Con Amor
Posted: July 3, 2013 Filed under: Random Workout | Tags: blogging, exercise, healing, health, hipster, life, love, lululemon, marathon, meditation, musings, running, trail running, whole foods, Wounds, yoga 10 CommentsThe human race tends to remember the abuses to which it has been subjected rather than the endearments. What’s left of kisses? Wounds, however, leave scars-
To expose my wounds to people I care about (maybe this is you) … The icky surgery details, the puffing out my chest ego stuff, the personal growth “stuff” I’m working on that I have yet to master, is über vulnerable. Letting others see my “ugly side” tends to trigger all my core fears of being rejected, abandoned and the withdrawal of their love. However, to bear witness to another persons wounds? I consider this a privilege, an opportunity to deepen our relationship beyond the idealistic views we might have of each other.
It’s not your duty as a reader to baby my “scars.” Although when we expose our vulnerable side to those we care about, we have a choice: We can poke pitchforks into each other’s wounds or we can choose to help heal the wounds of those we love.
Notes:
When we have been vulnerable enough to expose our wounds, when we own these painful wounds. When we ask those we care about to be gentle with our wounds and they say “Yeah dude I can totally do that.” … Love is truly in the air!
(I) Remember
Posted: July 2, 2013 Filed under: Random Workout | Tags: blogging, compassion, exercise, happiness, healing, health, hipster, hope, life, love, lululemon, marathon, meditation, musings, natural, Omaha, passion, pilates, running, whole foods, WOD, Wounds, yoga 8 CommentsAfter nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world-
I don’t think I’ve been gentle enough around other people’s vulnerable, exposed wounds. Mainly because my short coming for all these years is that I have a tendency to get all self-righteous, to make myself “superior” to people once I’ve seen them in a vulnerable position. I make myself “right” and others “wrong” and then my ego convinces me that I shouldn’t have to walk on eggshells around someone else’s wounds, I should step all over them. I used do this all the time when I would first learn of someone’s weakness while competing … Seeing a runner ahead on the trail struggling to finish the last few miles, pulling away from the pack during a mountain bike race, watching someone struggle with an advance pose during yoga class, knowing I could do better, I would show them how its “done” or whatever that is supposed to mean.
Sometimes though, walking gently around someone’s raw wound(s) is the perfect opportunity to practice compassion and to demonstrate love. Not only towards ourselves but to other kind folks as well.
This Dear Reader, is my wound to work on. Maybe one of you could put arnica oil on it for me? Just being compassionate with this side of myself, the side I’m not so proud of, is a good start. Slowly over the years the lights have flickered on… No longer am I blind to how I created my own suffering for so long.
Notes:
May you find this post in light, probably on a tablet or whatever the kids call them these days. Take care and be well!
Auot Pilot
Posted: June 28, 2013 Filed under: Random Workout | Tags: acceptance, Blame, blogging, exercise, fitness, Forgiveness, free range, freshly pressed, gluten free, happiness, health, hipster, kindness, life, love, lululemon, marathon, meditation, musings, paleo, pilates, running, whole foods, WOD, yoga 7 CommentsFor after all, the best thing one can do when it is raining is let it rain-
The single most important practice we can cultivate is gentleness towards ourselves. Yes, even more important than a regular yoga practice, healthy eating habits and “exercise“. Cultivating gentleness is especially important when we discover, once again, that we have tripped and fallen, head first, into a pattern of reaction instead of making well thought out choice(s). Sadly, we are more likely to react to prior injuries rearing their ugly head once again, falling off the diet train and sitting on the couch marinating in self-pity. By constantly putting the blame back on ourselves, we fail to open our warm beating hearts to our own human fallibility, accepting exactly where we are in this amazing world.
As part of this comforting engagement with ourselves, we tap into our curiosity and try to formulate reasons as to why our energy is drawn to placing blame. Why do we place such importance on blame, especially given that placing blame is against so many other values we are trying to develop?
What we discover today, this weekend maybe, can help us dampen the blame we throw towards ourselves.
Notes:
Blaming ourselves and others is re-markedly easy, gravitating towards acceptance on the other hand? Is not.
A few of the posts next week will be about me, the humble dude that writes this blog-o-thing. I have been reluctant to do this for many reasons, the most important of which is: I loathe talking about myself, its boring and dreadful. But, for the sake of where these posts originate I fell its important to give you some context. Be well this weekend and please take care!
Free (it) Out
Posted: June 26, 2013 Filed under: Random Workout | Tags: Bliss, blogging, Buddhism, happiness, health, hipster, kindness, life, love, lululemon, meditation, motivation, musings, running, walking, whole foods, yoga 7 CommentsFor every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness-
Let’s talk about happiness, love, yoga, cycling and maybe Buddhism if we have a few minutes to spare.
We often assume that if we are “healthy” and “fit” we don’t suffer from any aliments during daily life, all is perfect in our precious little world. Out here in the hinterlands of the “real world“? Normal well-being is just dreadful. We are still prone to experiencing frustration driving to work, anger at the cyclist(s) who fail to announce they are passing, irritation with your friends on Facetube, disappointment with your progress training for an upcoming marathon and being self-absorbed while practicing yoga (extremely sore subject with me …).
Buddhism, yup Buddhism, introduces us to a radically different idea: All of us are “unhealthy” and certainly not “fit“. The profound idea of eudaimonia was lost on us during the enlightenment, and with this loss, we lost the idea of exceptional states of well-being. Buddhism certainly has not forgotten this and argues that we humans have been empowered with reason and we can use the gift of reason to condition and nurture ourselves. Eliminating all conflicting, harmful states of mind. Allowing us to cultivate a positive state of mind instead, which is pretty cool.
Notes:
For many folks, healthy and fit will be normal. There are no exceptional states of mind nor any experiencing states of mind, just normal. For the rest of us, being normal can lead to exceptional, starting the whole saṃsāra cycle all over again.
Light Rides
Posted: June 25, 2013 Filed under: Random Workout | Tags: Authenticity, blogging, exercise, freshly pressed, happiness, health, hipster, kindness, life, love, lululemon, marathon, meditation, mind, Mindfulness, musings, natural, paleo, passion, pilates, relationships, running, sex, spirit, trail running, whole foods, WOD, yoga 6 CommentsTruth is not something outside to be discovered, it is something inside to be realized-
Can we all agree that some of the posts here are rather cheeky at times, silly, wasted, pointless? Who wants to talk about authenticity, forgiveness, spirituality, mindfulness?
The best gift you can ever give those you love, and those who care deeply about you, is a healthy “you“. Sounds cheesy, right? Seriously, I thought having a chiseled body doing yoga and performing 1000+ crunches a day was well enough, but a healthy “you“?
Consider for one fleeting moment this morning what I am suggesting. If you are as healthy as you can be, in both mind and spirit, you will be the best possible version of yourself. Less time talking about failed run times, painful yoga sessions and more energy devoted to exploring the world with others.
We could talk about knowing our personal limit(s), making the best use of our time and energy while maintaining a healthy relationship with our body … But this topic is dull and painfully tedious?!?
Quite possibly the greatest gift you can ever offer yourself is not running a marathon or becoming a yoga teacher. Accepting yourself, right now, with no make up, pink bunny slippers and all, is so very powerful … Maybe not as powerful as doing 103 sun salutations in a row, but close enough?!?
Notes:
When you offer your true, whole self to whatever(*), in both mind and spirit? … Boring stuff right?
* (I figuratively and literally mean whatever: relationships, sex, fixing a flat tire, running … whatever.)
CultFit 