Tag: #meditate

Gifts to Your Future Self

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Your future depends on what you do today.

Mahatma Gandhi

I have received many amazing gifts over the years. I consider my marriage a gift. My children and pets are a gift. My friends and extended family are also wonderful gifts. I think it’s important to not take these “gifts” for granted and make the shift to treasure what is right in front of you. When you do that, it becomes all the more obvious that it’s all a gift. The seeds I plant today, whether they be healthy habits, organizing or simplifying my life, are gifts to my future self. This is self care in its truest form.

Here are some ideas that I consider to be gifts to my future self.

  • Choose healthy foods to eat and eat them in a slow and mindful way.
  • Exercise, whether it is daily walks, biking, yoga or weight training. If you can get the body moving, in a way that you enjoy, you will be more likely to make it a habit.
  • Acts of mindfulness, whether it be meditation, technology breaks or being in nature. All of these things nurture the mind.
  • Social connections are also known to nurture the health of the mind. Like meeting up with a friend for lunch or taking a walk with a loved one.
  • Give yourself something to look forward to like planning a vacation, a workshop or some event that you enjoy attending.
  • Forgive. If you are holding onto old wounds, carrying a grudge or even if you find drivers annoying, don’t allow this heaviness a place in your heart.
  • Plan the near future. Plan the week by looking at the calendar on Sunday night. Make your coffee the night before. Fill up the car before it’s near empty.
  • Plan for the more distant future. Set aside money for retirement. Make an end of life plan. Keep your will and living will updated.
  • Establish healthy boundaries. Say no to things that aren’t in your best interest. Choose to be around people that lift you up rather than bring you down. Don’t spend time worrying about what others think of you.
  • Continue to learn new things and be open to growth opportunities when they arise.
  • De-clutter and simplify. We all know how good it feels once the closet is cleaned out and things are organized.
  • Always have clothes that are appropriate for a variety of events in your closet. From something to wear to a last minute party to a funeral.
  • Keep extra birthday cards, gift wrap and maybe even a few gifts at the ready.

These are just a few ideas. I would love to know what gifts you give to your future self. When we take the time to care for ourselves, we naturally have more to give to those around us. And our future selves will be continually grateful for our efforts.

Real generosity toward the future lies in giving all to the present.

Albert Camus

Your Gifts

On By theyogagoat4 Comments
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I played my best for him and he smiled at me.

The Little Drummer Boy

When one thinks of The Little Drummer Boy under a literal lens, it’s a bit far-fetched to think that a new mother would allow a little boy to play his drum around a new born baby. Mary truly was a saint. It is, however, a great lesson for all of us to remember. Each of us has unique gifts. Do we take the time to truly understand what they are? It’s quite easy to see talent in others. We are quick to compliment someone’s singing voice or their flair for fashion. But when the spotlight is reflected back toward us, it’s often hard to accept those compliments and lean into what truly makes us special.

I was raised to be humble and not a braggart, and I don’t think I really thought about what my gifts were until my forties. I remember during my yoga teacher training, my instructor taught me the valuable, and necessary, lesson of projecting my voice so that all students could hear me. That powerful lesson taught me that I had something valuable to share with others. Kind of my own drummer boy moment.

As this year comes to an end and a fresh new year approaches, think about your own unique talents and gifts. Write them down, say them out loud to a trusted friend and own what makes you, You. Time is too precious to not step into your power. So, to get us started, I will now list what I believe to be my gifts. It still makes me cringe a bit to put it out there like this, but here goes. I would love for this to be the start of a dialogue amongst us, each of us owning who we are.

  • I am a great yoga teacher
  • I am a good writer
  • I am a great listener
  • I am good at finding humor in any given situation
  • I am good at nurturing others
  • I am mindful and organized

You and I are gifts to this weary world. Give of yourself just as you would give a present to a loved one at the holidays. It is with humble gratitude that I thank you for reading this blog and supporting my online teaching. May this special time of year fill your heart with love and joy and sustain you into the new year.

Gratitude for…

On By theyogagoat2 Comments 
Gratitude for...

