Thursday Musing

"The secret lies in our own breath.  Through breathing exercises, certain breathing techniques and some practice of meditation, we can rekindle positive vibrations within and around us."
~ Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Founder of the Art of Living Foundation

Image source:  subscription emails from the Art of Living Foundation.
Subscribe to Guru-ji's wisdom here:  http://www.artoflivinguniverse.org/2012/12/art-of-living-free-subscriptions.html?m=1

Wednesday Wisdom

"The best and safest thing is to keep a balance in your life, acknowledge the great powers around us and in us. If you can do that, and live that way, you are really a wise man."
~ Euripides

xoxo

Foxy

Source:  Yoga for Yogi's Instagram account
Image source:  https://www.pinterest.com/pin/126100858293691384/

Inspiration Friday

"Good for the body is the work of the body, good for the soul the work of the soul, and good for either the work of the other."
~ Henry David Thoreau

xoxo

Foxy

Image source:  https://www.pinterest.com/pin/82824080619529449/

Yoga with Adriene - Abs and Arms

This morning I did a yoga class with Adriene.  The focus of the session was abs and arms and it was suitably challenging.

I felt a satisfying burn in my abs within the first 10 minutes - and, to me, that's a successful class.

I felt a sense of accomplishment on completing this class.  I felt relaxed yet invigorated, ready to take on my day.  The day was quite busy and so I only managed to pen this post - 12 hours later.

xoxo

Foxy

Friday Musing

"To acquire balance means to achieve that happy medium between the minimum and the maximum that represents your optimum"
~ Nido Qubein

xoxo

Foxy

Image source:  https://www.pinterest.com/pin/88312842665428856/

Yoga with Adriene - Strengthen and Lengthen

It has been rather quiet on the blog for a while.  I have been to gym this week but haven't tracked the workouts.  I have been feeling a bit disenchanted with the gym lately and feel that my overall motivation has been waning.

I still make time for yoga though, and today's session was with Adriene.  The class was focused on strengthening and lengthening.  It was fabulous to feel a little burn in my muscles again.  The class was a lovely combination of burning, shaking muscles and intense focus as well as relaxing and stretching the muscles.

I am pleased to have made time to find space on my mat.

xoxo

Foxy

Total Body Yoga Workout With Tim Senesi

Today I did this yoga class with Tim Senesi.  It was an enjoyable class and has asanas of varying levels to cater for intermediate to advanced level yogis.

It is quite different to be guided in my practice by a male voice because I'm used to female voices leading my practice.

I'm always glad to have made the time to get onto my mat for a practice.

xoxo

Foxy

Heart Garden

Plant gratitude-seeds
inside your heart-garden
your life will be beautiful
and fruitful
with glowing deeds

~ Sri Chinmoy

xoxo

Foxy

Image source:  https://www.pinterest.com/pin/98234835598860293/

More Erin Motz on DoYouYoga

I was thrilled to find this class on the DoYouYoga website because I love Erin Motz's classes.

This was a once-off class and it made me feel so relaxed and energised.

A break in the routine gave me the shake-up I needed to set my goals for the week and cross items off the to-do list.

xoxo

Foxy

Quick Update

This does what it says on the box:  it's a quick update.

I didn't go to the gym this weekend - it was quite a busy one - so I did a little bit of yoga at home.  I mostly spent the weekend making jewellery, doing household chores and recharging my batteries.

I have been spending quite a bit of time making mala bead necklaces.  This is a hugely meditative process and one I have enjoyed.  I began my process by buying beads that were attractive to me and planned the final product according to available materials.  My first few hours of this endeavour were experimental and filled with optimism.  I saw online that one can tie knots between each bead, which I tried.  That resulted in a very time-consuming process, which I expected and didn't mind,  The result I was achieving was disappointing so I put that first endeavour to one side and started again.  This time I didn't tie knots between each bead, but after each set of 27 beads.  This achieved much more pleasing results and, admittedly, took less time, which was a bonus.

The important part of this whole process is the materials.  I bought quite a few small packets of wooden beads.  These are interesting because they are not uniform in shape, colour, size or texture.  I started to choose beads based on appearance to try and exclude any beads which were not aesthetically pleasing because of a mark or an odd shape.  Despite the fact that the final product is beautiful, and I am incredibly happy with the mala, I realised that I was trying to make it as perfect as possible by disregarding beads with small flaws.  I think this is a metaphor for my life, and probably for life in general.

