Tag: #wellness

The Making Of a Habit

As winter continues in Southern Alberta Canada, I have run out of excuses and time as to why I don’t exercise more.

woman rolling a yoga mat
Photo by Mikhail Nilov on Pexels.com

“ I will start when it gets warmer. I know I have more motivation when the sun comes out and I want to go hiking. Gardening starts to become an obsession and I naturally get more active.”

I have created a habit of procrastination that is now detrimental to my physical health and well being. I can feel myself getting weaker, foggy and often lethargic. My muscles and circulation are screaming for me to wake up and get active. As we age our body is more prone to feel the effects of less movement acutely. All my old injuries of broken bones, torn ligaments and poorly treated body parts from my adventures are racing to the frontline of my outer shell to make themselves heard and put me on notice.

My body has gone on strike until my habits improve. It no longer feels like being lazy and will not tolerate this nonsense any longer.

The biggest challenge to any habit is to get started. It’s easy to organize a boot camp for yourself full of beautifully planned charts, apps and rewards. The tricky part comes when at the end of the day no matter how much work has gone into the planning the realization that no action has taken place rears its ugly head.

So…I have put myself on notice. No matter what the weather decides to do, even if spring and summer never come to my neck of the woods, I am motivated to get moving.

I started last Monday (today is Thursday). 

The conversation in my head has been most entertaining. I swear I have a preteen living in my head with the biggest attitude of stubbornness and sabotage tendencies I know.

Day 1, my alarm goes off. Just a few more minutes of rest and I will get up. It’s the first day of my habit change, GET OUT OF BED NOW!

“Ok, I am up, you don’t have to shout!”

I get my yoga mat set up in my office then find a great Youtube video to follow.

“I need more room, there isn’t enough room in the office to do yoga, maybe we should stop exercising and rearrange the room or get rid of some things” “ We can start this gig tomorrow”.

My response to this inner voice is a big “No”, keep going.

I finish the workout and contemplate changing the office around to create more space. I decide to leave it be for now.

Day 2 and the alarm goes off. I open my eyes and feel too tired to get up. I will just watch a few videos on gardening then work out. I watch a few videos and then realize time has gone by.

Inner voice enters

“ It’s getting late in the morning, we can workout tomorrow. I have other commitments to focus on today”

I am not letting myself off the hook so easily. I drag myself into my office and once again commence a workout in my limited space.

Day 3 and the alarm goes off.

I am beginning to realize that the person in charge is not going to let me get away with avoiding the workout so I get up quickly. Make the bed, promise myself a reward of coffee and cranberry toast after the heavy lifting is done.

Day 4 and the alarm goes off.

Is it Groundhog Day? Remember the movie with Bill Murray?

It would be interesting to be able to replay and redo a day in your life over and over again until you got it right. My hope would be that I eventually figure it out and can move on.

We all know that good habits take discipline and repetition to establish a hold. 

Two key ingredients are to get started and then maintain a routine. 

I am giving myself 60 days to build this healthy choice. Some of my motivation is that my daughter is coming in the middle of June to join me on a little adventure. I want to be in good enough shape to keep up with her hiking. She is in great shape and I admire her dedication.

I know how my body feels when it’s strong. Coordination, core strength, balance and endurance are rewards for keeping up physical exercise habits.

Are you ready to break free from winter and this long period of hibernation?

I know I am!

PS the voice in my head is still there and though it still wants to drink coffee in bed in the morning instead of get up and exercise, it is now actively looking forward to stretching and getting the blood flowing to make the most of each day.

Slow and steady progress creates long lasting changes.

Vertical Green Thumb

Vertical Green Thumb

Spring is in the air! Literally for me as it’s the time of year I contemplate what I can grow vertically. I am intrigued by garden walls, stackable pots scenarios and the arrangement of complementary plants that can grow together.

A few years ago, while I was knee deep into my shaman exploration, I attended a weekend workshop in Ferintosh Alberta. It was held at an eco farm just outside of the small village. I learned many things about meditating with plants and the creation of infusion, tinctures and solar extraction of plant essential oils. I also learned about vertical options for growing complementary vegetation.

