techno buffalo

Today while sipping coffee, texting my partner, editing my Farm fresh delivery service and catching up on some blog reading, I came across Zen Habits and their post Best Procrastination Tip Ever.  Sounds good to me. I’ve been known to procrastinate. I waited a few seconds and then clicked over.

The first sentence ended with, “I’ll read this later.”

Boy have I said that a time of two. In fact, I’m so often haunted by bold-face email subjects and weathered magazines, it’s a wonder I continue to subscribe to anything. I should add putting off reading to my list of hobbies.  I think the reason is that I can’t do other things while I’m reading. In order to read an article, retain the information and form an opinion, I need less distractions. I need to be focused. Focus hmm…not quite a multi-tasker skill. Well, let me rephrase that. Complete focus is not a multi-tasker skill.

Skimming along through the Zen Habits article (no time for adjectives and explanations), I came to the part that said, “Clear away all distractions.”

Well there you have it. . .

I looked up at my navigation bar. There were four other open tabs and a picture file down at the bottom of my screen. Cell Phone by my side. Coffee between me and my laptop. Head itchy. Bird chirping. Trying to decide if I like stone fruit. Okay. Yeah, there is too much going on here.

So I opened Wordpress and began this post.

Writing is where I’ve always gone to free my mind. In order to cohesively express the thoughts in my head, I’ve got stop what I’m doing and focus.  It’s an opportunity to turn off the chatter and see straight down the tunnel. It’s what I love to do and when I do it the world is quiet and it’s just me and my words. It’s a beautiful thing. It’s the same way when I’m working with a patient. Everything else can wait.

I’ve found these moments while meditating as well, although it doesn’t come as easily. In the beginning of a sitting, distractions can march in from any direction. But once I find that place where my mind is quiet, the side doors of multi-tasking start to close and the windows of relaxation and discovery begin to open.

I need to challenge myself to bring these skills into my every day life. When I find myself doing too many things at once, I need to remember to stop and focus. A good idea would be to start keeping a list. When I’m doing something and an idea pops into my head, instead of doing it, I should just write it down.  That way I won’t forget about them and I can continue focusing on the task at hand. Sounds like a good idea to me!

What do you do to focus?? How do you handle distractions?

She writes, “Legs Up the Wall works wonders for tired, achey legs and feet. Great for reversing the blood flow and bringing a fresh supply of blood and oxygen to the brain. It works better than a nap as you will feel more energize and restored.”

Sounds good to me. I spent a few minutes last night with Legs Up the Wall.  I quickly winded down and slept I like a baby. You may recall this pose from my previous post during the 30 Day Fitness Challenge. That was a while ago, 18 months to be exact. Wow, how time flies. Interestingly enough, I am wearing the same pants.

They’re Notre Dame pants by the way. The All-Star hates them. Go Irish!

But aren’t we all?  It’s just part of life.  But that doesn’t mean I should ignore it. My body has been telling me that I’ve got to do something now to manage it.

The obvious idea came to me yesterday while I was having a particularly difficult moment with myself. I felt like there was something that I needed to be doing to get my brain back in balance with my body. The type A’er in me decided I needed to come up with some sort of plan. I’d map out my day, add scheduled activities, journal my process, clear the road to success! And I’d start it all tomorrow.

“Wait, that’s not right.”

I realized that I’m constantly trying to create routines for myself, tasks to follow, a gauge for my progress. More often then not, I fall short of my goals and feel guilty about my failures.  More stress! I’m don’t want to do that this time. I’m need to downsize my angst, not create more.

So then and there I put down what I was doing, set a timer for 15 minutes and closed my eyes. I was met with a lot of resistance at first. My mind wanted to wander, my body wasn’t relaxed. I thought about the timer and wondered where I was at. Then I remembered the breath. I started to count.

“1…in…2…out…3…in…4…out.”

Suddenly, without realizing it, I was at 23.

“Was I just meditating!?” I switched to a mantra.

“Ommmm….Ommmm…..”

My mind was beginning to get quiet.  My body softened and I shifted naturally into a half lotus pose. There was stillness. Then the timer went off.

“Fifteen minutes already? That was actually pretty quick.”

When I opened my eyes, I felt renewed. There was a silence in my body and my mind was at ease. I had a clarity that I hadn’t felt in days and I was ready to continue.

