Lesley Hobbs Yoga

Yoga Days 424,425,426 - Surrender it all

Isn't life funny??? I have been caught in a head-maelstrom and had to learn the same lesson (again) in order to find peace and calm.

I wish I could say I have only had this lesson twice but that would be a big, fat fib. It seems to be a regular occurrence in my life, if the truth be told. And what lesson is this? You may well ask, dear reader. Well, I pretty much gave it away in the title of this post --- surrender.

Now, I understand this may mean something different to every person on this planet, for me, it can be a painful process. Though, in my defense, it is taking less time as the number of repeated lessons increases!!

We (my family) have been presented several phenomenal opportunities recently and therein began my problems. You see, I am a fixer by nature; I love to solve riddles and find answers, preferably before I go to sleep for the night. Needless to say, with life-altering possibilities looming, overnight was not an option.

After 2+ weeks of sleepless nights, tight neck muscles and many worry-filled hours, the universe kindly hit me upside the head on Sunday (metaphorically speaking, of course) and reminded me to get out of the bloody way. In our experience when I stop analyzing, dissecting and poking our future, the universe opens doors, windows and more with options I could never have imagined. This happened when we chose to move here (big stuff) and daily as we parent (less big); why oh why do I keep forgetting this???

Instead of analyzing, dissecting and poking, since Sunday I have been meditating, practicing yoga, walking the dogs and cooking good food. I admit to feeling much more content and at peace and once again the universe is a show-off (gotta love it; this happens every time!!) and in just 2 days has given us several glimpses of what it may have in store and rest assured, the future looks bright.

Not sure what any of this has to do with yoga per se; perhaps it is all the years of forward bending into surrender; perhaps it is how loving my yoga mat has always been; or perhaps it is the big lesson of learning to accept what I cannot do and work in the sacred space between ease and pain.

I wish nothing but bright futures for any and all who read this post.

Namaste.

Yoga Days 409-423 - looking in the mirror

I am a little embarrassed that I have not written here in 2 weeks; I made a commitment to practice and write daily and I have fallen far short. I do have legitimate excuses and perhaps embarrassed is too strong a word. After all, my family is my primary focus and they have received most of my attention in the last 14 days.

We have just celebrated Thanksgiving and I find this the best holiday to reflect. There is little to do besides eat and be together!! It allows for wonderful conversations, deep personal exploration and lots of space and time to ask big questions. This year we were gifted more time than usual thanks to some freak snow here in the Pacific NW which closed schools, cancelled meetings and more.

Making time to practice yoga, creating space for reading and meditation all adds up to feeling better connected to the "big picture", a stronger sense of purpose and a realization that certain aspects of life need to change.

2010 has been a year of big change for our family and as we close the year, we are asked to look even more deeply, to make sure we are working towards our true purpose, to better align ourselves and our actions to that same purpose. This is not always easy but it is always rewarding.

As we move into December, my commitment is to get back to my yoga practice and writing, to work as I have promised in building our business and also to research the options we are considering. I know many people wait till the new year to do this but for me NOW is all I am given.

I feel blessed and grateful to have my life; I am surrounded by people who love and support me, I have practices that allow me to reach higher and I have true purpose. Yes, I am a very lucky girl.

Namaste.

Yoga Days 401-408 - finding balance in confusion

I was asked a while back what is my least favorite word and I chose blame. It drives me crazy that leaders in our society role model portioning out blame, that few are held accountable, that we point our fingers so readily. It is important to me that I take responsibility for my self and encourage others to do the same. I understand there are extenuating circumstances; I try not to use them as it is a slippery slope to a place I do not like.

I know I am tough on myself, that I set high expectations and get frustrated when I fall short of my own goals. It comes down to my belief that I have a purpose, a reason for breathing another day and I am the only person who can achieve my particular role.

I have fallen short this week. I have not practiced yoga more than 3 times in 8 days, I have not meditated and I even chose not to walk the dogs several days. I would never dream of being so mean to others in this way - yoga is my life's breath, it keeps me sane and happy; why do I choose not to unroll the mat?

Because sometimes we fall flat on our face!! Sometimes it is tough to do what we know is the "right" thing. Sometimes it is easier to take a break from my intentional life. The only one who pays the price is me - I feel disconnected, rather stiff and inflexible and certainly could use more happy.

The answer is simple - unroll my mat, move into a pose and let yoga nourish me once again. What do you need to do to honor yourself?

