Growth - Personal Practice

This past week I've found myself in painful situations in which I have felt overwhelmed and a loss of control.

The loss of control has been so strong that anxiety took hold of my heart.

The most painful part about this is that I know what the issues are.

I'm forcing myself to do things I don't want to do.  I'm putting myself in situations I know I will not like.

Why am I doing this?  Because I'm trying to be open to new experiences.  

I'm pushing my comfort zones to see if I might like something I'm trying.

The tough part about this is I know my instincts are telling me, no, this is not for me.  But I'm doing it anyway.

Why do we put ourselves through these experiences I find myself asking.

I think it's because there is hope for change.

This feeling of being a bit lost is good!  It's when significant growth happens in life!

When I reflect back on some of the most trying times in my life, my growth has been substantial and I evolved into a person I like better.

So, I find myself during this time of discomfort and anxiety simply trying to be accepting.  I'm accepting this moment for what it is and doing my best to refrain from trying to force a solution.

I'm trying new things and accepting I might not be my most comfortable and self assured self.  

I'm giving myself an opportunity to grow.

Just like during a yoga class when I hear the teacher cue a posture I dislike.  My mind immediately takes over and tries to talk me out of trying.  My significant growth in body happens when I accept the posture, listen to the cues, and attempt the recommended adjustments.

I'm doing my best to practice growth through discomfort off the mat.  

I choose to let go of force and control, accept the discomfort, and embrace my growth!

Growth - Yoga Lesson

Most of us like to feel in control of everything within and around us.

We like to feel that we have a firm understanding of all that we engage in doing, or have a plan for the future.

When we feel this type of control in our lives, all seems well.

Then something happens to make us feel out of control, or a series of somethings.

We may be challenged to try something new or make a modification to something we have been working on to gain control again.

That loss of control can feel painful and overwhelming.

When finding yourself in this situation, why not accept it?

Why not acknowledge that you do not have control and you are experiencing growth in your life.

You have an opportunity to make new choices and let go of your comfort zones.

Embrace your growth!

Be Yourself - Personal Practice

In life I've found myself putting on personas in order to fit in.  

When acting out a role I felt was expected of me in society...I've felt like an impostor, lost, and a bit scared at times.  It's amazing I felt that way even when many around me thought I was successful!

I believe those feelings are normal when you are not living authentically.

I recently found myself in a situation I've been in before.  It's the situation where I've tried to convince myself I can do or be something I'm not.  

Amazingly each time I've been in a non-authentic situation it doesn't work out.  Ether straight away it doesn't work out because those around me can see clearly what I can not, or eventually I come to my senses and move on.  

There are also those little things you do to sabotage yourself.  It's those little subtle comments or actions that others pick up on or eventually you hear yourself say that speaks the truth loud and clear. 

When something non-authentic to myself doesn't work out, sure I'm disappointed on some level, but there is this opportunity that arises out of the disappointment.  It's the opportunity to be honest with myself and seek out something that is authentic to me.

Yes, this is easier said than done!

It takes self acceptance and hard work to live authentically.

My challenge is to refrain from jumping into the same comfort zones I go to when I feel scared.  By comfort zones I mean the familiar and safe places that seem to always work for me.

To be different I have to do things differently and that's hard!

So off I go to practice being my most authentic self!

Be Yourself - Yoga Lesson

So often in our society many of us want to fit in.

We call that "putting our best selves forward".

However, if you are putting your best self forward are you being honest?  Is it the real you that is being presented to others?

Why not be as honest and authentic as you possibly can be?

When letting go of perceived expectations others have for you and living life as your most authentic self you may find some opportunities lost.

It's normal to feel a little panicked when we miss out on an opportunity.  When this happens take a step back and look around.  

Most likely another opportunity has been created that you would never have noticed if the other opportunity had not been lost.

The big difference is now the new opportunity was presented from being yourself.

So why not be your best "authentic" self?

Be Yourself!

Relationships - Personal Practice

I pride myself in maintaining relationships.  It's a social aspect of my life that I've had for as long as I can remember.

When I'm needed by someone I tend to jump right in and offer my services.

In turn the relationships I put the most energy into are the ones where others offer of themselves to me as well.

Looking back at the start of the strongest relationships in my life, I can honestly say they all started with chance.

