I got this from a friend, Super-mom of 3 and reader:

“I thought of you today.  So you know how you and I ignore the news – it’s not part of our reality?  So my whole knowledge of “news” comes from the CNN breaking news emails I get or what (my husband) tells me.  CNN is sparing in their use of them – maybe once or twice a month, and I figure if it’s big enough for them to send out a two line email about, then I am ok with knowing it.  So today I got one saying that the asteroid came so close to the earth today.  I had no idea about that.  And I have to say I have been so OUT of alignment this week, stressy and anxious and not me!  I think it was because of the asteroid messing with my astrology!  So now I feel happy to know WHY I was off and happy that the asteroid is shooting back off to outerspace and happy to go back to being happy me again.”

Sometimes we’re just “off” and it feels good and validating to learn why. For me a full moon can do it or PMS (new to me because I never had it in my 20s and early 30s because I rarely got my period because I was a competitive athlete and had low body fat and then I was pregnant and/or nursing for over a decade). For this reader it was the asteroid.

Whatever it is, remember that all is well and you’re doing the best you can.  Also remember that it’s never too late to begin again.

Armed with these practices, you can handle a full moon, PMS, an asteroid, or whatever puts you over the edge–with integrity and grace.

Have the best day ever!

Namaste!

Taylor plus 5

Order my new book, card deck, and DVD at TaylorWells.me or Pranapoweryoga.com

For a lot of years of my life I lived in fear. Surviving day to day as best as I could, always focusing on the positive in every situation.

And I mean every.

This gave me a keen ability to glean the positive from anything and focus on it. Relentlessly. My survival and mental health depended on it.

And it worked.

Then I got out of that situation–I went to Brown on (a partial) scholarship. Brown believed in me and as long as I paid them a little bit each month they were down. I worked three jobs and studied hard and made great friends and had a blast.

But my “survivor” mentality remained. It’s all I knew.

Now survivor is better than victim, where some who’ve gone through what I did remain for this lifetime; however, I wanted to thrive, not survive.

And it took some practice. To maintain this new “thriving mentality” or vibration, if you will. That’s all it takes super people, clear intention and practice.

Practice, practice, practice.

So I took my ability to focus on the positive in any situation (what I call Deliberate Creation) and paired it with a vibration set to “thrive” instead of survive (i.e. just keeping your head above water and living from one drama to the next and experiencing everything as “hard”) and now here I am today, living my BEST LIFE EVER.

Now every day is pure magic and I flow effortlessly and joyfully through each day with ease and love. Now things happen FOR me, not TO me.

An example?  There are so many.

I teach the 430 am at Prana Newton everyday and then go to the Y to write while on cardio before my 5 kids wake up. (I’m writing this now on the elliptical.). The Y is always open. Always.

But it closed for 10 days to put in all new machines and paint. Their closing days coincided exactly with the days that I was on my West Coast book tour, and the day I returned was the day they reopened.

So I walked in to new amazing machines, freshly painted walls (my favorite bright colors) and one specific awesome lateral machine that I’d used and loved in Paris last summer but had never told the Y about.

Yeah, everything happens FOR me, not TO me.*

*To learn more about how to practice a new vibration of thriving and create your BEST LIFE EVER, get my book and inspiration card deck and DVD at TaylorWells.me, Pranapoweryoga.com or Amazon.com.

Have the best day ever!

Namaste!

Taylor plus 5

Order my new book, card deck, and DVD now at Pranapoweryoga.com

We lived in Paris last summer for a month and our good friends visited us for a week and treated us to the experience of a lifetime:  dinner at Guy Savoy’s, a 3 star Michelin rated restaurant.  The dinner took six hours and their nanny watched all of our kids as we drank, dined, and chatted.  I haven’t chatted with them for six straight hours since I gave birth to my first child (almost 15 years ago).   This was, to me, the best part of the meal.  The rest wasn’t so bad either.  ;)

I am not able to articulate the level of  kindness and generosity that lives in our friends’ hearts.  This dinner is only one example.

