physical capabilities

On Mental, Verbal and Physical Fitness

by ultrapeg

As a person who is plagued with an abundance of words continuously itching to escape, many of which have gotten me into trouble more frequently than I would like to recount, I was particularly taken by this article in the Yoga Journal.  The article is written by noted author and meditation teacher Sally Kempton and is titled “Mindful Speaking”.  Click on the link to read the article.  It may give you some food for thought.  It certainly did for me.  The article emphasizes the power of negative speech, probably because so many of us (myself emphatically included) often fall prey to this quagmire without even realizing it.  But by extension, it is equally clear that “right” speech can generate uplifting vibrations that may help to raise all consciousness, including our own.

Vibrations in and of themselves are an interesting phenomenon.  There are some physicists and philosophers who speculate that everything is composed of vibrations.  They resonate at varying frequencies giving them unique properties that may or may not be visible, penetrable or even detectable to humans.  Following this concept opens the mind to all kinds of possibilities.

Another great little article from the Yoga Journal reminds us of the miracle of the human body.  We each have over 600 muscles in our bodies and each one of them contributes to every move we make.  If you did any snow shovelling today, you may be feeling all of them!  But we also need to keep them all functioning and able to do their jobs.  The article reminds us that we can’t isolate any one of them when we exercise.  That’s the beauty of yoga and Pilates.  Both disciplines help you work all of your muscles, simply and efficiently based on your own body and ability.  And they even bring in that particularly large muscle in your head – your brain.    Your mind can work for you or against you.  The choice is yours.  Let it work for you this week as you help keep all your muscles operational. Every effort you make – even if it seems small – is a valuable contribution.

Think of your body as an instrument and movement as tuning your vibrations to generate optimum positive energy.  The mental energy you expend generates vibrations also.  As the vibrations move out like ripples on water your own positive movement and energy can have an impact on everything around you.   Choose wisely.  But don’t fret if you think you got it wrong.  Every moment offers a new opportunity to turn things around.

Continuing Reflections on Change

by ultrapeg

Today was an absolutely glorious day in the Black Hills!  A tantalizing reminder that winter really won’t go on forever.  Of course, as Mark Twain said, if we don’t like the weather we can wait a minute and it will change.  This is just one more reason to enjoy each moment while it lasts.

How about taking a lesson from our weather and recognizing that change is happening all the time all around us.  Externally and internally.  So when you think that you will always be a certain way because that’s the way you think you’ve always been, my favorite philosopher/astrologer Caroline Casey would say “until now!”  Very little is etched in stone.  And even if it is, the stone is likely to erode or crumble at some point.  Change is always possible.  It’s all a matter of attitude and perception.

In a recent article in Tricycle Magazine, Sharon Salzberg, a well-known meditation teacher, reflected on mindful meditation as being “ like going into an old attic room and turning on the light”.  She writes:

It’s never too late to turn on the light. Your ability to break an unhealthy habit or turn off an old tape doesn’t depend on how long it’s been running; a shift in perspective doesn’t depend on how long you’ve held the old view. When you flip the switch in that attic, it doesn’t matter whether it’s been dark for 10 minutes, 10 years, or 10 decades. The light still illuminates the room and banishes the murkiness, letting you see things you couldn’t see before. It’s never too late to take a moment to look.

Change doesn’t always happen instantly, though, even when we really want it to.  Sometimes breaking an old habit can be tough.  It requires practice and a recognition that the change may take some time.  First a commitment is required and then a consistent effort to let go of the old and familiar and bring in the new and unknown.  But I believe all things are possible with commitment and practice.  We’ve all heard the old story of a musician being asked what it takes to get to Carnegie Hall and answering “practice, practice, practice”.  There’s another old saying – “fake it ‘til you make it”.  Sometimes going through the motions of practice is enough to maintain the consistency until you can feel it happening.  Be patient and kind to yourself.  Give yourself a pat on the back for following through on your commitment.

In my classes I will often hear new participants lament “I can’t possibly do that move; I’ve never been able to do that move.”  My own experience tells me a different story.  There was a time when I could not do that move either!  But I kept trying and eventually, with practice, I found (sometimes to my surprise!) that I was actually doing it.  Maybe not perfectly by some standards, but well enough to know I was receiving the benefits.

As a firm believer in practice, I hope you will just keep at it.  Whatever you are trying to accomplish, keep practicing.  Be confident in the knowledge that change will come.  Maybe not the way you expect it, but it will come nonetheless.