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Bonjour! Welcome to the 136th edition of the Hip Tranquil Chick podcast: a guide to life on and off the yoga mat.

Today’s show menu features updates, fall fashion, and enlightenment for idiots:

Le chic teleclass chat on Frolicking Creatively (and Mindfully) into Fall on Monday, September 15 at 9pm ET. If you can't be on the phone at that exact time, don't fret - sign up and we'll send you the mp3!

Workshops + Retreats: Join me for workshops and book signings in Leesburg, VA and Lexington in October, Denver in January, Montreal in March. In addition, we've got a day focused on creating 2009 at our 2nd annual new year's gala, weekend of tranquility and creativity at our 3rd Annual Hip Tranquil Chick retreat in a lovely farmhouse not far from NYC March 27-29, 2009m and another week at Kripalu next August 9-14, 2009. All the scoop is at kimberlywilson.com's workshops page.




Featured eco-luxe TranquiliT: fall look book (PDF)





Featured guest: Anne Cushman

As a writer and teacher of yoga and meditation, Anne Cushman explores the poignant intersection between the lofty ideals of spiritual practice and the gritty, comical, and heartbreaking details of ordinary life. She is a contributing editor to both Yoga Journal and Tricycle: The Buddhist Review and the coauthor of From Here to Nirvana, a seeker’s guide to spiritual India. Her essays have appeared in the New York Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, O: The Oprah Magazine, and Salon.com, and have been anthologized in Best Buddhist Writing 2004 and 2006, A Woman’s Path: Best Women’s Spiritual Travel Writing, Traveling Souls: Contemporary Pilgrimage Tales, and other books. She co-directs the Mindfulness Yoga and Meditation Training Program at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California; and lives in nearby Fairfax with her seven-year-old son, Skye.

Chic Community: Mingle on our forums, Facebook, and youtube.com/hiptranquilchick.

Savvy sources: enlightenmentforidiots.com

Au Revoir: To close out the show, we’re playing Pink Neon by Natalie Walker courtesy of Promonet. You can learn more about Natalie's music at natalie-walker.com.

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posted by kimberly wilson @ 11:59 PM | 0 comments

bon soir. i'm delighted to head to ny tomorrow to attend designers and agents with two fab TranquiliT gals. we're up and back in one day to scope out what's hot for spring 09. days like this always give me a fun jolt of creative play. yay for artist dates!

tonight i led a small portion of teacher training and it brought me back to 2002 when i launched our teacher training program at tranquil space. 6.5 years ago! wow. my how time flies. ever have those moments where you look at something (like a birthday) and realize that a ton of time has passed, yet you're not sure how? with all the craziness (and sadness) of the past week, i'm hoping to do a bit of reflection on this. met with a dear friend for afternoon tea yesterday and she reminded me of how important it is to take a step back and acknowledge how far we've come. often times we can get so busy moving forward, crossing off to-dos, and getting from point a to point b that we forget the basics. i hope to return to them, at least for a moment during my journey to and from new york tomorrow.

considering my passion for new york, i'm hoping to take more solo day trips to just chill in central park, take yummy yoga, eat cupcakes, and write in a chic cafe. new york truly is a city full of inspiration - from the skyline to the creative street fashion to the wealth of choices for all your basic needs. and with the oh-so-economical bus options, there are no excuses. ah, new york - truly a city overflowing with creativity.

posted by kimberly wilson @ 10:25 PM | 3 comments

Life is not about finding yourself
Life is about Creating yourself.- Source unknown

Ah, don't you just love this quote? How often do you stop to ponder how you are creating yourself? I LOVE this idea and enjoy the reminder to stop, drop, and create!

posted by kimberly wilson @ 11:10 PM | 5 comments

bonjour! ever have shocking news after shocking news topped off with your beau getting bitten by a cocker spaniel (yes, you read it right - not a vicious, big dog but a cocker spaniel).

the past week has been full of shock from murder to DWI to firings of people my beau and i know and love. sad, shocking, and hard to shake. then the cocker spaniel comes along. ha! either way, i feel good but also mindful of how quickly life can change in an instant.

the lovely naturally nina sent me this gorgeous insight into her inspirations. i adore seeing your vision boards and appreciate you passing them along. i hope you enjoy perusing her blog as much i do. her visuals are gorgeous!

today we launched our fall creativity circle and i'm excited to go through this process with an assortment of lovely ladies. fall is a lovely time to reflect and let your creativity out to play. it's also a perfect time to curl up with a ton of pillows, good books, and pug nearby. as i was coming out of a deep sleep today, i was thinking "i would sure love to stay here all day!" it's important to remember the power of mental health days, especially curled up in a cozy bed. yum!

posted by kimberly wilson @ 8:05 PM | 3 comments

i was super-excited to meet jd (our adopted pig) and travolta (our adopted cow - you can read about him in the 6.07 veg guide on their site) at the farm sanctuary yesterday. they live out their days happily in their natural habitat roaming the pastures and rolling in mud. since most cows don't make it to full term in size, I was shocked when I saw travolta - he's HUGE! like 1000 lbs! i couldn't get too close to him due to my skittish nature (kept hiding behind beau) and travolta's lack of interest in me over the grass he was chewing, so the photo of him by the pond was the best together shot we could get! pigs apparently love to have their bellies rubbed so jd and i had some good quality belly rubbing! to adopt your own farm animal, visit here.

this whole experience was a beautiful journey into the practice of ahimsa to all and a connection to those who have beaten the odds. i always have a softspot for the underdog. thank you jd and travolta for sharing your spirits. now i want a pot belly pig! i hear they make great pets and are sooooo cute. beau says no.

posted by kimberly wilson @ 11:58 AM | 5 comments

happy hump day!

i was asked to recap my experience at last month's e-myth leadership intensive in california and i wanted to share the story for anyone interested in why i love this book. the photo they took of beau and me is very telling. it must have been one of those moments when he's like, "are you crazy? we can't do that!" ahhh, a day in the life of our relationship. he truly is one of the most patient people i've ever met.

posted by kimberly wilson @ 5:47 PM | 3 comments

micromovements

delighted to be home after studying with the lovely dharma mittra all weekend. the drive home only took 8 hours which isn't horrible considering holiday travel traffic! crazy thing is that we'll have a similar drive on friday and sunday as we're heading to beau's hometown of rochester for a family corn roast! i love the drives because i'm able to write (got 2 deadlines out of the way), read (finished the updated edition of the fashion designer's survival guide and read a lot of tori amos' memoir), and look out the window at the beautiful landscape while beau drives. he enjoys driving, i enjoy riding. win-win!

when i got home, unpacked, and looked around at the dining room table covered with books, receipts, sparkly gel pens, and articles torn from magazines, i got concerned. i'm tired, need to get ready for the week, but want get organized NOW. then i recalled SARK's message that i was reminded of this weekend - make micromovements.

i don't have to organize my kitchen table, armoire, bathroom shelves, or desk in my boudoir all in one night. it's about small steps and conquering one area at a time. i know this but sometimes i just need a reminder and thought it may resonate with you, too! in her book make your creative dreams real SARK provides a few examples. say you want to write a novel - yes, this feels overwhelming. start by going to a bookstore and browsing books about writing! she describes micromovements as a very tiny action that anyone can take toward some part of her create dream and is 5 seconds to 5 minutes in length. what micromovements can you take this week?

posted by kimberly wilson @ 9:47 PM | 5 comments