Practicing Gratitude

Practicing Gratitude

A Daily Meditation

Gobble, gobble. It’s Thanksgiving time again.  Just as the holiday’s name suggests, it’s a time to give thanks.  But what about the other 364 days of the year?

Being thankful everyday is hard work.  Life happens.  We experience the highs and lows each day presents to us – a last minute meeting causing us to work late on a Friday, or a friend announcing she’s getting hitched.  We switch into a survival like mode and try to make it to Saturday forgetting about all the good times.

A consistent yoga and meditation practice can help mellow out the week’s emotional roller coaster and bring to light the things you are most grateful for.  This month, commit to creating a gratitude list then meditating with it each day.

Let’s get started.  Write down the people, experiences, feelings, etc. you are thankful to have in your life.  For example, I am thankful to have the time and energy to practice yoga everyday.  I am also grateful to have the strength to have a difficult conversation with a loved one.

Bring your list to your meditation seat (mat, blanket, recliner, etc.).  Read over the list taking in one full breath per each one.  Allow each item to fill your heart with emotion.  Once you finish the list, close your eyes, and gently rest in gratitude.

Continue to add one thing to your list every day, 365 days a year.  Practicing gratitude helps us feel less envious because we are content with what we have.  We are more comfortable to live within our means, and we may even find we are more generous with our time and energy.

It only takes a moment to say ‘thank you.’  Start today.

Sleep is Beautiful

Sleep is Beautiful

A Daily Tune-Up

Ah, vacation.  Why is it when we’re on a vacation, we feel so refreshed and energized?  We have no responsibilities, no agendas, nowhere to be.  We are able to fully relax and enjoy the moment.  Falling asleep in Savasana?  It’s a sign that your body needs more sleep.

Numerous medical reports state adults need 7-8 hours of sleep every night.  Every night!  Kids and teens need even more.  Sleep is important to help restore the body.  While you drift off to Never Never Land, our bodies are focusing on other tasks like filing memories, restoring muscle tissues, resetting digestive functions and overall, rejuvenating the brain’s function.  Growth hormones are secreted during sleep aiding in growth for children and repair tissues in adults.

Restless nights begin to add up.  Lack of sleep is linked to increased cases of diabetes, heart problems, weight gain, depression among other illnesses. It affects our personality and sense of humor. We’re more irritable and less tolerant

How can you get more quality sleep? 

·             Establish a routine going to bed at the same time even on the weekends.

·             Tune out electronics an hour before bedtime.

·             Avoid caffeine and alcohol before bedtime along with smoking.

·              Finish eating 2-3 hours before bedtime.

        Exercise regularly.

Make sleep a priority now, and avoid winter woes like a cold, the flu or added agitation with the holidays. Every night is an opportunity to take a mini-vacation.  Sweet dreams!

Start Early

Start Early

Change the World

School bells ring and buses mix into the morning commute.  School is back in session.  Time for homework, afterschool activities and . . . stress?

Kids and teens face an enormous amount of pressure not just from school but at home, on the computer and on the field.  I work with a group of young ladies at Girls Inc. of Washington County each school year.  We discuss their daily activities and struggles.

Back in the old days (those would be my days), one could leave all the drama at the end of the school day.  Now, with texting, Facebook, Instagram and whatever other social network that has released since I wrote this, kids and teens are glued to the conversation to ensure they are not the main topic.  One pre-teen described middle school as “being under a microscope.”

Yoga and meditation can help build self-confidence as well as provide tools to deal with the stressful teen years.  Asana practice (physical practice of the poses) allows kids and teens to become more aware of their body, and appreciative of what it can do.  Meditation along with easy breathing techniques gives their mind a moment to process without the distractions.

Kids and teens can start with the tried and true Sun Salutation sequence.  Start slowly by completing 5 rounds as many days during the week.  Then, add meditation and breathing every morning or evening (or both!).

Encourage your kids and teens to keep a journal or allow open conversation so they can release the highs and lows of the day.  Don’t have children?  You can volunteer or support a local children’s organization.  Positive role models are always needed.

“It’s true we’ll make a better day.  Just you and me.” Michael Jackson’s We are the World.