I wasn’t really online much while in Europe over the summer but was emailing with a BFF of mine from Brown who lived in Paris years ago and she was asking where our apartment was, what we were up to, etc.  I caught her up to date and told her about our amazing adventure at Guy Savoy’s, laughing that I didn’t even know what a “Michelen rated restaurant” was before the experience, and she said, ”Awesome.  We ate at every 3 star Michelin in Paris and most in all of France while we lived there! We also walked in every arrondissement in Paris sequentially!”

Now this was inspiring and I had to ask more.

I responded with, “Really? Wow. I didn’t even know what three-star Michelin rated was LOL.  Our dinner ended up costing a lot…. You did that in all those restaurants?  To be honest, I loved the six hours with my good friends uninterrupted by kids LOL, but I would be just as happy grabbing a salad somewhere and walking the streets, my favorite thing to do. The energy is amazing here. I can’t get enough!”

And my friend replied:

“I agree completely.  Yes, it was a lot of $$ per person each time but we had no kids or one kid when we did it and (my husband) was earning a lot so our budget was very different!  And we saw it as a once in a lifetime experience. I never really loved it either -too formal – I am informal to my inner core as you know – I am currently loving dinner by the our club pool with my bathing suit on and surrounded by our kids and their friends, who all jump back in the pool right after dinner and continue swimming – I have to literally pull them out of the pool at 8pm when it closes each night!”

And my response:

“Oh I hear ya Super-mom!  Ha ha haaaa. We just pulled our kids outta the Paris Country Club pool at 8pm!  Ha. We’ve yet to have dinner, just snacks, and are heading to grab something in the Latin quarter then gelato!  Where were you working while in Paris?”

And she said:

“The NBA in Paris, Reebok in the Netherlands.  Plus my 6th and final year in Paris, neither (my husband) or I worked so I was pregnant, living on severance pay (since they moved my job back to NYC and we didn’t want to go back) so I took a watercolor painting class in the Marais, took our 2 year old son to play groups and explored starting a couple diff business (high-end travel or importing French children’s clothes or antique furniture back into the U.S.)!  I even went to some trade shows, etc.

Then after our second son was born, a head-hunter contacted me about Reebok hiring a lawyer with exactly my experience in the Netherlands and I interviewed 3 weeks after our second son was born (I had to pull him from my breast with milk dripping to go to the interview over breakfast at a Paris hotel in the 1ieme) – out of many candidates, I got the job, my husband and I did our Paris by arrondissement walk in the final month and then moved to the Netherlands….”

And my email to her:

“I am writing a blog about this–it’s magical and an example of your zest for life.  The fact that you live your inspired life and are always open to what the Universe delivers to you.  It will be very inspiring for others to read, as it inspires me as well!  Rock on Super-mom!”

Her response:

“You are too cute. Another little detail – while I was at the interview at the Paris hotel, a baby in the hotel restaurant starting crying and I starting feeling like I might have “let down” of milk!  I was worrying about this when the 50 year old American woman interviewing me for Reebok said, “That crying sound is reminding me of and making me miss my cat.”  So I realized,  “There is no way that this lady has any children or she would not mistake a baby crying for a cat!”  So I made sure not to mention the fact that I was nursing and starting to let down from the sound of the baby – realizing she would not understand!  How funny is that?

Also, part of my reason for thinking about starting my own small business was that to better manage family and work – kind of like you and Philippe do – that I could spend time with the kids WHILE exploring cool travel destinations or WHILE shopping for children’s clothes or antique furniture to sell in the U.S.  – I imagined myself strolling around pushing a stroller and browsing markets/beautiful travel sites/working.  Not a bad idea huh?  But then the Reebok job fell on my lap and that was perfect for me so I had to jump!”

I love my friend dearly for many reasons.  One is her insatiable zest for life and her utter openness to any and all adventures.  She is by far one of the most open and able “learners” I’ve come across in my many years of teaching.  And she is a lot of fun to be around to boot.  ;)

What is your inspired life?  How can you begin today to take baby steps toward it?

I’m rootin for ya!

And so is my friend.

Have the best day ever!

Namaste!

