Breathing and Showing

After finally getting settled, I've done my first morning of yoga. Yes, reader, it's been a while. My gosh I've missed it. I shouldn't be surprised; yoga is beneficial to the mind body and spirit. The flow of the breath and body, the concentration and relaxation of the mind-- it's all utterly and magnificently tiring yet energizing. Because it's been a while, my arms and legs continue to shake after my practice. It's addicting, this soreness, and I don't see why I ever allowed myself to blah out of it. Probably the unsteady work schedule of the movie theater. Now that I can nearly make my entire schedule, I can fit it in when I need to.
As for being mostly vegan, it's going okay... minus the ice cream, fish, and eggs. Okay, so I'm the world's worst vegan but at least I admit it. I make an effort to get protein in other ways, it's just tough when all those processed vegan burgers/patties/crumbles and hummus get me gassy. It's not pleasant so I try other routes like almond milk, peanut butter, peanuts, sometimes almonds (but those are expensive and I'm a broke college student again), as well as legumes. I'm trying new recipes so we'll see how it goes.
So you've all been waiting to see my new apartment and I've been wanting to show you but, unfortunately, I'm very much like my mother and prefer to only show my home when it's clean and tidy. Now that's it's finally okay to display to the public, here are the pictures you've all been waiting for.

Hehe, I caught Capn' Merrica.

Yoga Transcends

As my Sunday Power Yoga class approached its end, my instructor brought up how yoga isn't a goal-oriented practice, it's about proper form. At the time I was in my state of post-yoga peace so I definitely agreed.

A few days later, what she had said came up in my thoughts again and I quickly analyzed the different ways I have looked at yoga.

When we make yoga a goal-oriented practice, we lose something-- not in the attempts to reach that goal, but during the success of reaching it. The 'now what?' feeling-- the forever presence of desire and dissatisfaction. No matter what goal we make we can achieve it but if it is made a desire, then we will always be left wanting something more.

If we give in--surrender-- to the universe through our practice, we accept that which we cannot control and embrace what we can: discipline. We can discipline our minds and bodies and release the negative energies so many of us harbor deep within. When we release them, we open ourselves to the simplicity of happiness. 

We can obtain this happiness within little other than our bodies and minds through practice.

We may begin doing it for fitness, health, or to show that we can, but what comes with it you cannot ignore. Releasing the negative energies we harbor within ourselves, opens space within ourselves. With this space, we can invite peace and relaxation. 

Yoga can be used for fitness or health. I've probably mentioned before but I started yoga because of my asthma. I wanted freedom. The second time I got into it was for fitness. I wanted to feel strong. I believe I have succeeded, for the most part, with both but I had not idea that I could get something even better.

There is a feeling, an energy that radiates through you, when you practice and it lingers in your life for as long as you practice and apply mindfulness to your thoughts and actions. This energy is unlike anything else and, although I could try to explain and describe it, it would not be the same. It's something that must be experienced. You will know when you feel it.

Space & Time

In my efforts to get myself motivated to be productive and get out of the weekend schlump, I came across this yoga article. The last paragraph Chris Andre wrote resonates in my mind-- words of truth have such immense power:
"I went from my favorite house as an adult to my least-favorite, from an ideal location to practice asana and meditation to a terrible one. But yoga teaches us that all situations, from the most exalted to the very low, and everything in between, are worth contemplating. When I think about the house I loved and the house I loathe, I have to remember that neither of them were my house. They were just spaces I was renting, kind of like our bodies are spaces that we’re just renting. They’re vehicles for us to observe the world as it changes around us, to experience suffering and joy, fitness and sickness, confusion and clarity. Your current situation, no matter how terrible, or wonderful, or dull, will change. It will all expire, like a travel visa.  This is life’s only guarantee."