Getting Grounded

Have you ever found yourself thrown into something entirely new in your life, like a new job, a new lover, a new home, and notice you're sometimes feeling sort of lost and/or slightly dazed?

In the past 3 months, my immediate life has completely changed.  It is truly entirely different.  An opposite location, different close-by friends, entirely different jobs, different weather, different bills, different people, etc., etc.  It's amazing what a whirlwind this has all been.  I notice that I don't have a second to focus, not one second (hence why I haven't made an appearance here in a month).  It's truly unbelievable to me.  I'm not sure my life has ever been this upside down and right side up at the same time ever.  And it's all wonderful!  I am able to enjoy every moment.  This last year has proven to me that, beyond when life begins and ends, we really do carry our lives in our own hands.  And we each are responsible for our own happiness and for the choices we make.

And yet, no matter how much I am enjoying living like this, I couldn't live the rest of my life in this untamed wild manner or I'd end up losing what's most important to me.  And, as I settle in, I realize it is time to get grounded, to bring my focus back to myself, my space and my heart.  (Thank goodness for Yoga.)

How to do this?  Pick an old habit that you've done on your own for many years that you haven't given yourself the time for lately.  A habit that reminds you of who you are and what your ultimate goals are.  And notice, while you're in the midst of this project, how you feel, where your mind is, what it's like to do something familiar even in an unfamiliar place.  

It may not be imperative to always know who you are and to always be grounded in your ways, but it is quite necessary to love yourself and to be aware of where you are as you travel through your life.  Find your presence in every day.  Acknowledge what you've accomplished in your life, what you're working toward now and whether your dreams are coming true.  

As I write this blog, an old habit of mine, I realize my childhood dreams have come true.  And since, they have created so many more opportunities and given me so many more dreams to live for.  

If you can find the ground and stand up on it, you will see that life is so very much worth living.

Find the Earth, grow roots and stand up tall using the support the world provides you.

Volunteer

There is little healthier and more fulfilling than finding something that you love and volunteering your time and efforts to make it better by keeping it alive in your community.  We often get so tied up in ourselves, making money and spending time on the couch, that we forget that little things can make such a big difference.

Pick something that you are passionate about and/or have been wanting to do for some time and do it.  There are options out there for everyone, from joining a community garden to working as a stage hand at your local theater to cleaning up your park to being a loving companion to animals in an animal shelter (and may the list go on and on).  The options are endless.  I am certain there is something you are bound to love that could not only benefit the growth of your own character but could greatly benefit the growth of your local community and beyond.  If you're focus is on your career, find a way to volunteer a little of your time within your field; perhaps you could offer a monthly workshop at your community center or participate in a community event that needs experts in your field.  Again, the options are endless.  All it requires is a little effort on your part to reach out and make yourself available.

Nothing beats the feeling of helping our community on your own time. 

Check in with your Past

In Yoga we so often hear, "Be Present" "Let Go" "Let Your Mind Be Silent"  "Just Be," and although I think this is a wonderful way to live and is how I live the healthiest version of myself, there are times when reflection is greatly needed.  There are times where I take some time to just sit with my past and explore it physically, emotionally and mentally.  I'll visit a place I've been to before because I have a happy memory there, or I'll look at pictures of an event in my life that has made me a better person, or I'll read my journal or notes I've taken on a certain experience in my life and I'll enjoy it.

There is nothing wrong with taking some time to appreciate the value your past has on your life.  The people you've known and the places you've been have brought you to who and where you are today.  Be grateful for your past, for it has provided you a stepping stone to your present life.  And, although sometimes life may be dreary or frustrating, there are many experiences left ahead of you that you are better prepared for because of your past.  Recalling your past can help you make better choices today.  So reflect.  Give yourself a couple of minutes, experience what has passed and find a way to appreciate the the lessons you have learned.  Then "Let Go" "Be Present" and "Let Your Mind Be Silent" for you are ready to take on your future.

By Yourself

I have not had a true day off in over a month, (maybe even 2 months).  Now, given, I tend to like to live my life that way, but sometimes I just need a day of  pure rest.  Usually on my days off I make plans with friends, go to a museum or a beach I've been wanting to see, plan to get certain tasks done that I need done, etc, etc.  A day completely off is hard to come by.  When it finally happens, it is a true gift.  Finally, for me, it has come.  Tuesday is my day of rest.  Tuesday is my day of nothing.  Today is Tuesday.  Ahhh... today is here.

I made no plan.  Sure I have some things I can do, like give a little love to my blog, but I didn't plan anything that I felt I absolutely must complete in order to feel good about my day.  I even cleaned my living space yesterday, so to be sure it was welcoming to me when I woke.  