It’s amazing how something so simple like closing my eyes and breathing could make such a difference. It’s also amazing how difficult it can sometimes be to remember to take a few moments to do so. Reminding myself to practice, forgiving my failures, and celebrating my triumphs are all part of my struggle and part of my journey. Life isn’t a routine, it’s an opportunity. Every moment of everyday is a chance to grow. So until then, I strive forward. I continue to cultivate my wellness, this time unscripted and with a little spontaneity.

What does it mean to cultivate positive energy and what true effects can it have? It isn’t just about telling the universe what you want and expecting. It’s about striving towards your goals and living out your desires. It’s about taking charge of your universe and letting it revolve around you. Not in a conceited way but in an actual way. Being the center of your universe simply means being in balance with all that is around you, not teetering on one side or the other. When you find the balance between what you want and what you have, you can better achieve what you need.

Over the past couple of months I’ve been getting a little depressed. My body hurts. The weather was bad. I don’t have enough patients, “bla bla bla”. And I have had every excuse in the book not to be proactive. I felt like I was in a downward spiral and every day seemed to be a bit more challenging. Finally I decided to put an end to my wallowing and move towards a positive change. It wasn’t that easy. Getting started never is. But I took the initiative and began to rearrange the things in my life that I believed were bringing me down. I cleaned up the apartment, started running, doing more yoga and practicing creative visualization.  Everyday still has its ups and down but I’ve continued to work towards positive change. Today I am really seeing the results of my shift and not just in the way that I feel but in the things that are happening to me. I am another step closer to achieving my goals.

That’s what I mean by positive energy. It isn’t magic that drops presents on your doorstep. It is a energetic momentum that that you create that leads you towards what YOU decide. You set the tone and allow the universe to follow. Of course, you can’t just ride the wave. You have to continue to make positive choices and move forward with that energy. When you are feeling good, that can be an easy task. When things are bad is when it becomes more tricky. Just as positive energy can propel us forward, negative energy can pull us back.  Allowing this to happen can lead to a series of bad days or weeks or even years. It can even have a detrimental effect on your health. Being aware and conscious of the energy we create can prevent this from happening. The choice is ours and the choice to turn a bad day into a good one can have a profound effect on our life and our happiness.

If you feel like life isn’t going your way, take a second to see if there are any negative aspects that you could change. You can start with the small ones, they are usually the easiest. But use the momentum to continue moving you forward. I promise you will start to see the difference.

This past Sunday, I attended a fabulous seminar on Recollective Awareness Meditation. The class was led by Linda Modaro, a licensed acupuncturist and teacher with the Skillful Meditation Project.  She has been teaching groups, workshops and meditation retreats since 1987. The 8-hour workshop was held at Linda’s office in Santa Monica where we embarked on a journey to go beyond the structure of meditation and reflect on what our inner voices were saying.

The instructions given were very simple. “We’re going to sit for 30 minutes. You may sit on a chair or the floor, close your eyes, feel free to adjust your posture if you feel uncomfortable…” That was about it. No, “focus on your breathing, and if your mind wanders, bring it back to the breath.” No mantra or chanting. Just simple sitting.

When Linda rang her small singing bowl to start the first 30 minute sitting, I was filled with fear and nervousness. I didn’t know how I could possibly sit still and content for that long. I would certainly get bored, restless and tired. I stayed with this feeling for about a minute. When I assumed a minute has passed, I told myself that there were only 29 more to go and figured it wouldn’t be so bad. From there I just went with it.

After the 30 minutes, which actually seemed to go quite fast, we were asked to spend 10 minutes reflecting on our sitting and journal our experience. We did this three times throughout the day. We learned that reflection is an important part of the practice. It helps you to increase your awareness of what happens when you meditate. I’d like to share one of my reflections with you…

“Again fear of time. Short lived. Thought about active vs passive and participate vs  observe. Which of these do I more often do? Can I combine the two successfully?

Thought about dialogue. The words “will, would like, can, can not, am, have.” Active words. No more “should, could, would.”

Thought about me, mind, body, and the connection. How do I experience life? Physically or mentally. What effect does the physical have on my mind and my mind on my body?

Some headache, am I getting sick? Feels like I am.

