Month: December 2013

In November of this year, I themed my classes around “No”vember, essentially asking, what can we say “No” to…in order to say “yes” to something greater? * The premise is simple:

• You are already complete
• You already are your best self, and in your deepest self you know your highest vision for yourself (you know it because you hear that little voice that tells you when you’re veering off-course, and says “ahhhhh” when you’ve done the right thing!
• Now, we simply gotta clear away the gunk that gets in the way…by saying no.

So, this year: the anti-new years resolution!

We often think the answer lies in doing more.  More gym, more vegetables, more work, more obligation, more tasks.  However, these kinds of obligations – though coming from an inspired desire to be better – often wind up weighing us down and becoming dreary rules that we feel compelled to follow.  When we can’t check everything off our unending list of self-improvement, we become despondent and feel that we’ve let ourselves down.

So, this year, rather than asking, what can I add onto my life to be better, ask yourself:

What can I let go of to let my best self come through?

Here are some examples:

• Let go of obligations
• Let go of old habits
• Let go of fear
• Let go of self-doubt
• Let go of activities that don’t make you vibrant
• Let go of should’s…in favor of really following your priorities

If you’d like something a little more physical to spur you on, this is the ideal time to:

• Let go of old clothes
• Let go of old kitsch that just takes up space
• Clean out your photos
• Clean out your junk drawers
• Clean out your bookshelves
• Clean out your desk
• Clean out your kitchen
• Clean out your appliances

Not only will you lighten your own load, but you can bring your goodies to the Salvation Army and make a New Years’ donation at the same time!

Feel free to share your inspirations and stories.

Happy New Year!

 

* Originally inspired by my fabulous friend Shandy Rae Scarfo (check out The Naked Sprout  in Whistler). She did a “no” vember theme a couple years back in her yoga class that I loved.

I love to sing.

Ever since I was a kid, I have sung in choirs, in musicals, a cappella groups, and even the occasional rock opera.   Even when I sound like a laryngitic cat, I relish the attempt.

About a year ago, I started to take singing lessons.  Yay, I thought!  Now I will have the opportunity to sing more often and spend time on something I love.  What fun, what joy, what a gift!

Right?

Wrong.

After about the second week, my brain started in:

• “Oh, now I have to practice”
• “Thank god I practiced, now I can check that off my list.”
• “Oh, I suck because I don’t want to practice”
• “Uh-oh, I have a lesson and I haven’t practiced”
• “Ugh, why did I schedule a lesson?”
• “I hate singing.”

I turned singing – something that I loved – into an irritating obligation.  See, we humans are funny critters.  Invite us to do something that we love, and we’re ecstatic.  Tell us that we have to do it, and we become mopey and resistant.

This “flip” happens in our yoga practice as well.

When we first begin to practice, our mind and bodies sing with happiness.  “I can’t believe I found yoga,” we gush.  “I absolutely love my practice!  I need my practice.””  But as time moves forward, we start to turn yoga into something to check off our list.  “Gotta get my practice in.  Good, now I can check that off the list.  Done.”

Ironically, in forgetting to relish our practice, we deprive ourselves of the very experience that we made time for!

This holiday season, give yourself a special gift.  Reclaim the quiet, profound, and personal gifts of your own yoga practice:

• When you arrive on your mat, take a moment and pause.   Really. Take a breath.
• Let go of the checklist.
• Get rid of your agenda.
• Remember why you came back to your practice in the first place.
• Enjoy your time to simply breathe and move.

And, as you approach the holidays, consider if there are other places outside of your practice that you are setting yourself up for this same “flip.”

For example:

• Holiday parties
• Seeing our friends
• Buying presents
• Making time for our family
• Traveling
• Eating holiday treats

These opportunities to connect, feel, and play become dreary when we turn them into obligatory errands or appointments.  Ask yourself: are you clearing off your to-do-list, or can you give yourself the time to fully enjoy the richness of these once-a-year experiences?

Nourish yourself this holiday season by accepting the gifts that are already right in front of you.

Drink every last drop of their eggnoggy goodness.