Straight Bizzle...Fo Shizzle :)

Translation...I've started my own business!

It's always been a dream of mine to have my own business and there is no better time then the present. Empower.ed Bohdi! With Nick's support I have developed a logo and a business plan. Let me know what you think of the logo??? It's a work in progress. I've been contemplating the name for some time, since 2007 to be exact. I settled on "empower" because I want to help others to help themselves and the ".ed" represents education. Because I believe education and knowledge are the path to enlightenment or "bohdi", in yoga. Hence the name empower.ed bohdi. Thank you friends who have helped me along the way to come up with a name that rings true to my beliefs and is so close to my heart :) When I was in Canada I registered as a business so that I could work as an independent contractor but this is my first crack at the real deal. I want my business to fill the gap in therapeutic exercise. I think there are great personal trainers out there and wonderful therapists but what about the in between. My mom has COPD and has been struggling to find someone knowledgeable and experienced enough to support her in starting an exercise program. I think I could be this person. With my background in strength and conditioning, my experience as a therapist and my certification as an exercise physiologist I believe I can offer a unique service to an audience that really needs it.

I've been sitting and studying in the library for hours and teaching tons of fitness classes and I wanted something special to work on. I take my breaks from studying and write down my ideas. Free time really does foster creativity :) My goal is to offer fitness classes, therapeutic exercise sessions and manual therapy to a community of learners who need support to take the first or next step toward improved health. I believe that "Anatomy is Destiny! So do some squats, it will change your life!" This is another branding idea I have.

I've been treating a few people, mostly through referrals, but I would like to expand my practice and my business while I am here. I've decided that I am going to start writing about health, fitness and wellness and post articles on my facebook page as well. I have found writing to be very therapeutic and love to share thoughts. I contacted a web developer to start to put together a website and Nick bought me a therapy table for Christmas. My dear friend Pam has connected me with a colleague of hers to discuss branding as well. These are really exciting times and I look forward to seeing where it all leads. No matter what happens I'm excited about the future and this opportunity to help others. Yours in health and fitness. Smiles :) Alana

Charisma: Nature or Nurture

This photo is of my friend Pam and I at a Fitness conference in 2009. She is one of the most charismatic people I know! Strangely enough charisma's origin is in Greek and she is Greek :)

Have you ever met someone and instantly took a liking towards them? You can’t explain why, but you feel a fondness and being with them makes you feel better about yourself. I am very interested in people that have a strong sense of presence. The kind of people that can light up a room and command respect with their quiet confidence. There is a natural magnetism toward charismatic people and I want to know why.

So I'm sure your wondering why the interest and questions about charisma??? Well, I have been brain storming and working on ideas to start my own small business here in the Netherlands and have been doing research on what makes some small businesses more successful then others. I have been looking at businesses that essentially offer the same services but have very different outcomes. I think a lot of it comes down to charisma of the owner/ employees and connecting with people in the community. So my big question is are these charismatic people born this way or have they fostered it's development? Can we, the less charismatic, become more charismatic?

Through personal social research some of the key characteristics of charismatic people that I have identified are;

1) They smile a lot. The charismatic people that I have met smile a lot. Not in a creepy and excessive way but more in a positive and enthusiastic way. Emotions are contagious so a smile can go a long way. I definitely think that charismatic people have an authenticity in their smile but starting to smile more is an easy behaviour change to make. I have been pleasantly surprised by the response I have received to my smiling.

2) They are interested, open and curious. The most charismatic people are genuinely interested in others. In conversation they tend to ask more questions then they answer. They are great listeners who make others feel comfortable sharing without fear of judgement. There is a curiosity about them and a desire to learn and know more and they view every interaction as an opportunity to do just this.

3) They are fully present. Being present creates an intense focus and a feeling of being centered that is palpable. People are not accustomed to interacting with people who are totally present and it makes them feel special. They are more likely to share and open up. Have you ever really observed Oprah in an interview. In a room full of people, on national tv with a million potential distractions she is fully present. It's as if no one else and nothing else exists when she is interviewing.

4) They are confident. There is a quiet confidence about charismatic people. This confidence is very different then arrogance. Their confidence is on a deeper and more fundamental level and has come with experience from facing fears. They succeed and are confident because they have failed over and over.

5) They are assertive. Often times we think if we are "nice" and go out of our way for people they will like and appreciate us. They may in fact like you but the better question is will they respect and be drawn to you? People who are assertive with clear boundaries and expectations of how people should treat and interact with them are much more successful in relationships then the "nice guy/ girl".

6) They are amused. I know this sounds kind of funny but they don't seem to take things too seriously. They are relaxed and having fun and there is a lightness about them. They recognize what is important and what is not. What they have control over and what they don't. They have a good sense of humour about life.

