Good Monday

I began the day meditating and dozing.  This is my favorite way to start my week.  It is like creating my world for the week inside of a relaxed morning meditation.  I am able to imagine fun things to create for the yoga studio, for my family, for my life and travels.  I am able to connect and reconnect again and again to the pure love that is inside of all of us, to drink of that until I am that.  All beings are that too.  Enjoy your week, enjoy your life.

2nd week already!

That was fast! What happened to the second week of our yoga challenge?  Thanksgiving Day was in there.  I did yoga all but 2 days this past week!  I think that yesterday, when it was my 6th day to practice and I was very tired I was actually doing yoga by listening to my body.  The body was not into anything but rest, so rest I did.  After completing and mailing the yoga school renewal application, all systems said "down".  Some of the group have asked about rest days and they feel like doing something so they do "is that alright?"  Yes!  you are listening to your body, that is the point.  Part of the point of the 40-day practice is to get really connected mind-body-spirit.  If your body needs to rest so that you can actually listen to the mind and spirit, do that.  If your body is restless even though it is your rest day - do something.  I am inspired by the responses I have had from the group of yoga practitioners on this journey with me.  You are all practicing your yoga challenge mindfully - it has been a succesful challenge so far.  Now what is going to happen with the 3rd week?  As the energies of the earth go more & more inward and darker, our energies also go within and slow down.  The challenge this week will be to honor your inner needs without honoring the mind-chatter.  What do you really need to do?

1st week is complete!

We are ending the 7th day of the 40 day yoga challenge!  It was so exciting to see the challengees showing up for more classes at the studio this week!  Today I took a day off of yoga!  I am really surprised with myself.  It is yoga teacher training weekend at the studio and I expected I might be doing poses along with students today, but I sat out even the fun YogaKids demo class that Rebecca did for the teacher trainees.  (It was so tempting to do the kids poses because it look like fun!)  I did however, growl like a lion, and do a couple of restorative poses - that counts as rest!  Only 33 days to go!

Rest

If you read Aimee's blog (prior) you would see her talking about rest - I wonder how many of us in the challenge have had the same thought?  I did in a different way, I was wondering if I could actually get in a day of rest!  I usually take Saturday and Sunday off of teaching yoga, so then I have an option of having at least one day of just practice for me.  I have lately taken advantage of that by meditating rather than asana practice.  However, since beginning the challenge I have not yet had a day of rest!  I stole a nap out of my schedule on Tuesday though - we hoo  that was so great!  I slept about 2 hours Tuesday afternoon and it has made my last two days much easier now.  So don't forget to rest!

Aimee: Day 5—Day of (much needed) rest

Aimee: Day 5—Day of (much needed) rest: "When I started the challenge and Karen said that we should practice 6 days and rest 1 day each week, I thought, no...I'll just practice ever..."

Aimee: The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, I.15

Aimee: The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, I.15: "On non-attachment and purpose: 'It is not only saints but everything in nature—trees, birds, animals—they all live for the sake of others. ..."

Aimee. . .

My mission is simply to feel better in body, mind, and spirit. For my first asana practice I focused on balance poses because restoring balance is what I need: in body to feel energetic but not frenetic during the day, calm and at ease at night; in mind to feel focused, less scattered, present, and even; in spirit to feel more connected to my Divine Source and therefore more connected to my Self and everyone around me. Every day I will end my practice with this mantra: May my heart be filled with Divine Love. May I be an expression of Divine Love. Aimee J