I have never really taken a moment to sit down and reflect on why I do what I do?  Why do any of us choose the path that may be laid out before us or we build along the way?  I like to think it is the perfect combination between effort & ease, between fate & hard work, between destiny & destination.  We cannot achieve our goals without hard work but our hearts & minds need to lead the way.  It is a balance.  Life is a balance.  Yoga is about balance.
I built the studio for a couple of reasons, number one because the only thing I was sure of when I found myself jobless was that I WANT TO HELP PEOPLE!  Number two, I knew I could no longer work for something I did not have 100% faith, blood, sweat and tears in.  Having a non-profit that I love dearly, I knew I did not want to do that again (anyone who has worked with/for or has a non-profit will totally understand that comment)!  It is both the most rewarding and debilitating job in the world.
I can still remember my story board I created for myself on a 5X5 dry erase board that said "find what makes you happy and do it forever...or until you move forward to your next destination!"  That story board led to The Studio, which YES, does not contain the word "YOGA" in it, for a reason!  I knew that The Studio would be a place where children, families, yogi's, doggies, everyday humans like myself come to find a little peace, happiness, warmth, and community!  It would of course have yoga, because I have a huge LOVE for yoga thanks to a crazy strawberry blond girl named Brook's who applied for a job with me way back, almost 20 years ago when I worked at Dare County Schools.  She had a dream of opening a yoga studio on the beach (which would be the first yoga studio we would have...I believe, but don't hold me to it).  I can still remember asking her, "What is a Yoga?"  and her looking at me like I was crazy to not understand what she was saying.  I had no idea until I attended my first class at Outer Banks Yoga...what in the world could make someone feel so good?  It was the movement, the deep breath, the friendship, the connection, the SMILE!  
It has taken me 3 years in our studio, to realize now that "what we do" matters more than anything in the world.  It defines us.  It makes us face our fears, be exposed to others and step into the arena.  My Solecamp ladies that I constantly challenge throughout the year to put themselves out there, know that one of my greatest challenges is to write and complete this blog.  While it is often easy for me to inspire others, it is often hard to find inspiration in myself (and I don't believe I am alone in this).  I hope if nothing else this little insight makes you stop and think about why you do what you do?  "Life is short, if you don't STOP and look around every once in a while, you just might miss it!"-FB

When I visualize what meditation is I see an open road with nothing but peace in the mind, wind in my face and the AWESOME, BEAUTIFUL pounding of my heart and hypnotic rhythm of my breathe.  For millions like me, meditation can be easily found in running.  There is something beautiful to be said about the full mental release that comes from the open road!  In the same breathe I will tell you that many would argue that meditation cannot occur when the breathe becomes so rapid and the body is in full exertion.  I believe however, every body and mind is different...many of you runners know exactly what I am talking about; that moment that you forget your feet are hitting the pavement, you become a fluent machine and the mind just lets go!  I will forever believe that the runners high is in fact the benefits of running meditation!  Which ever side of the road to travel... may everyone have a safe, peaceful and joyous run in the Flying Pirate 1/2 Marathon!  And I will leave the debate up to you...check this recent article for more believers in the art of running meditation: 
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hwansan-sunim/running-meditation_b_6843868.html

~Namaste'

Everything has a beginning and often those are the most memorable and special FIRST moments in our lives!  This being the first BLOG of my life it is special to me in that I have no idea what I am doing or what to expect just that I type my thoughts, feelings, cool info and research I discover and share a bit of me with the world.  That seems a little crazy and scary but again new and exciting!  So back to the beginner's mind...I have been thinking of how beautiful it is to have that innocence, that beautiful beginners brain where everything holds a million possibilities, just like the developing mind of our children.  As adults we strive so hard to be an expert, to over-top the other guy and be something and someone we are not!  Maybe it's time we take a step back and look at things from a new, fresh perspective.  Look at life through your child's eyes for a moment!  Children don't live in the past, they certainly don't live for the future...what they know is the present. They embrace life and see things in full color.  Maybe we should all take a moment in our lives to just stop and see the beauty and find that NEW POSSIBILITY! For more on what a beginner's mind is...check out:  http://www.nithyananda.org/article/what-beginner-mind#gsc.tab=0