Ride the Wave - Day 12

Like it or not, meditation is not how most people describe it to be.  It is not fun or easy.  When you first sit, you will be surprised (or, maybe not) that you have no control over the chatter in your head.  This is the wave, let it ride itself to the shore where it quiets for a moment, then watch it get pulled back into the ocean. 

Wave in, Wave out....  Breathe in, Breathe out.  Today, there is a strong under tow.  So, I will try again tomorrow.

See you on your mat (or meditation pillow) soon

Sita Ram - Call and Response

So, my meditation today was through a call and response.  Simply put someone calls out a mantra; which in this case was Sita Ram.  The students respond with whatever is called out.    There is little time for thought, you listen for the words and repeat the words.  Meditation made easy.

For your practice, try to set an intention or vision for your practice.  Try to think of where you want to place your energy.  Is it to become more flexible?  more opening?  more compassion.  Whatever you choose, it is yours for your practice.

See you on your mat soon.

Happy Memorial Day and Thank You to Our Veterans

Four things support the world: the learning of the wise, the justice of the great, the prayers of the good, and the valor of the brave

Happy Memorial Day Everyone!

Breathe In
Breathe Out

See you on your mat soon

Change is Good

Change is an essential part of living and growing. Without it, we would stagnate. It’s being attached to the present and worrying about the future that makes it scary. And, deep down, we know we have a choice about both of those, don’t we?

It seems that most people view change as bad.  Scary.  We build it up to be something so big that we become paralysed to it.

We build excuses and beliefs around that change, in order to prevent us from having to take action on it.  We pretend it is a moutain too huge to climb, so we turn our back on it.

We try to forget about it, ignore it put up with things that don't make us happy.  Doesn't make our hearts sing.  Then, we realize, we MUST do something.  We can't leave things as they are; we need to take steps to make that change.  We need to do SOMETHING.....

At the present time there are so many changes going through mine and my family's lives.  Although they are great -- no fantastic changes, they are still scary. 

My meditation these past few days....  Change (on the inhale breath)  Is Good (as I exhale)

Change is Good!!!!

Life Gets Messy - So try to Practice Gratitude without the Attitude

Sometimes that is my biggest challenge.  Be thankful for what I've got.  The people in my life....  Especially the people in my life. 

This morning was a little bit of a struggle for me. Yet I am still drawn to my mat....  So, off to Prana I go....  Lot's of people came, and they all had their own personal struggles, too.  We share a lot before class.  In fact, one might be surprised at how alive we really are at 6:30 in the morning :)) 

Again, I am reminded how thankful, no grateful for all of the challenges I experience and how I experience them.  Sometimes with reason, at times with wisdom, and yes at times, like a crazy person. 

So, I began my practice with a tiny meditation or reminder that when you approach your practice from a place where there is nothing to prove, nothing to improve, we open ourselves to the simple gratitude of being alive...

Once class has finished and the last student has left the studio, I changed the laundry and sat down quietly against the wall.  I sat there on my meditation pillow and imagined a bright light surrounding me and came back to my breath.  I expanded the light around me as I inhaled and sent that light deep within me as I exhaled. 

Yes life gets messy, but I know that I am grateful for being able to make the space for these struggles and more importantly creating the space to allow them to leave....

See you on your mat soon!!!

Day 2 - Early A.M. Post -- Somehow, I was able to recover it ..... :))

Day 2 - Create Space and Hold that Space

So, we began a 30 Day Challenge at Prana Studio on Sunday, May 20th and, for those who were unable to make it, there is still plenty of time to join us!!!!!   I will try to post regularly.  Please feel free to comment with observations, challenges to your challenge, anything.

So, here I am.  The beginning of Day 2 of my Challenge.  For those of you who are interested --  My Challenge is to sit still and meditate; to create space and hold that space.  It sounds simple.  But here I am, with the promise to mediate for 15 minutes right after everyone left my 6:30am class this morning typing away on the computer, looking outside the windows, admiring my messy desk.  Alright, I am going in...  I will keep you posted :))

Day 2 Challenge - The Meditation

Alright, once I took care of the important stuff, i.e. took out my pony tail - eliminated all bobby pins, etc..., found a relaxing cd without any words and a comfortable meditation pillow (which is extremely important).  I can begin the relaxation process.  These are a few things that help me:

Breathe deep and try to relax the muscles in my neck, shoulders and face AND try not to slouch.  I count the length of my breaths and try to stay focused on breathing in and then breathing out.  My mind still wanders, but it is always easy to just come back to breathing in, then breathing out.  I focus on areas at the root of my body (the sitting area) and then move that focus up through and including the top of my head.  Sometimes, I try to place a color to those areas, commonly called chakras and all have a corresponding color.  However, these colors seemed to get skewed, or i just may forget the color all together and then my mind wanders.  So, I go back to just breathing in, then breathing out.  Once I have reached the top of my head, I move back down to the root of my body.  I feel great and hope you will, too.

See you on your mat soon!!!

Thanks for Dropping By....

Life is a challenge.  Challenges are good, they bring inner strength.  I have mentioned before that one of the biggest reasons I practice yoga is to maximize the space between my thoughts.  I still believe the space between my thoughts are as narrow as a mouse whisker or as tiny as a pin hole.  Sometimes there seems to be no space at all.  In yoga, that same space becomes as wide as the ocean and silent as the deepest sea.  Join me on Sunday, May 20th as I begin a 30 Day Challenge.  Now, this does not have to be a physical Challenge, or it can be.  For me, I will use the next 30 days to increase the times i sit peacefully and quietly and meditate.  For you, this challenge can be the same, or not.  And, you don't even have to know what challenges bring you or take you away from your yoga practice.  Maybe you want to change something in your diet, maybe you want to add more to your physical practice, maybe you just want to sleep more, react differently.  Join me on Sunday, May 20th at 11:45.  I would love to hear what happens in your world.  The path is wide, we can journey together.  See you on your mat soon.