Tag: grateful

Mama India

KathrinLeave a comment

A week ago I arrived in Goa and can hardly express my feelings. It‘s been 7 years that I was here last time. So much changed, but not the mood, the energy and the lovely people. I still love all the smells here (ok, almost all), the food, the heat, although it‘s winter here. Which for me only means less humidity and eventually a bit chilly at night.

Usually it takes a while to settle after traveling for almost 24hrs, but this time, apart from the lack of sleep, I felt being there instantly. My mind calm, without the usual chatter and hearing the waves day and night was just pure bliss.

I had such a beautiful week at the beach with a friend I know from here and we only met now again. A week filled with loads of talks and laughter, many drinks, amazing food, sand and salty water. Thank you hon for your time and company, I miss you already!

Now I changed places, and with the new moon a new start into a week full of yoga with the teacher I learned it all from. It‘ll be tough, age kicked in some time ago and my body pushes back. Something I have to accept and handle mindfully. And same time getting fully back into the discipline of Ashtanga yoga.

Thank you mama India for calming my mind and letting my heart jump! Grateful to be back and I promise, I‘ll be never again that stupid to come here for two weeks only 😅

Embrace struggle

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„Embrace struggle. While almost all yogis struggle with the poses, the struggle is meant to be a teacher. Wherever you meet your challenge is where your yoga begins.“

(Kino McGregor)

This is not only true when it comes to yoga, but exactly the same off the mat. When accepting this while practicing, the next level is to integrate this approach – or is it an attitude? – into the rest of our lives. 

My call was yesterday. Early morning, my home office desk packed with two laptops and two mobiles and I put my cup filled with hot lemon water on the desk. You guess right…. somehow my hand sticked to that cup when I turned…. yup, my work laptop received a hot bath, while everything else just got a bit wet. I stayed surprisingly calm, but hesitated slightly what to rescue first. It was a disaster. The entire desk turned into a pool. After drying everything, it didn’t seem to be too bad, all was working. Well, for 5 minutes. The screen started flickering and boom, dead. My day packed with meetings and no work emails or work chat on my mobile. I couldn’t tell anyone. Baaam.

IT wasn’t much of a help, as they deal with PC, not Mac. Plus, home office doesn’t really support any quick fix here.

Embrace the struggle. What was it teaching me? That I should get my work emails on my phone? Eventually. What else? To stay calm. To figure out, what I can do, accept what I can’t. The world will continue moving anyhow. My old me would have panicked, making a huge noise, driving everyone mad…. somehow I managed to stay calm, even understanding those who could not help at all or reacted a bit shitty. Overall grateful for an idea that somehow lead to the next and the next and finally to a new laptop. 

Later in the evening, when I kind of collapsed on my sofa, I felt this internal restlessness and it took me hours to release. The effect of keeping countenance all day long. Of practicing yoga all day. Yes, yoga off the mat.

Today I laughed about it. Even though I lost many files and notices. So what. I can’t change anything about it. I’m proud that I managed this challenging situation this way. My yoga is paying off. Very grateful. 

Time doesn’t exist

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A pic just reminded me of an experience 5 years ago. But it wasn‘t just about a beautiful memory, it made me think of everything that happend the last 5 years. All that happened to me, with me, through me.

BOOM.

5 years feel like a lifetime. 5 years feel like a single moment. What is time? We only have the present moment, this is our reality. How we feel about time tells us a lot about time as such. It was yesterday. It was 5 years ago. Years packed with actions that would fit an entire life. Anyhow, it’s the same. Time to set us free from time, it just doesn’t matter.

I’m so grateful for this experience somewhen in my life, as it changed everything. I found my path. Hallelujah.

Cultivate a practice of gratitude

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Particularly during these days, close to the end of the year, we hear a lot about being grateful. However, gratitude is a great tool of mindfulness-based practices and helps creating a more positive mindset.

Why you should establish a daily practice — let me start with Deepak Chopra and what he said:

“Gratitude is good for you; it creates a biochemical shift in the body. The brain responds to positive input and sends life-enhancing messages to every cell.”

Sounds good? Yeah, and there’s more. When practicing gratitude, you will attract more reasons to be grateful for. This is the law of attraction! Meaning you’re not just grateful for what you already have, but also for what you want to have. Practice gratitude to receive. Woop woop, good trick, isn’t it? And it works! Just imagine, visualize what you wish as if you already received it. This way you’re sending the right energy out and the universe will deliver. Additionally, you are reprogramming yourself — in a state of deep gratitude, you will feel soft, released and happy.

How does a practice like this look like? Well, gratitude comes in many forms and there’s no right and wrong how to do it. Go with what feels good to you, but if you like to have some inspiration, here you go:

  • Use gratitude as an intention you set at the beginning of a yoga class (it can relate to your yoga practice, but doesn’t has to).
  • Say mentally a little prayer at the end of your yoga practice (you might want to thank your body for the great work and don’t forget to thank yourself for making time for your practice).
  • When life is going well, remember to be grateful for what you have. Whenever you recognize it, whisper a ‚thank you‘.
  • When life is serving lemons — be grateful for the teaching, there’s a reason for it. Give thanks for the teaching as well as for the final state you want to reach, as if you’re already there and looking back.
  • While it always works to send spontaneous ‚thanks‘ into the space, create a daily ritual, repetition is key.

I do it every morning, first thing when I wake up. I can recommend particularly this time, as the day is brand new, our brain still in a rest mood. Good to plant a seed. I give my thanks to the universe — couple of things I have and also a couple of things I don’t have so far. A great start into the day!

Gratitude is a practice of creating a state of emotional prosperity — go for it, make it a habit.

Full moon ritual

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Follow your calling yogi, take some minutes to pause. Bring your awareness to your forehead and release into the space behind. Go internal. Let your breath guide you and once arrived, take a seat sweet soul. Welcome to your happy place, enjoy the movie.

Have a look around, are you surprised? You’ve been here quite often, but did you ever really looked at the details? Do it now. Have you ever seen all the beautiful colors? Listen to your own sacred inner voice. It doesn’t speak up loud most of the time, sometimes it’s just a whisper, so ensure you’re still to hear it properly. Can you feel the free flowing energy? Like a soft warm wind on your skin…. Get as much as you want, it’s endless. You can easily inhale it, give it a try and observe your prana, your vigor, your life force charging!

Sweet soul, be open and receptive, everything you want is there, just take it, it’s all yours! Trust your inner movie, your vision, it’s your guidance, it’s your truth.

Release and smile yogi, you’re home. Be grateful for all your experiences and grateful for the next journey that is just unfolding in front of you.

Follow your bliss and have an exciting trip sweet soul.

Flow

KathrinLeave a comment

sit up straight

close your eyes

listen

breathe

focus on your navel

connect to yourself

smile

feel

 

get started

let your body guide you

warm up your joints

move your spine

stretch

forgive

connect

breathe

 

open your heart

feel your body

feel your energy

hold

extend

breathe

release

surrender

let go

smile

bild up

let your muscles enjoy the game

be grateful

breathe

twist

invert

connect

be

just be

happy

 

namasté