Tag Archives for mind body spirit

Listen to Your Body – its Listening to You

The words we choose in our thinking, our speech and our writing, impact on how we feel and our overall well being.

abstract board game bundle business

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Have you ever noticed how a word can bring up a certain feeling inside of you? A sensation, a thought or an emotion?

Choosing a word that connects with your heart and soul can be not only uplifting, but also brings physical well being.

If you have a few moments, let’s explore.

Take your time as you connect to each of the words below. Go slowly. You can say them out loud:

Love
Tender
Soothing
Joy
Cuddle
Grateful
Smile
Gentle
Pause here and close your eyes. What is alive in you in this moment? Is there a warmth, softening, a feeling of tenderness or love perhaps? How is your breathing? Are you smiling? (me too) Notice how these words manifest themselves in your mind body and spirit.

pauseNow take a deep breath and take the same time connecting to each of these words:
Irritated
Ugly
Mean
Wrong
Frustrated
Cruel
Unfair
Bad
Pause here and close your eyes. What is alive in you in this moment? Is there tension or constriction or heaviness perhaps? How is your breathing? Notice how these words manifest themselves in your mind body and spirit.

pauseIn general when it is a word associated with lack, dis-ease, suffering or violence, our body responds by becoming tense, our breath shallows and there is resistance.

In western medicine when there is resistance in our body it leads to inflammation, and increases our level of stress. These are both proven factors for ill health.

I believe in western medicine, and I also believe in that when there is constriction and tension our life energy contracts as well, and a part of inner state becomes blocked. This impacts our emotional and physical wellness.

In yoga, when the life energy (prana) is blocked it can be released with postures, breathing exercises (pranayama) and meditation. In Chinese medicine these blockages in Qi can be released through acupuncture.

pause and listen to your body

No matter what we believe in our minds, our body has its own kind of intelligence.

Listen to your body’s wisdom.

Be mindful of your thoughts and your words. Your body is always listening.

Inspiration – Gratitude and Yoga

Happy Thanksgiving to all my readers and yoga students 🙏

Photo from Yoga Journal

Gratitude and yoga go hand-in-hand, and both are essential to well-being.
Yoga teaches us to be grateful for the present moment.
It reveals to us how the union of body, mind and spirit can come together through our breath, postures and meditation.
It allows us to appreciate the full spectrum of life, from pleasure to pain and joy to sorrow.
Through the practice of yoga, the darker moments in our lives allow the lighter times to glow ever more brightly.
When we acknowledge each other with the word Namaste we are expressing our gratitude for the connection that we have with each other and the light that shines within us.

I am grateful for every moment of my life and for sharing the transformative practice of yoga with you.

Namaste

Tension and Being Authentic

“Tension is inevitable when we live a lie and try to appear different from how we actually are. We don’t want to appear vulnerable or needy. We don’t trust that we are fundamentally enough as we are, even with our struggles and shortcomings….
We unknowingly adopt a mask and mistake it for our real face, assuming that our chronically tense and armored body is natural.
It is normal, perhaps, but not natural”

~ John J Prendergast. Taken from “In Touch”

Most of us assume that tension is normal. When we recognize it, we also know that releasing it makes us feel better. Perhaps we go for a massage or attend a restorative yoga class. We feel better afterwards.  Yet the tension always comes back.

What if the tension we feel is more than the everyday stressors of a busy demanding life, a bad boss or sitting too long at the computer?
What if taking time to understand and connect to our body opens up new meaning about our relationship with it, and gives us a deeper knowing?

In John Prendergast’s book “In Touch” he explores the wisdom and intelligence of the body and how we can literally feel authenticity in ourselves and others. I am a big fan of his work and how he guides people to a place of inner knowing and attunement with their body, mind and spirit.

Next time, you notice tension. Ask yourself “Am I being true to myself or could I be wearing a mask?”
There may be more work to be done than an occasional massages and yoga class.
Getting to know and understand the intelligence of our body, releasing the tension, and relieving stress every day is the best gift you can give yourself for living authentically and being well.

Namaste

* Start the Day Well

I was inspired to write this after reading David Kanigan’s Sunday morning post over at Live and Learn.

stillness in waking up

Start the day in perfect peace and harmony.

Take this precious moment of warmth and stillness.

It is a gift to start the day well.