Looking Within

Looking Within

Your mat is your mirror

I unroll my mat and prepare for today’s yoga practice.  Steve Ross’s voice on the TV welcomes students; then he kicks up his tunes as the practice begins.  He laughs and cracks jokes while guiding us through a series of poses - some easy, some difficult, and some downright frustrating.

I remained loyal to Steve and practiced every Monday thru Friday before heading into work.  Little by little, Steve’s voice became a whisper then it would disappear while I practiced.  I began to hear a new voice that would beg for a longer hip opening series or another back bend.  She knew exactly what I needed to heal what the previous day had broken.

I even began not turning on the TV, and just moving into what felt great for that particular morning.  On days my job was stressful, I would linger in child’s pose for several minutes.  On days when I treated my body well, I was energized and ready for a strong warrior sequence.  I didn’t exactly have a conversation with myself, but let the movement do the talking for me.

Our yoga mat is a reflection of our inner self.  When we step onto the mat, we are given an opportunity dive into our emotions, work out our demons, and find peace within.  Take Downward Facing Dog for example.  Go ahead and try it. 

Start anatomically – how do the hamstrings respond?  Is the weight in the hands too much?  Then begin to see how Down Dog is a reflection of how you are feeling.  Are you tense from the argument you had with your spouse and now your shoulders seem to lift up by your ears?  Is your body craving a deeper chest opening because you finally asked your boss you for a raise?  Move and sway in down dog as you experience the conversation.

My practices may have started 12 years ago, but they continue to change every day.  I encourage all of my students to feel their way through any yoga practice.  Yoga is a tool to help connect the breath, the mind and the body.  Each practice will be different than the one before.  Go ahead.  Step onto your mat and gaze into the mirror.

Am I Enough?

Am I Enough?

Accepting Yourself

Out of college, I started my “adult” life with a position with Kraft Foods.  I loved the thrill of sales and the camaraderie of a team.  I strived everyday to blast through my sales goals because I believed the next role would make me a little bit happier.

I spent the next nine years playing this game with myself.  Each time, I was disappointed when the new job didn’t feel that gap in my heart.  “What is wrong with me?” I thought countless times.  “Why can’t I just be happy with what I have?”  “Why can’t I accept me?”

Is life a struggle for you?  For many of us, we ask these questions all the time, but we continue to fight for the same life we have.  What if we surrendered, and let it unfold before us?  Like someone who has been suffering from back pain for a long time, he forgets what relief feels like.

List 5 things you are grateful to have in your life.  (Do it now!  I’m waiting……)  Write beside each item how it makes you feel.  (family = love, joy)  Sit quietly for a few moments feeling each emotion. Breathe in peace, and feel a calm rush over your body.  Breathe in happiness, and allow your entire body to lift with the corners of your mouth.  Use this list to help tune your body to feeling these emotions again, and then dive deeper into your soul.

Once you find the fullness of peace, love and joy within yourself, you won’t rely on other people, things, etc. to make you happy.  One taste of this freedom, and you will never want to go back.  The hardest step toward total acceptance is the first.

Sea of Life

Sea of Life

Surfing Along the Waves

Cool waves rush over my toes.  A gentle breeze lifts my hair while politely misting my face with the refreshing salt water.  The roar of a crashing wave is complimented by a flock of seagulls passing by. 

Just like a wave, our life ebbs and flows.  We are challenged with decisions, responsibilities and turning points within our life.  Each wave provides a glimpse into our inner strength.  As we navigate through one, we are better prepared for the next.

Remarkably, our body is more in tuned with water than we may first think.  Water comprises over 70% of the world and our individual selves.  Our movements and our thoughts can be like the sea – gentle, thoughtful, awe-inspiring or rough, distracted, depleting.

Use the water element to cool your mind and body.  Practice a slower and more flowing yoga routine letting the spine ripple in your Warrior and dance in Downward Facing Dog.

Drink lots of water to replenish fluids the heat takes from us.  Our body is like a sponge.  The more water we receive the more supple our skin will look and the better our digestion will perform.  Indulge in the season’s bountiful fruits and vegetables.

Glow from the inside out with a little help from H2O.