summer retreat: 6.2.11

June 1, 2011




day 4
workouts. some love them; many hate them. however, i don’t know if i’ve ever met anyone who didn’t feel better when they were moving consistently in some fashion. now, i firmly believe that movement doesn’t have to be running [even though it’s my drug of choice, there are pros + cons to everything!].

i also think that everyone should try yoga. OR, if that just isn’t for you, find YOUR yoga: an active endeavor where you can find — well, for lack of a better word — flow.

finding momentary peace in a forearm stand . . . but not for long
we were made to move and not to sit all day. i truly believe that mental illness and physical inactivity are linked [and that endorphins can be as powerful as SSRIs in some situations].

so another major inside/out pillar in this retreat is movement, and thinking about how best this can be incorporated into your life.

journal exercise

two parts: first — what activity do you believe truly fits you best? how do you feel when you are doing it consistently?

second — if you could choose your activities based on ONLY enjoyment [not physical results, inches or pounds off, or comparisons to others], what would you do? personally, i would run outside and do yoga until the cows came home but would probably never lift a weight or touch an elliptical machine ever again. hmmm.

reading
personally, i found baron baptiste’s journey into power inspiring, although i recognize that there is a cheesiness factor [i’m drinking the cheddar kool-aid. whatever!] — if you are just getting interested in yoga it may be worth checking out.

some shorter pieces that i really like that focus on movement:

✔ practical tips from the happiness project

✔ yoga as an agent of change, from experience life

meditation
5 minutes today at the start of your yoga practice, setting your intentions . . .

mini-assignment
yes, i said your yoga practice, didn’t i? 🙂 today i encourage you to either go out and use that groupon you bought 4 months ago, hit up your local studio [you all know i heart blue point!] or try a podcast [there are some great ones available at yogadownload, or from dave farmar].

you all can let me know if you have other additional ideas, and i can recommend specific yogadownload classes [i’ve done a bunch of them] if anyone is looking for anything in particular.

have fun, enjoy each pose, and remember [as dave farmar REALLLY likes to say while you are holding chair for what seems like an hour]: “how you do anything is how you do everything.”

namaste!

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