Wednesday, April 5, 2017
Invisibility
She didn't have
A cloak
So she thought
Some never
saw her though
So she
wondered
Some see her
Completely
Incomplete
And they glare
Silently
Expressing
A make believe
Superiority
Sometimes
she smiles
And wishes
For the cloak
light vs dark
She was the light
for him
For her
he was darkness
Her light
was not
him
All her life
shining
In his eyes
she basked in
his gaze
for an eternity
that never was
She sits growing
Glowing
from an unexpected
Soul
A light
Shining
For her heart
Satisfying her soul
And she must
Choose wisely...
Sunday, March 19, 2017
Yoga with Nicole! Join us!
2 chances to practice with me this coming week! Please join us!
You can purchase a class pass at www.nicoleyarbrough.com
You support me, Thank You!
When we set out to follow our dreams, it can be one of the scariest and most satisfying things to take on. It was 4 years ago that I set out to not be a rat in the race of so many, to be the one who stands out by giving people the opportunity to treat themselves with great care and love by practicing yoga. I faced some opinions of how taking that step was the wrong idea and because of that resistance I stopped sharing as much, decided to hustle behind the scenes and to care a lot less about what anyone had to say about what I wanted to do with my life. There is no retirement fund, no vacation or sick days and no safety net like a union or whatever other benefits we are forced to believe we need in this life and maybe we do need them in order to feel a certain kind of way about our future, but I feel this desire to unlearn those things that make us feel this sense of inadequacy if we are not following the "norm".
There are a few of us out there, that prefer our happiness over slaving away under someone who couldn't care less about you. I am lucky to know one particular person, that not only cares but believes! Believes in dreams. I just wanted to express my deepest gratitude for my friend @therealrobbyb Robby Bancroft and I want everyone to know what great things he is doing and has done with his life. Robby currently works for the Pacifica Resource Center and has found out that life begins when you break down and break away from what may be expected of you. We met at the hotel, I hired him because there was something about him. I must admit he was nice on the eyes but he had this vibe about him that made me feel as though guests would love him, he would engage them in conversation, he would be charming and make people smile. That was why I hired him, and I kind of forgot why I eventually fired him. Things happen, he was in his early 20s, a bit of a little shit still and so it ended, the work relationship, however somehow we remained in touch over the next 10 years and he never seemed to have bad feelings about being fired. Fast forward a few years and he is opening a restaurant right next to the hotel we worked in, Breakers in Rockaway Beach. Robby and his father, Steve had a dream and made it happen, did the work to make it something that was successful and not something that was a fly by night business venture. The full story of their success will be coming in a later piece here so stay tuned for that.
Now that the restaurant is proving to be a bigger success than they ever imagined but always hoped for, Robby has done some soul searching and has come to a point in his life that he has learned that helping people in need is what brings him to life. His work at the Pacifica Resource Center lights him up in a way I have not seen from someone before. It's inspiring, it's refreshing and it's a beautiful thing to witness someone's heart so full from helping strangers make life better. I more often see people just drained and unhappy when they have to be exposed to some truly heartbreaking situations, but Robby sees the good he is doing for people and it keeps him going.
Our stories intersect in the present because he knew that yoga was something he wanted to try and something his coworkers wanted to incorporate in their week. I wanted to give back to my community by offering a free class at PRC for employees and clients. Robby backed that idea and all of a sudden we began. As much as I would continue to offer yoga for free to them, we decided to add a public community class that we do charge for so that everyone gets to reap the benefits of a regular yoga practice.
This is just a brief summary of the greatness that is support and that you never really know where that is going to come from. I feel blessed to know such a smart guy that has not let his ego take control of the direction of his life. He has taught and most likely will continue to teach me many things to grow my business, to spread the good word of yoga, but mostly to believe in my own dreams and to work smarter not harder to fulfill them all.
THANK YOU MY FRIEND!
