What are your thoughts when you hear the word 'intention'?

For most of my life, my thoughts related to that word were:
Good intentions = loose weight, eating better, getting more sleep, something marriage vows are made of, etc.
Bad intentions = things my kids might do to each other, like pulling a chair out from under the other.

When I started going to Yoga Classes, and then taking a 200 hour Teacher Training, and then even when I created my very first Vision Board, I learned a great deal more about this magical word.

IF there is something you want in this world...…  Share it! 
Wish it OUT LOUD!
More friends.
More business.
Travel more.
Better relationships.
Better weight management.
TELL FRIENDS!  Create a VISION BOARD!  Write it down!
THESE are your intentions.  Put it out there, into the world, into the Universe.  There is a much better chance that they will happen!
Malarky you say?  Baloney you say? 

Bring your intentions outside of you!

I attended my very first Vision Board workshop.  I focused on just a few areas in my life.  Work (my business of Ready To Exhale), and my personal goals (200 hr. Yoga Teacher Training and to begin eating cleaner, healthier).
My vision board consisted of words and pictures that showed my intentions.  This board became the catalyst for my Powerful Wishes.

I kid you not.  In less than a year, I became a Yoga Instructor (not an easy task for someone with PTSD and who gets confused super easy!).  I lost 25 lbs because I ate better, cleaner.    EVERY word, every picture, became a REALITY!!

Do you feel alone?  Are you looking for understanding? 

Looking back, I have to say that I've spent the majority of my life feeling alone.  Feeling like there was no one out there like me, and feeling that if people really knew me, that they wouldn't like me anyway.

Was I a bad person?  Was I doing things that people wouldn't approve of?
Did I have really really bad breath?

No to all of the above.  But in my head, I didn't like myself very much.  My self-esteem was very low.  I was super shy, and didn't really have anyone to share my thoughts and feeling with.

As the years rolled on and passed, slowly my eyes opened. 
Slowly I found new perspectives. 
Slowly I learned that if I want to live a life that is worth living... 
The ONLY person to create it, is ME.
​

...and so my journey in life continued.  This time, there was more clarity. I began to engage in activities that brought me insight to my own mind and body.    Then I began to meet others who shared my kind of journey.  They had all kinds of backgrounds and reasons why they felt the way they did, but the bottom line was that we understood each other.  We sat in non-judgement of each other.  We supported each other.

Over the years, I learned ways to be creative with purging my feelings and emotions.  I learned about being quiet and alone with myself in a way that was nurturing, and healing.  
These are the kinds of things that I bring into my Creative Relief for Stress and Anxiety workshops for
​Ready To Exhale.  
Reaching out to others has been fulfilling and healing.  Maybe the BEST part of this is that the road goes both ways.  Reaching out brings  healing all around.  

​Have you heard about yoga, and thought that it was just not for you?  Or maybe you thought: "I'm too old".  "Out of shape".  "Too heavy".  "I could never..." That was me too!  I had let myself get soft and had no self-control when it came to eating right or taking time for self-care.

I found yoga in my 50's.  I joined a class in one of my own retreats, and I was amazed at how this small practice put me in touch with my body.

I lifted weights! - What I really did, was hold up my own body weight.
I ate better!  - Yoga brings into the forefront of your mind, the things in life that will make you feel better and be even more amazing.

With only a handful of yoga classes under me, I made a goal for myself to take a 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training.   I was out of shape.  I had no clue as to what the major yoga poses were called.   And Sanskrit?  What?

I knew that by becoming a Yoga Teacher, I could benefit others in my wellness classes.  No matter what it is, whether it be a creative workshop, support group, retreat, or suggestions on self-care...  Being a Yoga Teacher could benefit not only MY life, but I hoped that I could use this as an added tool in helping others.

I have found so much diversity in Yoga.  Fun! Creative!  Use it to increase energy.  Use it to relax.  Use it to discover your own super powers.  Yoga has creeped into my eating habits.  Yoga has made me notice the smallest of gifts in life that were there before...  but my focus was elsewhere.

