40 Days Later

The last time I wrote a blog I talked about the 40 Day Personal Revolution that I was preparing to participate in. Today is day 40 of that program. Have I transformed my life? I can confidently say, sorta.

During these past few weeks, I've definitely learned a lot from this experience. Like how to cut a pineapple, for example. Thanks, YouTube. But I've also learned more profound things, particularly about myself. I learned that I have more discipline, willpower, and strength than I've been utilizing, and more than I've given myself credit for.

The criteria for the 40 Days included yoga, meditation, self-inquiry, journaling, reading Baptiste's book, and participation in weekly meetings. I wasn't able to follow every guideline to the tee, and I'm pretty confident the other 40-ish participants in our program had to make adjustments as well. One of the (many) great pieces of advice our facilitator Chelsea shared was "Take what works for you, leave what doesn't." No reason to beat yourself up or quit because you missed one practice or evening meditation. Just jump back on the wagon and keep on keeping on.

And so I did. My overall consistency and dedication has been worth the effort. I feel more confident than I did at the beginning of the program. I've deliberately been stepping outside of my comfort zone to grow and expand those boundaries. I've gotten closer to others in my yoga community as well as other people outside the yoga studio. I've had some breakthroughs in my yoga practice, progressing in more advanced poses and feeling myself physically becoming stronger. I've developed a new relationship with food and I've lost weight. I've made changes job-wise to enhance the quality of my life. I feel like everything makes a lot more sense.  Overall, I just feel really good and I'm really grateful for the experience.

In life we're always expanding or we're contracting, and these past 40 days have definitely been a period of expansion. While I haven't transformed into a completely different person, I've definitely cultivated some better habits which I intend to continue from this point on. I will miss our weekly group meetings, but I can continue exploring other lessons I've learned in the program. Just keep taking what works, and leaving what doesn't.

Got Resolutions?

If you're anything like me, it's about this time of year you vow to do a whole list of things for the upcoming year. And also if you're anything like me, what inevitably ends up on your list are the same things that were on your list last year.  And the year before. And before. Eat healthier. Get out of debt. Stop drinking (as much). Save money. Lose weight. Spend time more wisely. Volunteer. Essentially, become a better person. You tell yourself that you can do it. This year is going to be different.

Despite good intentions, things often don't work out as expected. Maybe you stick to your goals for a couple days, even weeks, but they soon fizzle out. Before you know it, the year has passed and you (I) haven't crossed one damned thing off the list.

Well, for me, this year is going to be different. No, really. I swear. Not only do I have good intentions, I have something that I've never had before: a plan. Say whaaaaaaat??

Yes, a plan. Not that I haven't had a plan in the past; or at least I thought I did. My 'plan' was to do all the things I said I was going to do. Plain and simple. I was going to turn my life around once and for all. But my 'plan' just consisted of my intentions to do so, and while intentions mean well, I can't recall ever accomplishing one of my resolutions according to my so-called plan.   

This year my plan comes equipped with a program, a book, instructions, and a support group. And there's only one thing on my new years resolution list. What am I talking about? Don't you know, I'm talkin' bout a revolution.

Beginning January 8th, I will participate in 40 Days to Personal Revolution, a program designed by world renowned yogi extraordinaire Baron Baptiste. The program includes the advice, wisdom and tools to inspire a transformation of body, mind and spirit in a relevant and practical format. The outline entails practicing yoga 6 days a week, twice daily meditation, logical dietary changes, attendance at weekly meetings, and learning to find and listen to the authentic self. Each week builds on the previous one, beginning with small changes working towards more substantial ones as the program gets closer to the 40 days.
  
I do not claim or believe that this will be an easy undertaking by any means. It's a significant commitment and I definitely had/have my reservations about participating. My initial concern was the time commitment. By week 6, the yoga practices extend to 90 minutes, and the meditation lasts 30 minutes in the morning and another 30 in the evening. And there's still the weekly meeting. WHERE WILL I FIND THE TIME?!?  I'm also concerned about the dietary changes. Although I know giving up certain things would do me good, old habits die hard and I haven't had much luck in previous 'attempts'. My final concern was the cost. I'm already struggling to make ends meet as is; should I really be taking on another financial obligation?

After some questioning, I learned that the yoga practices don't have to be done at a certain time or place; I can do them anywhere, even at home.  The dietary changes are chosen by me, not according to a master one-size-fits-all formula. And even though money is tight, the cost of the program is less than I anticipated; a very reasonable price with some extra incentives* thrown in.

Even though my concerns are still very relevant to me, I signed up for the program anyway. There's no doubt I will experience moments of weakness, faltering motivation, sacrifice, even suffering. There's a chance I could even fail. I could quit, give up, drop out, realize I was in over my head (which is a legitimate concern). But I'm not letting that stop me from trying, and I'm convinced that I can make it through the 40 days. This is my new years resolution.

