The guest is inside you
Posted: May 23, 2013 Filed under: Random Workout | Tags: exercise, family, fitness, free range, friends, gluten free, happiness, health, hipster, hope, Jain, Kabir, life, love, lululemon, meditation, motivation, musings, natural, nature, paleo, passion, Poetry, running, trail running, whole foods, WOD, yoga, Zen 4 Comments… and also inside me;
you know the sprout is hidden inside the seed.
We are all struggling; none of us has gone far.
Let your arrogance go, and look around inside.
The blue sky opens out farther and farther,
the daily sense of failure goes away,
the damage I have done to myself fades,
a million suns come forward with light,
when I sit firmly in that world.
I hear bells ringing that no one has shaken,
inside “love” there is more joy than we know of,
rain pours down, although the sky is clear of clouds,
there are whole rivers of light.
The universe is shot through in all parts by a single sort of love.
How hard it is to feel that joy in all our four bodies!
Those who hope to be reasonable about it fail.
The arrogance of reason has separated us from that love.
With the word “reason” you already feel miles away.
– Kabir – The Kabir book: Forty-four of the ecstatic poems of Kabir
Notes:
Important post tomorrow, I hope you stop over, until then? Take care and be well!
Ayuda!
Posted: May 22, 2013 Filed under: Random Workout | Tags: blogging, compassion, exercise, family, fitness, friends, gluten free, happiness, health, hipster, hope, kindness, life, love, lululemon, marathon, meditation, motivation, musings, natural, paleo, passion, running, trail running, whole foods, WOD, yoga 3 CommentsCompassion is a verb-
How does one go about distancing themselves from the prior two days posts? I suppose we could choose to ignore them or we can all come together for a big group hug and show some compassion towards ourselves and others?!? Just a thought …
Self compassion is at the very root of empowerment, learning, and our inner geek strength. When we choose to embrace self compassion, we value ourselves not because we’ve judged ourselves positively and others negatively but because we are equally deserving of care and concern just like everyone else. Self compassion means treating ourselves as we would a close friend or better yet, our spouse and kids! Rather than berating, judging, or adding to the dreadful despair, we listen intensively with empathy and understanding, encourage them to remember that mistakes are a normal part of everyday life, and validate their emotions without adding more fuel to the proverbial fire.
Self critical over achievers are not the only ones that lack self-compassion. Some of the kindest folks around do as well. Luckily, self compassion is a process that can be picked up pretty easily. It is a daily practice that can help us all become less self-critical of the world around us, by preventing stress accumulating throughout the day, allowing us to be happier, smiling more and pleasant to be around.
“Self compassion never finished a marathon in personal best time or powered through an intense three-hour long power yoga class! What! Got something to say now do you!”
Self compassion does not mean we stop rolling up our sleeves and working hard for our goals. Instead, self compassion is a change in our attitude(s) and is linked with greater personal well-being. Nor does self-compassion imply self-indulgence. For example, a runner who cares about their body and well-being will push harder the days leading up to a rest cycle, no matter how tempted they are not to rest, they do. Similarly, pushing yourself, exploring limits during yoga class may be appropriate in some situations, but in times of over-indulgence? Self compassion involves toughening up and taking responsibility for going too far.
Notes:
Please be sure to check out Omaha Gives this morning, totally worth your time if you call Omaha, Home.
Butterfly Caught
Posted: May 17, 2013 Filed under: Random Workout | Tags: blogging, Dr. Who, exercise, family, fitness, free range, freshly pressed, happiness, health, hipster, kindness, life, love, lululemon, marathon, meditation, musings, natural, paleo, passion, running, stress, walking, weekend, whole foods, WOD, yoga 13 CommentsSometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy-
The tension sprinting up through my arms and shoulders, violently grasping my neck. I can’t think straight, my mind is abuzz with the stress that has accumulated throughout the day. The list of “things” to finish before tomorrow morning was spilling over. I knew I needed a change of mind, something, anything to carry me away from this tangled moment in time into a place love and harmony.
Not too long ago I would step aside, gather up all my running gear and head out the back door for a “run“. I thought at the time, if I just ignored the pain and stress, run a bit faster and harder, get my heart rate up a little more, develop a thick and hardy lather… I would instantly feel better by the time I finished 10+ miles.
