Till next time
Connie
Your Yoga Partner
from
www.yogainahurry.com

I never even thought for one moment that I might end up in the role of a full time carer, so I was very badly prepared when my life changed a few weeks ago….

My husband was diagnosed with a serious illness and suddenly my life revolves around treatment schedules, doctors’ appointments, specialists’ appointments, picking up scripts from the chemist and personal care. Constantly disrupted sleep and suddenly being responsible for everything is taking its toll. As one woman I spoke to put it: “You lose your identity”.

At first I didn’t think that it was so much about losing my identity – it was more about suddenly being thrown into a role that is not of my choosing and that consumes an enormous amount of time and energy (both physical and emotional).  Then it slowly dawned on me that it is a real struggle to do anything that is just for me (whether this is something essential like a doctor’s appointment or something that is just for fun). Maybe my identity is being threatened. All my other roles are still there as well, they have not disappeared just because I suddenly became a full time carer. As time goes by, it is getting more and more difficult to juggle all the roles. This is why my blog posts have become somewhat irregular and it will stay like that way for quite a while.

I am really grateful for my yoga training. Yoga philosphy applies to this situation as well, it is more important now than at any other time in my life. I have the ability to bring myself back to the present moment whenever the mind wanders off into some catastrophic and destructive territory. Right now this is one of my most important skills. I don’t know what the future holds and I have no control over it anyway. I have to deal with things as they happen.

The physcial fitness that yoga has given me is a great asset – without it things would be very difficult.

Yoga is also about simplifying and sorting the essential from the non-essential. At the moment I am concentrating on essential tasks. It is essential to eat well and have healthy and balanced meals but they can be simple. It is not essential to have a clean house or have ironed clothes. I had to become firm and quick at making decisions. No time to waste. Decision was wrong – simply change it and move forward. 

I forget things because of overload and lack of sleep. I now make lists for essential things (no more than 3 or 4 per day), tick them off as they are done and I don’t promise to do anything for anybody. I don’t have to remember or apologise later for not getting around to it.

When things get really difficult I practice my yoga breathing - long, slow, deep breaths. It takes practice to be able to do that during difficult situations. Luckily I had lots of practice over many years and it has become second nature for me to resort to my breath when the going gets tough. It also helps to breathe slowly and delibarately around other people who are in distress and encourage them to breathe with you. Sometimes their breath will synchronise with yours and then they automatically calm down. It is not always that simple but it is worth a try.

As time goes on I will try and write more about my insights and experiences. It might be helpful if you ever get into a similar situation (but I sincerely hope you won’t).

Till next time,

Connie

Your Yoga Partner

from

http://www.yogainahurry.com

To live a truly yogic lifestyle we need to develop certain mental qualities that help us to be a “true yogi (or yogini) no matter what life brings and what happens around us. For most of us (including myself) this is quite a challenge. Let us explore some of the things that might help us along our path.

Swami Sivananda talks about 18 “ities” that we need to cultivate.  They will eventually replace the not-so-healthy programmes going on in our minds.

The first one is serenity. It seems a very old fashioned or scarce thing – I have met very, very few truly serene people in my life. (more…)

When I attended Spiritfest recently (I will tell you more about that in a different post) 

I was asked to give a reading on the topic of “Joy”.  I searched the internet and my own literature and found some real gems. I then put together all the bits and pieces that appealed the most to me. Enjoy!

“Joy and happiness are part of the design of every life. You are the only one who can bring joy and happiness into your life. Joy is hard to come by if you are not aligned with the universe.”

…”The skills we need to bring joy and happiness” into our lives “are the tools of living passionately, the ability to commit to our soul’s purpose and to stay open to unimagined outcomes. These skills allow us to function with focus in chaos and in the Unknown.”

Christine Pratt from www.lastmaskcenter.org

“Joy is an essential spiritual practice growing out of faith, grace, gratitude, hope and love. It is the pure and simple delight in being alive. ” (more…)

A predominantly Vata person is of light build, has dry hair, quick by nature and is easily excitable.

A Pitta person is of medium build, has the colours of fire, sensitive skin, and a good intellect – they organise, like lists, are punctual, often hungry, they need to eat or get irritable (blood sugar levels drop quickly) and they have a fairly constant energy level.

A Kapha person  has a heavy build, more oil in skin, big eyes, large features. They have increased endurance, a sluggish digestion, gain weight easily. They don’t like changes, are emotionally stable, good nurturers. Often they are found in the healing, teaching and  nursing profession.

Remember, we all are made up of all 3 energies and we are born with one energy that is more predominant, which determines our “type”. We are healthy and well when the energies are balanced within our system, according to our particular pattern.

There are many different ways to balance these energies and ayurveda employs them all. Just to give you some examples – food, diet, hot or cold water, specific yoga postures, herbs – are all part of the ayurvedic way of healing and cleansing the body.

There are also some very general rules that will help to keep us balanced. Here are some of them:

Live in accord with nature, body does much better with regular cycles, routine, rhythm.

10am to 2pm is Pita time – have your main meal then, digestive fire is at its best.

6am to 10am is Kapha time – do exercise, physical work, because there is steady energy and it will feel easier to do these chores then.

Go to bed before 10pm and get up before 6am. This is very hard to do nowadays, but your body will reward you!

I hope you enjoyed this little excursion into Ayurveda.

Till next time,

Connie

Your Yoga Partner

from

http://www.yogainahurry.com