Tree in the Wind

I don't how many of you have tried yoga, but I've been dabbling with yoga for probably five years or so, give or take a little. When I say dabbling with yoga, I mean following different yoga classes on several different work out dvd series that we do at home. I haven't really had any formal yoga training. Well, that's not exactly true. My boss at work did provide a yoga instructor one day a week during our lunch for a period of time. I don't remember how long it was, but it definitely was a novice level class.

Anyway, the reason I brought it up today is because Keri and I did a yoga work out today and I don't know if it has anything to do with my Fred Flintstone toes or what, but my balancing poses are a total crack up. My balancing tree with hands in prayer DOES NOT exist. I can get in balancing tree but my tree is definitely enduring some kind of wind storm. I can't even get my hands in prayer. Maybe that's why it's not working.

My hands are always waving in the breeze trying to assist with balance. I think my stubby little toes provide little support in a one legged balancing pose. Keri on the other hand has long grippy toes and she stands so still and poised in her balancing tree pose with her hands perfectly and peacefully pressed together in prayer.

Don't Frazzle my Dazzle

I think it's important to share these experiences, because it sheds light on things that might tend to be kept in the dark. I was having an amazing day today. I danced all the way to work, listening to a specific play list that Keri created. It has a ton of awesome feeling songs on it. When I listen to certain songs that get me excited about my life and all the wonderful things that are happening I just have to move, and by move I mean groove. Dance! Feeling pure love energy flowing to me and through me. It always feels so amazing and all I can see is smiles.

I was soaring high. One of my favorite patients came into the office and we were talking about some challenges he was experiencing in his work. Managerial problems and how he knew he was allowing someone to have power over him, holding him apart from his natural awesomeness. Well, earlier in the day, my mail person came by and I greeted her with exuberance as I was approaching the door to lock it for lunch and I was happy to have her arrive right at that moment, so I could accept the mail. She said when she saw my enthusiasm, "You may not be happy when you see what I've got for you".

It was a postage due slip. You might be thinking, why would you care about a postage due slip. Well, the previous day I received one as well and we ran into a just enough change issue and she thought I might be upset by the reoccurrence. I replied, "Oh I wouldn't think of allowing such a thing to affect my happiness" as I casually went back to my bosses office and found the change I needed to pay the postage.

I shared this little story with my patient in an effort to assist him with his situation. He agreed he was allowing another persons behavior to affect his level of happiness. We seemed to see eye to eye on this particular topic. It was a good conversation about being accountable for our choices.

We discussed how practicing maintaining our level of happiness regarding small circumstances on a regular basis, such as not having enough change for postage helps us to be more prepared when bigger circumstances present themselves. The example we discussed was preparing yourself for difficult balancing poses in yoga. You can't just enter an advanced class and expect to be able to a firefly pose right out of the gate. You have to warm up and practice your flexibility. You have to train yourself.

The same goes for life's most challenging situations. When you practice dealing with smaller issues and maintaining your level of happiness, I promise you will find it much easier to deal with those more difficult situations. When you practice, you will find yourself recovering much quicker when you do encounter a situation that gets you frazzled.

Training your inner dog

I am a woman. I am a wife. I am a mom. I am a daughter, a friend, a lesbian, a cousin, a niece, a customer, a stranger and on and on,...

Bigger, than all those labels of roles I fill in this time I have chosen to walk this planet, I am an eternal spiritual being. I have been here before and I will be here again. Without the physical body of Angel Zamudio this lifetime will end and I will still exist because I am an Eternal Spiritual Being (ESB). The essence of me, the bundle of energy that makes me who I am will carry on long after Angel Zamudio is gone and that is because I AM. There is no label to define me. I am more than words.

I AM and You are too. What ever it is you are seeking, take a moment and close your eyes. If we really are ESB and we ARE, then every thing we could ever look for outside of ourselves is a limitless path of suffering because everything we could ever need is right there within. It's kind of like getting all worked up and stressed out because you can not find your keys and they were in your pocket the whole time.

The key is to stop the frantic search and look within. The answers, ALL of the answers are right there within you. Stop the frantic search. Stop the constant stream of thoughts. Take some slow deep breaths. Be still and allow the answers to flow.

If you are reading this and feel resistance developing, stop reading and just sit with that resistance. Allow it to be. Ask yourself what am I resisting. Allow the answers to flow to you.

Think of it like training a dog to walk with a loose leash. You begin on your walk and every single time your dog quickens his pace and makes the leash tight (resistance), you stop. Once your dog comes to a complete stop, you begin to walk again. Sometimes it will seem like you will never get through the walk because of how often you have to stop, but once you have trained your dog or your resistance to relax you will have a lifetime of pleasant walks.

It is worth the effort it takes to know the peace and happiness that exists in the realm of no resistance.