Meditation Getaways | Roundups Travel - DailyCandy

I subscribe to Daily Candy emails, and usually a fun or informative email comes in each weekday. They don't yet have my city as a specific focus area, but I appreciate their product information, fashion, and travel stories. Today's struck me as quite appealing because it's all about meditation getaways. Doesn't that sound nice? Given the state of things, I think I'll be opting for the guided meditation recordings by Jon Kabat-Zin for now! But I may also save up for a special trip to one of their recommended retreats. Check the link below for details and other ideas.

Meditation Getaways Roundups Travel - DailyCandy

The First Challenge: Commitment to Yoga (Asana) Practice for Health

The first two weeks of the year I was still formulating my process for this blog. I think it all began at the closing of 2008 when I was reading one of my favorite blogs, The Happiness Project. Gretchen’s piece on creating your own commandments as New Year’s Resolutions struck a chord for me. Instead of making all these specific goals to fulfill an obligatory New Year’s tradition that most people fail to live out, why not take the opportunity to create a way of life, sort of like rules to live by, for the New Year (and beyond) based on what you want from life? So after some thought and inspiration from within, those I love, and perhaps a bit of Benjamin Button, I posted my commandments on Gretchen’s blog and made it real for myself. I also shared my commandments with some friends to make it stick even more. The context of my commandments allowed for a space where I could actually formulate this living memoir idea of life exploration I call my Creating Alive blog.

My Commandments:
Act the way I want to feel

Plan and do

Honor that love is all that's needed

Rehearse happiness

It's never too late

Say Yes

Be purposeful

Cut the losses

Return to laughter

Embrace failure

I think it’s a great idea for all of us to create these types of commandments. They could be established either internally or in writing. I personally believe in the power of writing things down, so that is my obvious preference.

One of the principles I’ve learned in life about being successful is it is a much easier path if you clean house first. This could be metaphorical or literally involve cleaning your car, desk, house, garage, etc. For me I had to come to terms with living inside my body the way I wanted to. I was still taking advantage of my youth and good fortune that I could look reasonably healthy without a consistent exercise program in place. So starting the first week of January, I began a commitment to be healthy with a yoga regimen. Thanks to Jeff for giving me a wonderful gift of yoga classes for Christmas, this made it a lot easier. I committed to one class per week, and warm up sun salutations every day. I’ve done consistent yoga in the past, but usually from a once/week going to class type of regimen. This whole concept of promising myself each and every day would have been overwhelmingly not possible in my previous not-as-purposeful life!

However, when looking at what I wanted (mental and physical health) inside of the application of some of my commandments ( “It’s never too late” , “Plan and Do”, among others to some degree), I was able to formulate a plan I could stick with and be successful in doing. I told myself I’d work on a certain number of sun salutations, plus whatever additional stretches I felt like each day of the week. Then the next week I’d add one more sun salutation to the mix until I reached the traditional 10 (Surynamaskar A and B), as is the standard.

Since embarking on this challenge, I have done at least my daily sun salutations and additional stretches and gone to one yoga class. Though I had to miss one day of a yoga class due to some wacky weekend scheduling, I feel remarkably successful. I also felt strong enough to do a 16 minute interval jog last night.

Upon review of my newfound success, I believe I’m more committed than ever because my heart is in the right place. I no longer feel like I have to do yoga or jog regularly because I should. I really want to do these things because of inspiration. Even inside of a difficult pose, longer run, or just a dark cold morning and I don’t want to get out of bed – I still feel inspired by the healthy life these actions provide me in return for my dedication. I already feel like I have more energy and physical stamina, but I also know this is just the beginning. I can already sense the old familiar power my yoga asana practice invites in the other aspects of life (mental and spiritual). Taking on physical exertion, practicing breathing sequences, and sticking to a regime are all a daily reminder of my internal strength and commitment to life itself. Now that goes way beyond a mere workout. I really could dedicate a blog solely to the benefits of yoga as a whole, so there will more on this later.

The Challenge

Every two weeks I will focus on a specific principle. It may be a spiritual, philosophical, or some sort of pop-psychology principle, to be determined by me. Each posting may or may not consist of my observations on the current principle, but the majority of them will be.

The reasoning behind choosing to select such an ambitious goal for myself is that I’ve found life to be better, even easier, when I’m focusing on something larger than the day-to-day concerns of my life. Even as my writings will always come from my vantage point, providing a guiding principle as a framework should prove to be fulfilling.

Inside of this task I’m giving myself, I can’t help but think, who am I to take such a thing on? Surely I will fail to live up to some expectation. However I soon rest easy as I remind myself of the whole thing about life being about enjoying the process and the only way to learn and grow is to fail along the way. But wait, then I worry further, what if I am so full of crap and people call me out on it? This one has me really terrified. We all want to be accepted by others. Yet the fact is, it’s impossible to please everyone. And so, with a heavy heart that is scared to open itself up to the world, I will embark.

Today’s google gadget “Quote of the day” is perfect for such an occasion, courtesy of Jack London: You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.

The Beginning

I spontaneously got this idea to create a blog that will serve as a forum to share my experiences in taking on a purpose-driven life; which I’m beginning anew for this year. Sure I’ve taken seminars, been coached, and gone back to school for classes more times than I can count. All those times have been learning experiences that have gotten me to where I’m at today. What makes this time different? Well, now it feels more like all my living that’s been done so far has combined with my present self in such a way that I’m confident in my ability to actually live a purposeful life. This is compared to just trying it on and walking away. In a word, I haven’t done anything this drastic since I took on the Landmark Forum Introduction Leader training several years ago. Only now it’s different.

Now it’s as if all that I learned back then, and every other day before and since, has culminated in such a way that I’m coming from a place of being that is a contented person who can expand and grow. So, what will I explore?

Along with continuing to work full time in corporate America, getting married, and going to grad school, I will also be taking on the role of an ontologist of sorts, with myself as the focus. Ok, for those close to me, nothing new there, I’m often pondering this or that about life, what it all means, and how to relate to living. At this point, the distinction is: I have no clinging to any specific goal that I believe will magically improve life’s experience somehow. I’ve really absorbed that the living, the process, is where it’s at. So why not enjoy it, explore it, and write about it?

It’s been my experience that writing down thoughts is helpful in so many ways. First, it actually helps me process what it is that I’m mulling over and physically and emotionally experiencing. I truly feel as if creating sentences is much like speaking or chatting to a close friend, it helps me to know me. So why not share it and make myself accountable for continuing the joy? I will create a space where if others happen to stumble upon it and get something from it, then great! Or I could even get a response from someone that contributes back to me. And so goes the whole blogosphere. But in a word, it’s more like a soul-o-blog-o-sphere…or would that be a blog-o-soul?

Sure formal writing has it’s places…and that’s not my intention here. Much of what I will share will consist of ramblings. Don’t worry I’ll leave out my personal garbage ramblings; you know, the kind that might occur in one’s morning pages, espoused by the influential creativity guide, Julia Cameron. As a general rule, my topics will primarily be about living a life of purpose. To me that means being intentional, taking yoga, my health, and spirituality to new and meaningful levels, and being full of compassion and gratitude for myself and others in the process. Afterall, if you don’t enjoy the ride of life, what’s the point of aspiring to goals if I already know the story and outcome?