Inspirational Quote of the Day

The other day I discovered this amazing lady named Karen Salmansohn - quite by accident (but we all know that when you're meant to learn something, the Universe puts people in your path to teach you - so it really isn't an accident, is it?)  Karen is a best selling author of several books, and a motivational speaker.  Her words/posters really struck a chord within me, and I hope you find them helpful and inspiring too.  You can find Karen at her website http://notsalmon.com/



“…What if I told you 10 years from now your life would be exactly the same?  Doubt you'd be happy.  So, why are you afraid of change?”


– Karen Salmansohn


 

Yoga DVDs

Do you practice yoga regularly? Do you go to a studio, and practice with a teacher or do you practice at home,  using some sort of media - be it a podcast, audio, or dvd instruction? Or do you skip that altogether and just do your own thing?

I have a lot of yoga dvds, from many different styles and methods.  I've got some really gentle, restorative ones, as well as more athletic, power type dvds, and a variety of in-between.  My favs are by Kino MacGregor of Miami Life Center  (www.kinoyoga.com  and www.miamilifecenter.com ) - if you're into Ashtanga, I highly recommend her dvds.  Kino is an amazing teacher, and her dvds are very well done.

If you're not an Ashtanga practitioner, but are looking for some others to try, some of my other dvds that I enjoy include titles by:  Shiva Rea, Eoin Finn, Rodney Yee, Zyrka Landwujt, Seane Corne, Bryan Kest, Ravi Singh & Ana Brett, Maya Fiennes and Litsa Kapantais.  Yoga Journal also has many good dvds too.   I have so many dvds, and there are some more obscure ones that are just excellent too.  Just because they don't have a big name yogi starring in them, do not assume they aren't as good.

So, depending on my mood and how my body feels, as well as what kind of backdrop and teacher I feel like, I can pick and choose.  Some teachers are more mellow, while some are more up-beat.  Some are in tropical locales, while others are in a minimalist studio.  Do you want a powerful, sweaty yoga workout, or a slow-flow, gentle practice to stretch and quiet your mind?  There truly is a dvd out there to meet all of your criteria, and having a variety does help keep things interesting, as well as adaptable to your current needs.

While there are so many amazing dvds available, which I think is awesome, I do strongly encourage people to find themselves a good teacher, and, if possible, attend a regular yoga class.  It's important to have an experienced teacher assist you with alignment, to ensure that you have the best possible experience, and to help avoid injuries.  I know that not everyone is able to attend a class, but it really does make a huge difference.  A teacher is there to nourish you, to encourage you and to guide you on your yoga journey.  They're there to provide modifications for poses, answer any questions you may have and to provide feedback - things that dvds just cannot do.  Plus, the human interaction is important.  We sometimes forget how important it is.

The other day, I lay down in Savasana.  I had worked hard, and I was pleased with my practice.  My teacher gently covered me with a blanket.  Tucked in my feet.  She came back to my head, and kneeled.  She cradled my head between her hands, and gave me Reiki.  It was bliss.

Inspirational Quote of the Day

Today's quote, I found when I was checking out David Robson's "Learn to Float" dvd, found here: http://learntofloat.com/products/learn-to-float-video-on-dvd

 David is an amazing Ashtanga teacher of Ashtanga Yoga Centre Toronto, which is home to Canada's largest Mysore program. (http://www.ashtangatoronto.com)  Be sure to check him out! :)


“…Yoga, as a way of life and as a philosophy, can be practiced by anyone with an inclination to under take it, for yoga belongs to humanity as a whole. It is not the property of any one group or any individual, but can be followed by any and all, in any corner ofthe globe, regardless of class, creed or religion.”


– Sri K. Pattabhi Jois

Forced Hiatus and Being Gentle with Yourself

As you may have noticed, it's been a bit since I last posted.  Well, I landed myself a nasty bladder infection and a cold thingy and you know how you feel when you're sick, right? Yup, you don't feel up to doing anything.  As you can imagine, my practice suffered during this time.  I tried valiantly a few times to drag myself onto the mat, only to collapse in a sad-sack heap, waiting for the world to end.  Ok, it wasn't that bad, but there are times when you can try to push through your practice, and other times when you should just be in bed. Anything involving forward bends was killer on my bladder.  Hah! Not too much bending in yoga, eh? LOL So that cuts out an awful lot of practice. Hey! I could rock Savasana, right? Wrongo.  My bladder decided it didn't like me laying flat on my back.  Bummer.  So, the end result was that the Universe was telling me to take a wee break, and rest my body.  Quite frankly, I think it's rested enough, but what do I know? Who am I to question the great Universe in all its Infinite wisdom ;)

De-cluttering

My house looks like a bomb went off in it.  I like to think that after the holidays EVERYONE'S house looks a little like this - the profusion of decorations, once bright and merry, now dim and forlorn. The  general stuff that seems to accumulate during this time - dishes, remnants of presents, laundry, rows of empty booze bottles, Uncle Sam's toupee (that fell off when he was sleeping off the turkey after Christmas Dinner) - you know, the usual stuff.  Things don't get put back where they belong, and you say "meh, I'll get to it. It's the holidays! I can do whatevah I want!" So little by little, it builds up and before you know it: CLUTTER APOCALYPSE!  I can't be the only one, right?? *Pleeeeeease tell me I'm not alone ;) *...