Taylor plus 5

Order my new book, card deck, and DVD now at Pranapoweryoga.com

We were sitting on La Plage, a beach the mayor of Paris created on the Seine. He shipped in sand n beach toys n chairs n a zip line n umbrellas n concession stands. There were thousands of people. Just magical!  We spent the afternoon strolling n going to parks n eating gyros n cinnamon gelato  in the Latin quarter and ended up at La Plage.

It was tough to snag a beach chair but we did eventually and I laid down and rested and took in the magic while my kids played joyfully in the sand.

Not thirty seconds after I commented to Philippe about how amazed I was that kids love sand so much because I’m not a fan, did Montana (age 2) march over and dump a pail full of sand all over me in my sundress in my beach chair.

As I shook the sand off my body and hair and realized there was also sand in my lip balm, I laughed out loud to Sagey (age 8) about the incredible consistency of the Law of Attraction.  Remember, the Universe don’t hear negatives. : )

Have the best day ever!

Namaste!

Taylor plus 5 from Paris

Order my new book, card deck, and DVD now at Pranapoweryoga.com

1. To have fun every day.
2. To celebrate every day.
3. To laugh every day.
4. To use glitter whenever possible
5. To say, “I’m sorry,” and mean it.
6. To say, “Let’s begin again,” and really begin again.
7. To know that there are no mistakes.
8. To know that you can be, do, and have anything that you want.
9. To know that it’s OK to ask for what you want, and get it.
10. To know that it’s GOOD to ask for what you want, and get it.
11. To have gratitude.
12. To give, often.
13. To practice yoga every day.
14. To write their favorite inspirational quotes on 4×6 note cards and read them daily
15. To eat seaweed and avocado often.
16. To get outside in nature every day, no matter what the weather.
17. To put your feet on the earth every day, no matter what the weather.
18. To read everyday.
19. To do something you’re afraid of every day.
20. To say I love you, often.
21. To give hugs and kisses, often.
22. To eat raw chocolate.
23. To help the earth.
24. To keep things neat.
25. To keep it simple.
26. To be a minimalist.
27. To give things away.
28. To listen.
29. To read energy.
30. To find joy in small things—in anything.
31. To abide in the Vortex.
32. To add sprinkles.
33. To giggle.
34. To eat greens.
35. To drink green juice.
36. To love each other.
37. To be a good friend.
38. To be a good sister/brother.
39. To be kind.
40. To go to sleep early.
41. To get up early.
42. To sleep enough.
43. To skin brush every morning and every night.
44. To speak your mind.
45. To write, often.
46. To breathe in and breathe out.
47. To focus.
48. To make boundaries.
49. To say please and thank you.
50. To look people in the eye when you speak to them.
51. To have respect for others and the earth.
52. To smile, a lot.
53. To believe in miracles.
54. To believe in magic.
55. To walk your path with grace.
56. To live in integrity.
57. To steer clear of malls and bad energy.
58. To know that you deserve abundance, as does everyone.
59. To open the door for someone.
60. To help carry in the groceries without being asked.
61. To think out of the box.
62. To wipe the counters.
63. To jump in piles of leaves.
64. To make gingerbread houses and use leftover Halloween candy to make them even more abundant.
65. To throw parties often.
66. To light candles every day.
67. To turn on white twinkle lights every day.
68. To sing every day.
69. To always bring a gift to someone’s home.  The gift can be a smile, a hug, a handshake, a compliment.
70. To send light to those with whom you’re having difficulty.
71. To ask why.
72. To ask why not.
73. To say thank you.
74. To write a thank you note.
75. To nurse your children.
76. To blend your own organic baby food.
77. To eat whatever you want, as much as you want, and whenever you want, in moderation.
78. To believe in and expect abundance.
79. To expect prosperity.
80. To expect it to work out.
81. To meditate.
82. To swim often, preferably in a lake or the ocean.
83. To support your local YMCA.
84. To never work a day in your life, but instead have your “work” be your life (have no delineation between “work” and “play” and therefore, no “work week” and “weekend”).
85. To spend some time every day in silence.
86. To write down everything that you want.
87. To have a magical creation box, in which you put all of your hopes and dreams (which you have written down).
88. To make stuff with crystals and glitter and pastel paint often.