Namaste.

Yoga Days 399-400 - Holy Moly, that's a lot of yoga!!

Wow, 400 days committed to my yoga practice, I can hardly believe it!! That said, I have actually been practicing yoga for about 5000 days in total which helps keep things in perspective. (And reminds me how many more days are ahead of me)

Who knew 13+ years ago, or even 400 days ago, that my yoga commitment could make the difference it has in my life. As you know I believe we live in 4 realms - physical, mental, emotional and spiritual and I love to highlight how yoga has impacted each area. Today it seems appropriate to look back 400 days as well as 5000 days.

I had just had our 4th child when I began yoga, my back was pretty bad and I lived in constant pain. I had already been told I would need surgery before I was out of my 30s. I used to get up at 5am 3-4 days a week so I could practice before the kids took over my day. Within 6 months I was able to run a 5k and work out at the gym. (Not bad for a girl who had been crawling on all fours)

400 Days ago I was nursing a bad achilles injury, a gammy shoulder and ongoing tightness in adductors and IT bands. (Full disclosure - I also use, and now market, a line of nutriceuticals which has had a profound effect on my joint health.) Now, I have greater range of motion in all joints, and I especially have noticed a dramatic shift in my core strength.

Put yourself in my shoes - I was the mother of 4 young children, living on the other side of the earth from my family, with a husband who was gone to conflict areas more often than he was home... how do you think my mental and emotional health may have looked 5000 days ago?

You are right, dear reader, I was a bit of a mess. Mentally I was a perfectionist, this is a tough row to hoe but yoga gave me the courage to let go of being perfect, to accept being good enough and my oldest 2 kids can remember the shift. (They love my yoga practice as much as I do!!) Emotionally, I was still in a deep depression and found little outside my husband and children that gave me reason to breathe another day. I feel passionate about sharing this aspect of yoga with others because people make assumptions that I was always as contented and blissed out as I feel today. I cannot tell you how it works, but yoga has brought abundant joy to my life in myriad ways.

400 Days ago I was in the throes of building several businesses and running myself in circles trying to find success. Mentally I was exhausted and felt a failure (in the business sense). There has been an obvious shift in the past 2-3 months, when I was able to enjoy the space yoga has created to move myself away from this frenetic busy-ness to the calm, focused place of my business today.

Honestly, the emotional part for me is the most powerful part of my practice; yoga allows me to explore all of who I am, the good and the not-so-good and to embrace it all while continuing to practice. Yoga uncovers my deepest emotions, I dance with them each time I am on the mat and over the course of a week/month/year I am able to take this awareness off the mat and into the world.

As a child I had a strong spiritual connection to my Irish Catholicism (in Ireland, being Catholic is not so much a religion as a way of life). Spirit was present every day and I felt grounded and connected. By the time I was 30 (5000 days ago), I was a lost soul, disenchanted by the religion I had experienced and searching for something to fill the gaping hole in my life. I had no idea yoga could or would fill that hole, but I have learned that yoga allows each of us to explore more deeply that which is our own chosen spiritual path.

My strong commitment to as daily a practice as possible these past 400 days has brought me even greater spiritual awareness and connection. I want even more. Apparently a daily practice puts this part of my life into overdrive and for that I am grateful.

I wish for you, dear reader, the healing that you most need from your yoga practice.

Namaste.

Yoga Days 394-398: yoga offers me no help with my new blog

Over a year ago I learned how to set up this blog with the help of a friend. I thought I had a handle on what I was doing and when I decided to launch another blog I figured I would remember the process. Boy, was I wrong!!

I often tell students yoga is a progressive practice, inch by inch, row by row, you will develop your practice and it will become second nature to you. This is one of the most exciting aspects of yoga and something I truly appreciate. There are days when I feel ill-equipped to create my own practice but because yoga is such a part of my life, I manage to do it just the same.

Not so with setting up a new blog!!

It seems I am always able to make a correlation between life on and off the mat but I am at a loss today; I cannot find anything in my yoga practice to guide me through this process and I find that discombobulating. Whenever I struggle with anything in my life I turn to yoga for guidance and it has never failed me, until now. Perhaps there is a lesson here but I cannot see it - if you see it, dear reader, please let me know.

In the meantime, I plan to go to my mat and practice as much as my body will allow, find some peace and then get back to my new blog, figure out what I can and ask for help from the professionals!!

Namaste.