Simple Things That Are Hard

I messed up. I thought that Sunday boot camp options were either 8am or 10am when in actuality Sunday is an 8am to 10am hike! I did not get that memo. Oops. 

Instead today I rested my body, napped, took care of my home, and went to two yoga classes. The first was a Restorative class and the second was a lovely Kundalini class that I look forward to going back to next week. In fact I'm thinking again about getting certified as a Kundalini instructor but that will have to wait.  I really miss my old yoga class in the valley where the teacher also did energy work- I'm a huge believer in the healing power of touch.

This past week I have been making small strides towards a healthier me. Simple things that most of you probably already do but if not, maybe you should.

Namely, I started taking vitamins! I haven't taken a vitamin regularly since my beloved Smurf vitamins were discontinued in the 80's and my mom tried to get me to eat those nasty grainy Flintstones vitamins in their place. No. Thank. You.

So I bought a bottle of those adult gummy vitamins and they are so yummy not only do I have to stop myself from eating more then my daily dose but I look forward to taking them! I've also started taking a Super Omega-3 mix of Fish, Flax, and Borage Oil with Omega-3, 6, & 9 fatty acids to support heart health and my immune system.  Whether or not they are actually doing anything so far I don't know but just taking them makes me feel healthier and it's good to know I am doing something positive for myself. Which is what this whole journey is about. And hey, it only took me 28 years! Oh- and I started eating breakfast! I was never a breakfast person. I'm just not that hungry in the morning- but you'd be surprised how much some apple cinnamon oatmeal and a piece of fruit makes a difference in my hunger levels later on in the day. Breakfast and vitamins are not huge new revelations. In fact I think my stupidity for not doing these things in the past far outweighs my genius for discovering them now. But I digress....

I've also decided that since my body is going through such new extremes I'm not going to try to pressure it even more by making it get up at an hour it's not used to. I'm quite good at burning the candle at both ends (I even have a tattoo to attest this fact) - I just don't want to over extend myself and wind up burning out completely. So- that being said I'm going to take advantage of work being quiet and leave early to get to the 6:00pm class on Mondays, Tuesdays, & Thursdays instead of waking up early to go in the mornings. I just need to listen to my body on this one. 

Both yoga classes I mentioned earlier have strong roots in Buddhist practice and both teachers read from books or other texts while we held our comfortable stretchy positions. The interesting thing was that while the classes were unrelated and taught by different teachers, their messages happened to go hand in hand. 

The first was a lesson of vulnerability and the second was of being in and aware of the body. If you are vulnerable you can live and love deeply and openly, softening into your experiences. Too often I push and struggle and fight towards a goal and in doing so wind up making things harder for myself than I need to.  But if I just remember to open my heart, relax my body, and be in the moment- all things are possible. All things are possible with love.  And all things are possible with the body. Our bodies are capable of such amazing things! 

So it would then make sense in an old algebra a+b=c kind of way that all things are possible with love of the body. Love of my body. And to be honest, my body and I have had a rocky relationship at best through the years. You know that whole "catching more flies with honey" thing? Well, maybe my body hasn't been responding to my berating it into being in shape. "You stupid body, why don't you look how I want you to look??" would maybe be better worded as: "I love you as you are but you are capable of so much more that even I am not aware of yet. Let's see what you can do!"

Just being kinder to myself. It sounds so simple as it comes to me now. And as Richard Bach said- "The simplest things are often the truest."

I challenge you to do something nice for yourself this week. It can be something small, something secret, something grand, something silly, something luscious.  Whatever it may be, I can promise you your body will thank you!

Thanks for your continued support along my journey!