Anyone else love body + soul magazine?

S

Striving4Health

Cathlete
I recently discovered this mag, and quickly fell in love. I feel like they put it together just for ME! :) I am fascinated with the body + soul + mind connection and strive to maintain a connection between these aspects of myself each day. Anyone with me on this?

For me, yoga has been a big part of that. However since I started doing Cathe rotations I haven't made the time for it and I've been trying to figure out a way around it.

Well, this mag helped me do just that! There's a short Summer Yoga "workout" in one of the recent editions and I'm going to start doing that every morning during the week. First, though, I'm going to do the 10 minute Qigong "wake up". I'm going to think of these movements not as physical exercise, but as meditation for my soul (Gee, that sounds pretty corny! lol)

There is alot of other interesting and helpful info on herbs, relaxation, and ways to improve your overall self. Definately a winner in my book!

Just wanted to share....

Connie :D
 
Connie, I just got my first issue of this! I love it! I am working really hard on mindfulness, patience, calmness and am hoping to find some good ideas in this mag.

Problem for me is, I just don't like yoga. I've tried on several occasions and just can't get into it.

I am going to try meditation however.

Sparrow
 
Sparrow,

I'm just the opposite, lol. I love yoga, but have had a really hard time being able to meditate. I know it sounds silly. :p There was a great article describing "how" to meditate in one of the recent editions...I'm not sure which one though, sorry! If it's not in your issue, I'll be glad to email a copy to you.

When I first started yoga, I hated it. My body was too big then and it was just plain uncomfortable. I kept at it- off and on- and after 2 years I love it. It's very calming for me, and I always feel beautifully stretched out afterwards.

I'd be glad to discuss stuff from this mag, if you're interested. Maybe we could work on the same aspect (mindfulness) "together"? Just a thought, no pressure. ;)

Connie
 
Connie, I would love to work on the mindfulness together, that would be fun. What do you have in mind?


I have the June issue, it does have some meditations in it. I did my first Sensuousness of Breath meditation this morning and it was so nice! Usually I jump right up and start the day but today I did ten minutes of breathing and began more calmly. As for yoga, my problem is that I just get bored. I'm supposed to be concentrating on breathing etc and what I am thinking is, "If this doesn't end soon I'm going to come right out of my skin."

If you have the June issue, have you tried the dandelion tonic? I must admit I'm curious about that!

Sparrow
 
Hi Sparrow,

Thank you- the June issue is one of the ones I had from the library. The other must have been May. That's the meditations I was telling you about- cool!

I haven't tried the dandelion tonic yet. I will though, because I think I already have most of the ingredients. Over the weekend I'm going to be doing a 3 day detox from Natural Health. So I won't need another detox for a month or so- that's when I'll do the dandeloin tonic. I really enjoy "playing" with herbs like this. I feel so connected to earth.

I have to admit that I that same thought this morning while doing Summer Yoga moves. LOL I pushed it out of the forefront of my mind and focus on taking full breaths. Sometimes it works better than others. During the bow pose it wasn't working very well. I've never done that one before...it'll take some getting used to.

I'm going to start doing one of those meditations every afternoon. This morning I started doing Qigong and Summer Yoga. It felt really good- relaxing and centering. And it really did wake up me and get my energy flowing. I think it's all so fascinating and neat! Do I sound like a dork? LOL

For our mindfulness "experiment"- maybe we could share the kinds of things that we approached in a mindufl way each evening. Just a thought, I'm not really sure how else to share something like this. I'm open to ideas. :)

I'll kick it off- today I'm going to be mindful of how much time (and energy) I spend online. It's easy for me to let my mind go numb and just play online for too long.

Connie :D
 
Hi Connie!

Sorry for the slow response, yesterday was crazy :)

No you don't sound like a dork! Gosh I'd rather hear people rave about the positive things in their lives than listen to yet another litany of complaints! (I include myself in that!!) So, how did you get to the point of enjoying yoga? Did you just keep plugging away? I've gone so far as to try and schedule ten minute yoga workouts twice a week but even those shorties didn't take.

