Day 362 Intention ~ Stop Comparing

Day 362 Intention ~ Stop Comparing

Keeping up with the Joneses, it's the American way. From the car we drive to our home or even our yoga pants, we compare ourselves to our neighbors, family, friends, sometimes the person on the mat next to us.

With all of this comparing, how can we ever keep up? There will always be someone richer, prettier, with fancier clothes and an a wheel pose that looks like one of the arches in St. Louis.

In time, over the years, I have let go of comparing my practice to others. The more recent struggle has been while taking class. I have a tendency to compare the teachers teaching to my own. Unfortunately, no matter how great I think their class is, with all of this comparing, I am not present for class.

Today, while in a wonderful class, I caught this comparing starting up. Luckily, I realized it & told myself to let go of it so that I could get the most out of the class. Once I let go of it, instead of losing self-confidence in my own teaching, I found inspiration from this teacher.

Til tomorrow...

Shanti,

Marcia

Day 178 Intention ~ Relax In The Midst Of It All

Day 178 Intention ~ Relax in the midst of it all...

Today is a busy busy day for me, but with a break between the (yikes!) five classes that I am teaching today, I have found a chance to get back into teaching mode and not tired burned out mode. It's great to find little chances to take even a 5 minute break at times and allow your mind to let go of all the daily grind and concern that tends to make us wrinkle our faces, drink more coffee and stress out. 

Try this exercise next time you need a little break:

Sit in a comfortable seated position. It can be crossed legged or sitting on your heels. You can also use a blanket or block to get a little lift so that you don't dump down into your lower back. *This can even be done at your desk if getting away is not an option. 

Close your eyes. Relax your shoulders. Still sit up nice and tall. Rest your dominant hand in your less dominant hand and place them in your lap with your thumbs gently touching. 

Start to breathe in and out through the nose. Just the natural breath at first, just letting the body feel ease on the inhale and letting outside thoughts or stress flow out with the exhale. 

Start a mantra. Inhale, say to yourself, "relax" or "let". Exhale, say to yourself, "relax" or "go". If you have a mantra that puts you at ease besides relax or let go, feel free to use it. 

Once you feel more calm. Come back to the rest of your day. 

Til tomorrow...

Shanti, 

Marcia

Day 94 Intention ~ Keep Plugging Away...

Day 94 Intention ~ Keep plugging away...and breathing.

From about 3 a.m. on this morning I kept waking up just about every 5 to 10 minutes. I had gotten to bed a little later than normal and had to get up at 6 a.m. 

With 4 classes and an article due tomorrow that I won't have any time to finish tomorrow, I knew today was going to be a busy day. I guess that's why I kept waking up...I guess. 

But, rather than allow stress to take over, I just kept plugging away with my less than stellar sleep and with my breath. So far so good. Three classes down and the article shaping up, I am feeling pretty good about things. Usually when I stress and freak out about things, they only get worse. Breathing and letting it happen as it will, and just continuing to work has let it all fall into place. 

Til tomorrow...

Shanti,

Marcia

Day 71 Intention ~ Stop Watching the Pot

Day 71 Intention ~ Stop Watching the Pot

You know the old saying, "a watched pot never boils"...well, I keep watching the "pot" and, believe me, it isn't boiling. Whether it's waiting for responses in emails, a check to arrive in the mail, or a sign from above, it's not coming because I am sitting here watching and waiting. 

Trying to let the mind go to other things rather than focusing on the things that I can't get to right at this moment is difficult, but necessary. 

It's also a practice.

Just as in yoga asana, when you are trying to fold a little bit deeper, but your body is tightening up because you're thinking about it too much. As soon as you let go of the idea in your head and focus on the breath, the body starts to open. 

When you want something to happen so badly, you can't stop thinking about it or you start to get impatient about it, the universe will make you wait and breathe and let go. Release, so that it may open up to you. Stop holding on so tightly to those outside things. Let the mind relax, so that it can expand. And then usually, once you let go, that email arrives, or the mailman turns onto your street, or you delve deeper into your inner Self than you ever imagined. 

Til tomorrow...

Shanti, 

Marcia

Day 68 Intention ~ Act Like A Kid Again

Day 68 Intention ~ Act Like A Kid Again

It's so easy to get caught up in all of the stresses, obligations and responsibilities of being an adult. Why not let it go and act like a kid again?!?! Remember when life was fun and your worries were about simpler things like where to go play and have fun rather than bills, work, family or other responsibilities? 

It's great for the mindset and for morale to just let things go, even if it is just for a few hours and go have some fun. Laugh, be silly, fall down...go rollerskating! 

Let yourself have a little time for fun and let your inner kid come out and play! 

Happy Saturday everyone! 

