Well where did that month go?
Looking back over the last month of 2011, I think it's fair to say that it was a month of ups and downs. Highs and Lows. The first half had some rough patches as I struggled to get back to full health after my run in with laryngitis and the things that accompanied it. My month was a bit light on the teaching front because of it...well that, and the reduced Christmas schedule, which definitely turned out to be a blessing, giving me a little more time to rest and do all those pre-holiday jobs that need doing, no matter how simple you try to keep things.
As the Christmas week approached however, it was time for some fun. Another road trip! We enjoy road trips and we have taken 2 in the last 2 weeks! The first destination was Muskoka, our new favourite place to visit with a pit stop in Toronto first for a spot of business and pleasure. Just pleasure for me :-) I got to dance some Nia with my Toronto Nia teacher, Martha Randall and reconnect with some of my fellow white belt graduates for the first time since July...that was special and I almost got to connect with another friend too, but not quite. Next time hopefully. We took in a show...well, you have to when in the city, especially at Christmas time....
Muskoka was perfect for my birthday. A wonderful place to relax and get pampered. The only thing that would have made it more perfect would have been to see it snow...or to see some snow there! But alas, despite the -12 temperatures there was no snow in sight between December 22 & 24. Oh well. It made for a much easier journey, on the plus side. Beautiful weather in both directions for a road trip. Bright blue skies, sunshine and even some snow-topped evergreens as we made our way through the lake-ridden landscape, on our way home on Christmas Eve. Beautiful!
Christmas was quiet. Quiet is good but I did miss my family this year, and I'm looking forward to March.
Then came NewYear and road trip number 2, taking us to Massachusetts, over the border. It's never my favourite time of year and has always been a slightly tricky time for me, not really sure why but I suspect I'm not the only one. It is a time when we can't help but review the year that has passed and maybe even judge it just a little. Our achievements, or if we feel like being especially hard on ourselves, the lack there of. The sad bits, the losses. If we're lucky however, we don't forget to remember the best bits. The friends we've made, the love we've given and received. The simple pleasures. The life lessons.
I was happy to retreat this year, spiritually retreat....for the first time. It was wonderful to immerse ourselves into such a nurturing environment and let everything else go. To roll out of bed at some unearthly hour and roll onto our mats for a morning yoga class. To eat a healthy breakfast and to study with an inspiring teacher. To meditate. To meet some like minded people and to be surrounded by beautiful countryside. To welcome 2012 in with some fabulous and joyful music... and to not have a hangover on New Years Day. I enjoyed the simplicity of this NewYear's Eve. The shift to this new year was more about the letting go of last year and any challenges it presented and moving joyfully and positively into the year ahead. I think it can be very easy to forget the significance of this sometimes with all the hype around the celebrations...the parties and the alcohol. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
System re-boot
There comes a time for all of us, even to us relatively healthy, keen yoga types, when it all goes a bit pear shaped. Without any decent warning, we get ill. Our preventative methods fail us and we find ourselves unable to do anything other than surrender to it. At least that is the way I see it. I'm lucky in that I rarely get sick and if I feel something creeping up on me, I am usually able to do some stuff that quickly diverts it and prevents it from getting a grip on my system. I like that about my relationship with my body, I feel we know one another fairly well.
However, this week it's a different story. I failed in my ability to divert the course of this cold bug and it has me in it's grips. Admittedly, it really is not completely disabling me, I don't feel terribly ill with it all but it is enough to stop me from teaching as it's affecting my voice and my ability to speak. That is never good for a yoga teacher, or any kind of teacher and a whole host of other professions I'd imagine, I am hardly alone here, I appreciate that!
