Visualize - Personal Practice

It's amazing how my mind wonders when I try to focus on the things I want for myself.

However, it's so easy to put all my energy into directives others give to me or favors others ask of me.

Why is it that visualizing the life I want can be so easy to say, but so hard to visualize actually happening?

Maybe it has something to do with my attachments?  Most likely!

Regardless, it should be very simple.  Lay out a plan, believe in it, do all the things necessary to make my dreams come true, then have the life I always wanted.

I think it's the fear of the unknown that holds me back.  It's creating my own roadmap vs. one that already exists.

When someone else lays out a path it's easier to follow.  

When charting unknown territory it can be scary, heck it can even feel silly.

So, I say to myself, GET OVER IT!

Practice visualizing being, doing, and having all that I want for life.

It's really that simple.

Visualize!

Visualize - Yoga Lesson

Visualizing life as we think it should be is easy.

Visualizing life as we want it to be is the hard part.

We are surrounded by others telling us what we should want or have, but what about what your heart and your gut are telling you?

Why not take time to listen from within, see what that little voice inside your head is saying.

It's the subconscious that screams out your hopes and dreams, you just need to listen.

Once you start listening, then comes the practice of believing, feeling, and closing your eyes and seeing it in your minds eye.

Visualize with every part of your being!

Opportunity - Personal Practice

I've spend a lot of time letting my "logic" talk me out the things I want for my life.

I've paralyzed myself by over thinking and analyzing my opportunities.  

I've talked in circles trying to find logic for many of my opportunities.  I've talked those circles with myself and even made my friends listen to me.

In some cases, I've found I gravitate toward opportunities that will give me an easier path and provide me with things of comfort.  Those opportunities usually fit into a society norm and are easy decisions.  Those opportunities keep me at a status quo or maybe even give me a little more money to play with.

I've been know to also take the opportunities that make the least amount of sense or have no "logic" according to most people.  These opportunities are usually extremely uncomfortable.  I've found that I work harder, have less free time, and sometimes less money.  I tend to push myself harder in these choices.  

Why do I put myself through this?

Because I feel it!  I know it's a growth opportunity and I'm going to be a better person for it.  

Ironically, every time I've ever taken the more difficult route and the one that speaks to my heart, it's an opportunity that has provided me with more than I hoped for.

So, when I find myself thinking things should be easier for me at this point in my life, I wonder if I'm actually settling into a comfort zone and letting opportunity pass me by.  I wonder if I'm missing a growth opportunity for the sake of money or something "I Know" how to do.  

I think the answer when I have those thoughts is yes.  

The great thing is, I always have a choice.

It's up to me to be okay with discomfort for the sake of living my life to it's fullest.

Truly living life in my opinion is not settling or doing the things I know work in order to obtain comfort.  I think living is doing the things I really want for myself, taking opportunity even if it's at the cost of my comfort. 

It's trusting myself and following my vision.

So, as usual, I'm continuing my practice of life.  I'm committing to being honest with myself about how I feel about my opportunities and choosing the ones that make me feel best about my journey.

My heart always knows the best path, even if my mind doesn't always agree.

Opportunity - Yoga Lesson

Opportunity is something most of us have seen pass us by.

Why is it that it's so easy to let opportunity pass us by?

Opportunity is ours for the taking.  We just need to take it!

It's up to each of us to be fully aware and notice opportunity when presented with it.

Being fearful of the unknown is normal, and "logic" may seem to outweigh the opportunity at hand.  But, it's still your choice to do something about your opportunities.  Put the fear aside and take your opportunities!

When you take the opportunities that are yours, you'll be amazed at what you can accomplish.  

Put aside all that so called "logic" and have your journey be everything you envisioned for yourself.  

Take your Opportunities!!!

Attachment to Things - Personal Practice

I've spoken of non-attachment in the past, however, this past week I was reminded how important it is to practice non-attachment and to allow myself to be in the here and now.

I know attachment to "things" does me no good.  But I still found myself attaching.

