Distractions

This week I am finding life very distracting. Work, friends, everything positive and everything less than positive. It is all serving to distract me from my personal Yoga Practice. So why am I letting myself be distracted? I know how important my body, mind and spiritual practices are. I know that they make me feel more connected, both to myself and to the Divine. So, again, why am I letting myself be distracted?

Newton’s First Law of Motion: Inertia. Frequently paraphrased as a body in motion tends to stay in motion and a body at rest tends to stay at rest. In my world: it is way easier to stay where I am than it is to change. Even if where I am is no longer comfortable, it is still familiar. And the unknown is both exciting and scary. This week, I think scary won out and I retreated into myself a little. Still making progress towards my goals (note the snazzy new website), but my mindset just hasn’t been in the ideal place.

Where do I go from here? Forward of course. Maybe sometimes I need to take a break from change, but now I’m ready to move again. My goal for the next week is to work on confirming where I will be teaching most of my classes and to work on Karma Yoga (selfless service).

Today I’m grateful for my health, my financial stability, my job, my friends (and family) and my optimism.

Yoga Inside or Outside?

I love doing Yoga Asanas (physical yoga) outside...sometimes. During my Yoga Teacher Training we did Yoga Asanas outside almost exclusively. I love the feel of the grass under my toes (or under the mat, under my toes). I love the smell of the fresh air, the breezes, the sun.

So, I came home and started doing Yoga Asanas outside along with the rest of my personal Yoga practice (meditation, breathing exercises, chanting, prayers). This was during the heat wave and it was great. And then it cooled down a little. It’s still July and yet I found it pretty cold early in the morning to do my practice outside.

I’ve found a compromise. I do my Yoga practice inside, in front of the patio door with the door wide open (screen closed). This gives me the fresh air and connection to nature as I’m facing into it. It also gives me warmth and a bug-free environment. For me, right now, this is an ideal balance. Now, I just have to work on building a small balcony off my 2nd floor bedroom and I could do Yoga up there!

Today I’m grateful for the sun shining, a mid-week day off work, my body’s ability to stretch and move, my cuddly cat and Meg Cabot (since I’m reading one of her books right now).