Dancing through your Chakras

“We do not heal the past by dwelling there; we heal the past by living fully in the present.” Marianne Williamson

Whenever I get caught up in the stresses and throes of daily life, I remind myself that if I

take a step back, breathe, let myself go and dance, I allow myself to appreciate and live fully in the present moment.  Dance is what Martha Graham describes is “the hidden language of the soul.”  It does not matter how technical or perfect my dancing is – it helps free my mind, body and spirit to simply rise, flow and feel liberated.

The ancient Indian Sanskrit word “chakra” means wheel of light, which we refer to as an energy centre within our bodies. Michael J Tamura beautifully describes the chakras as “revolving doors of creativity and communication between spirit and the world.”  There are 7 main chakra centres in which energy flows through and forms part of the subtle energy system surrounding the human body. 

I realised long ago, that by healing my chakras through dance, I could bring light and perspective to my ancestry and could strive towards living a purposeful and fulfilling life in the here and now.  By consciously journeying through the chakras, I discovered how dance balanced my chakra energy, centred the frequency and raised my vibrations.  Here’s how:

Step 1) Grounding the Root Chakra
Located at the base of your spine, the root is your sense of security and connection to Mother Earth.  The most effective spiritual person is grounded.  Whilst dancing, visualise light coming from your root chakra down your legs and into your feet.  Feel your feet rooted to the ground like invisible tree roots going deep anchoring you down. You are still able to move freely, but with a sense of connectedness to all that is real.  Dance moves for the root chakra include African Stomping; clapping to the beat as you move your feet from side to side; or Tap Dancing, all whilst visualising your entire body centred and connected to the earth. 

Step 2) Creating bliss with the Sacral Chakra
Located just below the navel, the sacral chakra is related to creativity, sensuality, passions, emotions and the divine feminine essence within. “To be creative, means to be in love with life. You can be creative only if you love life enough that you want to enhance its beauty” - Osho.  Whilst dancing, visualise yourself loving life as a Goddess (if you are a man, and this does not resonate with you, connect to the feelings of passion and creativity) with beautiful energies enveloping your entire being, filling you with bliss, vitality and beauty.  Dance moves for this chakra include: vibrant Latin dancing, belly dancing and any other form of dance that loosens your hips and deepens your sense of creative sensuality.  

Step 3) Empowering the Solar Plexus Chakra
Located just above your navel, the solar plexus is about your sense of power, confidence, personal boundaries and your inner warrior.  Free your spirit and dance in front of mirror to reflect back just how powerful and fabulous you really are.  By owning your power you will attract more of what you want into your life and feel self-assured.  Visualise yourself as a strong proud warrior taking command of the dance floor. Street Dancing and Zumba are great ways to ignite your sense of inner confidence and power.  Alternatively, if you want to try something different for your solar plexus, the ancient tribal warrior dance ‘Maori Haka’, uniquely expresses releases your inner and outer warrior. 

Step 4) Loving the Heart Chakra
“Where there is love, there is life” - Gandhi.  Located in the centre of your chest, the heart chakra is connected to unconditional love, forgiveness and compassion.  Love every part of you and aim to let go of anything no longer serving you, so life can flow beautifully with an abundance of love.  Whilst dancing, visualise yourself surrounded in pink light and then place both hands in the middle of your chest.  Feel the sacred LOVE for the dancer in you as your hands rise whenever you breathe in and lower every time you breathe out.  Absorb the love and softness pulsating from your heart.  No matter what form of dance you are doing, just embrace and feel love coming from within enabling your soul energy to come alive.  

Step 5) Expressing truth with the Throat Chakra
The throat chakra is connected to your verbal and non-verbal expression. It’s about communicating truthfully with clarity.  Through clear communication, your interactions with yourself and others become smoother.  A great way to balance the throat chakra is to chant a sacred chant, sing or hum along to the music you are dancing to.  Be sure to vocalise your sounds with truth and meaning as if you are living and vibrating every lyrical word or chant from every pore as you harmonise this chakra.  

