As much as I love my yoga - and I really love my yoga - nothing centers, soothes, and balances me better than sitting silently in meditation. If I am frustrated, anxious, fatigued, sad, or experiencing any other number of annoying or overwhelming emotions, meditation brings me out of my funk and helps me look at my life through a clearer lens. It clears my brain, lightens my mood, and prepares me to be an active participant in my life again. So you think I may be exaggerating just a little? You have tried meditation and it is just not for you. You can't quiet your mind long enough to feel … [Read more...]
Why I Keep Showing Up
There are times in this journey of mine that I am simply tired and depleted, and I have brief moments of defeat when I think - "What is this all about? Why do I bother? Who am I kidding?" Sometimes they happen when, after several days of feeling good, I wake up in the kind of pain that is impossible to reason. Or they happen when I reflect on how long I have been sick, and how long it is going to take me to heal. Sometimes they happen for no specific reason at all. I just get tired of the work, tired of the journey, and I just want to stop. But I don't stop - for too long anyway. And … [Read more...]
Today I Celebrated My Toes!
Six days ago, over twenty members of FibroHaven's Facebook community began a 21 day meditation challenge. The Chopra Center is hosting the challenge, with the thought being, it takes roughly 21 days to develop a ritual. From davidji, Dean of The Chopra Center University: "Rituals are powerful behaviors. And when you combine ritual with meaning, amazing things happen – you get transformation. And transformation is a form of evolution. So by adding meditation into your daily set of rituals, it will effortlessly become a part of you." Each morning we wake up to a new guided meditation in … [Read more...]
Find the Space Between Pleasure and Pain, and Rest There
Recently a great conversation began on the FibroHaven Facebook page when I asked this: What do you do when you are having a relatively good day, but suddenly hit a wall? Do you push through, or do you slow down and give in to it? There is a BIG brick wall looming just ahead of me. Can't decide if I want to try and hurdle it or lay down before I smash my face into it! Let's discuss. I would love to know how you manage. There were many great responses that are worth taking the time to read. After reading them I knew I wanted to continue the conversation with a new blog post, and as often … [Read more...]
Failure is Simply Opportunity in Disguise
Today should be day 24 of my 30 days of meditation. Instead it is the day I recommit myself to my personal goal of daily meditation. I do not consider it a failure that I meditated for the first week of May, and then let myself get away from it. Instead I think of it as a learning opportunity - a chance to examine my goals and purpose further, and to ask myself some thoughtful questions. Why did I stop? The easy answer is - I stopped because I went on a family trip, and with all the travel and socializing it was difficult to find the time. And when I returned home I had a lot of work … [Read more...]