This blog, I want to explore options for how to arrange vertical structures for making the most out of small spaces.

Wall Gardens

My husband and I took a walk around the canal area near Venice Beach in California during one of our adventures. I fell in love with how creative the home owners had become with their small spaces. In particular, the wall gardens. They were created from all sorts of materials. Some were cinder bricks stacked up with the holes facing outward where potted plants could be inserted. Others were made out of landscape fabric with various sizes of pockets attached. You can buy all sorts of premade ones but I wanted one with specific dimensions. I am lucky to have a partner who is game to create whatever I can envision so off we went to build our own version of the Venice inspired garden. We got to work with a couple of 2×4 weather treated boards and some landscape fabric. I sewed the pockets together with my limited sewing machine skills and we assembled it with a staple gun. I fixed it to the side of the shed with some screws and then stood back to admire our handiwork.  That was the easy part. The tricky part was finding plants that would not require too much watering. It’s a challenge to keep the plants hydrated in summer with this type of set up. I chose to fill it with succulents for obvious reasons. It turned out to be one of my favorite combinations.

Recycled Air Compressor Planter

My dear husband has a tendency to pick up other people’s abandoned junk. He comes home and asks me what we are going to do with it most often. Being someone who hates to just throw it away I have incorporated a lot of these homeless items into my landscape. Tim got to work making a hole in the two cylinders. We then bolted it to our fence. The depth of the planters created was deeper than the garden wall pockets so I was able to add more soil. I still decided to stick with succulents for easy maintenance.

Propane Tank Planters

Do not attempt to cut holes into propane tanks without the help of a professional. Once we consulted someone we then had 3 holes cut to work with. Hubby bent two metal pieces into a stand that he then was able to attach the tanks onto. The structure stands about 4 feet tall which is ideal. The containers are good sized so I could put bigger plants into them. For now I haven’t attached the planter to any permanent location so it can be moved throughout the yard or onto a balcony. 

Other Vertical Planting Suggestions

I have incorporated numerous pots into my yearly garden designs. This way I can move them around. I can bring in the plants that I want to winter over, which sometimes consist of many plants. It’s an easy way to be able to change your mind about vegetation groupings seasonally or anytime you want to use one of your planters as a focal point.

I use lots of vines in my yard too. Along my fences are ornamental kiwi, grapes, Virginia Creepers and a few varieties of Climtas. I have been on the lookout for a Wisteria to add into the mix.

I have several bonsai trees that I put outside during the warmer season and bring into my office and music room in the colder months. 

The succulents I use in the planters are recycled into small inside gardens if they aren’t able to survive outside in the gardens during the winter.

However you chose to garden, having at least one vertical option, has added to my enjoyment of nature’s bounty.

I am lucky to have a vertical green thumb!

Cementing Fear

I awoke yesterday morning to the doorbell ringing on the side door. I did come out of my coma in enough time to realize that someone was at my door. I sleep with earplugs that work exceptionally well and it takes me a bit of time to come fully awake. 

I jumped out of bed, quickly put some clothes on and head to the door only to see a policeman walking away. I catch up with him as he comes around the block again.

The neighbour’s car has been stolen out of their backyard while they left it running to heat up for a few minutes. The police wonder if I noticed anything. I was oblivious unfortunately as I slept soundly. 

As the day progresses I have the opportunity to speak with the neighbors and take a walk around my yard. I notice footprints to my front door, carport door, sidegate, garage and shed. There are more footprints by each of the vehicles parked outside our home.

It’s becoming very clear that someone wanted to pay me a visit as I slept. When this was unsuccessful they went to the neighbors house. The neighbors said that a woman came to their house in the early hours of the morning. They tried to gain access through their patio door in the back. The neighbor just happened to be up and asked them what they wanted. Boldly the woman said she had left her backpack in their basement and wanted to retrieve it. He didn’t let her inside. He noticed that she had a cab waiting in the front of his house. A cab? She had taken a cab to his house to try and rob him. The cab took off and left her there. She panicked and took off on foot. The neighbor thought that was the end of it and went back to bed.

