it happens.

My last non obsession is work performance, whether its Yoga, PE, Doula or any other clients that use my various services.  All I can do is give my all, do my best, and know that I did.

Done.
In summary,
Give your all,
Be True To You,
Enjoy life as it flows along,
Coach Yulia


Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Support

sup·port
verb
verb: support; 3rd person present: supports; past tense: supported; past participle:supported;

  1. 1.
    bear all or part of the weight of; hold up.
    "the dome was supported by a hundred white columns"
    synonyms:hold up, bearcarry, prop up, keep up, brace, shore up, underpin,buttressreinforce
    "a roof supported by pillars"
    • produce enough food and water for; be capable of sustaining.
      "the land had lost its capacity to support life"
    • be capable of fulfilling (a role) adequately.
      "tutors gain practical experience that helps them support their tutoring role"
    • endure; tolerate.
      "at work during the day I could support the grief"
  2. 2.
    give assistance to, especially financially; enable to function or act.
    "the government gives $2.5 billion a year to support the activities of the voluntary sector"
    synonyms:helpaidassist

    antonyms:oppose
    • provide with a home and the necessities of life.
      "my main concern was to support my family"
      synonyms:provide for, maintainsustainkeep, take care of, look after
      "he struggled to support his family"
    • give approval, comfort, or encouragement to.
      "I like to visit her to support her"
      synonyms:comfortencouragesustain, buoy up, heartenfortifyconsole,solacereassure
      antonyms:neglectabandon
    • suggest the truth of; corroborate.
      "the studies support our findings"
      synonyms:substantiate, back up, bear out, corroborateconfirm, attest to,verifyprovevalidateauthenticateendorseratify
      "evidence to support the argument"

      antonyms:contradictundermine
    • be actively interested in and concerned for the success of (a particular sports team).
    • (of an actor or a role) important in a play or film but subordinate to the leading parts.
      adjective: supporting
    • (of a pop or rock group or performer) function as a secondary act to (another) at a concert.
  3. 3.
    COMPUTING
    (of a computer or operating system) allow the use or operation of (a program, language, or device).
    "the new versions do not support the graphical user interface standard"
noun
noun: support; plural noun: supports
  1. 1.
    a thing that bears the weight of something or keeps it upright.
    "the best support for a camera is a tripod"
    synonyms:pillarpostpropuprightcrutchplinthbracebuttress
    • the action or state of bearing the weight of something or someone or of being so supported.
      "she clutched the sideboard for support"
  2. 2.
    material assistance.
    "he urged that military support be sent to protect humanitarian convoys"
    • comfort and emotional help offered to someone in distress.
      "she's been through a bad time and needs our support"
    • approval and encouragement.
      "the policies of reform enjoy widespread support"
    • a secondary act at a pop or rock concert.
    • technical help given to the user of a computer or other product.

women's clothes

raising children

in a work environment

in a family

in a community

I was going to elaborate, but its been a non stop day, I am done.



long good day,
tired,
random thoughts,
good night,
Coach Yulia




Monday, October 27, 2014

I Keep Learning From Everybody

We are both fixing our hair for the perfect shot
No matter what a persons background, culturally and intellectually, the learning should never stop. Learning is life, whenever somebody decides they know everything they need to know, in my opinion that is scary.  I have someone in my life like this, she says, "if only everyone would listen to me," I just nod and smile and carry on, she is of the old world mentality, all I can do is respect her opinion, take everyone's advice, but always make my own decision.

My father is one of the smartest people I know, book smart and street smart, when we immigrated to America, there was no English, and even when the English came there was a heavy accent.  My father never let that stop him, he would keep asking questions, even if people did not understand him, thought he was a simpleton, he knew he would keep gathering knowledge, and it really doesn't matter what other people think of you.  I definitely got that life lesson loud and clear, always ask questions, and 100% I do not care what people think.  I am straightforward, I am genuine, and I am polite, sometimes I do not click with everybody and that is OK.  If people do not like my Yoga class, I do not take it personally, we all like different things, different styles, and that is how it is supposed to be. It is magic when people get the Yoga I teach, and we are both feeling so good from the energy exchange.

