El Entrenamiento
Posted: April 1, 2014 Filed under: Meditation, Yoga | Tags: Competing, Compitition, Facebook, Omaha, Pinterest, Power Yoga, social media, twitter, WOD, yoga 6 CommentsPain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever-
For Time – 108 Sun Salutations
Post time and results below!
Daily Meditation:
You are not “doing” yoga … Unless you are competing and comparing yourself to others.
A Gentle Dissolve
Posted: March 31, 2014 Filed under: Meditation, Yoga | Tags: blogging, compassion, freshly pressed, Gentle, gluten free, happiness, hipster, kettlebell, kindness, life, love, lululemon, marathon, meditation, motivation, musings, natural, nature, nebraska, Omaha, paleo, passion, pilates, Power Yoga, running, trail running, walking, whole foods, WOD, writing, yoga, Zen 10 CommentsNothing is so strong as gentleness. Nothing is so gentle as real strength-
“Slow down, you move too fast … Life, I love you, All is groovy.”
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Can you recall the last time you were in love, with life? Noticing the subtle – yet profound flowers blossoming from the dormant grass below ?
During lunch with a close friend this past Friday, I struggled to put into words this exact thought: When was the last time you fell in love with life. All of us have become multitasking savants, hastily doing no fewer than three things at once. Making breakfast while texting about the NCAA tournament and updating a post we have been working on for a few weeks. Our minds are literally filled to capacity, overflowing with “things“. When does the Sun rise tomorrow? The Sun does rise – right? Why does Windows take so long to boot? What’s the forecast for this weekend? Am I out of shape? I look bloated! What if I perform poorly in yoga class, my next 5k? This latte is too much, are they stealing my debit card information? Will it snow tomorrow? I need to book an appointment to have my nails did – done – whatever? What time is it, do I have time to workout/run/swim?
Time is flat, circular and restrictive. We continually arrive back at the same point, with a gadget of some sort close by.
Can you recall the last time you went for a leisurely walk after dinner? The “garden of life” variety of walk that didn’t involve a pedometer, taking a selfie or tweeting to the masses the calories you burned, and all the “other” information we vitally need to live.
Daily Meditation:
If you can name the song and artist that set the gentle tone for the post today,without using your Google Machine – You win a prize or something! All, truly is groovy!!!
Fisticuffs at Dawn – The Lost Scrolls
Posted: February 28, 2014 Filed under: Meditation, Yoga | Tags: blogging, Criss Jami, exercise, free range, freshly pressed, friends, happiness, health, hope, kindness, life, love, lululemon, marathon, meditation, Mindfulness, Omaha, passion, pilates, Power Yoga, writing, yoga 5 CommentsPopular culture is a place where pity is called compassion, flattery is called love, propaganda is called knowledge, tension is called peace, gossip is called news, and auto-tune is called singing-
*Continued from Wednesday*
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When I first started to become aware and conscious of what was (is) happening in the present moment, both inside and outside my body: I tapped into a powerful life changing skill. Even more powerful than running a marathon or some whimsical power yoga class and even more powerful than lifting a ton of weights and boasting about my efforts. Mindfulness allowed me to witness my own thoughts and feelings, to observe them as they pass by, like clouds effortlessly floating through the warm, blue sky above. Mindfulness has graciously offered me a front row seat, to a show, that is my own mind, and what a messed up show it can be at times!
When I first started writing years ago, I recklessly held onto judgment, ego and reaction. Little did I care to know about the true purpose of mindfulness … To be able to see what is happening inside, without ownership, judgment, ego or reaction. Instead of simply witnessing the thoughts of my mind, its endless cravings for attention, bitching, and bloated opinions? I reacted to everything, everything that my mind suggested (look up the old posts). I flat-out refused to take a seat, where to place my attention, and consequently, how to live my life.
Mindfulness allowed me to discover the awareness to which my mind’s play appeared before me, in a comfy, velvety seat.
