Day 320 Intention ~ Make Like A Turtle

Day 320 Intention ~ Make Like A Turtle

This time of year can be windy, stormy and honestly make people feel a little flighty. Finding solid ground is important to feel balanced. So instead of acting like hare today, trying to be fast and multitask...go go go, quick, quick, quick, I am taking the tortoise route, slow & steady to win the race. 

As always, as with everyone, there are things that need to be done. One at a time is the way. Keeping things calm, cool and collected is how I would like to handle today instead of rushing and stressing out. 

Things that can help with this are grounding poses in yoga.

Baddha konasana ~ bound angle pose: sitting on the floor with the outer edges of the feet together, knees open wide. Breathe in and sit up nice and tall, draw the shoulders down away from the ears. Keep that nice long spine and then fold forward. The chest draws towards the toes. For grounding, close the eyes to go a little bit deeper. Take 5 breaths here...if you are feeling particularly flighty, stay as long as you need. Inhale and come back up. 

Bheki ~ child's pose: start on your hands and knees. Bring the big toes to touch and spread the knees wide. Sink your hips back towards your heels and rest your forehead on the floor. Reach the arms forward. If you have knee issues, roll a blanket up like a burrito and place it right behind the knees to take some of the pressure off. If the shoulders are tight, bring the knees a bit closer together and reach the hands back towards the ankles rather than reaching forward. 

Supta baddha konasana ~ reclined bound angle pose: set your legs up just as in baddha konasana, but walk your hands behind you and mindfully lay onto your back. Rest one hand on your heart and one on your navel, or both on your navel. Let your eyes close and start to count your breath in. As you breathe out, try to find a longer count. Do this for several rounds. Slowing the breath down is a great way to calm the mind and the body, allowing us to relax and feel grounded again. 

I hope you have a wonderful Saturday & try out these poses to help you feel grounded if you are feeling a little "windy" today. 

Til tomorrow...

Shanti, 

Marcia

Day 66 Intention ~ Reach Out

Day 66 Intention ~ Reach out (to someone you love)

It has been a crazy few weeks in my little world and I suddenly realized that I haven't spoken to my parents in weeks! So, today, I reached out and called my mom and dad. I have been so wrapped up in work and my life here, that I have literally been ignoring my family/social side of life, besides a few "likes" or comments on Facebook. 

Reconnecting with loved ones. People who know you and love you on a familial level, whether it is friends or blood relatives are so important. Talking to my mom just makes me feel grounded and supported and loved, which during these crazy weeks when I feel overloaded with work, is just what I need. 

So, call a good friend or family member you haven't spoken to in awhile. My guess is that they'll be happy to hear from you.

Til tomorrow...

Shanti, 

Marcia

Balance

Most people get a fair amount of fun out of their lives, but on balance life is suffering, and only the very young or the very foolish imagine otherwise.

~George Orwell

For every ying there is a yang - for every good deed there is one that may not be so great. Life is balance and balance it life. Having a life filled with happiness and joy is possible, but knowing and understanding that happiness is something worth fighting for.

Yes - at times it can be hard - but that is balance. Each trial we have will teach us a new way to be happy. When you are feeling low always remember the lowest low is only a precursor to something great and that in the darkest moment is when we find how important faith is and when we see a new level of clarity. Clarity that shows us what we're really made of.

Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony.

~Thomas Merton

Meditation

"I am balance. I am centered. I am grounded."

Come to a comfortable seat, adjusting the flesh from your sitting bones and find yourself grounded where you are. Breathing in deeply all the way down to your belly and exhale completely. With each breath begin to count back from ten all the way down to the number one - each time you find a though enter your mind, allow it to slip away and in stead offer up your own mantra.

Today I choose, "I am balanced. I am centered. I am grounded."

Know that your mind is a working machine, so do not become angry with yourself if outside life keeps gnawing at you. Just simply breathe and bring your attention back to your mantra. Wether you sit for five minutes - which is a very reasonable time for a beginner - or an hour, follow the cadence of your breath and your voice filling in the spaces between your breaths until you fill the room with you.

Breathe and let go.

The light and spirit inside of me, honors the light and spirit inside of you.

~namaste