Step 6) Trusting your intuitive Brow Chakra
Your brow or third eye is found in the centre of your forehead in between your eye brows.  This chakra symbolises psychic insight and trusting that inner knowing: your intuition. Thoreau once said “it's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see.” The art of going within and trusting your inner guidance before projecting your visions onto the outside world is empowering.  When dancing, close your physical eyes and listen to any music you enjoy, as this allows you to go within into a meditative state, shutting off from the material world, tapping into divine intuition and clarity from spirit.  Once you feel relaxed with your eyes closed, loosely move your body to the rhythm of the music, which may feel strange, but is a great way to feel the music, feed your soul and inspire inner visions.  

Step 7) Feeling awesome with your Crown Chakra
Lingering closely above the top of your head is the crown chakra.  This resonates with connecting to your higher consciousness of love, peace, energy, beauty, wisdom, clarity and that we are all one coming from one infinite source.  Dance styles for the crown chakra include Ballet, 5Rhythms and Ecstatic Dance.  Twist and turn your body, raise your hands above your head as if you are calling for a beautiful ray of starlight energy to pass through your crown chakra, opening the portal to one infinite source for enlightenment. Do as Terri Guillemets says: “when you dance to your own rhythm, life taps its toes to your beat.”

Chakra dancing or not, by letting go and moving to rhythmic beats, it makes me feel good about myself.  And if YOU think you can’t dance, remember Martha Graham's saying: “great dancers are great because of their passion”, not for being perfect.  Go forth with creativity, passion and connection to every part of you through your chakras.  To dance is to be authentic.  To dance is to come alive. 

Shimmy ON!

Nic ♥

Just saying…

I love it when I hear how uplifting, fun and inspiring dancing can be for people from all

walks of life.  For me, dance frees the spirit and takes me to a whole new level beyond words.

Whilst writing a recent article, I searched for inspiring dance quotes to support my ideas.  I was surprised at what I found and thought I’d share a select few of the delights from the vast amount of quotes around.  Granted, dance is not everyone’s cup of tea, but these quotes really made me think about how far I have come with my own dancing, where I want to be and the path I intend to follow in order to get there.  Enjoy!

• “Dance. Smile. Giggle. Marvel. TRUST. HOPE. LOVE. WISH. BELIEVE. Most of all, enjoy every moment of the journey and appreciate where you are at this moment instead of always focussing on how far you have to go.” Mandy Hale

• “Dance is the hidden language of the soul.” - Martha Graham

• “By letting go, you get everything. The real winner is the one who lets go.” - Lao Tzu
• “The only thing we have to fear is of fear itself.” - Franklin D. Roosevelt
• “The body is a sacred garment and the spine is the tree of life. Respect it!” - Martha Graham
• “Dance is spirit and energy. Our inner personalities always show while we dance. Be yourself, be free, enjoy what you do and share with pride.” - Nawarra Dancer
• “The body says what words cannot.” - Martha Graham
• “Opportunity dances with those who are ready for the dance floor.” - Jackson Browne
• “Dance like there’s nobody watching, love like you’ll never be hurt, sing like there’s nobody listening. And live like it’s heaven on earth.” - William W. Purkey
• “Dance, when you’re broken open. Dance when you’ve torn the bandage off. Dance in the middle of fighting. Dance in your blood. Dance when you’re perfectly free.” - Rumi 
• “Nobody cares if you can’t dance. Great dancers are great because of their passion.” - Martha Graham 
• “Life is the dancer and you are the dance.” - Eckhart Tolle 
• “To be creative means to be in love with life. You can only be creative if you love life enough that you want to enhance its beauty, you want to bring a little more music to it, a little more poetry to it, a little more dance to it.” – Osho

Now putting the spotlight on you... From dancing, writing and painting, to hiking, sewing, and baking; GO FORTH, do what ignites your spirit and makes you come alive.  You never know, there may just be a group of others who feel just like you about your passion, and end up quoting about it to inspire people for lifetimes to come. It may even be you!

Shimmy ON!

