Amrita Yoga

Just for now.

Today started out ok. Somewhere along the line, I lost my focus and started feeling mighty sorry for myself.

It happens to the best of us.

My mind began a snowball of the what-ifs, the shouldas, the couldas, & the wouldas. Slowly I felt my energy drain, my ego picked up speed of inner dialogue of how awful I was, how lame of a teacher I am, how my bank account couldn’t support a small family of hamsters – let alone me and my own family.

It was a press nine-whine-whine, call a whhhhaaaambulance fest, I tell ya.

So I did what most everyone would naturally do. I sat on my couch and wallowed in my own mental muck. Yum right?

I can practically hear you all screaming – “Yoga! Go to a yoga class!!” Well, I didn’t. Not every day allows for a yoga class of my own. So yoga needs to come to us in different ways. So I sat.

…and I sat.

I lamented about how crappy my life was inside my head and eventually…it got boring. However, I had dug myself this hole (in my head…i need it like a…get it? see what I did there? ha) and now I have to get myself out.

So I told myself that I had 10 more minutes of full wallowing and then it was time to take some action.

My brain went into meltdown. My ego screamed and wailed about how awful I felt and what was the point? Just Stay On The COUCH. Mmmm couch!!!!

But I did it. I allowed myself the space to feel as awful as humanly possible (its what I my ego wanted after all) and then took several deep breaths, got up off the couch, made myself a tea and forced myself out into the sunshine.

It is now 1 hour later and here I am writing this blog. I saw some beautiful yogi friends and have an opportunity for a new class on the horizon. All because I made the conscious effort to shift mental gears. The universe responded lovingly and openly.

We do not need to be slaves to our emotional states, nor do we need to try to rid ourselves of these same emotions. We want to be whole creatures, full of life and the full spectrum emotion/creativity/vibrancy of who we are! This includes the dark stuff. (Just think of it as dark chocolate – it’s good for you I swear!)

So the next time you get stuck…stay there. But give yourself a time limit. Then change scene, go to a yoga class, take a walk, call a friend (do not continue the whine-fest), do something that creates new pathways in the brain. You have every ounce of power over your experience. Sometimes all we have to do is change our minds.

Love,

Elle