Category: mindful monday

Mindful Monday – Yoga Anyone?

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Yoga Silhouettes

Do you practice yoga? We’d love to hear your tips for beginners!

I’m not sure what took me so long to realize it, but I’m not nearly as bendy as I was a few years ago.  This has me thinking about adding yoga to my daily routine.

Beyond increasing flexibility and building strength, regular yoga practice can be the foundation of a more healthy lifestyle. It can:

  • improve your posture and balance
  • reduce blood pressure
  • help you sleep better
  • relieve stress
  • boost your mood

Other great things about yoga?

  • you don’t need any fancy equipment to get started
  • all body types and ages are welcome – big, small, different abilities – it’s always possible to modify a pose
  • there are a zillion videos available online FREE

Here are some resources to get us started slowly. Most of these take fewer than 20 minutes – just enough to see if yoga is something you want to pursue.

Before you know it, we’ll be doing some insane yoga poses. (Well, maybe not, but we will be more flexible, healthier, and happier.)

People have been doing yoga for thousands of years, but you should consult your healthcare professionals before beginning any new-to-you exercise programs.

Namaste.

 

 

 

 

 

Mindful Monday: Dream a Little Dream

Oh my goodness, I love to daydream. When I was a younger person, I dreamed of a happy marriage and having a child. I dreamed of a career with meaning, home ownership, and living a life where I didn’t have to worry about having enough money to get food on the table.  At some point, I also dreamed of being a singer, writer, an attorney, an astrologist, of living in San Francisco, and I dreamed of traveling the country in an RV.

The point is this: our dreams (big and small, realistic and fantastical) help shape the direction of our lives. Every time we dream, we expand the possibilities in our life.

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.

Eleanor Roosevelt

Which of your daydreams do you keep visiting? First we dream, then our actions become aligned with those dreams, and then we’re living the dream. Of course, it’s not always as easy as 1-2-3, and it could take literally decades for some of those dreams to come to life.

Energy and persistence conquer all things. 

Benjamin Franklin

Having dreams, exploring the possibilities, and pondering the vast universe of promise is absolutely a joy in itself. The excitement of my husband, dog, and me criss-crossing the country in an RV, lingering in towns we love, visiting friends and family is a dream I’m not quite ready to replace with something else. I don’t know that I’ll ever do it – but I know that if I stop dreaming, I definitely won’t.

Dreams are true while they last, and do we not live in dreams?

Alfred Lord Tennyson

Have your dreams become murky over the years? Did you have dreams and gave them up because . . . life happened? Maybe it’s time to get back in touch with those dreams. What would you like to do? What would you like to experience? Start simple and expand as far as your mind can travel.

Dreams are today’s answers to tomorrow’s questions.

Edgar Cayce

 

 

 

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Mindful Monday – People Pleasing

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Everyday Bravery Pin

You don’t want to disappoint anybody, but you know, you lose your voice by trying to please everyone. -Diego Luna

Are you a people pleaser? (We all are to some degree!) Do you have trouble saying no? Do you need the people around you to be happy? Even if it comes at your own expense?

We all enjoy feeling appreciated and that feeling of being needed. It’s easy to see how we can fall into the trap of putting the wants of others before our own wants and needs. That external validation feels so good.

How are you going to reach your own goals if you’re so busy pleasing other people? 

Start Small – a chatty friend asks you to lunch, you know this could turn into a multi-hour session of her telling you all about the trouble with her kids, husband, in-laws, and dog. “I can’t meet for lunch, but I could do a quick coffee at 2:00.”

Delay Tactics – stop yourself from immediately agreeing to whatever is being asked of you by replying with some version of, “I’ll get back with you on that.”  Do you want to make 100 cupcakes for Little League this week? Pausing before answering gives you the opportunity to think things through completely before giving a definite answer.

Set Priorities – decide what is important to you, make it a priority. You’re worth it. “I’m working on my novel this weekend and can’t help you start your garden.”

People pleasing is a habit that we get into because we win the adoration of those we are pleasing. Unfortunately, it’s also a trap that can keep us from getting what we want.

The following articles may be helpful. And, of course, if you’re finding that you are pleasing others so much that you’ve lost yourself, talking with a professional can help you sort through everything and set boundaries.

