3 weeks? that cant be right

Hi there.... I cant believe it has been 3 weeks since my last blog

reason.... for the love of my yoga ( or not at the moment 😣 )

Why do I do this to myself?
Everything was going fine, I was not working, I was doing 6 classes a week, yoga and body balance, and going to the gym!!! yes I was feeling damn good.
No stresses ( well hardly any, obviously still got my husband, 5 children and 8 grandchildren...but hey, thats norm...right? )
But could I be content?   No!
I had to find something extra to do!
I could do more classes?
I could do more retail therapy ( theres only so much you can do ! )
I could do more girly lunches?
OR........ I could train to be a yoga instructor!!!!!!!!  Mmmmmm 
So how lucky was I, when I found out that one of the instructors from my local leisure centre was just enrolling on such a course 😃 and would I like to join her?
( I hadnt thought of doing it quite that soon!!! )
So the suggestion was no sooner said and I had enrolled.
 ( Yes its fair to say I have seriously lost the plot)
So its been several weeks and the stress is killing me ( yes I know ..I thought yoga was supposed to relieve stress too )
I knew it was going to be tough but really, I had no idea what I was letting myself in for.
1st practical weekend was so intense, Asanas, breathing exercises, teaching...
And the assignments, well they are something else.
By the end of the 2nd day I was numb, I seriously could not take any more information in.
Uttanasana     I couldnt even remember where my knees where!!!!!

Yep all I wanted was sleep  zzzzzzzzz

But as we all know.....stress levels do not equal a good nights sleep.....or good digestion or anything else that good !

When I am awake all I am thinking of is yoga yoga yoga and I am praying for sleep...and when I am asleep I am dreaming about it and wide awake after an hour or so ... full of energy NOT!!!!

Hence...why I am wide awake at 3am blogging.....

Wish me luck on my journey

(I am definitely gonna need it ! )

Mindfulness

Mindfulness/Meditation

what is this?

Meditation is a simple practice available to all, which can reduce stress, increase calmness and clarity and promote happiness. Learning how to meditate is straightforward, and the benefits can come quickly. Here, we offer basic tips to get you started on a path toward greater equanimity, acceptance and joy. Take a deep breath, and get ready to relax. (david gelles)

for me I initially found even the idea of it very strange ..and difficult....

to lie in a room at the end of a yoga session,  full of people/strangers, possibly with my eyes closed was very uncomfortable territory....

I thought that I would never feel comfortable...my mind would be racing...wandering what I had to do later.....I could feel my heart beating and it felt that it would beat right out of my chest some times!!

I did not get anything out of it at all...to be truthful, sometimes I would leave before the meditation...

it just didnt suit my hyper personality

the concept of strangers/instructors seeing me at , what i percieved to be a very vunerable position, filled me with stress ( the complete opposite of what it should do)

But, 12 months on, I'm pleased to say that i stuck with it and hung around for meditation more often and it started to feel a lot less alien.. and.I actually find myself looking forward to it 

its fair to say that some days are better than others...I can get to quite a calm state in a few moments ..listening to the instructor and taking it all in....

an instructor can be a really good focus and I personally think I would find it a lot harder on my own......on a good session I experience a calm that that I have never felt before....a stillness..a quietness.. quieten the mind....

And then other days ..i struggle...  even to relax..I am constantly distracted, 

It is very early days for me and I am looking forward to learning more about meditation...

we are instructed to remember the calm and to take it with us..to be recalled when we find our selves anxious....I find it fascinating

NAMASTE

Meditation after yoga

Yoga goes hand in hand with meditation
I'm very new to this and already enjoy some of the benefits

 I think its fair to say that some meditation sessions go better than others

( sometimes my mind can be all over the place and thoughts jumping in to my head one  after another and all I can hear is a clash of voices in my head....and then another time I can listen to the instructor and feel very calm ) 

Today was one such day.....

The instructor was fab..as usual

The class went really well and at the end I was well ready for the reward which came in the form of a 10 minute session of beautiful calm stillness..

10 minutes dosnt sound long but when its spent being still and listening to your breath it can be very beneficial and very beautiful..

it gives us the opportunity to forget our worries and stresses ..even if only for a few minutes

it gives us the opportunity to completely relax

to take a mental picture of our bodies

to slow our breathing and extend our relaxation

And the more we practice it ..the better we become ...and if we practised it for a life time... there would still be more to know

          Our instructor always ends the session, reminding us to remember the moment, the feeling, the calm...

And to take it with us ..to recall it when our next stressful moment looms....and it will

it could be tomorrow..next week..next month

Remember the calm..... And return to it