Tag: ego

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

 

Who Am I?

Swannasana3 Comments

I am on a path of self-discovery

Today is February 1, 2016. I am a yogi beginning my yoga teacher training certification. It is a very vulnerable and intensive experience because I am stepping outside my comfort zone and as I like to describe it “I am finding my edge.”

Despite the fact that the end result is to instruct, this course is broadening my perspective and I am rediscovering my philosophy on life. This is a major shift because it is questioning my values and what is important to me. Perplexing, challenging, conflicting are words that pop up in my head often, but the words freeing and responsive come to mind equally.

I am perplexed. I am challenged. I am conflicted. I am because the class, the books, the wisdom and the exercises are pushing me to think in a brand new way. A shift of perception and self-realization. Mix those with ego and true identity and it unveils a lot of insecurities and pieces about myself and where I am in my life that are difficult to accept. But let me also emphasize that these feelings and vulnerabilities are not dispiriting or discouraging. They just are and I am ok with that… which leads me to

I am free. I am responsive. I am open to these aha moments, even the moments when I feel extremely inadequate and undeserving of being there/here. It is truly a gratifying experience to know that the other students are kind and forgiving. Most of them feel the same as me. We just project it differently.

At the end of the day, we are all humans with baggage and insecurities, not to mention we are really interconnected on a deeper level. So, with that said, the more I practice loving kindness, mindfulness and forgiveness for my shortcomings and to those around me, then I know I am on the path.

I recall a moment after practice  “teaching” a vinyasa, where I took a moment and I said to my peers “Perhaps the students appreciate my teaching and direction. That maybe perhaps they are empathic to my anxieties, insecurities as I stand before them sharing my philosophy and instruction… that THEY ARE are also perplexed, challenged and conflicted, but also free, responsive and open.

That THEY ARE happy to be in the moment, just as I AM when I’m the practitioner and they are teaching me.  We are all in this together. As my teacher emphasized, when we come to a yoga class, we leave all of our fears, frustrations and mind-stuff at the door. We join together on our mats for clarity, confirmation of all that is right in the world and within ourselves.

I am exploring my boundaries with courage and loving kindness.

PEACE and GRATITUDE,

Melissa