Don’t You Evah
Posted: April 3, 2013 Filed under: Random Workout | Tags: Attention, blogging, Breathing, crossfit, exercise, fitness, focus, free range, gluten free, happiness, health, hipster, hope, kettlebell, life, living, love, lululemon, marathon, meditation, motivation, musings, natural, nature, passion, pilates, Playing with Lego's, running, Spring, trail running, walking, whole foods, WOD, writing, yoga 8 CommentsWe are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be-
Delicacy and intentioned outcome. Could we be talking about: Walking, Yoga, Breathing, Love, Playing with Lego’s? Possibly, let’s narrow our attention on meditation this morning. If meditation is so not cool enough for you? Feel free to empower yourself to change it to whatever you like.
Why meditation talk again? Well, you can do all of the above and more while meditating. Our thoughts shape our reality in ways we all too often take for granted (post from yesterday), the effectiveness of our meditation practice hinges upon our state of mind. Not getting the results you seek through meditation … Take a look at your attitude, paying attention to our attitudes towards meditation and how we meditate, is critical. Some attitudes are especially powerful in hindering the positive and beneficial effects of meditation: Vanity, Ego, Competition. Yet it seems that far too often we fall into these thought-patterns, resulting in us having a unfocused meditation experience with undesired results.
Be at ease, present in the moment
Meditating is not a marathon, warrior dash or whatever competition suites you the best. Meditation is one of those “things” in life where the quicker you try to get it done, the worse the outcome is (any other areas in life where this is true?). Slow down, relax and chill in a tranquil state of mind. No need to rush, study, read up on meditative techniques and time yourself in the act. Time, does not exist in a meditative state. The truly productive “things” in life take longer than a few moments to blossom.
Notes:
I’m hoping the messages here are starting to settle in a bit, making you uncomfortable and vulnerable. Be forewarned: Friday’s post is going to pithy, rich and basically? It’s going to expose what we are all doing wrong in regards to health, fitness, whatever (clues are buried in the prior two weeks posts- FYI).
The Magnificent Dance
Posted: April 1, 2013 Filed under: Random Workout | Tags: April Fool's Day, Bikram Yoga, blogging, Breaking Bad, crossfit, elite yoga, exercise, fitness, free range, gluten free, happiness, health, hipster, hope, intensity, jogging, kettlebell, life, love, lululemon, marathon, meditation, motivation, natural, paleo, passion, perspective, pilates, running, simplicity, trail running, walking, whole foods, WOD, yoga 2 CommentsIf they substituted the word ‘Lust’ for ‘Love’ in the popular songs it would come nearer the truth-
:::BEEP BEEP BOOP:::
You are now connected to the CultFit Extreme Fitness conference call. Please state your name and title for those of us in attendance.
“Chaz, reporting from Omaha”
“Molly here! The best bodega/spa manager this side of the Hudson”
“Caleb, Cage Free/Paleo animal relations director from Red Hook”
“:::heavy frantic breathing::: Zoey …”
“OK, well thanks for calling in everyone. I wanted to start by saying all of you are doing such …”
“:::heavy breathing::: ahhhh – yeahhhh”
“Zoey … is that you? Are you OK?”
“Yeah, Chaz. :::heavy breathing::: I’m calling during my lunch hour. Just getting in my scheduled afternoon bikram yoga session in. AHHHHHH.”
“Zoey, you really didn’t need to call us from the yoga studio!?!”
“Oh I’m not at the yoga studio. :::heavy breathing::: I’m actually just … ahhhhhh the burn! Feel it! Damn! … I’m just sitting in my office with a space heater on full blast! Between the sweet pouring off my body and the humidifier …”
“Hey, I don’t mean to be difficult, but I gotta go do things and see people in an hour, so can we just get on with this meeting already?”
“Yes, sorry Molly. Anyway, like I was saying. I just want to go over the Q4 projections of our Elite – Sustainable – Renewable Energy – Health Spa to make sure we’re all on the same …”
“Ahhh, yeah that’s it. Yeah right there, deeper, feel the stretch :::heavy breathing::: AHHHHHHHH!”
“Zoey … are you sure you’re OK?”
“Yeah, I just took off my clothes and upped the intensity a touch. I’m almost done lovelies. Keep going.”
“Caleb, did you want to go over your thoughts for the planned sustainable – rooftop – farmers market … ”
“:::heavy breathing::: 5 … 4 … 3 … 2 … FIRE BREATHING!!! Bring it on home, Zoey! You got this you bad ass …! AHHHHHHHH!”
“This is really distracting. Maybe we can just brief Zoey later over a babyccino?!?”
“It’s OK Molly. I’m done now.”
“Finally.”
“Just need to switch the space heater off and … there. I’m listening. Go on folks.”
“I really think it might be better if we just reschedule for …”
“:::heavy breathing::: heeee heeee hoooo hoooo heeeeeeeeeee huuurts soooo gooooood.”
“This is ridiculous. I’m signing off now.”
