NURTURE YOUR RITUAL

A ritual is so much more than a mundane morning, evening, and even lunch time routine. Rituals are about creating an energy and invoking a feeling around something you enjoy and taking the time for something important to you.In Tranquilista: Mastering the Art of Enlightened Work and Mindful Play author Kimberly Wilson offers ideas for creating a morning ritual, along with a plethora of tranquil musings.

Now, I am not a morning person, not even on my best day, so I choose to create an evening ritual. The morning rituals sound marvelous in theory, but I know myself well enough to know they would soon become a chore. With an evening ritual, on the other hand, I seek to create a soothing energy and invoke a restful feeling by soaking in a lavender scented bath before delving into a few simple Yoga poses.

Whether you choose a morning, afternoon, or evening ritual make it a time you look forward to every day. It can be as simple as lighting a soy candle before you savor writing in your journal or a moment of meditation to set your intention for the day. Pick up Tranquilista: Mastering the Art of Enlightened Work and Mindful Playfor more pearls on how you can create your ritual.

Namaste

BE NURTURED IS BACK

I am reinstating the Be Nurtured Blog. It will no longer be as closely tied to Nurture Day Spa & Yoga Studio, but nurturing nonetheless.

My intention is to post a weekly dose of all things nurturing.

I hope you will join moi once again in a journey towards nurturing ourelves, others, and the world around us.

Namaste.

NURTURE FAREWELL

It is time for moi to bid a final farewell to Nurture, including the dissolution of the Be Nurtured blog. As much as I would love to continue bringing you nurturing posts, my finger will no longer be on the pulse of Nurture Day Spa & Yoga Studio. You are sure to receive Nurture News and Hip Happenings via the Nurture Day Spa & Yoga Studio newsletter which you can easily sign up for at www.nurturedayspa.com. Up to the minute updates will also be available at www.twitter.com/nurturedayspa, just give Momma Jane a little time to figure out how to post her tweets. It's so fun and easy I know she will love keeping all the Nurture Neighbors in the know.

Thank you for all of your support of Nurture and for following our little blog. A big hug to all of you that made it out to wish me well on my new adventure. I miss everyone already and look forward to visiting home, hopefully for the holidays. As sad as it is to be away from a place I poured my heart and soul into, I am excited about Nurture's continued growth. New teachers, new classes, new ideas are abound and nurturing is always in abundance.

One last news flash before I go, September is National Yoga Month and in celebration Nurture Yoga Studio will be offering FREE yoga classes for first time students every Saturday throughout the month. what a great time to experience Yoga in a nurturing atmosphere, be sure to check out the online schedule for class times and teachers.

I am sending lots of love and light to all of our Nurture Neighbors, Staff, and to every single beautiful heart that walks through our doors. Thank You, Thank You, Thank You.

Remember to always Nurture yourself, others, and the world around you and simply Be Nurtured.

Toodles and Namaste.

I HEART SATURDAYS

Today was bitter sweet as it was my last Saturday at Nurture , and if you check in from time to time, you know how much I Heart Saturdays. As luck would have it, we began our day with 6 lovely ladies followed by lovely couples. I am always overjoyed to be a part of celebrating all things worth celebrating, anniversaries, brithdays, engagements, and why not celebrate because you deserve it no matter what the occassion.

I felt like we were all a well oiled machine today and having Janette back in action along with Momma Jane's return from New Mexico made it quite a day. I was even able to squeeze in a little one on one time with Momma Jane over Central Park Fusion's fabulous lunch selection. Looking forward to more fun filled moments with Momma Jane, time that is not consumed by work. Nurture is a labor of love, but when I lived away before, Momma Jane and I were always able to relax and just have fun when we were visiting each other. Life seems to be leading us back to that dynamic and we are both open to exploring it once again.

So glad I was able to attend last night's 2 Hour Restorative Yoga Session, my last one before I leave, it was much needed, enjoyed, and appreciated. I want to send a heart felt Thank You to Linda M. for greeting me with a precious hug while assuring me she will look out for Momma Jane when I am away. Linda, you have no idea how much that means to me.

Momma Jane and I are very close and while it may not seem like it when we are bickering over work stuff, sometimes we are all we have. We lean on eachother and I am fortunate to say my mom is my best friend. I am going to miss my Momma Jane and my new life's journey will be a big transisiton for her as well. We had gotten used to the idea of being just across town from eachother, creating and working together everyday, so this move will be a shock to both our systems. No worries though, Momma Jane is the strongest woman I know and I aspire for her strength everyday. We will get used to a new idea in no time.

I raise my herbal tea mug to all of you facing new and exciting adventures, unexpected twists on your life's road, and making it home from the grocery store without forgetting anything on your list, everyday is truly a journey. . . CHEERS TO YOU and remember to always celebrate!!!

Namaste

NURTURE NEWS

2 HOUR RESTORATIVE YOGA SESSION W/ KAREN SMITH
FRIDAY JULY 17th, 2009 5-7p.m.

40% OFF Mineral Makeup, Hylunia & PCA Skincare, Earth Mama Angel Baby
If you have had your eye on a product now is the time to grab one, or two.

