Friday, March 23, 2012
Begin again. Throughout this last year of my life I have participated, 3 times thus far, in Baron Baptiste’s program “40 Days to Personal Revolution”, under the direction of Shelley Lowther, owner of Dancing Dogs Yoga (Beaufort, SC). The program incorporates daily yoga practice, meditation, journaling, and balance of diet. Each time I have begun these journeys of personal revolution I find myself filled with eager excitement followed by shrill anxiety.
I notice as the tapes in my head slowly begin to turn on and amplify… “What am I getting myself into?”, “What if I fail?”, “How can I incorporate ALL these practices into my already full daily life?”, “I’m not good enough for a personal revolution.”… Over and over I hear the ‘what ifs’ and the negativity.
“Breath, Megan”, I tell myself, “Come back to your breath, the natural flow of your life, and begin again.”
I notice as the tapes in my head slowly begin to turn on and amplify… “What am I getting myself into?”, “What if I fail?”, “How can I incorporate ALL these practices into my already full daily life?”, “I’m not good enough for a personal revolution.”… Over and over I hear the ‘what ifs’ and the negativity.
“Breath, Megan”, I tell myself, “Come back to your breath, the natural flow of your life, and begin again.”
Ah, yes. Begin again. I often forget how simple it truly is to let go of that which does not serve me and just begin again. As my intuition cleverly reminded me, I come back to my breath. Inhaling deep, I breathe in new life, and with every exhale I consciously let go of anything I do not need.
With every breath I create space for something new… In this case, I begin to fill my newly created space with twelve laws of transformation. These laws can also be referred to as the laws of nature or the laws of life, for they are all ‘principles by which we can live and grow’.
Throughout the duration of the program I embrace and apply the following principles to my yoga practice and then to my daily life…Seek the Truth. Be Willing to Come Apart. Step out of Your Comfort Zone. Commit to Growth. Shift Your Vision. Drop What You Know. Relax with What Is. Remove the Rocks. Don’t Rush the Process. Be True to Yourself. Be Still and Know. Understand That the Whole Is the Goal.
Again reminding myself that I am human and am by no means perfect, I relax, come back to breath, and slowly my tapes begin to disappear. As the negativity leaves, my mind is left clear, now open to receive empowerment and create possibility.
Throughout the duration of the program I embrace and apply the following principles to my yoga practice and then to my daily life…Seek the Truth. Be Willing to Come Apart. Step out of Your Comfort Zone. Commit to Growth. Shift Your Vision. Drop What You Know. Relax with What Is. Remove the Rocks. Don’t Rush the Process. Be True to Yourself. Be Still and Know. Understand That the Whole Is the Goal.
Again reminding myself that I am human and am by no means perfect, I relax, come back to breath, and slowly my tapes begin to disappear. As the negativity leaves, my mind is left clear, now open to receive empowerment and create possibility.
I wake, in the final week of my 3rd journey to personal revolution, and today, with my mind set free, I choose to begin again… And I invite you, my friends, to do the same.
“Transformation is not a one time event.” – Baron Baptiste
Labels: 40 Days, Baron Baptiste, Revolution, Yoga
Sunday, January 15, 2012
I recently read five words that instantly grabbed hold of my heart. The words were simple and honest. They made me laugh and they made me cry, but most importantly it was in these five words that I found a peace I had been longing for...
The words read, "We grow, or we die." It's as simple as that, we have two choices... Life or death. (Yes, it truly is that simple.)
See, this sentence quickly struck home with me because just before we entered the holiday season, at 24 years old, I buried my father. My dad was 48 years young when his heart stopped beating in his sleep and he never woke again....
After his death, I often felt consumed with questions of 'why' and 'what if'. I looked to place blame, I needed to find fault, and I wanted answers. By my own youth, I was constantly reminded of how unfair it was for my father to be taken away when there was so much life to be lived.
All of those feelings melted away the day I read that simple sentence... "We grow, or we die." It was then, that the realization of my father's death and the awareness of choices I had since made, finally set in.
For my father had lived and when he left us, it was because he chose to do so. I believe he was ready for his next chapter, which to our surprise, would not be with us, here on earth. By holding on to the anger, frustration, guilt, and sadness I created when I lost my dad, I was ultimately choosing death instead of life.
It was in this, as we yogi's say, 'aha' moment that I realized how far from the present I had been living. This light bulb clicked in my head and I knew then I must set a new intention for my life and let go of everything holding me back from living as my authentic self.
I let go of anger, frustration, guilt, and sadness and I choose growth.
As we embrace this new year, I invite you to let go of that which you do not need and set an intention to grow. I challenge you to commit to growth in 2012 and see what you create by 2013.... Namaste.
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