I actually became physically ill at the thought of letting go of something I had owned for the last thirteen years of my life.  

This "thing" was such a part of my life!  It had comforted me when I was ill or sad.  It held many happy and unhappy memories! 

When I realized it was time to let this "thing" go, I did my best to hold onto it.  

I stressed about making space for this thing, even though there was no space to spare for it.  I even found myself loosing sleep re-evaluating the layout of my home trying to find space. 

Mind you, I didn't want to disrupt the other things.  I like them as they are!  It's my attachment that was driving me to accommodate a "thing" that has no purpose or use for me any longer.

Then I was challenged to let the "thing" go.

I found myself justifying having this "thing", even though I knew my justifications sounded silly.

I was even going to spend more money in order to hold onto this "thing" which served no purpose.

This attachment was strong!

Then I realized it, I was attaching.  I was holding onto my memories so hard that I wasn't allowing myself space to create new memories, I wasn't allowing myself to be in the here and now.

I knew it was time to let this "thing" go. 

I'm not gonna lie, I savored the last moments.  My heart was heavy.  I hugged this "thing" and shed a few tears before it left my life.

Then I let it go.  

I watched this "thing" leave my life for good.

In it's place is a new "thing", which is needed.  

All-in-all, I'm super excited about recognizing my attachment and equally excited to be a step closer in my practice of non-attachment.  

After all it was just a "thing".

Attachment to Things - Yoga Lesson

Non-Attachment is a challenge for most of us.

It's easy to attach to some ideal, someone, or even something.

Is it healthy for you to be attached?

Or, does attachment effect your ability to be in the here and now?

What about attachment to a "thing"?

What good does attachment to a "thing" do for you?

Why not take a look at your attachment to "things"?

Maybe challenge yourself to give up some "thing" you are attached to?

See what happens when you let go of a "thing".

Make It The Life You Always Wanted! - Personal Practice

Why is it that most of us deny ourselves what we truly want?

We make excuses for not doing what we really want to do.

We dwell on our routines and tell ourselves that if we step out of them we may not be our best selves for the upcoming day, but in the back of our minds there is this vision we each have, it's who we truly are and how we see ourselves living our lives.

The vision we have of ourselves is the bits and pieces of what make up the best of us.

Recently I've found myself thinking about my life and all the things I thought I'd have accomplished by now.

But the funny thing is, many of the things I thought I'd have accomplished are not the things I truly want.  They are things I thought I should want.  They are things that do not match my vision of myself.  

The vision I have formulated along the way of the ideal way to live my life, is better than the things I use to think I needed.

Which raises the question of why it's so hard to be honest with yourself and what you truly want.

I've been practicing saying to myself what I want, and it's not easy!  Some days are harder than others as I do tend to let myself get sidetracked by all the so called "shinny" things.  That's why it's a practice I guess.  

So a good mantra is to remind myself to go out into the world and make my life the one I've always wanted!  This mantra, for me, makes it easier to ignore the "shinny" things.  :)

Make It The Life You Always Wanted! - Yoga Lesson

When you think of your life, what do you envision?

Is it some "shinny" thing, some person, some place that you think will make you complete?

Or is what you envision for your life, bigger than some "shinny" thing?

Is there a big picture that has wide and sweeping brush strokes that has many moving parts?

What ever it is that you envision, go out and do it!

Make your life mean what you want it to!

Make It The Life You Always Wanted!

Be It - Personal Practice

I don't know about you, but I spend a lot of time thinking about the things I should do.

I think about exactly what it is that I have to accomplish before I'm allowed to let myself think about what it is I truly want.

I make excuses and procrastinate.

I compare myself to to my past self and my future self.

I think about the "what if's".

I spend time searching for answers to magically appear.

But I know what the answer to my "it" is.

I just have to have faith in it.

My it comes back to the practice of being present in this moment, trusting myself, letting go of someone I thought I was, and someone I thought I should be.

My it is my journey.  

So off I go into the world to Go Be It!

Be It - Yoga Lesson

What is it you want?

