Tag: breath

Seize the Mantra. Seize the Moment.

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When it comes down to it, this is what it comes down to: Seize the Mantra and Seize the Moment. My mantra for now is HAVE FAITH. My moment is NOW.

By FAITH I mean “complete trust or confidence in the universe.”  And by NOW, I mean now is the perfect timing. Repeating my mantra of HAVE FAITH daily for a small moment manifests hope that I can let go of the worry and fear. As I know very well, worrying is like praying for what you don’t want. Yet I do it all the time…

Seizing moments of solitude are no easy feat either, especially adding in full time job/ wife & mother of three, but regardless of where you are in life, it is hard to find time to be alone, sit still and be in silence. Nonetheless, I highly encourage seizing the mantra and the moment. (Yes, I am speaking to you!)

Give yourself permission the loving kindness you deserve. I believe we all need it and we are not getting enough of it. This valuable time to notice to what is stirring beneath the surface in our soul and to listen for our inner voice. This voice is a culmination of so many entities within ourselves from the murmuring of our heart to the butterflies in our stomach. I like to think of these sensations as intuition or inner voice. Unfortunately, the inner voice can be exacerbated by the fluctuations of the mind and our dear friend Ego. Even more so, when we are feeling emotional or find ourselves in unforeseen places in our lives, our thoughts can cause us to feel clouded and confused; making it difficult to identify what is the voice of our intuition and what is the voice of our dear friend Ego. Consider this: think of the Ego and Intuition as the Shoulder Angels, the Good Angel and the Bad Angel.

When we give ourselves up and release to this sacred space, there is potential to find answers to our unspoken fears and worries or at the very least to help lessen the anxiety. Too often this mind chatter and worry are futile and unrealistic but at the same time so very hard to let go.

Here is a fun practice if you need a little guidance.

Get in a comfortable seated pose with hands in anjali mudra (prayer pose) near your heart or maybe place your hands on your knees with palms to the sky (to be open to receive from the universe). Another option, is savasana with one hand on your heart and one on your belly. Now, close your eyes, soften your brow and your jaw, become conscious with your breath. Taking a deep rich breath inward, then connecting the bottom of your inhale with the beginning of your exhale. Repeat. Notice the symphonic rhythm. Notice your chest and belly rise and fall with every breath in this quiet dance with yourself. Take comfort in being alone, sitting in stillness and silencing your mind. Begin to repeat your mantra. Again. And again. 

This is exactly where you need to be.

This moment: Connecting breath to body and repeating your mantra. HAVE FAITH.

To start, try allotting 5-10 minutes daily. Then, begin bump up your meditation practice adding minute to minute increments. Keep in mind, the longer you commit to holding this space, the calmer and more at peace you become, and in turn allowing for a deeper connection with humanity. This cherished practice of quieting the mind with breath and body is essential to creating and building a deeper life of gratitude and peace.

At the end of the day, this is what I wish to have more than anything else; less worry, less doubt, more fun and more freedom to be my best self and I sincerely wish the same for each and every one of you too. Most of all, Have Faith. 

May this be your mantra for the moment: Seize the Moment, Seize the Mantra and Have Faith…

 

Melissa

 

The Time is Now Baby Grasshopper

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I understand this is just the beginning. My restart button has been pushed and I am upgraded with a more balanced and healthier perspective of the world, and how I react to it. I read a great quote out of Rebecca Pacheco’s book “Do Your Om Thing”, “yoga is about encompassing and unifying all the layers of our being, our job as yogi’s is to master our emotions so that they don’t master us, on and off the mat.”

What now baby grasshopper? Jump, but keep learning and be open and receptive to every opportunity that presents itself and wait for it….

HAVE FUN…

So with that said, I am being proactive. Hello 3rd Chakra!

I asked to be put on the sub list at a local gym. YIKES…if not now then when?

Also, I will start teaching two classes a week – one restorative and one advanced- stay tuned for that…

In addition to my branching out, I will continue to offer classes at my home because it is a very special place to me. My living room is where I took the bold move to practice teach to all my wonderful and compassionate friends (Thanks guys! You know who you are!). It is where I continue to gain experience and build confidence in my ability to share this wonderful practice. I want to be certain that I am offering my most authentic self and teach with integrity and mindfulness. I know I will falter and I will freeze and forget, which is a realistic approach at this point in my yoga teaching. I am fine with not being perfect and I am even more fine with being imperfect. I want to establish myself as a teacher with grace and vulnerability. To LAUGH, to CRY and be SILENT when the moment happens, it will be the right thing to do.. I will listen to my heart and feel my breath and enjoy these wonderful opportunities.

When I look in the eye of my students and fellow yogis, I am saying I SEE YOU, without a word. I am so passionate about this thing called YOGA and EVERYTHING it has to offer. My need to share is essential, but more importantly I want these like minded soul searchers to understand that I have A LOT to learn. There is a tremendous amount of information about this ancient philosophy on and off the mat that I am just skimming the surface. That is delightful. I am a sponge soaking it all in.

It helps to be in a yoga community that is amazingly supportive and helpful. I feel extremely honored to be connected to such a wonderful tribe of radiant individuals. It is really life changing. My life (being more mindful), my relationships (who I want and do not want in my life) and my values (trusting in myself, listening to my intuition and following the path of the yoga sutras with more diligence and awareness.) Each and every aspect of my life has changed – for the better. I mean this yogic outlook really very pure and organic. Quite liberating and refreshing to be honest. Being more aware of my thoughts and emotions. I am and will continue learning to eliminate the mind stuff, the worries of past and future, of unrealistic expectations and attachments, silly assumptions and the special sauce we create.

Living with these core concepts of the seven chakras will essentially keep my body in check and balanced… and it flows into my life.

I WILL:

  1. Stay grounded (Root Chakra) I belong here. I AM.
  2. Get creative and feel the intuitive energy (Sacral Chakra) I FEEL.
  3. Be ambitious and bold. Have gumption and be proactive. (Solar Plexus) I DO.
  4. Follow my heart. Listen to it. Ignore fear. (Heart Chakra) I LOVE.
  5. Communicate and use self expression. Be clear, true and authentic. (Throat Chakra) I SPEAK.
  6. Visualize. Focus. Feed my Intuitive wisdom. (Third Eye Chakra) I SEE.
  7. (Crown Chakra) I UNDERSTAND.

I know this is not easy. I am 40 and I am just now learning these new tricks. I wish I had learned these amazing threads of knowledge sooner, but it comes to you when you are ready. I am ready. Maybe these new tricks (old but new to me) will help me with my depression, my self esteem, my self worth…but it is and always will be work in progress. There is no ending. This isn’t something that I can mark off my to do list, better yet realizing it will always be on my to do list.  This new way of living will take focus, discipline and flexibility and I am not talking about the physically, (although there is that too…) I am talking about mentally! One thing that never changes is change, but I will always have my yoga toolbox to guide and help me: Breath, trust and love. All of these are important instruments for my mind, body and spirit. It is all interconnected, and we are all interconnected…woowoo, it is true. 🙂 It is really beautiful to listen to when they are all balanced and in tune with each other.

I can honestly say I breathe with a deeper sense of purpose  and value which breathes life and gratitude into everything I do in my day to day actions. How I clean my house. How I communicate with humans and life.  What I put in my body. How I treat myself and how I treat everything/one around me. Yoga is the connection and I’m ready to dance.

Yoga:

Your body is poetry – Your breath is music – Create magic.

Melissa