100 Days of Kundalini Yoga

Day 8 :: We have ingrained habits regarding the way we breathe, eat and move. Our body records the effects of all our choices. We may be in the unconscious habit of carrying stress. The body, in all its wisdom, will try to get us to change this pattern. How does it do that? First, through mild discomfort, and later through pain. I tend to push myself too hard. Because of that I am more often than not in some sort of physical pain. I am working on changing those conditioned patterns. My intention for my practice today is to be aware of my body. To listen and ease up.

Day 7 :: " In the practice of meditation, the way to be daring, the way to leap, is to disown your thoughts. To step beyond your hope and fear. The ups and downs of your thinking process. Just let yourself be, without holding on to the constant reference points that the mind manufactures." ~Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche

Energy is the source of life. How are you expending yours?

Day 5 :: I dream of becoming like the eye of the hurricane. All around me is the clamor of the world, but I remain at peace, a witness to it all. That reality is within me and is a major influence on the world outside.

100 Days of Yoga : Day 4 :: I am tired. I spent the day emotionally exhausted absorbing the drama around me at work. I came home and made myself complete this sweet 45 minute kriya ending with a 15 minute “Meditation into Thoughtlessness”. It was the longest I have ever been able to meditate and my intention for my practice today was to shift my thoughts into the positive. To begin to understand where my negativity comes from in the hope of releasing it. I have been in such a rut with negative thinking (especially around work) that it is becoming an addiction. Here’s to new thinking and opening up to new possibilities. (Photo from @laurenrudick)

100 Days of Yoga : Day 3 :: Today was such chaos at work that it was easy to lose motivation, so tonight's practice is dedicated to focusing on what motivates me. Instead of trying to get something out of my day (aren't I owed that?), focus instead on what I can give. What if my thoughts and actions are dedicated to being of service of those around me? I have been reading about the yogic principle of Seva, or selfless giving, so I will focus on that; Becoming aware of the moments in which I am taking and shift thoughts and actions back to giving. It all begins with thinking! "If you master your mind, you master the world." ~Guru Nanak

100 Days of Yoga : Day 2 :: Today's practice and intention is to begin to pay attention to the choices I make. To slow down to see what informs my decision making process. Are these choices working for me? So far it has been nice to step outside the Facebook political frenzy...even for the first 24 hours I feel less stressed. I don't know if I can make it the next 100 days without getting sucked into the political arguments, but I will focus on making sure my concerns are voiced at the local elections in a few weeks instead of ranting on social media.

100 Days of Yoga: Day 1 :: I decided to remove myself from Facebook and the ongoing political chaos in these last 100 days before the election. I will be practicing yoga and meditation instead of worrying myself into a frenzy over the lesser of two evils. My intentions for today are for peace, tranquility, radiance and health. Sat nam.

I have watched this over and over. A beautiful description of what addiction and recovery was like for her.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/28/body-on-yoga_n_4109595.html

Overall on a personal note I am struggling again. I'm trying hard to ground and balance and while I feel like the last (almost) 50 days have really helped to balance me, I feel no more grounded than when I began. It could be because my work has not grounded (though they keep promising me it will), it could be that while I SAY I am happy to be single right now, the honest truth is that my needs for companionship, love and affection are not being met…which on the short-term is certainly do-able, but I can't shake the feeling that I should be out there meeting people. They certainly are not going to find me holed up in my apartment doing yoga and reading about Chinese medicine. But I will stick to my promise to myself to not go out there until I know what I want from a relationship and certainly not until I feel grounded in myself enough to recognize just meeting my needs from meeting a match. 

Personal: Like the last time I took this class, I was watching the time again. I guess it's just not my favorite kriya!

Daily Asana: Kia Miller's Getting The Body Out Of Distress "This class is a gentle but effective way to balance the subtle meridians of the body. By applying pressure at certain areas we stimulate the energy to flow. The intelligence of the body does the rest, leaving us feeling more at ease, centered and peaceful."

Meditation: Class includes an 8 minute chant meditation using the mantra Sat Nam. This would make a great 40 day kriya.

Personal: I had a somewhat challenging day at work and found myself falling back into old patterns of bitching about others I work with with my co-workers. I really have been working on not participating in the office rumors/drama and I was surprised to find myself in the middle of it today and then got mad at myself for it. I removed myself from my desk and worked on a project up in an unused office so I could work in peace and not continue to be distracted by the drama. This class helped to clear my head when I got home. Work is never worth gossiping about.