89. To draw pictures with lotsa color.
90. To ask for help from The Universe when you are upset about something and can’t stop thinking about it.
91. To stay quiet when people are gossiping, or change the subject.
92. To know that you’re responsible for your own reality.
93. To make visible what, without you, might never have been seen.
94. To be wiser than other people if you can but do not tell them so.
95. To know that people with true power are not concerned with the impression that they make.
96. To understand that a real friend walks in when the rest of the world walks out.
97. To move stuck energy out of your body every day.
98. To visualize everything that you want.
99. To take responsibility for your words.
100. To take responsibility for your actions.
101. To take responsibility for your creations.
102. To take responsibility for your life.
103. To know that work speaks for itself.
104. To not complain, whine, or explain.
105. To make your bed every morning.
106. To floss your teeth.
107. To take a bath to relax.
108. To believe in your pure potential.
109. To know that when you choose hope, anything is possible.
110. To know that people treat you as well as you treat yourself.
111. To know that everyone is a teacher.
112. To know that leadership is displaying the absence of resistance.
113. To walk your talk.
114. To wash your hands when you walk into the house.
115. To take off your shoes in anyone’s home.
116. To hang up your coat.
117. To stand up straight.
118. To say, “I don’t know” when you don’t.
119. To marvel at the sunset.
120. To splash in the waves.
121. To make sand castles.
122. To make snow angels.
123. To drink hot chocolate with whipped cream on a cold winter day.
124. To jump in puddles.
125. To play in the dirt.
126. To load the dishwasher.
127. To unload the dishwasher.
128. To clean the juicer right after you’ve juiced
129. To say “May I please be excused?” from the table.
130. To never judge, but instead, use that energy to create.
131. To paint with bright colors.
132. To drink a lot of water.
133. To eat Spirulina every day.
134. To frequent yard sales.
135. To market things you believe in.
136. To ask, “How can I help?”
137. To leave the details and the organization up to The Universe, and just have fun.
138. To build fires in the fireplace often.
139. To gaze into the fire and dream.
140. To count to ten before you say something you regret.
141. To always give the benefit of the doubt.
142. To know that people are doing the best that they can in any given moment.
143. To know how very special you are.
144. To know how very much you are wanted on this earth.
145. To know how blessed I am to be their Mom.
146. To make smoothies.
147. To be comfortable wherever you are.
148. To utilize metaphysics every day.
149. To speak your truth always, with love.
150. To smile and say thank you.
151. To smile and say please.
152. To look inward for answers when you are not well.
153. To travel often.
154. To pack light.
155. To travel light and be the light.
156. To take videos and watch them
157. To not postpone a hug.
158. To not postpone anything.
159. To do it NOW instead of writing a list.
160. To act from inspiration, not motivation.
161. To hang up your towels.
162. To splurge.
163. To drink smoothies.
164. To wear sunscreen.
165. To wear hats.
166. To dance.
167. To be open-minded.
168. To be patient.
169. To chew your food well.
170. To eat lots of raw chocolate.
171. To recycle.
172. To drink Yerba Mate tea.
173. To love others, especially when they feel un-lovable.
174. To take photos.
175. To make a Shutterfly album every month with funny quotes in it of things you said.
176. To go on picnics.
177. To have a picnic basket of snacks packed in the car “just in case.”
178. To read and write instead of watching TV.
179. To go on a media fast.
180. To read before bed.
181. To burn nag champa incense.
182. To limit your time on the computer every day.
183. To tell people when you think they’re great.
184. To wait for clarity until the muddy waters settle.
185. To give away a bag of things every week.
186. To support your local bookstore.
187. To buy local and Organic.
188. To be green.
189. To be here now.
190. To be the change.
191. To sit still.
192. To be still.
193. To be happy.
194. To be at peace
195. To maintain a tenacious ability to focus only on pure positive energy.
196. That violence is never the answer.
197. That going for ice cream is a destination and an important one at that. 
198. To have the best day ever every day.
199. To create the best life ever.

Have the best day ever!

Namaste!