Nic ♥

Happy Easter!

This photo is of the Easter display in my classroom.  It was the last day of term before the Easter holidays - a great day with a party vibe in the air.  The kids decorated the area with bunny masks then went on to make greeting cards, paper chicks and baskets, which we filled with yummy treats.  The golden chocolate bunnies are courtesy of yours truly (I couldn't resist). 

Today is Easter Sunday, a time when we commemorate the rebirth of Christ and the freshness of springtime.  Seeing how far the children in my class have come since the start of term, this image above brings to me good memories of creativity, determination, team work, transformation and fun fun fun times.   

Happy Easter everybody - have a great day!

Nic ♥

Spring into Shimmy!

It's been a lovely sunny day in London town and Spring has officially sprung.  I find this time of year not only refreshing, but a great time for reflections and creating new beginnings; the two sub-headers of this post.

1. Reflections...
Its been a busy but lovely few weeks at my primary school and one of the highlights was arranging for a group of children to attend a dance festival for kids with special needs.  It was one of the most heart warming experiences I've felt and I was SO proud to see the children take centre stage, face their fears and bring their dance moves alive in front of a supportive crowd. The power of what dancing can do for a young person's confidence and self-esteem, goes without saying!  The children had no expectations, simply went with the flow, as they danced to Pharell Williams's "Happy" and despite their initial apprehension, trusted that everything would be okay.  Well it was better an okay in the end, they were AMAZING, as were all the kids from the other special schools at the festival. 

The whole experience of the children's dance festival got me thinking about how dance uplifts my own sense of self and enhances my well-being.  Last weekend at Shimmy by the Sea (SBTS), certainly put a spring into my inner dance diva.  SBTS is a bellydance weekender with dance workshops from experienced professional dancers, a hafla (aka Arabic party and showcase) and a SOUK to buy sparkly Egyptian costumes and bits in. For me, SBTS was a weekend full cheeky laughs, pushing myself to experience new things, creating dance memories with old and new friends, and lapping up some beautiful sea breeze and scenery. My first experience of SBTS was a lovely way to physically unwind, learn from others and DANCE just like the kids at the dance festival.  

2. Creating new beginnings...
Well the sun is out and change is coming.  Rather than blindly rushing ahead and creating new beginnings for the sake of it, I've chosen to purposely digest what I have learnt from all of my amazing teachers, students and inspirations so far, including all the lovely hafla dance performances I get to see.  This time round though, I plan to continue simply enjoying and feeling the beauty and sensuality of bellydance; but with a new perspective: if something is out of my comfort zone, face the fear and go with the flow until it becomes automatic! Pushing the dance boundaries (well for me anyway!) this season, I will pursue a Bellydance Performer's Course and workshops with live Arabic musicians - exciting stuff!  It will be a balancing act with the day job, but as dance is what feeds my soul, its SO worth putting in the extra effort for.

Enjoy the sunnier climes and keep dancing!

Shimmy ON!

Nic ♥

Hello & Good Bye ♥

Its the first day of the year, and a new chapter has begun! Today is a day of mixed feelings because although its a fresh start for many, I have heard the sad news about the sudden unrelated endings of 2 precious lives. One of whom, was a 27 year old man with a heart of gold, a new career in teaching ahead of him and was a lovely person to be in the company of. A very sad wake up call, and my heart goes out to the families. Hearing and feeling this news today of all days, makes me determined to live life in 2014 like every day will be the last. 

With that, I'll be bringing the valuable lessons learnt, friendships and memorable experiences from 2013 into 2014 with me. And as for people, things and experiences I choose to leave behind, I thank them for opening my eyes and helping me grow, as I move on to a new phase and appreciate the good stuff I have going on in my life.

With nearly 2,000 people from across the globe reading this blog since its humble beginnings, I'm grateful to my readers for their interest and for trusting my own instincts to start writing this blog. In truth, I never expected any interest in a blog about school teaching, bellydancing and the randomness that goes on in my life, so thank you all!! I felt the need to write and express my creativity by starting a blog, because it's something I enjoy, and will continue to do. 

