अलग दृष्टिकोण
Posted: January 10, 2014 Filed under: Meditation, Yoga | Tags: Behavior, blogging, Calmness, compassion, cycling, exercise, family, fitness, free range, freshly pressed, friends, gluten free, happiness, health, hipster, hope, kettlebell, kindness, life, love, lululemon, marathon, meditation, motivation, musings, natural, nature, Omaha, paleo, passion, Patience, perspective, pilates, Power Yoga, recovery, running, trail running, whole foods, yoga 25 CommentsIt’s calm under the waves in the blue of my oblivion-
Pop Quiz Hot Shot(s): Name your favorite restaurant? Cool … Now name your greatest strength? Why was the second questions harder to answer … Self reflection, open and honest dialogue and talking about the dirty stuff in our lives. Can we agree that breaking through and acknowledging self-love, our true selves is pretty tricky?
Many of us are blind to our best qualities. When asked to name our strengths, we often come up empty-handed, stumble for words and say something that isn’t very meaningful. We tend to overlook the very essence of our true selves, our core qualities, our strengths. The craziness of daily life, past injuries, lamenting a medical diagnosis – hypnotizes, controls, and impedes our progress moving forward.
Sometimes it is easier to “see” our true selves when viewing from a different angle.
Daily Meditation:
What are your passions in life? Seriously, please do not blow off what I am about to write …
What activities fill your heart with love and warmth? What activities are effortless and give you a sense of passion and freedom? Biking, yoga, playing a drop in hockey game, talking with your best friend over lunch, trying a new restaurant on a first date? Dig deep in your soul for a definitive answer! Like you, its effortless for me to construct such a list of passion(s).
What follows is what I hope you dwell on this weekend: What character strengths you are using during each activity? Confidence riding a new trail, honoring yourself during a strenuous power yoga class, moderation playing hockey, listening attentively over lunch, openness to exploring new “things” … These are your greatest strengths!!!
Flowers
Posted: January 9, 2014 Filed under: Meditation, Yoga | Tags: blogging, compassion, exercise, flowers, free range, freshly pressed, friends, happiness, health, hope, life, Linda Pastan, love, lululemon, marathon, meditation, motivation, musings, natural, nature, Omaha, paleo, pilates, Poetry, running, yoga 4 Comments…
The deep strangeness
of flowers in winter—
the orange of clivia,
or this creamy white rose
in its stoneware
vase, while outside
another white
like petals drifting down.
Is it real?
a visitor asks,
meaning the odd magenta
orchid on our sill
unnatural
as makeup on a child.
It’s freezing all around us—
salt cold on the lips,
the flinty blacks and grays
of January in any northern city,
and flowers
everywhere:
in the supermarket
by cans of juice,
filling the heated stalls
near the river—
secular lilies engorged
with scent,
notched tulips, crimson
and pink, ablaze
in the icy
corridors of winter.
Temor de Flujo
Posted: January 7, 2014 Filed under: Meditation, Yoga | Tags: anxiety, blogging, compassion, cycling, exercise, family, fitness, friends, happiness, health, hope, kindness, life, love, lululemon, marathon, meditation, motivation, musings, natural, nature, Omaha, paleo, passion, perspective, pilates, running, trail running, whole foods, writing, yoga 12 CommentsAnxiety is the dizziness of freedom-
“Any” act of creative expression comes with its own unique perils and fear, I believe its safe to say fear, is the antithesis of flow, and that flow is an engaged state of mind in whatever we are doing? Flow feels entirely effortless and free.
Am I talking about yoga, brushing your teeth, trail running, cycling or mixing the perfect cocktail?
Like you, I have rather nifty collection of fear, fear that hinders my flow in life. Let me know if any of these resonate within you?
The fear that I am lacking talent or a particular set of skills (name the movie and you win a prize). The fear that, if anyone notices me (as a dude practicing yoga) they will think less of me. The fear of appearing foolish cycling about the countryside. The fear of not being able to finish a century. The fear that I’ve wasted my time writing this blog. The fear of offending a reader – you. A fear of leaping into the unknown, jumping in over my head … The fear that I’ll run out of fresh – insightful ideas.
Daily Meditation:
If “whatever” you are doing today feels dreadful and tedious? Maybe you and I are doing something wrong. Maybe we need to try again, in a different way … Am I still talking about yoga, brushing our teeth, trail running, cycling or mixing the perfect cocktail?
K(now)ing
Posted: January 6, 2014 Filed under: Meditation, Yoga | Tags: blogging, compassion, cycling, exercise, family, fitness, free range, freshly pressed, friends, frozen, gluten free, happiness, health, hope, kindness, life, Lost Love, love, lululemon, marathon, meditation, mental health, motivation, musings, natural, nature, Omaha, paleo, passion, perspective, pilates, recovery, relationships, running, snow, trail running, walking, weather, whole foods, writing, yoga 6 CommentsI am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing-
Because each one of us reading on this chilly Monday morning are rational, intelligent people (and maybe myself). We believe that if we know the reasons for the “things“, in our daily life … This understanding of events will set us free. Imagine knowing what other people are thinking standing in line for a latte or how they are feeling, or why they act differently than we do?
Real life however? Does not work like this …
Knowing why other people “do” what they do, won’t make us feel any better this morning, and it certainly won’t make us any warmer on the inside – in our hearts. It seems as though our journey in today’s world, constantly seeking answers … “Let me look the answer up on my phone“, begins and ends with: “Yeah … But“.
Why don’t our thoughts and feelings fall into place when “life” so graciously presents us with a rational answer?
Daily Meditation:
Over the first part of the year, I am going to steer this CultFit vessel off course just a touch. I want to explore finding the “eureka” moment(s) in our lives, and how we react when the right answer arrives at our pretty little toes … Now, the real work begins.
Be well this morning and please take care!
Compare
Posted: December 31, 2013 Filed under: Meditation, Yoga | Tags: blogging, compassion, cycling, exercise, family, free range, freshly pressed, friends, happiness, health, holidays, kindness, life, love, lululemon, marathon, meditation, motivation, musings, natural, nature, New Year, New Year's, Omaha, paleo, passion, perspective, pilates, running, sports, Thought, trail running, walking, What the Hell, whole foods, WOD, writing, yoga 13 CommentsMy beerdrunk soul is sadder than all the dead christmas trees of the world-
A former hockey coach once pulled me aside during practice to tell me, “Don’t beat yourself up comparing your abilities to the other players. There will always be players better than you, and worse than you. The most important “thing” is to ask yourself right now: “Am I improving?”
What the hell did that coach just tell me? Seriously old dude, I’m 19, in peak physical shape, my sh!t don’t stink and I’m playing the best hockey of my life …
Fast forward 19 years, and what my caring coach so passionately shared with me – Not comparing myself to “others” is often easier said than done. Open up your heart and eyes this morning and take notice of how we are constantly being bombarded by advertisements preying on our insecurities: You have been a bum all year, You are fat and out of shape, You ate one too many eggnog cheesecake(s) within the past week. Our addiction to social media feeds our jealousy by creating the illusion that other people are living happier, more fulfilling lives than our own.
On this, the most vulnerable day of the year (for many caring people). I implore you to stop comparing yourself to others, and instead compare yourself to the person you were one year ago – right now. Are you happier, more confident and peaceful?
Daily Meditation:
Getting in tune with our true wishes, our deepest wishes that lie underneath our insecurities and envy? Is hard work, and it’s certainly not cool to boast about on FaceTube. What the hell am I trying to say? Setting an intention this New year … Is pretty damn cool!
CultFit 