7) They are socially free and authentic. When you are overly concerned about what other people may think then you often act in reaction to what you think they might say or do. When you are in this frame of thought you can not not be your most genuine and authentic self.

In conclusion, I think charisma can be defined as being along a continuum. I think the potential to be charismatic is within all of us. In my opinion charisma is a product of environment and being exposed to situations that allow it to further develop. Some of us may require a more focused and diligent effort at developing our own charisma but it is definitely possible. I think there are things we can work on every day. Today, in my yoga class I will work on being present :)

Puuuuurfect Yoga Practice

I've made myself a list of goals for this year. It's a list of the things that I've wanted to see or do or learn that I've never had the time for. You know, the things that you just keep putting in the some day pile. For example, one of the things on my list is learning to french braid. I know it may seem kind of silly but I have always wanted to be able to french braid. I can still remember being a little girl getting so excited when my older sister Leigh would french braid my hair. Sitting in front of my big sister on the living room floor having her braid my hair and talking are some of my very special memories of our relationship. I thought she was so cool and I always felt so pretty with my hair french braided :) It's been one of those things that I have always wanted to do but have never taken the time to sit down to learn. Well, finally, I sat down turned on a utube video and am happy to say learned to french braid. Isn't utube awesome! This is how I tie Nick's neck tie's too :) One of my other to do's is to attend a yoga class at least once per week while we are here. I think it's important to take time for myself to do some exercise that is less vigorous and more balancing and I also want to continue to improve and grow as a yoga instructor. I think a great way to do this is to expose myself to as many different instructors and styles of classes as possible. To date I have been drawn toward the Vinyasa or Power Yoga classes because they are strongly rooted to the physical. I have a difficult time sitting quietly and getting out of my own head. So this morning I had planned to attend a power yoga class at one of the gyms I work at. A great perk of working at so many gyms is that you get to enjoy the classes for free :) When I sat down at the top of my mat in preparation for the class the instructor welcomed us and said that we were going to focus on Ujjayi breathing and meditation for the first half of the class. What???? I thought this was Power Yoga. She explained that she wanted us to be able to learn to focus on the breath during our vigorous Power Yoga class to improve the quality of our practice . We sat in a fire log posture for 20-minutes focusing on breathing and creating the sound of the ocean in our throats. My feet were asleep, my nose was itchy, my mind was running in circles thinking of all the cool things I had planned to do in the afternoon. My head was everywhere but on my mat and focused on my practice. I was compassionate with myself and kept trying to come back but needless to say, it was a very challenging morning for me. The instructor was excellent and I know there are many things that I can learn from her so I will be back. I plan to make Thursday mornings a regular class for me. I have also decided that I will start doing 20-minutes of my own practice at home each day. In the past it has proven to be a challenge because there are so many distractions at home. The biggest of which are my cats Pumpkin, Gizmo and Maggie. As soon as I put my mat down they swarm me. Pumpkin loves to lie underneath me on her back in the hopes of getting a belly rub. Gizmo squacks at me from the coffee table and Maggie loves to drag her bum across my yoga mat. Yuck! Seriously, it's a magnet for her.

I think I've got a plan to overcome these challenges. I am going to include them in my practice. I thought I was being original but there are dedicated websites to yoga for cats www.yogakitty.com is just one example that I checked out. It is very cute. So I decided to try some of the Asanas with the girls and Nick played photographer; Warrior III (Virabhadrasana III) with Gizmo, Boat Pose (Paripurna Navasana) with Pumpkin and Tree Pose (Vrksasana) with Maggie. As you can see Maggie has difficulty focusing during yoga too :)

So what are you afraid of?

I thought that given today is Hallowe'en day that there is no better topic for my blog then that of fear. So what scares you? What are you afraid of? Is it spiders, the dark, being alone, snakes, birds - love you Cate! What makes the hair on your neck stand up and your stomach move into your throat?

I hate that feeling that wells up inside of you, the loss of control, the cold sweat, the thing that keeps you up at night. Are you ready? Today in my blog I'm going to get deep. I'm going to put it out there. I'm going to be honest. One of my greatest fears is FAILURE. At many different points in my life I have been consumed by my fear of failure and my fear of being perceived as a failure. Now don't get me wrong, my fear has never prevented me from doing things. If anything it has done the complete opposite. It is the thing that will not let me rest. It drives me forward from one thing to the next, to the next, to the next, to the next.....you get the idea. I'm constantly looking for the success that will set me free. Set me free from my fear of failure and inadequacy. Have you ever felt this way? With our workaholic society and everyone rushing around I think there must be lots of people out there who are like this but haven't taken the time to think about it. I've discussed this with friends and I know I'm not alone but that this fear manifests in different ways. I have a friend who admits to self-sabotage. He is a brilliant guy with creative ideas and a unique way of looking at the world. His fear of failure causes him to put up walls, to procrastinate, to avoid experiencing real failure by creating the failure himself. I'm sure we've all been afraid of failing on some level at some point and have self-sabotaged or run away or run ourselves into the ground. Please tell me you can relate!

