Main Photo Credit - Michael Neville

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Loving My Failures

Today was hectic and busy, but in the evening I found the time to practice my yoga and meditation. I noticed that my asanas have become more effortless and graceful, and that I'm easing further into new realms of flexibility. It has been completely amazing for me to continue on this road to enlightenment. I've learned a lot about myself and my commitment to repairing the parts of me that are "broken". I've begun to celebrate the areas where I am abnormal and rejoice in my mistakes because these spaces of me teach me how to be vulnerable and fragile in a way where I can learn and grow and become stronger. My body has taught me the virtue of patience and fortitude. I know it even more intimately now and I'm allowing myself to get up close and personal with my mind, soul, physical person, and spirit. Meditation has proven to me a powerful teacher for me today. I could visualize clearer then ever while meditating on my chakras today. In particular my Third Eye chakra seem to be blooming and open and my root chakra as been improving. I'm doing all I can to stimulate a healthy and steady flow through my energetic body as possible. I just know that I've made progress and more importantly that I'm changing for the better.

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Short And Sweet

I'm writing this post actually on May 25th even though the Blogger date reads different. This is largely because I tried to post to this link via my cell phone and my cell wouldn't let me do that for some reason. The other reason is because for some days now I could not log into my Blogger account to post anything. So I'm going to make today's post short and sweet and say that I really missed posting to my yoga blog because it has kept me centered, but I'm also glad that I had a break because it gave me a fresh perspective on my practice and my meditation. I've also missed a few days of yoga because I've been under the weather and I simply needed the downtime. Now I'm back  and ready to start blogging away! So now it's time to warm up the mat and limber up my fingers for flying across the keyboard again. No more slacking for me because I'm back in the thick of it!

Friday, May 20, 2011

Real Progress

Yesterday evening I had what was probably one of my most fulfilling and inspiring meditation sessions ever. I had just completed about 30 minutes of a yoga practice where I could just see how far I've come in the last 3 months; even though I missed a day! I loved the way I felt an innate sense of calm wash over me. The room was a hush with sundry noises, the typing of my significant other's keyboard, the rush of the wind outside my window, the steady, measuring inhale and exhalations of my breath. I visualized easily the colors of my chakras, starting with a shocking red for my 1st chakra (the Root). Moving up all the way to a deep indigo for my Third Eye chakra. It was wonderful to experience my whole world stop for moment and my mind empty of thoughts. I came to a place in my psyche that was almost like sleep, but somewhere in between, and then I would pull back and focus on the color of my chakra. I could feel the healing at a soul-deep level that is hard to put into words. I know that each session is different, but I can only try to duplicate or one-up the results of last nights meditation, if only to feel again that sense of inexplicable bliss.

Photo Credits: Markuso

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Free To Be

Recently I've been practicing the art of letting go. To live life without a preset rulebook. Don't get me wrong, planning out your path is great, but micro-managing each part of it has to go by the wayside -- at least for me anyway. I prefer to set a general outline, sort of like sign posts that point the right way out to me and keep me on track. This allows me space to expand and breath, and gives me time to find my center. Yoga is about letting go, and so is EFT and meditation. Because it's only then that we can truly get a sense of who we really are inside. It can be scary to find out what we are made of. There's a lot of fear that we might not like what we see. But how else are we going to grow and change for the better. Our flaws up close are uncomfortable to look at and make us sweat for sure, but it's that perspiration and that labor that prime us to be capable of greater things. I for one am embracing every part of me; even the areas that I'm not at all thrilled with. Here's me looking straight in the mirror without flinching.

Photo Credits: Markuso

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Re-aligning My Focus

Every time I move into a yoga pose the flexibility of my body mirrors that of my spirit. I can feel the subtle change happening daily, and the minor adjustments are apparent during each practice. I accept all these changes in stride and love each and every moment of growth and development that they herald. From this place of inner fulfillment I know that I'm gaining more ground with each passing step. Even this current struggle hasn't gotten me down. The physical plane is just one aspect of my existence and I'm not letting it define me completely. On the days when I lack my usual vigor, I go deeper inside to discover another kind of peace. It's a quiet that's soul-deep and purely unique to myself. When I'm in this space I find the strength to transcend the mundane and I know that I'm not only bound to my body. There's a real heart-felt beauty in acknowledging that I can escape to this destination of mind whenever I need to. This is how I'm learning to tap into my calm and courage.

