Are You Sleeping Through Your Life?

Via Sylvia Mordini - on her Twitter

New experiences are easy to find. You can create them at any moment. In small ways or big ones. In your yoga practice they may look like a new studio, a different teacher, a new location in the room, a pose you've never tried... music, mats, outfits, friends to practice with, chanting... 

All these things create a slightly different experience. Some of these are small things, but they are the same small things that people fight against as if they were epic monsters. They actively avoid placing their mat in a different place in the classroom. The front row is pretty unpopular. 

Your comfort zone can become like a prison if you move in full time. Your ego may try to trick you into believing it's not worth the risk. Remember that feeling when you first tried (and loved!) yoga?  

Try something new this week! Don't sleep through your life.

Smells like a Hippie

Me - A couple years ago I would've said this smells like a hippie, but now I just think it smells really good.

My Mom - "Well you are a hippie."

Touché mom. Touché.

We were talking about soap by the way.
Today's photos via Pinterest

Your Future Self is Better Than You

People are naturally competitive... even when no one is around we tend to compete with ourselves. Yesterday's quote was all about this. It can be a major motivator, or it can be an anvil holding you down.

Generally yoga is considered non-competitive. Generally. There are asana competitions and there's many peoples tendency to eyeball the best person in yoga class wanting to have the ability to hold a textbook Utkatasana for minutes without a sweat. Humans compete - it's built into our genetics and instincts. If we weren't competitive the human race would've died out instead of the neanderthals. Competition is handy when it decides who lives and who dies. Its even helpful when you're trying to achieve a goal and you need something to help you do better today than 2 months ago. Competition drives progress.

However, sometimes that competitive outlook can weigh you down if you're not on top. If you're doing worse today than yesterday, or six weeks ago, or four years ago - your natural drive to want to be better than you think you were then is going to irritate and discourage you. It happens, but don't let it get you down. Just because you sat in painless meditation for 45 minutes yesterday doesn't mean you have to do it again today. Five minutes is just fine.

Let yourself be where you are today. Sometimes you need to compete with yourself on your ability to accept things as they currently are.

Practicing Awareness

Of all the times I've been injured or had to jump-start a neglected practice - this one has to be the most intelligent so far. I think so anyway. I mentioned Monday that I had a weird back thing going on that was bad enough for me to rest 100% for 2 days. This means I really did nothing. I spent most of those days lying in bed. I didn't even do laundry which is bugging me because I always do laundry on Mondays. I watched a lot of TV on the laptop and read magazines. I even spent some time just lying there staring at the ceiling and "feeling" what was going on in my body. I've been really good about paying attention to my body this week. I'm proud of myself.

I went on a walk yesterday figuring that wasn't too strenuous and I meditated when I got home. It's been a very educational little break. By this morning (Wednesday*) I was feeling less like my shoulder/back was trying to stab itself off of me. I only felt a little stiff and slightly sore, but a little hesitant to practice. I've mentioned before that my morning practice consists of a couple sun salutations, headstands, handstands, and forearm stands. I first had to talk myself into sun salutations. Slow quiet sun salutations. Every breath, every tiny movement and placement of bones, every pull or push - I listened.

Softening into my practice isn't my forte' but I made it through the whole thing without pain. That's all I did and I'm determined to take it slow. For all I know, this injury could have come about from a series of bad habits and careless moments. I'm practicing awareness and creating a safer practice.

I know of lots of yogis that have made a comeback from far more serious injuries than me... I just have to be patient and kind to myself.

* - these posts are almost always written at least a day early.
Also - There would be pics but my internet is acting stupid, so that didn't work out.