Living Yoga
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Living Yoga
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"The smallest change in perspective can transform a life. What tiny attitude adjustment might turn your world around?" Oprah Winfrey
I needed an attitude adjustment, a change in perspective, a shaking up of sorts. I knew it and I was ready. So, I took a break (the first one in over 3 years) to retreat to my favorite little getaway with my family. We read, sat, giggled, painted, discussed deep subjects, chased butterflies, sniffed flowers, followed quail, watched snails move and generally spent time being 100% present in the moment with each other. It was bliss. And when the day came to return home, I felt lost. Back to it I thought. But then I took a moment and thought - what did I learn here and what can I do to take this same sense of bliss back with me and integrate it into my daily life? "Perspective: What you see not only depends on what you look at, but also, on where you look from." James Deacon So I thought and thought and I came up with a list of things I learned and I made a list of what I could bring back with me into my life. I arrived home with a new attitude and a new perspective. Things I used to think were boring or irrelevant suddenly meant so much more. Tasks and chores I used to just "do" now came with a smile and a sense of how every single thing is special and valuable. I baked and cooked and cleaned and I did it with this beautiful sense of lightness. I committed to living each day as if I was still on retreat and it's been a life altering change. "It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see." Henry David Thoreau I hate to grocery shop. I know - that fell out of nowhere, right? The crowds, the sensory overload, the planning, the reading EVERY single product for details. It's often the least favorite part of my week. But, when I got back and applied what I learned on retreat, here's how I saw it. I am lucky to have options when I shop - so many things to choose from - and many of them organic, fair trade, local. I am honored to select foods and supplies to feed and nourish my family helping them grow and flourish. I am blessed to live in a place where such bounty exists. I am uplifted to know that when I choose products wisely I support those who grow, harvest, and produce these items. I am thrilled that I have access to education on how to eat better and am able to read labels and choose what is right for me and my family. PERSPECTIVE. Flip your script. It's not about what is there - it is how YOU see it. It's about gratitude and presence and so much more. I came back with a renewed sense of family and how much I ADORE these people in my life. I returned with the desire to connect on a deeper level with my family, friends and community. I came home with a passion for living my life to its fullest, richest, craziest and to filling my life with more moments to step back, breathe, and just BE. This is change. What about you? What kinds of things do you need to change to make your life the fullest and most beautiful ever? Next month on the membership site we will be focusing on SELF LOVE with a weekend @ home retreat and so much more. Even if you aren't a member, dedicate your month to more self love and more self care. Live your best life every day! See you on the mat! Aprille "Anxiety is a thin stream of fear trickling through the mind. If encouraged, it cuts a channel into which all other thoughts are drained." Somers Roche
I have this project that has been on my desk for over 6 months. I have it all planned out, all settled, all ready to go. I really want it to be complete but I find myself coming up with a thousand excuses why it cannot. This month I dedicated myself to sweeping the excuses away and getting to the crux of why I was holding off on this project. I set reasonable weekly goals and amazingly, it all came together. Today I had one more thing to do - film the dreaded promotional video. You would think that someone who spends an inordinate amount of time in front of people - either live or on camera - would be perfectly comfortable with a 2 minute promotional video. WRONG! I fretted, sweated, procrastinated, fidgeted, panicked, until I could put it off no longer. It MUST be done. "When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be. When I let go of what I have, I receive what I need." Tao Te Ching I set the camera up, got everything ready and had my daughter help me out for filming. She said "Mom, you are going to be fine. They will love you." Wow. She's always been wise for her age but seriously. She's a rock in my crazy work world. If you didn't know, my daughter Bella is my assistant. She helps me with all the business stuff involved in my yoga world - freeing up my time to be creative and film videos. She's also the voice of reason, handy filming assistant, idea bouncer offer, editor, cheerleader, and suggestion box. The promo took 3 tries (did I mention I don't like filming promos?). Why? Because I am not good at promoting myself. Because I don't like doing it. Because I believe it is not real. So there it is. It took me six months to figure out that my whole issue was anxiety about a 2 minute promo video. I am terrified of being judged on a 2 minute video. "Smile, breathe, and go slowly." Thich Nhat Hanh What can anyone possibly learn about me from 2 minutes on screen? NOTHING. And that's the point. Most people won't even watch the promo and honestly, most people will not decide to join me based on those 2 minutes. My anxiety is about something totally pointless. IT IS ALL IN MY HEAD. This is me...that little voice saying I can't do it. This is me...my bigger voice saying I CAN! I did it. The project is done - in fact I completed TWO projects this week that I was afraid to do. Freedom is about so many things. For me this week - it's freedom from anxiety, freedom from fear, freedom from judging myself. It's been about letting go of all the things I think about myself and exploring my potential. Is there anything in your life you have been putting off because you are anxious, fearful, overly critical of yourself? It's time to break those habits, explore your potential, and BREAK FREE!!! Peace, Aprille S.T.R.E.S.S. =