Daily Meditation:
Mindfulness is a tremendously powerful practice and well deserving of the attention it is receiving of late. We should be tread lightly though, mindfulness is more than a social media trend, more that just posting your workout results on Facebook, for the world to marvel at. True mindfulness, the mindfulness I have surrendered to, is a challenge that requires the up most dedication, awareness and humility – But damn, mindfulness is well worth the effort.
Who brought the popcorn? The show is about to begin …
Fisticuffs at Dawn
Posted: February 26, 2014 Filed under: Meditation, Yoga | Tags: Bless, blogging, Buddha, Buddhism, compassion, crossfit, cycling, exercise, Fisticuffs, fitness, free range, freshly pressed, gluten free, happiness, health, hipster, hope, kindness, life, love, lululemon, marathon, meditation, Mindfulness, motivation, musings, natural, Omaha, paleo, passion, perspective, pilates, Power Yoga, running, whole foods, yoga, Zen 20 CommentsOnly idiots fail to contradict themselves three times a day-
All the talk on the blog-o-sphere and down at the local bodega, is that everyone is “practicing” mindfulness and becoming spiritual folks. Sounds pretty cool to me!
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While any sparkly toe dipped in the practice of “spiritual” awareness is beneficial, there is a trend in mindfulness, which will interfere with and obstruct the full power of a gentle mindfulness practice.
Without awareness of this “trend“, we spend years lost, wandering in yet another prison of our ego, another trap of the mind, and as a result; We miss out on the real gifts mindfulness practice so gently brings us. Mindfulness is trendy, it’s hip and its cool. This is fantastic news! Although, we must be careful that like other trends, mindfulness does not get swallowed up in the next stream of CrossFit, Flavor of the month Yoga, Fixie Bikes and enjoying a Gluten Free lifestyle.
This is why I am worried, and writing these pedantic, bloviated posts of late: These new -mindful folks- are becoming yet another form of their already, inflated ego(s). Prideful and Mindful do not play in the sandbox of life together – Kindly.
With mindfulness on the trendy “social media” radar?!? We cannot afford to miss the chance to change what this powerful practice can reveal to us: Who and How we are, and simply … Being.
Daily Meditation:
Embracing mindfulness is a solid step along our paths in life. However, don’t rest quite yet, and don’t congratulate yourself yet either. For there is still much work to be done …
*Part two of this nauseating post will be posted this Friday*
My Spirit Flies to You
Posted: February 20, 2014 Filed under: Meditation, Yoga | Tags: Bliss, blogging, community, compassion, exercise, family, fitness, flow, form, freshly pressed, grace, happiness, health, karma, Karma yoga, kindness, life, lululemon, meditation, musings, natural, Power Yoga, Service, Seva, Virality, Wanderlust, writing, yoga, Zen 3 CommentsIncredible nervous state, trepidation beyond words: to be this much in love is to be sick (and I love to be sick)-
This act was not necessarily random, although it was based on kindness and service …
” … I was first initially baffled, and then pleasantly surprised to find my Yoga students coming to class earlier and earlier. Some arrive at class 40 minutes early … which, of course, forces me to arrive even earlier to prepare the studio for them. I couldn’t figure out why at first, but then I saw that they liked to check in with each other before class, and as they took off their shoes at the door and hung up their coats, I noticed such a sense of relief in a few as they turned off their cell phones and smart phones — it was a noticeable sense of a technology burden being lifted from their shoulders. Their Yoga practice — in the form of Pratyahara — begins as soon as they touch that “OFF” button. Realizing that made me much happier to come to the studio even earlier to be ready for their arrivals!”
– Baseball, Yoga, Life … (and me)
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When we act with mindful love? We release the true spirit of those we interact with on a daily basis. Our action(s) and reaction(s) –aka the Law of Karma- begin and end, with how we mindfully care and nurture our own spirit first, and then through embracing Seva, we can bring forth the best in all whom we interact with.
Daily Meditation:
Love – Is feeding and serving others with compassion, kindness and a deep and abiding sense of giving. Through love and Seva, lies true realization.
CultFit 