No Ordinary Moments

I just watched "The Peaceful Warrior" and loved it. Its an excellent movie disguised as a gymnastics story when, in fact, it's more about yoga and training the mind. My favorite line from the movie is "There are no ordinary moments." The whole story is about living in the moment — something that is very difficult to do.

Missing the Moment
Trying to live fully in the present—or being in the moment is a challenging proposition. We frequently get caught up in our routines, habits and thoughts, and find ourselves feeling disconnected from what is happening around us…or even within our own bodies. Instead, we spend our time and energy creating to-do lists and dwelling in the past. These thought patterns prevent us from truly being present and from completely engaging in what is happening in our lives right now…in the present moment.

Attending to the Moment with Mindfulness
Mindfulness means that we are paying attention to everything that happens within our bodies and around us in the present moment without judgment. However, when we are on autopilot, we often act unconsciously or habitually. We just react. Even our thoughts can occur without our conscious awareness. It is human nature to categorize and evaluate everything that we think, see, hear, etc., and these evaluations typically alter our experience and are usually at the root of our stress.

By using mindfulness techniques to pay attention to our minds and bodies, we can begin to take more control and switch off the autopilot. Learning to be fully aware of our bodily sensations, thoughts and emotions—no matter whether they are pleasant or unpleasant—can help us deal with our stress more effectively.

How to Practice Mindfulness
As with any skill, mindfulness can be learned. The practice is in the repetitive act of directing attention to only one thing in this moment. No one would suggest that just paying attention is the answer to all of life's problems. All of life's problems and stressors, however, can be seen more clearly when our mind is clear.

When we begin to see more clearly how we are thinking, feeling and reacting, we can begin to learn new ways of being and responding to the things going on in our lives.

Ease Headaches Before They Happen

Are you feeling stressed? If you are anything like me, your stress causes terrible headaches. We often express stress in our necks and jaws. Without even noticing, we tense in these areas, blocking our breath, decreasing our circulation, and sometimes provoking a headache.

Luckily, we can avoid these symptoms by taking a break to relax the neck. Here's how:

While seated, interlace your fingers and place your hands on the back of your head. Allow your head and arms to relax forward and your chin to travel toward your chest. The weight of your head and arms, combined with gravity, will begin to release your neck and reduce or eliminate your headache.

Remember that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

The Move is Over

Sorry that YogaDudes has been so low key over the past few months. We were suffering through a period of temporary partial shut-down as we moved our world headquarters (which is our home in CT). After four long months of being homeless and operating on very low inventory in a temporary office, we are finally getting settled in Eastford, CT. We found ourselves a blissfully peaceful spot with so many places to do yoga it's unreal. I think the photo above will be my favorite one.

We hope to get the business back on track real soon. This fall will begin our monthly newsletters, regular blog entries, and sales promotions. Please stay tuned and thank you for your patience.