Lies
Posted: December 20, 2013 Filed under: Meditation, Yoga | Tags: Asana, blogging, compassion, cycling, exercise, failure, freshly pressed, friends, gluten free, happiness, health, kindness, love, lululemon, marathon, meditation, motivation, musings, natural, nature, Omaha, paleo, passion, pilates, Practice, running, Self-compassion, Self-esteem, Self-Help, Spirituality & Religion, whole foods, WordPress, yoga 8 CommentsFailure is the condiment that gives success its flavour-
Search “self-help” this morning using your WordPress reader, and you are likely to find a billion posts listed under “self-esteem.” Let’s be fully open and honest – The sole purpose of these posts is to not only tell you why your self-esteem is suffering, but rather to guide your delicate heart to more of it.
Why is this so?
Self esteem is considered the pinnacle of true individual success. How can we possibly get ahead of the next person in life, unless we intimately believe we are perfect, and perfectly awesome!
In order to be perfectly awesome? We live in quiet terror of making mistakes in life, and we feel utterly devastated when we do. Our defense mechanism is to refocus our attention on the “things” we do well …
Stroking our own ego, relentlessly until our hearts forget this horrible episode of not being “awesome” and moving on to “something” more satisfying.
How does this relate to yoga practice, cycling, running and whatever else?
It’s important to understand, when I discuss self-compassion during a post … I’m discussion what self-compassion is not. Some folks like to think self-compassion is giving yourself a break, taking it easy. In essence self-compassion is simply accepting responsibility for, YOU. The difference lies not in where we end up during a flow of poses (the flow of life), but in how we process the ups and downs of the journey, our path in life.
Self-compassion is a willingness to look at our own mistakes and shortcomings with kindness and understanding – To err, is indeed human.
Daily Meditation:
The “trick” in life is to allow ourselves to make mistakes without feeling humiliated … Tune in and take notice of your abilities, your actions, and evaluate what needs to be done “differently” next time around.
(e)Strecho
Posted: October 21, 2013 Filed under: Random Workout, Yoga | Tags: blogging, compassion, Dhāraṇā, friends, gluten free, Gravel, happiness, health, kindness, life, love, lululemon, marathon, meditation, mind, motivation, musings, Namaste, natural, nature, non-attachment, Omaha, paleo, passion, perspective, pilates, Practice, Practices, Religion and Spirituality, running, trail running, whole foods, WOD, writing, yoga, Yoga Wisdom 9 CommentsLook around you. Everything changes. Everything on this earth is in a continuous state of evolving, refining, improving, adapting, enhancing…changing. You were not put on this earth to remain stagnant-
There is much more to yoga than twisting into poses on a sweaty, $95 Prana Revolution yoga mat early one Sunday morning.
Quick example, one of the ways of applying yogic principles away from our mat is by developing non-attachment, focusing on what we are doing in the moment … Practicing not getting caught up in the drama and uncertainty swirling around us. When we practice yoga in class, we are reminded to breathe into the movement, release tension, surrender, disconnecting our mind from discomfort. Practicing non-attachment away from our practice allows us to disconnect our mind, from wanting “things” to be different and worrying about the future. Our mind(s) is then free to stretch, explore, and tap their true creativity.
Is complete non-attachment in today’s world realistic? Are you reading this post on your iPhone? Our innate sense of control is an illusion at times. Disappointment in life is inevitable, although pursuing and actively seeking to develop a strong practice of non-attachment can help us realize that we don’t have to choose to get stuck, mired in a bog of cynicism and hopelessness.
Notes:
Hidden within our narrow focus, among the 8 Limbs of Yoga, lies ishvara-pranidhana, which is a way to explore staying connected to something larger than ourselves. Non-attachment is just one varietal of surrender, where we recognize no one can truly control the events of our day or other people in our lives.
Attention
Posted: October 18, 2013 Filed under: Random Workout | Tags: Attention, blogging, Buddha, compassion, cycling, fitness, freshly pressed, gluten free, happiness, health, holistic, hope, kindness, life, love, meditation, motivation, musings, New Age, Omaha, Practice, Religion and Spirituality, running, trail running, wellness, whole foods, yoga, Zen 10 CommentsI am not absentminded. It is the presence of mind that makes me unaware of everything else-
It never fails folks. I string together a series of post(s) discussing spirituality, intimacy, love, passion, yoga, meditation, mindfulness and inevitably the emails come pouring in with such graceful comments like:
“All this stuff you have been trying to talk about – comes naturally. Especially intimacy and physical relationships. If you need instructions on how to enjoy these, something is wrong with you.”
What is the underlying reason that discussing our feelings, no matter what they may be – Rattles our cage so much?
There are those among us (check your blog role and yoga studio) who solely identify themselves as spiritual simply by observing holy practices, being a natural lover, super flexible and sporting the latest fashion trends. This behavior Dear Reader? Is akin to calling ourselves athletes when we are merely spectators of a sport …
Are you a fan (short for fanatic), a spectator of yoga, cycling, sex, running, walking – whatever? Or are you a participant?
Embracing a spiritual life requires participation over observation for the encounter, surrendering to a spiritual transformation.
Notes:
Have a beautiful weekend and please take care.
Who did That to You
Posted: February 1, 2013 Filed under: Random Workout | Tags: 5k, blogging, confidence, crossfit, exercise, fitness, free range, gluten free, happiness, Happy Hips, health, hipster, hope, intensity, jogging, kettlebell, life, love, lululemon, marathon, motivation, natural, paleo, passion, Patience, perspective, pilates, Practice, running, trail running, walking, Warm Ups, whole foods, WOD, yoga 35 CommentsMeditation practice isn’t about trying to throw ourselves away or become something better. It’s about befriending who we are already-
One mistake we often make is misunderstanding how confidence affects us, some firmly believe confidence is something you either have or you don’t have. Confidence is a skill that develops when we nurture our bodies, discover self-awareness and practice, yes practice- Confidence.
When we talk about confidence, inevitably the topic of success creeps into the conversation. It’s nearly impossible to go out and have a huge success in life and instantly gain confidence. Finishing your first marathon does not mean you have more confidence, you had enough when you clicked “submit” after filling the registration form out (in your jammies), picked out your matching running outfit, stocked up on useless fuel gels and finally showing up at the Start Line.
We preach here: little “victories” every day in your preparations and work effort. When you leave work for the weekend, the gym this afternoon, the studio … You should be able to say that you have just “won” by doing what you needed to do to achieve your long-term goal(s). Each small victory (as small as they may seem), one after another, accumulate. Moving us closer to the big victory’s in life, like making it through a 90 minute power yoga session, a 4 hour-long marathon and especially the first firm grip and foot placement at the beginning of a day long climb.
The Workout-
Our signature Happy Hips Warm Up followed by whatever you feel like doing today, enjoy.
Notes:
Confidence, did it magically fall in your lap this morning? Probably not. Take care this weekend and be well.
CultFit 