An hour or so later, I would collapse on the porch with my head hunched forward watching the sweat roll off my nose falling diligently between my bare feet. The thoughts in my mind had slowed for the moment, until the pain and tension returned …
I would like to share with you something so profound, so ridiculous and so not cool, that you will avoid telling your friends or even blogging about it: Compassion and Mindfulness. Don’t scatter away quite yet, it gets better before it gets worse.
Using your body to invoke a better state of mind starts by paying attention to what we are feeling inside and not abusing our body through outward actions. This moment of reflection before heading out the door is the point where spirituality and personal development intersect. When we move with awareness and give attention to the stress, the aches and pains, we can change how we feel, instantly.
Notes:
A simple act of kindness towards yourself, sharing a smile and hug with another, erasing the pain before you get moving. To me? That’s pretty cool and something to share with your friends …
Nobody’s Fault But Mine
Posted: May 15, 2013 Filed under: Random Workout | Tags: blogging, compassion, exercise, family, fitness, free range, gluten free, happiness, health, hipster, hope, kindness, life, love, lululemon, marathon, meditation, motivation, musings, natural, nature, paleo, passion, running, walking, whole foods, WOD, yoga 7 CommentsBe — don’t try to become-
It’s 8:30 am, the kids are packed and ready for school, you are dressed and “ready” for yoga class at 9:00. Your mat, towel and chilled coconut water are in the car already. The kiddos are hopping about causing a ruckus as you hurry them out the front door … “Where in the hell are the car keys?!?”
At this very moment you have two choices moving forward: Being or Doing?
Being involves slowing down our frantic mind and deliberately grounding ourselves by focusing on the present moment, the “lost” car keys. In being , it’s completely fine to be your true self, and in this case? A forgetful blonde haired dude. Embrace the moment to develop a different relationship with your own senses and emotions by deliberately focusing on what they are trying to patiently convey to you.
Being involves accepting what is, there’s nothing we can do to change the current situation. Rather than berating ourselves for not knowing where the keys are or placing blame onto others, we allow ourselves to look fully and with an open mind at where we are. Eventually we realize that the situation may not be as catastrophic as initially we believed it to be. We learn to extend love onto others, compassion, kindness to ourselves, and everything around us … “Oh look here are the keys sitting on top of the filing cabinet in the garage. Exactly where I placed them after forgetting to roll up the windows before bed last night.”
Notes:
Some of the most important “things” in life are as simple as misplacing our car keys.
Hold Om
Posted: May 14, 2013 Filed under: Random Workout | Tags: blogging, crossfit, dancing, emotions, exercise, family, free range, friends, gluten free, happiness, health, hipster, hope, kindness, life, love, lululemon, lust, marathon, meditation, motivation, musings, natural, paleo, passion, pilates, running, trail running, whole foods, WOD, yoga, Zen 26 CommentsThose who do not move, do not notice their chains-
Can someone please answer this seemingly “simple” question: What the heck is progress?
Let’s narrow our focus on yoga for our conversation this morning … Progress on your trusty yoga mat looks and feels rather different from a straight gravel road shooting up over the horizon. After a few sips of juniper berry infused mead, I like to think of progress on the mat as more of a dance, the rumba to be more specific. Two steps forward, one step back, a smile, loosening up a bit, three steps forward, two confident steps back. We seem to find our own pace, our own rhythm even if it takes a few drinks.
Progress with yoga often gets worse, much worse before it gets better. Being a dude I didn’t know this initially and I thought I was losing control of both my mind and body. I was confused (this is very easy for me) because I thought that yoga was supposed to strengthen me both spiritually and physically – Instantly.
What I didn’t know at the time was that this dance backwards was the very beginning of taking a few gentle, confident steps forward. I had to regress before I could start once again to creep ahead. Just like an infant crawling on their little hands and knees, I needed to learn how to roll over, sit up, fall down and crawl before I could walk (literally).
Sometimes I didn’t want to get up after falling down. Looking back, I don’t know how I got up on my feet again after the trying times, life. Eventually I did. Then I stumbled and fell again back onto my mat. Clumsily I rose to my knees, then to my shaky feet once again. This morning I stood straight after riding my bike to work. This is my dance in life.
Notes:
Learning to love yourself, to take care of your emotional and physical self. This is how I define progress.
CultFit 