Bad days

There is no light without dark, no yin without yang, no up without down. So many times in our quest for bigger, better, faster, more we lose sight of the necessity of darkness, of down times, of the introspection that is invited by ‘bad’ days. However, just as Persephone needed to voyage into her underworld for a time, so too do we need to go inside, become quiet, and take stock of where we are in life and in the world. And, because it is often frustrating to be in a ‘down’ time when our usual desire is to be up, higher, lighter, freer, I have put together below some tools that can help you make the most of the opportunities present for you in those darker moments...

1. Today’s circumstances are yesterday’s “What’s next?”
Many times, we send out messages to the Universe and don’t even realize we’re doing it. Take a look at what is present for you now, for example. Is it that work has slowed down, leaving you ‘too much free time’? What is it that you asked for that would create this? Sometimes, we clearly put out the message that we want a break, we need some down time, we need to just stop moving so fast for a while. When that is what we’re asking for, or what we’re declaring to the world in our kvetching or in our conversations with friends, it isn’t surprising that work slows down, clients stop calling and we receive the gift of being able to just stop moving so fast for a while. Take a close look at your words, your conversations of the recent past and figure out what it is that you have asked for. Too much work and not enough free time? Perhaps you prayed for success, for an increase in income or for better knowledge of how things work in your company. If you dig a bit, there is usually some great gift in the situation in which you find yourself- a gift you happened to ask for! The goal, then, is to be very specific with what it is you ask for, and to be explicit in what you declare to the world.

2. It’s always darkest before the dawn.
For years, this phrase aggravated me, as it appeared to be trite and cliché and was often used as a palliative that offered no real help if you were in the pit of frustration with your circumstances. However, if you look at the cyclical nature of all things, it is actually true that it is darkest just before the dawn. Before the sun is makes its way over towards our little corner of the Earth, it is dark. Really dark. Yet, even in the depths of the darkness, there is the comfort is that the sun is coming to warm us and to light our way. The sun will be up in the East, as scheduled, every single day. That’s a really nice metaphor for life, because just as the world cannot stay dark forever (the sun will come up tomorrow…) our lives and our life circumstances cannot stay dark forever. And, the beauty of this is that the sun is on a specific schedule for when it rises and when it sets. The sun, presumably, has no independent control over when it will rise or set. We, on the other hand, have total control of our ability to rise or fall, and in each and every single moment we can choose differently if we don’t like the results that our past choices have gotten us. Rise and shine!

3. Take stock.
Just as every shop owner knows, it is imperative to take inventory regularly. Times of slowing down, of turning inward, are wonderful opportunities to do just that. What is it that you have in your life that serves you, and how does it serve you? What is it that you don’t have in your life that you’d like to have on your store shelves? This is a good time to take a good look around, figure out where it is that you stand in relation to where it is you would like to be standing. If your goal, to use the shop owner example, is to have a store filled with fine linens, beautiful tea sets and china dolls, yet you look around and all you see is hunting equipment and fly-fishing reels, you know you’ve got some re-ordering to do! (This is a good time to revisit #1 above and to get clear on what it is you’ve been asking for from the Universe.) So, take this time to take inventory, take stock of what you have and what you don’t. And be sure to look at everything that is present in your life right now and ask yourself: How is this serving me? Invariably, if something is present in your life, it is serving you somehow.

That’s it for today. Wishing you a beautiful journey and the ability to enjoy each moment~

Counting Blessings,
Cynthia

You know you need to exercise when...

Hey y'all!

I wanted to talk a bit about your body and how it actually craves exercise. Not only does exercise kick up your metabolism, release endorphins, and move your lymph, it also has the ability to shift your energy. Think about a situation that had you really pissy recently. It could be a relationship issue, a job issue, even an "I don't want to live like this anymore!" issue. Whatever it is, allow yourself to feel into it for a moment. You may notice that just bringing it up has the ability to shift your breathing (it usually becomes more shallow), tighten your muscles/chest/belly (can you feel the contraction?), and spark a tirade inside your head (do you see the spiraling of thoughts?). These are normal reactions to stress, frustration, etc. And when our bodies have these reactions, it is a great sign that we could use a good run. Or hike. Or yoga class. It is challenging to your body to consistently be at the receiving end of these stressful moments. One way to support your body through long work hours, stress and emotional overwhelm is to exercise it.

How do you know if your body is craving exercise, then? Listen to it. Here are a few signs that your body is craving exercise...