Taylor plus 5

Order my new book, card deck, and DVD now at Pranapoweryoga.com

I was In line at the Sconset Market on Nantucket and there was a teenager behind me begging her dad for gummy worms.

“But Daaaaaad, pahleeeeaaazzze!” she whined.

“No, you’re done,” her dad replied firmly.

“But Dad….I have moneeeeeyyyy,” she continued.

“It’s not about money,” her Dad continued without skipping a beat, “It’s about no.”

The conversation ended.

“Wow!  Brilliant!” I exclaimed out loud before I could stop myself. “I’m gonna use that one. I have five kids, ages 2-14.”

“God bless you,” the dad smiled.

So, “it’s not about money, it’s about no.” Try that one next time instead of the overused and not very convincing, “Because I said so.”

Have the best day ever!

Namaste!

Taylor plus 5

Pre-order my new book, card deck, and DVD, out October 20th, now at Pranapoweryoga.com.

I get up reaaaalllll early in the morning. I got five kids so I wake up early to practice and do cardio and write and run Prana and set my intention for my day and life.

One early morning on Nantucket last summer I’d just finished my yoga practice overlooking the ocean with the sun sprinkling dots of brilliant light across its surface, and I reached into my bike basket to reapply my lip stuff as my kids call it (lip gloss with sunscreen), and I noticed it was almost gone.

In this situation, as in every situation in my life, I had a choice on what to focus:

“Oh, I have to buy more lip gloss.”

Or

“Wow, I’m so blessed to be in a beautiful place like this where i need SPF lip gloss so often that I’ve used almost all of it.”

If I choose the second thought and focus, more thoughts on that vibration are magnetized to me via the law of attraction, such as:

“Hey, this is the lip gloss they gave me for free at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital when I has my abdominal surgery.”

And then:

“Wow, that lip gloss lasted a long time!  Almost the whole summer.”

And:

“I’m so grateful that I had that surgery.”

And:

“My surgery went so well!”

And:

“I feel so great and so much better since Dr. Brooks sewed my rectus abdominis back together.”

And:

“Now I can eat anything without pain!”

And:

“Dr. Brooks rocks.”

And:

“That surgery and recovery was easy and actually kinda fun because everyone was so nice and helpful and i got to experience something totally different and take my Spiritual and Deliberate Creation practices to a whole new level, and if I can do that with ease and joy and gratitude, I can do anything.”

Which thought and focus are you choosing now and what thoughts and events are you therefore magnetizing to yourself?

Namaste!

Taylor plus 5

Pre-order my new book, card deck, and DVD, out October 20th, now at Pranapoweryoga.com.

Pregnant supermoms and women trying to conceive often ask me if its “OK” to practice yoga while they’re pregnant or trying to get pregnant.

My answer is NO.

It’s not OK …it’s imperative!

I can’t imagine, nor would I want to, what my five pregnancies would’ve been like sans yoga. The practice is such a mental, physical, emotional, and Spiritual gift for both mom and baby. It grounds you, calms you, moves your energy, cleans your slate, opens your heart, energizes you, brings more joy and ease into your life, keeps you physically fit, and prepares you for labor and motherhood.

I brought my mat to the hospital and practiced the day I delivered my first three kids and the next day after my C Section with our twins (much to my midwife’s and nurse’s surprise).

My rule of thumb for practicing heated yoga when pregnant is that it’s fine and great as long as you’ve practiced in the heat for at least a year. It’s always wise to consult your midwife or doctor and for CYA I should say here that I ain’t a doctor and so therefore can’t give medical advice .  And just so ya know, my experience has been that most docs, also covering their a** (hey, we live in a litigious society), say no hot yoga when trying to conceive or pregnant.

Again, I personally believe that hot yoga is great while pregnant or trying to conceive as long as you’ve practiced at least a year. (You don’t wanna start ANY new exercise regime during pregnancy.)  Hey, think of all the happy healthy babies born every day in very hot climates. The research I’ve seen looked at women sitting in saunas way over 120 degrees.  Severe and very dry heat with no movement. Totally different ball game sports fans.

As your belly grows you’ll wanna modify your practice. Also you’ll wanna back off of twists and never do abs. Most importantly, you’ll wanna listen to your body and rest and modify as it guides you. But I believe that to be true for every practitioner, pregnant or not!