Later, that morning, as they were getting ready for work the lady came back. She got in the vehicle that had been left running and attempted to drive away. She backed up into the alley and hit another neighbor’s cement block fence. She was able to drive away but one of the kids from the home got in his car and pursued her. He didn’t find her. After driving around a bit they did eventually find the stolen vehicle and reported its whereabouts to the police.

Why tell you all of this?

I have two more sessions of the Dream Yoga series left to attend. In the practice there is a method you can use that involves working with a “Waking Dream”. A Waking Dream is one that occurs live and in living color. An event that happens while you are fully conscious that you wish to explore for any insights it might have for you.

The first thing I noticed was the fact that I slept through the entire ordeal. The car crashing into the concrete fence happened less than 30 feet from my bedroom window. I heard nothing through my earplugs.

Someone was trying to get into my house throughout the night and morning. They were attempting to access my “safe space” when I was most vulnerable. 

In my Dream Yoga session last night, I looked for parallel symbols between my Concrete Dream and the Waking Dream.

In the Concrete Dream, the little girl had told me that I didn’t know the dangers here. 

Do you need to know all of the possible dangers in your environment? 

When does fear of the unknown become overwhelming?

I have lived at this address for almost 40 years. We have seen many changes to the neighbourhood. My kids grew up here and I felt safe enough in the 1990’s to let them walk to school and play unattended. I never, until recently, felt fearful of hanging in my yard. When outside I am always aware of who is around. This is something I would not have considered twenty years ago. I can stay in my house and worry about who might be lurking around the corner of the garage or I can live my life.

I choose to live my life and use my yoga practices to calm any anxiety that might arise. It helps.

Every night before I go to sleep I repeat the Divine Light Mantra.

I am created by divine light

I am surrounded by divine light

I am protected by divine light

I am sustained by divine light

I am ever growing into divine light

It helps me to go to sleep.

The city of Lethbridge has grown and the population has diversified. There are good things coming to fruition and plenty of bad things going on like any other urban community. The homeless numbers have intensified and they seem to have become bolder. Across the street from my house many have hung out in the past and did drugs right out in the open with little consequence. Phoning the police usually doesn’t amount to anything. You have a drug service come and pick them up but they just come back.

Breaking through the concrete…

Concrete gives you a sense of solid security against danger. In the Concrete Dream, the little girl trusts her carefully crafted cement steps. She doesn’t have to guess where they lead because she already has explored the path many times. It’s a practical existence that is perceived as being safe and secure but with enough force, the mixture can crumble or crack and the sense of safety collapses. 

Outside forces want in. They will try as many access points to gain entry as is needed. 

What are you going to do about it?

We will beef up our security systems for sure but one thing I refuse to do is live in fear or move away from the home that my husband and I have created here. To sustain a healthy mind and spirit, you have to manage fear. It’s important to be aware of danger to a certain point but letting it control your life can become crippling.

PS

The neighbor said later that day that the lady who stole the car was let go immediately with a notice to appear in court on a certain day. There really wasn’t any consequence to what had happened.  That is another discussion that I am not going to embellish here.

Trying New Things

There was a cancellation this morning and I was able to get into my first deep water workout. Yay!

Well, let’s just say, at nearly 56 years old, I was one of the youngest in the group. I don’t know what I was expecting but, suffice to say, I was expecting more. Sure, I got to hang out in deep water for 50 minutes and move my body. When the water dumbbells were brought out, some resistance was added so my arms, back, and chest got a bit of workout. I think I’d have preferred to work with the dumbbells the entire time. I wanted….more. I like the feeling of being utterly spent after 50 minutes of exercise. I didn’t get it.

I watched as the next group came in for the aqua fitness class (the one for which I was originally registered). They were even older! Is this my demographic now?

I’m not ready for the slower fitness classes. I want to lift weights and punch bags. I want to work on increasing my bone density, flexibility, and strength. By my age, both my parents were starting to feel the effects of arthritis. I don’t have that yet. I want to keep it that way.