What is it you spend your time thinking about?

Whatever it is that is holding you back, let it go.

Believe in yourself!  Refrain from second guessing yourself!

Go Be It!

Time - Personal Practice

Time tells all things, or so I've heard.

Okay, so i've experienced it too!

Gosh, I can't tell you how often I want to speed up time to accomplish a goal or see how things will turn out.

Along the way i've been lucky enough to have friends that remind me to look up, stop, breath the fresh air, smell the flowers, etc...

Unfortunately, for a long time I needed the other people in my life to remind me to be in the moment, I couldn't do it on my own.

I had been known to stay so focused on the outcome I forgot to experience the journey.  

This bad habit wasted my precious time as I didn't see things as they actually were in the moment.  I saw only what I wanted to.

Then somewhere along the way I'd reach my goal and look back and find I struggled needlessly.  In reflection I noticed that I often tried to force outcomes and learning experiences could have been less tedious if I'd been present along the journey. 

The struggle was of no value because only time could tell me what I wanted to know.

I had to learn to enjoy the journey and accept what was happening in the moment.  

Enjoying the journey also meant accepting when things would not work out as I had planned.  Those have been some of the hardest lessons to learn.

This week I've found myself getting ahead of myself.  I still struggle with wanting to know all the answers now.  I find myself wanting to force an outcome.  I see where I get frustrated if my expectations are not met.  Getting ahead of myself is still part of who I am.

However I can say, thank goodness I started my practice of being in the moment years ago!  Thank goodness I still want to and do practice.

I'm grateful for being able to step back, temper myself, and assess where I am in time in relation to something.

Being in the moment makes all the difference!

So I continue to practice by allowing time to tell me what I want to know.

Time - Yoga Lesson

What does time mean to you?

Is time something you have plenty of or too little of?

Where do you see yourself in relation to time?

Has too much of it passed or do you see it fully laid out before you?

Time has and will tell you what you want to know.

You just have to let time run it's course.

In the meantime, be in your moment!

This moment is all the time you have.

I CAN - Yoga Lesson

Do you find yourself saying I CAN or I can't?

Are you a cup half FULL or half empty kind of person?

Do you hold yourself back because you might get hurt physically or emotionally, or do you put yourself out there with a POSITIVE attitude?

Take time to notice the attitudes of those around you and see which end of the spectrum they reside in.

I bet the people who say I CAN, see the world as FULL, and have a POSITIVE attitude are limitless in what they accomplish.

Be that limitless person!  

Be the person who goes out into the world and shouts I CAN!

I CAN - Personal Practice

I feel limitless!

I feel this way because of simply replacing a couple of negatives with positives.

Instead of saying to myself, I can't...I reminded myself that I CAN.

The words "I can't" were something that just flew off my tung.  I don't know how these became part of my vocabulary.  But, the fact that these words were part of my vocabulary was unacceptable!

While giving my best go at a new sport, I found myself saying to a friend "I can't".  The response from my friend was "YOU CAN DO THIS!  It's all in your head."

I could not argue with this logic, because I physically could do the activity, I just found myself paralyzed by fear.

So I decided to say to myself "I CAN!", talked myself through some scary parts and then succeeded!

It was that simple!  I just had to say "I CAN!" 

I've been practicing this and I'm happy to report it works on a multitude of things!  

Moving forward with a repertoire of positive words, along with a passion to stay positive and refrain from letting fear get in my way is how I plan to keep momentum on my "I CAN" attitude.

I hope you choose an "I CAN" attitude too!

Empathy - Personal Practice

I found myself relating to others this week on a variety of feelings, and I was amazed at how much I learned about myself.

The best part about this was that it was open communication and the dialog was easy.

I would share a thought or feeling and then whom ever I was conversing with would do the same.

My week was full of multiple mini brainstorming sessions.

Topic's varied from building new relationships to letting go of old ones, and to something as deep as co-dependency and addiction to unhealthy habits.

What is fun in retrospect is that I had no idea my interactions would take me to such a heightened sense of self awareness.