Holday eating and Recovery

It's hard to believe that the New Year is upon us already!  I don't know about you, but I enjoyed eating lots of great food, downing sugary drinks/alcohol, cookies and other delightful treats.  I ate A LOT of turkey, stuffing and gravy - Mmmmmm, gravy :))   I had finally eliminated soda from my diet, and was doing well with that, until New Year's Eve in which I imbibed heavily on the colas.  Ooops!

Do you want to know my food philosophy? It's an easy one.  If you're going to indulge, make sure you indulge in something you LOVE to eat. Something that you absolutely freaking adore.  Don't waste calories eating treats that taste so-so, just because they're right in front of you.  I have a friend who does this and it drives me nuts.  They'll eat it, because it's right there, but they complain that it doesn't taste good, or they don't like it.  I always tell them to stop eating it, immediately, and if they need a treat, get something they like.  No sense wasting perfectly good fat/calories on crap, right? :D   You'll enjoy the indulgence more, both physically and mentally.  

Letting go of expectations...

I've started to notice more, that when I let go of my expectations in regards to my practice, how much easier it seems to both practice, and also to be satisfied with my results.  I'm a perfectionist.  I'm one of those people who, if they can't do it perfectly, they won't do it.  It's a huge flaw that I'm working on. Perfectionism is undeniably unhealthy for both your mind and your body.  *I'll explore this in another post, at a later date.

For now, let's talk about my previous night's sleep. Terrible. I woke up exhausted, in pain, and thought "No way am I going to be able to practice today! I'll suck, I'll feel worse because I couldn't muster up the strength to get through everything.  I'll fail! So there's no point in even trying"  Yup, these are just a smidgen of the thoughts that were running through my mind - not just when I first woke up, but as I went about my day.  They'd keep creeping in, and I'd alternate between feeling guilty for not even wanting to attempt my practice, and rapidly trying to come up with creative excuses as to why I didn't need to practice.  Trying to assuage my guilt, you know.  The funny thing is, that I needn't feel guilt to begin with.  But I do.  A lot.

Inspirational Quote of the Day...

Just saw this quote on another friend's blog and fell in love with it!  I need to take these words and apply them to my own life - I need to give myself permission to shine, to let the fear fall away. Thank you to Alice Istanbul (http://istanbuldesigns.blogspot.com) for the quote and for the continued inspiration. Namaste.

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we're liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." ~Marianne Williamson

New Beginnings

The one thing about yoga, is that you can always return to the mat, at any given time, and know that you have arrived "home".  It doesn't seem to matter how long you've been away, you are always welcomed back.  I started practicing when I was in high school, and over the years I found my practice wax and wane as other interests and pursuits took up my time and drew me away from the mat.  But I kept coming back.  Again, and again, each time asking myself  "Why haven't I been doing this all along? I love this!"
Good question.  If something feels good, and I love it, then why did I keep abandoning it? I guess the amount of stuff I would attempt to cram into those 24 hours each day was pretty demanding and something had to give.  I made my choices, and priorities, and continued on my merry (or not so merry) way.
Most times I would end up back on the mat because of an injury.  Curious, no?  I'm a very athletic person, and very Type-A, so when I do things, I tend to throw myself head first into each and every activity with all of the passion I've got.  This can be great in some instances, but in others, it can lead to not listening to one's body, and result in injuries.  And this is what I do.  Each time I injured myself, or my body got sick, I would return to my yoga practice.  It became a cycle of destruction, and each time it became worse and worse.  Doesn't sound helpful, or a way to really honor myself, does it?  Eventually, I got a bit smarter, and started to focus more on my practice, but once again, things happened.  I decided that I could use that time for other things that needed doing, things that I thought  would be of a better benefit to me.   Even when that voice in my mind kept prodding me to unroll my mat, I ignored it.  Bad plan.  Really, really bad plan.  I should have listened to that voice, but perhaps that is the thing about humans as we plan, evolve and grow.  We often make decisions with our heads, without truly listening to our hearts.  We make mistakes, we learn (or try to!) from them and move forward.
At the end of the day, do I feel guilty about being so wishy-washy with my practice? Yes.  But I'm realizing now that it doesn't matter what gets you back to the mat, just the fact that you're there is what truly counts.

Test Post!

Welcome to my blog! This is my first post - a test post to see how things look around here, as I modify the template to suit my tastes.  Looking forward to seeing you again, soon!