Tomorrow, I’m signed up for a Strength and Restore class. I’m hoping it’s a weights and stretching class. I’ll let you know.

And So It Begins

Newly minted Recreation Pass in hand, I went to the website to sign up for the classes I want to take this coming week. There are three leisure centers relatively close to me. In all three centers, the Deep Water Workouts are already fully booked for the next week.

Lesson learned. Sign up for those early. It seems we can only book a week in advance, so you can bet I’ll be on the website looking to sign up for the days I want to go the following week.

I love the water – being in it, near it, listening to it…it stills my soul. I’m by no means a strong swimmer as I never figured out how to breathe properly and thus end up light-headed when I try to swim laps. I’m OK with that. I can happily tread water as long as I want.

So, to keep myself accountable, I’ve signed up for Aqua Fitness on Monday, Strength and Restore on Tuesday, Aqua Fitness on Wednesday, Total Body Workout on Thursday and Pure Cycle (which I’m assuming is a spin class), on Saturday. I’ll report back on each of these classes after I take them.

I’m going to give each of the classes offered a try – even those designed for 50+. I don’t think I’m ready for those quite yet. After all, I was an avid crossfitter for 4 years and then took up boxing for the past 6 months. However, the injury to my knee might be telling me it’s time to slow down, though my mind refuses to believe it.

I like that classes are offered at various times of day. Now that I’m freelance, I can fit exercise into my work day. Once it’s in my calendar, it’s sacred time. One thing I’ve learned over the past couple of years is to make time for me and keep it. My health and wellness, both mental and physical, are important and cannot get depleted.

Now, it’s time to go find a swimsuit so I’m ready for that Aqua Fitness class tomorrow.



Follow Your Heart

Dream Yoga as a practice to understand your higher self.

Concrete Dream #4 Blog

If you have followed me along on my interpretation of a dream I had while at residence at Yasodhara Ashram, thank you for having interest in this journey. I have had some very meaningful dream sequences in the ashram setting. I attribute the depth of the details in the dream visions to my ability to be open to receiving wisdom. It’s easy to do while staying in the community as it seems like the universe is eager to impart any knowledge it can when I am in a receptive mood to unpack it.

In this week’s dream yoga session, I explored further into the symbolism behind the “red tunnel”. My intuition is leading me to think that I should pay attention to following my heart. I have learned about myself that I tend to retreat to safe ground when I get stuck. I have so many unfinished journeys that I have started in my life. 

What’s stopping me from moving forward?

I have been thinking about blood flow. In the red tunnel that I find myself and the little girl in the dream, there is blockage. I meditated within the tunnel and as I did rocks and debris fell around me. The sides of the tunnel are coated with “Plaque”. It felt like I was building a layer of calcium to make the passage almost impassable. Why am I making my journey harder? What am I still resisting? I sit longer in the tunnel, practicing patience. There appears to be a golden glow coming through in cracks. I am thinking about divine light and what it means to me. I breathe in 4 times slowly and steadily. Hold my breath for 4 counts then release the breath for 4 counts. As I release the breath I chant “Absorb the light”. 

I know I have within me all the tools I require to make my way through this tunnel and lead the little white haired girl to the blue chairs.

I imagine that I have a rock pick in my hand. The rock pick symbolizes discipline and persistence needed to chip away at the build up around my heart. The build up that surrounds my ability to trust myself and others. I can open my heart. I am confident I know how.

Again I breathe in the light, hold the breath to intensify the light’s ability to break down my barriers. Push out slowly and like a magnetic hold onto the light’s soothing balm. Allowing it to be absorbed into my heart and my soul.

OM NAMAH SIVAYA is a sanskrit mantra that roughly translates as an appeal to destroy all ignorance and illusion that stands in our way. A plea to remove obstacles to obtain greater clarity of our higher purpose. Sometimes obstacles are things in which we are very attached to. They can be habits, things, people, values or ideals. Asking to rid oneself of these things we have held as valuable is not an easy path to follow. You chant the mantra to ask for them to be destroyed. Trusting that you are making way for something more akin to your higher self.

This week, I plan to chant the above mantra to help focus on the destruction needed within the red tube.

