A New Attitude
Day 2 of the "True" yoga series with Adriene was about Trust. Honestly, I deep down inside want to admit that I did find it a little hokey with the trying to make the practice into something spiritual, but maybe that's just my mindset today, heavily under the influence of Aunt Flow. I was complaining in my head (with the charm and accent of a sterotypical New York taxi cab driver) C'mon already, make with the movement; I'm on a time schedule here! And she did indeed make with the movement and my grouchy self did it and felt good. This is becoming therapeutic for my mood as well as my body.
So I'm flowing with the flow and feeling the glow!
But I'm a bad girl (not in a Billie Eilish way) because I still didn't do weight, measurements and pics. Ugh. I had a little housekeeping and dog-getting-out'ing (twice, that little stinker) after work so when I finally got the chance to settle in, I didn't do anything productive. Honestly, it completely slipped my mind last night. Too much stuff in my "planning-brain" to focus on that. School supplies, an early fall trip, my mom's health...we all have a bunch of stuff on our plates, right? My weight and measurements aren't a big priority right now, more of a curiosity. I should be able to get that stuff done this weekend. Better late than never, right?
It's going to be another busy weekend I think, but some of the busy stuff will be the best stuff, hanging out with my family (we usually end up going somewhere, even just for a drive or walk in the woods or to a lake/beach) and then church, where we do healing meditation, talk to angels and spirit guides, and have the best conversations with people we now consider close friends. So even though I won't have a bunch of free time this weekend, I will be thoroughly enjoying myself.
Today I was thinking about attitude and how it makes such a difference in my life, and I really believe that the yoga is helping me in this manner. Yes, I do try to practice mindfulness and the grace of not letting others change my mood, but that is really hard. But when I do the yoga in the morning and it makes me feel good and lightens my mood, then when I find myself faced with something disagreeable I feel better equipped to handle it with a more calm and optimistic manner.
This morning one of the doctors in our clinic came to have his glasses repaired and he is always so pleasant to talk to. He asked about my summer and when I told him we took the kids to a nearby island for a vacation, he asked if we'd gone further to an adjacent island that is really just a huge hiking park. I explained that my younger son has scoliosis and walking for long periods hurts his back and legs. He knows from previous conversations that my sons both have autism too so he sympatetically said, "There's so much that can go wrong in life, isn't there?" I have had the pity parties, don't get me wrong, when they were younger and really having bigtime issues at school, to the point my husband and I nearly lost our jobs from having to leave work to pick up one or the other son, but I am so happy to say that as they are growing up, things have gotten a lot better for both of them. Just before that he was talking on the phone and once he hung up he explained that one of his patients is at the dentist, a child who has siezure disorder, and the dentist is nervous to treat him because he doesn't want to trigger a siezure. I thought about how tough a life that must be for that child and their parents. So I answered this doctor that like most things in life, the challenges we face make us stronger. He told me I am a blessing and my attitude is fantastic. I don't know that I would have had that same exchange a year ago, I used to like to complain about our challenges and feel such apathy that I must have been such a drag to be around.
So that is a benefit that they don't really advertise about yoga in general, but I think it is true of most forms of exercise, it is very therapeutic not just for the body but especially for the mind. I feel like I have so much less stress even though the constructs of my life haven't changed. I know there will be more stress and even less free time when the kids are in school ( and less sleep) but I also feel like it is all doable if I get to bed at a good time so I have time to get up early for yoga in the mornings.
One thing that I am giving up on right now is the slow withdrawl of caffeine in the morning. I tried cutting back to one 8oz cup, but I felt so drained all day long that I just wasn't ready to commit to that right now. Today I even had 2 large cups of coffee because I am not prioritizing that right now. My new plan is to finish off the sugar-free creamer that I have left in the house (maybe 1/4 bottle left) and then switch to a 20 oz water with caffeinated Mio beverage flavor. I do not have a way to know how much caffeine is in it because of how it is designed, but I don't try to over-saturate the flavor. Then perhaps in deep fall when it is chilly in the mornings, I think I will switch over to the dandelion green tea I have. I do like a warm drink in the mornings when it's cold out. That tea has 20mg of caffeine which is negligible and sustainable long term if I commit.
Anyway, that's where I sit today. I'm a little sore from the planks this morning, but nothing's going to stop me from being super happy that it's Friday and I intend to fully enjoy my weekend. I hope you enjoy yours too!
So I'm flowing with the flow and feeling the glow!
