A Simple Shift In Attitude

"Live the life you want to live, be the person you want to remember, make decisions, make mistakes, if you fall, at least you tried"

 

 Today's a good day, sat out in the garden with a good book, did a few rounds of 'surya namaskara' with 'shantala' music in the background.  Each movement was set with the best of intention from the heart, to free the tightness in my legs and in my back was 'shri'.  It was much easier to immerse into the practice with the sun shining bright into the open space around me and cool breeze on my skin.  I was just in sheer bliss.  More importantly, as I commit into the asanas, I am saying my blessings to the universe and to God himself for the little moments I had 'on' and 'off' the mat.  Life is good, even circumstances takes you away from the goodness.  It is so true when someone says to you," Life is no more or less than what you make out of it."  

Sometimes when I wake up in the morning for an early class, I would feel reluctant to get out of bed.  All I want to do is just stay in bed.  But I shift my 'attitude' to feel more 'awake' and 'alive', and for some odd reason, I would feel better. I think there are sometimes situations that affects me beyond my control, and it's easy to think life is 'against' me.  It could be someone else has had an unfortunate day and being caught in the same arena with them, I had to bear the grunt of it too.  I find it's important to remind myself, situations 'stay' and 'go', everything else is temporary, nothing is permanent.  Everything and everyone is on its way to somewhere.  Getting caught in other people circumstances can sometimes leave us emotionally drained, but I think it's definitely important to realise we all have choices.  Do we choose freedom and make the best of what life has to offer?  Do we live in the moment and if we live today as if there's no tomorrow, are we already happy?

Sometimes when you try and help others to recognize the abundance in life even in the worse of circumstance, others may not see your 'way' as yet.  But you can excuse yourself, go for a walk, breathe in the 'moment' and feel the blessings in life.  The simple sense of 'relief' is a blessing in disguise already.

I find that it helps looking from a child's perspective, making everything simple as much as possible.  The mind is too 'old' when everything is seen from a pessimistic point of view, it's only when you adopt an optimistic, non-judgmental and hopeful mind set, life would seem grandeur than expected.

It's when we've been blessed with the ability to take the circumstances handed to us and turning it into something great that we live in abundance. 

Why wait? What's your 'moment' for today?

Does it feel 'Shri' to you? (Rozana Yunos)

I attended a yoga workshop today by Jac Fang and she shared with us Anusara yoga which she had learned from her immersion in Bali not too long ago. I really enjoy having Jac as my (if possession was ever at all possible!) yoga teacher because she has helped me believe in my body's capabilities and I will be one of those who will burn that myth into the ground about fat people not being flexible. Your flexibility as I discovered has nothing to do with your shape or size. I am pretty flexible that I can touch the ground with my hands and it will not hurt the back of my legs as I stretch bending forward.

For me, yoga is a practice whereby it helps raise awareness to our bodies. Every single move and pose in which we position our bodies into has a purpose. Just as every type of food we eat has a purpose too and being on this programme helps bring awareness to your body and what you put inside to fuel it.

What I discovered in today's workshop was how to engage our muscles fully in order to completely experience how powerful the body really is. I could feel my muscles really working its best and although it felt awkward in the beginning in doing some of the moves, I could see improvements in the way I did lunges, the plank, downward dog and also the cobra pose. Even standing up with my arms stretched up to the sky felt different today. It was as if I was truly surrendering myself to what the universe has to offer. And I always remember that in life, we must embrace the good and the bad for how we can appreciate the good if we do not know what the bad feels like or looks like. Engaging the muscles I relate to engaging ourselves in the life that we have. Life is so short to let it slip past us and for us to dwell in thoughts that do not serve us.

What I learned was an important question. "Does it feel 'shri' to you?" Meaning - does it feel comfortable to you? Does it feel good for you? All this time, when I have done yoga I have always wanted to achieve "perfection" but really how do you define perfection and who's definition do you have in the first place? When Jac asked the question, does it feel 'shri' to you? I thought, I do not have to "force" my body into positions in which I am uncomfortable or that my mind tells me that I am less than. It is about doing what is best for me without judgement and comparison to others and making sure I enjoy the process as I go along. After all, life is meant to be made up of discoveries!

I link this to the weight loss adventure I am currently on. I ask myself, does it feel 'shri' for me? And so far, after a week into it, I would give a resounding YES! I feel a lot lighter, some of my clothes are not as tight as before and even though it is the fasting month, I do have a good level of energy in the morning. I really am beginning to feel the 'shri-ness' of doing this. And while I smell food on the dinner table of things I cannot eat (I will literally pick up the bowl and bring it to my nose!) and comment that they look really tasty, I do not regret embarking on this adventure at all!

Just as with yoga, everything that we do requires constant practice and always remembering to take action. So I hope in the next few days to engage my muscles in the privacy of my own bedroom and feel how 'shri' it is doing these poses. I take comfort in knowing that I am taking steps everyday to create a better body and a better life for me.[Photo] Thank you Jac for today's workshop. And thank you for always being a caring, compassionate, passionate and empowering teacher

(Thank you Zana, for sharing your 'light' on yoga...)