Day 114 Intention ~ Stay Productive

Day 114 Intention ~ Stay Productive

I've been in vacation mode ever since we got back to Cleveland at 3 a.m. Monday morning. Luckily for me, I've only had a few classes and work that I can do at home since we returned. But today, I am kicked back into full gear and need to stay productive to get it all done. 

I used to just go into a frenzy whenever I had a long laundry list of things I needed to get done. Now, I think of the tortoise and the hare. Slow & steady win the race. 

As with our asana practice, keeping the breath slow & steady gives us strength and a more calming meditative effect to our poses. If we breathe into each pose whether it's vinyasa flow or just when holding a pose, we find that the body starts to open, tense muscles start to release and we discover new spaces and strength in ourselves. We also notice the mind starts to focus and remain calm. 

When we are stressed out, the breath becomes shortened, if not, barely there. This leads the body to react and tense up. Muscles strain, the mind becomes fuzzy and unclear and we may feel hopeless. Stop here. Try to notice when this is happening, and stop. Take (at least) 10 nice slow calm breaths and regroup. If you can keep this breath throughout your day, no matter what is going on around you, you will find that you will be able to get more done and stay productive. 

Til tomorrow...

Shanti, 

Marcia

Day 32 Intention ~ Take My Time, I Will Get When It's Time

Day 32 Intention ~ Take my time, I will get there when it's time.

This can be applied to many things...my yoga practice, my career, my enlightenment, even my drive to Berea in the snow. Friends that have known me for a long time know that rushing is not something that I like to do. Whether it is to get out of the house in the morning or to get into a yoga pose that I find challenging. When I was younger, I would sometimes feel little less accomplished because I wasn't working in a career that I necessarily wanted to be in, or I wasn't with my life partner yet when my friends all had seemed to find that love already. Whatever it was that came up, I hadn't figured out what it was that I needed and wanted from this life and it made me feel insecure. 

Nowadays, I feel like I am finally doing what I want to do, but am still unsure of what direction it will end up. That's okay. I have realized that my slow & steady pace is what works for me. I am working in the field I want to be in, I have found that love that I want to share a life with, and I can finally (after many years), at least lift up into a forearm stand albeit still armed with a strap & a block...that is okay. 

I know that I quote my African proverbs calendar a lot on this blog, but it's kind of going along with my life, sending me little reminders, and today is no exception. It's a Ugandan proverb that reads, "The long, sure way will take you to your destination." Perfect. I can't wait to see what is going to happen when I arrive.

Til tomorrow...

Shanti, 

Marcia