Showstopper alert: Kicking your booty back into gear

I interrupt my “Taming the monkeys” blog series with a showstopper: What happens when we’ve planned our routines, morning (and p.m.—more on that later) and, well… life? Many of my past ramblings talk about going with the flow, practicing flexibility, yada yada. But sometimes. It. Doesn’t. Work. Out. And that’s okay. The other morning, smack dab in the middle of my a.m. ritual, my husband dropped a bombshell. Uhm, now? Although the unplanned convo ate into my schedule, I opted to stick to my free writing session and forgo the bed making, albeit a little less in-your-face confident. Although I felt knocked down a peg, I refused to allow the temporary derailment to define my day. Incidentally, all got resolved, and that evening’s 60-minute hot Pilates practice followed by 45 minutes of hot barre kicked the “token old lady’s” booty—which kicked me right back, or close to, that higher vibrational frequency I’ve been operating from for the past several weeks.

How do you handle the showstoppers?

Image courtesy of photostock at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

Strong enough, smart enough and brave enough: all you have to do is ask

 

Be strong enough to stand alone,
smart enough to know when you need help,
and brave enough to ask for it.
~ Ziad K. Abdelnour

I’m not sure if it’s a Type A thing, or just a fragment of my own personal makeup; however, I feel that the practice of enlisting the help of others is oftentimes viewed as a sign of vulnerability rather than a display of strength. The writing life is typically a solitary endeavor but, after juggling, rearranging and finagling my schedule (see “The price of sacrifice…”), I finally conceded I needed assistance to pursue my vocational goals. This meant approaching my little family and informing them when I would be unavailable, and then pinning my boss down to ask for additional flexibility in my “9-5” work schedule. All it took was a little smarts and a whole lot of bravery to walk away with blessings from all parties. And a renewed sense of my purpose.

What do you need to ask for help with?

Photo courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

Life as a yogi (in training)

[Image credit: lobster20]

You cannot always control what goes on outside.
But you can always control what goes on inside.
~ Mr. Yoga

Yoga reenergizes, reorganizes and revitalizes.
~ Bishnu Gosh

Bear with me while I ramble about my new addiction: Bikram (or “hot”) Yoga.  In a little over a week of attending the 90-minute sweat fest almost as many times, I’m already seeing results.  I don’t want to get overly excited but, after just two sessions, my digestive issues had lessened.  In addition, I’m becoming a little bit stronger from the inside out, and my flexibility is slowly improving (the main reason I decided to attend in the first place).  Like Mr. Yoga states, I cannot always control what goes on outside, but I can control what goes on inside.  So as I give myself the gift of Yoga, I believe I’m re-energizing my body, reorganizing my thoughts and revitalizing my spirit.  Better than a prescription any day.

If you’re a Bikram Yoga lover, what does it mean to you?