To add further assistance I have drawn on my Mudra cards. These are oracle type cards that have instructions on how to arrange your hands in certain gestures and pressure points. They relate to the chakras. I have chosen a gesture to practice on increasing my ability to trust. It’s called the Chinmaya Mudra. 

The variety of yoga practice available is astounding. Once I started to explore options, I realized that I had only to focus on what made sense for me and most importantly start doing it on a regular basis. Nothing was built that lasted in a day. It takes time, effort, discipline and focus to clean up the pile of rubble I created within my internal pathways. 

Another breath in and I am on my way.

30 Day Challenge

So much is going on right now that this blog hasn’t been a priority for me. I’m going to change that.

I’m undertaking a 30-day challenge to write every day for 30 days – starting today. Again, I love the contrast between me and Vanessa. She’s focusing on dream yoga; I’m trying to get through each day and keep a positive attitude. It’s a struggle sometimes.

I’m supposed to be doing one of two things this time of year. I’m either counting down the days until I’m on vacation (usually to Hawai’i), or I’m already there. Facebook memories is a daily reminder of not being in my happy place right now.

There was no way to book a vacation in advance this year. Martin’s dad is in his 90’s. We moved him here this fall after his wife of 30 years passed away in the spring. We knew we couldn’t plan a vacation because we weren’t sure how his dad would settle in. We decided we’d wait until a week or two before the scheduled vacation time and book a “sell-off vacation”. It sounded like fun. We’d get away but wouldn’t know where until almost the week before.

That changed a month ago when his dad fell, broke his hip, and required surgery. Since then, there have been two more trips to emergency and one more hospitalization. We can’t leave the country. We wouldn’t be able to relax and enjoy ourselves because we’d be worried about him.

So, instead, we’re taking the three weeks Martin booked off and staying home. We’re going to focus on healthy eating by following the Whole 30 eating plan. We’re getting memberships to the leisure centers in Calgary so we can make use of their pools, weight rooms, and drop-in classes. I’ve already bought mine so will be checking out some of the facilities in the days to come. Martin is currently at work for 11 days so he’ll start when he’s back.

We’re also going to spend three weeks together at home. I know this doesn’t sound like much, but we’ve never done this. Martin’s work takes him away 7-21 days at a time. Sometimes he’s home for a week between sets; sometimes it’s 48 hours. He’s usually gone 7 days at a time, but more often than not it’s 10, 11, or 21 days. Three weeks together, at home, will be a first for us in the 3.5 years we’ve been together.

We will get a small get-away. Friends of mine have a home in Canmore, AB and they’ve offered it to us for 4 days. It’s not the tropics, but they have a hot tub, so there’s that.

All in all, it’s a good time to start a 30-day blogging challenge.

Sitting In The Big Blue Chair

Dream Yoga #2 in series

This week I have some dream work to do. Pick a symbol from my dream and incorporate it into a daily meditation or opportunity to use other yoga practices. I am still working with the little girl in the stadium stairwell. I have chosen to explore the adult who follows and then tries to lead the little girl away from the steps.

Here is a reminder of the scenes of the dream I am working with…

“I ask the girl if she is lost?” She replies that I don’t know the dangers here. I quickly retort that I am an adult and she can trust me as well as my ability to make judgment calls. I feel like I have to prove to her that “I know best”. She turns away from me and starts walking up the stairs.

Further on in the dream, after we have been walking for quite some time I see a red waterslide tube. I suggest we take it as I assume it will lead us out of the stadium faster. She reluctantly agrees to try the slide. I go first and she follows. The tube goes up and bends then slants downward. I get stuck trying to navigate the curve. I hear a sigh behind me and then the little girl starts to back up out of the tube. She doesn’t seem upset. In fact I feel she is resigned to the knowledge that I was unable to navigate beyond the tube. That I was bound to get stuck.Once back on the stairs I fall into line with the child and she starts to descend this time.

We don’t talk and with our heads bowed with trudge downward.

