June 14, 2017 - Yoga

"You Create Your Own Calm"

Last week I was really struggling with depression. I don't feel that anything in particular triggered my feelings - they just were what they were. I was feeling a sense of loss. Missing my parents, and continuing to adjust to changes in my home life. This week I decided to take steps towards improving my mental  health. I am striving to do the things I've been blogging about - being mindful, being grateful for my blessings and finding joy in my journey. I used to do yoga on a fairly regular basis and have been out of the practice for a couple of years. I decided returning to yoga would be a good place to start. So Sunday evening I pulled out my mat, set up outside in the evening and did yoga. It felt wonderful! Last night I was feeling very frustrated. Instead of comforting myself with a bowl of ice cream, I pulled out the yoga mat again and did a restorative practice. Tonight I did another 15 minutes. It's amazing how good just a short routine makes me feel!

If you've never practiced yoga I urge you to give it a try. Some of the physical benefits of yoga are:

• Increased flexibility.
• Increased muscle strength and tone.
• Improved respiration, energy and vitality.
• Maintaining a balanced metabolism.
• Weight reduction.

Just as important to me - and maybe more important, are the mental benefits. As stated in Psychology Today, "Yoga increases body awareness, relieves stress, reduces muscle tension, strain, and inflammation, sharpens attention and concentration, and calms and centers the nervous system."

I plan to get back into a more regular yoga routine. If you want to join me, remember it doesn't have to be a long session, even a short restorative yoga session will calm the mind.

 
Days 175-184

June 5, 2017 - Making Memories

"Memories made together last a lifetime."

The last four days I was lucky enough to take a short trip with my three sisters! Sisters are so special...you have memories of your past, your parents, and can dream of the future together. Upon reflection, we were mindful of things that would make our trip enjoyable. And, in full disclosure, there are a few things I still struggle with that caused me unnecessary stress. The main one, was self criticism. I found myself making comparisons to my sisters. Is my outfit as cute as theirs? Does my hair look okay? Of all people that I should be totally comfortable with, it is my sisters. I didn't do this to the extent of ruining the trip, it was just something in reflection of the weekend that was unnecessary, and something I plan to work on. Self-criticism is so pointless!

Now for all that was right! Being together. Enjoying each other's company. Laughing over past memories and crying over lost love ones, mainly our parents. We all do things that remind of us of each other and our parents. One example is our friendliness to others. Our dad never knew a stranger. This is true of us, and it brings us great joy. We spent some time at the Farmer's Market. My older sister bought potatoes from an older gentlemen that reminded her of our dad, one of my younger sisters bough a beautiful bouquet that reminded her of my mom, my youngest sister bought tomatoes which she grew to love because my dad grew such great ones every year. We visited my aunt (our mom's sister) who gave us hand-made bags to take to the Farmer's Market. Our mom was creative and generous in creating crafts, so it was very special that our aunt did this for us. She also made us a home-made dinner complete with apple pie.Yum!

A couple of tips that made our trip enjoyable that others might keep in mind:

*Let go of control. We traveled with no specific plans and yet everything was perfect!

*Don't believe the weatherman! It was supposed to be very stormy the Saturday of our trip, but we walked to the Farmer's Market and downtown any way. It did sprinkle at one point. We stopped, had drinks and listened to some live music. We might not have done this if not for the sprinkles. Then, later, it poured. We popped into a tea shop and had some tea. Again - it was a great place that we might not have spent as much time in had in not been for the weather.

It was a great weekend that we plan to do more of in the future.

Days 168-174