One of my dear friends, Tracie Lee, shared one of her favorite quotes with me "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure". This was a really thought provoking quote for me because it made me take a step back and think of my fear in a different way. Is it that I'm afraid to fail or that I don't think I deserve to succeed??? Wow....thought provoking isn't it. She also told me to "grab 30 by the balls and show it who's boss". She is such a wealth of thought provoking quotes :)

Well, this year I'm turning over a new leaf. I deserve success! Success on my own terms. I will define it and I will achieve it and I will not need the praise of others to recognize that I have. I'm not afraid to fail because you can't fail until you stop trying and I'm never giving up! I'm grateful for the small successes every day and the opportunity to pursue new ones tomorrow.

This is your life. It's short.

Do something every day that scares you, don't live your life scared!

They Make Mischief & Mayhem

Thing 1 & Thing 2

You ask, "Who is that?"

They're a Seussical pair from the Cat in the Hat

What do you think?

Pretty close, eh?

Happy 29th Birthday Char-bot and Happy Hallowe'en Everyone!

In the Netherlands they do not celebrate Hallowe'en so I was very excited when Nick's lab mate Ben, from England and his girlfriend Mandy, from Ireland, decided to host a Hallowe'en party. This year Nick and I dressed up as Dr Seus's, Thing 1 & Thing 2. We found the perfect blue wigs and wore red pants and shirts. It was really tough to find red pants so I had to buy us women's stretchy pants. Nick was a real trooper in his womens 2XL stretchy pants. The party started at 7pm so we left our house just before to walk across the Maastricht city centre. People stared and laughed and said Carnival! Some people didn't notice us at all.

When we arrived at Mandy and Ben's house they answered the door dressed as Dracula and his bride. They weren't familiar with the Dr Seus characters but really liked our costumes. It didn't cross my mind that people would not be familiar with Thing 1 and Thing 2. By the end of the night there were three pirates, Thing 1 and Thing 2, Dracula and his bride, a guy with his head shaved just up the middle and a bunch of dutch friends in their regular clothes :) We had a great time and really appreciated the effort that Mandy and Ben made. They had decorated their whole apartment, they had carved small pumpkins, made candy apples and a delicious spread of food and drinks. Because they don't celebrate Hallowe'en here it took a tremendous effort to set the scene for the party. Well done! We had a great time. Nick brought the Wild Turkey - Kentucky Bourbon, to introduce to his friends and we have lots of great picture of them getting their first taste of "the Bird".

Here in the Netherlands they have a celebration that sounds similar to Hallowe'en in some of it's customs and it is called Carnival. Carnival is a festive season which occurs just before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnival typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party. People often dress up or masquerade during the celebrations, which mark an overturning of daily life. We are looking forward to wearing our costumes again for Carnival :)

A Heavenly Experience, to be continued....

How do you get to paradise? It starts with a shuttle, then there is an airplane, then a train, then a boat, then a walk and it ends at Stella Matutina in Hertenstein Switzerland :)

I arrived back in Maastricht last night at about 11pm. Back to reality! Well, my reality for this year abroad. I've been in Switzerland since Thursday of last week at school for my third year of Osteopathy. I've been very lucky that I have been able to continue my studies in Osteopathy because the CCO has a sister campus in Switzerland, SICO. I really felt like this week I unplugged from the world and got rid of all the background noise. No television, no phone and being at one with nature. I was able

to immerse myself in my studies and the experience of Stella Matutina.

As I mentioned I had a lot of traveling to do to get there and numerous connections and switches in modes of transportation. I felt a bit like Harry Potter trying to get to Hogwarts :) The trip was beautiful, almost as beautiful as the destination. Flying into Geneva is my favorite. The snow capped mountains and the lake views blow me away every time I see them, 3rd and 4th time, no big deal :) The train ride from Geneva to Lucern takes you along the edge of cliffs and along lake Geneva, AMAZING! and the ferry boat ride to my school is, UNREAL!

When you arrive in Hertenstein, Isabel the school administrator said, "just call a nun to pick you up", just call a nun?!?!

I was advised that it was only a 10-min walk from the dock to the school so I decided to walk instead. My legs needed a stretch after all the sitting anyway. The ferry dropped me off at the Hertenstein dock and as it pulled away I had a real feeling of being deserted. I watched as the ferry pulled out and continued on it's trip across lake Lucern. I was in the middle of no where and I mean no where! Well, I thought to myself, my phone doesn't work here and there doesn't seem to be one around so I should just start walking. I wandered through the countryside; cows, sheep, forrest, fields, real countryside! After about 10-min I stumbled upon a small hotel and I used what little french I have to ask for directions. They said "Stella Matutina??" and I said "No SICO (Swiss International College of Osteopathy), I think??", they gave me a map and it was at this point a bit of fear lumped in my throat. Where the heck am I going? What am I going to do if I get lost on this island? The rest of the trip had been so straight forward. I've come so close.

