More Doing

Over the past couple of weeks, I've been expanding on this blog post. Today, I'm posting on more doing. The whole idea is that sometimes I spend too much time thinking and not enough actually acting on my thoughts. Too much time in my head, not enough time in the world.

So I've been working at actually getting more done, both fun things and productive things. I've been bringing some of my favorite activities back into my life. And I've been looking at what I can drop to fit these new things in.

On that note, this will be my last blog post. I have greatly enjoyed sharing my thoughts with others, but it is time for other pursuits. I'll leave the blog up so that people can still read my past posts.

Namaste,
Nadine

Less Thinking

Further to a previous blog, today I'm talking about less thinking. Just like writing, thinking is another thing that is good for me...to a point.

Thinking about something is good. Over-thinking doesn't do me any favors. Sometimes I find myself in a loop of thinking about the same thing over and over.

This affects me in a lot of different areas of my life. I used to be an impulse shopper, but now I've almost gone to the other end and often research things for ages and, in the end, don't make a purchase.

I can easily go off on a tangent with my thoughts. As an example I may decide I want to take a Yoga retreat. Then I spend hours looking at options online, researching, planning. And then I decide not to go.

Thinking is good. Research is good. But I am practicing recognizing when enough is enough and it's time to make a decision.

This goes hand in hand with the Less Writing, a chance to get out of my head.

Less Writing

Expanding on a previous blog, today I want to talk about less writing. Actually, I guess I'm writing about less writing (yikes).

There are two places I write. In my journal and on my blog.

Journaling can be a really beneficial process. I've used it a lot over the years and I'm sure I will continue to use it in the future. However, one thing I've noticed is that when I write something out, when I acknowledge awareness of the things going on in my mind, I stop there. I'm proud of myself for figuring it out, but don't actually go to the next step of changing my patterns. So, while I'll continue to use my journal in some ways, I'm journalling a little less to allow myself to not get stuck in the trap of observation over action.

And my blog? What's wrong with writing here? Nothing. But why do I do it? Part of it is a need to share with others. The idea that I need to share my thoughts for them to be complete. And while I can share my thoughts, I'm also working on practicing keeping some of them to myself.

Less Reading

I previously blogged about less reading, less writing, less thinking, more doing. Today I'll expand on less reading.

I don't actually mean less reading. I love to read. I read both fiction and non-fiction and will continue to do so. By less reading, I mean less reading for an answer.

I know the answer. I have a path. Mindfulness meditation. And then I'll see a book and be drawn to it. While I know the path might naturally change directions, I also see that what I'm doing in that moment is looking for an easier path. Looking to escape the work that needs to be done.

So the less reading is less reading for an answer. I will still read for enjoyment, inspiration and to broaden my horizons.

Weekend Retreat

This past weekend I was at a meditation retreat put on by Westcoast Dharma Society, led by Howard Cohen. It was a great weekend. It was good to get some solid meditation practice hours in.

I always find certain things come to me more clearly during meditation retreats. I've had a recurring theme come up over the last month or so. And it came to me again during the meditation retreat.

Less reading, less writing, less thinking, more doing.

...Hopefully I've piqued your interest. Stay tuned.

Reflexology for Neck Pain

I have had a lot of neck pain for the last week. For years I've been a stomach sleeper and have been unsuccessful every other time I tried to change it. However, this week I easily switched to side sleeping. While my neck hasn't gotten worse, it also hasn't gotten any better.

So, I'm going to give reflexology a try. I found these two sites and I'll give it a try over the next few days:

• Neck Pain Relief: Use Reflexology to Feel Better
• Reflexology for Neck Pain

August Love List

20 things I'm loving right now:

1. That Shaw is coming to fix our PVR today (I feel like we've been thrown back several decades the last few days).
2. Library books - I love always having new books to read.
3. Lemon Poppyseed muffins.
4. Walking to work.
5. Good night's sleep.
6. My cat visiting me in bed.
7. Banana orange smoothie.
8. Making plans to visit MEC and UBC.
9. Evaluating where I'm at and where I'd like to go from here.
10. Fresh veggies from the garden.
11. Supernatural Season 1 DVD should arrive today.
12. That I found restaurants online for my upcoming trip to Vancouver so I don't have to stress about where to eat.
13. Mom doing so much baking and cooking for us.
14. My YMX shirt.
15. Homemade iced tea.
16. My ipod playlists.
17. Watermelon.
18. Quiet, lazy days.
19. Eating both SCD and vegetarian.
20. Reading in bed in the morning.