Nurture's latest breaking news is moi's departure. I will be moving to Chicago the first week in August. It has been a whirl wind. I am sad to be leaving such a cherished treasure. I have been next to Momma Jane in every step of the way from the brewing idea to the bubbling place Nurture is today. At the same time, I am also ecstatic to be embarking on a new and adventurous journey with the Hubs.

Andrew, the hubs, lived in Chicago a few years before moving back to Hot Springs, when we reconnected and fell in love. I have known for some time that returning to Chicago was in his heart, so when the opportunity arrived we had to take it. He will be back on his old stomping grounds at the Board of Trade and I will be, well, I will keep you posted. As for now, I am going with the flow. Which is not usually my strong suit, but I am ready for something new and exciting and I know life always has a way of working out, even if it is not what we expected.

As for Nurture, there is no need to worry, it will continue to build and grow and fly on it's own. You can still expect your usual Yoga, Zumba, and Spa Services. However, we will be making some small changes to the Spa, we will no longer offer PCA Peels, Facial & Body Sculpting, Detox Facials, or waxing services. I will continue to keep you updated on Nurture's Hip Happenings through Twitter, Be Nurtured Blog, and our E-Newsletter.

I have put a lot of time, energy, and heart into Nurture and have enjoyed meeting all of you, working with a fabulous staff (including Momma Jane of course), and watching it flourish. I plan to visit as often as possible, because I miss it already.

Keep Andrew and I in your thoughts and meditaions as we pack, load, travel, unpack, unload, and begin a new life together. We will need plenty of positive energy sent our way as transitions are never as easy as one would like.

Hope to see you before we set out on our life's latest journey.

Namaste

I HEART SATURDAYS

I haven't posted one of these in awhile and quite frankly it is because the past few Saturdays have been rather frenzied. Not to say that all of our students and guests are not fantastic because they totally rock, just miscommunications here and there on our end. True to form, when I was mentally prepared for a crisis yesterday, everything ran smoothly. Once again, I can honestly say I Heart Saturdays!!

Have you ever stopped to truly ponder the idea of expecting the unexpected? If and when you do you will probably come to the same conclusion, that it is one big circle of tail chasing. Unfortunately, we all operate under expectations at some point or another which makes it quite impossible. And if you are a bit of a control freak like moi, then you operate under expectations all the time. I think there is a lesson behind the idea though, like "the only constant is change" and when we can accept that idea expecting the unexpected is likely to follow suit. However, there is no true way to ever be prepared for the unexpected, that's what makes it unexpected, right.

Momma Jane has been speaking of gratitude a lot lately. I can see the change in her overall person when her focus is on being grateful, so I am trying to follow in her footsteps. Instead of melting down in the face of the unexpected I want to be grateful for the lesson, for the people beside me, and if necessary just plain grateful for the meltdown that was probably a long time coming anyway.

So may I please say THANK YOU!!! Thank you to all of our delightful yogis that always have a smile and the occassional pat on the back or hug, you never know how much we really need it sometimes. Thank you to our wonderful Nurture staff who have to put up with me when I am cranky, hungry, and snappy. Thank you for always being willing to learn and to go over and above. Thank you to my Momma Jane who has presented me with such an awesome experience. She has gifted me with being a part of Nurture which is a constant learning process and such a beautiful journey. I am grateful for all of you!!!!

I recommend taking a few moments to be grateful for the good things, for lessons you have learned from the bad things, for the people and the places that are always there for you. It is easy to get caught up in the negative and therefore draw more negative energy toward you. Let us all focus on the positive and draw more positive energy toward us. Being in gratitude, if only for a few moments, creates tremendous positive energy and will always bring smiles to our faces!!

Namaste

NURTURE YOUR NAME

Since I refer to my mom and Nurture owner, Karen Smith, as Momma Jane I thought it would be nice to tell the story behind it. Here goes. . .

My wonderful stepdad, Richard, has been in our lives for almost twenty years now. I am not sure what I did to deserve such a fantastic and supportive step family, but they are all fabulous, especially Richy. He began calling me Kristin Jane when I was younger, not sure where it came from, but it stuck. My mom caught on and started calling me Kristin Jane as well, and in return I began calling her Momma Jane. Now even a few of my close friends call me Jane or Janie and all of my friends know my mom as Momma Jane. It is certainly a term of endearment.

What is truly hilarious is that when Momma Jane and I are out and about, we simply refer to eachother as Jane. I am sure people are wondering if we have the exact same name, which cracks me up. Especially because Jane does not have anything to do with either of our names.

My favorite was when my hubs, then bf, booked us a flight to Atlanta and when I looked down at my ticket in the airport my name read Kristin Jane Goslee. He had literally heard Jane so much he thought it was my real middle name. I still get a kick out of that one.

Anyhoo, that is a little insight into how we became Jane & Jane. If you have nickname, we would love to hear your back story. They seem to take on a growth cycle of their own.

Namaste.