Time to Rest

(Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)

My body is screaming loudly for a respite as I have seriously put it through it's paces over the last couple days. That said, I always allot at least one stretch day in my regimen—one that's typically Yoga-infused—just to be sure that I keep my flexibility where I want and need it to be.

It's important to always listen to your body's cues when you come across the point where everything hurts and you literally don't have the energy to lift a pot much less a weight.

Rest is one of the most important aspects of training and if you neglect to get it as needed, you can potentially do unnecessary harm to the progress you've already made.

Remember to always take a day or two—sometimes a week is necessary—to reset and rejuvenate. Your body will thank you for it and the gains you'll experience the next time you workout will be felt two-fold.

Squat-ariffic Workout

Saw this workout for the quads, buttocks, and hammies at one of my new fave sites for all things fit, Blogilates, and thought I might share it with my fit-minded readers. Try it on for size and see how those legs feel come tomorrow morning—I'll tell you I barely got through it without taking a breather or two...okay maybe three.

Namaste: Working To Be Better At Being Me

This won't be a long post, but it's one that I felt heavily prompted to write today.

I am a wife, mother, and seeker of all things real in this world. I know that sounds corny to some of you, but that's who I am—it's my truth—that's my version of who I am in a nutshell. However, with that realization, I am never far from the reality of how much growing I still have yet to do.

As a wife, I do my best to be a friend and confidante to the man in my life because I don't think any marriage (or partnership) is worth having if it is had minus communication, loyalty, and love. The three come as a package deal and work in conjunction—not independently of each other—and require daily practice by both parties in order to be effective.

As a mother, I've discovered that I am better at the practical things—organization, providing loving care and nourishment, and being the best role model I can be—but I understand my limits as well. I play with my children, but I don't consider myself a playful person. Their father makes for a much more fascinating playmate and that works fine for them—and for us.

And finally, as a seeker of all things real, I am drawn to things that are both of this world and not. I want to learn new things and expose myself to the world in a more spiritually connective way because I feel that far too many of us take the world in which we live, breathe, and love for granted.

So, through my weekly practice of reading spiritually awakening literature and diving faithfully into the practice of Yoga, I feel more whole with each new day that greets me—isn't that all any of us want to feel?

My life is by no means perfect, but I don't expect it to be. Perfection isn't attainable, but living a life filled with grace is, and that's all I ever hope to do.

Yoga: Moving Towards More Than Just Flexibility

Yoga is something that I have danced with, off and on, over the last 5-years, However, it is only in the past five months that I have come to appreciate the balance it offers in my life.

I find that I am more willing to accept the inconsistencies and curve balls thrown my way because I see the benefits in going with the flow rather than obsessing over the details. Even more, the beauty and simplicity of the things around me have become magnified in such a way that it's become impossible for me not to find some level of gratification in even the most mundane moments.

Granted, I still have times where my anger and frustration get the best of me but I feel, for the most part, that I am much more centered and focused on my life as a "work in progress" as opposed to a completed picture with no hope of getting better—I am rediscovering myself as a wife, mother, woman, and friend and enjoying the lessons I'm learning along the way.

I credit yoga for allowing me the avenue to do such things without feeling the pain and disappointment that I might have in the past.

It's as if I have come to accept my bad parts for what they were/are and decided to no longer let them define me. I finally started to realize that the only consistency in this life is that things will always change and my place in that cycle is up to me.

I guess what I'm saying is, the journey does not come in trying to overcome the obstacles that these "changes" represent, but rather in taking those obstacles as symbols of how much stronger your becoming as a person because you have found a way to overcome them on your own.

Yoga has opened up a world within myself that I might otherwise never have found and I am loving it.

Now...if I could just master that darned crane (see photo).

Related articles

• Making Yoga a Priority Tops My To Do List (lifeissublime.wordpress.com)
• Yoga is a powerful practice (fr33domhall.wordpress.com)

It's Not Always Easy Remembering To Smile

Recently, I have abandoned my daily yoga routine. I abandoned it not because it's not useful—trust me it is—but because I haven't been able to find the time to fit it into my busy schedule. However, of late, the lack of it has caused me to spiral back into my daily stress-filled ritual of trying to do too much with too little.

One of the basic mantras of the yoga routine I follow is to remember to "smile" and "be grateful for everything the day hath brought". I often forget to actually smile during the course of a normal day—on the inside, not the outside—because I'm so focused on the outward responsibilities that I have yet to complete.

The solution to my problem is easy enough: I'll just have to get back to my morning yoga ritual. I miss that moment of personal reflection and meditative contemplation—breathe in the positive, exhale the negative.

I must get back to that.

Related articles

• Know Yoga, Know Peace (bodymindlifestudio.wordpress.com)

You Can't Be Everything to Everybody—Stop Trying

I obsess a lot—what can I say?

My mind is never quiet long enough to actually enjoy the moment I'm in because it's always moving ahead to the next moment—trust me when I tell you it's the most frustrating aspect of being me. It's also hard to control without some serious effort on my part.

I've relied on both yoga and meditation in many situations, but my spiritual beliefs have guided me the rest of the way and, together, all have allowed me to be more aware of my connection to what's actually happening in front of me—keeping me grounded and focused on what's really important. 

However, in being such an emotion-hopper (yes, that's a made-up word), I have learned a very valuable lesson about the tendency of individuals to be continually absent within the present. You see, as it turns out, this issue isn't unique to me. We all do it.

We all find ourselves scattered into a million different thoughts, trying to figure out how to do it all. It's born of an inner desire to be both perfect and successful—we're afraid to screw up.

So, we overload, over commit, and overdo everything we can to make us feel that we are being productive and useful to those around us. This can especially be the case with mothers.

We put on our capes and strap on that 'S' and say "Superwoman. Yes, I am".


The only problem with that is, in reality, being a superwoman—or man for that matter—isn't a job meant to be done on a daily basis. And, if you do it long enough, you can become a Superdud everywhere else in your life.


Each of us has to find a way to limit the distractions and expectations we place upon ourselves so that we can begin to make room for the everyday things that actually require our attention: our significant others, children, loved ones, etc.

Those are the things that enrich us, and those are the things that will make the living of this life better.