Week 32 Challenge - Finding My Flow

This year I decided to challenge myself to reflect on various Yoga and Buddhist aspects throughout the year. The challenges come from a variety of places including readings in Deborah Adele's Yamas and Niyamas and Thich Nhat Hanh's Heart of the Buddha's Teaching and Happiness.
This week I challenged myself to find my flow. I love activity (or exercise). I love moving my body. But inertia is an amazing thing. If I spend too long sitting still, I can have a hard time getting myself moving on a regular basis again.

I've been working on walking partway to work for a while. This week I challenged myself to walk the entire distance (6 km) and I did it twice.

I love walking and when I do a longer walk like the one to work, I can feel myself getting back into my flow. I get to a point when moving isn't effort, when I feel connected to the earth and all the natural world around me, when I'm just happy.

I feel as if I crossed an imaginary line. I look forward to continuing to enjoy my walks to work and carrying that flow throughout my day.

Yoga's Evolution

Just like many things in our society, Yoga's evolution has started to happen quicker and quicker in recent years. Yoga is everywhere now. Yoga is being mass marketed and used in popular advertising from clothing to yogurt and everything in between. You can find Dog Yoga, Acrobat Yoga, etc.

Is it a good thing or a bad thing?

I do think that Yoga is diluted in many of these off-shoots. Many people think Yoga is purely a physical practice and many teachers (myself included) have a predominant focus on the physical aspects in class. Many people don't know and may never know of the deeper practices and benefits of the other Yoga practices such as pranayama (breath control), pratyahara (sensory withdrawl), etc.

On the flip side, the general dilution is what has made Yoga accessible to others. Some people only want the physical benefits of Yoga (which are great). Some people would be turned off by an overly philosophical class. And the vast variety of asana (physical Yoga) classes out there, means that Yoga has the opportunity to touch more people. My classes are very gentle and have lots of modifications for those that need them. Other teacher's classes are more vigorous. Some classes have chanting. Some have meditation. In this way, people can explore and find the Yoga style that works best for them and reach out to explore Yoga's non-physical aspects if they are drawn to.

For me, I teach a predominantly physical class, with some breath awareness and a philosophical reading. But for my personal practice, I am drawn to the more spiritual aspects of Yoga.

I think Alice Walton discusses this issue great in her article: The Great Yoga Debate

Week 31 Challenge - Keeping My Mouth Shut

This year I decided to challenge myself to reflect on various Yoga and Buddhist aspects throughout the year. The challenges come from a variety of places including readings in Deborah Adele's Yamas and Niyamas and Thich Nhat Hanh's Heart of the Buddha's Teaching and Happiness.

This week I am contemplating a quote I read at some point. I can't tell you who it was or quote it exactly, but the gist is that the benefit of practicing silence is because we can all use some practice keeping our minds to ourselves.

I recognize and appreciate the irony that I am now blogging about this particular contemplation.

I know that I often fall prey to the belief that something hasn't really been experienced until I've shared it with another. It's been a point I've worked on making a little progress on for a while.

The first one I looked at this week is negative gossip at the office. It is so easy to be drawn into some sort of complaining or outrage at others actions. And I always walk away with a bad taste in my mouth. It's not something I'm proud of and I don't feel like there is anything productive that comes out of it. So for now, I'm working on not letting myself get drawn into that cycle.