Why do I want to do this? What do I expect to get? Essentially, to become a better person. As cheesy as it sounds and no matter the stigma attached, I've always been a fan of self-help. I'm an avid believer that our minds hold the power to heal ourselves with enough determination, mindfulness, and perseverance. I remember listening to Tony Robbins years ago talking about his philosophy of CANI : Constant And Never-ending Improvement.  The theory is to improve one tiny aspect of your life every single day, and over time....voila!!   I love that philosophy; it has stuck with me over the years, creeping into my mind at times when I've needed it most. Besides, if we don't help ourselves, who will? Better yet, who would we allow, even if someone tried? It's been said that we're our own worst critics, but what about being our own biggest proponents? That's where YOU come in. You have the power to change yourself.  Here's to 2012.

"The highest reward for a person's toil is not what they get for it, but what they become by it." - John Ruskin 

 *For more information or to enroll, contact Inner Peace Yoga. 40 day personal transformation will be facilitated by local Tulsa instructor, Chelsea Paxton.

Morning's Here

I've never been an early riser. Not on purpose anyway. There have been a couple periods in my life that I've been required to get up early, but I've never done it on my own accord. Most of my adult life I've been a night owl, partially due to years spent bartending. I've seen the clock strike 2am, 3am, 4am more times that I can count. While I've spent the better part of the last two decades drooling on my pillow snoozing my days away, tons of other people have been up and at'em at the crack of dawn doing god-knows-what.

I guess I wanted to know what. 

I figured I've been a 'night' person for so many years, why not give being a 'morning' person a shot? So when an opportunity to teach early morning yoga classes arose, I volunteered.  For 5:30AM. Talk about shock and awe.

In order to welcome the morning, I like to think of this song/clip from an old Friends episode:

It makes me smile every time, without fail.

With this song in my head (and coffee in my bloodstream), I've found the mornings to be quite enjoyable.

The quiet and peaceful atmosphere of dawn provides the perfect ambiance for practicing yoga, which makes getting up early worth it.

If you're an early riser or aspiring to be, get into gear and join me every Tuesday and Wednesday morning at Inner Peace Yoga, 5:30AM.  I'll see you tomorrow morning.

Cock-a-doodle-doo!!

Early morning classes beginning at Inner Peace Yoga in December. Join me every Tuesday and Wednesday!

Channel 8 Covers Yoga on the Deck

We made it on the news!

Watch it here: Yoga on the River Video

Read about it here: Yoga on the River Article

Yoga on the Deck

Beginning Tuesday August 2, join me for Yoga on the Deck at Blue Rose Cafe. Greet the day taking in fresh air and beautiful river views.

Classes are ongoing through fall, every Tuesday 8:00-9:00AM. All are welcome, classes targeted for beginner to intermediate levels. $10/drop in, or 6 classes for $50.

Enter through south side of the building, meet on lower deck. Space is limited, so be on time to get a spot! Contact me with any questions.

Hope to see you there!


*Photo by Lewis Pond

Flexibility Not Required

"Oh, I could never do yoga, I'm not flexible enough." This is the most common response I get when I tell people I teach yoga. "You don't understand, I'm REALLY inflexible. I can't even touch my toes. Plus, I'd be too embarrassed."

It's a frustrating dispute; what we need most for our bodies are often the things we avoid because we don't want to leave our comfort zone, feel pain, or risk looking stupid. And that may be all fine and dandy for now, but if you stick with that mentality your range of motion will continue to deteriorate, leaving you unable to bend, reach, or extend your body because you neglected to do anything about it when you had the chance. We're not getting any younger here (unless you do yoga, then maybe you are).

If you find your body to be stiff as these guys cocktails, there's hope for you yet. One of the biggest misconceptions about yoga is that you have to be flexible to participate. Au contraire, mon frère, flexibility not required. We practice yoga to gain flexibility, just like people lift weights to gain strength. You don't have to bench 250 to lift weights, and you don't have to touch your toes to do yoga. Whatever your level of flexibility is (or isn't), you go from there. You benefit from the practice by working with your own body resistance as you gradually improve your range of motion.

Besides, being flexible doesn't necessarily make you 'good' at yoga. Yoga is a practice that involves strength, balance, breathing, meditation, alignment, mindfulness....the list goes on. Each person has their strengths, as well as areas that could use improvement. If you're lacking in the flexibility department, chances are you're able to compensate somewhere else. We all show up to our mats with different bodies, levels of experience, and flexibility. Keep in mind that although you might not look like the person next to you, you're working just as hard.

But what about the other people in class, the ones who can do this? Won't they be staring, judging, wondering why you had the audacity to join their class? Frankly my dear, they don't give a damn. What they do give a damn about is keeping their focus on their own mat, and you should do the same. One of the worst things you can do in a yoga class is look around and judge yourself based on what others are doing. This will absolutely 100% NOT help your practice. Compare leads to despair. Yoga is not a competition; that's why it's called a practice. There's no score, no winners, no trophies. Just practice.

I've been practicing for 5+years, and I'm no Gumby myself. I'm rarely the most flexible person in the room (not that I would know cause I don't look, ahem). To be a yogi, you don't have to be flexible in the body, but you do have to be flexible in the mind.