Have the best day ever!

Namaste!

Taylor plus 5

Order my new book, card deck, and DVD now at Pranapoweryoga.com

Funniest Quotes so far from The 5 Wells Kids:

May 3, 2011:  Sagey and I fed the twins outside on the deck in their mini cars and then put them down.  They didn’t wanna go to sleep.  Sagey said, “It’s like they go to prison twice a day.”  (When they go to bed).

May 3, 2011:  Sage going through her summer clothes.  She really wants to wear her big sister t-shirt this summer, “I hope I’m going to be a big sister again.”

May 1, 2011: Phoenix is so proud of the N he drew.  “I just drew the besh N in the whole wide world.”

April 25, 2011:  Sagey is supposed to go to bed.  She loves her new Sponge Bob multiplication book so much she asks at bedtime, “Can I do multiplication

April 22, 2011:  Phoenix says to Philippe, “You look funny, because you have dese things” (points to his eyebrows).

April 14, 2011:  Sage explaining to Phoenix how to pack for Aruba:  “You don’t want to get kicked off the plane and have to walk to Aruba.”

April 10, 2011:  We are rearranging the furniture in the playroom and dining room.  Madison and Sage and Super-mom are saying, “This should go here, that should go there . . . .”  Phoenix looks at the sofa and says, “This should be a trampoline.”

Have the best day ever!

Namaste!

Taylor plus 5

Order my new book, card deck, and DVD now at Pranapoweryoga.com

While we were on Nantucket last summer I was telling my in-laws how much I love Just Like Sugar (a totally natural sugar subsitute that you gotta try) and they were dubious at best.  They assumed it had “that crazy artificial stuff” in it and I assured them that no, it doesn’t.   They assumed there had to be something wrong with it because let’s face it there are some SCARY artificial sugar wanna be’s out there (hello NutraSweet, headaches and brain cancer anyone?).  But I’m here to tell ya, this stuff is 100% all natural (it’s just chicory root and vitamin C!  See the ingredients and all info below) and it TASTES SO GOOD.

I’m personally not a fan of stevia.  To me it’s wicked bitter and even though a guy sent me a case of stevia products and so I really wanted to like it and write about it, it just tastes bitter to me.  It too is all natural but if it tastes bitter who’s gonna use it?  Not this Super-mom of five.

I also told my in-laws that as far as I know, Vitacost is the only place I have found Just Like Sugar.  So check it out and try some!  I love it in my tea and in my cereal.  I also bake with it (there’s a product that is specifically for baking).

Best ever!

Have the best day ever!

Namaste!

Taylor plus 5

Here’s the description from Vitacost.com:

Just Like Sugar Just Like Sugar® Description

• All Natural

• No Aftertaste!

• 0 Carbs, 0 Calories

• Great for Baking!

• Tastes Just Like Sugar!

Certified Kosher with the approval of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel.

DOES NOT CAUSE THE LAXATIVE EFFECT OF SOME SWEETENERS

Just Like Sugar® is a wonderful natural alternative for those health conscious people who choose a calorie-restricted diet, with a great pure sweet flavor that tastes “Just Like Sugar” without any harm as from some artificial sweeteners.

Just Like Sugar® is a great natural option for people suffering from diabetes and may be useful in restricted diet programs where sugar cane is not allowed.

Just Like Sugar® has an enhanced composition which is a source of Natural Dietary Fiber obtained from Chicory Root, Calcium and Vitamin C. These are essential ingredients in everyone’s daily diet.

Just Like Sugar® contains no Soy, Yeast, Animal derivatives, “MSG”. L-Glutamic Acid, D-Glutamine Acid, Aspartic Acid, Gluten Free, Wheat, Free, Dairy Free or Preservatives; it is not fermentable and will not promote tooth decay.

Just Like Sugar is the only “BDZ” Kosher certified sweetener in the United States and world wide. “BDZ” kosher certification is the highest form of Kosher that a product can receive. To obtain copies of the kosher certification, please send an email request to justlikesugar@justlikesugarinc.com .