By "chance", I mean that we were introduced through mutual friends, we took a class together, we worked together, or sometimes it was a simple smile that opened up dialog.

In dialog we offered each other honest and open communication.  We each saw something in the other that made us want to open ourselves up and share some of our life story.

In opening ourselves up to the other we found ourselves vulnerable.  We hoped the other liked us as much as we liked them.  

What ever circumstance it was that attracted us together, in most cases we found ourselves having similarities that drew us closer together.

So this past week when talking with a friend of mine about a variety of relationships, I was reminded how simple ours had started.  It was a smile and hello while at yoga class.

From that simple smile and hello I've been given the gift of sharing wonderful experiences and I hope many more in the future.

I'm committed to... 

* Continuing to offer smiles and a friendly ear.

* Opening myself up and offering my best to those around me.

* Maintaining relationships.

* Building new relationships!

I'm committed to these, because they enrich my life and make it joyful.

I hope everyone can make a commitment to build relationships!

Relationships - Yoga Lesson

Relationships are what keep many of us going.  

It's the relationships we build with others that bring us joy, or get us through tough times.

Think about the people in your life, how did the relationships with those individuals start?

Maybe it was as simple as someone offering you a smile.

It's amazing how simple some of our relationships start out, but end up having so much meaning in our lives.

When you see a familiar face in a crowd that you know from somewhere else, do you make a point of interacting with that person?  If not, why not?

We all need to just put ourselves out there.  We need to participate in life and hope for solid, long lasting, and positive relationships.

So why not open up?  Why not take a chance on letting someone new into your life?

Why not build a new relationship?

You might just get more from a new relationship than you ever expected! 

Gratefulness - Personal Practice

I've had a few of weeks to feel sorry for myself recently.

I refused to do it!  

Though I had every right to, I wouldn't allow myself the emotion of sadness.

I'm not the type of person who likes to feel sad, so I'll fight that feeling as much as I possibly can.

I busy myself with all sorts of positive activities to keep that emotion from surfacing.  

One positive practice I took up in the past couple of weeks has been to be grateful.

I've seen first hand recently how lucky I am to have my health, as those close to me do not.

I've felt grateful and lucky to have a close group of friends, as I know others who do not invest time in friendships and as such have felt alone.

With all my efforts and all this work to practice a positive attitude and be grateful, it finally happened...

The sadness came to the surface.

The odd thing about the day I allowed myself to be sad was it was right after a full day of fun activities.  I had spent the day being grateful and having a very positive attitude.

Then the next day I woke up with a heavy heart, but couldn't put my finger on as to why.

As the day progressed it became apparent that there was one simple trigger the day before that I had brushed off as nothing, but it was at the heart of my sadness.

So, I allowed myself to cry and cleanse.  I acknowledged my sadness and felt sorry for myself for a few hours.  I also talked to family and friends, and...

You know what?

I Feel Much Better!!!

I believe that practicing gratefulness is essential to a balanced life.  I know it's not always easy, but the practice of gratefulness puts our own lives into perspective.  It allows us to see ourselves clearly and understand our highs and lows.  It helps us to cleanse out the negativity in our lives (even if that cleansing means a good cry) and to move forward with a positive outlook and attitude.

The morning after my "sad day" I got up and listed a few things I was grateful for.  I shared some of my gratitude with others.  

That day turned out to be pretty Great!

We are each allowed some sad days.  It's just after that sad day we need to get up the next day, motivate, and be grateful for who we are!

I'll continue to practice doing just that!

Today I am grateful for...

Gratefulness - Yoga Lesson

Being grateful is something we easily recognize when someone does something nice for us.

What about being grateful each day you wake up?

What would happen if you practiced looking in the mirror each day as you are getting ready and made a mental note of one thing you are grateful for?

Possibly it would start a chain effect in your life.  

Maybe one day in the future you'd start listing more than one thing you are grateful for while you are getting ready for the day.

Then while you are going about your day, maybe eventually you will think to yourself you are grateful for more than you already listed that day.

Then the day comes where you start telling others what you are grateful for and they start to do the same.

Wouldn't that bring you and those around you joy?

Wouldn't that make your life and the lives of those you are close to better?

Why not practice being grateful?