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Saturday, December 10, 2011

Living Our Yoga: Clarifying our Intentions & Listening to Our Intuition

This morning, I mentioned to some friends that I hoped to have some "blog worthy" experiences today. In fact, I did receive what I invited, but not as I expected.


This led me to remember that when we have a hope, wish, or intention to put before the Universe, it is important to be specific. 


My opportunity manifested as me feeling ill earlier.  My plan had been to take a nice 8 mile walk, but I began to feel extremely fatigued and spacey. I felt like "something" was not right.


On a gut level, I knew why I felt so off: I have been neglecting to properly hydrate with lots of water and have been drinking diet soda throughout the day for at least a week now.


On a cellular level, I became aware that the drained physical feeling I was having could be remedied by some fresh air, movement, and above all, hydration with pure water.


Photo Courtesy of Live Earth




I sat down in the park and took some deep cleansing breaths. I practiced Pranayama / Ujjayi breathing and let out some big belly sighs.


I then took out a couple of bottles of water. I sipped one slowly, and then I began to walk. I didn't push myself. I took time to stop and look at the seagulls and other creatures. I stopped to look at the different trees, and I slowed down when other walkers passed me with their cute little dogs. 


All in all, I ended up walking about 5 miles before I was ready to wrap it up and drink some more water.


I can not tell you how much better I felt having listened to these messages. On a physical level, I feel much more alert and do not feel fatigued or spacey. On an emotional level, the anxiety that initially accompanied the symptoms stood with me for about the first 15 minutes or so of my walk, but as I began to trust that all was well and that my body's homeostasis and equilibrium were coming into order, (and I began engaging with the world around me through my senses), it dissipated. 


On a spiritual level, I felt and feel very good. When we learn to keep our eyes and ears open for what our body and mind are trying to tell us, we invite opportunities for continued growth and healing.




Photo Courtesy of Lady Ngo's World




Why have I been drinking so much soda? Aside from the fact that I unfortunately like its taste, I think I may have a touch of the winter blues, and somehow, I thought the caffeine was giving me an extra boost. It may have done so initially, but the buildup of aspartame in my system and the soda's apparent inability to properly hydrate ultimately appear to have caused fatigue and anxiety in the long run.


I plan to begin cutting back on this substance. 


Although the events that happened today are not exactly what I had in mind, I am thankful for the insights and opportunities that they provided.


What did your experiences today teach you?


Namaste.


3 comments:

  1. i love reading what you write!
    and i so wish i could do some walking <3
    debbie (debbieann5759)

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  2. I am with you, sister. Although, my vice is coke. Though I typically don't don't drink more than half a soda a day, I find myself craving it as my first drink of the day. When I'm willing to fight the initial craving, and opt for a tall glass of ice water, I seem to feel better, therefore I make better food choices throughout the day.

    Thank you for sharing. I do hope that reading this will encourage me to make healthier choices, realizing how those choices impact my mind, body, and overall emotional well-being.

    Cheers, friend :)

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  3. So I'm a little cranky today, which is completely uncharacteristic of me this time of year. Why, you ask? Well, let me tell you. Practically the only beverage I drink consistently, is water... and a LOT of it. I make my daily trip to 7-11 for a Super Big Gulp of ice every morning, then I fill 'er up w water. However, when I started my card business, my bestie Andrea would come over to scrap w me. But she didn't come alone. She would always bring me a giant Taco Mayo coke (best.coke.ever.). This birthed a very bad habbit..er, addiction :/ Though I rarely drink a full coke-it irritates Mike that I buy a coke on ice & only drink less than half!-i find myself craving it as soon as my feet hit the floor. I've never been a coffee drinker, so I've simply justified my morning coke as a coffee substitution. Everybody drinks coffee, right!? Short story long, I've been inspired by a sweet friend to give up the coke. I'm at 36 hours & I'm "Jonesin"! Yesterday was tough, but today, even moreso. I find myself thinking, 'Oh Haley, cmon. Its just a little bit of coke! Whats it going to hurt!?" Well, I know all to well what it hurts. My body, my mind & my overall emotional well-being. That 'little bit of coke' has slowly resulted in Wright gain..and once I ingest that first drunk, I find myself craving sweets instead of fruits, salts instead of veggies..translation; fries instead of well-rounded meals. So, THIS is why I'm a little cranky. I've kicked this habbit before & I know w help from the big guy I can do it again. I'm hoping that my experience will motivate someone else to kick a bad habbit the way my friend inspired me to nix the soda. Then this discomfort & crankiness will totally be worth it :) ~Haley

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