A day off is ok...

A strange start to the day today:  the plan was to head out to Ft. Worth for a round of golf.  Up at 6am and out the door about 7:15.  It was raining a little, but no biggie, we golfers like to think, "it won't last. No problem."  About 20 minutes into my drive, I decided, well, this looks like it is going to last. Time to throw in the towel.  Golf is just not going to be the plan today.  And I was ok with that, because through my yoga experiences I have learned that things do not always turn out the way we plan.  As a matter of fact, most of the time they do not turn out the way we plan, right?  And one of my favorite quotes says: "the only thing constant is change."  How true is that??

Which brings me to the subject of rainy days.  I honor the occasional rainy day that pops up in the middle of a long stint of dryer days.  The rain always seems to know when to show up...to slow me down so I can refresh, reset, reconnect.  The universe, it always knows what you need.  You can trust it.  When you learn this, and learn to truly believe in it, your life becomes so much more peaceful.  The way you see the world becomes completely up to you.  In a way, when you finally realize that you are not in control, that is when you are finally in control.  I try to always keep an open heart and an open mind, working on my mindfulness, so as to miss as few hints being given to me by the world around me as possible.  Today I heard the universe saying that I should skip driving almost 2 hours in the rain to play golf, and stay home to catch up on some me time instead.  So that's what I did.

Once I was home, I took some time to catch up on chores around the house.  When things stack up, and I start feeling overwhelmed, I like to take a deep breath or two, prioritize what needs to be done first, and then begin my attack with "yoga steps" (a yoga pixie's version of baby steps).  Yoga, when practiced in the way it was meant to be practiced, is a series of small, gradual, subtle steps.  So to approach any challenges in your life this way, is to approach them with yoga steps.   Slowly but surely, with patience, focus, determination, and perseverance, progress is eminent. So this is how my day went...slower, more deliberate, more mindful in every chore to be done, enjoying it all.  As Bryan Kest once stated at a workshop I attended, "be gentle with everything in your life."

This leads me to an important lesson I have learned through my yoga thus far: Compassion for Self.  Being an innately type A perfectionist, this was a big one for me.  I have spent most of my life pushing, pushing, pushing, always knowing I could be better, and at times...many times...this pushing has led me to deep feelings of frustration and disappointment in myself.  Yoga has taught me that life is about the here and now, and that everything unfolds as it should...in its own appropriate and very perfect time line.   

So to link this back to my day today, it's about learning that the hatha yoga doesn't have to happen every day, nor does it have to happen at the same intensity every day. As a matter of fact, I think it's probably more beneficial if it does not always happen the same way every day.  Our bodies, our minds, our hearts, our emotions, our moods, are all very different from day to day.  The greatest gift we can give ourselves is to learn how to listen to these "indicators" and allow them to direct what we subject ourselves to each day.   

This thought of the day has inspired me to create another reference page on this site that lists my different practices...some more intense than others, and some not involving asanas at all, but still practices nonetheless.  I'll work on getting that up over the next week, so if you are interested to see what I come up with, be sure to check back!

A few additional thoughts I had today:  I emailed a friend today that I had heard was sick...just checking in to let him know he was thought of and missed, and wished a speedy recovery.  This reminded me of one thing I have been trying to do more of lately...never let a kind thought go unexpressed.  If I think of someone, no matter how simple the thought, I try to always act on that thought.  You never know what effect expressing kind words can have on a person's day.  So, if I see a pretty dress on someone, I tell her.  If I appreciate someone's efforts, I tell him/her.  I have not yet mastered this skill, and still catch myself occasionally letting kind thoughts come and then go, never being expressed.  And the feeling is always one of a missed opportunity.  I suppose this could be considered karma yoga.  It is a selfless act done with no expectations of the result.  I consider it part of my practice of mindfulness and awareness.  It's a really fun practice.

Gratitude:   Thank you rain for always knowing when to come and slow me down.  Thank you yoga for teaching me that taking a day off is ok.  Thank you Paul for still wanting to make play dates with me after 12+ years.  Namaste.