Thank goodness the women at the hotel was right! About 10-minutes later; more open fields, woods, nature, following the road as it bends around a hill on the horizon I spot it, Stella Matutina, a truly heavenly place. Stella Matutina is a monastery that is cared for by a group of nuns and is where our courses are held. When I arrived at Stella Matutina I couldn't

believe my eyes. It is unlike any place that I have ever been before. The architecture is so well

planned - they think of everything, it is so clean and well cared for and they have done an amazing job of keeping the old world feel with all the modern amenities. When I approach the office in the entry hall to ask for assistance there is only one nun at the desk in her habit and customary dress. This is too cool! She really did look like a much older version of Mary Poppins. When I say I have a reservation she has a puzzled look on her face. She runs off and again the lump forms in the back of my throat. She quickly returns with a nun who kind of speaks English and when I say this I mean she spoke in French and I spoke in English. They speak Swiss German here which apparently is very different then German, neither of which I have any understanding. They were so kind and caring....I love the nuns! They gave me a tour which I got very little from aside from what I could see but appreciated the effort none the less. They showed me to my room which was humble, yet very comfortable, and I joined all the guests for dinner in the dining room. For the week I was spoiled with delicious meals.

All of the guests eat breakfast, lunch and dinner together in the dining room and it is served by the nuns at specific times of day. The food was very hearty and always in 4-courses at lunch and dinner; a salad, a soup, a main dish and desert. They were great about providing me with vegetarian options and food that I have never tried before but really liked. I was well taken care of. I arrived a day before the majority of my classmates because I was participating in a clinical day and had the opportunity to meet my teacher, Paul Wagner. We had meals together and walked around the village as well. He is from Vancouver and has a wealth of experience and knowledge about many things. It was nice to spend time with a fellow Canadian. For the clinical day I treated a nun :) She didn't speak English so some fellow students did the interview portion of the treatment. People in Switzerland speak many languages. When I say many I'm talking about somewhere in the neighbor hood of 4-languages and often jumping from language to language in a single conversation. I really need to work on that. I was told I need at least two by my teachers. I speak 1 and a 1/2 on a good day. It was a really great experience to team treat like this and to see how gifted the Swiss are with language. Arrival and Clinical Day were amazing and I will report on the remainder of my stay throughout the week. There is just too much to say for a single blog entry :)

Back to School, Back to School...

I have no reason for posting this picture except that I think it is AMAZING!

Tomorrow morning, bright and early, I leave for Switzerland to start my third year of Osteopathy. My morning will start at 4:30am when the shuttle arrives to pick me up. The driver picks me up in front of our house and takes me to the Brussels airport. From Brussels I will fly to Geneva, get on a train to Lucerne and take a short ferry ride to Herststein where my school is situated. I will be staying at a monastery where they rent rooms to students and prepare your meals. I'm really looking forward to that. I told them I'm a vegetarian so we'll see what they come up with. I was told that when I arrive I can just call one of the nuns to come pick me up. Thoughts of Mary Poppins dance in my head. Chitty bang bang, chitty chitty bang bang :) I'll let you know if it lives up to my expectations.

I've been told that the views from the school are beautiful and I'm really looking forward to getting into the swing of things. Apparently SICO has both lake and mountain views. That sure beats the view of the 401 and Yorkdale Mall from our school in Toronto! I am hoping to get out for a few runs to explore the island while I am there as well. I have six courses this year that I will be traveling back and forth for between now and June. In June, I will be writing my BIG third year exams so this year is all about preparing for those. Tomorrow will be the first run through of the trip. What an adventure! I hope it goes smoothly. Luckily, travel here is very affordable and it will cost me only 125 euros for the trip, flight/ train/ ferry included.

I always get excited for the first day of school. I've been this way since I was a little girl. Mom and dad always hyped up the first day of school so I think I've been conditioned to look forward to school. I'm excited but I will definitely be missing my class mates and teachers from the CCO in Toronto (C-Blow, June Bug, Rad - my osteo yoda, Candy Ass, Ethmoid, Camaroon and the whole crew). We've become a real Osteo family. I would be the eccentric but lovable uncle in the family. Osteo's roll out!

I have promised them I will be back and an Osteo always keeps her word or is that the good witch from the wizard of oz???? I am both excited and anxious to see where I fit within this new group. They have an established osteo family of their own and I will be the second cousin that they've never met. But family is family, right?

Hopefully, they can look beyond my lesions :) and I hope my "BUFFALO!" goes over well. Friends from CCO know what I'm talking about. I have plans to bring my camera and will be sure to take lots of pictures to post when I get home.