You will find peace deep within you.

You will not find it outwardly or rushing around looking for it.

Peace is in the stillness for us all to find.

So accept this precious gift.

Let go of thoughts that distract you from here.

There will be time enough for them.

Namaste

Listen to Your Body – its Listening to You

The words we choose in our thinking, our speech and our writing, have an impact on how we feel and our ability to heal.

words

Have you ever noticed how a word can bring up a certain feeling inside of you? A sensation, a thought or an emotion?

Choosing a word that connects with your heart and soul can be not only uplifting, but also brings physical well being.

If you have a few moments, let’s explore.

Take your time as you connect to each of the words below. Go slowly. You can say them out loud:

Love
Tender
Soothing
Joy
Cuddle
Grateful
Smile
Gentle
Pause here and close your eyes. What is alive in you in this moment? Is there a warmth, softening, a feeling of tenderness or love perhaps? How is your breathing? Are you smiling? (me too!) Notice how these words manifest themselves in your mind body and spirit.

pauseNow take a deep breath and take the same time connecting to each of these words:
Irritated
Ugly
Mean
Wrong
Frustrated
Cruel
Unfair
Bad
Pause here and close your eyes. What is alive in you in this moment? Is there tension or constriction or heaviness perhaps? How is your breathing? Notice how these words manifest themselves in your mind body and spirit.

pauseIn general when it is a word associate with lack, dis-ease, suffering or violence, our body responds by becoming tense, our breath shallows and there is resistance.

In western medicine when there is resistance in our body it leads to inflammation, and increases our level of stress. These are both proven factors for disease.

I believe in western medicine, but I also believe that when there is constriction and tension our life energy contracts as well and a part of inner state becomes blocked. This impacts our emotional and physical wellness.

In yoga, when the life energy (prana) is blocked it can be released with postures, breathing exercises (pranayama) and meditation. In Chinese medicine these blockages in Chi can be released through acupuncture.

pause and listen to your body

No matter what we believe in our minds, our body has its own kind of intelligence.

Listen to your body’s wisdom.

Be mindful of your thoughts and your words. Your body is always listening!

* Reflections on the Reality of Life

What is life all about? …

This is such a refreshing and practical approach by Nicholas Vesey author of “Developing Consciousness. A Roadmap to the Journey of Enlightenment”. We don’t need to seek out gurus, teachers, self help masters. We don’t need to have a life altering awakening experience to find the answer. It’s already there for us. 

Just like the magic eye pictures, some of us get it and some of us don’t. Even without the experience of seeing what’s in the picture, we can agree that it exists and we are all connected.magic eyes duckies

What was once so complicated is now simply there …. its a duckie 🙂

Instead of being externally focused, turn your attention inwards with a relaxed open mind, a lot of curiosity, and a big dollop of self acceptance. You may be surprised (or not) at what you find!

Namaste x

* Feeling Down? 10 Pick Me Ups That Work

When we are feeling down or stuck in a rut … its easy for negative thoughts to spiral downwards and keep us there. Getting momentum to find your Middle Ground again is crucial. From personal experience, these are ten tried and true ways to rebalance your mind, body and spirit!

dancing flower girl

Experiment with each one to see what works best for you, and adapt them as needed to make them your own.

1. Get moving. Get out of your head and into your body by doing something physical and enjoyable. 

2. Self care.  Be kind to yourself. Do something to invest in yourself or nourish yourself. (Yes – shopping comes into this category  🙂

3.  Get creative. Tap into your individual self expression and make or build something.

4. Connect to your values. What’s important and meaningful to you? – then do something that expresses it.

5.  Joy of anticipation. Get excited about something  – and then plan for it!

6. Give to others. Take the focus off what’s getting you down, by giving to someone else. Make them feel good and you will too!

7. Finish something. What has been waiting to be finished? Can you complete it now? If its too overwhelming, break it down and complete smaller tasks. This will bring new energy.

8. Be independent. Do something that will give you as sense of freedom and autonomy. Let the burden on those shoulders go.

9. Be in integrity. Walk your talk and do something that shows your best self. Live up to your higher self.

10.  Make a gratitude list. Its impossible to feel down AND feel grateful at the same time. The yogis knew it and modern psychology research agrees!

Aaahh … I feel good just sharing these with you.

Thank YOU!