Tuesday, June 29, 2010

The secret ingredient




Have you seen Kung Fu Panda? His Father makes a soup called "the secret ingredient soup". The secret ingredient? Belief. Belief that the soup is so special due to a secret ingredient. What is your "secret ingredient"? What do your beliefs say about you? Do you ever question what you believe, and ask yourself why you believe it? This can come as simply as becoming aware of your judgments, and then asking yourself if the judgement is correct. Receive the input, listen to your inner voice, respond mindfully, and receive the benefits of living a more intuitive life. AHHHHHHHHH

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Calm and relaxed




Yoga today was quite wonderful. I felt extra introspective, and honestly felt somewhat down. I knew I needed my time on the mat. Looking out into the trees I was taken into my spirit. Raising my arms with the rhythm of my breath, God whispered to me to continually ask my heart about the purpose that I am serving. Looking within my heart, I observed my thoughts, walked through my consciousness (sometimes a scary place), and felt a quiet I have not experienced in a while. This is why I love yoga. As silence enveloped me, I could see my path more clearly. As my body stretched, I searched for ease as I worked hard at developing my form. This is why I love yoga. It teaches me to work hard, while taking care not to force. It teaches me to wait, and observe. It teaches me receptivity, and ultimately, the path of acceptance. Acceptance of my yoga practice, my body. Acceptance of my life situation, and my relationships too. If I can bring to life, what I bring to the yoga mat, then hopefully, I will be serving my purpose to God, and to the world.

Monday, June 21, 2010

so much noise



Noise surrounds us. Within the confines of our mind, there is an endless chatter, a dialogue if you will, of our mind giving a commentary about what unfolds before us. Lately, my mind is telling me that I am not committed enough, I am not disciplined enough, I am not organized, I am an air brain, that my belly is fat, and so on. So tonight, tired and weary, but knowing the kids have at least until 9 until bed time, I laid my body down and tried to just breathe. I was making good progress, noting the tightness in my abdomen, when this crazy sound came from the computer room. The boys. Sponge Bob also chimed in along with the doofus' that he pals around with. Maggie's belly leaned over my face while I was inhaling deep. Nice. So I then went outside. I can stand the outside noises. In fact, I LOVE them. The frogs were chirping. The scent of gardenias captivating my nostrils, filling my lungs with their sweet incense. I was dizzy. I was lost in a dark space full of light. My mind was expanding, I was feeling more clarity, I was loosening my grip, I was simply on my way to just "being". But just for a moment. My naked boy came out..."MOMMMMMMMM, can you scoop out my ice cream?" "I'm meditating" was my reply. "pleazzzzze?" "Put on some shorts". I took about 6 or 7 more breaths in, noting the sweetness of the air, the rustle of the leaves. It reminded me that my number one job is scooping ice cream, cleaning scrapes, wiping noses, giving hugs, and tucking in the sweet boys that I am blessed to call my own.

Monday, June 14, 2010

Monday Morning Blues


Sometimes we all feel sad. I had the Monday morning blues today. A friend died last week, and as the reality continues to sink in, I reflect on how life will be forever changed for his wife and 2 kids. Death is permanent. Life goes on. We celebrate life with birthdays, and grieve the passing of those that have touched our lives. As I rose this morning, I breathed in the sticky morning air still lingering with a slight coolness from the moonshine of the night. My heart heavy, I still moved through the sun salutations, and soon my breath came alive, and I opened into my body. I could feel the tension, the sadness, the anxiety, the guilt, the pressure, the loneliness, the reluctance, the negativity. Although I was tuned into the birds singing, I couldn't relate today to their songs. I was happy to hear them sing, but they didn't lift me from my fog like usual. I continued through my practice, pausing at he end to meditate. Silence. 3 or 4 hours later I was feeling more myself, halfway through my day, giving therapy and hope to those patients that are at times...hopeless. I realized that our emotions, as complicated and troubling as they are, are temporary, and pass, like the clouds on a Monday morning.

Sunday, June 6, 2010

creating joy


How do we function in the day to day? Do we take time to create joy within and for others too? Yoga helps to cultivate awareness into how we are feeling, and to continually search for the answers to questions that burn inside. There are many experiences that shape our perception of joy. As a young mother with an infant, joy was simply sleeping in, or seeing her baby smile for the first time. Joy now for me is sitting on my porch and simply listening to the layer of sounds from nature, and being present to the wildlife that continually evolves and adapts to the rising and setting sun. Stormy weather comes, and the birds take shelter from the storm. Like the birds, we too take shelter from the storms in our life. When we practice meditation we go inside ourselves, we cultivate the mindfulness required to deal with the storms in a positive way. Choose your battles wisely (I just said this to my 4 boys including my husband who seem to bicker about breakfast food, shoes, and dog food.) This is a big one, choosing battles wisely. What do we choose to let go of? What is important to bring to the table for dialogue? Meditation and yoga help to create this space for us to collect ourselves, listen inward to our spirit and soul, and then embark on a path, a higher road that leads to joy.