So hello to 2014! Let's be thankful we have the opportunity to experience a new cycle. Life is short and truly is what you make it so think big, treat everyone with kindness (including yourself), be humble and give authenticity in all that you do. Who knows what this year will bring, but I wish you well in whatever you set your sights upon. 

I plan to follow my own advice, live the dream and make this a good year in memory of anyone who will not be here to share 2014 with us.

Happy New Year! 

Nic ♥ 

Festive Dance

With only 3 days until crimbo, I'm feeling festive as I wind 2013 down, and begin planning ahead for 2014. It's been a busy year of settling into routine at my new school and becoming a fully fledged teacher, which has been fantastic but kind of diverted me from from the amount of dancing I used to do.  Now though, as the dust has settled, its high time I shake off that hip belt and get my belly dance turbo grove back ON and moving into 2014.  

Troupe smiles with our lovely teacher, Maelle Bellydance

I have seen so many dancers progress to new heights over the past year through sheer determination and challenging themselves to keep progressing day by day.  As with anything, the efforts you put in, you basically get back out again and see results from, if you have gone about them in the right way.  Some dancers I know have entered competitions, and in some cases, deservedly become finalists; increased their amount of professional dance jobs with hard work; broadened their mindsets to new dance forms; performed in stage productions; and even surprised themselves at their own success.  All very inspiring and great food for thought.  

So the plan for 2014 is more dancing so I can be a better dancer, more FUN and finding a good mix between the day job and shimmying at night. Dr Wayne Dyer always says: "don't die with your music still in you", basically encouraging anyone who has any doubt about going for what they want in life to stop with the excuses and go DO IT! My day job will always be hectic, so finding a good balance in 2014, will definitely mean there's no chance of having any regrets about not fulfilling my dance dreams.

After an immense amount of dancing last weekend, including attending Fantastia, London's biggest Arabic Dance Festival, I caught up with old friends and met new people, all with one common interest - belly dance; a dance that enables us to celebrate, embrace and unleash our inner passions; dress up in sparkly costumes and feel fabulous. At Fantasia, I performed a troupe dance in the Gala Show using fan veils, a prop I'd never danced with before, but plan to use a lot more often because I enjoyed the dance so much. 

Here follows a few happy photo mementos from the dance weekend!

Shimmy On!

Nic ♥

Love to Teach!

It's hard to believe that its October already. The sun is shining and its been a gorgeous weekend of catching up with friends, lapping up some fresh air and dancing. This time also marks 4 weeks from the date that I started my post as an SEN Teacher in London. The role is demanding and takes its toll at times but is also rewarding, FUN and incredibly inspiring in many ways.  It may be my name on the classroom door, but I have learnt more than I could ever have imagined from the children themselves and the people I work with. No two days are the same in school and I feel lucky to be there. 

Anyways, enough of my gushing! A couple of photos, sprung to mind when I started

writing this post, including the one on the right, which is of a display in my classroom. Friday will be our first class assembly in front of the whole school and parents, and I'm pleased to say that it will be on based Ancient Egypt. Along with lots of interesting Egyptian facts from the children in our assembly, I couldn't resist putting my own stamp on it, so yes, coin belts will be at the ready! I've been teaching some of the kids a short bellydance routine, whilst the rest of the class will be drumming. Fingers crossed our audience appreciate the kids' efforts, to dance and act like Egyptians. Wish us luck! 

The photo at the top of this post reminds us that regardless if you're a teacher or not, if you go about life genuinely loving what you do, you tend to attract loving experiences. I love teaching and learning new things from others, especially when subjects have been brought alive by someone who is passionate about what they are doing, because it makes me want to inspire others to enjoy learning from me, hopefully igniting their creativity every step of the way.

Shimmy On!