There is always this slight stigma attached to being sick, as a yoga teacher though, or so I feel. I can't say I judge others in the profession harshly when they fall ill, because we are all human, of course we are, but it has been said to me on more than one occasion...how is it that I am ill when I do yoga...isn't it supposed to keep you healthy? Yeah Yeah. And more to the point, yes it is and yes it does. I have no doubt in my mind that if I did not have a regular yoga practice, this thing would have me in a much tighter grip, more like a vice, probably in bed for days, not the one day that I succumbed to, knowing that to surrender my Sunday would be worth it in the healing process. When our physical body displays signs that we are sick, I believe it's important that we listen and respond. There are so many pressures for the majority of us these days, to carry on, be strong, be some sort of Superwoman....or Superman of course! I used feel I had to be that person, that I'd appear weak if I took a day off or I'd upset someone if I let them down by calling in sick. I'm still human so I can't say I never feel those pressures, and of course those close to me know that I'm also lucky enough not to have to keep up for other reasons, but these days I know that to surrender to the inevitable is not a bad thing. It's more about honouring our body and our mind, respecting the need for rest and healing. We tend to get ill when we have an element of stress in our lives, whether we realise it at the time or not, and I believe, the antidote is to de-stress, let it out, re-boot the system and then get back to it, whatever It is.
I've been de-stressing and re-booting for a few days now and quite frankly I'm getting bored. I want to be well, I want to be able to speak without coughing, I want my real voice back. So, after a bit of talking with myself and asking my friends for some tips, I'm stepping up the natural remedies in the hope that I can kick this in the next day or so and be fighting fit for my next class.
I AM going to do it.
However, this week it's a different story. I failed in my ability to divert the course of this cold bug and it has me in it's grips. Admittedly, it really is not completely disabling me, I don't feel terribly ill with it all but it is enough to stop me from teaching as it's affecting my voice and my ability to speak. That is never good for a yoga teacher, or any kind of teacher and a whole host of other professions I'd imagine, I am hardly alone here, I appreciate that!
There is always this slight stigma attached to being sick, as a yoga teacher though, or so I feel. I can't say I judge others in the profession harshly when they fall ill, because we are all human, of course we are, but it has been said to me on more than one occasion...how is it that I am ill when I do yoga...isn't it supposed to keep you healthy? Yeah Yeah. And more to the point, yes it is and yes it does. I have no doubt in my mind that if I did not have a regular yoga practice, this thing would have me in a much tighter grip, more like a vice, probably in bed for days, not the one day that I succumbed to, knowing that to surrender my Sunday would be worth it in the healing process. When our physical body displays signs that we are sick, I believe it's important that we listen and respond. There are so many pressures for the majority of us these days, to carry on, be strong, be some sort of Superwoman....or Superman of course! I used feel I had to be that person, that I'd appear weak if I took a day off or I'd upset someone if I let them down by calling in sick. I'm still human so I can't say I never feel those pressures, and of course those close to me know that I'm also lucky enough not to have to keep up for other reasons, but these days I know that to surrender to the inevitable is not a bad thing. It's more about honouring our body and our mind, respecting the need for rest and healing. We tend to get ill when we have an element of stress in our lives, whether we realise it at the time or not, and I believe, the antidote is to de-stress, let it out, re-boot the system and then get back to it, whatever It is.
I've been de-stressing and re-booting for a few days now and quite frankly I'm getting bored. I want to be well, I want to be able to speak without coughing, I want my real voice back. So, after a bit of talking with myself and asking my friends for some tips, I'm stepping up the natural remedies in the hope that I can kick this in the next day or so and be fighting fit for my next class.
I AM going to do it.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Why so restless?
It's becoming a bit of a habit; long gaps between blog entries. Yes, I have been busy, but not that busy. Life was full and eventful in Hong Kong and I found time to blog at least once a week, often a couple of times each week. So what's that all about? I've been giving it some thought and it appears to run much deeper than the availability of time. Of course it does.
I started this blog so that I could write about the transition from one lifestyle in one country, to another lifestyle in another country. Namely the transition from Hong Kong back to Canada. As can be seen from the number of blogs and more to the point, the content of the blog so far, this transition has been somewhat slow. I didn't exactly arrive back in Canada and make any great leaps and bounds forward or indeed in any direction. I'm OK with that, or rather I have been OK with that, but now, now that things have started to move in a definite direction and I am teaching again, I find myself somewhat restless and wanting things to continue to shift and grow. On the one hand I actually need time to get back into the flow of teaching yoga and to re-find my teaching style and to keep up on the study required to achieve that and to keep my teaching fresh and interesting, both to me and my students. So yes, this can take some time...reading and practicing and it is amazing to me how much of the day it can fill if you allow it to. That is all as it should be and I have no complaints. Things are going well.