There are a few of us out there, that prefer our happiness over slaving away under someone who couldn't care less about you. I am lucky to know one particular person, that not only cares but believes! Believes in dreams. I just wanted to express my deepest gratitude for my friend @therealrobbyb Robby Bancroft and I want everyone to know what great things he is doing and has done with his life. Robby currently works for the Pacifica Resource Center and has found out that life begins when you break down and break away from what may be expected of you. We met at the hotel, I hired him because there was something about him. I must admit he was nice on the eyes but he had this vibe about him that made me feel as though guests would love him, he would engage them in conversation, he would be charming and make people smile. That was why I hired him, and I kind of forgot why I eventually fired him. Things happen, he was in his early 20s, a bit of a little shit still and so it ended, the work relationship, however somehow we remained in touch over the next 10 years and he never seemed to have bad feelings about being fired. Fast forward a few years and he is opening a restaurant right next to the hotel we worked in, Breakers in Rockaway Beach. Robby and his father, Steve had a dream and made it happen, did the work to make it something that was successful and not something that was a fly by night business venture. The full story of their success will be coming in a later piece here so stay tuned for that.
Now that the restaurant is proving to be a bigger success than they ever imagined but always hoped for, Robby has done some soul searching and has come to a point in his life that he has learned that helping people in need is what brings him to life. His work at the Pacifica Resource Center lights him up in a way I have not seen from someone before. It's inspiring, it's refreshing and it's a beautiful thing to witness someone's heart so full from helping strangers make life better. I more often see people just drained and unhappy when they have to be exposed to some truly heartbreaking situations, but Robby sees the good he is doing for people and it keeps him going.
Our stories intersect in the present because he knew that yoga was something he wanted to try and something his coworkers wanted to incorporate in their week. I wanted to give back to my community by offering a free class at PRC for employees and clients. Robby backed that idea and all of a sudden we began. As much as I would continue to offer yoga for free to them, we decided to add a public community class that we do charge for so that everyone gets to reap the benefits of a regular yoga practice.
This is just a brief summary of the greatness that is support and that you never really know where that is going to come from. I feel blessed to know such a smart guy that has not let his ego take control of the direction of his life. He has taught and most likely will continue to teach me many things to grow my business, to spread the good word of yoga, but mostly to believe in my own dreams and to work smarter not harder to fulfill them all.
THANK YOU MY FRIEND!
Saturday, March 18, 2017
Book Review #1: Buddha's Brain- The practical neuroscience of happiness, love & wisdom
"It is all right to wish yourself well, just like wishing the best for any living being. It is all right to do well according to your nature, with a human brain, going as far as you can in this life down the path of happiness, love, and wisdom.
What remains when self disperses, even temporarily? The wholehearted movement to contribute, and the wish to thrive and prosper as one human animal among six billion. To be healthy and strong and live many more years. To be caring and kind. To awaken, abiding as radiant, spacious, loving consciousness. To feel protected and supported. To be happy and comfortable, serene and fulfilled. To live and love in peace."- Richard Hanson, PH.D
I wanted to share the last few lines of this book. How great are these? Why do we have to be told that it's all right to wish yourself well? I appreciated this book explaining that the brain is naturally wired to see the bad before any good. Knowing that it is tied to our evolution and how we survived in the early times makes so much sense and at the same time leads me accept that way of the world these days; how we see nothing but bad news, the stories of tragedies get played and replayed from every angle and how the great acts of love and kindness go unnoticed more often than not.
I had this thought a while back, what would happen if we were more exposed to the good news of the world, what if we remember every compliment we ever got and forgot all the words that did us harm? I imagine there would be more good in the world if we were given the opportunity to live more in gratitude instead of sadness, fear and/or anxiety about whether or not we are safe and taken care of. We are taught or conditioned to live every 'man' for himself, which in turn lessens our inherent knowledge that we are all in this together.
This book is complex at times and not at other times. It's one of those books that you want in your library so that you can go back to it from time to time. It's also a book not for everyone, but if you are interested in going deeper into the study of the brain and how it works, then this is a great start.
