: Black Coffee :
Posted: January 5, 2015 Filed under: Kindness, Meditation, Yoga | Tags: Body Image, compassion, family, gratitude, habits, icchā, Intention, meditation, New Year's, New Years Resolutions, passion, yoga 3 CommentsThings are always better in the morning-
Old habits … Die hard. Cultivating new and lasting passion … Feels elusive. Our habitual patterns in life create a repetitive stream of thoughts and behavior. Right now, today, in this vulnerable New Year … Is precisely where we get stuck. A fleeting resolution penned on a stained bar napkin simply is not enough; tacking upon a fresh breeze is required with the necessary energy to sustain it.
…
Think for a moment of yourself floating in a vast ocean, on a sprout little sailboat. Maybe the faded name “Bering in Mind” is painted on the side … As you begin rigging your brightly colored sail, this effort on your part equals your intention to sail away into this inspiring day. Although, you are not setting a course, and technically “sailing,” without a little wind. This gentle wind you so desperately seek, is evocative of your icchā – your will. You will need both the sail and the wind in order to make it safely back to shore – You require both icchā and intention to achieve this goal …
Daily Meditation:
When we become invested in the change we desire? We commit to a turning point in our lives. Whether or not reading this blog – Your Blog – this morning can be considered a defining moment in your life, is up for a heated debate! However so, you made it here, and I am deeply grateful.
The End of This Year
Posted: December 31, 2014 Filed under: Kindness, Meditation, Yoga | Tags: Belize, gratitude, Jack Ridl, kindness, life, New Year's, passion, Poetry, Prose, The End of This Year 13 Comments…
The best place to be is here,
at home, the two of us, while
others ski or eat out. It will be
quiet. We won’t watch the ball
fall, the crowd in Times Square.
They will celebrate while here
there is this night. Tomorrow
some will start over, or vow
to stop something; maybe try
again. Here the snow will
fall through the light over
the back door and gather
on the steps. We will hope
our daughter will be safe.
She will wonder what
the year will bring. Maybe
we will say a prayer.
Start Where : You : Are
Posted: December 30, 2014 Filed under: Kindness, Meditation, Yoga | Tags: Bliss, Buddhism, Equanimity, love, meditation, New Year's, Omaha, passion, peace, WordPress, yoga, Zen 13 CommentsNobody can hurt me without my permission-
The dictionary loosely defines equanimity as “mental calmness and evenness of temper, especially in a difficult situation.” Equanimity refers to a mind that is at peace even in the face of stressful and unpleasant experiences.
Many, if not all of us have experienced this dissatisfaction. The absence of peace arises from our longing for our live(s) to be different, even when we have absolutely no control over the particular circumstance(s) in question.
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After sharing my numerous injuries and “circumstances” with you over the past four or so years, I have spent countless posts lamenting, nauseously, for my life to be the way it was before the surgeons incisions healed. The constant complaining found in the archives here, have made me miserable to be around. Gradually, with the help of some amazing and caring people (like you) – I came to witness that our lives have their share of both joy and suffering, and the only way I could find peace again was to stop trying to change circumstances over which I had no control of, and instead, choosing to start where I am at in this beautiful moment.
When I see that I am not just suffering, when I am not just frustration or sadness. When I notice during yoga class I’m not super flexible or the perfect manifestation of a particular pose … Equanimity helps me to calmly wait for “things” to change.
Daily Meditation:
With equanimity, I try to start each day with where I am, looking around to see what life has to offer.
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 in the New Year
Posted: December 31, 2012 Filed under: Random Workout | Tags: 2013, blogging, crossfit, eating disorders, exercise, Fiction, fitness, free range, gluten free, health, hipster, history, hope, kettlebell, life, love, lululemon, lust, meditation, mind, Morality, motivation, natural, New Year, New Year's, paleo, passion, pets, pilates, resolution, running, Science, spirit, whole foods, WOD, writing, yoga 14 CommentsIn a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act-
Pop quiz Hot Shots:
The Best CultFit Posts of 2012
Gathered conveniently for you, here are the best posts from 2012, as judged by some random dude (actually all of you):
| This is profoundly sad … | 11,683 | |
| Tuesday 24 April 2012 | 1,673 | |
| Testing The Path Not Normally Taken | 1,481 | |
| Maybe It’s His Fault | 1,391 | |
| Grappling With Forgiveness | 1,356 | |
| Guide to the London Summer Games: CultFit Style | 1,259 | |
| Big Trouble Upstairs | 1,221 | |
| Wednesday 20 June 2012 | 1,197 | |
| Wednesday 4 April 2012 | 1,188 | |
| A Thought Provoking Blog … | 1,152 | |
| Sunday 11 September 2011 | 1,151 | |
| Friday 27 April 2012 | 1,149 | |
| Wednesday 9 May 2012 | 1,134 | |
| You Brought A Gun To A Knife Fight … | 1,127 | |
| The Beautiful Blogger Award… | 1,122 |
What to look forward to in 2013
We are going step back and strip CultFit of all its distractions, gimmicks, promotions and more. The main objective is to leave you, our Dear Reader with a pure and simple reading experience. Reading and digesting the words presented to you without any distractions.
What we feel is necessary for a simple, enjoyable reading experience:
- Pithy, socially relevant topics to help you come to peace with your body and mind
- No comments or “like” buttons to distract you from our message
- A pleasant and easily read format
- Minimal navigation, Minimal pics. Featured content for a “In and Out” experience
- A breath of fresh air amidst a sea of distractions
The “Workout” in 2013
Acquaint yourself with this lovely word:
heu·ris·tic
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Notes:
Slowly and surely we will be migrating content to our new site, so all hope is not lost! CultFit will still be here tomorrow, in all its dreadful glory. Thank you once again for making CultFit what it is! Be well this New Year and ENJOY!!!
CultFit 