Dance of Liberation
Two weeks ago I was racking my brain about a very big decision. Not knowing or having a plan for what comes next generally results in a mini freak-out session for my Type-A’ish personality. I was practicing my yoga breath in full-force, trying to keep my calm on decision day. One email pushed me in the direction of the path that had no plan. It was an invitation to attend the Tadasana International Yoga Festival and experience ‘The Dance of Liberation’ (DOL). It was one of those moments that you know the Universe is practically yelling “pay attention, there’s a better life for you”. I’ve been hitting ‘delete’ with fervor as I try to describe DOL and what I experienced through the dance at Tadasana Festival. The Dance is best described as a ‘holistic rave’ grounded in ancient ritual. The Kickstarter campaign video – which is to help Parashakti finish her documentary on DOL – is a wonderful place to start understanding the dance.
Speaking with Parashakti and learning of her own journey is one that gives me hope for my journey in life. All too often we want what we want right now. To meet this incredible person who has been loving, living and learning from her craft for over 20 years gives me hope and the freedom to breathe about growing into my own with my career. Parashakti is a classically trained dancer, yoga and Trance Dance instructor. Most of all, she’s a healer. Parashakti shared two incredible stories of transformation that have happened from Dance of Liberation.
One: A woman who was trying to conceive came to Parashakti. She had been through the expensive medical treatments to try to conceive. Parashakti had the woman start with a cleanse of her body and mind. Over the course of 5 days they danced together and had intensive counseling sessions. Through their journey of cleansing, dancing and “peeling the layers” through their discussions, Parashakti discovered as much as the woman wanted to be pregnant, she also had an intense fear associated with becoming a mother. Together they worked through the desires and fears. The woman realized she was ready and became pregnant soon after her time with Parashakti.
Two: A Miss New York and Miss America pageant winner was looking for love in all the right places. Or so she thought. She had an uncertainty she could not shake about the man she was ready to marry. She came to Parashakti, seeking counsel and advice. Parashakti invited she and her partner to partake in a DOL. Midway through the dance, Miss America lifted her blindfold, flooded with the emotions and knowing that the person she had intended to marry was not the right person. After the DOL session, she ended her relationship with her partner. Shortly thereafter she met her husband. Parashakti married them and the couple now have a happy, healthy baby.
This weekend and experience left me feeling more at peace with not having a plan for my next steps. I’m making the conscious choice to revel in my passions and share that joy. I believe it is possible to find wealth – in all meanings of the word – by engaging in what we love instead of molding ourselves to a career. Feeling your best is an important part of this journey. DOL is a tool for unlocking and discovering our journey in a safe and sacred space. Did I mention that you’re blindfolded for portions of the dance? There will be no judgement on your method of shakin’ it out! Here’s a taste of what happened in the sacred space:
leave your fears AND shoes at the door...
dancing in blindfolds
art - on canvases of every type
Can you make the life you want by simply putting your intentions into the world? I would have to think “yes” after being in a room – a sacred container in DOL-speak – filled with intentions, love and energy (yes, it’s official that I’ve gone off the “deep-end” in California!). Do you believe in setting an intention for your life? How do you make it part of your life’s journey? I’m open and ready for your advice, WELL readers! And this quote seemed all too fitting for the journey of our lives:
“I’ve never begun any important venture for which I felt adequately prepared.” Sheldon Kopp
Find out more about Parashakti via her site, Facebook page and by following her journey on Twitter. If you are interested in experiencing DOL, I recommend donating to the Kickstarter campaign which offers incredible gifts (books, CDs, art, raw food meals & more) in exchange for supporting the completion of her documentary. Oh! And download 30-songs that came out of the Tadasana weekend here (yes!!). 
Supper (is in the) Sack!
The “Teaser Shot”: 
I wanted to title this post “the week that my meal planning and preparation became so easy I had time to do a million and one things” but that seemed to be a little excessive in terms of title length. I love to cook. To eat. To routinely stalk my favorite food blogs like Spoon Fork Bacon, Smitten Kitchen and Eat Live Run. Leisurely Sunday mornings at the Farmers Market. Even popping into the Whole Foods down the street is a visual affair most days.
Planning a meal, shopping for foods from locally-based sources and preparing food is a struggle most weeknights. I work from 8:00a-7:00p most days (with breaks for dog walking & yoga!). My fiancé works the 9:00a-8:00p or later shift. We are not fancy Europeans, in love with late dinner affairs. This is the problem, one that is probably all too familiar for most of you (okay some of those things are really fun, but work hard, play hard is our household motto):
The last – the LAST – thing I want to do at the end of a busy day is rack my brain about meal preparation. My brain has been on full-speed for most of the day and it is tired. Daily Candy delivered a total gem to my inbox in early March. It’s like a CSA with all the fringe benefits of a personal shopper and meal-planner. All organic food that is sourced primarily from local farmers markets. Healthy meals that take no longer than 30-45 minutes to prep, chop and cook at most. Enter the dream service (cue the chorus of angels!!) Supper Sack.
I tweeted Monica, Supper Sack’s founder & creator, to learn more about her service after being smitten with the very idea of a service that seemed… too good to be true! Monica generously offered to supply a week of meals. On a Sunday evening, she showed up at my doorstep with two bags LOADED with organic produce, meats, whole grains and dinner plans. The cuisine ranged from Italian to Thai with a vegetarian dinner in the mix. The price: around $9/person/day for my 2-person household (that’s lunch AND dinner). We end up out to dinner at least a couple nights a week, but I will be placing my order for future 3-meal Supper Sack deliveries for the weeks when getting to the store falls off the schedule.