I had that situation this morning with a private client, she was showing me exercises that she likes, it was something new for me, not in my style of teaching, but I loved learning more options, and making sure her form was good.  She wrote me later that day that she really feels her body responding to the workout, no judgement that I did not know everything, and I do not know everything, and I will keep learning every moment of my life.  My gut connects me to my clients, sometimes they are referrals, my training is diverse, my main goal is education, form, alignment, core, and really getting to know how it all works in each individual body.  This cannot be taught, this is something that you feel, and I create a space where the neuromuscular system connects body and mind, and each person consciously figures themselves out.  I feel so blessed to be the transmitter of this message, FIND YOU, I cannot do it for you, but open yourself up, show me what you have already learned, but ultimately TRUST YOU, connect with what feels right for you.

As a Doula I also learn with each client, each new situation, I am always asking questions, no birth, labor, pregnancy, or woman is the same.  Even the same woman with multiple children has completely different pregnancies,labor, and birth.  When connecting with my Doula clients, it is important to have complete trust, it is a very intimate and intense experience, sometimes in the moment emotions take over.  My job is to stay clear, support, assess the situation, do what is best for my client, and empower her to be present, consciously feel the experience, and know that she is not alone but only she can birth her baby.  I just found out what exactly chiropractors do to help turn babies from breach and transverse positions.  They do not actually turn the baby, but they align the body in the optimal position, especially the hips, so the baby naturally turns.  I find it all so fascinating, and love to keep learning all of the options out there.

Life is About Learning,
Learning is Life,
I will never stop Learning,
It makes no sense to stop,
Especially as a wife and mother,
Every Day is a New Lesson,
I stay sane by taking care of me,
and looking at everything that happens as a learning experience,
God Bless My Parents,
May I Instill In My Kids,
CONFIDENCE,
CURIOSITY,
INDEPENDENCE,
LOVE OF LEARNING,
UNCONDITIONAL GIVING AND RECEIVING LOVE,
COMMITMENT,
NEVER SETTLING,
TRUSTING MY GUT,
KNOWING I AM SUPPORTED,
Thank you Papa and Mama,
Coach Yulia


Sunday, October 26, 2014

We Live In The World





Halloween is everywhere, I never liked the gore or the scary stuff, just the dress up and dancing with friends.  Before this year it was not in my children's consciousness, in their completely Jewish environment, they really did not know it existed.






I really wanted the first five years of my children's lives to be insulated, so their Jewish identity could be strong.  When we walk to our synagogue on Saturday, they see cars driving and they know that only Jewish people celebrate Shabbat.  Also during Christmas time last year when they saw lights all around, they know that we do not celebrate the holiday, but many people do.



When we moved to America in 1980 from the former Soviet Union, my parents let us teach them about the new country and culture.  We did go to a private, orthodox Jewish school, because the community told us, otherwise in public school we would not get a Jewish education.  I really feel those elementary years gave me my base, my roots, although once we moved to another state and I went to public school, I was not observant.  I really embraced it once I got married and had children.

So this year my older two go to public school, we live in a very observant community, so their identity is strong, and now when the schools celebrate Halloween, they know it is not our holiday, but if there are bounce houses and a party, I allow them to observe from their child's lens.  The schools politely ask parents not to have costumes that have weapons, are scary, and only masks during the parade, not in the classroom.  Today I met a friend at the pumpkin patch, I have never been to one as a child, it is not in my Russian or Jewish culture, and my parents had no clue.  What did my kids want to do? Go on the rides, bounce house, train, and run around the pumpkins.  It was all young kids and families, and totally appropriate, not scary, just some fall fun.

I get how people not from America or countries that do not celebrate Halloween can be horrified by how desensitized people are to limbs sticking out of the trunks of cars, skeletons and spider webs as decorations, and people letting it all out, literally.  Yes we can only shelter our kids so much, especially living in Los Angeles, or any big city.  My kids notice as we drive by homes decorated for Halloween, and they always say, we do not celebrate it.

Awareness,
Consciousness,
Separation,
Acceptance,
It's all an individual and personal decision,
It all gets me excited for the Jewish dress up holiday, Purim, which is in the spring,
I just love dress up,
Luckily we get to dress nice every weekend for Shabbat,
I like that my kids enjoy dressing up every week,
I also like that they have my love of socialization and expressing themselves,
Confidence,
Knowing who they are,
I am a proud mom,
Coach Yulia

Saturday, October 25, 2014

What If?


