Welcome!

This is my first blog post ever, and to tell you the truth, I never thought I could articulate my words to communicate my thoughts into a post. Before I get into it, I want to stop and thank you for being here. I am humbled and honoured to have a community that wants to join a journey with me.

My name is Tova. I am a wife of 15 years to Ryan and the mom of two amazing children Sara and Ryan, with their unique skills and talents. Being a mom has been the most rewarding job I have ever had, but no one told me how hard it is. Being a mom of Kids on the Autism Spectrum has its challenges and benefits. I have become an advocate, expert, comforter and cheerleader. They have taught me many lessons, and one of the most important is that if you need to listen to THEM if you have questions, don't just assume what they need, ask THEM, be patient, and in time they WILL share. It also may not be in the way you expected (verbally), but they will show you (in their way).

I love to learn; I have been studying and have continued to enhance my studies over the years. In the past few years, I became a 200 YRT registered with Yoga Alliance, about to complete my 95-hour kid's yoga certificate, completed all the course work for Autism and Behaviour Studies and am waiting to complete my practical work. Who knows what I will learn next. I will and want to be a forever student. Who knows, the next teachers, maybe you. I love learning from everyone and know many people have lessons and things to teach.

Reframe Family Yoga was a dream; I dreamed of creating a safe space where people would be welcome to be themselves, loved, accepted, and authenticity is critical. Our tagline is “Mindfulness and Inclusive movement for all abilities for the whole family.”

The purpose is to make this community inclusive to everyone, no matter their ability, race or gender. We are going to Reframe how we do things and see things. I also admit that I am constantly learning and evolving, and I will make mistakes, own them, and hope that this community will help me grow and grow with me.

This journey that brought me here was not easy, and I am making peace with it. Yoga has taught me many things, and it helped me and continues to heal me. It changed my mindset and my way of living. Here are a few lessons I have learned:

1. Letting go

• I love control - I like things just so, and that my expectations are what cause me more pain. We don’t have to like what happens; we may not control others’ actions, but we do have control of our actions.
• Make peace with what is – this was hard when you can’t play God (Devine) and change the outcome, turn back time and want to live in the what-ifs of life. There is beauty in living in what is, and when we live in the past or the future, we miss the now.

2. Is that thought, Truth or Perception

• I started to journal and meditate. Reflect on my thoughts and feelings. When feelings would arise, I would ask, “Is that truth?” Quite often, what we tell ourselves is just a perception of reality, and that is from past experiences. When we reflect and nurture those, ask the right questions, we can release those hard feelings that triggered those thoughts or feelings and realize they were not the truth.
• I realized people are doing the best they can with their tools. We are all broken and have our own experiences. It doesn’t mean that I have to give everyone access to my life; I can still love them but from a distance.

I am so thankful for you all, and it is not a mistake that you are here. I would love to get to know you. Let me know if you have any questions—anything you want me to talk about. I am excited for the future posts and the new year. Some exciting things are coming, and it is special.

Let your light shine and Be You!