Nic ♥

Notting Hill Carnival Snaps

Well its that time of year again and carnival has come and gone already. Wow! As usual, the largest street festival in Europe was enjoyed by over a million people from the UK and beyond. These people, including myself all went to carnival to soak up and celebrate the authentic Caribbean vibes that this event has to offer. Just the smell of the jerk chicken sizzling through the atmosphere; the loud sound systems pumping

out heavy tunes to gear up the crowds; the flamboyant parades and dancers on their floats lighting up the streets of West London, make carnival what it is today: a great event to be enjoyed by all!

I'm more than sure that the founder of the original Notting Hill Carnival held in 1959, would be proud of what it has become. Claudia Jones, aka the "Mother of Notting Hill Carnival" organised the first one in a small town hall to improve race relations in London during the '50s. Well who knew that today, her event would still be flourishing, not only saluting cultural diversity in all forms, but publicly recognising the Caribbean islands and universal culture?

This year the sun came out which added to the atmosphere, as it was sizzling hot!!! It got me up dancing and drinking (oh yeah!) My ears may have stopped ringing from the loud sound systems and my feet no longer hurt from all the walking and dancing, but the happy memories still remain, including the following snaps (photos) I took on the day. Long live Notting Hill Carnival!

Flamboyant Float

Pina Coladas!

All smiles!

Feathery Parade

Ancient Egyptian Float

Jerk chicken! Hmm :-)

Two girls, same dress!

Happy dancing!

Zombies Parading

"Talk to the hand, OK!"

Levi Roots' float

Paraders wheeling along

Sizzling dancers enjoying the fun

Sunshine strutting!

Dancing to the drums!

Shimmy On!

Nic ♥

All that Jazz!

I had the pleasure of attending the London Jazz Festival in Canary Wharf yesterday and

loved every moment of it!

Just listening to the live musicians perform to thousands of people in an open air concert was such a chilled and perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon.  People from all walks of life came along to celebrate and unite in their enjoyment of the soulful and melodic tones of jazz music and its culture.

One of the main highlights was Ian Shaw, an internationally renowned jazz singer, talented pianist and twice winner of BBC Jazz Awards (pictured above). As a down to earth British artist, Ian is a true entertainer. I was blown away by his soulfulness, grounded mannerisms when gearing up the audience to participate, and the richness of his powerhouse voice, which he appeared to be so humble about.

Another artist who was simply fantastic (pictured right), was Zantony Black, a backing instrumentalist who clearly loved what he was doing, because he was beaming with joy and enthusiasm the whole time.  When leading pianist Jason Rebello, informed the crowd that Zantony would be stepping forward from the backing instruments to sing for us, who knew he'd be so good?  Not only did he sing with such deep and enchanting harmonic passion, he made an effort to engage with the audience, moved around the stage and jammed with the other musicians. It was a shame we couldn't see more of him.

All in all a great day out and incredibly inspiring, as it got me thinking about my own stance on performing and how I need to develop as a dancer. Yesterday I could clearly see that these jazz artists were comfortable in their own skin, so their inner confidence and joy was evident by the quality of their performances. With references and tributes made by these musicians to Joni Mitchell and other artists, their enthusiasm and deep reverence for all things jazz-like and musical shined through. This has motivated me to really think about and get a feel of all aspects of the instruments and lyrics used in the music I dance to, so I can hopefully translate this with dance performances that uplift and stimulate audiences whenever I perform, just like the artists did to me yesterday.

Shimmy On!

Nic ♥

Dance from the Heart!

I can't quite believe its mid-August already! Its been a while since I last updated this blog; mainly because of a manic few months completing a post grad in teacher training.  It does now feel great to be back attending dance classes, workshops and training again.

During the summer holidays I've developed the daily habit of doing ten minutes of dynamic yoga, followed by twenty minutes of bellydance drills. Just stretching, gliding and flowing with my body again, feels like a weird, but wonderful and liberating concept to be getting back into. Its funny how we tend to forget that by not dancing or doing some form of exercise, you can feel stuck, sluggish and sometimes down in your moods. The creative expression and art form of dance, whether done professionally or just for a bit of fun, is SO freeing, uplifting and releases endorphins to bring about a sense of well-being and  inner calm. The photo on the right, found on tumblr, is of a bellydancer demonstrating how liberating, enhancing and visually pleasing different forms of bellydance can be (if you know the photographer or dancer, please email me so I can credit them).