The other one I looked at is really pervasive both at work and in my teaching. It is essentially the overshare. I think about this one a fair amount. I am who I am, and that means I'm going to be on the friendly side. But at work I sometimes go out of my way to share something personal with someone who is working. I have been actively working on curbing this tendency and letting whatever it is go. In my teaching, while my classes are of the chattier variety, I still want my students to have some quiet and space for their own focus and reflection.

And, for me, the trick is looking at what is at the root of these habits. When I'm engaging in some form of negative talk, I feel as if I'm trying to connect with the person I'm talking to. It is a type of bonding and in doing that I'm looking for their approval. But I know that the only person whose approval matters is my own, so I will continue to work at keeping many of my thoughts to myself.

Week 30 Challenge - Letting it Rain

This year I decided to challenge myself to reflect on various Yoga and Buddhist aspects throughout the year. The challenges come from a variety of places including readings in Deborah Adele's Yamas and Niyamas and Thich Nhat Hanh's Heart of the Buddha's Teaching and Happiness.

This week, I took my inspiration from a quote from Deborah Adele's book: "I am reminded of the wisdom of a 116 year old man, who, when asked the secret to his longevity, replied, 'When it rains, I let it.'"

This feels especially pertinent living in the Pacific Northwest. And even more so given our current weather. You see, it's been hot and sunny and while most complain about the rain, I take umbrage with the heat.

So, this week I worked on "letting it rain". This felt different than letting things go, which I also work on. In order to let things go, first I need to attach to them. Letting things go is, in that way, very reactionary.

Letting it rain was more preventative. I worked on not getting worked up about things in the first place. The heat, of course. But also all the little things that might cause me frustrations. Letting them be as they are. No need to worry, overthink or stress. Just let it be.

I loved it! Definitely a practice to keep. And a good reminder that I have no control over the weather or, for that matter, dozens of other things that happen outside the realm of my body. My primary concern is my thoughts, my actions; not those of everyone else. An easy thing to say, and such a challenging one to practice.

Week 29 Challenge - Vegetarian

This year I decided to challenge myself to reflect on various Yoga and Buddhist aspects throughout the year. The challenges come from a variety of places including readings in Deborah Adele's Yamas and Niyamas and Thich Nhat Hanh's Heart of the Buddha's Teaching and Happiness.

My philosophies and my tastes are often in contradiction. My heart wants me to be vegetarian (well, actually vegan, but that's another story). But, it's a challenge for me sometimes to want to be. In the past I've spent two 1.5 year periods vegetarian. And I've started off many a week with vegetarian ambitions, only to cave to my taste buds in moments of stress.

This week I decided to challenge myself to a week of vegetarianism. This way, if I wanted meat, I could know it was just for a week. I looked forward to this week with excitement and trepidation. I love veggie food, but I love meat too.

I had lots of yummy meals this week. I've re-discovered plenty of simple vegetarian favorites like cheese and veggie sandwiches. And I found that my favorite pizzeria makes a mean 3 Cheese Pizza. I struck a balance between eating in and eating out because I wanted to ensure that I explored options on both sides.

So what about next week? Given the success of this week, I'm feeling motivated to continue eating vegetarian for now, without committing myself to any specific time frame.

July Love List

20 things I'm loving right now:

1. Plans with my mom to go play mini-golf tomorrow and look at the sandcastles.
2. The new pizza place in our neighbourhood.
3. The shade (because it sure ain't the sun).
4. Walking part-way to work (working on the whole way).
5. My new desk setup at the office.
6. PB and Banana sandwiches on Utopia's multigrain bread.
7. Season 5 episodes of Supernatural (catching up).
8. A new Janet Evanovich book waiting for me to start it.
9. Local raspberries.
10. My new meditation bench.
11. Eating vegetarian this week.
12. Personal Yoga and meditation time.
13. Fresh peas from the farmer's market.
14. Hanging with my cat on the Yoga mat.
15. Birds splashing in the birdbath.
16. Carrot greens in my morning juice.
17. Movies from the library.
18. My cotton Yoga mat.
19. Tim Horton's frozen lemonade with added lemon juice.
20. The Emily series, by L. M. Montgomery.