On that note, let me complain...:p Actually just let me mention that I forgot to meditate this morning, LOL! I was 1/2 way through KM and thought,"oh damn, I was going to meditate." Ah well, Rome wasn't built in a day...


The point that really struck me in the "Mindfulness" article was when he mentioned being in the moment non-judgementally, and really tuning in to the person talking to you. It's rare that I am ever in the moment (non-judgementally would be a miracle.) I'm one of those people always thinking about "what's next on my list today" and often, before I know it, the whole day has gone by, I've done 100 things but not really experienced any of them. So I am going to really work on that, along with listening to people, rather than, while they are talking, thinking of what I am going to say next. This weekend will be a good time to practice, since I will be at several parties/picnics.

How did it go with your "online" mindfulness?

Sparrow








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www.scifichics.com
 
Hi Sparrow,

I, too, find myself listing my complaints way too often. That's part of the reason I'm working on approaching my life more mindfully. I've always been someone who thinks the glass is half empty...that's changing though. ;) Talking with people who are spiritually minded helps so much, but they are hard to find. I'm very glad to have met you and started this thread! :)

My yoga turning point came when a friend gave me Susan Deason's Yoga for Weight Loss for my birthday. This w/o has 4 different instructors doing 4 different levels. And the w/o is divided into 3 segments, a warm up (my favorite), active yoga, and the "cool down" with seated stretching poses. It's wonderful! I got to see a modification to fit my level for each pose. At first I mostly followed the instructor who barely moves, and now I can do many of the full poses. It's been a really cool process, and I enjoyed all of the stages. This is still my favorite yoga w/o, and just about the only one I do. I need to branch out, soon, I reckon. hehe ;)

Don't worry about not meditating this morning, you can always do it later today. Right? ;) You could do the Heart Warming meditation tonight before you go to sleep.

This morning I woke up a bit late and was too hungry to do Qigong AND summer yoga, so I just did the Qigong. I was a bit disappointed in myself, but then I remembered that every day is different and when I focus on a routine I can easily lose my mindfulness and, instead, go through my "tasks" rather numbly. See there, we both have this "challenge". I, too, am working on being an attentive listener and shedding my judgementalness. This weekend will be a good time for me to practice, too.

My online mindfulness went quite well. I was able to stay on task and found myself with 2 hours of time to fill in the afternoon. I ended up taking care of something for my mom instead of playing with one of my craft projects, but still it was time well spent. :p


Connie :D
 
Hi Ladies,

I use to attend a weekly group medidation, it was great because it forced me to stay put and clear the mind and relax the body. I stop going about a year ago, my BF was complaining that I did not spend enough time with him, but I try to medidate as soon as I wake up, for a few minutes to focus my mind on what I want to do that day and also just before going to bed, to avoid going to sleep with something negative in my head, to clear my mind. I used to be more dedicated, and it make me a more patient and compassionate person. I want to resume this practice. Even a few minutes are beneficial.
 
I just got my new issue today!!

It's so true that even a few minutes are beneficial. For a while this winter I was getting up early, to have the house to myself. I'd make a cup of tea and then sit by the front window and think of what mini goals I wanted to set for the day (Patience, understanding, etc.) Even those few quiet minutes made a difference. I don't know why I got out of the habit of doing that...

Sparrow
















___________________
www.scifichics.com
 
Logos- That is really cool! Thank you for sharing that with us! :)

I've been working on building a habit to meditate as soon as I wake up and right before I go to sleep. Your post motivates me! Who knows maybe all the posiitve energy we're creating and sustaining will make some cool stuff happen for us and the people we love. ;)

Connie
 
Hi Sparrow, how are you?

I get so frustrated when I find myself out of those kinds of habits. I figure that my philosophy about healthy eating and exercise applies here too- every meal, workout, and other positive thing in my life counts every single time I do. If it's important enough to do, it's important enough to do consistently. x( }( :p

So far I've been a pretty attentive listener this weekend and am closing down any judgemental thoughts during (and after) the conversation. Mindfulness is going well, and feeling positive.