Focused on the back of my neck. Felt calm. Almost like the ocean. Flow. Pulse.

Thought about choosing happiness. Why do we explore our pain but not our joy? I would like to do this more.”

As you can see, nothing monumental occurred. I was not enlightened in any profound way. But as I look back on this reflection I can recognize desires I hold within and places my mind tends to go. Each meditation sitting was a little different from this, but certain themes recurred. It was definitely a learning experience.

I encourage everyone to try this way of meditating, even if you have a meditation practice that you know and love. Find a quiet place, set a timer, feel the heaviness of your body, and sit. You can incorporate any previously learned methods into your sitting, but let your experience unfold naturally. When you are finished, spend some time reflecting on and journaling your experience.

If you want like to learn more, I recommend reading Jason Siff’s new book, Unlearning Meditation. It’s very insightful. Linda will also be holding another class like the one I attended on November 14th in Santa Monica. This class is a continuing education workshop for acupuncturists and therapists. She also holds classes for the community. You can contact Linda through the Skilled Meditation Project.

Namaste

I’m continuing to feel really good on my runs.  No aches or cramps.  Feet feel good and breathing is steady.  I’m certainly getting the hang of it.  After my run today I did some good stretching, which I have been forgetting to do.  The pre-run stretch I remember, but when I return I’m all about getting out of my sweaty clothes and tracking MyRoute, that I forget to make sure my body is where it needs to be.  Note to self…REMEMBER TO STRETCH!  So I did today, and had some lunch and got myself ready for work.  On the car ride in, I felt soooo good.  It was a combination of adrenaline and euphoria.  I was calm, awake, and happy to be alive.  How’s that for a new drug?!

So enough about me.  I’d like to give a High Five shout out to The All-Star who’s starting his first day at The Art Institute today.  This is just another reason why we call him The All-Star.  He knows what he wants and how to go out and get it, and of course, can succeed in whatever he sets his mind to.

Way to go baby!  Totally proud of you, (and you’re super cute)!  And I’m a little jealous, I wanna take art classes.  Maybe I’ll find a pottery class.  I still have my tools from moons ago.  Ahh, the power of inspiration.

Speaking of inspiration… Here’s yesterday’s Zen calender meditation.  I think it was more appropriate for yesterday but we can continue to think about it today.  Aloha!

“Sit silently for ten years, then for ten more years, and then for another ten years.”

So, for today’s fitness, a sun salutation for each of the 6 days I worked hard this week, and a 7th final pose of Legs-up-the-wall for 15 minutes.  The challenge was both to find the pose, and to find a quiet place of stillness in my body and my mind.   This did not happen instantly, nor did it remain constant throughout the stretch, but I allowed myself to simply be and I committed to the meditation.

For an athlete, this is an excellent pose to do, especially within 24 to 48 hours of an intense workout.  Besides the deep stretch it provides for the legs, back, front torso and neck, it also improves blood flow to and from the heart and refreshes and rejuvenates the entire body.  For the mind, it improves clarity while also creating a calming affect.  For the spirit, it brings emotional balance.

For me, a perfect way to end a great Week One.

Inspiration for the moment…

Allow yourself to be.

Last night, after some delicious lentil soup and a glass of red wine, we watched the movie Seven Pounds. It was a decent story with a predictable plot but Will Smith is a pretty good actor and I remained entertained throughout.  There was one line that stayed with me till the morning and I meditated on it during my run.  One of the characters, played by Rosario Dawson, says she wishes she had more time to learn who she is and what she likes.  Often I find myself lost on my journey and I now believe it is because my idea of what I seek is unclear.  It is not the unfamiliarity of the path that causes me to lose my way, but an unfamiliarity with myself that leads to confusion.  How do I know that I want to be on this path?  Will I be happy where I end up?  Am I strong enough to make it?  One of the greatest parts of the path to wellness is the self-discovery that occurs along the way.  My goal is practice being more aware of it. 

This morning I discovered that I really like jogging in the morning, while in the past it was something I said I could never do.  The truth is my body is fully capable, my mind just didn’t want to do it.   

Zen Calender Meditation for January 7, 2010

“We shape clay into a pot, but it is the emptiness inside that holds whatever we want.”  – Tao Te Ching