So then, why so restless?
I have some thoughts, some ideas about what else I want to take on, but they are all new to me and require me to grow and explore parts of me I have not explored before. Sounds great in theory, at least I think so, but in reality, my reality, it's all rather daunting too. I am finding it hard to get started. To know where to start. Being so organised by nature, I find it hard to believe that I am struggling to find a plan of action, but I am and that is the reason I think for my restlessness. I have energy within me that wants to be utilised, I am just struggling to find a pathway, a clear direction for it to take.
I know I have friends who believe I have a perfect life...so much free time, hardly any commitments, a lot of freedom. It is indeed, a wonderful life. I do have a lot of freedom (at the moment) but that in itself can be extremely daunting. If you have never experienced it before, you may not believe me, but all I can tell you is that with so many choices and possible ways forward, it can become confusing and difficult to decide which route to take. I am finding that in order to make progress, I need to work within some constraints. To choose a direction and simply focus on that. I thought I used to be good at multi-tasking but it seems things have changed. It's a bit like successful meditation. Choose a point of focus, and stick with it. In order to succeed, I think I actually need a little less freedom and maybe even a deadline or two. Never thought I'd say that.
So...the transition continues. There is nothing to see right now, but things are simmering below the surface and hopefully before too long I will have a breakthrough!
I started this blog so that I could write about the transition from one lifestyle in one country, to another lifestyle in another country. Namely the transition from Hong Kong back to Canada. As can be seen from the number of blogs and more to the point, the content of the blog so far, this transition has been somewhat slow. I didn't exactly arrive back in Canada and make any great leaps and bounds forward or indeed in any direction. I'm OK with that, or rather I have been OK with that, but now, now that things have started to move in a definite direction and I am teaching again, I find myself somewhat restless and wanting things to continue to shift and grow. On the one hand I actually need time to get back into the flow of teaching yoga and to re-find my teaching style and to keep up on the study required to achieve that and to keep my teaching fresh and interesting, both to me and my students. So yes, this can take some time...reading and practicing and it is amazing to me how much of the day it can fill if you allow it to. That is all as it should be and I have no complaints. Things are going well.
So then, why so restless?
I have some thoughts, some ideas about what else I want to take on, but they are all new to me and require me to grow and explore parts of me I have not explored before. Sounds great in theory, at least I think so, but in reality, my reality, it's all rather daunting too. I am finding it hard to get started. To know where to start. Being so organised by nature, I find it hard to believe that I am struggling to find a plan of action, but I am and that is the reason I think for my restlessness. I have energy within me that wants to be utilised, I am just struggling to find a pathway, a clear direction for it to take.
I know I have friends who believe I have a perfect life...so much free time, hardly any commitments, a lot of freedom. It is indeed, a wonderful life. I do have a lot of freedom (at the moment) but that in itself can be extremely daunting. If you have never experienced it before, you may not believe me, but all I can tell you is that with so many choices and possible ways forward, it can become confusing and difficult to decide which route to take. I am finding that in order to make progress, I need to work within some constraints. To choose a direction and simply focus on that. I thought I used to be good at multi-tasking but it seems things have changed. It's a bit like successful meditation. Choose a point of focus, and stick with it. In order to succeed, I think I actually need a little less freedom and maybe even a deadline or two. Never thought I'd say that.
So...the transition continues. There is nothing to see right now, but things are simmering below the surface and hopefully before too long I will have a breakthrough!
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Transition in play
Wow. Almost 2 months since I blogged. I've thought about it...I've had things to say, I'm just not sure I knew how to say them, or indeed was ready to share any of it with the world at large. I'll never know if it was actually the Nia training that kickstarted me back to life but I suspect it was. It's too co-incidental for it not to be. I have only posted once since that inspiring week in the midst of the summer. It was hot beyond belief that week and today it feels like autumn. Well, it IS autumn. The weather is cool, the trees are turning and how beautiful they are beginning to look. Another few weeks and they will be peaking...I cannot wait. I love this time of year. It is both a time to reflect and a time to change pace. It would be more natural to slow our pace from summer to autumn but with children returning to school (I know this from the hoards of school buses I am now getting caught up behind on the roads at peak times) and people re-engaging with their normal schedules after the summer, it appears to be the other way around. And as for me, well...finally I find myself with a schedule to keep to as well! It's not exactly full time by any account but I have started teaching yoga again, after a break of just over 2 years! Where did that time go? Oh yes...I was travelling around Asia for most of it...or preparing to...I remember it well. And whilst I didn't do any teaching in that time...yoga was never far from my mind. It was a different kind of practice, a much more "living your yoga" kind of practice with some asana thrown in from time to time, but it's all yoga, that much I do know.
