I have had the pleasure of inviting a local college student who used to work with me, and who is doing a wonderful Yoga program at my library, to be a guest blogger. She is wise beyond her years, focusing on health for your body and your mind and the joy of life.
When was the last time you took a walk for the heck of it? Not to walk off the guilt of the two brownies you ate in place of dinner or because the dog asked you to. A walk for the sake of movement- open air- sunshine- listening to the birds- looking at the wildflowers? If you can recall the last time you walked outside without music pouring into your ears or an ulterior motive of why you "should" walk, then you can stop reading and give yourself a pat on the back on the way out the door for your next meander.
For the rest of you: can you remember the last time you took the moment to really experience your life, not solely existing from one minute to the next?
We- you, your neighbor, your brother, and myself included- are preoccupied with to-do lists that include our places to go, what to eat or not, and activities we keep meaning to do to relax but put off. There is no fault in lists, but since when did the intentions of what we will do become more important than what we are doing? We will do this, and then we will do that. If only I was this, then I could do that. Someday when I'm who I want to be, I can do what I want. It can be a crazy mind game, creating the story that you are not yet quite perfect.
According to the brilliant Albert Einstein, “There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle.” On a walk around the block, there are no less than 100 miracles experience. From the magnificent coordination of your pumping lungs, to the rustle of the sassafras leaves in the light breeze that not only sounds incredible but leaves tingles on your skin, life is a miracle. Yet we cannot enjoy these pleasures when ruminating over that silly comment we made that may have been taken the wrong way, contemplating what's for dinner, or worrying about how you will get the kids to practice, empty the dishwasher, and attend your meeting all at 4:00. We stray away from the beauty of life when not present in our actions. This is one of the goals of a yoga or meditation practice- to become aware of one's body, but, more importantly, one's thoughts. Are they stuck in the events of an hour ago, or fast forwarding to events that may or may not happen? One cannot be truly happy if you are living life out of order, reliving or rehearsing in your mind. In reality, there's one take in a super short life, no rewinds and no rehearsals. If you are waiting for a better body/better hair cut/better job/better partner/better attitude that would make you a fit, clear skinned, bright-eyed and bushy tailed spunky goddess ready to take on the world, then you are missing out on the perfection of what makes you you at the moment.
Today, why not take a walk for the heck of it? Pay attention to the sun rays on your skin, the vibrant green of the trees, the intense expanse of the sky, the crunch of the earth under your feet (bonus for walking barefoot and feeling the earth under your feet!), the beautiful movement and sway of your hips as you take your time down the road... the list of what you can find when you stop thinking and simply live is endless and mind blowing. While you're at it, why not live as the fit, clear skinned, bright-eyed and bushy tailed spunky goddess ready to take on the world that you already are? Because when you are present in the moment, experiencing LIFE, you have no time to worry about becoming someone later; you are too busy being whatever you are NOW. And if you want to be a goddess, start now. No rewinds, no rehearsals.
No comments:
Post a Comment