Change Through A "Down Dog": My Journey #2

How does real change begin? I have "started over" with my many commitments and resolutions over and over again. I always intended to keep my commitments to myself...what kept me from being consistent? I am not sure. What I do know is that since I began the year with my WORD "abundance" I have sought to define exactly what that means. I last posted on living in the moment. I am definitely practicing this one.

Part II of my journey started with a doctor visit. A new doctor who gave me some new medication for a chronic pain that I have experienced for years. Within days, the pain was more controlled. The next Sunday at church I met a visitor who had been in a yoga class I had attended several years before. She invited me back to yoga. The next night I was walking into the yoga room with a renewed energy. I was excited about the prospect of the experience.

It has been 8 weeks and I have attended yoga three times per week and I have to say there has been more than a change in strength and flexibility, although the physical activity has continued to lift my spirits and make me feel strong. The last 10 minutes of the class is a time of complete quiet and relaxation. Soft music plays in the background. It is truly the best part of my week. I have not yet been able to create the same experience at home but that is surely a goal. In that 10 minutes the goal is to completely relax, to allow the ground to support the body and for that moment to focus on the breath. It also beckons one to be comfortable with silence. Sounds simple enough...but it is not that easy. It is difficult to avoid letting thoughts of the day creep in or to be distracted by outside sounds.

I find this experience to be an abundant gift and the experience has led to a few more gifts for my spirit. More about that in future posts.

I have friends who take spin classes, bike, walk, and run in the outdoors. I suspect for each of them the experience creates the same type of effect...it can become a form of meditation, a time to be introspective.

I can only be encouraged that so far so good on the commitment. That in itself feels like a small victory. Yoga is an ancient practice. It is an awe inspiring thought that throughout history people through yoga have sought change and inspiration. The achievement of "enlightenment" in yoga practice is said to be an ultimate quest, but for now my personal quest occurs one class at a time with the next balanced pose and 10 minutes of inner peace.

Abundance is...holding a "Down Dog" for longer than 10 seconds!! :) (heels still not down)

This Very Moment: My Journey #1

Ah! What an amazing moment I just had opening my blog site after several weeks. It was like coming home. I have been taking a journey and discovering some wonderful things about life and myself. The journey has been taken within the schedule of my own life. It has required no vacation, no special resort. I look forward to sharing some of my journey in the next few weeks.

The first lesson I am learning is to live in the moment. Not just talking about living in the moment but actually doing that. It requires practice.

I can do nothing about my experience in the past. I cannot change it or control it or make it different. Really, it no longer exists.

And the future is not in my control. Tomorrow is not in my control. I heard someone say that worry or concern for the future is fear that something may happen that I do not want to happen.

So, I could spend time worrying about what is to come that may or may not happen the way I want it, or I could accept the fact that tomorrow will come and I shall live in that moment when it arrives.

Living in the moment is freeing and allows us to enjoy or life without strings that tie down.

I am reading Paulo Coelho's book "The Alchemist". Here is a quote from this book: "Because I don't live in either my past or my future, I'm interested only in the present. If you can concentrate always on the present, you'll be a happy man. You'll see that there is life in the desert, that there are stars in the heavens, and that tribesmen fight because they are part of the human race. Life will be a party for you, a grand festival, because life is the moment we're living right now."

I am used to thinking about my calendar and always wanted to know what was to come. I used to live through my precious time on the weekends thinking about what I had to do the next week. In fact, my favorite quote was from the movie "Kate and Leopold", paraphrasing Kate was sitting in Leopold's arms on their deck on Sunday. It was a tender moment and Kate says, "I hate Sundays. And Leopold asked why. Kate replied.. Because tomorrow is Monday."

In order to have a more abundant life I am taking time to discover how I can do that. For this reason I have not been blogging. I love my blog and I love the people who I share this interest with. I think that my blog and my life will be better for the journey.

So for today, at this moment I am only thinking about this post, sharing life with others and enjoying the fact that I love opening my blog and seeing the beautiful blue and the lovely picture I have chosen. I love seeing the faces of those who share posts with me and looking at the titles of others posts as they pop up on my screen. Soon I will live in a moment to read some posts, share some encouraging comments. For now, I wish you abundance in this moment of your life.

Abundance is..."enjoying this moment!"