So, I'm back on a weekly teaching schedule and in addition I've also subbed 5 other classes this week, just 3 weeks in to the transition! That is actually a personal record! So, yes, the pace has definitely picked up. It's felt both overwhelming and exhilarating. Quite a mix. But overall if feels great to get back on my teaching mat. I find I learn so much from every class I teach and it inspires me to keep learning, to keep "fresh" as one of my first yoga teachers used to call it. Funny enough, this quote has popped up a few times today and it is one that resonates strongly with me at the moment.
“If you want to learn something, read about it. If you want to understand something, write about it. If you want to master something, teach it.” ~ Yogi Bhajan
I feel like my Nia practice has had to take a temporary back seat while I re-engage with yoga and teaching even though it is something that is totally complimentary to yoga. But then, the last few weeks have been special, very special, as my Mum has been to visit. For the first time. That's a big deal. And it was so wonderful to have her close and to spend time with her, not forgetting those who brought her to me of course...it was great to see them too; my eldest brother and his wife. While they were all here I pretty much dropped everything to give them my full attention, after all, it was a rare thing and everything else could wait a while.
Now though, with all my family safely back in England...it's just us again. Life goes on and I feel so much more inspired to bring more life into my everyday life! Home feels like home again, my injured finger is healing well, I've spent precious time with my Mum and now it's time to get moving. My direction is getting clearer and I like how it's evolving. It's still a bit hazy out there but I'm finding that simply by taking a few steps in a direction that feels right other things have opened up and presented themselves to me and I know that if I keep it up, and keep taking those baby steps....I'll get there. Life is a journey after all....
So, I'm back on a weekly teaching schedule and in addition I've also subbed 5 other classes this week, just 3 weeks in to the transition! That is actually a personal record! So, yes, the pace has definitely picked up. It's felt both overwhelming and exhilarating. Quite a mix. But overall if feels great to get back on my teaching mat. I find I learn so much from every class I teach and it inspires me to keep learning, to keep "fresh" as one of my first yoga teachers used to call it. Funny enough, this quote has popped up a few times today and it is one that resonates strongly with me at the moment.
“If you want to learn something, read about it. If you want to understand something, write about it. If you want to master something, teach it.” ~ Yogi Bhajan
I feel like my Nia practice has had to take a temporary back seat while I re-engage with yoga and teaching even though it is something that is totally complimentary to yoga. But then, the last few weeks have been special, very special, as my Mum has been to visit. For the first time. That's a big deal. And it was so wonderful to have her close and to spend time with her, not forgetting those who brought her to me of course...it was great to see them too; my eldest brother and his wife. While they were all here I pretty much dropped everything to give them my full attention, after all, it was a rare thing and everything else could wait a while.
Now though, with all my family safely back in England...it's just us again. Life goes on and I feel so much more inspired to bring more life into my everyday life! Home feels like home again, my injured finger is healing well, I've spent precious time with my Mum and now it's time to get moving. My direction is getting clearer and I like how it's evolving. It's still a bit hazy out there but I'm finding that simply by taking a few steps in a direction that feels right other things have opened up and presented themselves to me and I know that if I keep it up, and keep taking those baby steps....I'll get there. Life is a journey after all....
One step at a time...
Monday, August 8, 2011
Recapitulating
It's now just over 2 weeks since I completed my Nia White Belt intensive training here in Ottawa but the memories are still very much at the forefront of my mind.
It was a truly unique week out of my life. Potentially life changing and definitely life shifting. I went on Day 1 with high hopes to have my spirits lifted after basement floods and personal injuries had been weighing me down for weeks prior, and totally came away high on Nia and with a renewed zest for life! This was truly a case of something showing up in my life exactly when I needed it.