Week 28 Challenge - Where Do I Feel Connected

This year I decided to challenge myself to reflect on various Yoga and Buddhist aspects throughout the year. The challenges come from a variety of places including readings in Deborah Adele's Yamas and Niyamas and Thich Nhat Hanh's Heart of the Buddha's Teaching and Happiness.

This week I was contemplating where I feel connected to Universal Energy. There are two main locations where I feel this connection:

• Anytime I'm in nature, I can feel a strong connection to the natural world (plants, animals, water, earth). I can feel it in my backyard. I feel it even more strongly in more "wilderness" type areas, especially ones with water (lake or river).
• I also feel a strong connection when I'm in locations of a spiritual nature: chapels, churches, etc. It doesn't matter what the religion is, but I feel a connection to both Universal Energy and to my spritual ancestors.

I am trying to find a place that combines both for me, where I can feel the connection to nature, but also to my spiritual ancestors.

New Meditation Bench

Sometimes things just fall together in the right way. I've wanted a meditation bench for almost 3 years.

On Sunday, my mom and I were at the Cedar Farmers Market. As we walked by a booth full of various benches and other wooden items, I commented to my mom that he could probably make me a great meditation bench (just an offhand comment). My mom asked what the difference was between a meditation bench and ones he had. I stopped to show her how his benches had a cross piece where a meditation bench wouldn't. I shared my earlier comment with the owner about how he could probably make me a great meditation bench. And he showed me a spot in the corner where he had a couple.

And, voila! I now have a fantastic meditation bench for about half of what I've seen them for elsewhere. If you are in the Nanaimo area and looking for a bench you can get in touch with T. Tony Cevik of Handy Stools at handystools@gmail.com or 250-797-3958.



Week 27 Challenge - Listening to the Lesson

This year I decided to challenge myself to reflect on various Yoga and Buddhist aspects throughout the year. The challenges come from a variety of places including readings in Deborah Adele's Yamas and Niyamas and Thich Nhat Hanh's Heart of the Buddha's Teaching and Happiness.

I've been on vacation for the past week. Even in a context of being back in my home Province, visiting family and friends, I kept my inner ears open.

What do I mean? I find lessons in everything. What did I learn on this vacation?

The first has to do with my vacations next year. Before going I had some ideas of going to California for both vacation and retreat time. However, I listened to my body complain about the heat in Saskatchewan and recognized that California might not be the best locale for me. I also listened to my heart sing as we flew over The Rockies. No matter what other mountains I encounter, I always have a deep ache in my heart for The Rockies. So, for now (plans can change), I am thinking of a trip to Jasper for my vacation next year and a retreat in the Pacific Northwest (since I absolutely adore our lovely area of the world).

I also knew when I was going to Regina that I would visit the University. And there was a particular spot I was compelled to visit as I had seen myself there several times in recent years. I went and waited. I could feel the energy in that space and knew there was something for me to discover there. Eventually, I understood the lesson had to do with Sacred Space, and finding my own out here. And another place I visited during my travels guided me to where that Sacred Space might be (we'll save that for a later post).

While I may have stepped away from much of my daily practice over the course of my vacation, my awareness was with me and kept me connected to my inner wisdom and a larger Universal wisdom that connects us all. Are you listening for the lesson?

Week 25 Challenge - Past, Present or Future?

This year I decided to challenge myself to reflect on various Yoga and Buddhist aspects throughout the year. The challenges come from a variety of places including readings in Deborah Adele's Yamas and Niyamas and Thich Nhat Hanh's Heart of the Buddha's Teaching and Happiness.

This week, I challenged myself to observe how much time I spend in the past or future, as opposed to the present moment. I knew it would be a lot but I surprised myself with some discoveries.

The past? I found I spend time in the past in one of two ways. I relive a discussion but take an alternate route. Sort of like one of those Choose Your Own Adventure books I read when I was young. I redo a conversation with a different outcome. Definitely not a productive use of my time.