We prefer to choose beautiful moments to string together to display and to tell our life's story.  We would prefer to disregard the difficult, ugly, challenging parts of our lives;  to hide them away and to pretend that they don't exist.

I gave up on choosing perfect beads and have made a mala with all of the beads that I disregarded while making my first two malas.  The result is one lovely, very unique mala necklace.  I now wear this mala with various combinations of my crystal pendants (that I sourced all the way from Knysna), and I love the way it looks and feels.

My mala beads - super chuffed with this piece.

xoxo

Foxy

Image is my own

Erin Motz Bad Yogi 4-Week Challenge - Week 4 - Day 7

This session, the final one of this challenge, was specifically for the aches and pains collected in the body due to commuting to and from work.

This class had some good stretches for the back and hips.  It's important to stretch and relax the muscles that are tensed up due to being in a seated position for long periods of time.

I have finally completed this challenge, after a few lengthy gaps in my practice.  It took me longer than 4 weeks, but it's done.

Thanks again, Erin, you are a fabulous teacher.

I have learned to make peace with the fact that most things don't pan out as planned.  Instead of becoming frustrated, it's important to learn to adapt to the challenges and work through the various obstacles in your path.  This builds resilience and character.

xoxo

Foxy

Soulful Saturday

"The only Zen you can find on the tops of mountains is the Zen you bring up there."
~ Robert M. Pirsig

xoxo

Foxy

Image source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/88312842664492784/
Photo by Julien Balmer of Visual Spectrum

Erin Motz Bad Yogi 4-Week Challenge - Week 4 - Day 6

Today's session was a prenatal class.  Even if you aren't pregnant, there are lovely stretches in this class which will help to open the hips, lessen back pain and relax your muscles.

Find space and mental quietness on your mat.  Breathe deeply and make time for yourself.

xoxo

Foxy

Friday Gratitude

"Yoga is a light, which once lit, will never dim.  The better your practice, the brighter the flame."
~ B.K.S Iyengar

xoxo

Foxy

Image source:  https://www.pinterest.com/pin/126100858289700109/

Erin Motz Bad Yogi 4-Week Challenge - Week 4 - Day 5

Today's session was "yoga for when you're about to freak out".  I can't say it better than this.

I have been feeling very anxious and tense lately, so this was a lovely session to get me back into regular yoga practice.

Remember Erin's words:  "go forward knowing that whatever it is that's ahead of you, you got this".

xoxo

Foxy

Wednesday Wisdom

"Move your joints every day.  You have to find your own tricks.  Bury your mind deep in your heart, and watch the body move by itself."
~ Sri Dharma Mittra

xoxo

Foxy

Image source:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/12/yoga-health-benefits_n_4768746.html

Erin Motz Bad Yogi 4-Week Challenge - Week 4 - Day 4

Today's session was a calming one as it focused on meditation.  This was a very welcome practice as I needed the quiet time.

I have incorporated alternate nostril breathing into my practice before, but this session reminded me of how beneficial it truly is.

The practice reminded me to get on my mat more frequently and find some space to be at peace with myself. 

xoxo

Foxy

Thursday Pondering

No winter lasts forever;  no spring skips its turn.
~ Hal Borland

xoxo

Foxy

Erin Motz Bad Yogi 4-Week Challenge - Week 4 - Day 3

Today's session focused on using yoga and breathing to alleviate the pain of a headache.

I didn't actually have a headache when I did this, so I can't attest to its effectiveness, but the process of learning to relieve a headache felt really good.

I need to remember to try this when I have a headache.

xoxo

Foxy

Erin Motz Bad Yogi 4-Week Challenge - Week 4 - Day 2

This session was a flow-based practice with the aim of finding crow pose at the end.  It was quite enjoyable and well worth doing, particularly as I'm so tight in my back, hamstrings and hips.

I have not been able to find crow pose properly and have been working on it for a very long time.  It's a lack of ab strength and tight hips that are mainly to blame.

This is definitely a pose that I need to be patient with and keep being patient with myself.

xoxo

Foxy