I've never spent so much time dancing and moving in such energetic ways...so consistently. It was tiring at times for sure but also surprisingly energising. My body surprised me on several occasions in the way it somehow found energy reserves which I didn't know existed! My usually reluctant morning body seemed to spring to life at 8.30am as we began each day with a fabulous and inspiring Nia class with Martha Randall. With the exception of my poorly (healing) finger, my body didn't fuss at all...during or after an hour of early morning movement. That's not normal for me, at that time in the morning, there are usually achey joints to be found and it felt so liberating to discover that such an energetic movement form could be mine before breakfast!
I've never spent so much time dancing and moving in such energetic ways...so consistently. It was tiring at times for sure but also surprisingly energising. My body surprised me on several occasions in the way it somehow found energy reserves which I didn't know existed! My usually reluctant morning body seemed to spring to life at 8.30am as we began each day with a fabulous and inspiring Nia class with Martha Randall. With the exception of my poorly (healing) finger, my body didn't fuss at all...during or after an hour of early morning movement. That's not normal for me, at that time in the morning, there are usually achey joints to be found and it felt so liberating to discover that such an energetic movement form could be mine before breakfast!
After all that sudden activity and mind/body stimulation, I found I really needed to just let it all settle in the week which followed. After the intense "high" which lasted about 48 hrs after graduating, I appeared to "crash" and was so, so tired! It was a perfect time to take a little road trip and accompany Alan to Toronto...a change a scenery felt good. Funny...I did try to attend a Nia class in Toronto one morning, it felt like a great opportunity to do so, but for reasons I shall likely never know, after successfully navigating downtown Toronto and finding the venue listed on the website...nobody else showed up! Perhaps the class was cancelled for the summer months, I have no idea but either way, it seems I was not meant to dance that week. I was upset at the time, it felt a like a wasted opportunity but I had to smile, acknowledge that my research could clearly have been better and instead feel grateful that there was at least a Starbucks within sight, so I settled for a seat and coffee before retracing my steps back to the hotel.
That was over a week ago now and upon returning home I've revived my home practice and dug out my Opal DVD a couple of times and it was great having a deeper understanding and connection with the moves and to recapitulate some of the feelings and moments shared on the training. Moments of learning, connectedness, community and good old fashioned Joy! It was such a fun training...so many laughs, and some tears, but release and shifting on an intensive like that is only natural..it's the body's way...
So what is next? Well...it is now my intention to teach Nia one day. I have a long way to go first though. Still a huge amount to learn. This is just the beginning; the tip of the iceberg, but I intend to give it my best shot and see where that takes me. I certainly never imagined that I'd end up learning how to choreograph dance classes! It just shows what can be possible if you allow your heart to rule your head just once in a while!
Maybe by the new year I'll be ready to at least test out my new found knowledge....I'll keep you posted!
Maybe by the new year I'll be ready to at least test out my new found knowledge....I'll keep you posted!
Friday, July 15, 2011
It's Time to Dance
Today is rather an emotional day...in that I am experiencing a wide range of emotions! I feel excited. I feel nervous. I feel anxious. I even feel a little bit dizzy but I am linking that to all the deep breathing I am doing to deal with the other stuff!
Tomorrow is Day 1 of 7. Day 1 of my Nia White Belt Training.
I think in total I have taken 13 Nia classes now. Some in Hong Kong, some here in Canada. It's not many in the scheme of things but I feel OK about that because I have enjoyed each and every class I've taken. I want to delve deeper and get to the heart of this vibrant practice that for me, feels like Dancing My Yoga. Right now it's for personal development but who knows where that may lead. One step at a time.
I'm more nervous than I should be, or normally would be in a situation like this and it all relates to my last blog post and the events recounted there. The finger is healing. Slowly. On the plus side it looks much better. I can indeed look at it now. I can feel compassion for it rather than horror and fear. I think that's important. However, looks can be deceiving of course and it is hard to tell how this story is going to end. I'm doing my best to write the ending I want: It will heal perfectly and a new nail will grow. Lets assume that. In the meantime, the Finger is so utterly full of sensations, most of the time. It feels quite bizarre. Moving around and any contact needs to be done with full awareness. At first I panicked a bit at this realisation....how would I cope? How will I be able to dance? How will I write my notes? What if there is partner work?