Photo Credits: Photostock

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Sticking It Out

Yesterday for the first time in nearly 3 months, I didn't do yoga. It's so crazy because I thought I did.  I completely slipped my mind! This could just be my cue that I need to slow down, but i think my anemia played a part in that. Sometimes I'm positively foggy. Today I have more clarity. It's always hard around that certain time of the month with this problem though. I'll chock it up to that and keep going. I'm not about to give up on everything that I've done so far just because I had an off day. I'm in it to win it full steam ahead, but I'm pacing myself. Even still, it can be quite the challenge to balance my yoga schedule with my working life. Despite this fact I always seem to manage to get at least 30 minutes in before bedtime if nothing else. EFT has been a total savior for me today. I'm so glad that I found an effective and stress-relieving way to get myself back on track when I veer slightly off-course. I know that with time and patience, I'll soon be back to my old self again. Until then I'll simply have to wait it out.

Monday, May 16, 2011

My Root Chakra And EFT

I've found EFT to have a very strengthening effect on my Root chakra. For those of you just now reading my blog, EFT stands for Emotional Freedom Technique, and it's a method where a person uses two fingers to tap various acupressure points while stating as emphatically as they can various affirmations. Not only does it cleanse the body's meridians and encourage a positive energy flow throughout a person's entire system, but it also rids the body of negative thought patterns and emotions that get in the way of our personal growth. The Root Chakra, represented by the color red, is what gives of the the ability to stand on our "own two feet" so to speak. It has to do with survival in all aspects of our life, but especially, emotionally, sexually and financially. A disruption in this chakra can show up as kidney problems, anemia, and sexual dysfunction to name a few. As I have anemia and a tendency towards kidney concerns I know I have to work to build up this chakra daily. Yoga and meditation has been helping greatly, but my secret weapon has definitely been EFT. In practicing EFT regularly, I have excised a lot of the thought processes that contribute to a weakened Root chakra and I've well on my way to having a stable 1st chakra. I feel really good about this.

Photo Credits: BJWOK

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Keeping Up

Today it was a little difficult to keep up my momentum. My anemia was starting to get a little noticeable. I still haven't missed a day of yoga through all of this. I take it as a huge accomplishment that I'm keeping this commitment to my body and my spirit. I know that this is the only the beginning of a long-term goal of better and more enriched health and a state of mind that is ready to tackle anything in life with calm and composure. I've added black strap molasses to my daily regimen in my fight against this anemia. I've read a lot of posts online and many people have said that this has helped them. So I hope everybody keeps their fingers crossed. I know I am. This is just one more hurtle to tackle in my journey through life. I'm charging ahead with full steam and plenty of gusto!

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Gathering Inspiration

Today I'm going to talk a little bit about where I get my inspiration from. A lot of my fire and passion comes from this untouchable place inside of me that I feel grow stronger with each meditation and yoga session. It feels if the source of that strength is the vibration of my Root chakra growing and expanding with each day that passes. My whole soul is expanding even as my body is gaining purchase so that it can healing. As I strive to raise and manage my energy levels, I realize that it's not so much about winning the battle as it is about surviving it's aftermath. With that in mind, I know that each time I step onto my mat, I'm suiting myself up with just a little more ammunition to keep going on to round 2. It's time to come out swinging!

Friday, May 13, 2011

Making Breakthroughs

Gaining ground in my yoga practice is about steady work with a healthy dose of discipline mixed in for good measure. I haven't missed a day of yoga since the 1st of March, and I'm feeling oh so good about it. Meditation has grounded and centered me and EFT has given me wings to soar with. Today I used EFT "on everything" as it's creator David Craig would advise me to do, and I'm feeling calmer and more in control. Nothing is better to deal with stress and anxiety then a little tapping. I've found my groove now and have starting to cross the plateau where my limitations dwell. It's up to me now to make the best of the opportunities that lie ahead. I'm on my way!

P.S. I'm posting yesterday's post because Blogger.com was down. Yesterday was my inspiration for today!

Photo Credits: Federico Stevanin

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Stepping Out On Faith

Sometimes I have to let go of all the preconceived notions, hard-wired beliefs, and get my mind out the the present. Sometimes I just have a little faith. I will have to give myself an award as "The Comeback Kid". I've weathered childhood abuse, growing up in a religious cult, severe depression, chronic fatigue, 2 deaths in immediate family, a breakup of a 5 year relationship that has come back around, family illness, the sagging economy, and now I'm struggling with anemia. What all of this has taught me is to have faith in the unlimited power that you can draw from within yourself. At what's often felt like the end of the line, I've comeback strong so many times and I've been made a better person for it. It takes fire to forge steel after all. The things that help me along the way are the precious friends I have, the love I've come to rediscover, my lovely sister, music, and writing, which has helped me through so many times of despair. And now I have yoga, meditation and EFT to assist me during the rest of my journey. I am blessed in so many ways to have discovered the benefits I've reap from all three practices that I cannot say. What I can state with confidence is that my whole life has turned around because of it and I've coming out with my gloves on!

