Life Experience - Yoga Lesson

Ever notice how interesting another person’s life may seem?

How the experience another person brings to a situation or group can leave you envious and wondering why you haven’t done what they have?

Why focus on the life experience of another person?

Why not live in your own moment and appreciate the life experience you have and bring to any situation?

If you want to embrace a new experience tell yourself that you are going to do it and then do it!

Where can you add to your life experience by doing?

Say to yourself you are going to do something you have wanted and then do it!

If a Door Closes-Another Opens - Personal Practice

I have spent significant time in my life recreating a past that will not be changed.

I’ve gone back and tried to relive moments to force a different outcome.

I kept getting the same result.  

It took me awhile to realize why.  

I was living constantly in my past.  I was recreating it each moment of the now.  My anticipation for the future revolved around fixing the past.

This was hard to let go of.  It’s taken a lot of practice, self awareness, and pain to get through the moments when all I wanted to do was go back.

I kept repeating to myself “I can’t go back, my life is this moment”.  

It took a lot longer than I thought it would to get through this trend I had of trying to fix my past.

Along with this pattern of trying to fix my past, I kept thinking I’ll be happy if I achieve “this or that”.  

The “this or that” kept changing as I inserted “this or that” into my recreation of the past.  I kept thinking the future will be better if I can fix the past and I’ll insert this new “this or that” into the scenario to make it work.

I’d think that “once I fix this and mold it just a little differently to eliminate the bad parts I’ll be happy”.

What a realization it was to realize what I was doing.  How enlightening it is when I catch myself now trying to fix my future by recreating my past.

I practice letting each moment and experience be as it is, and it’s hard.

I want to compare and cross relate experiences and people.  I know I can not.  

I practice being in the moment and recognizing how unique and special it is.

When I do not let the moment be unique, I run the risk of ruining something special.

I will let each moment be unique and special!

If a Door Closes-Another Opens - Yoga Lesson

How easy it is to spend our time dwelling on the past of fantasizing about the future.

To spend valuable time thinking about all that we did not say and do or anticipate that perfect outcome.

How much more enriching will the moment you are in be if you can accept your past and let it go?

If you take a positive step toward the future you envision for yourself in this moment, will you reach the outcome you desire?

Why not be in this moment and make it all that it can be?

Live in the Now!

Monotony - Personal Practice

Routine is something I’m very familiar with.  Most of my life has been run by routine.  

I tend to find it in everything I do and then attach myself to the routines.  I find them very comforting and at time enjoyable.

When I practice something so much that it becomes a routine, I find reward in knowing the routine and becoming at times an expert in the routine so I can share it with others.

Routine has also caused me heartache, as there have been many times I’ve let routine rule me.  Routine became so important that I would forgo a new challenge or opportunity for fear of missing out on the routines of my life.

Routines have taken such a chunk of time in each day of my life that I had little time left for any enjoyment.  The need to accomplish the routines left me stressed and tired.

I now know this about myself.  I know that I can let routine rule me in both good and bad.  I know that I can go to the extremes with routine.

My challenge to myself is to recognize when I feel so compelled to follow a routine that I will sacrifice other desires I have for myself in life.

So I made a “small” list of other desires I have for myself.  I prioritized this list.  I’ve forced myself to recognize when an opportunity arises that could lead me down a path of reaching a desire on the list.  Then I take the opportunity and forgo the routines of my life.  

This is not an easy task.  

The rewards are not without fear, but I remind myself when I have a fearful emotion that I’m challenging myself and breaking the monotony of my life and all its routines.  That I’m reaching for something more in my life and allowing myself to have all that I want out of this journey.

In a short time of this practice, the rewards are great!

I will continue to step out of monotony and make a “bigger” list of desires!

Monotony - Yoga Lesson

Have you ever been in the middle of a routine and found yourself thinking; why am I doing this?  What is the point?

If so, possibly the routine has run its course.  It once served a purpose, but now needs a refresh.

How can you add or subtract something to a routine to break the monotony?  

Where can you add interest and challenge to a routine?

Possibly the routine may be best replaced with something completely different?

Why not take your own personal challenges and introduce them into a routine?

Challenge yourself.

Happiness - Personal Practice

As anyone can imagine and most likely have experienced, going back to work after a vacation can be an inconvenience.

Granted you hopefully had time to do some things you wanted during a vacation, and can be a bit refreshed when you return to work.  However, the vacation most likely did not seem long enough.

Upon return to work after a recent vacation I felt refreshed, but also wished I’d had a longer vacation.  I had some conflicting thoughts about the day to day tasks I would be stepping back into.  

Then I remembered to step back into my practice of life.  I remembered that every thought is a choice.  Every experience is meant to be lived. 

So I decided to practice happiness!

Practicing happiness is hard work!

When I found myself in a thought process that I felt may be taking me down a negative path, I reminded myself that I’m practicing happiness.

When I started to doubt myself and my choices, I reminded myself that I’m practicing happiness.

You know what?  It works!

I found myself in some old negative thought processes.  When I caught myself doing this and acknowledged it could only lead me down a path of discontent and unhappiness.  I decided to change my thoughts.

I decided past experience does not necessarily mean it will be repeated and I can at anytime choose to allow the moment to be its own and practice enjoying the moment.

I can choose to be happy.  

And I choose to do so!

Happiness - Yoga Lesson

So often we think we have to be in a specific state of mind.  

Maybe we do in order to accomplish a task at hand.  That’s okay.  Some states of mind have their purpose and should be used accordingly.

Regardless, you choose the state of mind you are in.

When you find yourself in a state of mind that is less than preferable for you.

Why not practice reminding yourself that you choose.  You can practice to choose the state of mind you are in and can practice changing it at anytime.

And at anytime you can choose to be happy.

Why not choose happiness?