Of course I spent some time here...worrying...and eventually I smiled...maybe even laughed out loud. This is just perfect. It's like I have an extra tool to help me with awareness as I learn about the joy of movement and other Nia principles, over the next 7 days. Of course I'd prefer to be without this particular "tool", but what I need to do is accept it and let it become part of my experience rather than hinder my experience. Work with it and allow it to help me learn more about my body and my limitations, even my thought processes. I've learned a lot already in the last 3 weeks without a classroom and a schedule, so surely by adding these things, I can only learn more.
Once I worked that bit out, I headed out to get my toenails painted a beautiful purple colour and I'm now officially ready to dance :-)
Tomorrow is Day 1 of 7. Day 1 of my Nia White Belt Training.
I think in total I have taken 13 Nia classes now. Some in Hong Kong, some here in Canada. It's not many in the scheme of things but I feel OK about that because I have enjoyed each and every class I've taken. I want to delve deeper and get to the heart of this vibrant practice that for me, feels like Dancing My Yoga. Right now it's for personal development but who knows where that may lead. One step at a time.
I'm more nervous than I should be, or normally would be in a situation like this and it all relates to my last blog post and the events recounted there. The finger is healing. Slowly. On the plus side it looks much better. I can indeed look at it now. I can feel compassion for it rather than horror and fear. I think that's important. However, looks can be deceiving of course and it is hard to tell how this story is going to end. I'm doing my best to write the ending I want: It will heal perfectly and a new nail will grow. Lets assume that. In the meantime, the Finger is so utterly full of sensations, most of the time. It feels quite bizarre. Moving around and any contact needs to be done with full awareness. At first I panicked a bit at this realisation....how would I cope? How will I be able to dance? How will I write my notes? What if there is partner work?
Of course I spent some time here...worrying...and eventually I smiled...maybe even laughed out loud. This is just perfect. It's like I have an extra tool to help me with awareness as I learn about the joy of movement and other Nia principles, over the next 7 days. Of course I'd prefer to be without this particular "tool", but what I need to do is accept it and let it become part of my experience rather than hinder my experience. Work with it and allow it to help me learn more about my body and my limitations, even my thought processes. I've learned a lot already in the last 3 weeks without a classroom and a schedule, so surely by adding these things, I can only learn more.
Once I worked that bit out, I headed out to get my toenails painted a beautiful purple colour and I'm now officially ready to dance :-)
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Learning Curves & Changing Patterns
What a roller-coaster week of emotions that was! I'm glad I managed to resist posting an entry earlier in the week when things were feeling very raw indeed! Now though, I have come through the dark tunnel and can see some daylight again!
Last weekend was not a good one. A flooded basement and a trip to Emergency Care all within 24 hours of one another. The basement flood was the result of a pretty violent storm on Friday night and as irony would have it, when it happened we were out for a relaxing massage to help soothe away our troubles and tensions...the effects of that particular massage had to be the shortest lived in my experience!
As for the hospital run, that was due to an incident involving our new super duper cheese knife, my lovely husband, some cheese and my right index finger. The result was extremely painful, very bloody and a cut not only to my finger and nail but to my nail bed too. The rest of the details really do not need to be shared but I have been pretty lame around the house this week. I continue to be amazed at how losing the use of just one finger can be potentially so limiting. I've been very lucky to have Alan around this week, that is for sure.
On the other hand though (no pun intended) I am trying to see it as a new learning curve rather than a limitation. I happen to be very right handed. I've discovered that I barely use my left hand alone because my right hand is so much better at everything! I soon realised that if I wanted to be able to do anything for myself this week that I would have to adapt my way of thinking..and doing. Change some patterns and expectations. Be open to doing things differently, more slowly and with care and much greater awareness. As it turns out, this was easier than I thought it might be, once I removed my own expectations of how things should be.
I do believe that things happen for a reason, as hard as that is to believe sometimes. It is always very easy to let yourself feel like the victim in a situation like this but that is never going to get us anywhere other than a state of self pity. And I've been there a few times this week when the pain was at it's peak. It didn't feel good. I think it actually made the pain worse. The mind is powerful and has such influence over our bodies. I'm sure that on the days I have been able to stay happy and positive, I have been less aware of my injury - both the pain and the inconvenience.