I offered suggestions to my friends and acquaintances and found myself wondering why I don't take my own advice more often.  

Sometimes I realized during conversation the other knows what is best to do and just wants a friendly ear to listen, as I do at times also.

I think we all know how to live our best life, unfortunately it's a series of trial and error we each need to go through on our own to get to our own personal best.

It's the help along the way in each of our journeys that makes all the difference, I think.

When I stop and think about how relating and empathizing with others and how those interactions make me a better person, I'm so grateful for my relationships.

And so I say, take every opportunity to empathize with others and refrain from being afraid to share!

You have nothing to loose and everything to gain.

Empathy - Yoga Lesson

Ever notice how you can't wait to share a good idea you have with someone?

The good idea may come from listening to that person talk about their experiences and you find yourself relating.

As you relate you may find yourself thinking you know just how to correct or improve their experience based on your experiences and life perspective.

Why not offer up your experience along with your helpful suggestion?

Your experiences may help another to learn more about their own experiences.

As you share they may open up and share more with you, allowing you to build a bond in which you relate to one another.

Before you know it you are empathizing with one another!

What a wonderful way to build a relationship!

Lucky - Personal Practice

I often think "How Lucky Am I!" when sitting on top of a mountain taking in the view.

I think it's the sheer beauty of my surroundings in those instances that remind me how wonderful it is to be alive.

Which has me thinking, why am I not saying this to myself more often?

I guess it's because I find myself dwelling on some of the negative things in life at times.

My journey hasn't always been easy and there are times I've felt pretty unlucky actually.  

But when I reflect back on all that I had to go through to get to this place where I am able to remind myself how lucky I truly am, I feel pretty lucky my journey has been as it has.

I appreciate my experiences and take in all that is around me with my heart full as often as I can.

I remind myself to smile often.

I take time to practice life's lessons. 

But most importantly I have wonderful people in my life, I'm healthy, and happy!

What more could I ask for?

I'm So Lucky!

Lucky - Yoga Lesson

When you get up in the morning, do you feel lucky?

If not, why not?

Is it because things aren't going exactly to plan?

Is it because someone else has it seemingly better than you?

Actually, each of us are lucky!

We just need to get out of our own way to see what is truly important and appreciate it.

It's about taking time to look around yourself and appreciate your loved ones, your health, and the happy moments of your life.

So why not remind yourself today how truly lucky you are?

You are Lucky!

It's What You Make Of It - Personal Practice

I can't help but notice in reflection how many opportunities I have missed because I've thought something better would come along.

I've neglected my instincts because I didn't want to deal with the discomfort of doing what I felt was best for me.

Instead of being in the moment and embracing where and what I've had, I spent time thinking about how the future will look.

I've spent countless hours dreading the start of a day or doing a chore that I found unpleasant.

Why am I pondering all these things?

Because I had a friend ask for my advice this week.

The request for advice came after this friend had received advice from someone else and felt conflicted.

It was a simple enough request in which the person simply sought an opinion based on my experience.  But it left me thinking about how easy it is to speak with authority on something I truly know nothing about, which is; what it's like to be the person in the experience. 

My experience with something will be unlike anyone else's.  Sure there will be similarities, but it's what each of us as individuals make of something, our attitudes toward that something, that defines the experience.

To further back up my observation...

I had another friend this week post a comment on a Monday morning stating how it was going to be great week because the alarm went off to start the day, played a song that was full of energy, and reminded them how great it is to be alive!

I loved that comment the moment I read it because I thought my friend started the day with a great outlook on life and the enthusiasm in the post sparked my enthusiasm!

So I have to say a big thank you to my friends for reminding me....

I can begin a day with a negative attitude, while my friend begins the day with a positive one.  We can interact with all the same people.  We can have the same job to do.

But in the end it's our attitudes that define our experiences, how we feel about others, and how we feel about ourselves 

So why not go out into the world each day with the best attitude possible!

After all, it's what you make of it!

It's What You Make Of It - Yoga Lesson

Many of us miss out on opportunities.