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Perserverance And Peace

I've experienced both of these states of mind today. Though the two ways of being might seem incompatible, they actually blend like milk and honey. In yoga and life you have to have both to see you though the difficult times and to build the endurance you need to stay on track. Today I lost my focus and my balance and I had to remember how important is to combine serenity with your will-power. A strong sense of calm goes a long way towards tempering your drive and making the goals at the end of a particular journey that much sweeter once attained. Not only is your prize hard-won, but it is also there to stay.

Photo Credits: Graur Razvan Ionut

Monday, May 9, 2011

Live And Let Live

My reflections today have let me learn yet another lesson. I'm constantly learning from life itself and navigating the more difficult currents in it's ebb and flow. I understand what it fully means to really embrace the concept of 'live and let live.' I've found that it's not something you can force yourself to understand but will come to you in the aftermath of life's many altering occurrences. As I develop my Root chakra, I'm comprehending more and more that with the strength that undoubtedly comes from cultivating a strong one, temperance balances out any over-bearing habits I might have. In dealing with people this is a good trait to have especially when interacting with the ones we know the best. Using this attitude allows me to accept that everyone that crosses my path doesn't have to necessarily understand my vision. Their way is unique to them. Sometimes in life knowing that means respecting the life choices and decisions those close to you make, even if it is sad or uncomfortable for you. This isn't always easy, but knowing your own purpose and living it out in an unshakable manner will give you a way of allowing them their own personal journey. In that sense, whether you find a way to co-exist with them or your paths only cross for a time, you can be happy with the knowledge that you are both on the roads that you each have chosen.

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Channelling My Inner Fire

Today I realized an important point about myself. Through yoga, meditation and energy work, I'm am finding more of my inner strength -- the resolve to move forward and triumph despite many odds that have been thrown in my path. I look at today as a bright and hopeful part of the realization that I have started a flame inside myself. With each new problem I face that fire seems to burn brighter and brighter. A voice inside of my says 'even though things are dark at the moment look to the torch that no one can ever extinguish.' My meditation and self-reflection allow me to see that this is the shoring up of the foundation of who I am; the nourishing of my Root chakra. In the journey ahead of my I know that whatever happens that fire will never go out. So I hope to spread a little of this spirit out to every mother today, so she can remember that if she just has a little faith in herself, she can handle anything life throws her way. And that even in her darkest hour, the most powerful light she possesses resides with herself. Happy Mother's Day!

Photo Credits: Salvatore Vuono

Saturday, May 7, 2011

Realizing My Limits

I mentioned in a previous post in April that I was dealing with chronic anemia. Dealing with this issue has been a humbling experience. I'm not the raging ball of energy that I used to be. Slowly, with energy work, chakra balancing and yoga poses that soothe my condition along with herbal therapy, I'm regaining much of my strength back.  I know that my anemia is directly related to my need to boost my Root chakra. My kidneys have also taken a beating and are slowing repairing themselves as well. Sometimes at the end of the day, my limbs will be swollen and heavy with edema. Evening yoga is very helpful in not only de-stressing from the rigors after work, but in relieving much of the swelling from my extremities. I'm using a combination of organic nettle tea, burdock root, and dandelion tea as loose herbs and steeping them into a tea 2-3 times each day. I'm also taking 2-3 times per day alfalfa tablets and once per day 3 tablespoons of liquid chlorophyll. Lately I've also added to the mix the recommendation that a lifelong friend and companion gave to me call Digestacure. It's the best gift I'd had in a long time because it's given me back more of my precious energy. Take a look at their website here. I've only been taking it for 1 week and already I'm noticing a slight change in my condition with small but steady improvements day by day. There are good days when I feel almost normal and bad days when I'm exhausted, but I feel so positive about healing and I know I'm on the right track. The key to beating this is patience and willpower. Through all of this I still feel myself moving in a powerful direction like the proverbial tortoise sure and unrushed. Nothing can shake my stride!

