The last thing I remember was?

"Aunt Meri, Will you play on the trampoline? MEERREEE, MEEEEEERRREEEE when are you coming outside?" This is somewhat how I ended up on a trampoline - playing tag with a bunch of 7 year olds. The other adults were drinking wine and talking about the meaning of life.....

The next day I showed up to teach Yoga and embarrassingly needed to take it easy in my Lotus Pose (legs crossed). It seemed that my knee with the reconstructed ligament was a little pissed off at me. I explained this to my class with a laugh, and as I began to talk I realized the trampoline experience was a little more than cardio- One student said "Hey - Meredith, that insight sounds like a good newsletter" So Thank You Cynthia! And here you go....

When I first got on, it was full steam ahead - bounce hard, jump hard. 
This tends to be my approach to life - work hard and play hard... And in todays world, we often have a tendency to take it to extremes. (Red Bull and vodka, anyone?) It was amazing when I realized that if I jumped lightly then the natural bounce of the trampoline would help to propel me for the next jump! Kind of like life, when we stop Pushing somehow things begin to flow with more ease.

I have to be honest, at first it was hard to find and keep my balance. 
And it didn't help that the 7 year old brigade was running and tagging like wild rabbits. I felt kind of old and sad for a moment..... then once again I realized, I didn't need to try so hard!! If I backed off... The energy of the other jumpers helped to keep me afloat. Allow the peeps around you to support you!

Trampoline Tag can result in a lot of falling down!!!
However, these brilliant little jumpers have a system in place for when they fall and need a moment, they yell- "I'm in a time out!!!" (that also means no one can tag you)

The kids have got it right. We all Fall down sometimes! Allow yourself to take a moment to laugh (or cry), regain your balance and get back up. And it's OK to tell people "Hey, I need a time out" for a moment, a night or even a few days, while you're getting back on your feet.

There were also moments where I just needed to chill- so I simply sat down 
In life, it's important to recognize, we are super-humans and not super-heroes. We get tired, that doesn't make us lame. When this happens, recognize it, it's OK to rest for a moment and take a time out!

If I stayed safe on the perimeter I had less chance of falling 
There's less bounce on the sidelines. Sometimes playing it safe is the right thing to do but when we allow ourselves to get in there and take a risk - we find more bounce, more fun, and more opportunities. Warning: this might also make you fall down more often ;)

Towards the end of my trampoline career I said, "I'm just gonna bounce here and be peaceful, you guys have fun playing, I just wanna bounce quietly" That felt good, to just be in the moment and enjoy the ride.

Then I suddenly started to feel my right knee (which has a reconstructed ACL) and took that as a cue to Exit Trampoline Left.....

I felt exhilarated when I landed again on solid ground

Love, Light and May You Embrace your Bounce!