An Introduction This is the second guest writer for the blog. I am happy to introduce you to Janice Brown (no relation the last guest blogger Alison Brown). A compassionate person that truly has everybody's' health at the front of her mind. You can read more about Janice in her bio at the bottom of the blog post. This is her introductory blog post. I am excited for you to read this blog post but also excited for the future blog post she will be writing using her expertise in yoga, breathing, and overall health and wellness. I think this can be especially helpful for those pregnant mama's that are reading this blog post. I am going to try to get a masculine blog post in the future as I know that the blog posts focus on woman. Keep reading below for Janice's blog post. Life is a journey of experiences. Some are wonderful and others can certainly make you ask questions. What never fails is that there is beauty in every twist and turn of life. The more we slow down, the more we can begin to appreciate just how much life has to offer. In every moment, there are things we can see, smell, taste, touch and hear. Consider a morning walk through the park. There is grass and trees with varying shades of green. You can hear the birds, noting the different tones and calls. You might hear children playing. You can smell the freshness of the air and perhaps you taste your morning coffee or tea. Perhaps you’re having dinner with friends. The chair you’re sitting on has a feel to it. You hear the differences in your friends' voices and see how their faces change when they laugh. Each food has a smell, a taste and a texture. Music plays in the background that softly fills in the quiet spots in conversation. All of these things that we sense translate into an experience and a vibration that generates a feeling within us. It creates a memory that is filed away not only in our mind but within the very cells of our body. These memories hold the power to transport us through time. Growing up, my childhood home was heated with a wood stove. To this day, I travel back there every time I smell a wood fire. I can see the moment clearly as I stand outside the kitchen window, bundled in a snowsuit, looking at the sun on the snow and the large box elder tree just west of the house. Beyond that tree is our lawn and then open fields covered in snow. This is a magical and sacred ability of being human. Not only do we get to experience such beauty once if we’re conscious enough to slow down and appreciate it but beauty can also transport us through time to experience it again and again. The more we practice this, the more we experience the fullness of life. It’s easy enough to practice too. Look around you and what do you see? Perhaps there’s a plant or a piece of furniture. What do you notice about the object? Can you trace the shape of it? What do you notice about the colour? The weight? The depth? The space it occupies? What sounds are present in this moment? There are so many details to appreciate that we might not notice if we just continue onto the next moment without any thought. Something even more magical happens when we start to look for beauty around us. The more we appreciate, the more we find to appreciate. The more our faith becomes bolstered in the beauty and goodness that surrounds us. This extends to people. We see them for being the best that they are in every moment. We see what is, rather than what we expect. We become less attached to outcome, less judgmental and more appreciative.  As we see the beauty outside of ourselves, we start to realize that this beauty is also mirrored within ourselves. We find the beauty within us and within what we have called our imperfections. We see our voice is just as beautiful as the birds and the music we hear. We begin to see our presence and our entire existence is as beautiful as everything we see around us. It’s this appreciation and faith that carries us through the challenging times. Those times that make us question if we’re heading in the right direction. The times that cause us to grow and find faith. It’s this practice that helps us look for beauty even in those cloudy moments. Yes, even in our doubt, there is beauty. We remember nothing grows without a little rain and we appreciate the rain's purpose. We appreciate the challenging times that cause us to ask for clarity and guidance. Knowing there is beauty in these moments is the faith that pulls us through to clearer skies. A lifetime consists of many moments. If you ask a child, time extends forever and everything is amazing. This is especially true when they want something. The weekend with the family picnic they are excited for is an eternity away for a child. As an adult, time seems to go faster. Moments are more filled and less experienced. But photographs, they hold memories for us when we’re too busy to hold them ourselves. They transport us through time and show us details that we missed or perhaps that we long to experience again. They show us the moments we existed and piece together the journey of our lifetime. So experience the moment and the beauty in it. Let someone else take the photos. Then, when you’re telling your friends, your family, your kids and your grand kids what it was like to live, you’ll be able to look at the photo and live the experience with those you love again and again. Janice Brown
You can find her at www.flowandgoyoga.com/ and www.thestrengthwithin.me and on Instagram: @flow_and_go_yoga and @thestrengthwithinme.
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