:::BEEP BEEP BOOP:::
“Yeah, me too.”
:::BEEP BEEP BOOP:::
“Just one … more … second. Annnnd done. Ahhhh. Alright, good work everybody. Hello? Anyone still here, hello?!?”
Notes:
Sweep
Posted: March 27, 2013 Filed under: Yoga | Tags: blogging, crossfit, exercise, fitness, free range, gardening, gluten free, happiness, health, hipster, hope, life, love, lululemon, marathon, meditation, motivation, natural, nature, paleo, passion, pilates, running, trail running, walking, Weeds, whole foods, WOD, yoga 5 CommentsCan words describe the fragrance of the very breath of spring-
For many, it’s rather easy to spot the clutter that surrounds them: “Oh look! A Runners World magazine from April 2004!” Too many gadgets, stacks of tired magazines, shot glasses from travels far and wide; some may be treasure, most of it is trash.
In our personal gardens, our yoga practice, even if we have little or no practical knowledge, we are able to differentiate the “weeds” from the “turnips“. Over the years, through gentle and attentive practice we can spot in the tiniest sprout of green breaking the earth whether it is a tasty zucchini or another annoying weed (dandelion wine anyone?!?). We plant our gardens to suit our unique individual tastes, why not in our yoga practice or whatever else you are going to enjoy today?
Our inner spirit as well as the way in which we present ourselves to the (insert something that resonates with you this lovely Wednesday morning here ______) world needs to be picked and tossed away every so often. Only You can plant the garden of your heart and only You can choose the way in which you weed the garden of your life.
Notes:
This is a really broad conversation to have with yourself and one that I have often. All of us are exposed to new ideas, new poses, new movements all of the time. Ask yourself this question today before you pick a new workout from Shape magazine or a trendy yoga pose from some random blog-o-post: Will this make me happy?!?
Be well today!
Red Light
Posted: March 26, 2013 Filed under: Random Workout | Tags: blogging, exercise, fitness, freshly pressed, gluten free, happiness, health, hipster, hope, kettlebell, Kiss, life, love, lululemon, marathon, meditation, minimalist, motivation, musings, natural, passion, perspective, philosophy, purpose, simplicity, trail running, whole foods, WOD, yoga 8 CommentsA kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous-
The little things in life. The sound of your cleats clicking purposely into your pedals, the wash of riding through a freshly formed puddle, the sound of tree branches playing briskly in the wind, are music to my ears.
The little things in life. The sound of silence during an early morning run, the gentle flight of seeing the first blue jay of spring, an optimistic robin persuades me to perform an aria with her during the final miles.
The little things in life. The sound of your wife blow drying her hair early on a Saturday morning, the snap of an eyeliner case, the sound of shaking an empty bottle of hand lotion, truly music to my ears. The continuo: the little one’s bedroom door opening sneakily and shutting with a giggle, a gust of wind across the siding, the last drop of coffee pouring into a porcelain cup. The little things are what we remember of this Life.
The large events in our personal lives have their place as well. Finishing and running a personal best 10k, belonging in the lead group before the start of a marathon, finishing your first century ride of the year. However, even the large events are assembled craftily from many little “things“. The rush to the local emergency room and the stillness of the air in such a sterile environment, the brave face you try to present to the caring staff, the small choked cry and the sound of tears dropping with purpose on a medical tray, the snap of a joint being dutifully put back into place, the sound of thread being pulled through the wound, the way your loved one holds your hand tight. The little things.
Notes:
These little things we neglect, are Everything.
Sunshine: That’s my Jive
Posted: March 19, 2013 Filed under: Random Workout | Tags: blogging, Catch-22, compassion, Eight Limbs of Yoga, exercise, fitness, free range, gluten free, happiness, health, hipster, hope, life, love, lululemon, marathon, meditation, motivation, natural, Niyama, paleo, passion, perspective, pilates, running, trail running, walking, whole foods, WOD, Yama, yoga 2 CommentsMy fault, my failure, is not in the passions I have, but in my lack of control of them-
Niyama: A Simple Dudes Tale
Life unfolds in the present. Gotcha! However, every so often we let the present moment slip away from us, allowing time to float by unobserved. Squandering the precious seconds of our lives away as we worry about the future and ruminate about what’s happened in the not so distant past. We’re always doing “something“, yet we allow little time to practice stillness and calm.
Most of us don’t undertake our thoughts in awareness. Rather, our thoughts control every fabric of our being. Living in the moment (aka mindfulness) is a state of open attention on the present. When you become mindful, you realize that you are not your thoughts; you become an observer of your thoughts from moment to moment without judging them. Mindfulness involves being with your thoughts as they are, neither grasping at them nor pushing them away. Instead of letting your life go by without living it, you awaken to new experiences as they unfold around you.
Notes:
There are many paths to mindfulness and at the center of each, lies a Catch-22: You have to trust that the rewards of mindfulness will come and letting go of what you want is the only way to achieve this.
CultFit 