It is a scientific fact that the celestial bodies have great impact to Earth and it’s inhabitants. The sun and moon both influence the tides of the ocean, and the Farmer’s Almanac reveals when is a good time to seed or plow based on these celestial influences. Heck, even U.S. surgeons are reporting from scientific studies that patients undergoing heart surgery have a lower death rate if they’re operated on during the waning moon! That’s pretty powerful evidence, right there. » Read more..
“I was emotionally messed up and, truth is, I hated myself….”
I was nominated by a few people on Facebook to share some pictures of me that make me feel beautiful. I’m posting them here, because I want to also share why they make me feel beautiful, in hopes of inspiring others: 1. I was very, very sick… and also very wounded inside. I was emotionally messed up and, truth is, I hated myself. I had so many » Read more..
Allow me to introduce Sneaky Bitz. You might already know Sneaky Bitz. You see, Sneaky Bitz is that aspect of me (or you) that tries to sabotage things in life… and often, Sneaky Bitz does this in a sneaky way – sometimes to the point that we are not even aware of it. If I’m not paying attention, Sneaky Bitz might succeed but I’ve gotten pretty good at playing Sneaky Bitz’s game. Ha!
For example, I woke up this morning and it felt like every muscle in my body ached. My Sneaky Bitz tried to convince me that I could baby myself and stay home from Ashtanga yoga practice, reasoning that I’m tired, I hurt, I’ve worked hard and I deserve a break, right?! All valid arguments, right? Why not pamper myself a little for a change? Ha!
So you know what I did? I said, “nuh-uh. Not this time, Sneaky Bitz! I caught you! Haa ha ha! Nice try!” Then I got my butt up out of bed and I went to Ashtanga practice. On the way home, I treated myself with the nourishment of a fresh young coconut (one of nature’s best source of electrolytes). Then I cleaned my yoga mat and let it, and me, soak up the sun for thirty minutes. After that, I stepped up my game.
You see, part of the reason for the physical pain is because some areas of my body are weak. So, I treated myself farther by doing 280 various forms of crunches and 296 reps of various leg lifts. Then, thanks to my lovely roommates, I treated myself to some home-made Sambar with home-grown lentil and mung bean sprouts! Take that, Sneaky Bitz!
Actually, you have to be kind to Sneaky Bitz, because it is a part of you.. almost child-like, you have to teach it new ways to be 🙂 Sneaky Bitz is your friend. Ha ha ha ha.
Truth is, although it sounded good at the time, had I rolled over and went back to sleep, I would have felt really bad about myself later and my practice would have suffered. If you’re wondering how I do it or how I get the strength or motivation in moments like this, you’re not alone; a friend recently asked me the same thing. It can be defined with two words: Self Love. But how do you love yourself? What is Self Love? Ah… multi-million-dollar questions, each with a several-part, multidimensional answer.
Check out this quote I posted on my Facebook page:
So, I asked myself this morning, “If I really, truly love myself, then would I allow myself to go back to bed, knowing the negative consequences?” The answer was a re-sounding, “NO!”.
If that question doesn’t resonate with you, then try this technique that I used to use as my gauge. Change the context of the question and ask yourself, “If my best friend were in this situation, what would I advise him or her to do?” It’s a powerful question that lends us the ability to see the situation through a different lens. For most people, put in the context of someone other than ourselves (especially someone we admire, respect and love), the answer is easily accessible.
Once, I sat in a car with two young adults (in a relationship) arguing over who had hurt who the most. After the young woman poured her heart out to me, relaying all of the ‘wrongs’ her boyfriend had done over the past three years, I was astounded that they were still together. What’s more, I could clearly see that this girl lacked self love. So I gave her the magic question.
I said “You love and respect your best friend dearly, right?”
“Yes”, she replied.
“Okay. If your best friend were in this situation, what advice would you give to her?”
She said, “I’d tell her to end the relationship immediately and leave his sorry ass!”
“Then why do you not love and respect yourself enough to do the same?”, I questioned.
