On Saturday I went to Kevan’s class at Stil Studio. I love this class because it encompasses everything I enjoy about yoga. The music is amazing, the sequencing has the perfect ratio of originality and predictability, and I am always left pondering a new thought.
Today I left thinking about technology. Our computers, smartphones, Ipads, Ipods, and other fancy items are supposed to make our lives easier and are designed to help us get things done quickly so we have more free time. Often times though these things take up all our time and can even result in more stress. We can get emails from work 24/7.
We can engage with every form of social media at any time we want. We are reachable to family and friends even when we just want to be incognito for a little while. We catch up with friends via text rather than face to face. Don’t get me wrong, I could write pages about all the pros of these devices as well, and I am the biggest offender of never leaving my house without my phone, but it is important to be able to disengage from technology once and awhile. Try and take some time to go device-free this weekend.
Give Presence
This time of year can be hard. There are parties to go to, trips to pack for, presents to buy, cards to send, decorations to hang, the list goes on and on. Often times we rush around for weeks before the holidays, only finding peace and relaxation once they are over.
For me, I stress a lot about gifts I am buying for friends and family. I want the gift to be special and meaningful. I want the receiver to open the gift and smile, not because the gift is the newest, trendiest item, but because the gift has some sort of personal meaning and was well thought out. Don’t get me wrong, the gift doesn’t have to have some profound deeper meaning, I just like it to be personal and show that I spent at least a few minutes thinking about that person before I whipped out my credit card.
If you follow Lululemon on any form of social media you are probably well aware of their “give presence” campaign. They are urging people to try and be present in whatever they are doing. Whether it is in a yoga class, at your child’s school play, at lunch with a friend, they want people to focus on exactly what they are doing and who they are with at a certain moment, rather than all the other distractions that we are often bombarded with. This is hard. I have tried it, and it’s hard. Even if you fully prepare yourself to do this by putting away your phone or ignoring your emails for an hour, how do you stay present at lunch with a friend if they are still doing all those things?
This holiday season I urge you, along with the other gifts you give, to give presentations as well. Engage fully in your conversations, breathe deeply in your yoga classes, and spend some an extra minute enjoying your surroundings.
Even Santa needs to get his yoga on
ok readers….. it’s that time of year again and we all begin to find ourselves feeling short on time and stressed to the max! The holidays are here, and for many of us, while they do provide much pleasure, we find ourselves feeling ill-equipped to manage our “to do” lists. This is where our yoga practice can be put to the test!
A funny thing happened the other day at a local produce farm I frequent with my boys on the way home from school. We popped in with the agenda of grabbing an after school snack for the long ride home and stumbled upon a young couple with their two, small, beautiful children. They had a different agenda. They were looking to get a Christmas tree, fairly early on in the season and in my opinion, there was quite a healthy selection of trees!
Here’s the funny/sad part, and many of us fall prey to this task of “finding the perfect tree”, but they were all miserable. They couldn’t agree on a tree and the mom ended up getting visibly upset and shouting at her husband and small children. She looked at them and said, “you all drive me nuts”! Well, I couldn’t help myself. I looked at the dad warmly in the eyes, carrying one child in his arms and holding another by the hand, and I gave him a chuckle. I’ve been there. I get it. Christmas is hard, and playing Santa is even harder, but only if we let it be.
This season tries not to let the Holiday noose strangle you. Try and find time for your yoga practice. Get on your mat every day. Slow yourself down. Listen to Christmas music in the car. Warm some cider on the stove. Wrap something you already own if you can’t afford gifts this year and give from your heart. Even Santa Claus needs to find time to get his yoga on!
Today I left thinking about technology. Our computers, smartphones, Ipads, Ipods, and other fancy items are supposed to make our lives easier and are designed to help us get things done quickly so we have more free time. Often times though these things take up all our time and can even result in more stress. We can get emails from work 24/7.
We can engage with every form of social media at any time we want. We are reachable to family and friends even when we just want to be incognito for a little while. We catch up with friends via text rather than face to face. Don’t get me wrong, I could write pages about all the pros of these devices as well, and I am the biggest offender of never leaving my house without my phone, but it is important to be able to disengage from technology once and awhile. Try and take some time to go device-free this weekend.
Give Presence
This time of year can be hard. There are parties to go to, trips to pack for, presents to buy, cards to send, decorations to hang, the list goes on and on. Often times we rush around for weeks before the holidays, only finding peace and relaxation once they are over.
For me, I stress a lot about gifts I am buying for friends and family. I want the gift to be special and meaningful. I want the receiver to open the gift and smile, not because the gift is the newest, trendiest item, but because the gift has some sort of personal meaning and was well thought out. Don’t get me wrong, the gift doesn’t have to have some profound deeper meaning, I just like it to be personal and show that I spent at least a few minutes thinking about that person before I whipped out my credit card.
If you follow Lululemon on any form of social media you are probably well aware of their “give presence” campaign. They are urging people to try and be present in whatever they are doing. Whether it is in a yoga class, at your child’s school play, at lunch with a friend, they want people to focus on exactly what they are doing and who they are with at a certain moment, rather than all the other distractions that we are often bombarded with. This is hard. I have tried it, and it’s hard. Even if you fully prepare yourself to do this by putting away your phone or ignoring your emails for an hour, how do you stay present at lunch with a friend if they are still doing all those things?
This holiday season I urge you, along with the other gifts you give, to give presentations as well. Engage fully in your conversations, breathe deeply in your yoga classes, and spend some an extra minute enjoying your surroundings.
Even Santa needs to get his yoga on
ok readers….. it’s that time of year again and we all begin to find ourselves feeling short on time and stressed to the max! The holidays are here, and for many of us, while they do provide much pleasure, we find ourselves feeling ill-equipped to manage our “to do” lists. This is where our yoga practice can be put to the test!
A funny thing happened the other day at a local produce farm I frequent with my boys on the way home from school. We popped in with the agenda of grabbing an after school snack for the long ride home and stumbled upon a young couple with their two, small, beautiful children. They had a different agenda. They were looking to get a Christmas tree, fairly early on in the season and in my opinion, there was quite a healthy selection of trees!
Here’s the funny/sad part, and many of us fall prey to this task of “finding the perfect tree”, but they were all miserable. They couldn’t agree on a tree and the mom ended up getting visibly upset and shouting at her husband and small children. She looked at them and said, “you all drive me nuts”! Well, I couldn’t help myself. I looked at the dad warmly in the eyes, carrying one child in his arms and holding another by the hand, and I gave him a chuckle. I’ve been there. I get it. Christmas is hard, and playing Santa is even harder, but only if we let it be.
This season tries not to let the Holiday noose strangle you. Try and find time for your yoga practice. Get on your mat every day. Slow yourself down. Listen to Christmas music in the car. Warm some cider on the stove. Wrap something you already own if you can’t afford gifts this year and give from your heart. Even Santa Claus needs to find time to get his yoga on!
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