Sustaining a morning yoga practice for me has been a lesson in self discipline like nothing else I have ever experienced. I know how my day goes when I get up and get on my mat. I also know how unsettled and discombobulated I can feel when I skimp on my practice or start my day by rushing out of bed.
With the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend (staying up late, drinking & gathering with friends) I found my morning practice was completely left by the wayside. This is often how it works with me. I get into a routine, a beautiful routine of 5:30 am wake ups and an hour or more on my mat with yoga and meditation. Then an interruption, like a holiday or vacation or visitors, throws me right off track. A day or two is fine, I don't so much notice the effects of my missed practice, but then 2 days turns into 3, then 4 then my morning practice has all but disappeared and I am a crazy maniac again stressed out and anxious for no reason that is worth the suffering I put myself through. I need that morning practice. I need it so that I can enjoy my life, without it, I seem to suffer unnecessarily.
However, I also am grateful for the experience of having an absence in my practice, because when I finally returned to it this morning, although begrudgingly at first (not too excited about having to leave my very comfy warm safe bed), it wasnt long before I was enveloped in the space that I love more than anything else in the world. That space of utter acceptance of self, complete self love, peace, abundance and so much more. And all it took was a small inner spark to reignite the flame of self discipline once again.
I write this today to share with you what a beautiful savasana meditation I experienced. I have been feeling a high amount of anxiety, self induced of course, with Christmas approaching and all the chaos that joins the holiday 'spirit". I need peace, abundance, joy & love to be present today, sooo I cultivated these beauties. And it really worked wonderfully. Below is the meditation I used. I hope it may be helpful to anyone who needs it today or in the future.
*Begin by closing the eyes & scanning the body from toes to head. Bringing awareness to each body part, then envisioning that body part becoming warm and heavy and sinking into the mat, into the earth, along with any tension, anxiety, pain or frustration you may have been holding onto. Systematically work your way up from your toes all the way to your abdomen moving to the top of your head, remembering to include the eyes and ears as well. Go slowly and really see and feel the part of the body and the warmth and heaviness move into that specific area. Feel the entire body now warm and heavy, draining out any negative/toxic emotions or thoughts into the earth to be absorbed.
*Then, once all the negativity has drained from the heaviness of the body envision Love, Peace, Joy and Abundance slowly & gently seeping in to fill all the space that was created by all the negative emotions leaving. All that fresh empty space waiting and willing to be filled with positive emotions. Envision these emotions expanding and stretching into all the nooks and crannies of your being, filling up all the space it could so that you are full to the brim with joy, overflowing with abundance and peace, and radiating with love. As your body fills with these positive emotions envision yourself getting lighter and lighter, almost to a point of floating. Then slowly open your eyes and observe.
The weight of toxic emotions like fear & anxiety can and do pull us down. Only by releasing them and freeing up space with in the body do we have room to allow positive emotions to enter.
Release what no longer serves you. You don't need it! Let the heaviness of negativity sink away and instead float into this Holiday season filled with joy, abundance, peace & love. Let it overflow to all that you meet and interact with in the coming week.
Namaste~
With the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend (staying up late, drinking & gathering with friends) I found my morning practice was completely left by the wayside. This is often how it works with me. I get into a routine, a beautiful routine of 5:30 am wake ups and an hour or more on my mat with yoga and meditation. Then an interruption, like a holiday or vacation or visitors, throws me right off track. A day or two is fine, I don't so much notice the effects of my missed practice, but then 2 days turns into 3, then 4 then my morning practice has all but disappeared and I am a crazy maniac again stressed out and anxious for no reason that is worth the suffering I put myself through. I need that morning practice. I need it so that I can enjoy my life, without it, I seem to suffer unnecessarily.
However, I also am grateful for the experience of having an absence in my practice, because when I finally returned to it this morning, although begrudgingly at first (not too excited about having to leave my very comfy warm safe bed), it wasnt long before I was enveloped in the space that I love more than anything else in the world. That space of utter acceptance of self, complete self love, peace, abundance and so much more. And all it took was a small inner spark to reignite the flame of self discipline once again.
I write this today to share with you what a beautiful savasana meditation I experienced. I have been feeling a high amount of anxiety, self induced of course, with Christmas approaching and all the chaos that joins the holiday 'spirit". I need peace, abundance, joy & love to be present today, sooo I cultivated these beauties. And it really worked wonderfully. Below is the meditation I used. I hope it may be helpful to anyone who needs it today or in the future.
*Begin by closing the eyes & scanning the body from toes to head. Bringing awareness to each body part, then envisioning that body part becoming warm and heavy and sinking into the mat, into the earth, along with any tension, anxiety, pain or frustration you may have been holding onto. Systematically work your way up from your toes all the way to your abdomen moving to the top of your head, remembering to include the eyes and ears as well. Go slowly and really see and feel the part of the body and the warmth and heaviness move into that specific area. Feel the entire body now warm and heavy, draining out any negative/toxic emotions or thoughts into the earth to be absorbed.
*Then, once all the negativity has drained from the heaviness of the body envision Love, Peace, Joy and Abundance slowly & gently seeping in to fill all the space that was created by all the negative emotions leaving. All that fresh empty space waiting and willing to be filled with positive emotions. Envision these emotions expanding and stretching into all the nooks and crannies of your being, filling up all the space it could so that you are full to the brim with joy, overflowing with abundance and peace, and radiating with love. As your body fills with these positive emotions envision yourself getting lighter and lighter, almost to a point of floating. Then slowly open your eyes and observe.
The weight of toxic emotions like fear & anxiety can and do pull us down. Only by releasing them and freeing up space with in the body do we have room to allow positive emotions to enter.
Release what no longer serves you. You don't need it! Let the heaviness of negativity sink away and instead float into this Holiday season filled with joy, abundance, peace & love. Let it overflow to all that you meet and interact with in the coming week.
Namaste~
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