One things for sure, having followed social networking sites, attended haflas and watched other dancers progress during my hiatus, the London bellydance scene is still buzzing and more exciting than ever. There's more haflas to attend, new genres of bellydance have been introduced, new-found festivals are on offer, increased classes and different kinds of courses to attend, including an array of performance courses. This is all fantastic as a lot of doors have been opened for beginners, advanced and professional dancers alike; all very different from a few years ago.  However, at the same time its quite overwhelming in terms of choice, as there's so much going on.  Decisions decisions...  Having thought about it and remaining true to what I want to work more on in my dancing, its helped me decide on the best course of action for the new dance season in September.

Below is a dance quote I recently found which struck a cord of inspiration, and helped me decide on what to do next. Yes, technique is important, but with the dancer tuning into their feelings and dancing from within, it not only mesmerises and captivates their audience, as they are drawn into the dance, but enhances the dancer's soul as they feel the music, free themselves and dance with inner passion and meaning. 

I love this concept of dancing from the heart, and have since put it on my facebook cover page to remind me to keep dancing, progress in feeling and flowing with the music and most importantly, have fun whilst doing so.

Shimmy On! 

Nic ♥

Spring into dance!

I'm all abuzz today after seeing the theatre show Burn the Floor last night.  It was simply fantastic and mesmerising to watch the dancers and musicians bring that show to life. Every single performance reminded me of the freedom, spirit and creativity that dance brings, and also that with dedication anything is possible.

Whilst it may be Spring at last in London town with the sun peeping through the clouds, this rainy quote about life springs to mind when I need a little reminder of why I choose dance to be my favourite pastime...

Shimmy On!

Nic ♥

Shimmies for Women's Day

It was International Women's Day yesterday, and I cannot think of a better way to celebrate this occasion than to perform at a hafla (bellydance party) with the Maya-Belles troupe. Last night was an evening of sparkly, hip shaking shimmytastic fun, enjoyed by all. 

For me, haflas are a united and celebratory event for any woman who stands up for what they believe in, or aspires to feel empowered to do so; and those who selflessly make a positive difference to the lives of people around them. Here's a photo from last night - smiley happy bellydancers! 

Happy Shimmies for International Women's Day! 

Nic ♥

Harlem Shimmies

The new dance craze of 2013 appears to be the 'Harlem Shake' and in true form people from around the globe are creating their own take on this dance, regardless of how it makes them look (lol).  

Following suit, the bellydance community are not ones to miss out on this fad, so a group of dancers from Belarus in Europe, decided to funk out in the video below by mastering their own take on the Harlem Shake.  As an avid bellydancer myself, its great to see other dancers who are not ashamed to just laugh at themselves, take a risk and take part in this spontaneous dance craze.  I'm sure each of them are dedicated bellydancers following both authentic traditional and newer styles of bellydance, but it also pleases me because all too often people take this mysterious and beautiful art form way too seriously or misinterpret what its really about: empowering women to free up and celebrate their femininity and sensuality, often with a bit of humility.

Anyhow, I found this video not only brave but hilarious, so I thought I'd upload it!  Happy shimmies ♥

Time sure flies

It took forever to get home tonight from bellydance class because of the weather.  It's so pretty outside with the snow falling and hard to believe that mid-January has crept up upon us already. They say time flies when you're having fun which is definitely the case so far this year.  I'm happy that its been a busy month of getting new plans into motion for the year ahead, and changing things a little to simplify life. 

The highlight of January has definitely been that I've arranged a placement in another school for training experience working with children who have special education needs. Oh my wow - this has been emotional, rewarding and a real eye opener for me.  Things I would never have thought of have come to light, including Sensory Integration and how to address the inequalities and misconceptions surrounding SEN children.  Lots of powerful "ding" moments have been had by yours truly, and its been very heart warming too.  The notion of time flying would be viewed very differently for a child with learning disabilities. I do miss the kids in my school though, but at least now I'll be able to offer a more inclusive and thoughtful approach to teaching them when I return. 