1. You notice that you're unusually irritable, angry or frustrated Have you been feeling irritable? Angry? Frustrated? Sometimes, this is a message from your body that your stress levels (and the attendant stress hormones) have built up to a level that is intolerable. By moving your body, you help it to open up and be less contracted, which leads to greater relaxation. You also 'burn off' some of the stress hormones that are so damaging to your body, your health.

So, if you find yourself feeling irritable, frustrated or overwhelmed, go pound it out on the streets. Go ahead- put one foot in front of the other and move that anger through, channel it down through your feet and let it fuel your movement. By using this energy productively, you take control of a situation. Instead of feeling pissy and eating bon-bons, effectively sitting in your stuff, you make a conscious choice to do something that is not only in alignment with your health, but is also in alignment with being happy and free of the tirade of thoughts that usually accompanies a bon-bon eating session.

2. You notice yourself feeling antsy Do you find yourself standing at the copier, feeling antsy? Are you having a hard time sitting still at work, at dinner with your kids, or even on your meditation cushion? It could be a sign that you need to get out and move some energy. If you are eating more calories that you burn, you have excess energy. If not utilized, this excess energy turns to fat. Now you have stored energy in the form of adipose tissue. Usually, when you have been eating more, your body will let you know that you need to step it up to burn off all of the extra energy you're feeding it. One way it does this is to make you feel antsy, to make you feel like you need to go do something. Forget shopping, forget eating another donut to lull yourself into a carbohydrate induced stupor. Get out and move. Not only will you dispel that antsy, fidgety, restless feeling, but you'll kick up your metabolism, which will burn off some of those calories.

Note: vigorous exercise will kick your metabolism up more than, say, a slow walk or a quiet, restorative yoga class. If you really need to move some energy, try out a vinyasa (or 'Flow") yoga class, Ashtanga Yoga, or a run or challenging bike ride.

3. You feel like you're walking through sludge For many people, being in a 'funk' or being in that space where you feel 'blah' is often the result of not being able to process and move through emotions. You live through a situation (or you are living in a situation) that is ripe with emotion, none of which you have the time/ability/desire to deal with. So, what happens to all of the emotions? They store up, they collect, and they even fester sometimes. If emotions are just energy, and if that energy is not effectively moved, it just sits there, unmoving, collecting dust. By getting out and exercising, you move through it, break through the contraction and stagnation in your muscles, and release whatever it was that you were holding on to. You get rid of whatever you were storing up, unable to let go of. And that is a powerful thing if you want to feel not-so-blah!

Note: yoga is especially helpful for getting rid of the 'blahs', as it allows you to open and expand, to reach into the heart of each muscle and s t r e t c h. Yin yoga, or yoga where you get to hold poses for a bit longer than in vinyasa or flow classes is really good for moving through the blahs.

To your health!

Namaste,

Cynthia

Slowing Down

One of the most beautiful gifts of leaving the private practice of law has been the ability to slow down a bit. With the perspective that comes from having put distance between myself and that lifestyle (or that lifestyle as I was living it) I have been able to see how fast I can get in my daily routines, my conversations and my activities- never mind what happens to my thoughts- when I am stressed out. And, I believe I have been in good company with this pattern- most of the people I see these days are running from pillar to post and are losing their heads in the race (not to mention centeredness, grounding and alignment).

We have been socialized to believe that more is better in all realms and on all levels, and to that end we have been pushing, pushing, pushing ourselves to the breaking point. It is no wonder that we are seeing the highest levels of hypothyroidism in history- we’re burning ourselves out! And this is just the beginning. This constant push, constant racing around and constant striving for that next brass ring exhausts us physically, mentally, emotionally and energetically. So, what do we do?

We slow down a bit. We take breaks. We honor our body’s needs. We start paying attention to that inner guidance (Psst! It’s in your heart, not your head!). We actively seek a lifestyle that will work to support us, to nourish and nurture us. We cast aside the belief that we need to measure up to someone else’s standards (standards we’re killing ourselves in order to meet), and we stand in our own power, our own alignment. We declare that we will take care of ourselves from now on, and that we are as important as all 500 of the other things on our to-do lists. We put ourselves first because, without us, there is no one checking off those to-do list items anyway. And finally, we re-evaluate our values, our goals and our direction in life. It’s time to take a closer look at the way we’re living, my friends. And I humbly invite you into that inquiry now.

Some questions for consideration:

1) What do I get from racing through my life? Why do I move so fast?
2) What am I missing when I move through life at the speed of light?
3) Where is the middle ground?

Enjoy your journey inward and feel free to drop me a note anytime with ideas, stories or questions, or if you would like some help along the way.

To Your Bliss,

Cynthia