A Wise Man Once Said...

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Paul Giuseppe Micarelli - Born 6-13-20!

 

Let me tell you the story of the eventful birth of our son Paul Giuseppe Micarelli, the survivor- who has already lived through so much with me & Loretta, his warrior mother...

In the midst of the craziest time in modern history - with pandemics, riots, and social upheaval - Paul was born into even MORE crazy circumstances.

We planned to have a natural water birth in our home, with the assistance of a midwife. Things did NOT go according to plan, to say the least!

Loretta's water broke around 12 midnight on Fri. 6/13/20 after having a few days of contractions, so we called the midwife. We were as prepared as we were going to be, and after the midwife arrived were waiting through the early contractions.

The midwife decided to do a check around 3AM, & I walked out of the room to give the women privacy. After a minute or 2, I was called back in to horrible scene that I will never forget. My wife was on her hands & knees crying, and the midwife looked panicked. The midwife told me she had already called 911...

The umbilical cord was in front of the baby's head. If he continued to come out, there was a chance he would have the cord's circulation cut off. I woke her mom Donna up on the couch & told her to get up. We went back in the room trying to comfort Loretta, but were both absolutely terrified.
We had cops & medics at the house within minutes. Loretta went in an ambulance to Jefferson Hospital, still on her hands & knees with the midwifes hand inside her the whole time, who was holding the baby's head up to prevent his oxygen from being cut off. Loretta had to get an emergency C-section, due to a prolapsed cord. Her mom came with me & we followed the racing ambulance, full of worry and fear for Loretta and the baby.

We were all very scared & upset that this happened. We were rushed into the ER, and met with the medical team who insisted on putting Loretta under for the surgery. Loretta (still in the same uncomfortable position & midwife holding the baby's emerging head!) pleaded for a risky spinal, even though she couldn't sit up, so she could be awake for the birth & because she was afraid to go under anesthesia. She had a very bad feeling about losing consciousness at that time.
The team walked out of the room to discuss, & then reluctantly agreed to give her the shot while on her side- with the stipulation that they would only try the spinal once & then they would have to go with the original plan.

Loretta was taken away for the longest few minutes of my life while the shot was given... & it worked! I was rushed into the operating room, where Loretta was already being prepped for surgery.
The procedure only lasted 5-10 minutes, and I tried to comfort Loretta as much as I could, although I was scared out of my damn mind... When we finally heard the baby's cry, we both let the tears flow out of pure joy & relief.

The surgery was a success! Paul Giuseppe Micarelli was born at 5:25am on June 13, 2020 weighing 6lb 13oz.

Everyone is fine now! Paulie is such a good baby. We’ve been holding him & loving him like there's nothing else in this world, grateful he's still alive. He’s so peaceful, both when sleeping and awake.
Loretta is recovering from the C-section & is already walking around after 1 day.

This has been the wildest emotional roller coaster of my life, & as I write this I've cried once again- out of remembering the pure terror of the beginning & then the indescribable joy of his successful birth. It's all still very overwhelming.

We are so grateful for everyone's love and support through such an important time in our lives. We look forward to you everyone meeting this amazing (& cute) little guy!

Here's an album of photos from our time in the hospital after his birth

 Google Photo Album

Paul Giuseppe Micarelli - Born 6-13-20

*Posted on Paul Giuseppe's 1-month birthday. Originally posted by Paul at The Monkey Buddha blog. 

Tude the Yoga Cat

My wife Loretta left her yoga mat out on the living room floor... so the cats naturally had to lay on it.

Our one cat, Tude, who we also call "Guru Tude," wanted to show us some of his poses. Here he is in one of his favorite stretched out positions, called "Supine Feline":

-Paul Micarelli

"Stress Relief for Parents" Workshop 1-29-20

Conscious Living For You held a workshop at Valley Park Elementary School in Pennsville last week.

Paul & Loretta Micarelli gave a presentation on stress reduction, and provided activities such as breathing meditations and some light yoga poses.

Contact us if you would be interested in having us host a private or corporate event:

www.ConsciousLivingForYOU.net

I am Grateful

"I am Grateful"

It's been awhile since I've made a motivational graphic, but being Thanksgiving, I wanted to express deep gratitude for everything that I have been able to experience in this life.

The thing is- we don't need to wait one day out of the year to give thanks. Part of my daily morning routine before work is to stand in prayer pose & give gratitude before my yoga/workout flow. I express thanks for my wife Loretta, health, family, career, and just being alive.

Then, I extend this to as many moments throughout the day as I can, being conscious of my appreciation for *everything* - good & bad. The "good" makes you happy, and the "bad" makes you stronger by getting through it.

