Today I am sharing a yoga practice with a chair. You don’t have to be a yogi to do this!
Please join me for centering, letting go, and getting a good stretch. You can even do it at your desk.
Let’s find our middle ground together!
Chair Yoga with Val from Val Boyko on Vimeo.
May you find peace today and everyday.
~
Find your Middle Ground
Tend to your inner garden
Clearing takes some time
~
Every day I seem to wait for it to a little cooler and drier so I can spend time clearing away the weeds that seem to have sprouted overnight in my garden.
The forecast calls for cooler temperatures and lower humidity over the next few days. I will celebrate by setting aside plenty of time to clear in a purposeful mindful way.
Tending to our outer garden and inner one are very similar. Are you putting off time to find the right moment for meditating, reading inspiring words or attending a yoga class?Are you being sidetracked with the weeds of drama and social media?
The busyness of life and the weather can get in the way.
Remember we have control over one of them.
Tend to your inner garden and set aside time to Find Your Middle Ground.
I am finding so much joy in my garden this Spring. It has been an abundant one for growth and blossoms.
It is my Center.
Luckily I haven’t had to go to many commercial garden centers, as everything seems to know how to magically fill in the space it has and how to express itself.
Such joy to nurture this and share 💛
Put your hands on your heart and say to yourself,
“May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you be safe.
May you be loved.”
…. Repeat four times.*
So often we give to others and tend to them, and also dismiss kindness towards ourselves.
Its time to build your capacity to bring kindness home.
In times of turmoil and chaos, this is the least that we can do to stay grounded and remind ourselves that we are all vulnerable feeling human beings who all want to be happy, to be healthy, to feel safe and to be loved.
Its time to share some love with yourself.
Namaste
*Abblett, Mitch. The Self-Compassion Deck: 50 Mindfulness-Based Practices (Kindle Locations 1097-1111). PESI Publishing. Kindle Edition.
Adrift by Remina Greenfield. Source: http://reminagreenfield.com/adrift.html
There will be times when we find ourselves adrift. It is part of the ebb and flow of life, and an invitation to anchor ourselves once more.
Eventually I came to realize that there is nothing ‘wrong’, just something inside us that requires our attention.
Our thinking mind usually tells us we have to figure out what’s wrong and take action to fix it. It isn’t surprising that we think this way. Over the years, there are expectations for us to achieve, lead others or reach a goal, and so we have become conditioned to see life in this way.
It is the loss of connection to our inner being that brings about a lack of centeredness and feelings of being adrift. When our heart, mind and spirit are out of alignment, we must tune inwards, rather than start analyzing options. Our inner being is trying to communicate to us, not through the head, but through our heart.
The mind says, “I need to do something to feel more in control”.
The heart says “Remember me. Where have you been. I miss you.”
To find our way back to center requires us to pause and notice the quiet voice within us. To find our middle ground.Take a moment to close your eyes and sit with this question: “What is my heart telling me?”
And listen for guidance.
Then phrase words for yourself as a guiding mantra. They may be something like: “Let my breath be my anchor.” “Let compassion be my anchor.” “Let the opening of my heart be my anchor.” “Let trusting be my anchor.” “Let choosing what I love be my anchor.”
Feeling adrift is an invitation to come home to yourself and to your heart.
When you center here, the way is clear.
Namaste
This poem by Steve Taylor really resonates with me and what I stand for in Finding Your Middle Ground. Set aside some time to pause and reflect on these words. Listen for the quiet voice within that already knows that there is no need.
Photo from guestofaguest.com
There’s no need to surround yourself with luxury
to treat yourself to the best of everything
metallic fridges and designer bags
the colours of the season, the car of the year
to show others that you’re special
and feel incomplete when you can’t.
You don’t need daily doses of good news
to lift your mood when you feel glum.
You don’t need compliments or presents
or flirtatious smiles across the room
to keep you happy with yourself
or hourly fixes of pleasure
to set your brain cells jingling
and frustrate you when they don’t.
There’s no need to say the right thing
to be charming or funny or stylish
so that strangers notice you, and your friends
still like you.
There’s no need to pretend, or to prove yourself.
You need the respect of others
in order to respect yourself.
There’s no need to cover up the silence
with the chatter of radio and TVs.
There’s no need to fill the empty space
with jobs that don’t need doing
or words that have no meaning
or tasks that have no purpose
except to fill the empty space.
You only need to meet yourself
to let the discord within you fade away
and find the stillness underneath
the place where you’re already whole
where there is no need to seek or strive
because there is no need.
~ Steve Taylor. Taken from “The Calm Center”
May we all find this calm center.
Namaste
If you are new to this site, welcome!
Click on the following links to learn more about finding your middle ground and the steps that can take you there.
Namaste
~
In a turvy world
Leave the topsy behind you
Find your Middle Ground
~
If you are new to this site, welcome!
Find your Middle Ground is about stepping away from stressful days and anxious minds, and taking time to pause.
When we are mindful of the present moment and simply allow it to be, we open a door to our natural state of being – accepting, loving, peaceful, kind and happy. Most of us are so distracted and moving so fast that we get caught up in the world of “doing” or worrying about what we should be doing next.
Too much doing and thinking disconnects us from our sense of “being”and who we really are.
I write about finding this place of connection, contentment and peace in the highs and lows of life. I call it our Middle Ground.
Unscheinbar | leaf macro | by Andrea Witt – on Pinterest
Find your Middle Ground
Fall outside the world of time
Where nothing ever happened
And nothing will ever happen
Forever peace.
Fall inside a part of yourself
That is unperturbed
And free of everything
Perfect stillness and freedom
Let things be
Just be
Namaste
No matter what has happened before
Your past experience has brought you to this moment.
Let this awareness fill your being with gratitude.
You are right here.
Its time to come home.
Open the door to your heart
Find your Self waiting with open arms.
Hugs
This is a re-post, dedicated to yoga teachers who bring their loving guidance to the body, mind and spirit of their students every day. I am honored to be a part of this amazing yoga community.
… And now I embrace an other group of beautiful and courageous souls, whom I met today at the first session of the Yoga Teachers Mentor Program and Practicum.
This haiku is for you and all your yoga students.
With gratitude and love ❤️
Namaste
A being centered
in melodies gentle flow
breaks open my heart
~~~
A being open
to life energy within
lets the soul soar free
~~~
A being in awe
of the fullness of Presence
can bring light to all
~~~
When the going gets tough … the tough get grounded.
The past couple of weeks have been like a proverbial roller coaster. Now I have time to to reflect and share some insights.
I noticed there was a rocky start when I was in shock and denial. Wishing things could be different. But the more I sat with the reality, the more I let go of resistance and found acceptance.
Yes, there was fear. Fear about what could happen. Fear about loss. Projecting anxiety into the future creates more worry in the mind … and stress in the body. That is why finding time to pause, walk outside, meditate, BREATHE and practice yoga became so important to me.
Coming into the present moment and accepting the way things are, brings alignment rather than resistance and tension.
The universe aligned the best people and resources to tackle the situation and I knew that we were in good hands.
Since then I found time every day to pause and come fully in the present … and live my own words.
“Life is a series of highs and lows
Be grateful for the highs
Be graceful in the lows
And find contentment in your middle ground.”
The Middle Ground is always there for us every time we pause and bring our attention inwards with an open mind and heart. It is where love and spirit reside.
May you find it for yourself and let it nourish you through the lows of life.
