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Friday, September 30, 2011

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.

Monday, September 26, 2011

Traits Essential For Change

In Karen Koenig’s book The Rules of Normal Eating, she lays out six personality traits that are essential for changing attitudes and behaviors. Take inventory of the traits and see how you measure up!

1.      Curiosity-the desire to find out what is wrong, what has worked in the past, what others are doing, and finding ultimately what will work for you

2.      Compassion for self- not beating yourself up if you make a mistake, loving yourself and wanting to be the best that you can

3.      Caring for self- taking the time to put you above other things, knowing that you deserve to feel your best

4.      Practice- you are learning a new behavior which takes multiple times of doing it before it sticks

5.      Patience- giving yourself time, not doubting your ability, being patient with life

6.      Persistence- sticking to your goals, not giving up, doing what it takes to stay motivated and not let others bring you down.

Karen says, “Change is like SCRABBLE. If you are stuck you have the choice to return the unusable letters back and get different ones. There is no guarantee that they will be any better, but what do you have to loose, you can’t make any words anyways.


Enjoy the game!

Monday, September 19, 2011

Are you ready for the cold weather?

As I bundled up my little guy for a jog this morning I thought about how my exercise this winter will be different and what modifications I would need to make in order to get it in.

As the weather gets colder have you thought about ways to replace or tweak your outdoor activity in order to stay focused on your goals? For some colder weather means more fun outdoors with skiing, sledding, ice skating, snow shoeing, or outdoor running. Others would rather curl up in front of the fire and layer on the baggy clothes.
 
Taking some time now to plan will set you up for success when the weather turns cold for good. Here are some questions to ask yourself:
 

  • What amount of exercise do I get now? Am I happy with this level? How do I keep this level during the winter months? Should I do more exercise?
  • How much of my exercise is currently done outside (walking, biking, hiking)?
  • Do I have access to a treadmill, bike, elliptical, or other piece of cardio equipment  that I could use? If not, would this be a good investment?
  • Do I enjoy DVD’s that I can do right in my home by myself or with a friend?
  •  Do I have a gym membership that hasn’t been utilized much during the summer that I need to ramp back up?
  • Are there more group exercise classes that I can sign-up for available?
  • What outdoor activities do I want to partake in more this winter?
  • What clothes or equipment will make exercising outdoors more enjoyable?
 If you don’t take the time to plan, you are planning to fail.

Friday, September 16, 2011

What is your motivation for change?

This is a question I ask all of my clients. Would you be able to answer for yourself? I encourge you to dive deep and find what makes you tick or desire the change you seek. Is it to prove a point to yourself or others? Is your motivation to decrease your risk of a chronic condition? Do you have an event coming up? Are you unhappy and need a change?

Once you have a better understanding of what your motivation is, one must remind themselves often. Just like showering motivation does not last and we must do it often. Put up pictures, quotes, or other reminders. Tell yourself affirmations daily to stay focused.

Behavior change is hard especially when first starting out. The key is to have your motivation clearly laid out to keep you moving forward if you slip or it gets challenging.