Every Saturday I recharge, the world can wait, it is all about me, I read, I learn, and I contemplate the world and my life.  I do not believe in regret or looking back, things are as they are, all we can do is learn from them and move forward.  Everything I am reading about is a lesson in deciding how to deal, whether to run or to face.  Some of these articles are specifically about the Torah, so if you want to take a peak at my thoughts please click and enjoy.

Go to page 17 about an in depth weekly lesson and guide on how to approach reality after the holiday high, http://issuu.com/jewishhomela/docs/la_jh_10-23-14_lo?e=7985120/9835782.

This article was so powerful about making sure we are setting an example of how we want to be treated, http://www.jewishjournal.com/torah_portion/article/the_problem_of_evil_and_us.

Before Shabbat there was an amazing post that I ran across on Facebook from a father of eight who had recently lost his wife.  It is all about what if, and then realizing that things will be as they will be.

What If?
Two words come to mind as I catch my breath and reflect on the month that just passed with all the big Jewish holidays and events.
Two words: ‘What if?
It was a busy month for many people but especially for rabbis. Add to that being a single father of eight children and things can start to get a little bit overwhelming.
As I reflected back this week, there were so many ‘what ifs’ floating in my mind, that I decided to share a small sampling of them with you. Everything seemed to work out at the end but I couldn’t stop wondering about what would have happened if……..
What if various family members and friends hadn’t decided to come from out of town to help with each of the holidays?
What if they hadn’t been willing to cook all the meals for us?
What if our domestic help would have thrown in the towel due to all the extra work?
What if my youngest child who is almost always clinging to me, hadn’t decided he wanted to be on his own just when I needed to go lead the services?
What if our wonderful dinner guests hadn’t joined us and enhanced our holiday meals?
What if my Yom Kippur fast wouldn’t have miraculously been headache free this year?
What if some kind friends wouldn’t have volunteered to come over and help put up our Sukkah
What if my neighbor hadn’t been available to watch the kids when I needed to run out for some last minute holiday errands and preparations?
What if my community hadn’t been so understanding of my little ones making noise during some of the Synagogue services?
What if, what if, what if……I have dozens more which practically speaking would have made it almost impossible for me to be both Rabbi and single Daddy during this busy season.
And then I realized that ‘what if’ is a silly question to ask because in reality none of those things could have happened. After all Hashem always provides the tools we need to be able to function according to our life circumstances, so obviously all those people would be there and just at the right time.
I am grateful for having been the continued beneficiary of G-d’s grace, and happy for my family and friends for having had the merit of serving as G-d’s agents
Shabbat Shalom

Live Now,
Everything Will Work Out As It Should,
Coach Yulia

Friday, October 24, 2014

DISTRACTION



I wonder if the word distraction, the title of my blog, in huge capital letters demanded your attention away from other things you were trying to do.  We are distracted all day by texts on our phones, sirens, accidents on the road, our children, you name it, our brain never stays in one place for too long.  Today after dropping off my son at school, I was about to cross the street when a car wanting to make a turn got distracted by me, I was waiting for it to go, there was a cross guard, so I was waiting for the cross guard, the driver looked like she had no idea what to do.  Sometimes it seems that all the distractions are getting in the way of the rules of the road.

The video above is about this weekend, all over the world Jews that do not usually step off the world for 24 hours will join together to have the experience of Shabbat.  I am so blessed to have this every week, I look forward to it, I feel like all my hard work and running around has earned me this one day completely off.  It is so nice that it is weekly, family time, community time, something to look forward to all the time, not just once a year.

It makes me happy that this wonderful feeling will be experienced worldwide today and tomorrow, maybe it will spark some balance, inspiration, and reconnecting with roots, faith, family, tradition, community, and that deep inner self that we get distracted from all the time.

If we don't put ourselves first,
Who will do it?
It is not selfish,
It is self care,
Shabbat Shalom,
Coach Yulia


Thursday, October 23, 2014

Neighbor "chood"



I saw a double decker tour bus in my neighbor"chood," Jewish downtown that is, it is a strip of Kosher restaurants, stores, markets,  and Jews from every corner of the world busy in the streets. I recently took my son on one for his sixth birthday, and it goes around all the Los Angeles and Hollywood landmarks, so I was just laughing to myself and wondering why it was in our part of town, as I passed by I saw it was empty, just passing through.  Where I live is really close to the heart of Los Angeles and Hollywood, we are actually literally called Beverly Hills Adjacent!  For those of you that are not familiar with the Hebrew language, the "ch" sound is like you are taking phlegm out of your throat, I am trying to think of a common word that this could be demonstrated.  Not character, or chips, I guess it is like the letter H, but rougher, just googled it, like the "ch" in Bach.  So it is just a play of words and slang of living in the hood, I live in the chood.

