Bring It On Back To You

I attended a recent business lunch and presentation for women in the energy industry.  The speaker was a very professional, knowledgeable and personable young lady - probably in her mid thirties if I had to take a guess (which I don't usually do because I am usually wrong).  As I listened to her speak I found myself thinking about myself as a young professional in the power industry.  I thought about the opportunities I had, the people I worked with, and how fun my work was. I would have enjoyed the position and the work the woman was describing.  Then the shoulda, coulda, woulda started to speak within me.  I caught myself and focused back on what I had, where I was and how much I enjoyed what I was currently doing - bringing it on back to me.

The same type of thing happens to people in yoga class.  They are working in class moving through the poses doing perfectly fine and then they start to look at the people around them. There will always be someone who can go a little farther in a pose or flip upside down with the greatest of ease while you struggle to touch your toes.  The best thing to do - and the only thing to do - is bring it on back to you.  Relish in the feeling the yoga is producing in your body, congratulate yourself for coming to class and the progress you are making and know that you are in the right place for you and they are in the right place for them.

Bring It On Back To You.

The Squirrel Whisperer

I decided to add an occasional walk (working up to more frequent) in the park to my routine. Working out of the house, there are some days I don't get out of the house until late afternoon to run an errand or teach a fitness class, unless I have a scheduled business event. I figured it would be a good way to get motivated and energized for the day.

I drove over to the park (I suppose I could have run - but I quickly nixed that idea!), closed the top on my convertible since it looked like rain was a possibility and started walking briskly along the one mile path surrounding the main part of the park.  There are some beautiful trails in the woods but those paths are reserved for days when I have a buddy with me for safety reasons.

My focus for my park adventure was to be more present in the moment and to practice that out in nature.  As I walked about the park I noticed the variety of trees, the empty picnic tables, the tennis players, the sounds and the sights. Suddenly there was a shrill voice coming from the middle of the park off the trail.  It was a woman speaking very loudly, like she was calling out to her missing dog.  "Come here fella", I thought she said.  Her monologue was consistent and purposeful, shaking the peacefulness of my mindful walk.  She was carrying a plastic bag that swelled at the bottom. As she came closer I realized she was talking to the squirrels.  She was wishing them a good morning and calling out to them with "hello's" and "come here guys" in a constant chatter.  While she wandered with purpose she intermittently tossed something from her bag toward the animals.  It must have been some kind of squirrel chow that included peanuts in the shell (I noticed some on the ground as I made my rounds on the trail).  I laughed as I looked back at the path behind her and saw a half dozen squirrels munching away at whatever  treat she had tossed. Maybe they were used to that voice calling out good morning to them, or maybe they just smelled food and came running. Whatever it was, she left a bunch of happy squirrels in her path.  Her voice drifted away into the background as we moved farther and farther from each other, heading in opposite directions on different missions.  I did run into her again as we converged near the other end of the park. This time I did not bristle in reaction to the sound of her voice, but was entertained by the squirrel whisperer and her trail of happy new friends.

As I walked, I realized that I had come to the park to be present and had fallen into the habit of looking only at the ground as I contemplated certain issues or situations silently in my head, checking for unevenness in the pavement or staying focused on all things low. Her voice made me look up from the path as I walked around and around the park.  I stood up straighter and returned my focus to all of the beauty around me.  

In yoga, we start our practice frequently in mountain pose - a simple standing pose to ground our feet into the earth, lift our hearts and open our chests.  We can sometimes sink low in a pose, stare at the floor or forget to stand tall and look forward as we struggle in a pose.  It is okay to look back occasionally to see where we have come from, to focus briefly on what we have accomplished (i.e. progress in a pose), but I encourage you to charge forward with conviction like the squirrel whisperer - moving forward and leaving a trail of happy people you have encountered along the way.

Just When You Think You Are Getting Close

There is a park fairly near our house called the Sylvan Rodriguez Park.  It was named after distinguished journalist Sylvan Rodriguez.  The majority of his TV career was spent in Houston at KHOU and KTRK.  It includes a walking/jogging trail, a crescent shaped man-made lake, a playground and lacrosse fields and is always expanding.  I occasionally offer yoga in that park on the hill by the lake.  My favorite part of the park is the labyrinth that overlooks the lake.  It is a brick laden path, winding back and forth within a circle, that ultimately leads to the center. There are no dead ends like a typical maze.  As you walk, you navigate turns that take you in different directions. Once you reach the center, you follow the path back out. 

There is something about the center.  I have walked the labyrinth many times at different speeds.  When I arrive in the center I pause and reflect. Sometimes to enjoy the view of the sun setting over the fields, other times to settle my head from the back and forth motion of traveling if I took the labyrinth at warp speed that day. Sometimes there is a cool lifting feeling, similar to the one you get when you set down your weights after several exerting repetitions at the gym. Sometimes it is just the quiet. It always come with a feeling of accomplishment though the maze is not a competition.  Then I turn and head back out the path.  

Yoga is similar to the labyrinth. Our practice winds back and forth but always make progress. We practice poses in yoga. When we first start yoga we may not be very flexible, strong or able to balance, but as we continue to practice we gain  in each of those areas.  Some days it feels like we have gone completely backwards and lost a lot of what we worked so hard to gain. But remaining steady on the path will ultimately bring us to our reward.  