The other way I spend time in the past is actually both past and future. I envision a conversation in the future where I'm telling someone about a story in my past. Do you follow that convoluted path? Well entrenched in both the future and the past, but definitely not the present.

The future? I definitely spend more time there, certainly in both the instances noted above but also just imagining different scenarios and conversations. And a lot of it is work-related (office work, not Yoga work).

So what do I do about it? Well, I've found this week that when I'm off on a work tangent, I ask myself the simple question "are you at work now"? Since the answer is inevitably "no", I let the work thoughts go. It's been helpful, but I think it will take a lot of practice to let go of that habit.

I also had an interesting discovery. I spend a fair amount of time reading fiction each day. I always thought of it as an escape from the present moment. However, what I've realized is that it is instead an escape from the thoughts in my head. And much of the time that means letting go of being stuck in the past or future. Therefore, even though the book really brings me into a different world, I've felt it to be an improvement over where my head was generally before I started reading.

Next week is the half-way mark for the year (Week 26). However, I'm also taking a break from blogging for about 1.5 weeks after my upcoming Tuesday post. Therefore, I won't blog my 26th week of the challenge. But I will be evaluating the challenge, what my original direction was, where it's gone and any shifts I want to make in the challenge for the last half of the year.

Not Perfect, Don't Want To Be

I wanted to share this great post from Everything Yoga: Practice Far From Perfect

I love this perspective. Because I know I'm far from perfect. A student and I were having a conversation about awareness, and how it is sort of painful. There is a period when you become aware of your thoughts and actions, but haven't actually made the steps to get them in line with your beliefs. It's an uncomfortable period where two parts of yourself just aren't lining up.

That's what the Far From Perfect post reminds me of. There are definitely parts of me that don't yet line up. Some get resolved relatively quickly, some take years. Some might not happen in this lifetime.

But that's what it's about, isn't it? The journey. The learning. And keeping things light and in perspective while I travel on life's path.

Week 24 Challenge - Just Observing

This year I decided to challenge myself to reflect on various Yoga and Buddhist aspects throughout the year. The challenges come from a variety of places including readings in Deborah Adele's Yamas and Niyamas and Thich Nhat Hanh's Heart of the Buddha's Teaching and Happiness.

My challenge for this week was to just observe myself, to take the role of the witness. Observation without judgement.

This was a good challenge for me. It is easy for me to slip into one of 2 roles with myself. Either judge, jury and you know where that one goes. Or purposefully turned in the other direction, so that I don't have to observe.

It was (and still is) a challenge for me to observe in the moment. I do tend to unconsciously hit the "off" switch on observing and then do observations later, at the end of the day, in the safety and comfort of my room.

This week I worked at observing more in the moment. Just opening the door a bit and showing myself that there is nothing scary about observing. I'm not asking myself to change in the moment, simply to observe my actions and my feelings.

Yesterday I read a quote attributed to Stephen Batchelor: "I aspire to awaken, I appreciate its value, and I am convinced it is possible." When I read that quote, I was contemplating it in terms of enlightenment, as that is what the passage I was reading was about. However, as I write this, I realize that quote is very applicable for me in terms of awakening to the moment. Definitely more contemplation and practice on this one to come.

June Love List

20 things I'm loving right now:

1. Vacation coming up in less than 2 weeks.
2. My new lunch container.
3. The exciting changes happening in the office I work in.
4. Tim Horton's raspberry lemonade.
5. Getting back into taking the bus.
6. Yoga / meditation breaks at work.
7. Extra time in the mornings (getting up a little earlier, starting work a little later).
8. Figuring out my summer teaching schedule.
9. "New" clothes (new to me).
10. Farmer's market goodies.
11. The steps my mom is building in the backyard.
12. Getting a haircut Friday!
13. Strawberries from our garden.
14. Waking up with my cat.
15. Meditating with my students.
16. Juicing.
17. My new laptop.
18. Short visits with friends (better than no visits).
19. The inner calm when things don't go the way I expect.
20. A good book on a sunny day.