The video above talks about orthodox and religious, observant Jews having successful careers all over the spectrum.  Every day I am grateful to my parents for bringing my brother and I out of the Soviet Union, and letting us thrive in America.  We see so much antisemitism and hatred toward Israel recently, and some of it is unfortunately taught from birth, and some is just people that do not know the whole story.  I will keep on telling the story of my ancestors, my family, my traditions, and my culture.  I am so proud to be Jewish, and so blessed that my kids get to be fully observant without any judgement, prosecution, or resentment.

I love reading stories about Jews from different parts of the world, the links below are fascinating. Many Jews come from all parts of Greece, and were very close with the Christians, and this story is about that friendship, and supporting each other and standing up for each other in hard times,
http://virtualjerusalem.com/judaism.php?Itemid=14682.  The following story is about a Jewish man that became a great Yoga guru, and it was interesting to me how his Jewish roots sparked his soul,

I want to show the world the diversity of the Jewish people,
The Kindness,
The Contribution,
The Integrity,
We want to light up the world,
We celebrate life,
We love living in the multicultural world,
Our roots are strong,
We have our written guide for this life,
We are always debating and searching for various interpretations,
TRUTH,
FAITH,
LOVE,
KNOWLEDGE,
CONSTANT GROWTH,
DAILY LEARNING AND CONNECTING, 
Thank God,
Coach Yulia

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Glass - Technology - Milestones


I cannot get enough of sturdy glass containers, this one has sauteed mushrooms, another one has crackers, and anything else you can imagine.  Plastic just grosses me out, and I feel you can never get it clean enough.  Even my babies had glass bottles, eventually I found www.lifefactory.com with a protective silicone sleeve, that really keeps it in one piece, even though I have dropped it multiple times.  The jar I am holding it he picture are ball jars, we got these on the clearance rack at Ralphs, and we also found some on sale at OSH, really large ones, storing all of our dry grains, beans, and flour, it seals tight on top, no more pantry moths, or any other kind of bugs, they have nowhere to burrow.

I find myself saying more and more, "Technology is only good when it works," and most of the time we are trying to reboot, fix, and upgrade everything we got because the "old" version is just not good enough anymore.  My computer loves to turn off, and it takes forever to figure out how to turn it on, my phone battery drains way too fast, the only thing that has kept its charge real well is my electric toothbrush.  Sound systems, all the television gear, we are always needing repairs, adjustment, and assistance, I suppose the support field is a good business to get into, you will always have customers in need.

Milestones are something you always hear about once you become a parent, from the moment a child is born there is a chart.  The chart is an average, but people are all so different, I like to know the science, but I don't put too much attention about what is going on with other kids.  Teeth, hair, potty training, crawling, walking, talking, just enjoy my friends, it will all happen, one thing will pass and the next thing will begin.  One of the biggest is sleeping through the night, I just do not think there is one answer for everyone.  Some do, some don't, mine didn't but now they do, Thank God!

I am just writing various thoughts swimming around my brain today, but I guess what they all have in common is choices about what we use, how we deal when something is not working properly, and comparing and competing just makes no sense when there is no one else like each individual soul.

Now just having fun,
May not make sense.
Coach Yulia

Accept All,
Be Bold,
Celebrate Choices,
Dream Daringly,
Embrace Elevation,
Fly Free,
Go Grand,
Happy Heart,
Invincible Individual,
Joust Joyfully,
Kinesthetic Kindness,
Live Life,
Marvelous Meals,
Nuance Now,
Over Oxidize,
Pleasant Pondering,
Quaint Quotes,
Random Roaming,
Soul Satisfaction,
Teach Talents,
Utilize Unconditionally,
Vow Vigorously,
Word Wisely,
Xenial Xerox,
Yearn You,
Zesty Zen.




Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Middle Path

Get ready to go deep my friends, I have had a long, wonderful day of everything you can imagine. Taught a few classes to adults, had an afternoon of PE with young ladies, and finished off with a nice dinner while learning about optimal health.  I love when the focus is on every part of health, and we learned about physical, chemical, and emotional.  It was led by Chiropractor, Dr. Daniel Rude, I love to keep learning.  One of the main points was listening to your innate intelligence, and also about the Middle Path as explained by the great sage Rambam, here is a glimpse into the intricacies,
http://www.torah.org/learning/mlife/ch1law3-4a.html

In my understanding the middle path is exactly that, staying away from the extremes.  I love to say excess once in a while is moderation, and how it is healthy to allow a little bit of everything. Nonetheless extremes cannot be fed, should not be yearned, may not be the go to way of being.  It is challenging to elaborate, but to me this makes all the sense in the world.

Here are some more quotes from Rambam, so powerful, universal and timeless.

I wish what I totally get, I can express into simple terms.  That is however the whole point of it all, everyone will get it differently, and that is good, we are all unique, nobody feels the same, looks the same, or wants the same thing, there is room for everybody, so just be you.

It is very sad when people want to escape being themselves, hurt themselves, or were hurt deeply and cannot escape it.  There was a recent story I read of a man that was attacked as a child by someone he never saw, he turned away from Judaism, and courageously stood up against child abuse in the community. Now that I have children myself, this just touches my soul, I look at him and think I would have liked to know him, seems like such an amazing guy, I wish him peace.  The Jewish Community Watch was recently formed and is opening conversations, supporting victims and giving them a voice, as well as putting up a wall of shame and focusing on prosecuting the abusers.

May we all keep delving deep into ourselves,
Treating ourselves with respect and kindness,
Treating everyone around us with respect and kindness,
Isn't that the whole point of humanity?
Building relationships,
Building bridges,
Building each other up,
That is the path I prefer,
The Feel Good Path,
Being of Service,
Being True to Yourself,
Balance,
Recharge,
Give,
Repeat,
Coach Yulia




http://pix11.com/2014/10/20/orthodox-jewish-rape-survivor-buried-by-community-that-shunned-him/

Monday, October 20, 2014

Happiness is a Discipline

My big boy goes to a school that is very strict about absolutely everything.  I suppose it is teaching kids about certain aspects of life that cannot be circumvented.  If someone is late, there is a tardy slip to fill out, only the child goes to class, and the parent goes home making sure not to be late again.  Early in the morning before school begins they have the Morning Mile, kids run around a track 10 times and get a necklace with a foot, every ten gets another foot.  I think it is as much for the parents to get there early, as it is for the kids to learn about health, working for something, and getting the energy out before sitting down to listen in class.

Today I had odds and ends to take care of at the office, and noticed there was a meeting about something I knew nothing about, so I finished all my stuff and went over to ask for a booklet.  She told me very sternly that I had to be in the meeting from the beginning to get the book, and there will be more meetings in the future.  It did annoy me a bit, I get it, this is the way the world works in most places, the meeting was about the future of the kids in different schools, my kid is in Kindergarten, so I have time.  I did run into a fellow mom and asked her about it, and she told me that some middle schools are hard to get into, so you have to try, and you get points when they reject you, and you want to get many points, OY! The system of things in the world drives me nuts.

I am blessed to be in a go with the flow field, I have good relationships with people that could substitute me, and especially when I work with moms and pregnant women, if something doesn’t work out, I say no problem, and use that time for something I need to do.  Our family schedule just got a little busier for me, my husband’s schedule has changed, so now I am arranging the day with babysitters, my work, taking kids to and from school, and I love it, feeling so grateful.

So discipline, rules, and strict guidelines have their place, it is important to get places on time, respecting other peoples time and organizing your own day in a structured, no stress flow.  I love that the word discipline can mean so many things, playing piano, martial arts, and many other things are disciplines.  They take focus, time, energy, and commitment and so does being happy.

I had an amazing conversation with my client this morning about happiness, and she said in Judaism it is a Mitzva.  It is a commandment to live happily, do things with happiness, and to be grateful.  Thanks to my family and upbringing, this is a natural state of being for me.  I would like to inspire everybody out there to think of happiness as a discipline, and it will become part of who you are.

Don't Worry,
Be Happy!

Coach Yulia