Excuses for a Closed Mind

During my yoga classes we focus on being open with our mind, body, and spirit in many of the poses. Camel in particular is a pose that helps individuals personally break down barriers and step outside their comfort zone. It took working with this pose as well as others diligently to help break down some of my own barriers in order to find that openness.

What areas of your life would you like to be more open to? This openness could be in relationships, personal growth, activities, possibilities, opportunities that arise, etc.

What prevents you from moving forward and being the best you? There are many excuses that we use for the closed mind. A few are listed below. As you read through the list do you think or say these often? We are our biggest barrier and so it is getting outside of your head in order to change.

I’ve always done it this way

It is too much trouble to change
I tried that before
I don’t like that idea
That will never work
That costs too much
That is a crazy Idea
That is too much work
That is impossible
My friends, family, coworkers would never believe it
That is so different from how I was raised
That is not me
I could never succeed

 Enjoy the journey of discovery.

“Ineffective people live day after day with unused potential. They experience synergy only in small, peripheral ways in their lives. But creative experiences can be produced regularly, consistently, almost daily in people's lives. It requires enormous personal security and openness and a spirit of adventure.”           Stephen R Covey

Adrenal Fatigue

I have a few of my clients that have been working their butt off and doing everything right yet still seem to be stuck with their weight. They also are experiencing additional symptoms including: abdominal weight gain, difficulty sleeping, lack of energy, mild depression, increased food cravings, mental fogginess. After doing some more research one of the culprits that I have found is adrenal fatigue. It is often caused by a wide range of physical and psychological stressors — a demanding job, raising a family, relationship dynamics, lack of sleep, financial pressures, suboptimal nutrition, dieting, unresolved emotional distress — signal the adrenal glands to produce stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol. When our adrenal glands are required to chronically sustain high cortisol levels, they eventually become impaired in their ability to respond appropriately.

 High intensity exercise is like throwing fuel on the fire. So if you are pushing and pushing yet not seeing any results it might be time to switch gears. Finding balance is the key with lower intensity workouts and yoga. If you are intrigued by this information and are interested in learning more. Let me know.

Brahmacharya

Back in September I wrote a post about Swadhyaya or self reflection in yoga and in life. I encourage you to go back and read this post. Today we are going to talk about another guideline called Brahmacharya. Brahmacharya is moderation in all things on all levels.

 Do you have areas of your life that you overindulge in? (Food, negativity, guilt, pushing yourself, etc) Maybe there are areas that you allow to starve. Take inventory and creative a few strategies in order to bring about more balance in these areas.

 For a 15 minute yoga workout that I put together for Dustin Mayer check out the U-Tube video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=46RsHhRSxEY

Self Reflection (Svadhyaya)

Yoga is more then just postures. While teaching I weave in parts of the eight limbs, which is art of right living and the foundations of yoga philosophy. The second limb includes the Niyamas. Niyama means "rules" or "laws." These are the rules prescribed for personal observance. They refer to the attitude we adopt toward ourselves as we create a code for living soulfully.

There are five Niyamas. Today we are going to focus on Svadhyaya . Sva means "self' adhyaya means "inquiry" or "examination". Any activity that cultivates self-reflective consciousness can be considered svadhyaya. It means to intentionally find self-awareness in all our activities and efforts, even to the point of welcoming and accepting our limitations. It teaches us to be centered and non-reactive to the dualities, to burn out unwanted and self-destructive tendencies.

 
Here are some suggestions for incorporating Svadhyaya into your practice as well as your daily life:

• While holding postures using self reflection as to your tendencies to push, hold back, favor a side, or to go quickly.
• Throughout practice tune into the messages you are telling yourself about your abilities, your time, your focus.
• In final relaxation what have you not let go of, are you able to relax, what thoughts creep up when trying to calm the mind?
• Throughout the day take two twenty-minute vacations to check in mentally, meditate, say affirmations, and to reflect on all that is going on.
• Pay attention to the tone of your voice, the positive and negative messages or thoughts used, your interactions with others, and how you carry yourself.
• Are your decisions inline with your goals and values?

 
If you are like many, slowing down enough to reflect can be scary, challenging to schedule, and not pleasant. I always tell people that success comes to those who take the time to do the things that they may not want to do.