During some mindfulness practice this week while I was at one of my lowest points, I managed to catch myself...catch my (self-pitying) thoughts mid flow and I remembered a book I read last year... a wonderful, inspiring book called "Waking" by Matthew Sanford. I first encountered Matthew at the San Francisco Yoga Conference in 2009 where he was giving the Keynote Speech. His speech left me wanting more, so I had to buy the book. It took me a while, as usual, to get around to reading it but once I did start, I simply could not put it down. It's the story of his recovery from a near fatal accident in which one of his parents and a sibling died. It is one of those books that has stayed with me ever since and it was at this low point that the memory of it helped me breathe a little deeper and get things into perspective. My situation was unpleasant and painful both emotionally and physically but it was far from serious, in the scheme of things. Remembering parts of the book made me feel very humbled, and very grateful for life in general. It is so easy to get thrown off course by an unwelcome event in life but our ability to bounce back and get things into perspective and to be grateful for all the good stuff, is what it's all about.
Adapting to changing circumstances seems to be a familiar theme in my life lately but of course I'm not the only one. We all have our dramas, but when the only constant in life is change, how we respond to change is critical to our wellbeing and our state of mind.
I highly recommend you read Matthew's book.....
Last weekend was not a good one. A flooded basement and a trip to Emergency Care all within 24 hours of one another. The basement flood was the result of a pretty violent storm on Friday night and as irony would have it, when it happened we were out for a relaxing massage to help soothe away our troubles and tensions...the effects of that particular massage had to be the shortest lived in my experience!
As for the hospital run, that was due to an incident involving our new super duper cheese knife, my lovely husband, some cheese and my right index finger. The result was extremely painful, very bloody and a cut not only to my finger and nail but to my nail bed too. The rest of the details really do not need to be shared but I have been pretty lame around the house this week. I continue to be amazed at how losing the use of just one finger can be potentially so limiting. I've been very lucky to have Alan around this week, that is for sure.
On the other hand though (no pun intended) I am trying to see it as a new learning curve rather than a limitation. I happen to be very right handed. I've discovered that I barely use my left hand alone because my right hand is so much better at everything! I soon realised that if I wanted to be able to do anything for myself this week that I would have to adapt my way of thinking..and doing. Change some patterns and expectations. Be open to doing things differently, more slowly and with care and much greater awareness. As it turns out, this was easier than I thought it might be, once I removed my own expectations of how things should be.
I do believe that things happen for a reason, as hard as that is to believe sometimes. It is always very easy to let yourself feel like the victim in a situation like this but that is never going to get us anywhere other than a state of self pity. And I've been there a few times this week when the pain was at it's peak. It didn't feel good. I think it actually made the pain worse. The mind is powerful and has such influence over our bodies. I'm sure that on the days I have been able to stay happy and positive, I have been less aware of my injury - both the pain and the inconvenience.
During some mindfulness practice this week while I was at one of my lowest points, I managed to catch myself...catch my (self-pitying) thoughts mid flow and I remembered a book I read last year... a wonderful, inspiring book called "Waking" by Matthew Sanford. I first encountered Matthew at the San Francisco Yoga Conference in 2009 where he was giving the Keynote Speech. His speech left me wanting more, so I had to buy the book. It took me a while, as usual, to get around to reading it but once I did start, I simply could not put it down. It's the story of his recovery from a near fatal accident in which one of his parents and a sibling died. It is one of those books that has stayed with me ever since and it was at this low point that the memory of it helped me breathe a little deeper and get things into perspective. My situation was unpleasant and painful both emotionally and physically but it was far from serious, in the scheme of things. Remembering parts of the book made me feel very humbled, and very grateful for life in general. It is so easy to get thrown off course by an unwelcome event in life but our ability to bounce back and get things into perspective and to be grateful for all the good stuff, is what it's all about.
Adapting to changing circumstances seems to be a familiar theme in my life lately but of course I'm not the only one. We all have our dramas, but when the only constant in life is change, how we respond to change is critical to our wellbeing and our state of mind.
I highly recommend you read Matthew's book.....
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