This morning I kept my eyes closed and lay in silence. I stayed in bed until I was absolutely sure I was ready to get up.  Oh, how I love my bed!  I made myself a warming and healthy breakfast and gazed out the window as I ate.  I had thought perhaps I was going to go for a bike ride in the Province Lands, but the weather has been dark, cold and very wet all day.  Oh goodie!!!

Hmm... meditation?  Curl up with my kitten and read?  Practice Yoga for myself?  I began to slowly separate from the world, hearing my needs.  I closed my curtains, cranked up the heat to be toasty warm, put on some calming jazz, turned all clocks around and put my cell phone on silent in a different room.  There I was.  What shall I do?  I sat with myself and listened.

So far, it has been a marvelous day and rather surprising as well.  I am so grateful to have given myself this time.  And I will make sure to give myself this time at least once a week, as I am a better person when I can rest and listen to my own needs.

Now what about you?  Look at your schedule.  When is your next day off?  Why not give yourself that day to be with you?  Explore your needs on your own.  Check in with who you are and the life you've made for yourself.  Find what is working for you in your life and what isn't.  Let go of the things that make your life too messy.  Surround yourself with love; love from yourself and love from those around you.  You can make your life the way you want, if you'd just listen to yourself by giving yourself time and space to truly feel and be who you are.

Explore

So often we find ourselves in the same situations with the same people in the same place.

This week, challenge yourself to get out and explore something new.  Meet a new person and go somewhere with them that you've never been; take your pup for a walk in a new park you've always thought would be fun but seems so out of the way; involve yourself in something you've wanted to join in on, but just never thought you had the time; explore something brand new and see what it gives back; move to a new place, if the opportunity knocks; take a new job, if you're interested and it's available to you; imagine yourself taking a direction in your life that you never thought you'd take; give yourself the opportunity to dream -- then notice what happens.  Does it scare you?  Does it feel like the chains have been lifted?  Do you have a little more space to breath?  Do you feel like an idiot for wasting your time dreaming about things that will never happen?

Stop listening to the voices in your head and start listening to your heart.  What do you really want?  Put yourself out there.  Send your hopes and dreams out into the universe and believe they will come true.  In the meantime, try something new and see how you feel while you're trying it.

Exploring ourselves can be the most playful and telling things we can do.  It can stimulate creativity and intrigue.  Try it.  You never know what you may gain from the experience.  Hopefully, with a positive outlook, it will be something truly great!

Living Longer with Love

How much love do you have in your life?  Do you live in isolation and loneliness?  Do you you have so many friends you can't find the time to create deeper bonds with a few specific people?

Find love in your life.  It's easier than you think.  Place yourself into your community by involving yourself in things you love to do.  Join the community garden, take a weekly yoga class at the same place and same time, meet the "regulars" at your neighborhood bar, join a club or attend church on Sunday mornings.  Whatever it is you love to do or want to do (besides your job), set some time aside for it and do it.  You will begin to meet like-minded people and start to form bonds.  Not only is it healthy to be out and active, the people you meet may become a significant part of your life.  Perhaps you'll even meet your future partner or best friend.  If you live in an isolated place (or even if you don't), get yourself a pet to love.

It's worth a shot.  You'll be healthier for it.  Your life will be longer if you give and receive love regularly.  Feeling isolated and rejected triggers the creation of inflammation in the body and compromises immunity.  Feeling loved and honored regulates the body and makes us feel good.

Honor your friends and family.  Tell them you love them.  Express your gratitude for having them in your life and anytime they do something for you.  Forgive them.  Be quick to apologize.  Laugh a lot.

Namaste.  
"May the goodness in me greet the goodness in you, always."
With Love -- 

Resilience

There are days, weeks, even months, where we can feel like we are barely able to go on, where we want to throw our hands up and shout, “I give up!”,  where all we want to do is lie in bed and breathe.  Have you felt this way, finding yourself at the bottom of the barrel with no way out in sight?    

Feeling sorrow, loss and pain is a big part of life.  This is something we must accept.  Life would be empty if we never lived through these difficult feelings and experiences.  The beauty of opposites (Yin/Yang) is that there is always something stupendous waiting for you on the other side.

At times of suffering, the ultimate goal is to get yourself out of bed and move your body, even if it’s as simple as drinking a cup of tea while gazing at your backyard, meditating in a peaceful place or practicing a yoga pose.  There is always a way to continue on.  Find the peace and strength within yourself and you will find your resilience.

In our Yoga practice, we can discover how to work through anything that happens to us.  We can use these experiences as teachers instead of constraints.  By moving the emotions in and around our bodies, we will find ways to give them expression and let them go.  Our loss and suffering can become profound and positive transformation.  We just have to trust that we can and will move forward.

Apply your experiences to your life, and you will let go of the hurt and pain anything has caused you.  Turn every circumstance to your advantage.  Experience your resilience.