The Christmas holiday has passed, we are into the New Year and it also marks our 6 month anniversary as Floridians. It was a wild and crazy 2012 to say the least. I am still in awe that it has already been 6 months since we packed up our car and waved goodbye to Minnesota that hot July day. I hear it is about 2 degrees back in Minne"snow"ta while we all shiver here at about 75 degrees.
The year 2012 will go down in history for the MacMillan family as one giant year. As I reflect upon all that we were handed over the last 12 months I am amazed at all that we experienced as a family, as individuals and as a community in this world.
As I was biking to the Y last week I was thinking about a very important part of life: attitude.
I just read an article in one of my fitness magazines that stated that simply smiling can lower your heart rate when you are stressed out. Did you know that grumpy people's heart rates stayed elevated longer during a stressful time then those that put on a true grin? Just another reason to live by the lyrics, "So put on a happy face!"
I think looking forward with a positive attitude really makes the difference in our lives. I have been lucky to be surrounded by a lot of people that have great attitudes. This is not to say that these people are always happy. It is not easy to always be happy and I do not necessarily believe we always need to be happy. There are times when we feel down, lonely, anxious or my favorite term, "Blah." Yet, I think we can turn these feelings around by simply examining that good old notion," Is the glass half empty or half full?"
Yoga is a great way to shift a negative mood into a positive one. In the book written by Swami Shankarananda, Carrot in My Ear, he says, "The attitude of yoga is of total responsibility. We are responsible for our lives, our society, our actions. Every moment in time is a new opportunity. You are at a crossroads with two paths. Every moment the same choice is available. Every moment wipes out the past and gives you a new possibility. If you chose wrongly in the last moment, choose correctly now. The choice is always the same-downward to ignorance and depression, or upward to joy and insight. In every moment, there is hope and a fresh choice."
We all have experiences in our lives where attitude really influences the outcome. How often have we been driving in the car, excited about where we were going and then traffic totally takes the joy out of the journey? Hopefully we are able to let go of these negative thoughts and move on but many would agree that it is not always that easy.
Yoga leads us to pathways of inner strength that is refined and firm, yet also gentle and accepting. There are many ways to practice yoga and they can vary broadly in the areas of physical postures and philosophy. Certain types of yoga include rigorous or gentle rounds of postures, self-inquiry, repetition of mantra, techniques of meditation and compassion for yourself or others. Although different types of yoga can vary in these realms, all the traditions offer suggestions to embrace an attitude that is purposeful and flexible.
I have noticed over the years that sometimes just getting to a yoga class is all we need to change our attitudes. I have seen many people enter a yoga class completely flustered and by the end of practice you can just feel the overall blood pressure of the room slow down. It is important that we each spend quiet time so we can calm our minds and renew our bodies.
Hindu philosopher, Kashmir Shaivism, recommends embracing the fluctuations of mood and working with them. We can acknowledge the complete range of human experience through meditation and self-inquiry to achieve higher states of consciousness. One way of doing this is to look inside ourselves to identify what we are thinking and shift our series of thoughts to a more positive state when we are in a negative mood. I have found that simply repeating a positive mantra helps to dissolve the chatter of the mind to create a more uplifting thought process. I recently heard a great mantra in class the other day, "Breathe in light, breathe out love."
I believe that any type of yoga practice calls for an attitude of an open heart and mind. Most of us who have been practicing yoga start to realize over time that yoga is more than just doing poses or even meditating. We begin to see that our yoga practice is more about an attitude or an approach to life.
So as I look at how we have handled the last 6 months of great change, I think attitude has been everything. I could have sat around crying about being away from everyone and everything that I have ever known but instead I went out searching for what I needed to make me more whole. That is not to say that I have not struggled (or am still struggling) with feelings of lose, loneliness, and sadness but being able to practice yoga and look inside keeps me grounded. I am grateful for the experiences that I have been given over these past 6 months - both good and bad. I look at these experiences as personal growth in my yoga practice or more so, my approach to life.
So as we enter this New Year of 2013, may we all truly smile and take time to smell the roses (or in my case, the salty air!).
May we each inhale light and exhale love.
Namaste
