Living Life To Its Fullest

A Woman who was instrumental in the Modern Dance world in Canada, and who I had the opportunity to work with for many years, passed away this last weekend.  

Rachel Browne you will be missed by many.  Your dedication to Dance as an art, your commitment to Dancers young and old and your passion for what you loved was felt by many people.

                                                     "Nothing Past The Swans"

                                                                       Choreographer: Tedd Robinson  1983ish

                                        

Every artist has his or her quirky ways and you were no exception. All the times in the studio when you would have your electric kettle close at hand for your tea, your baggies of food that you were always munching on, and your trademark sweatpants are memories that I will hold forever.  

The passing of Rachel has really made me think deeply about my own life and how each day passes too quickly.  How do we live life to its fullest while still doing the mundane every day things that are required.  How do we allow ourselves to wake up every morning with anticipation of what the day holds rather than dragging ourselves out of bed with a cloud of "how can I do everything that needs to be done" hanging over our head.

I think they both come hand in hand.  Not everyday will be completely filled with energy and joy.  But hopefully each day we can find at least a few moments when you just think to yourself, ahhhhh life is beautiful.  And then of course there are those days that are WOW its wonderful to be alive!  Those WOW days are the ones we need to remember and draw from for our otherwise down days.

And of course our yoga practice is the one constant that grounds us and brings us more of those ahhhh moments.  So do your yoga.

My personal story of Rachel Browne is when I finished my first year as a student at Winnipeg Contemporary Dancers in Winnipeg, Manitoba.  My dream was to be a dancer and that company was the one I wanted to dance with.  Rachel was the Artistic Director at the time and she took me aside at the end of the year and told me I did not have it in me to become a professional dancer.  As you can imagine I was first crushed and then I got mad.  I came back the next year and worked my butt off to prove her wrong.  2 years later I was hired as a dancer in the company.   So thank you Rachel for lighting the fire under my bum so that I would work harder than I ever thought I could.  I think that was your plan anyways, to see if I had it in me to be a dancer.

Rest in Peace Rachel Browne.

                                       

I just had to share these beautiful photos one of my students took on our Mandala Yoga Mat.  What a way to practice your yoga!

Thank you Peggy for sharing with us.

Social Media and small business

Running my small business has become more and more about posting on FaceBook & Twitter and sending out monthly e-newsletter.  Not to mention trying to post a new video for Youtube every so often.  YIKES it does take a lot of time.  And then there is my Blog, which has really been negleted.

But it has also proven to be a great way to share ideas, photos and information.  And to connect with other like minded people.

I just started playing with  Pinterest which is actually pretty fun.  It is all about creating these boards (like bulletin boards) and pinning photos (which link back to the web site you got it from) or videos etc.  So of course I have one board with yoga photos and another board with music videos.  It is worth it to check it out.  But be prepared to spend some time on it.

So the question is; when is the time to hire someone to help you keep up on all the postings that need be done.  And if you do hire someone will it still have that personal feel to it?

Social Media is a wonderful tool but do we really want to spend that much time on the computer?  It can take away from what is really important, like your yoga practice and family.

For those of you that do own one of our mats send us a photo of you in your favorite pose outdoors on the mat to info@mandalayogamat.com  If we pick your photo you will receive a Mandala Yoga Mat.  And when you do send us the photo  we will post it on our FaceBook page as well as our yoga board on Pinterest  And as we continue to do, like us on FaceBook and you will have the chance of being an end of the month winner for a Mandala Yoga Mat.

See Social Media is pretty cool.......

Namaste
Desiree

THE POWER OF MUSIC

Where would we be without music?  The power of music can change your mood from sadness to joy, it sets the background for movies allowing us to project ourselves deeper into the story, and it can set the stage for performances in dance and theatre.  Those are just a few things I can think of.
Then of course there is going to see live performances; listening to musicians and singers expose their talents to us, allowing them to touch that most tender part of our emotions, wow what wonderful thing that is.
For myself when I hear a piece of music that inspires me, I want to move.
There is some controversy with whether you should use music with your yoga practice.  Most studios seem to have some king of music in the background.  I love it.  But it is a very personal thing and what one person enjoys another man not.
But if it can help to get you on your mat why not put on a little Sting, Mozart or the Beatles.
With that in mind I hope you enjoy my latest video.  I love the song from the band Cinematic Orchestra, so the next was for me to roll out my mat and move.
Namaste
Desiree

Mandala Yoga Mat Inversion on Youtube

Please feel free to view our other videos on Youtube as well.  :  )
Pingates

Who actually determines what the list price is?

There has been something I am a bit confused about............  When companies advertise (mainly online) what the list price of a product is and then what their price is, where do they get the list price?   If it is their own product do they pluck the list price out of the air so that they can then make it look like you are getting a deal with the cut price?  I understand if it is someone elses product and they give you their list price, but if it is your own?


When I first started selling our round mats we sold them for $99 per mat.  I then supplied another online yoga props store with our mats.  They as well sold them for $99 but had the list price higher.  So of course it looked like you were getting a deal.  I thought it was a very dishonest thing to do to the consumer.


Now that the same online yoga store is selling a round mat of their own (if you would like to hear that story please go to our very first post ( http://mandalayogamat.blogspot.com/2009_09_01_archive.html ) they have the list price at a price that is higher then it ever was sold so it looks like you are getting some big savings.


I know that there are all sorts of tactics when selling items and that people love to get a deal, but isn't that a bit of false advertising?  If it is your product that you make and promote yourself, don't you determine the price.  Plain and simple.  Why put a false list price that never existed so that you can mark it down thinking people are getting a sale price?


As my company is growing I want to continue to do the right thing by my fellow yogis that are buying our mats.  I created these mats out of a passion for my yoga practice and as a yoga instructor.  The process of operating a business like this has been a very organic thing.  I have just been following my gut and making decisions not on greed but on passion and doing what I believe is right.


Honesty and everything associated with morality is something we try to follow in our lives, shouldn't it be the same in a business?  I think that you can morally do the right thing in a business and still be a successful business person.


I just read a great post from a blog and would like to share it with you.


"Many people have heard the term “this is business” when referred to questionable actions taken in the workplace with less than desirable outcomes. Yet, in life, we do not have that same luxury. Actions taken in real life have consequences that we cannot just right off as “this is life.” It can be hard to follow the moral code when doing business, but not doing so can leave you with a world of guilt and can later affect the business you do or your productivity; guilty thoughts weigh heavily on the mind.

By following what you believe in, you will feel right with the world in business and in your life. Creating harmony in all parts of your life will ensure a balance in your life. Do what is best for your business, yes, but ultimately do what is right for you." 


So be assured that the price you pay for our mats is the price it is.  Sometimes I will have a sale on them but what they are is what they are.  I price them at what I believe is the fair price and I will never lead you to believe that the list price is different.

Creative Flow

I love music.  All kinds of music.  Whenever I go to concerts I visualize movement, all sorts of movement: dance, yoga, hand mudras.......... I recently saw one of my favorite artists, David Gray, and sure enough he gave me an abundance of inspiration.
When I am inspired I just want to move.  So this new video is just that, in my studio, on the mat, David Gray singing and me moving.

I hope you enjoy it. 

Namaste
Desiree

Creative Flow on You Tube

Two mini classes added to youtube

We have just added to little mini classes to youtube.  I hope you enjoy them enough that it will encourage you to get on your mat and practice.

Namaste and enjoy!

Desiree

Mandala Class Part 1

Mandala Class Part 2