Flexibility

I usually walk my dog Sam in the morning. It helps set my day and clears my mind. I tend to be very routine driven. Today though I could not walk Sam in the morning. I was tempted to just chuck everything...after all if I could not walk Sam in the morning as usual then the whole day was shot! Crazy I know. Instead of giving in to the circumstances that held me and Sam back from walking in the morning, we took our walk in the evening. That in and of itself is not a big deal, but it did get me thinking. I am a yoga teacher teacher, but flexibility is not a strong suite for me outside the studio. While walking Sam I began to realize how stuck in my routine I have become....must be age! I am going to make it my goal to change something about my usual routine daily. I tend to eat just about the same things, read the same websites/blogs, dress pretty much the same way and respond to my husband and kids the same way everyday. Variety is the spice of life, so I am going to change it up and I will start by changing the route that I take walking my dog Sam.

Rain Meditation

Today is a rainy day where I live, in fact 16 of the 26 days this month have been raining here. It was too wet to take Sam for a walk today, so I decided to meditate on the rain. I am trying to establish a regular meditation practice and so far the concept of concentrating on a sound or object seems to be what works best for me. My mind has a huge tendency to become distracted. A quote from a book I am reading, Mindfulness in Plain English, says it this way:"The essence of our experience is change. Change is incessant. Moment by moment life flows by, and it is never the same... a thought springs up in your head and half a second later, it is gone. In comes another, and then that is gone too." That pretty much sums up how my mind works! But meditation helps me stay focused longer. I'm not sure if the rain meditation is an actual official type of meditation, but it calms and stills my mind and that's all that matters to me! The next time you find yourself at home when it's raining outside try the rain meditation:

• Sit comfortably, with your spine tall, but not rigid. You can sit against a wall, in a chair, or on the floor.

• Take several deep breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth to relax the body and mind.

• Begin to focus your attention on the sound of the rain. Really tune into the rush of water, the steady drops, or the intermittent showers.

• Hold your attention to the sounds, and if your mind wanders just smile to yourself. This is normal. Gently bring your mind back to the sound of the rain.

• Meditate for as long as you like. There is no required amount and there is no time limit.

Hopefully the next time it rains where you are, you will find a moment to meditate and concentrate simply on the beauty of the sound of rain. Here's hoping for clear skies tomorrow so I can once again walk my dog Sam.

photo courtesy freestockphoto.com

Accepting what is

All kinds of thoughts come to me while I am walking my dog Sam. It must be the fresh air, or the change of scenery. Today while I was walking I was wondering where this low lying anxiety comes from that creeps up on me sometimes. My life is great, I am very happy. I have no real complaints at all. But there are times when I catch myself saying things like "I am so overwhelmed, I just don't have enough time to do it all" (I have yet to figure out what it all is anyway.) "What is wrong with me, why can't I get it together." "My house is a mess, I am so disorganized." When I catch myself having these thoughts, I try an step back and figure out where they are coming from. Often it's just how life is. Things don't always work out the way I want, kids make messes, and unexpected things come up to cause upheaval in life. Usually my expectations are completely unrealistic. One thing I am working on is being less attached to results and outcomes and going more with the flow of life...which is always changing. I find when I do that things work out better, or at least I don't cling as much which makes me feel much better. Now if I could only remember.