"Life is school..."

Today's conclusion:

People aren't that bad.

People are that bad.

Flaw gave opportunity for positive feedback. Nothing's ever just one thing. 

Short shift ahead of me then two days off. 

Found a lot of reasons to laugh today, despite the hard work.

Finally signed up for yoga class with work which will be Tuesday, wednesday and Thursday. Lookin' forward to it. Managed only 15 minutes of yoga in the morning, because the body really said no. Have to respect it.

Made it home before the rain came.

Food on the table. Watermelon after. Shower. Nap. Just a few asanas and some meditation. 

Yoga. Work. Eat. Sleep. Yoga. Sleep. Yoga. Eat. Work....

That's what it is right now. So simple.

"Life is school 

and the tests 

will continue 

until you graduate."

Oh snap! What was that?

Reading up on unintentionally cracking joints. It's been happening quite a lot lately.

What I know so far is that it's debated wether it is good for you or bad for you to crack joints, and it hasn't got too much proof on either side. What I hear a lot of yogis saying is that it's natural, and it's no harm in unintentionally doing so. If you experience pain or swelling then that's of course no good.

Two hours of yoga today! Got up at 2:45 to have time before work. Then came home and had chillout yoga and meditation in the garden. Progress on the cow face (connecting hands behind back like mentioned in post "The good, the bad and the patience.") and overall keeping in touch with the body and present moment. Discipline is better than ever, although I want to cut down on my blog writing time. I told myself I'd be finished... 45 minutes ago.

Going to bed soon because tomorrow will be sort of the same procedure of yoga, work yoga, but harder more stressful work since the guests are leaving the hotel. Best be prepared.

Celebrate everyday through balanced living. No hangovers, no emotional rollercoasters... all the time you make the mostest. Haha, can you tell I'm tired? AAAAAND I'M GONE.

Ardha Padmasana - half lotus.

Can one be bad at sitting? Uhm...yes and no.

Well, everyone knows how to sit (even bad dogs, but they just don't want to!) honestly I found it difficult with the classic meditation poses. The back started aching after a while, back rounded instead of straight and the shoulders became tense. There was no balance and hard to focus. The posture I thought I had was nowhere to be found! It was a bit awkward at a mantra meditation class when we were supposed to sit and chant during a long time. How do people relax sitting like that for hours!?! I fell over. In double sense. I kinda just avoided it then for a while. Focusing on the standing asanas instead. Since the decision to get more into meditation it's become important to get comfortable sitting down. Therefor there was need for daily practise. I've done it only for a couple of days, really trying to enjoy the hip opening poses and gradually getting the knees a little bit closer to the floor in the butterfly exercise. 

SO TODAY in the almost sunset (it's summer, the sun is allowed to stay up late!) I managed Ardha Padmasana. The half lotus. Even on the right side (my tricky side)! Much to my surprise, once I was in it, the back and posture kind of just found me and I could focus on my meditation. 

At the end of the week it will most likely be super comfortable!

If you don't hear from me for the rest of the week it's probably because I'm lost in meditation, and the enjoyment of being able to sit in Ardha Padmasana. 

That's it for today.

Keep calm & curry on

So back to one of the previously mentioned goals... headstand! There are some helpful guiding videos to help you get inspired and find the way to getting where you want to be. Yoga with Adriene has a good one about headstands. I'm taking it one step at a time. Right now I'm on my elbows with my head in my hands in a kind of downward facing dog, feet slowly coming closer. Still have some way to go.

Every day is a new. As one practises, one learns which asanas that work to your benefit in different situations. It's also good to actually check up with the old yogis, they got the knowledge and they're not afraid to use! Today as I was working and I built up a lot of tension in my shoulders and back as well as mental tension. Yoga can help, but what does intuition say? Mental recharge, physical rest. 

The old Lovisa would have been discouraged in the belief that this was a bad day. It's not a bad day. We tend to label everything in black and white. What is it really though, without our subjective judgment? It's a day.  You may have lost the test because you were unprepared, but if you don't lose the lesson it still had a purpose. 

Everything happens for a reason, it's up to you to find it.

Keep calm

&

CURRY ON

She's a GOAL DIGGER.

Just like there is a song for everything there is an asana for every occasion. If you really want something you'll find a way. You'll find time. You'll find space.

Wake up. Yoga. Before work. Yoga. Before lunch. Yoga. After work. Yoga. Before dinner. Yoga. You're just in the mood for it. Yoga. Before sleep. Yoga.

I woke up to yoga and I came home to yoga. I will go to sleep with yoga.

The more you practise, the better you get. The better you get the more you'll want to do it. It's a positive upward spiral.

Finally set my yogi goals for the summer.

When this summer is over I will:

-Have integrated yoga into everyday life

-Have chosen yoga path to make my own

-Be able to do a headstand for atleast 10 seconds

-Be able to put my feet behind my ear

-Feel alright with the pigeon pose (eka pada rajakapotasana) 

Right now, apart from posture, I'm mostly focusing on breathing. That's where it all starts. In the breath. 

If you have the opportunity to feel anxious or afraid take a moment to study yourself. Has your breathing strayed? Is it racing away? I know this to be true almost without exception. If I'm stressed the breath is fast and unsteady. This is also a good measurement of your feelings. When you notice your breath is quickening without being physically active or experiencing positive excitement I would like to advise you to check yourself before you wreck yourself (yes, that's an IceCube reference). Where's your thoughts at? Just notice if it's positive or negative thoughts. If it's negative, leave them and focus on the breath. Slow it down. Feel how relaxation enters your body as you breathe in and stress and negativity leaves as you breathe out. By paying attention to your breath you will be able to control your emotions and see the "natural disasters" before they happen so you can hit the breaks. Usually works the other way when we're not aware.

To have a sentance or two as reminders also works well for me. When I get upset I remind myself to take responsibility for my feelings. They're up to me, not anyone else, even though it might seem so at times. 

Another thing to remember is that stress isn't bad. It's actually good for you. It's a built in mechanism to help you be alert and do your best. There's a good ted talk on the subject by psychologist Kelly McGonigal.

Speaking of stress... got up at 3:30 am to prepare for work. I had spoken to the oldest of my sister the day before who said "I bet it's really beautiful outside at that time". Sure, I thought. She was right though. I got to see the sunrise scenery on my way to work. Öland has never in my 25 years been this beautiful. I fell in love with the sky and felt truly blessed for getting this experience. Wahe Guru!

Ps. Didn't take a picture. But imagine an explosion of your favorite colors. Bham! The magic kind of dies when we take a picture. What's that old belief about preserving souls in photographs? Instagram...a graveyard?