Take moments throughout your day and just be grateful. It changes your perception & your experience.

-Paul Micarelli
www.ConsciousLivingForYOU.net

Life Force vs. Negative Vibes

I always tell my wife Loretta to practice what's illustrated in this image - create a "psychic" or "mental" shield around your consciousness.

Don't let any negative or harmful influences penetrate that shield.

Loretta is very strong, but also easily wounded emotionally, like so many deeply empathetic people. I cultivate compassion for others, but I also do not let people's opinions or bullshit get to me.

It is very difficult to become immune to judgement and the influence of others. However, by envisioning this "Life Force Field" around you and working to overcome fear, a courage develops that empowers all our experiences.


-Paul Micarelli

Nature Yoga Poses in Parvin State Park

Loretta and I recently went to Parvin State Park here in NJ to walk the trails. It was a beautiful walk through the woods and around the lake.

Being outdoors and connecting with nature is something we both love, and it is one of our purest spiritual pursuits.

While walking through the park, we took a couple pics in which we echoed the scenery around us through yoga poses.

Here is Loretta doing an Eagle pose (Garudasana) in front of a twisted uprooted tree system:

I decided to do a one-legged chair (Eka Pada Utkatasana) in front of the lake, mimicking the wooden piling behind me:

-Paul Micarelli

Yoga in Wharton State Forest

It's been awhile since we've posted here on the Conscious Living for You blog. Loretta has been busy with nursing and teaching yoga at different studios. I have a full time design job now, after freelancing for almost two years.

We have been blessed with many wonderful experiences, and challenges that have helped us grow individually and as a couple. In the beginning of this month, we celebrated our 1-year wedding anniversary, and took the whole week to make it special doing various things with each other and also our families.

Last weekend, we went camping for a couple nights in Wharton State Forest. We had a great time connecting with nature and just enjoying being together. There was a little bit of rain, but the weather wasn't bad and we got to be outside a lot.

I am grateful to have such an amazing partner, who shares the same joys in life that I do. We didn't find each other until later in life, but our patience and persistence to find a true soul mate paid off.

While hanging out at our campsite, Loretta got the yoga itch and started doing handstand poses up against a big tree. So, I snapped some photos of my beautiful wife connecting with the natural world through her yoga practice.

Here are a couple more pics of us & our campsite (Loretta brought along the Buddha tapestry to decorate our canopy):

-Paul Micarelli

Mindfulness Workshop at Valley Park Elementary

Stop, Breathe, & Slow Down!

This past week, Conscious Living for YOU had the privilege of hosting a workshop at Valley Park Elementary School in Pennsville, NJ.

The workshop, titled "Finding Peace for Parents in Times of Stress" was focused on providing techniques for parents to relax, become mindful, and manage their stress levels in the madness of everyday life.

We took the parents through a slideshow of the risks of stress and how to relieve these effects through conscious breathing and mindfulness. Together, we practiced some breath control techniques and also a "body scan" meditation, to show how we can pay attention to our body in order to relax the mind.

We were grateful for the turnout, and felt like both the parents and the staff were receptive to the information we shared. It is always an honor to be able to help people improve the quality of their lives and those of their families.

Paul (on left) and Loretta (3rd from right) 

with the parents who attended & their children 

The school was very accommodating, and even provided a healthy food spread of fruits and vegetables for those attending, which Loretta & I happily sampled since we had not eaten dinner yet!

The facilitator Jennifer even set up a "Mindfulness Activities for Children" table with games and books. Overall it was a very beneficial event for everyone who took part.

If you would like to set up a workshop for yoga, meditation, mindfulness & relaxation, or any other health and wellness topic, contact us at www.ConsciousLivingforYOU.net

- Paul Micarelli

Loretta @ Blue Lotus Yoga

This week Loretta started teaching at the Blue Lotus Yoga studio in Hammonton, NJ.

She is teaching there on Thursdays at 6pm, and her first class got everyone (even the advanced practitioners!) focused and sweating, with restorative poses at the end.

As Loretta's husband, I am very proud of her for all that she is doing to bring the true spirit of yoga to those who come to her classes. She is a truly remarkable soul, and I watch in amazement as her light shines through to those around her. I have taken classes with some awesome instructors, but I'm not ashamed to be biased & say that I love taking my wife's classes most of all!

The Blue Lotus studio is great, and owner Dan Haber has created an amazing space with art and sacred geometry. We feel grateful to have the opportunity to practice there.

To follow Loretta's classes, visit our website:

www.ConsciousLivingForYou.net

-Paul Micarelli