A landing appears and it gives us a view of the stage. There are big blue seats that are positioned to face the platform. Rows and rows of them are visible on the horizon. I get the impression that some of them have beings in them even though I can’t see any. The vantage point of sitting in the seats seems to appeal to the little girl. We don’t sit down though. I feel like I am not in a mind space to understand how to “take a seat”.

To give the dream context, I consider my conscious concerns. Why am I thinking about this dream now ( I had the dream three years ago)?

What is coming in my life right now that my inner guru believes I could benefit from revisiting this message?

I have been struggling with how to add value. I felt part of a community the last few years going to the ashram. I promised my husband I would stay home this year and help support him in his challenges. Be careful when you ask someone how they need you to show up for them. It seemed easy enough to say that I would stay home. Yet, here I am, getting very antsy to wander.

I have started winter hiking, even bought a pair of snowshoes. The van is back and I still have some repairs to do on it to get it ready for summer.  I am almost set up to volunteer locally and still connect through Zoom classes with the ashram. Garden season is coming soon and I have started some of my seeds already. 

The adult in me says that all of this should be enough to make my life rich and satiate my hunger for more.

The little girl keeps moving. She keeps searching for more.

I chose to work with the symbolism of the adult me that interacts with the little girl throughout her journey in the stairwell. 

Sitting in blue seat

Today, through actively creating a “waking dream” I sit in one of the blue chairs. A waking dream involves creating visual images in your mind that can be run like a movie. In my visualization, the little girl is beside me in another chair. We are relaxed with our eyes loosely gazing around. I feel a sense of calmness. There is no hurry here. No need to make a quick judgment. I can be patient and let whatever comes reveal itself. I feel that the child is happy and content to bask in the comfort of the soft cushioned seat. We both seem to be very small and can curl up easily to lay down in the cushions. I feel like I am in a cocoon or hammock. The back of the seat is formed from flower petals. Giant lily shaped arms embrace us. I breathe in a citrusy wisp of bliss. I breathe out and absorb the light and wisdom freely given by the chairs’ enchantment. The chairs hold us in a gentle lullaby and whisper encouragement.

The child knows that the chairs are a place she can come and be held in divine light. She was created in the light. It sustains her. Protects her when she feels threatened. It surrounds her with soft warmness and unconditional love. She is growing into the light just those who occupy the seats that are connected by the community.

I am an adult here and yet I feel like an infant. A moment of revelation is upon me. My ego is still very strong and fighting for control. It is in pursuit of selfish service instead of selfless service. The need to be recognized and acknowledged feeds its sense of self worth and value. Why does it matter so much how I go about contributing to my community or the world as long as I act on it. As long as I contribute in some way that helps others it matters not what that ends up being. 

You get ahead most times in the corporate world by being the aggressor. Appearing confident that you have all the answers and can lead others to success. It becomes vital to your very survival to continually show your worth to anyone who will pay attention to you.

You measure your self worth by the feedback you receive from others as to how worthy you are of positive affirmations.

Living a life full of distractions that involve how others think you should act, react and contribute can be tempting.

What if you sat in the “blue” chair with your sweet, innocent and pure childlike self beside you and contemplated life on your terms?

What does she want to experience?

How does she look at the world and her place in it? 

If you let her lead, where would you go and what would you do differently?

I always get so much out of these classes from Yasodhara. If you are curious I recommend taking a look at their offerings or going to visit them. 

It has changed me.

Three Is A Crowd?

I am reading a second book by Robin Wall Kimmerer titled “Braiding Sweetgrass”.

The first book I read of hers was “The Gathering Moss” and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Thriving through mutual growth

A few pages into “Braiding Sweetgrass” Robin dedicates a chapter to what she calls the “epiphany of beans” and then moves onto a chapter called “The Three Sisters”. The chapter talks about compatible planting of, in this case, vegetables that are complementary to each other. Specifically, corn, beans and squash are the ones she mentions. Nature has an amazing ability for reciprocity and finding balance with sustainable relationships. The partnership here starts with the corn. They grow tall and thin with shallow root systems. The beanstalks wrap around the corn for support and take advantage of spreading upward with the cornstalks. The corn seem to accept the hitchhikers and separate their leaves to make room for the bean vines. The Indigenous theory on the “Three Sisters”  states that when planted together these plants can feed the people, feed the land and feed our imaginations by telling us how we can live together.