More of my Supper Sack experiences will crop up in future posts. I’ll leave you with tempting photos + a sample dinner from the menu + links to learn more about how Supper Sack works. Oh! One detail on the menu made my heart melt: Monica pairs a Pandora station with each meal, to set the mood for your dinner in the making! Questions about my Supper Sack experience? Do you have a similar service in your hometown? I’d LOVE to answer any questions – just leave a little comment love below!
Dream Big: Jenn Donogh
Jennifer Jordan of For The Glow mentioned that I should meet Jennifer Donogh of Young Female Entrepreneurs late fall of last year. In Jenns I trust! I began attending YFE’s Twitter chats (info on joining the party + connect with @yfentrepreneur on Twitter) and have had the pleasure of getting to know Jenn Donogh by watching YFE TV, reading her posts and engaging with online with the YFE community. Jenn is the ultimate multitasker – a business woman, daughter, wife, mother and champion of young entrepreneurs. I’d LOVE to steal her for a day of brainstorming beachside in Santa Monica of Venice! Since we can’t steal Jenn from the greater Seattle area just yet (hey, I can dream!), Nailah Blades, Donna Queza and myself are throwing an “IRL” Young Female Entrepreneurs event in Los Angeles on May 17th, furthering Jenn’s mission of connecting and celebrating the beauty of being a YFE.
Connect with Jenn directly via Twitter or Google+; “like” the YFE community on Facebook and dive into the YFE community by attending a chat over Twitter or YFE TV this week.
Why you should know Jenn:
Hi #BeWELL friends! My name is Jennifer Donogh and I am an owner of a web hosting and cloud services company that also sells domains. I am also the creator of an online site for entrepreneurial women in their 20s and 30s. I’m a wife and a mom of a little boy. I love champagne, coffee, dirt biking, dancing, and funny movies.
What are your big dreams in life?
I want to help millions of women build thriving businesses by utilizing technology whether they want a one woman show or a full ‘take on the world’ empire, I want to help them make it possible. Another dream would be to travel by boat with my family. My husband traveled around Central America as a kid on a boat and I would also love to be able to do that with our family soon too.
When will you feel like you’ve succeeded?
I’m pretty competitive and definitely have specific goals I would like to accomplish. However, I feel like I will be always on a journey of working on succeeding at something.
Check out Jenn & her adventures as a Whitehouse Champion of Change
Define wellness:
I am well when my mind is focused on the big picture rather on the daily grind. That happens when I get a good sweat in, have music around me, drink plenty of water and surround myself with positive people.
How do you take care of you?
I feel my best when I drink water continuously throughout the day and when it’s sunny out. For days when it is sluggish and wet I make sure music is always playing in the house, the car and the office. Forcing myself to detach from my desk and get outdoors is a must and unplugging to relax with my husband on the couch or going out is always nice.
How do you structure your day?
The way my days are laid out my schedule changes daily. However, my days usually fall into three parts: Part I includes a workout, making breakfast, packing lunches and answering some emails while publishing new content. When my husband leaves for work my son and I play, clean the house and get ready for Part II of the day. Our day is either spent at Ovaleye HQ or at home. My son may be at daycare or we may be out together taking care of errands.
My general responsibilities at Ovaleye is to make sure our web hosting members are being taken care of, that we are reaching out to our community, and that new members are getting settled. That sometimes means that I will be provisioning the servers, updating our Facebook status, recording a video or spending my time answering emails and the phone. On top of the day-to-day duties I work strategy with my mom, meet with our partners and produce online events for Young Female Entrepreneurs.
When my husband comes home, he and my son usually play out in the garage or outside with skateboards and bikes while I make dinner. Once my son is in bed Part III of my day starts, which is preparing content for the next day, working on support tickets, calling our Community Relations Manager (also a mom and works fun hours like me), or recording live streams at the Ovaleye TV Studio.
Give us a sense of your work/creative environment.
Like my schedule, my office changes daily. The one thing that remains consistent is that I am a bag lady. I wrote a post about my cheap backpack from Target that I keep all of my necessary work materials with me in. Unfortunately, I am going to have to upgrade soon to a more adult and professional looking getup, but a tip for any new moms out there is to always go with a backpack. When your purse and diaper bag have one strap, be cool and go for a two strapper :) At night I am at my desk in my home office, which looks something like this…
Tell us about your perfect day – start to finish.
This is a good question! I count myself incredibly lucky each and everyday. Don’t get me wrong, there is always messiness that happens during the day (whether its that my son is sick, my inbox is overflowing, a meeting is canceled, no time to shower, etc.). However, waking up to workout, spending time with my family, doing what I love and meeting new and fascinating people everyday is awesome.
Who would leave you star-struck?
I would love to meet the POTUS or Harry Connick Jr. (I adore him!)… and Oprah, of course (who wouldn’t have her on their list?!).
A quote that best describes your outlook on life:
‘There is a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women.” – Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright
Share a secret with us!
To celebrate new members coming in, an email from someone super cool, or to shake off a crummy day you can find me in my home office dancing badly Sly & The Family Stone’s Dance to the Music (*below is a fun remix of Jenn’s favorite tune you can download and shake your booty to – in public, your car or the privacy of your home!).
Images courtesy of Jennifer Donogh & YFE
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