"Whether you and I and a few others will renew the world some day remains to be seen. But within ourselves we must renew it each day" - Hermann Hesse
Our morning yoga practice today was a full 2-hour hip opening class. The intention for this morning's class was MINDFULNESS - to be mindful of what muscles we were using in each of our poses, to be mindful in the pose with our breath and with our alignment. At the end of the class and later in anatomy and physiology class Julia said we were the most focused group she's ever had in a class she's led . I mentioned to Cheska later tonight that I think we were less focused than we were working through the pain waiting and praying for the pose to be over . . . there was so much discomfort that we couldn't help be mindful all class. BUT . . . as per always, in Shavasana, and afterwards I felt amazing and grateful for the strength in my practice.
Mindfulness is something I have to work very hard at and is also something that I strive to work LESS at and have it just come naturally. I have always had a very active mind - even in my Buddhist practice, when I practice gongyo (chanting nam yo ho renge qyo) my mind would wander to other thoughts like what I needed to get done, a conversation I had previously, my grocery list . . . I believe that the meditation that we're learning with Upendra and the mudras are going to be a very beneficial addition to my life. I believe that if we were more mindful in life we would get more things accomplished, stay on task, suffer less from "sometimers", remember where we put our keys. We live in a society where our lives have become too busy that we are constantly playing catch-up to every moment. If we simply stop and be mindful or aware of each thing that we do or say we could get more accomplished with less effort. Where yoga is concerned, being mindful on our mat leads to a stronger more fulfilling practice; body, mind and spirit. This is my goal.
This morning I woke with a thoracic spine that felt like it was fused together, and even after Advil, it did not release. It was so tight that I couldn't inhale fully. I believe this is due to the fact that since 2009 with all the bodybuilding I did for my figure competitions I can probably count on two hands the number of massages I've had . . . BIG MISTAKE, and one I plan to correct when I return home. It's no wonder my intercostals are completely locked up, not to mention that since I started going to a chiropractor in my early 20's, adjusting my upper back has never been an easy task; impossible at times actually. Something to work towards.
Today was day 2 of my daily 45 minute walk on the beach - the firmer sand against the tide as the soft sand broils the bottoms of your feet - I've never felt anything like it. Even though we do 2-3 hours of yoga a day, I'm used to at the very least taking my dog for a 1.5 hour walk each day. I realized that with all the sitting and the yoga, I need my joints and muscles to move in a different way so I don't continue to tighten up. It's really helped a lot. The greatest part of it is the pieces of nature that grace my path each time, and the local people, especially the children that I meet along the way.
The frogs still show up in my bathroom in every place I need to be - a mirror, the toilet, the tap of the shower - I find myself reaching for things and there's this slimy (albeit kinda cute) little thing looking at me with it's beady eyes. I'm trying to make peace with the frogs.
One of our instructors - who assists during the Ashtanga class each morning, Yoko - from Switzerland just shared with me in our lunch discussion that he's a trapeze artist with his partner. He spends 6 months in Goa performing because it's more advantageous for him to do so here because his art is considered more exotic because he's from Switzerland than it is back home. He said there is no place for his art back home. He's a very interesting man - he looks like he's been a yogi his whole life and he has the kindest eyes I've ever seen. Go to his website and give a watch http://www.goldengravity.com/
What's your challenge for yourself today How can you be more mindful in your job, at home, in life, on your mat?
Namaste
J
Our morning yoga practice today was a full 2-hour hip opening class. The intention for this morning's class was MINDFULNESS - to be mindful of what muscles we were using in each of our poses, to be mindful in the pose with our breath and with our alignment. At the end of the class and later in anatomy and physiology class Julia said we were the most focused group she's ever had in a class she's led . I mentioned to Cheska later tonight that I think we were less focused than we were working through the pain waiting and praying for the pose to be over . . . there was so much discomfort that we couldn't help be mindful all class. BUT . . . as per always, in Shavasana, and afterwards I felt amazing and grateful for the strength in my practice.
Mindfulness is something I have to work very hard at and is also something that I strive to work LESS at and have it just come naturally. I have always had a very active mind - even in my Buddhist practice, when I practice gongyo (chanting nam yo ho renge qyo) my mind would wander to other thoughts like what I needed to get done, a conversation I had previously, my grocery list . . . I believe that the meditation that we're learning with Upendra and the mudras are going to be a very beneficial addition to my life. I believe that if we were more mindful in life we would get more things accomplished, stay on task, suffer less from "sometimers", remember where we put our keys. We live in a society where our lives have become too busy that we are constantly playing catch-up to every moment. If we simply stop and be mindful or aware of each thing that we do or say we could get more accomplished with less effort. Where yoga is concerned, being mindful on our mat leads to a stronger more fulfilling practice; body, mind and spirit. This is my goal.
This morning I woke with a thoracic spine that felt like it was fused together, and even after Advil, it did not release. It was so tight that I couldn't inhale fully. I believe this is due to the fact that since 2009 with all the bodybuilding I did for my figure competitions I can probably count on two hands the number of massages I've had . . . BIG MISTAKE, and one I plan to correct when I return home. It's no wonder my intercostals are completely locked up, not to mention that since I started going to a chiropractor in my early 20's, adjusting my upper back has never been an easy task; impossible at times actually. Something to work towards.
Today was day 2 of my daily 45 minute walk on the beach - the firmer sand against the tide as the soft sand broils the bottoms of your feet - I've never felt anything like it. Even though we do 2-3 hours of yoga a day, I'm used to at the very least taking my dog for a 1.5 hour walk each day. I realized that with all the sitting and the yoga, I need my joints and muscles to move in a different way so I don't continue to tighten up. It's really helped a lot. The greatest part of it is the pieces of nature that grace my path each time, and the local people, especially the children that I meet along the way.
 |
| Kapha joining me on a walk |
The frogs still show up in my bathroom in every place I need to be - a mirror, the toilet, the tap of the shower - I find myself reaching for things and there's this slimy (albeit kinda cute) little thing looking at me with it's beady eyes. I'm trying to make peace with the frogs.
One of our instructors - who assists during the Ashtanga class each morning, Yoko - from Switzerland just shared with me in our lunch discussion that he's a trapeze artist with his partner. He spends 6 months in Goa performing because it's more advantageous for him to do so here because his art is considered more exotic because he's from Switzerland than it is back home. He said there is no place for his art back home. He's a very interesting man - he looks like he's been a yogi his whole life and he has the kindest eyes I've ever seen. Go to his website and give a watch http://www.goldengravity.com/
What's your challenge for yourself today How can you be more mindful in your job, at home, in life, on your mat?
Namaste
J
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