Photo Credits: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Friday, May 6, 2011

Winding Down The Week

I'm feeling a common thread between yesterday and today. Is it the end of the week that is starting something incredible, or is this mounting energy I feel just a surge that is momentary and will soon fade away. I'm confident that it is something permanent and lasting, that will permeate every facet of my existence. My meditation session today was even more powerful then the one before and I know that something special is happening here. It's really cool to be right where I am right now, somewhere on the verge of an ending and a beginning. In this space I'm wrapped in promise and nostalgia; feeling the harshness of my past right along with the warm fuzzy moments, and mirroring that in the dreams and adventure of my future. In the clarity of this half-light, I can truly see myself as an individual -- who I was, who I am and who I am becoming. This is the moment of tomorrows, the stuff that sets the road for greatness and shapes who you will become. I'm embracing that eventuality with courage and stamina. My daily practice keeps me strong and agile, my meditation calm in the face of the storm and focused, and EFT releases me from myself. I think I've found the perfect trio.

Photo Credits: Tom Clare

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Floating Away

Today I was feeling a little less than grounded. I managed to pull myself back into shape with a centering session of yoga and a long meditation at its completion. I let myself relax naturally into each pose reflecting on the progress I've made so far. I let the colors of my concentration  each of my chakras as I reflected in utter silence. I tuned out and tuned in. It was a wonderful thing and I'm just taking the time to absorb it all and let my subconscious sink in. I'm creating something here -- a beautiful life!

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Embracing My Inner Strength

As time goes by I am realizing how powerful I can truly become in my resolution to rebuild myself from the ground up. Essentially that is what I'm doing energetically. In rejuvenating my Root chakra, I am creating a whole new me, different, but the same from the foundation where it counts and growing out of that base to blossom into something untouched and uncharted. I feel the burst of awareness bubbling up and spilling over to invade my consciousness and it's a wonderful thing. I'm embracing the unfurling of my Kundalini energy, my "serpent fire" and facing life with the passion that that invokes. It's only appropriate that the color red represents the 1st chakra. It's bold, confident and it charges ahead with beauty and life.

Photo Credits: Dynamite Imagery

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Grounding In My Root Chakra

I'm putting more attention on my root chakra to work on getting more of a sense of being anchored. Today when working with meditation on the color red I really felt empowered. I imagined the a large red circular mass spinning clockwise. It radiated from the base of my spine all the way to the tips of my toes and I kept at to see how long I could maintain that picture in my mind's eye. I was an exercise in concentration and focus and picturing vivid shade of crimson had wonderful effects on the energy of my root chakra. I'm also working with chakra clearing with EFT and utilizing yoga poses that encourage a strong base and a flexible spine like Uttanasana and Janu Sirsasana pose. At this point I'm not really looking for results I can quantify in any real sense, but I'm searching more for the feeling of improvement. I'm enjoying the space that I'm etching out for myself right now and where I am on my journey. I feel as if I have all the time in the world to keep growing.

Monday, May 2, 2011

Exercising Patience

The most important thing to remember when practicing yoga and meditation is a patience. In order to succeed and grown in my yoga practice I have to demonstrate a willingness to wait for the rewards that are inevitably coming my way. Flexibility of body and mind and the challenge that naturally accompanies my steady improvement are the benefits that I am gleaning from my endeavors towards enlightenment of body and soul. I am seeing changes in the way I look at things and in the shape and grace of my body, and they are welcome augmentations to my life. Opening my root chakra is something that I see as essential to my development as a whole and well-rounded person. In that opening I can expand and move with confidence and more of a new-found strength then ever before. I can feel that difference inside me with each meditation and it's effects are very telling indeed.

Photo Credits: Carlos Porto

Sunday, May 1, 2011

A Lazy Sunday

Even during a lazy Sunday, I still find the time to center in with yoga and meditation. It's already the 1st of May and I find myself reflecting on all that I have accomplished in the month of April. I've regularly practiced my EFT and plan to continue on in doing that. I haven't missed a day of yoga yet and my meditation is getting more powerful with each session. Today, as promised is the first day that I
focus in on strengthening my Root chakra. During meditations I am paying more attention to boosting the energy from the pelvic down to the feet, and I'm also going to purchase the appropriate stones and use aromatherapy and other Root chakra friendly methods to zero in on that zone. Stay tuned for improvements and another chakra test on June 1st. This year is going to be a year of breakthroughs and self-realization starting with the first day of the month!

Photo Credits: Graur Codrin