Mindful Monday – Patience

 

 

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A friend once told me, “Patience is for other people.” I’m pretty sure she was (mostly) joking, but it got me thinking . . .

Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet. – Aristotle

It’s easy to be patient when we’re not in a hurry. Being able to wait peacefully, though, when the pressure is on? That’s another thing altogether.

Long lines at the grocery store, traffic jams, slow service at a restaurant, dawdling children. In today’s world, with so much going on, so many places to go, things to do, it’s easy to become impatient.

This article from Mindful.Org asks, “Does your indignation toward another person feel good?”   No. No, it doesn’t.

Our impatience doesn’t make us feel better  – and it doesn’t improve the situation at all. Think about it – the last time you were in line behind someone taking an hour to unload their cart at the grocery store, were you helped at all by your frustration? Did that line move any faster?

What happens if we reframe the situation, though? We might feel compassion for the person who is slower to move and we might even offer to help him with his load. We might feel grateful that we are able-bodied and that we have food to eat.

Compassion and gratefulness feel so much better than indignation. 

When we’re feeling impatient, we are not living in the present moment. We are looking forward to being done, moving on, getting another item crossed off our list – so we can move on to the next item.

Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Stop. Take a deep breath. Notice everything going on around you. Practice compassion and gratefulness, and you’ll soon be a more patient and peaceful person.

Patience is not simply the ability to wait, but the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting.

For more inspiration, follow Brush Dance on Instagram and Facebook.

Mindful Monday – Difficult Times

Welcome to another Mindful Monday.

Here are some ideas for a rainy day. For the days when nothing seems to be going right, for those periods of time when everything seems to be going wrong. How can we maintain mindfulness in the face of difficult times?

Acknowledge The Situation – Stay present, acknowledge that things are challenging right now. Pay attention to your body, to your feelings. In short, don’t abandon yourself during a crisis.

Just Breathe – Focus on your breathing – inhale, exhale. Close your eyes, relax your body. (Pro Tip: do this just a few minutes every day and you’ll be able to draw upon it during difficult situations.)

Daily Practice – During rough times, it’s easier to give up your daily practices – and it’s more important than ever that you don’t.

You usually cook healthy meals, but the stress of the day has you heading for the nearest drive-thru. Resist. Keeping up with daily practices (exercise, meditation, creative endeavors) during times of challenge is another way to be kind to yourself.

Remain Grateful – Gratitude is one of the foundations of joy. Find and acknowledge the small positive things in your life even when everything else has gone to trash.

Get Support – Call on others to help you through sticky situations. Friends and relatives are great. Enlisting the help of a mental health professional or church clergy can give you a fresh perspective and offer healing in a non-judgmental setting.

Want to learn more? I found this great article: The Science and Practice of Staying Present Through Difficult Times

 

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Leuchtturm Journals and Notebooks Available at Brush Dance

Mindful Monday

To freely bloom – that is my definition of success. 

Happy Monday!

How do you define success? I’m sure everyone reading this has a different measure for themselves.

I’ve been thinking more about short-term successes – those small wins that give us a little boost of confidence. If this moment is all we have (and it really is), why do most of us delay gratification by waiting for the One Big Thing that will make us feel successful when there are so many little things throughout our days that pass unrecognized?

Said another way, in the past when I made a small mistake (a typo spotted after an email was sent, a blunder in conversation), I’d spend too much time worrying about it. At the same time, I wasn’t celebrating when I got things exactly right. I’m sure I wasn’t alone in this illogical treatment of myself. Why are we so fast to be negative with ourselves and slow to give ourselves a high-five for things done well?

 

Let’s start paying attention to the small successes that lead to the One Big Thing. In this moment, my measure of success is to click Publish on this blog post. I’ll cheer myself on by crossing it off today’s To Do List. When I have all five items crossed off my list, I’ll celebrate some more. Go me!  #winning

I’m not saying it’s wise to let go of your long-term measures of success – we all need goals. Long-term, I want to have a happy marriage that lasts at least 100 years, I want Brush Dance to experience growth as more people hear our messages of love, peace, and inclusion.

The point is, we should look at the zillions of small achievements we make on the way to our bigger goals and give ourselves a hearty pat on the back. Are you in?

Want to read more on this topic?  I found this article.

Leuchtturm Journals at Brush Dance