A still silence consumed the vehicle and the rest of the ride was very quiet. You see, in all truthfulness, this man had treated her very wrong, but I couldn’t tell her that. It’s something she had to see and figure out for herself. Her Sneaky Bitz was making excuses for this guy and, up to that point, she was convinced that they belonged together in a relationship. The next day, she left him.
Do you have a Sneaky Bitz? What questions or techniques do you use to over come it’s grasp?
Today is the final day of the 21 day Panchakarma treatment, and I am so glad.
I get to broaden my horizons on the food front and have bananas, apples, and avocado again. I can even have eggs or yogurt if I want, woo hoo!! Oh! And I get to have Mysore dosa and Thali again! Yeess!!!
Week two was smooth sailing, after the initial experience with the nose drops. I did miss the deep-tissue massages, though. Ayurvedic massage just isn’t my preference. I was told that weeks one and two focused more on on stirring up and releasing toxins, while week three was more focused on replenishing nutrients.
In week three, I got to receive the deep tissue massage again, and the complimentary treatment this week was a technique called Basti. It is the most powerful of the five main procedures of Panchakarma. To all my friends with narcolepsy and neurological disorders, basti is supposed to be *the* treatment for those with neurological disorders.
Quite honestly, it’s been a long three weeks and, I can’t say I feel much different from when I started Panchakarma. Many people say they have a lot of weight loss from Panchakarma and I haven’t noticed this ‘side benefit’ personally. My roommate did say he thought I had lost weight. I don’t know. Maybe I can find a scale tomorrow.
Perhaps it is because I already had a pretty clean diet to begin with, that I haven’t seen major results from this cleansing procedure/technique. Perhaps it is because I had a few cheat days. I will never know. I do wish I had gone to a facility to have this treatment done, as opposed to an ‘outpatient’ type clinic. Next time I will go to a facility. In the facility they provide meals for you, do your laundry, give you a gentle yoga practice daily, practice pranayama, and keep you on schedule. It would have been good for me to have that structure and to not have to worry about cooking my own meals, sourcing ingredients, doing dishes, traveling, and figuring everything out.
During the Panchakarma I was not allowed to do morning yoga practice. The theory is that the body needs the energy to support the cleanse. I was allowed to do an evening practice, but I didn’t. Aside from taking care of daily duties, like cooking, cleaning and laundry, I just took this time to focus on allowing my body to detox and heal. Some days I was simply tired from the process itself.
Now, I must rebuild my body’s strength so that I can start practicing yoga again and get strong enough to take Ashtanga Yoga Teacher Training. I’ve got my work cut out for me. I am nowhere near having the strength I need for Ashtanga Yoga Teacher Training right now. It’s time to re-build my strength and my body. Can I do it?!??? Time will tell.
My ego is having a heyday with this one. It can be so intimidating walking into a yoga class with a bunch of hard-core, seasoned ashtangees, when you don’t even know the series and haven’t got the strength to complete it. It can be twice as intimidating, having the memory challenges that I have. I just have to keep telling myself that putting myself out there is better than being the gal sitting on the couch at home, and to hell with what anybody else thinks!
The only way to truly get over my fear is to bask in it until it dissolves, and that means to thrust myself, full-force, in the midst of my fear so that I can experience it fully. Deep breath, “I can do this”.
So, after I get myself to the point that I can do the Sun Salutations five times each, I will be seeking a studio to practice at again. And yes, I will be asking my divine to give me strength and the courage to once again step outside of my comfort zone and do this. Wish me luck!
What have you been putting of lately, out of fear? Are you letting fear of failure keep you from trying something new? You know, often times, when we allow ourselves to fully experience our fear, it will simply disappear. What fear have you been running from? What fear can you thrust yourself into and experience fully?
You were born with divine potential. How can you reach this divine potential if you do not gather the strength and courage to face your fears? Truth is, when you exhibit courage, you inspire others to do the same, and others will follow your lead.
Aristotle, he was a pretty smart dude, and he said, “Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees the others”.
♥ – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – SOULYSTIC SUGGESTION – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – ♥
Do one thing today that scares you. If you don’t feel you have the courage, ask your divine to give you the strength and to carry you through it.
♥ – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – -♥
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