She goes on to talk about the theory that starts with the planting of the corn which shoots up vertically as fast as it can soaking up water and producing sugars. The bean comes next but takes a different root by firmly planting itself with deep roots before it seeks to go upward. The squash comes later and is last to germinate.The birth order is critical to the successful relationship of the trio. I recommend the read as it’s utterly fascinating to learn about this type of gardening techniques. The method is as old as time and yet not commonly practiced or known.

Further she talks about the intimate relationship between the sisters and how they embrace and support each other in order for the greater good. Without the support of the corn, the bean would be unruly on the ground and at risk by predators. The squash provides shade and reduction of weeds while enjoying the corn provides spots of sunshine strategically placed back on the squash. The corn roots are fine and fibrous and make a shallow network where they drink their fill of water. They provide a channel for the excess water to flow downward to the roots of the beans. The squash taps into the excess and there seems to be enough for them all to thrive better together than apart.

Plants are amazing. Beans grow oxygen-free nodules to house bacterium that shares nitrogen with the plant. This nitrogen enters the soil and helps to fuel added growth to the corn and squash. It has been proven that these plants do better together than grown separately. I am sure there are more examples of these combination growth methods to explore.

I find myself wondering about this phonenom. I come from a family of six girls and one boy. There are three girls, a boy and then three more girls. I am second to the last in the grouping. We seemed to rotate our friendships as we grew. I would hang out with my sister who was two years older than me the most. If I was to label us as plants I wouldn’t say we fit neatly into the “Three Sisters”.  What I noticed is that as we get older the message from the sisters rings true.

Perception Vs Perspective

black and silver dslr lens
Photo by Cody King on Pexels.com

What’s the difference?

I was curious just how different perception and perspective are so I went to trusty Google to take a look. 

Perception– The ability to see, hear, or become aware of something through the senses.

Perspective– One’s point of view or particular attitude towards something.

I found these definitions interesting. Can you use one without the other?

I would struggle to separate the two and yet, I know it can be done.

When I was young, a friend of mine tried to get me to like avocados. She raved that they were delicious if I would just give them a chance. I tasted a piece and found it a bit slimy. It reminded me of white glue. Before you go there, yes, I have tasted white glue as a curious kid. It was understood by me, from that day on I didn’t like avocados. I assumed all avocados tasted the same.

Fast forward a few years to a different scenario on vacation where guacamole was made right at the table. I watched as they added the green fruit and thought “ I am not going to like this”. To my surprise I did like the taste and began to perceive them in a new light. My perspective towards avocados was changed forever!

I have been working through the chakras of the Kundalini system within a course sponsored by the Yasodhara Ashram called Liberation. It’s based on a book called “Kundalini-Yoga For The West” written by Swami Sivananda Radha.

The senses have an important role in each chakra. The course challenges you to unpacked and put them through rigorous tests. To use perception to reach new awareness. Change perspective.

Which am I more likely to believe? The insight I am gaining based on my connection to senses or an attitude (perspective) entrench deeply in my past belief system?

Where am I going with this?

My perception is hinting that there is something wrong. The world doesn’t quite look right for some reason I can’t quite put my finger on it. Call it the sixth sense-intuition.

I find myself less distracted these days with the luxury of not working. That can be a good thing or a bad thing based on your perception and my perspective. 

How can I change my world if I can’t see it clearly? I know I always have choices. Can I trust perceptions to guide me?

There is a quote that goes something like this…

Either you are the master of your life and decide where you are going or you are controlled by your emotions and life masters you. 

You are what you think. You think then become what you are.

A simple exercise to change your perspective is to lay on your back with your feet placed up a wall. How do you see the world now? Do you perceive a difference? If you are able, do a handstand. When your world is upside down does your perspective alter?

Stay in this position and ask yourself “Do I want to build something different?” If the answer is “Yes” then use perception and perspective to build awareness and discernment.

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