This may happen as a result of any one, or combination, of the following:

Second guessing an instinct.

Listening to the opinions of others.

Predicting an outcome.

Getting up in the morning and dreading the day.

And the list could go on and on...

Ultimately, what ever the opportunity may be, isn't it about being open to the moment?

Isn't it about what you make of it?

Why not challenge yourself to trust your instincts, take the opinions of others with a grain of salt, let the moment define its self, and start each day with a positive attitude?

What have you got to loose?

Go out and make the best of it!  Whatever your it may be.

A Nice Person - Personal Practice

This week I had a friend of mine I hadn't seen in a while say to me "You are the nicest person I know".

My response was "really"?

I reacted this way because I didn't feel I had been particularly nice over the past week.

Here is what I did:

I hurt the feelings of a dear friend of mine with a thoughtless comment.  Even though I didn't mean it the way it came out and my apology was accepted, I should have chosen my words more carefully.  

I made a comment about the appearance of someone I had just met.  The new acquaintance took the comment in good humor, but it was still unkind and uncalled for on my behalf.

Instead of complementing a friend on all the qualities I admire in them, I made a single statement that degraded what I really meant to say.  I wish I had been more eloquent in my delivery vs. brash.

Instead of being open and communicative about my desire to reduce communication with someone who's views in life differ from mine, I chose to be silent.  I would prefer it if someone felt this way about me to tell me.

I was able to see clearly these mistakes I made because of a lesson I received from a wonderful teacher this past week who said "When we feel anxious it's because there is a part of us that is doing something that is not authentic.

In each of these instances I felt anxious.  I wasn't my authentic self!  

I was simply trying too hard.  I wanted to make others laugh, but it was at the expense of others.  I wanted to manipulate situations to my advantage, but hurt feelings in the process.

The thoughtlessness just wasn't worth it!

Ultimately though...

We can't dwell on our mistakes, we can only work to not make them again.  

A Big Thank You to the friend who gave me the complement, because when I said "Really?", my friend responded with "Yes.  Why don't you think you are?"  Which of course drove me to dig deeper and do the hard work on why I responded as I did.

Life's lessons come in interesting ways and sometimes we need to be open to our own discomfort in order receive the lesson.

In my case, I needed to be reminded how important it is to treat others with kindness.

So, I'll continue my practice of being A Nice Person.

A Nice Person - Yoga Lesson

Ever find yourself in a situation or moment where you feel unkind to others and think to yourself "I'm not this person"?

Why is it at times we can be unkind to others?

Maybe someone pushes your buttons and you react?

Or even possibly you pick on someone in good fun, but hurt their feelings?

What's the point of being unkind?  

Does it ever leave you feeling like a better person?

I bet not.

Why not wake up in the morning and commit to being the nicest person you can be each day?

Be A Nice Person!

Good Thoughts - Personal Practice

It's amazing what we can do to ourselves with negative thoughts.

I found myself this past week engaged in a few conversations which I felt were very negative.

The negativity put me in a frame of mind in which I became judgmental of judgments others were casting.

What a negative spiral it became.

Everyone started stepping onto their high horse thinking there perspective was the best with regard to how others should behave or react to situations.

But it came down to each of us needing to be more thoughtful.

How we think frames our words which are spoken to others.  

The words we speak are how others view us.

But, In my experience the words spoken by someone do not always match their behavior.

So ultimately, It takes time to see how words match to one's actions. 

So when I catch myself thinking negative things about myself or others, I've started a practice of replacing that negative thought with something positive.

One positive quote I like and use often is the following:

"Every good thought you think is contributing its share to the ultimate result of your life" - Grenville Kleiser

It's amazing how having a positive mantra can make all the difference.

It can even help put you back to sleep when you wake up anxious.

I think everyone should practice good thought!

Me, I'm hoping for a life full of positive experienced surrounded by positive people.  

So, I'll I keep up with my practice of being the most positive person I can be and think good thoughts!  :)

Good Thoughts - Yoga Lesson

Ever find yourself anxious and fearful?

