Travelling Gifts of Wellness

Getting Others Involved in my Fun!

Roots to Breath, Dona Anderson

Sharing is Fun!

Update on the travelling books!

Most of the books have been given out but some are still waiting to connect with people or events.

The relatives who are helping me have taken this on with a lot of thought, passion, and consideration.  As one of them said, to only have 10 to pass out is hard, I could give out 100.   They are truly seeking out individuals who will treasure the book now, and then continue to spread wellness to others as they pass it on.

It has been a great pleasure to have started this wellness promotion and I hope it continues to spread simple everyday gifts and connect people who may be known or unknown at the time.

Some of the books have already made their way to the United States, Mexico, and Europe, while others will  be moving between provinces.  One lady had a book to give to her friend and a visiting relative had to have it.  The one going to Mexico was to be part of a winter book club.  I can imagine the beautiful sounds of the ocean, the birds, the warmth of the sun, and the sharing of gentle meditations.

Best wishes to all and I hope to hear more from those who are touched by this wellness journey.  Your stories will continue to give me inspiration to move forward.

How it got started

Some ideas are so good!  In late August I had the most wonderful idea.  I'm going to send 100 copies of my book Simply, One Breath At a Time, off as gifts to begin travelling on a wellness journey.

The idea was a good start, then I had to figure out how to do it and when you're excited it is all loads of fun.  I placed stickers in each book with information to explain that it is a travelling book of wellness that is to be given again by each receiver.  Each book is to be enjoyed and used, and then given again to someone else, no occasion required, to continue the journey to bring gifts of wellness to others.

Next, how do I get the books spread out to other parts of Canada?  Easy, recruit family members in other places and provinces to help out.  I passed out many of the books here in the Comox Valley, and the rest travelled to relatives in BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Ontario to be passed out there.

This will be a great way to get people talking about and sharing wellness with others.  Together we can help spread the benefits of breathing, softening, and relaxing, and lessen the accumulative affects of tension and stress.

I am hoping the books travel throughout Canada, and maybe even go to other parts of the world.  I also asked to get stories back about where the books go and the people who receive them. What fun this will be!

I can't think of a more wonderful way to complete this year than by beginning this wellness journey of 100 books, 100 people, and then watching it continue to grow and spread.

Namaste.

I'm going to a recording studio!

Family members relax, no I'm not singing!

A relaxation CD is being planned.  I am off to a recording studio in January to start work on it.

In my dreams I would have been a singer, although this would not have worked in real life.  So, I found another route to make it into the recording studio.

I have had many requests for a relaxation CD so this will be a fun project.  I will be nervous, scarred, shy, and all those things as well as excited and happy to try it and see what happens.  

Wish me well and I'll let you know how it goes!

Waking up to Silence

I woke up this morning and didn't hear rain. So nice, no rain...the reason I didn't hear rain, was that it was silently snowing.  It snowed all day, then in the early evening, snow changed to rain.  So what tomorrow will bring is a mystery. 

What I do know is that the snow today was beautiful,   Full flakes that held on to whatever it could.  The dogs loved their early morning walk when it was still lightly snowing so thankfully no feet and armpits full of stuck on snow balls.  They just loved to catch the snowflakes and jump up into the air like young puppies.  It didn't matter to them how cold or wet they got, they didn't worry about it when it was time for fun.  When they got home, they got to shake off that snow and find a warm place to rest for the day!

It's funny, the soft sound of winter rains when you wake up was replaced this morning by silence.  Today the  silence...turned out to be the gentle falling of beautiful snow!

I woke up to silence, but tonight I get to fall asleep once again to the gentle sound of rain and enjoy the cool, moist air as it flows in the open window.  We will all (humans and dogs) enjoy snuggling under the covers and periodically bravely sticking a foot or paw out to test the temperature and then decide where to snuggle next...Oh, the joys of winter!

The Yoga Game

I mentioned this book in an earlier post and now I have my own copy!  It is so cute, filled with rhymes wonderful pictures, and lots of color.  I enjoyed each page and even though I don't teach children's yoga, I will share it my yoga class one day, we will have lots of fun and laughs.

This is a great book for young children and the riddles and rhymes are ones they will remember and recall forever.  They make learning fun, yoga fun, and I especially like the last one that to me is the true gift of yoga, which is to be yourself.  

http://www.kathybeliveau.ca/

http://www.gumbootbooks.ca/

Facebook

I have been working on a facebook page for Simply, One Breath At a Time.

Not sure what I'm doing yet so have patience.  Thanks.

Christmas Show, A Touch of Saltspring 2010

Wonderful show and it was great to connect with so many of the people who attended the 3 day show.

I gave out over 800 wellness cards to those who passed by my table and were able to stop.  It was fun to see them choose the perfect card for them that day.  Then the thank you's, smiles on their faces, and comments of this is perfect, just what I needed, the sharing of messages with their friends etc was exactly what the cards represent.  Each card is an invitation to take a short wellness break and then return to your day more relaxed and refreshed..

Thanks to all those who stopped for a chat, brought their friends over for a card, and to those who went home with a book or card set.  I had a wonderful time and hope to see you next year.

Best Wishes for the holiday season and the coming year, and remember to simply give yourself a moment to just BREATHE.

The Yoga Game, yoga for children

I am so happy to send my congratulations to my friend Kathy Beliveau on her upcoming book launch of the children's yoga book, The Yoga Game.

Kathy loves life, nature, and is the person that you want to sit beside so you can draw in  her warmth and positive energy.  I have not seen her book yet but know it will be full of many lifelong gifts.