It is so true in life also. 

Setting An Intention

I recently read an article in the paper about a female Chief Financial Officer retiring from a major oil and gas company.  In retirement, she was looking forward to working more with the not-for-profits that were close to her heart, pursuing new corporate board appointments and having more time with her family, her tennis game and books.  She had an impressive resume including being the highest-paid female executive of a Houston based public company. As I read the article I decided I would like to send her a congratulatory cookie bouquet. A cookie bouquet is like a bouquet of flowers - but instead it is made up of decorated cookies on sticks. I imagined one cookie being the bouquet company's signature bear with a tennis racket in its hand for her hobby. I could picture her delight upon receipt of the bouquet from a stranger wishing her well.  

As I wrote my letter to her to accompany the bouquet I asked myself what my intention was for sending this gift to her. What was I really wanting out of the connection?  Was it just to congratulate her? Did I want a business meeting? Advice?  I decided that since I coach young female professionals as part of my business, what I really wanted was an opportunity to meet or speak with her about any tips she might have for young women as they navigated the corporate political jungle.  That was it - the letter was finished, sealed and attached to the bouquet ready for delivery. (I'll let you know what happens later).

I have attended yoga classes in hundreds of different venues with as many instructors.  At yoga studios (as opposed to a gym) the instructor will start the session advising you to set your intention. What is the reason you came to practice yoga today?  To de-stress? To work on a particularly achy part of your body? For general all around health?  To work hard and send your energy to someone that really needs help or healing?  There are many reasons we practice and it is an important part of that practice to set your intention as you begin to maintain your focus and obtain the results you are looking for.

As in cookie bouquets, in yoga and in life - set your intention before you begin a journey - short or long - and note the difference.

Jump Right In!

I was discussing teaching yoga with another instructor at the gym.  We were lamenting our struggles when practicing difficult poses.  She commented that she really needed to work on some poses before she shared them with her yoga class.  She was only going to have them do what she was able to do.  I replied that I have trained for years in a number of yoga styles and have received instruction on many poses I am not yet able to do.  But, I have the knowledge to assist others in practicing the poses.  I know the steps to take, the things to practice and can work with them to help them succeed.  Even though I can't do all of the poses, I usually have someone in the room that can get pretty close or do it - so the members have a visual.  And I practice along with them, letting them know we are on a journey and yoga is a practice, not a performance. 

I see this reluctance to move forward in many areas of people's lives.  From a yoga pose in class, simply speaking up in a meeting, to avoiding taking on a major project at work because we aren't sure of everything.  If we wait until we are completely sure or know everything - we will never move forward.  

Like the Zac Brown Band says "Jump right in!" - There are numerous resources and support all around just waiting to help you be successful.  

ESC - Extreme Self Care

As the gym members gather in the group exercise room and start to set out their yoga mats a few minutes before class, I converse with them about their day.  I also ask them what they need from class.  Everyone comes to class for a different reason. Some are there to relax. Some to work on a pose that has challenged them for a long time. Others just want to keep their bodies in motion so that as they age they will be still be able to move about.  I organize the class in my head to address their needs.  Their attendance is part of their personal self care program though many of them may not consciously think about it in that way. 

It's true that most people are always taking care of a lot of things and people and some take pride in their "extremely busy" life.  We give and we run and we check things off the list and then we make another list, flopping down in exhaustion on the couch at the end of the day.

When is the last time you truly took care of you?  When is the last time you took the time for a luxurious bubble bath? When did you last sit down at a table to enjoy your favorite meal, savoring every bite instead of a rushed meal standing over the counter?  When have you treated yourself to a glass of champagne at a fancy restaurant toasting all the goodness in your life with every sip just because?  A walk, a new outfit, quiet time to read - the list is endless of all of the ways you could take care of you.

It is important to take care of yourself so that you can really be there for others and be able to take care of the things you need to do.  A coaching instructor pointed out the ESC key on our keyboard and told us to think of it as standing for Extreme Self Care

- and to remind ourselves every time we glanced at the key to really embrace that phrase.

What will you do to really take care of yourself?   I invite you to turn off your computer and take care of yourself now.

Breathing Easy

Have you ever put too much into an activity or your work and ended up exhausted? I am sure it has happened to most of us at one time or another.  I used to work in the power industry.  When it was regulated we would have to reconcile our costs yearly with the Public Utility Commission.  As I was the coordinator, it required very late nights for several weeks to provide all of the required information within the deadlines.  It was always an adrenaline rush that I enjoyed, then a crash.  I would end up exhausted.  I am sure if I could have stepped back and looked at the situation from the outside looking in, I would have seen alternatives.  But it is difficult when you are in the middle of the excitement.

In yoga, the most important part of the practice is your breath.  You breathe in and out of your nose.  I remind everyone that if you start breathing through your mouth - (I imitate gasping and heavy breathing) - you are working too hard.  They laugh but inevitably they end up making the sounds I just gently warned them to avoid.  Sometimes we finish a challenging pose and I hear their breath release at the end .  Busted!  "You were holding your breath - weren't you?!", I exclaim.  And they laugh as they admit it.

Pay attention to your situation.  Assess what is happening within your body as well as around you. Adjust as needed.

Here's to breathing easy!