I finished the 21 Day Yoga Challenge from Yoga Journal Magazine a couple of days ago. The intention was to practice yoga for 21 days in a row and eat one vegetarian meal per day. It was great! Apparently it takes 21 consecutive days to create a habit and now I believe it.
To be honest the first couple of weeks were pretty easy. The hardest part was trying to come up with something new to keep myself entertained. The third week was near torture. By the time I hit week 3, I was really loosing my motivation to keep going and I was tired of my (by then) bland vegetarian meal. But, I pushed though and I persevered! I think days 18, 19 and 20 were the worst, but I was determined to see it through (and thankfully, a call to a close friend helped to provide the extra motivation I needed to keep going). And I am do proud that I did. :)
I have noticed a definite difference in my practice and am sooo thankful that I did this challenge. Honestly, I needed it. For a long while I think I had truly lost my practice. Being a yoga teacher is great, but I found that when I was practicing I was practicing for my students. Always thinking of them, how could I explain this asana better, how can I get my students to focus on this or that. In the meantime I lost what my practice was. My main goal in the challenge was to get MY practice back. To use my practice to worship God. To get back to the heart of it all. And it's working! I feel so much more alive now! Not just more physically awakened, but spiritually. Sure the physical benefits have been wonderful, but the spiritual aspect is what keeps me coming back to my mat. Just me and God, together. It's wonderful. God has blessed me so much and is continuing to use my yoga practice to deepen our relationship. I can't wait to see what He's going to do with it next.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
A New Year
A new year is upon us. Like the dawn of a new day, we are thrust upon it. With the quiet of winter and the newness of a new year, my thoughts almost always turn inward. This year has been no different. So many things have been running through my head the last few weeks. Two things predominately. One is on where I am and the second is on where I am going.
The ugly truth about taking a long look in the mirror is that if you look long enough, you'll find something that you want to change. I think that may true not only at looking at your outward appearance, but also looking at your inner self. At your heart. At your intentions. None of us can take an honest look at ourselves and see perfection. I am so thankful that God doesn't see me this way. Being washed in the Blood definitely has its benefits.
As I often do, along with many others who spend winter in quiet self reflection, I end up with the desire to seek some form of self improvement. For some it's loosing weight, for others it's trying to become less stressed. Whatever your resolution, I encourage you to not set a goal, but instead set an intention. Goals differ from intentions in that goals tend to be rigid. And goals are fine, but often times goals lead to something more temporary. An intention in the other hand is different. An intention gives you a point of focus. It will be more broad than a goal. And when you, being human, fall off the bandwagon, an intention helps to pick you back up instead of making you feel guilty for not being perfect. I have learned that perfection is not reasonably attainable. Being good and doing your best is better. Perfection will not be reached in this lifetime; it is something attained only in Glory.
Which brings me to my other thought of the day. Sometimes God closes doors so he can open new ones. After I learned that Soul Shine would be closing I decided to start seeking a new place to practice on occasions. I picked out a few studios I'd like to try, but by the time that the studio's January schedules came out, only a couple of the classes that I selected remained. And those that did remain we're not my top picks. After much prayer over the situation, I have felt God's calling that He be my teacher for a while. One thing that Judith Lasater spoke about during the December call was that there are times when you need a teacher and then there are times when you don't. During the times that you don't need the direct influence of a teacher are the times when you let your practice (or in my case,The God of the Universe) be your guide. So, one of my new years intentions is to get back to my personal practice. Get back to enjoying my practice. To get a time to refocus. And most importantly, to give myself the opportunity to seek God in His temple. I know I'm not going to be able to practice every day like I would like. But I must remember to accept myself for where I am right now. And to be gentle with myself when I don't execute everything perfectly. After all, perfection in this life is fake. And I, for one, cannot and adamantly refuse to compete with fake. Shalom!
The ugly truth about taking a long look in the mirror is that if you look long enough, you'll find something that you want to change. I think that may true not only at looking at your outward appearance, but also looking at your inner self. At your heart. At your intentions. None of us can take an honest look at ourselves and see perfection. I am so thankful that God doesn't see me this way. Being washed in the Blood definitely has its benefits.
As I often do, along with many others who spend winter in quiet self reflection, I end up with the desire to seek some form of self improvement. For some it's loosing weight, for others it's trying to become less stressed. Whatever your resolution, I encourage you to not set a goal, but instead set an intention. Goals differ from intentions in that goals tend to be rigid. And goals are fine, but often times goals lead to something more temporary. An intention in the other hand is different. An intention gives you a point of focus. It will be more broad than a goal. And when you, being human, fall off the bandwagon, an intention helps to pick you back up instead of making you feel guilty for not being perfect. I have learned that perfection is not reasonably attainable. Being good and doing your best is better. Perfection will not be reached in this lifetime; it is something attained only in Glory.
Which brings me to my other thought of the day. Sometimes God closes doors so he can open new ones. After I learned that Soul Shine would be closing I decided to start seeking a new place to practice on occasions. I picked out a few studios I'd like to try, but by the time that the studio's January schedules came out, only a couple of the classes that I selected remained. And those that did remain we're not my top picks. After much prayer over the situation, I have felt God's calling that He be my teacher for a while. One thing that Judith Lasater spoke about during the December call was that there are times when you need a teacher and then there are times when you don't. During the times that you don't need the direct influence of a teacher are the times when you let your practice (or in my case,The God of the Universe) be your guide. So, one of my new years intentions is to get back to my personal practice. Get back to enjoying my practice. To get a time to refocus. And most importantly, to give myself the opportunity to seek God in His temple. I know I'm not going to be able to practice every day like I would like. But I must remember to accept myself for where I am right now. And to be gentle with myself when I don't execute everything perfectly. After all, perfection in this life is fake. And I, for one, cannot and adamantly refuse to compete with fake. Shalom!
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