To find balance

O.k. I must admit that walking the middle path can be quite frustrating at times. Most of the time. Pretty much all of the time.

The middle path is the one between your spirituality and the rest. It is the act of being "in the world but not with the world." It is the balancing act between the muggle world and the magical.

Of course the key is to meld the 2. To carry yourself strong and peacefully moving from the quiet wisdom of the center & speaking the truth of the greater Self.

But, truth be told, it is hard to hold the balance. It is hard to stay away from the drama of daily work life. And floating in yoga all day is just not in my cards at the present.  So... i must walk the middle path.

Lately this has been difficult to say the least. & i find that i have been experiencing  crazy new sensations. Panic attacks and gastrointestinal disturbances. Yeah. I'm laying it out here. These sensations are simply new & are usually most severe before and during my work day & then later in the evening before bed.  I have always been a go with the flow kind of person. Maybe too much flowing not enough standing up for myself? Or possibly the internal resistance to surrendering to the insane weirdness of the most modern day workplaces. I really don't know.

I do know this - my personal practice, no matter how minimal, is becoming more & more dear to me. The challenge, truthfully is finding the time & letting go of the idea that there is "not enough time."

Yesterday morning, the struggle to maintain my breath and calm the racing of my heart as i prepared for work helped me to step on my mat. My time? 10 maybe 15 minutes. My practice? A (for me on that day) short series of strong standing postures that helped me to ground and find my center. My meditation was a Qigong style qi  energy movement meditation.

Remember - practice safely & mindfully. And check with your doctor before venturing into any exercise program.

Hold each posture for about 7 - 10 breaths or whatever helps your mind to quiet.

tadasana (mountain)
vrksasana  (tree)
virabhadrasana 2 (warrior 2)
viparita virabhadrasana ( reverse warrior)
parsvottanasana ( pyramid pose)
virabhadrasana 1-( warrior 1)
prayer twist
crescent warrior
standing split
Tadasana (mountain)
Repeat on other side

Tadasana with arms overhead opening into a backbend.
rolling into a squat
sukhasana

meditation
Make the akash mudra.
Place left hand at the second chakra
Right hand chest level
Relax the eyes, settle into the breath
move the qi from the bottom hand to top and top hand to bottom.


Namaste

Stress & you

I found this article on Huffington Post. I think it's worth a gander. In my opinion, it's another reminder of why a regular yoga practice is so important. If yoga is really not your thing, try Qi gong, tai chi, tensegrity, walking mindfully, laughter or whatever will bring your body & mind together in a compassionate mindful way. No time for movement? Then simply try sitting and breathing for 5 minutes.

If we don't learn how to manage our stress, our stress will manage us. Stress has been linked to a horde of conditions including Alzheimer's. This is what the aforementioned articles says about the hippocampus and its function:

"This is a crucial area of the brain that helps with memory -- it doesn't actually store all the memories, but decides where you will store what. "It's the director of the orchestra," Sood says. But when excessive cortisol (a stress hormone) is in your system, it can kill the hippocampus nerve cells, causing memory problems (that's why you can never find your keys when you're perpetually frazzled). The good news is that you can get those nerve cells back. What works? Meditation, relaxation, a generally healthy lifestyle and cultivation of compassion, gratitude, forgiveness and acceptance."


"The good news is that your can get those nerve cells back." 

The good news is that we don't have to be victims of our hectic lifestyles.