How's it going for you?

Connie :D
 
Good Morning Connie,

Attentiveness is going fairly well so far. Non-judgemental is a bit tougher! I didn't stop the thoughts but I did manage to step back from them when I had them and ask myself to see it from that person's point of view.

I had an interesting realization though re: attentiveness to what someone else is saying instead of focusing on what I am going to say next. I was working on this yesterday and wondering why I do this so often, and I remembered that that's an old shy person's technique! I am extremely shy. Years ago someone advised me to always have my next comment ready to go. That way I wouldn't stand there in awkward silence, tongue-tied, trying to come up with something interesting to say. It's interesting to me that what started as a positive has become such an ingrained part of my MO that it's now something I see as a negative (inattentiveness to others). So now i have a two part goal...be attentive to others while trusting myself to carry on the conversation successfully.

When you close down your judgmental thoughts do you examine (ie where is my negativity coming from?) or do you just stop them cold and move on?

Sparrow
















__________________
www.scifichics.com
 
Hi Sparrow! :)

What you said about shyness and attentiveness is very interesting. I've always been a bit shy, and remember reading about having a comment ready "to go" also. Perhaps you've hit the nail on the head- this technique which is supposed to be helpful and positive for our shyness has gotten in the way of being attentive in a conversation. I'm going to chew on this for awhile. Trusting myself- aka having condifence in myself- to be interesting to share a conversation with is definately something I'm going to be more mindful of, too. It depends on who I'm talking to- I am very confident when I talk to some people and feel like I'm tripping over my tongue with others.

My mind just about constantly analyzes things- people, conversations, my idiocyncrices, etc etc. My analyzations, of course, include various judgements. I truly do try to understand the other person's perspective, but somehow I end up judging the person based on my own perspective. I am working on being compassionate and stop myself from judging others based on my own perspective, and ultimately turning off those judgemental thoughts. I think my judmentalness comes from my old self-insecurity. Somehow I've managed to lose most of my insecurity, but my judgmentalness has stuck. So, when I notice myself judging someone I ask myself "does this person's action effect me in a negative way?", "do I truly believe that this person is trying to hurt me in some way", and thentell myself that I can choose whether or not to let what someone says or does bother me. I often wonder how much of what and how other people talk has to do with their own insecurities, and that sparks a bit of compassion and empathy in me. It gets pretty busy in this noggin of mine. ;)

Today and tomorrow I'm spending alot of time with my mom, stepdad, my middle sister (we're close), and her fiancee. I've decided that I'm going to relax and enjoy being with them, try to engage them to talk about things that interest them, and just do my best to let my love for each of them "shine" through. I got off to a rough start this morning with my mom and stepdad- I got irritated with them for being a little late picking me up. Then I refocused and re-set my focus on my intentions for the weekend. During the 1 hour drive to my sister's, my mom and I had a very good conversation. It was really cool how my attentivness to what my mom was saying drew her out and encouraged her to talk freely. Of course, it's always interesting to change the perspective of your mother. Now that I'm grown up, I can appreciate my mom as a professional and am learning to truly enjoy talking about her work. I think we might be on to something with this attentiveness stuff....:p

I'm thinking about you this weekend, and sending lots of positive vibes your way- especially after reading your post about you feel about spending time with your family.

Connie :D
 
Well, this weekend turned out to be a wicked time to focus on my listening skills and maintaining a positive attitude while with my family. Saturday my stepdad was crabby and he & my mom were unhappy with each and not communicating well. As a result everyone's plans got messed up, and everyone got a bit "heated". I admit that I ranted a bit, but then re-gained my focus and focused on being compassionate. It was tough, because the whole situation was hard to understand.

My sister, her boyfriend and I ended up going to the downtown fireworks by ourselves and had a wonderful time.

Sunday sister's BF was crabby and, once again, our plans for the day were messed up. I stayed calm and feel really good about how I talked with my sister. I was compassionate, empathetic and therefore was able to help her calm down and put her energy into making the rest of her day positive and productive. It was really cool, and felt natural at the same time.