​Join me in a beginner's class, or course! I would love to meet you!

My business has been registered and open since 2016.  I've had some ups and downs, and lots of disappointments, but I still have faith that I have something that is worth nurturing.

In order to offer a workshop, I would need to rent space.  At first, it was a matter of finding space.  Then, after I found a handful of choices, I held my workshops close by,  marketed them as best I could with the little resources I had, and then hoped for the best.

So, here is what happened;
Those who came to my workshops were most pleasantly surprised, and most  of them have been following my business.  Awesomeness.  Right?

I agree!  The trouble was that only a handful of people came.  Sometimes a handful was 1 or 2.  I didn't have a minimum, because I am not in this to get rich.  I want to reach people who will find what I am offering, and then reap the benefits!   My problem came from having to rent a space for 3 hours, and then not to be able to cover my expenses. 

I hung in there for awhile, with the mindset, "if you build it, they will come".

Well, there was so much more I wanted to offer!  I wanted to encourage people to come and try this or that, at very little cost.

Can you see where this is going?   YUP.  The only one who was spending money on a regular basis was me.   Not that I really minded, I truly thought, and still do, that these beautiful people are out there, and they will come!

Finally, in 2018, I realized (with the help of a great Job Coach) that what I really needed was to have consistency.  How can I possibly get people interested and engaged, when I'm only offering workshops once in a blue moon, and in different places?

So, I entertained the idea of opening up a BRICK AND MORTAR business.  Hence, the PIG reference. 

I'm hoping that this makes me the SMART little piggy!

Check back in a few months for the answer to that. 
Meanwhile, if you love; creativity, inner exploration, meeting  new people, creating new and unique works of art, Yoga, Reiki, Restorative Yoga, and much more.....    

Come and visit!!  Ready To Exhale will have a home!  51 Depot Street, in Watertown, Ct.  Across from Gayle's Farmshoppe.  It's really a cute space, and I'd love for you to come and say hello!
Be on the look out for out of the ordinary workshops, yoga, support groups, and a whole lot more.  

PS...…  Lets do a fundraiser for your group!  Selling chocolate bars, candles or wrapping paper is nice, but how about something fun and more profitable?!  Now that I have a space, there are endless possibilities!!
Contact ME!
Sincerely, 
​Debbie Jaine

Time.  Where does it go?  Sometimes its fleeting.  Sneaking away from us without making a sound.  Other times, it clings to us, and we can't believe that we still have so much of it left (think Dentist visit, dance recitals...).

​As I get older, my experience is that Time has roller skates on!  I can't seem to convince Time to slow down and wait for me to; feel better, get thinner, have more money, etc.  I've finally realized that its up to me to manage the precious time that has been given me.   I do the best I can. 

​Wait.  No.  That's not true.  I waste so much time.  

 
Almost 40 years have gone by since this picture was taken.  How the heck did that happen??   
​Since this picture, 4 children were born and grown. 4 beautiful dogs have come and gone. 14,600 days, 350,400 hours, and (I can't figure out the minutes, but it's a lot!) have passed!  
​Every day I tell myself, "today I will be better with my time".  Every day I still waste it.
​
So, I thought about that.  Why  not just look at it differently?  Let me change perspective.

​Every day, I take the time to revel in life.  I work hard to become the best version of me that I can, and when I want to go window shopping, or to sit in the sun, I honor myself by doing so.  Every day, I notice what my body needs: more water, more fiber, more exercise..... and I honor my body by noticing this and by giving in to those needs.  

Every day, I notice what my mind needs.  It might be to sit down and read a few blogs, go for a walk, call my sister, have lunch with a friend, or to just sit in a lounge chair, listening to a podcast.  
...and I honor my body by noticing this and by giving in to those needs.

​If I can remember this perspective, I won't be so disappointed in myself every single day.  

​Honor Yourself.  Check your perspective.  Isn't it about TIME?