Years ago Kathy told me that one of the things she was teaching her children was to always have things in your life that you love to do, and that don't cost anything.  At that time a couple of the things she was teaching them was yoga and taking them to swim in the ocean.

I have since kept that message with me to remind myself to always have things in my life to enjoy.   I can do yoga anywhere, hum a song, do some reiki healing, watch the sunset, go for a walk, browse the books at the library, visit a friend, or just rest and breathe. I'm sure we all have things at home or close by that we can do to make us feel refreshed, nurtured, and renewed.   Maybe, the best things in life are free!

Check out Kathy's website 
http://www.kathybeliveau.ca/

Christmas Show

While it is snowing this morning, it reminds me to post that I will be at the Christmas show, A Touch of Saltspring, Dec 3-5.  Location is the Panorama Recreation Center, 1885 Forest Park Drive, North Saanich.
So if you know anyone in the Victoria area or for those who go to this show let them know this is my first time there.  Always nice to have some new items to look at for the Christmas season, and also the books and cards are for any occasion or none at all.  The wonderful personal gift to yourself just because.
http://www.atouchofsaltspring.com/

A view from here!

It is so beautiful this morning to sit at my desk up here on the second floor and look out the window to see the mountains against a beautiful blue sky.  Yesterday it was raining all day so when the sky is blue and the mountains have a fresh dusting of snow on the top it is a beautiful sight.  I am so lucky to have this view.  The trumpeter swans are also back now for the winter, they are white and often talk to you when they fly over.  My view from here is picture perfect.

I had a great day yesterday.  Our choir in the morning was visited by the Afrigrand Caravan. We got to share a few songs with them and then last night we sang at the evening event to support the Stephen Lewis Foundation.  It was great to hear there are 240 grandmother groups across Canada commited to raising funds and awareness to support the grandmothers in Africa through this foundation.  The Caravan started in St John's Newfoundland and ends today in Victoria.  I am so glad I was a small part of this event and journey. They shared with us a song and then spoke of family, love, hope, education, dreams, changing roles, caring for others, sharing whatever they have, and being thankful.   I was amazed at how someone could cope with so many hardships and still have a positive and loving view of life.  It was shown in the picture perfect smile on their face.

How many is enough ?

This year in our gardens it has been the year of the hydrangea, and I love hydrangeas.  Last year will be remembered for a great crop of basil and the many salads and pasta suppers with homemade pesto we enjoyed throughout the winter!

This year we didn't cut back the hydrangea bushes so we could see just how big they'd get.  The two at the front of the house grew to a huge wonderful fullness about my height, so about 5 and half feet, and just as wide with hundreds and hundreds of blossoms.  Since we live on a corner lot, they have been on display to all who pass by.  So far I have cut at least a couple of hundred and you'd never know, also a few neighbors have gone home with their arms or bags full.  They are so wonderful to dry and fill the house with flowers for another year. There are 26 in one container on the dining room table !  I just love the mix and shades of burgundy, green, blue, pink, and turquoise.  I have never seen a flower where the colors didn't match and Mother Nature has done it again this year.

The fall rains and winds are starting to damage the flowers so I am so happy to be able to display and enjoy the ones I've picked.  I think I have enough now, but went out again today in search of just a couple more of those special ones just in case..... 

Last weekend

Last Friday night I went to hear a storyteller.  Her name is Hazel Lennox and she spoke at the Women's Resource Centre in Courtenay.  I really enjoyed it and loved how each story took you to another place and time.  I will definitely look for more of this type of entertainment to go to.   

I also enjoyed a music workshop last Saturday with Su Hart.  I went to her workshop last year and went again eager to sing more songs from Africa and share the joy of singing with a group of some familiar and a lot of unfamiliar faces.  It is so nice to go to activities where strangers can come together so quickly and be part of a whole.  We became a new choir for a day, singing harmonies, rounds, and different parts.

It was a great weekend!

Travelling Book Update

Twelve more books left home this week.  Six were mailed off to Saskatchewan and 6 given out here.

The books arrived in the other places they were sent to and have started to be given out.  Still a few more to be given out here over the next month or so.

Love the Sunshine

Enjoying this beautiful sunny day.

We delivered 10 of the travelling books to the Okanagan last week, and another 10 are on the way to Ontario today.

This is fun!

Passing out the books is so much fun, I'm glad I'm not finished yet.

People are so excited to hear about this idea of a travelling book and right away they are thinking about who they will pass it on to.  The excitement in their face is wonderful.

So far several will be going to other places in BC, and others to Ontario, Alberta, and maybe Mexico.

It's started!

So 24 of the books went into the mail yesterday.  Some to Alberta and mainland BC.

We'll get to hand deliver to other locations, and I have started to give some books out here.

People are most surprised to hear about this and think it is a wonderful idea.  Hope to keep the good reactions coming. 

I want to share a message that always brings me good memories.  I don't know where it came from but it has always stayed with me and I love to share it when I can.  So I guess this is a great place to share it.

It goes like this - You may be only one person in the world, but you may be the world to one person!

Launch Day

This is the official launch day for the 100 Book Wellness Journey.

Over the next month or so, 100 books will be given out to start spreading gifts of wellness and hopefully help lessen the affects of tension and stress.

Starting with 100 books and 100 people...who knows where it will spread.

It's fall

I think summer has...gone.  Has been raining and misty.
Yoga again this morming, so nice.
Got a call to see if I have another article for the winter magazine,
I don't have anything so far so will have to think of something.