Where does that come from?

It starts with a thought.

Why not catch yourself right at the onset of a thought that leads to negative behavior?

Remind yourself that it takes practice to be positive.

Make your thoughts good ones!

The Perfect Package - Personal Practice

I'm guilty!  I'm that person that gets distracted by all that I could do or be better at.

I often find myself with my head down thinking hard about the things I need to be doing vs. enjoying where I'm at.

I look at myself in the mirror and see all that I could fix in my appearance to be more attractive.

I compare myself to others and think I need to try harder in order to be a better person.

I overanalyze my choices and wonder if I've made the best decision for my overall happiness.  In fact I find myself fretting about choices I've made so much that I get anxious and wake up in the middle of the night.

I worry what others think of me.  I hope they enjoy my company as much as I enjoy theirs.

I think I do all these things because I have a vision of what my life is supposed to look like and how it's supposed to feel.

In pursuing that vision I miss many moments.  I'm blinded by my vision and walk past many opportunities.

I'm seeking "The Perfect Package" for my life.

No matter how much I practice being in the moment and being mindful, I find my thoughts shifting toward what I think is "The Perfect Package" for my life.

Once again I've found another thing I need to practice letting go of; My Perfect Package.

It's amazing how much effort and time you can put into being in the moment and still your ego and ideals of perfection subconsciously undermine you.  And it's a million little things that drove each of us to define our perfect packages.

This is by no means an easy practice!  Letting go of all those little things and being open to what is in front of you is challenging.

I say it's not easy because we should all do our best to be the best version of ourselves, learn, evolve, and seek out new experiences.  It's also healthy to want to do things to make ourselves feel better about ourselves.

However, the moment we are in should not be disregarded.  Accepting the journey we've been on and where we are is important.

So, I'll practice reminding myself from time to time that there is no such thing as perfect and I'm not too shabby in this moment.  

I Am The Perfect Package Now!

The Perfect Package - Yoga Lesson

So many of us strive to be perfect.

There is always something that we could do or be better at.

Something we can always fix in ourselves or others.

Thinking that there is something better out there for ourselves robs us of the moment we are in.  It distracts us from enjoying the little imperfections that make us special.

Why not accept "what is" in the moment?

Like you for you!

Look at yourself in the mirror and say to yourself...This IS the Perfect Package!

Mindfulness - Personal Practice

I like to think I'm a mindful person.  

In fact so much so that I overanalyze most things I do.

This can exhaust a person!  

Realizing this, I decided to take a break from writing The Yoga Lessons these past few months.

What was the main catalyst for the break?

I guess it was the last lesson I wrote of "Simplify" that got to me.  

I wanted to simplify, so I took a break from my over-analytical self.

While taking this break , I have to say I did lose some of my mindfulness.

I started going with the flow more. 

It found it interesting to have others telling me what they think on various topics.  

Essentially my "thinking"  was done for me! 

I'm amazed at how easy it was for me to let the views of others take hold of my perspective.  I ultimately let myself be mindless on a variety of subjects. 

I guess it's part of experiencing life and letting yourself see what you like and do not like from different perspectives.

And honestly, nothing was that big of a "something", but combined and over time I found all those little somethings I was being mindless about start to irritate me.  

So, I decided recently to put effort back into being more authentic and true to myself.  I'm back to practicing being more mindful in all that I do.

Honestly, I'm finding it exciting!  I much prefer to participate! 

Vacation from thought is nice, but it's nice to feel at home in one's own skin too!

Now I'm back to being mindful and being my most authentic self. 

Watch Out World!  :)

Mindfulness - Yoga Lesson

Often we want to "just go with the flow" and "not make waves".

In doing so we let others do the thinking for us.

Why do we do this?

Is it possibly because being mindful is work?

There are so many situations daily in which we are being told what is best for us or what defines the best way to live life.

Why not practice asking yourself what it is that is best for you?

Why not practice being mindful in all situations you encounter?

Be Mindful!