Anyhow, children all over the UK will no doubt be happy that most schools closed early today because of the snowy weather conditions.  Time sure does fly when you're having fun in the snow :)

Happy shimmies!

Nic ♥

Its a New Year :-)

Just a quick note to wish you all a very happy New Year.  May 2013 be filled with happiness and many blessings for you and your loved ones.

I would also like to extend a big thanks for reading my blog over the past few months and the lovely feedback I've received. I'm pleased to say that so far, this blog has been read over 1,000 times by people in countries from all over the world. Wow, thank you!  My blog has been (and will continue to be) a fantastic creative outlet to pursue my love of writing, in a natural and unique way.  I hope it inspires and motivates you to also find something that ignites your own passion during 2013 and beyond!

Happy (New Year) Shimmies,

Nic ♥ ♥

Simple joys of life

Just had an amazing Christmas with the family. Way too much to eat, drink, lovely pressies to open (and give) and lots of laughing. One of the highlights was definitely seeing and hearing my 6 year old nephew go crazy showing me how to dance to "Gangnam Style" lol.  It was a great experience being in such a happy environment, but I do realise and appreciate that not everyone can say the same.  

Many people are alone at this time of year, homeless, broke, feel depressed or are sick in hospital.  With this, I extend peace and warm thoughts to anyone that feels down on their luck because of the festive season bringing about sad memories of what they do not have.  I also take my hat off to charities and selfless volunteers who work tirelessly throughout the crimbo period to help make a difference to those in need.  A beautiful quote from Oliver Twist (Charles Dickens) falls into place here: “It is because I think so much of warm and sensitive hearts, that I would spare them from being wounded.” 

It may sound sentimental, but this time of year makes me feel grateful for the simple things I often take for granted throughout the year and think its high time others, especially those who are caught up in their status and getting to the top at any cost, pause for thought and realise just how lucky they are to be where they are today.   

So, rather than focusing on what's not there, the next time I raise a glass, dance or eat a meal, I'll be giving thanks and will remain grateful for all that I have including the simple joys of life.  

Festive Shimmies,

Nic ♥

Festive Thoughts

Where has the year gone?  It’s that time again when most people are gearing up for the Christmas rush and reflecting on the ups and downs of 2012.  Whilst this time of year can bring in a sense of completion, for some it also brings in renewed hope, by making fresh plans for the New Year ahead.  

In this photo I’m feeling mesmerised and inspired, as I get ready to dance and watch another dancer's theatre performance.  With this, I now ponder deep in thought as to what the year ahead may bring to me and start to set myself goals to achieve. For me, it’s been a good year, and although its been challenging at times, there's been a lot of light bulb moments, and a strong sense of feeling that I need to do even more things to enjoy myself, like my dancing, creative writing and yoga in 2013. 

A few valuable lessons learnt from this year, are that no matter what happens, if any situation is approached with integrity, optimism and an open mind, the right result will come of it.  Either way, karma and a person’s own conscience bites if unjust has been done.  If I set my sights on something that’s worth having, if it’s truly meant to be and the effort is put in, it will come without any struggle, and if it doesn’t, its time to move on and reframe those goals, because life will still go on. 

Observing the children at my primary school helps to put things into perspective for me. Kids are naturally playful and life to them is filled with innocence and wonder.  You know when a child is sad because they tend to be upfront about it. When a child is happy its like all of their Christmases have come at once :)  As adults, we often feel the need to hold back and be responsible with our actions.  However, by just letting go, having fun like kids every now and then and learning to be upfront with our feelings, can be SO liberating!!! This, I plan to do more of right now, next year and beyond.

As I continue to be mesmerised and absorbed by my own passions, friends, family and all the special moments I’ve been lucky enough to experience this year, I have every faith in Christmas and the New Year, 2013, shaping up to be the best yet!

Happy shimmies and enjoy the festive season :)))

Nic ♥