But I'm a bad girl (not in a Billie Eilish way) because I still didn't do weight, measurements and pics. Ugh. I had a little housekeeping and dog-getting-out'ing (twice, that little stinker) after work so when I finally got the chance to settle in, I didn't do anything productive. Honestly, it completely slipped my mind last night. Too much stuff in my "planning-brain" to focus on that. School supplies, an early fall trip, my mom's health...we all have a bunch of stuff on our plates, right? My weight and measurements aren't a big priority right now, more of a curiosity. I should be able to get that stuff done this weekend. Better late than never, right?
It's going to be another busy weekend I think, but some of the busy stuff will be the best stuff, hanging out with my family (we usually end up going somewhere, even just for a drive or walk in the woods or to a lake/beach) and then church, where we do healing meditation, talk to angels and spirit guides, and have the best conversations with people we now consider close friends. So even though I won't have a bunch of free time this weekend, I will be thoroughly enjoying myself.
Today I was thinking about attitude and how it makes such a difference in my life, and I really believe that the yoga is helping me in this manner. Yes, I do try to practice mindfulness and the grace of not letting others change my mood, but that is really hard. But when I do the yoga in the morning and it makes me feel good and lightens my mood, then when I find myself faced with something disagreeable I feel better equipped to handle it with a more calm and optimistic manner.
This morning one of the doctors in our clinic came to have his glasses repaired and he is always so pleasant to talk to. He asked about my summer and when I told him we took the kids to a nearby island for a vacation, he asked if we'd gone further to an adjacent island that is really just a huge hiking park. I explained that my younger son has scoliosis and walking for long periods hurts his back and legs. He knows from previous conversations that my sons both have autism too so he sympatetically said, "There's so much that can go wrong in life, isn't there?" I have had the pity parties, don't get me wrong, when they were younger and really having bigtime issues at school, to the point my husband and I nearly lost our jobs from having to leave work to pick up one or the other son, but I am so happy to say that as they are growing up, things have gotten a lot better for both of them. Just before that he was talking on the phone and once he hung up he explained that one of his patients is at the dentist, a child who has siezure disorder, and the dentist is nervous to treat him because he doesn't want to trigger a siezure. I thought about how tough a life that must be for that child and their parents. So I answered this doctor that like most things in life, the challenges we face make us stronger. He told me I am a blessing and my attitude is fantastic. I don't know that I would have had that same exchange a year ago, I used to like to complain about our challenges and feel such apathy that I must have been such a drag to be around.
So that is a benefit that they don't really advertise about yoga in general, but I think it is true of most forms of exercise, it is very therapeutic not just for the body but especially for the mind. I feel like I have so much less stress even though the constructs of my life haven't changed. I know there will be more stress and even less free time when the kids are in school ( and less sleep) but I also feel like it is all doable if I get to bed at a good time so I have time to get up early for yoga in the mornings.
One thing that I am giving up on right now is the slow withdrawl of caffeine in the morning. I tried cutting back to one 8oz cup, but I felt so drained all day long that I just wasn't ready to commit to that right now. Today I even had 2 large cups of coffee because I am not prioritizing that right now. My new plan is to finish off the sugar-free creamer that I have left in the house (maybe 1/4 bottle left) and then switch to a 20 oz water with caffeinated Mio beverage flavor. I do not have a way to know how much caffeine is in it because of how it is designed, but I don't try to over-saturate the flavor. Then perhaps in deep fall when it is chilly in the mornings, I think I will switch over to the dandelion green tea I have. I do like a warm drink in the mornings when it's cold out. That tea has 20mg of caffeine which is negligible and sustainable long term if I commit.
Anyway, that's where I sit today. I'm a little sore from the planks this morning, but nothing's going to stop me from being super happy that it's Friday and I intend to fully enjoy my weekend. I hope you enjoy yours too!
Hi, I came to your blog from Belief In Myself. This is the second post I have read today about yoga! Maybe it's a sign I should give it another try :)
ReplyDeleteWWIT, thanks for stopping by, reading and replying. Maybe challenge yourself for a 30-day yoga challenge and see if you like it. I have done yoga inconsistently in the past but it wasn't until I did it for several days in a row that I realized I was having fun working my core, which I truly didn't think was possible!
DeleteI was wondering if Adrienne would get into the spiritual stuff with the yoga. I will have to withhold my judgment until I hit something like that...but I think I would find it hokey also. I was talking to my brother and he mentioned that my sister in law has been doing yoga...I asked her who and where...she answered online and ‘yoga with Adriene’ Lol. Small world.
ReplyDeleteMary Fran, it is a small world! I thought I stumbled upon some quiet little secret but with 4 million plus subscribers she is a brand unto herself, I was just late to the party! I haven't really found anything else spiritual in her practice, just that one day. The series I'm doing now focuses more on marrying the breath to the movement (so far) so not too much other jazz in there. I do know yoga traditionally is a practice for mind and body, and typically includes meditation but I dont time for both in the morning.
Delete