Til tomorrow...

Shanti, 

Marcia

Day 65 Intention ~ Start Fresh

Day 65 Intention ~ Start Fresh

Wipe the slate clean. Now, I'm not talking about removing everything from your life, just letting today be a new day. 

When we hold onto things so tightly whether it be emotions, work, certain situations or even other people, we get stuck. We wallow in the past and that leaves us stranded...emotionally and mentally. If we do that for too long, we will also start to see physical repercussions, like back aches, tight shoulders, headaches, even laziness or overeating (or not eating enough)...the list goes on and on. 

So, remember that each day is a new day. Try to wipe the slate clean and give yourself a chance to thrive, live and love! We all deserve that chance. 

Yesterday, I was feeling physically drained, mentally stressed and overworked and just plain tired. This led to me creating a "poor me" situation in my head and feeling like there was no light at the end of the tunnel. I ate a healthy meal, went to bed a decent hour and lo and behold, today is like a new dawn!

If you are feeling tired, overworked, stressed, angry, sad, lazy or negative...stop and try to see what you may be holding onto that you don't need anymore. How can you let it go? What has changed in your routine? Diet? Exercise? 

Go to a yoga class, take a run, drink water, eat something healthy and definitely try to get at least 7 hours of sleep. 

My guess is that you will feel like you've wiped the slate clean and can start the new day fresh. 

Til tomorrow...

Shanti, 

Marcia

Day 53 Intention ~ Give Myself A Break

Day 53 Intention ~ Give Myself A Break

I am not what you would call a Type A personality...not at all. But, it seems these days, I have become more of a perfectionist and always feel like I should be getting stuff done. And, well, it better be done right. 

In my yoga classes, I am always encouraging my students to accept where they are that day because each time one comes to the mat, it's a different experience, so drop any expectations. Not easy for a type A perfectionist, you can see them huff and puff to get into a position that they aren't necessarily ready to do. Not letting that go may be holding that person back from really getting it. 

Same thing off the mat. I make these lists for myself and huff and puff and stress myself out if they don't get done. Let it go. 

Of course things need to get done, but if quality suffers, what's the point? Just to mark a line through a "to do" list?

So, perhaps I am becoming more Type A, that's okay I guess. But, for this Friday, I am giving myself a break.

Til tomorrow...

Shanti, 

Marcia

Day 41 Intention ~ To Let Go

Day 41 Intention ~ To Let Go

For those of you that read yesterday's intention, yes, I was a little bit upset. It happens. I don't usually like to bring it out to everyone, but I feel very strongly about how others treat others in general, and especially within the yoga community. Practicing ahimsa is one of the first things we are taught to practice in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, and practicing it towards one another just seems like a no-brainer. 

But, it is a new day, and it is time to let go of my negative emotions from yesterday. I feel very lucky to have gotten to practice with advanced Jivamukti teacher, Julie Kirkpatrick, today. There was a gentleness to her teaching, although a Jivamukti asana practice is a rigorous practice, and we all moved and breathed together as one. The energy in the room was lovely and supportive. It felt like home. I felt reaffirmed in my practice and of how yogis behave towards one another. I also realized it was time to let go of my emotions from the day before and move forward. Each exhale allowed more release, each inhale, I felt myself expand towards new life and new energy. As I laid in savasana, I felt release and relief. Carrying around those heavy, angry emotions is exhausting. As we breathed in, we mentally said, "let", as we exhaled, we mentally said, "go". As we practiced this over and over, I could feel a lightness take a hold of me and I felt like myself again. 

"Let Go." If you ever find yourself obsessing over something in a negative way or if you are just feeling a little bit stressed and you can't find release, I suggest you try this technique. It can lead you into a nice meditation. Inhale "let", exhale "go". 

Til tomorrow...

Shanti & Namaste, 

Marcia

Day 34 Intention ~ Stop Worrying

Day 34 Intention ~ Stop Worrying

Yep, it's that simple. I have a writing assignment due and none of my experts are getting back to me. It stresses me out wondering if I will be able to fulfill this assignment or not....

But, worrying does no good. If I just let go, things usually fall into place. The universe has a funny way of working like that. Walk away for a bit. Do other things, breathe, practice yoga, just let go. Keep the faith that things will work out as they are supposed to, which is hard when you are stuck waiting. But, that is when the practice sets in. This is that "off the mat" yoga practice. How do you handle stressful situations? Do you freak out, do you calmly deal with the task at hand or do you just walk away, not dealing with it at all? The breathe is one of our greatest tools for calming all the mind chatter that goes on. When you feel stressed take 10 long deep breaths & you will feel calmer by the end of them. 

That's what I am going to go do right now! :)

Til tomorrow...

Shanti, 

Marcia