Sitting Alone Part 2

Today, I decided to challenge myself.  I decided instead of going to yoga practice this morning, I would practice sitting alone. Sit and breathe for 30 minutes! It was not perfect, oh but how I have learned from the experience.  It made me think of articles I have read or things I've heard. It made me pay attention to what was happening.


Why is it so hard to sit alone?  Because I am used to moving around so much. Or when I am sitting, I am doing something. Online, Netflix, Daydreaming, planning, whatever. It also brought something else to mind! 


Sitting and breathing is not just a challenge for the mind,it's a challenge for the body as well! 


From something like, my legs are cramping up, to I want to get up and do some asana.  I was thinking about how to deal with these issues, why they were issues and what to do.  As for cramping, well, no one wants that. The key is, to relieve the cramp but still stay still and get back to breath.  I shifted many times. To get rid of some stiffness, trying to keep my feet from falling asleep. I was still determined to sit and breath after each movement, get back to breathing. This may seem minor but it isn't really.  While I am figuring out how to sit, I may be focusing less on breathing. Or, one can find themselves ready to start experimenting with sitting poses (which I did for a small bit) and getting away from the main focus of being Still and Breathing! Ah, how tricky such little distractions are.


Also, I tend to want to do some asana after awhile.  Which is fine, except for the fact, this, at least in my case, is my mind tricking me into thinking I want to do something with breath. In reality, it's my minds clever way to try t get me to get up, move around, move with breath instead of being still with it and really focusing in.


When I did decide to do some asana, I went into childs pose. Haha, take that fear of stillness! We both get something, my mind being afraid of stillness gets its asana, and I still get to breath and stop moving. (it never specifically asked for a vinyasa teehee).


To sum this all up, I was just pleasantly surprised to find sitting alone and being still a mind AND body exercise! Perhaps for others, it is not the same. For me, it was a challenge to not move, to not try different sitting poses, to not worry about how I was sitting and to just be pleased I am sitting and getting some air. It made me realized how bored I've been with myself.


I read somewhere boredom is from not being challenged. I am starting to see that now. When I am at yoga, I'm not hungry (until after, come on, we all are). When I am at home, milling around, I am pretty much always hungry.  When I'm out and about doing errands, or going for a walk, I'm not bored or sluggish, because I am doing something. Or writing, when I really get into it, everything else just isn't even there. The world around is nowhere and the writing is everywhere.


I realized I was interested and happy for the challenges that have been arising from yoga. The mental puzzles, physical challenges, philosophy, health habits, body doing what you want it to, and not.  Yoga makes me move, makes me stay still, makes me think, makes me try not to think. All with a purpose! Of going forward, seeing what is beyond where I am now because I literally feel inside myself that there is SO much more to me! There is a part of me just standing, face pressed to the glass like a kid staring into a candy store, tapping the glass, "Come on Chelle, come on...I am so ready!" 


Ready for what you say?  Well, you'll just have to wait and see! It's coming, I feel it in my chest. Those excited and drunken butterflies swirling around. Something great is coming and I'm sooo excited!


Namaste my friends,


~Writer Yogi

Embrace The Challenge

This is my calendar for the month of April.
Finding a good way to document what you are doing may help you accomplish your goals.

What does "Embrace the challenge" mean?  You know the saying, "When the going get tough, the tough get going"? Forget it!  Embracing the challenge means, when the going gets tough, you shake Tough's hand, bow, or give whatever greeting of respect you prefer before the bell rings.  You tell Tough to bring it on! 

I consciously made this decision when I started yoga.  At the very beginning of the April Challenge (DAY 30 I DID IT!!!) I have a post in my yoga journal about my discouraging first 6am Power Hour Class.  Yes, the class was beyond (and in some ways still is) my level, but I committed myself to the challenge and that requires going to other classes to get 4 classes a week, and working with my ever changing work schedule.  At the end of the class, I was thinking how unfocused I was on breath and how I was too focused on keeping up and then my failure to do so.  Here is an exact excerpt from that entry...

" Times like these make it easy to get discouraged.  And there was a moment I thought, 'I don't want to go to class in the morning again'.  I can't afford to think like that.  Each day I have to want to practice And Want The Challenge.  If everything is easy, there is no accomplishment or growth.

I want to practice, I want the challenge." 

See?  Where are you without a challenge?  Stagnant and unable to grow.  I will say this, at least for me, it applies to things I love or have an interest in.  For example, if my writing is challenging because I can't get a line right, or have to put a poem to the side to get to it later, I am okay with that because I love writing poetry.  Now, if the challenge came from, I don't know, having some business corporate job with meetings and big bosses and deadlines, I would not embrace that because I'd have no passion for it.  My point is to embrace a challenge that means something to you.  After a while you will begin to see it in a different light.  Each time something difficult comes along, it will add interest and spice instead of being a burden or something hard.

As I have stated above, this doesn't just apply to yoga, it applies to all aspects of life.  In some ways "challenge" can be substituted with "stress".  Life does have it's stressors and the same rationality and reaction applies.  If something is stressing you out, is it worth it?  If you work with disadvantaged kids and you are stressed out it is difficult to reach them, you will keep trying if that is your passion.  If you love plants and you are stressed out trying to figure out living conditions to make them grow, hey, you will keep going to make those plants grow because you love plants.  

If you are doing something that is just a job, to pay rent, an obligation, or what have you, something in that situation is harder to deal with, and not something you want to deal with because you have no drive for it.  You have to do it, or are passing time until something else comes along. In that case, the stress and challenge is not worth it, and will most likely wear you down or make you grumpy instead of pumping you up to succeed or at least feeling accomplished and rewarded when it is all over. You may even be ready to do it again.  I would love to hear your thoughts on the subject.  I was discussing this with my husband.  What do you think?

I'm actually in a transitioning part of my life.  And I do have things that stress me out that I am not willing to deal with.  I made a GOAL (resolutions are pointless) in 2012 to better myself.  Also, to do what makes me happy and to get out into the world.  It's not going to be easy, and there are going to be challenges and stress, but if I bow to Tough and respectfully battle with it, what's going to happen?  Victory! *and the crowd goes wild* 

I admit, I am proud to say I've committed to embracing the challenge.  That does not mean I still don't need to work on it.  I certainly do.  The first step is accepting there will be tough times and going ahead full heartedly anyway! See what challenges are in your life.  Are they really worth it?  If so, please, change your mindset and see them as opportunities to grow and unleash the greatness that is deep inside of you.  2012 is my year to start to do this.  What about you? 

Namaste my friend,

~ Writer Yogi