Tag: swannasana

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

 

What the World needs now.

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This is about how I feel right now. The world needs a group hug. Words escape me and I feel hollow inside. I know, this to shall pass…I suppose (sigh). I am confounded and saddened by all of the judgement and anger amongst each other on social media and in the world. I guess because I know how difficult it is to change deeply ingrained viewpoints and fundamental values. We each have a unique path and private story that has made us who we are today, and a lot of these memories, experiences and moments become a part of us at such a young and impressionable age we often don’t remember why.

It just is.

Whatever these beliefs are we continue to share them with our children, our children’s children and so it goes. The values, judgements, bias, love, all of it.

Why do these tragedies happen? Well the answers are all over the internet. Pick the one that one fits nicely with your life and beliefs. I assure you it is there. I have read so many facts, opinions, statistics and I certainly haven’t found the right answer for me. It’s so much larger than I have the ability to wrap my brain and heart around.

Here is what I do believe wholeheartedly:

If we encouraged each other more than discouraged each other.

If we love each other more than fear one another.

If we stop, listen, gain some perspective with the opposing side and be ok to respectfully disagree.

To acknowledge our differences and understand I’m not here to change you, vice versa…but be respectful.

I think when we begin toacknowledge our differences and compromise rather than create a larger divide and separation, that is when positive change happens. 

Yes, the world has a lot of evil and hate.m, but with Pandora’s box open, perhaps we do this instead:

Look in each other’s eyes and really see the other person – their strength, beauty, passion, faults, insecurities and the life that we don’t know. We have m

All of it. Unconditional, boundless love.

Say “I see you. I see hurt, I see love, I see connection and mostly I see a need to be accepted.” Our ego plays a huge role in our lives. Here is a comforting thought: We all have this ego voice in our head. We are human. Think of it as batteries included, but here is the bigger voice… We are humanity, therefore, we will prevail, stronger, more mindful and with more compassion. We have a choice. Let’s choose to love and being ok with not having all the answers.

My answers might not be your answers. Maybe it’s as simple as reaching out to acknowledge another human for the sake of humanity.

Hug and look at the other person and say “I SEE YOU.”

Wow… It is truly profound. Human connection. Humanity. Try it and see.

Peace, love, respect,

Melissa

A Year Ago Today 

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Astavakrasana, also known as Eight Angled Pose. The top photo was taken today; the bottom exactly a year ago today. This photo represents a growth on visual and physical level because I can see the improvements superficially and externally from one to the other. However, way above and beyond feeling stronger physically, I am mentally and spiritually stronger.🙏🏼 

This life, I can choose to live in love and gratitude or I can choose to live in fear and judgement. Whichever path I  choose will breed more of the same. I’m not saying I live a perfect life of love and gratitude all the time. No way, no how. Far from it!! There will be times that fear and judgement show up, but now when that happens, I acknowledge them and just as graciously escort them out. Being mindful of the path I choose takes practice. Everyday saying no to fear means saying yes to love. 

Growth is inevitable, and it is uncomfortable and uncertain. 

No question about it. Believe me, I’m the first to admit it. Ask anyone who knows me. 

So, (pause) when we boldly move beyond these resistant and difficult moments, we are making a choice to live. 

It’s that simple.

 We are all stronger than we think. – Physically, Spiritually and yes Mentally. The transformation of ourselves is happening every minute of every hour of every day, week…month…and year. Most of the time we don’t pay attention to this transformation, we just keep doing, we just keep being, often unaware. 

We just do. (Here’s secret: it’s ok).

 But here’s the thing, I’ll let you in on another secret: Yoga. It  redefines our purpose in life. No shit. 

Yoga is not only refining your body physically, although when you start seeing this, it feels so deeply amazing. Yoga also offers us an  invitation to a reintroduction of ourselves: to our true selves. Guess what else: She is graciously awaiting your acceptance. 

Most of us find our way through asanas or yoga poses because we SEE the physical transformation. We FEEL empowered and stronger when we repeatedly step on our mat, flowing through each pose. Eventually though, this repetitive practice will open ourselves up to a curiosity, an intuitive calling.

 Just wait for it. It might not be this second, hour, day, month or year, but keep moving on your mat… No matter what. 

Never stop. No matter how difficult or inadequate or resistant life becomes. And  one more thing: be patient with yourself and most importantly be willing to listen. Trust me. 

Take life one breath at a time-Melissa