Someone Trying to Repair Every Situation Solo I would love to blame it on the full moon, Mercury in retrograde, the heat in Texas (over 100 F) but really - it's me. This week I had a little meltdown. I found a mistake (small, but being Type A makes it HUGE) in a video that required me taking it down, editing it, rendering it again and uploading a second time. This was not the first video in the last few months to have this happen to. I sat at my desk and cried. I felt overwhelmed, tired, depleted, and in desperate need of a vacation. I literally fell apart. I kept repeating over and over again - I am doing too much! But a vacation, although nice, is not really what I need... Note to Self: I don't have to take this day all at once, but rather, one step, one breath, one moment at a time. I am only one person. A vacation or break might help for a little bit but really, it's about my own need to be so much more than I am physically capable of, of doing more than I really can fit into my schedule comfortably, of not taking more time for self care and deep rest, of not setting boundaries, of never saying no. This is not guilt here speaking but truth. I do this to myself. I set unreal expectations for myself and then when I falter, I melt down. People will only ask of you what you are willing to give. You only need to give what you can. You are the MASTER OF YOUR ENERGY. "Peace is the result of retraining your mind to process life as it is, rather than as you think it should be." Dr. Wayne Dyer What does that mean? It means we are so over-stressed that we don't even know how to be still. It means we have been told that self care is selfish. It means we believe that activity and results matter more than happiness, sweetness, self love. It means we feel driven to produce and produce and produce. We are the masters of our energy. We choose the path. We change the world by changing OUR world and our perspective. We set the boundaries to what we can and cannot give and do and be. We are enough. You are enough just as you are without more than that. I have a lot of work to do in managing my Type A driven personality and I am slowly, but surely, putting in new ways to slow down, let go, release my grip on doing. I am working on BEING rather than DOING. If this is you too...here, take my hand...we are in this together and we will find our way. From me to you...a hug and some hope. Aprille xxxooo "You were born to dance to the beat of your own heart. To roam without cages, with the innocence of a child and the free spirit of untamed horses. I hope you laugh without stopping, live with abandon and love like that's all there is. Stay wild." Unknown
Last week our surrounding neighbors decided to replace the perfectly good 6' wood fence with an 8.5' fence for "privacy". During the process, and for several days - our neighbors yards lay naked to all our views. I stepped outside believing that I would feel watched, uncomfortable, too open for my sense of safety and privacy. What I found astounded me... As I stood on my patio looking out across 3 neighbors wide open spaces, I felt FREE. I felt an overwhelming sense of openness, and all I could think about was how I could breathe deeply. I thought about the first settlers out west and how they could stare out across miles and miles of land - open, unblocked, spacious. It must have been glorious - because in those moments of standing there in the wide open of our backyards - I felt wildly free! "To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all." Oscar Wilde Are fences mean to keep stuff in or to keep stuff out? Fences are interesting things and I don't mean just the physical kind. There are all kinds of fences, obstructions, cages, and containers that surround us in our lives. Social and societal rules, community/familial behavioral norms, job related norms, relationship rules and our own mental and emotional constructs. Whatever they are, these are fences, cages, obstructions, containers in our lives each and every moment. I don't mean to say these are all bad. We need norms to help society run smoothly, to protect others and ourselves. But, what about the cages that hold us back, that prevent us from being truly FREE? What about illness, disorders, sadness, fear, self criticism, self defeating thoughts and emotions? What about rules of relationships that are oppressive, muting, overly demanding? What about labels that "lock" us into an idea or place? These are VERY TALL fences. What in your life is a tall fence that you might need to get past? Do you need to knock down that fence that says your body is too frail to be who you want to be? Do you need to break out of that cage that says you aren't good enough to succeed? Do you need to let go of that relationship or redefine it so you feel authentic, heard, and understood clearly? "You have escaped the cage. Your wings are stretched out. Now fly." Rumi Step out of your cage, push that fence down, move the obstruction out of the way Step into yourself, into your FREEDOM, into being fully alive and FREE! I leave you with these memorable words from Cole Porter's song "Don't Fence Me In" - Oh give me land, lots of land, and the starry skies above Don't fence me in Let me ride through the wide open country that I love Don't fence me in Let me be by myself in the evening breeze And listen to the murmur of the cottonwood trees Send me off forever but I ask you please Don't fence me in Just turn me loose, let me straddle my old saddle on Underneath the western skies On my cayuse, let me wander over yonder Till I see the mountains rise I want to ride to the ridge where the West commences To many words, gaze at the moon till I lose my senses And I can't look at hobbles and I can't stand fences Don't fence me in Oh give me land, lots of land, and the starry skies above Don't fence me in Let me ride through the wide open country that I love Don't fence me in... Be FREE... Peace, Aprille |
Aprille WalkerI have been "playing" and experimenting with yoga, aromatherapy and healthy living since my late teens - researching, testing, reading, investigating, and learning anything that would make my life - and the lives around me - better naturally. Subscribe for inspiration, discounts & MORE!
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All rights reserved by Aprille Walker and The Yoga Ranger Studio 2014-2019 (copyrighted material)
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