Yoga Can Bring Peace

Tuesday, March 31, 2020,
Yesterday was Monday. It wasn't a great day, but it certainly wasn't a bad day. Monday's, and any day, can be just that.....a Monday.....a day. I came to my mat with little enthusiasm, and then ended my day with little enthusiasm, and that's ok. Following through with a thing is a good exercise in giving your best when you don't feel like it.

Today is Tuesday, however, and I woke feeling marvelous. I woke today with more drive and focus. It's 5:15AM as I type this, and I'm going to begin a little earlier, as I intend to go through my full sequence of Asanas. I'm going to spend a bit more time in meditation and prayer before I begin.

Time to sweat it out....

Tuesday, March 31, 2020 (Part II),
I spent extra time in prayer and meditation this morning and I feel like that makes a difference in my practice.

I reflected while I was moving through my Asanas today and realized that, while I've expanded on the physical/Asana side of my practice, I have expanded the time and focus on prayer and meditation as well. I feel like I get a complete, and holistic "tune-up" when I begin my practice with praying, meditating, and breath-control exercises/Pranayama. I feel as though I'm completely even-keeled when I do a robust practice; I don't respond to stress in the same way, and I feel like I extinguished a lot of the little demons running amok in my own head (took a fire hose to em....).

Peaceful, is a good word for my demeanor after I practice. I feel like I can stare death, despair, confusion, and mayhem in the face, and remain peaceful.

I'm delighted to be sharing this version of myself with the world.

Namaste

Comments

The Rebuild

Tuesday, July 10, 2018 Woke at my usual 4:45AM this morning for coffee and contemplation. Feeling wonderful this morning, and not terribly sore at all. There's a bit of stiffness in my back from yesterday's backbends, but that's to be expected. Ready to sweat it out on my mat. Tuesday, July 10, 2018 (Part II) I'm writing this off my mat, already showered up for my day. I love going to my mat. The physical challenge alone is reward enough, but, while I've said it many times before, the mental and spiritual adjustments that one can make are priceless. Physically, I already see a difference in my body. Arms are still re-building their stamina, but the twists and forward bends I incorporate are already helping with digestion and elimination and the general "deflating" of my body and G.I. track (TMI, I'm sure, but this is one of the main physical reasons why I practice). Mentally, I feel prepared for anything that comes my way today and fe...

Asana

Monday, March 30, 2020 After no physical practice/Asanas on Friday, and no yoga over the weekend, I notice that it's difficult to stay motivated and dedicated to my practice at times. Additionally, I ran a solo-10K this weekend (the St. Louis GO! Marathon/Half-Marthon/10K was cancelled, like most public events), and the additional tenderness in my feet, legs, etc. definitely told me not to get on my mat. Monday blues/malaise, essentially.....a "negative mind"... When I'm on my mat, feeling like it's pointless, and that the day ahead is pointless, and that the efforts I'll expend to make things better are pointless, I can go back to the foundations of my life. First, what do I live for? I live for God. That is my attempted mantra every day. It is not for me/you to understand the purpose of anything. Pulling yourself out of an equation is very liberating in that you're no longer attached to the result. It's 5:27AM as I type this, and it...

Be Silent

Tuesday, November 10, 2020 (Part I), Literal silence is seldom present. Whether in our homes, our cars, or our offices, noise, and other physical sounds, are almost always being generated from somewhere. Try a little experiment next time the opportunity arises; turn off all music, all noise making devices, and make your environment as quiet as possible. Then, close your eyes and sit for 2 minutes. You’ll, very quickly, begin to hear things you weren't noticing before. The same is true when you silence your own thoughts. You turn off the “noise” of your own brain, and you begin to notice and hear things that are always there, but that you simply didn’t notice before. To “turn down the volume” in your own head, physically imagine a hand turning down a volume dial. Then, select an object of meditation (a loved one, a religious object, or something plain and innocuous, like a pineapple), and hold that image in your mind. Within moments, your ...

James Walsh Yoga

Search This Blog