This physical body that houses my unique spirit.
This life force energy that propels me through the day.
This mind that has thoughts both spacious and focused.
These senses that absorb the world around me.
These hands that work with dexterity.
These feet that feel solid underneath me.
This heart that has felt the spectrum of emotions, from complete desolation to boundless joy.
For this life, I am grateful. I am complete.

HOME

On By theyogagoat5 Comments

There’s no place like home.

Dorothy Gale

I have spent some time recently in my home town of Wichita, KS. I have not actually resided there since 1996, yet it still gives me a sense of home when I am there. I never had aspirations of leaving Kansas. Life was easy there and I had close friends and family around me. As new job opportunities came up, we took them and that took us away from home. We have moved more than we planned to over the years…that’s how life goes. But I have loved each new town we have spent time in. We have made many lifelong friends and had so many wonderful experiences because of those opportunities.

But there is just something about going home. There is a feeling of belonging. No matter how long I am away, I am welcomed back. The multiple homes I lived in over the years all belong to others now. Both of my parents and other family members are gone now too. But I still have my beloved in-laws, my brother and his family, and several cousins to connect with when I’m there.

I have spent time in my in-laws home for forty years now. When I think of home, that is where my mind immediately goes. So many memories come to mind when I pull into their driveway. I see reflections of the early years of visiting my boyfriend’s house, to a few years later bringing my babies over to see Grammy and Papa Buzz, to just recently introducing them to their great-grandchild. No matter the occasion, I’m always met at the door with love and acceptance. Which is usually followed by a cold drink and an amazing meal.

Home isn’t necessarily a place. It’s more of a feeling in your heart. Certain people and places give this to us. It’s an interesting meditation to ponder what home means to you. For me, home will always mean Kansas.

Some things that make me a Kansan:

  • I have a fascination with big thunderstorms that might produce tornados.
  • I start to feel claustrophobic if I can’t see the horizon.
  • It still feels strange to buy liquor at a grocery store, especially on a Sunday.
  • I have never lost the feeling of needing to use hairspray thanks to the ever present Kansas wind.
  • I say “hi” to everyone. Midwesterners are a friendly bunch.
  • Yes, I have attempted to tip a cow. I was unsuccessful.
  • I call them lightening bugs.
  • I say ar-KAN-sas River, not AR-kan-saw River.
  • I have come to the conclusion that mosquitos and humidity seem to work in tandem during Kansas summers.
  • I have a deep understanding of farm-to-table. The life of a farmer is not an easy one.
  • I feel a lot pride that the University of Kansas is the birthplace of basketball.
  • I hold close the memory of fried chicken dinner at Grandma’s house on Sunday afternoon.

A Good Scare

On By theyogagoatLeave a comment
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The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek. ~ Joseph Campbell

Fear was once our primal survival technique. The good news is that we don’t live in a time where our very existence is threatened on a daily basis. I have two older siblings, and I am pretty certain that they helped introduce me to the idea of fear. I can remember stories about the creepy house on our street. The giant bug waiting to bite me in a certain bush. The secret pathway that might have ghosts. All of it childhood play, but also a starting point to fearing the unknown.

This time of year we often explore what it feels like to be afraid. Halloween has become one of our biggest holidays. I think it’s become so popular because it gives us a way of coping with our inner fears in a safe way. We watch scary movies that have us on the edge of our seats, or in my case, pacing the room. We visit haunted houses to allow others to scare and threaten us in a safe way.

What happens when we are in this frightened state? Heart rate increases, there is a sense of heightened awareness, palms sweat, and every nerve seems to tingle. In some ways, we are never more fully alive than when we are in a state of fear. Maybe that’s why so many teens enjoy a scary movie, novel or haunted house.

Teens love to push the boundaries of what it feels like to be fully alive. As we get older, we often let go of this need. Life itself can often become scary enough. Deep fears can manifest into anxiety and phobias, which can lead to the need for professional help. But for less serious fears it can actually be fun to visit this dark side. To visit that heightened sense, in a safe way, can often give us a boost in confidence once we are on the other side. As Eleanor Roosevelt said, ” Do one thing every day that scares you.”