I didn't do any Qigong or Summer Yoga in on Sunday or Monday- or today now that I think about it (arg!). I did meditate a few times over the weekend.

How was your weekend, Sparrow? Hope to hear from you soon.

Connie :D
 
Hi Connie!

Great to read your ruminations. Congrats on your successes. I wouldn't be bothered by one rant either. After all, you are human and going to have human reactions! You got back on track and *that* is the success. :)

My weekend was actually pretty good. Friday night there were a couple of hairy moments with my mom. She and my dad are going through a rough time right now (not with each other, but financially) and that has made her morose. My normal reaction is impatience but on Friday I was able to really see it from her perspective, and realize how scared they must be, in their sixties and facing financial trouble. Instead of being impatient I was really upbeat, joking and laughing with her. She came around soon enough and my family had a really nice time together, kind of like it used to be. Saturday was the worst day in the sense of my own issues. Went to the big extended family picnic and found myself judging people left right and center. Your comments on insecurities leading to judgements are spot on!! I realized that I was being so arrogant because I feel like this side of the family thinks I'm a little weird. Which I am, but don't judge me on it! :p I failed on mindfulness at this picnic but I know that I learned something from it. Next time I will do better. The Fourth though was an absolutely perfect day! My sister had a pool party and the whole day just clicked for everyone. I did have a moment of attentivness awareness. I was talking to an aquaintance who will be shooting his independent film next month. He's soooo excited, and was telling me all about his financing, his sponsors, etc. While he's telling me this, I caught myself thinking about the script *I'm* writing and what I was going to say about it when he asked me how it was going. It was like I gave myself a mental slap! I actually saw a little me in my head, shaking her finger and saying, "HEY! Listen to the man when he is talking to you about his product placement deal!" I really listened, and found myself totally caught up in his excitement. I'm so happy for him! And when it was all said and done I though, Man, i have to tell Connie about this one! :p

Is anyone else in your family into these sorts of things? I guess I am lucky in that alot of mine are. My mom used to be a pretty miserable woman, back in the day. A good mom, but doom and gloom, control freak, all that. And then, over the course of about a year, she changed entirely. She started doing yoga and meditation, reading about spirituality and whole living and became this incredible person. It's kind of sad to see her slip back. I am hoping to inspire her once again.

I did no meditation this weekend. This morning a did a brief one, just stayed in bed a few extra minutes and focused on what I wanted to contribute to the day.


Okay I am waaay too chatty tonight!! I could go on but will spare you (hee hee)

Sparrow


















__________________
www.scifichics.com
 
Hi Sparrow,

Thanks for the encouragment and support about my rant. :)

Congrats on all of your mindful successes over the weekend! It's really cool when we get to see this stuff really effect someone- especially Mom. ;)

I tried to draw a couple of different people out in conversation this weekend by trying to engage them to talk about things that I know interest them- it didn't work too well overall. But I was able to get my sister's boyfriend to talk a bit about song writers and it was so neat to watch him get excited- I found myself getting excited right along with him. Very much like your conversation about the script.

Tell me about your script! That's such an interesting thing to do. Is it for a movie screen or theater?

So far no one else in my family is into mindfulness or spirituality like I am. My roommate is though, and I get alot of support and guidance from him (he's an older man, a good friend of the family- strictly platonic). I think my mom could really get into and benefit from it, but she's stuck in alot of negativity and definately has control issues. I have alot of hope for her, though. I, too, hope to be an inspiration to her like you are and have been to your mom.

I enjoy reading your thoughts, don't apologize! :) I tend to be pretty long winded myself- have ya noticed? lol

Would you be interested in emailing our thoughts instead of using this thread? No one else seems to be jumping in here.... Either way works fine for me, just curious what you thought.

I skipped Qigong and Summer Yoga again today. Sigh. I woke up with a headache and felt crampy and just pushed it aside. I bet doing it would have helped me feel better- and set a positive energy tone for the day. Oh well- live and learn. I'll definately do them both tomorrow.

Connie
 
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