365 Yoga: Day 1

So im starting 2011 by trying to commit to doing Yoga for weather it be reading, meditation, asana or perhaps even writing(which Im trying to do more of). Im going to try to talk about it often but not to much to wear no one wants to read it.

Im going to be reading A Year of Living Your Yoga by Judith Lasater along with several of my friends on twitter.

Today Im reading and watching movies cozy up on the couch with 2 snoring dogs and J. Drinking tea. I need a chill day..

I love tea

Rub me down..

OK so I’m 31 and I had never had a massage till yesterday. All I can say is WOW. I don’t know how I lasted that long with out one. I already made an appointment for another one. I love love love it.

I did not realize however how bad my right hip is till yesterday. It’s the stiffer of the 2 but its better too. Last night it even helped take minutes off my run. Which is getting better too. I think that the massage was a key to unlock things that had before felt like they were never going to open. Like my shoulders. I was also amazed that such a little girl could really get down deep on me. I wanted to get up and immediately start doing drop backs it was awesome!. I can’t wait for my next one.

I will try to get a massage at the minimum at least once a month. Every 3 weeks is the goal now.

Namaste..

Well Damnit I care

Since I have started a steady yoga practice I have noticed that as my body opens so does EVERYTHING else. This is insane. I cry at movies now even commercials sometimes. I get my feelings hurt more easily and start to care just a bit more everyday.

Growing older is helping to. I have more empathy for people and situations that I use to not give a damn about.

I use to have a reputation for being the ‘Demon’ as my friends called me. But I’m not that person anymore. Not at all. At times I still have a temper and still blow up from time to time. Appearances of the ‘Demon’ have become few and far between.

I have PTSD from an incident in 2003 which led me to change my life. I was sick of being the party girl that everyone loved to go out with. I stayed at home for 3 months never left only to go to the local YMCA and do yoga 4 times a week. I also found a Rodney Yee DVD that I did daily. I was running almost daily too. I have to get back to that now.

I’m trying to get myself better and more healthy. I know that there are certain things that I have to do to get there. Yoga is helping me with all this. It’s amazing how much a simple act like Yoga can change your whole life with out you even knowing it till it’s already happening. I’m so happy that I have it in my life.

Ashley

Only me…

The past 2 weeks have been a bit of a whirl wind of craziness. I feel like I have even let my practice go a bit and I don’t like that.

This morning I took J to the airport for his trip to NTC(Army training) in California. He will be there for about 2 months. Which sucks cause I hate being alone.

I have noticed some strange characteristics of me and other only children lately. Thought that I might share in cause you are one, married to one, or have one as a child. These could only be about me but I would venture to say not.

1. I hate being alone. When I was little I couldn’t go to daycare. I didn’t like the other kids mainly and they were always so loud. In the 2nd grade I started walking home from school because I hated it so much. Mind you the school was RIGHT across the street but still I would rather have been at home.

2. I’m super selfish and don’t like to share anything. J and I have separate laptops, bank accounts, cars, hell we even have to fridges. I’m working on this one. Sometimes its hard to put others thoughts or feelings ahead of my own. I think that’s why I have such a wonderful person to share my life with though. He’s helping me to learn how to do this and pointing out the times that I don’t.

3. I don’t have a lot of empathy for others. I think that I first cried from a friend being upset 2 years ago. I never use to cry at movies(I do now). I know that Yoga has truly helped me with this part.

4. I still throw fits. I’m 31 years old and I don’t like it when I don’t get my way. Which isn’t very attractive in a person, teacher, friend, and especially a spouse. Not like kicking and screaming kids in Wal-Mart but I pout and am not happy.

5. I don’t trust anyone. Not even myself. I don’t know if this is cause of my issues with most people who have come into my life or if it’s just the way that I am.

Most of these things get better over the years. I know that I’m not the same person that I was when I was in my 20’s for damn sure. These things will get better the older I get.

xoxo
ash

‘Enlighten Up’ a review

When I heard that someone was making a Yoga documentary I freaked out. I was so excited to think that maybe someone could show how cool yoga really is. Maybe even get some new interest from people. The movie was never released in theaters here in Oklahoma so I never got to see it till DVD. By that time I had heard a lot of other opinions about the movie. Usually mine isn’t the same as everyone else’s.

The movie was decent. It was a great idea but I think that Katie tried to hard to make a transformation come out of someone that really didn’t give a damn about the spirituality of yoga and the process. It was almost as if she was trying to push him into it. Every famous Yogi that they sat down with said that it cant be forced. Katie even appeared to be mad at him at some points cause he didn’t care.

I think Katie herself is looking for something and was hoping through their journey they could help each other get there.

A different subject would have had a different outcome too though. Maybe if she had gotten a student that had been practicing for about a year and was really curious about it would have had a more spiritual awakening or one at all. There was a few moments where you could tell that he was opening a little but yoga does that and it takes time.

Anyhow if you love yoga like I do then watch the movie. Its good to see major Guru’s like Inyengar and Jois.