What remains when self disperses, even temporarily? The wholehearted movement to contribute, and the wish to thrive and prosper as one human animal among six billion. To be healthy and strong and live many more years. To be caring and kind. To awaken, abiding as radiant, spacious, loving consciousness. To feel protected and supported. To be happy and comfortable, serene and fulfilled. To live and love in peace."- Richard Hanson, PH.D
I wanted to share the last few lines of this book. How great are these? Why do we have to be told that it's all right to wish yourself well? I appreciated this book explaining that the brain is naturally wired to see the bad before any good. Knowing that it is tied to our evolution and how we survived in the early times makes so much sense and at the same time leads me accept that way of the world these days; how we see nothing but bad news, the stories of tragedies get played and replayed from every angle and how the great acts of love and kindness go unnoticed more often than not.
I had this thought a while back, what would happen if we were more exposed to the good news of the world, what if we remember every compliment we ever got and forgot all the words that did us harm? I imagine there would be more good in the world if we were given the opportunity to live more in gratitude instead of sadness, fear and/or anxiety about whether or not we are safe and taken care of. We are taught or conditioned to live every 'man' for himself, which in turn lessens our inherent knowledge that we are all in this together.
This book is complex at times and not at other times. It's one of those books that you want in your library so that you can go back to it from time to time. It's also a book not for everyone, but if you are interested in going deeper into the study of the brain and how it works, then this is a great start.
Allow yourself to feel...
I am sitting here in a Starbucks in Novato, it is 8am. I wanted to take some time to write for myself and for you because it has been a while and because I feel as though I am in an interesting point in my life that, maybe, deep down I have been preparing my heart for for quite some time.
Our lives are filled with so many different kinds of relationships on many different levels. We have friends, lovers, friends that are lovers, coworkers, and the list goes on. These relationships and the connection we have with other human beings is part of our make up, they can be the thing outside of ourselves that molds us in many different ways, makes us who we are in some cases. We are also human that are constantly evolving with each breath. What happens when you begin to shift, when you begin seeing life very differently, you wake up to a different perspective or you figure out what is serving you and what is not? I am in this place in my life that is coming up on a year of transforming my heart in a way that serves me before it serves others. I have always been the one to be there, to have a smile on my face, to work through any negativity with acceptance and non judgment as much as possible, so when I am met with treatment that is not in line with what I want for myself and isn't what I deserve, it's like being pulled back in this slingshot and the space before I catapult myself towards another level, I feel stuck in right now. Which direction will I go?
Our lives are filled with so many different kinds of relationships on many different levels. We have friends, lovers, friends that are lovers, coworkers, and the list goes on. These relationships and the connection we have with other human beings is part of our make up, they can be the thing outside of ourselves that molds us in many different ways, makes us who we are in some cases. We are also human that are constantly evolving with each breath. What happens when you begin to shift, when you begin seeing life very differently, you wake up to a different perspective or you figure out what is serving you and what is not? I am in this place in my life that is coming up on a year of transforming my heart in a way that serves me before it serves others. I have always been the one to be there, to have a smile on my face, to work through any negativity with acceptance and non judgment as much as possible, so when I am met with treatment that is not in line with what I want for myself and isn't what I deserve, it's like being pulled back in this slingshot and the space before I catapult myself towards another level, I feel stuck in right now. Which direction will I go?
Tuesday, January 31, 2017
#1
I don't know if I have ever felt this sense of overwhelm
this feeling of hope and despair, anger and love
fear and pride, disgust and LOVE
skipping like a record under a broken needle
I don't know
But I know it feels impossible even within it
but to resist feels like the absolute way
the only way
because
we are free beings
we are souls
why do you think you are better
but why does it matter
strip us of everything
we are all the same
just humans
advanced creatures
able to construct and demolish
everything around us
everyone around us
- nicole yarbrough
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