Awareness
This morning was such a mixed bag of things! I am trying to convince myself to not focus so heavily on the future because it causes me to emote over things that haven't happened yet, and that leads to unneccesary anxiety and blues. For instance, I have not made it a secret how much I dislike snow, so every year around this time, when the sun starts coming up later and going down sooner, I start to dread the oncoming months because I know in the blink of an eye I will be knee-deep in snow and ice and having anxiety about driving in it. But, I know that anxiety begins with ruminating about the negative posibilities and it also robs me of joy in the present moment, so I am working on reframing my mind around some of the items that cause the itch of worry to want to surface. I bring the dog out at 5:30 am and it is somewhat darker at that time than it was a month ago. Today, instead of equating that to something awful/dreadful, I noticed the fantastic color of the sky and just as I was turning on all of my senses to take in the moment, I saw two huge deer in the field that surrounds the property. The noticed us because my dog was barking and growling, but they quietly turned their focus on the plants they were nibbling as if we weren't really there. We see deer a lot on the property, but everytime I see them it feels magical. The sunrise at that time is really gorgeous too.
After breakfast I rolled out my mat for some yoga. I was surprised to note that I was not in the mood for it. I felt a brief disappointment that the series was over and then I turned on the Foundations of Flow class (Yoga with Adriene YouTube Channel). I misunderstood that this was going to be a class for beginners to learn how to do some of the core poses with good form, it was moreso a training on how to sync your breath to the movement. It was a gentle flow for 20 minutes, a lot of easy movement. It wasn't my favorite at all, but I did get a little warmed up and it did make me feel more awake than before I did it.
Tomorrow, then, I will start my next 30-day yoga challenge from the Yoga with Adriene channel. It is called True here's what it looks like
And here is what Adriene has posted on the "day 1" of the series:
Take a deep breath in. We are doing this....This series will offer strength and stability like no other if you remember you are here to learn to love yourself. More. Not to work out. But expect to see transformation in your body! Oh yes, you will!"
Now that has me looking forward to the next 30 days like CrAzY!
I did weigh myself at work yesterday, I am not going to post it today because tonight will be when I take photos, measurements and weigh myself at home so that I can use the same scale at for the before and after-challenge weights. This particular challenge will end during my kids' first week back to school, so that transition into getting up 45 minutes earlier will be involved in there somewhere. I may start getting up earlier a week in advance to make sure I can do it all smoothly in the alloted time. I'm really happy I don't have to do that yet but it is only a few weeks away!
After yoga this morning, I had 10 extra minutes free before getting ready for work, so I decided to sit out on my patio and take in the morning. This is something I think about doing often but rarely follow-through. I think about it because I know when I do it it is so therapeutic and rejuvenating. I try to make use of as many senses as I can. I sipped my coffee, smelled the fresh air and all the green things surrounding me, noticed how the sunlight was illuminating the Linden tree in my front yard, and oh! The sweet birds chirping all around me! Black-capped Chickadees were singing their little two-note songs, there were blackbirds and sparrows and robins all chiming in. I also took note of the Seagulls gliding way up in the sky. Noticing the things that make up those moments reminds me I am alive, and what a magnificent thing to bring focus to because most of our day is consumed with thoughts and to-do lists and we rarely take time to realize the moments we are actually living inside of. I want to make a greater effort to do this more often, spend a few minutes of quiet time to notice the beauty all around me, to appreciate what it holds and to see what I've been missing while I'm on my phone, filling up my schedule or soul searching things about my past. Life moves by so fast but these quiet moments somehow seem frozen in time, as if I hit the pause button and let the stress melt away. Even thinking about it now still makes me feel as peaceful as the time when I was physically doing it. So, I am planning more patio time for mental health!
With that, I will leave this blog alone for today and will report back tomorrow when I start my next 30-day yoga challenge! Happy Wednesday Friends!
After breakfast I rolled out my mat for some yoga. I was surprised to note that I was not in the mood for it. I felt a brief disappointment that the series was over and then I turned on the Foundations of Flow class (Yoga with Adriene YouTube Channel). I misunderstood that this was going to be a class for beginners to learn how to do some of the core poses with good form, it was moreso a training on how to sync your breath to the movement. It was a gentle flow for 20 minutes, a lot of easy movement. It wasn't my favorite at all, but I did get a little warmed up and it did make me feel more awake than before I did it.
Tomorrow, then, I will start my next 30-day yoga challenge from the Yoga with Adriene channel. It is called True here's what it looks like
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| I do not own the rights to this photo |
And here is what Adriene has posted on the "day 1" of the series:
Take a deep breath in. We are doing this....This series will offer strength and stability like no other if you remember you are here to learn to love yourself. More. Not to work out. But expect to see transformation in your body! Oh yes, you will!"
Now that has me looking forward to the next 30 days like CrAzY!
I did weigh myself at work yesterday, I am not going to post it today because tonight will be when I take photos, measurements and weigh myself at home so that I can use the same scale at for the before and after-challenge weights. This particular challenge will end during my kids' first week back to school, so that transition into getting up 45 minutes earlier will be involved in there somewhere. I may start getting up earlier a week in advance to make sure I can do it all smoothly in the alloted time. I'm really happy I don't have to do that yet but it is only a few weeks away!
After yoga this morning, I had 10 extra minutes free before getting ready for work, so I decided to sit out on my patio and take in the morning. This is something I think about doing often but rarely follow-through. I think about it because I know when I do it it is so therapeutic and rejuvenating. I try to make use of as many senses as I can. I sipped my coffee, smelled the fresh air and all the green things surrounding me, noticed how the sunlight was illuminating the Linden tree in my front yard, and oh! The sweet birds chirping all around me! Black-capped Chickadees were singing their little two-note songs, there were blackbirds and sparrows and robins all chiming in. I also took note of the Seagulls gliding way up in the sky. Noticing the things that make up those moments reminds me I am alive, and what a magnificent thing to bring focus to because most of our day is consumed with thoughts and to-do lists and we rarely take time to realize the moments we are actually living inside of. I want to make a greater effort to do this more often, spend a few minutes of quiet time to notice the beauty all around me, to appreciate what it holds and to see what I've been missing while I'm on my phone, filling up my schedule or soul searching things about my past. Life moves by so fast but these quiet moments somehow seem frozen in time, as if I hit the pause button and let the stress melt away. Even thinking about it now still makes me feel as peaceful as the time when I was physically doing it. So, I am planning more patio time for mental health!
With that, I will leave this blog alone for today and will report back tomorrow when I start my next 30-day yoga challenge! Happy Wednesday Friends!
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