On yoga...and spirituality...

Down dog, up dog, warrior one, warrior two, crescent lunge, child's pose. 

Some of you may recognize some of these yoga terms, others may not. They are all terms used to describe certain poses done during a yoga practice. 

Whether challenging your balance, your coordination, your strength or maybe your spirit, the benefits of yoga are too numerous to mention. For me lately, it's been a place I've been going to, at the end of a busy week, to stretch not only my limbs but my psyche as well. I've found a great sense of peace and a calming effect that yoga has on me. 

One of the core elements to Gundersen Health's Balance Your 7 is spirituality. 

For some, there is an obvious place to find this, a church or place of worship is where you seek comfort. For others it maybe in the company of nature, or fellow friends. I find myself enlightened in multiple places, one of which is while practicing yoga. Lately the positive energy in my classes has been almost palpable, something that lifts one's spirits, especially needed during this dreary period of weather we have been experiencing. I look forward to gaining physical strength with each class I attend, but also I find I've been looking inward and finding out a bit more about myself too. 

Self discovery and growth is not the side effect I thought I would find in a sweaty yoga class, but when struggling to do dancer pose or going up in wheel, I learn a bit more about who I am and how I can continue to travel in the same direction or change course if need be. There are many mottos to live by, many ways to live. Yoga may not be for everyone, I'm so thankful I found it and it found me, may I continue to grow with each practice. 

I feel like someday my soul will thank me!

Want to learn more about yoga?

Room to Grow

While coming up with topics to address for the Balance Your 7 Blog, the category I tend to struggle with the most tends to be Spirituality. It's not because I'm not aware of the aspects found within this topic according to the Balance Your 7 website :

Spiritual wellness: Search for meaning and purpose, actions match your values and morals, find peace and harmony.

• Explore your individual spirituality
• Spend time alone
• Meditate
• Be tolerant of different beliefs
• Keep a clear sense of right and wrong

I try to incorporate most of this in my daily routine, although meditate is something I need to strive to do more often. What I struggle with is how to grow within this category. I try to find meaning in my daily interactions with people, yet I should reflect more on what those are and try to do this daily. I have an opportunity to spend alone time, and try to find minutes of solitude. Some days are easier than others. As a family, we have found a place of worship that we feel comfortable attending, but we have chosen not to make this a priority in our lives at present, a decision both my husband and I agreed to. I read the occasional book related to growing in spirit. One I've just started is called The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. It's not the type of book I usually read, but it came recommended and might lead to some new personal insights or a fun discussion.

So at this time, I feel like this is an area that I can grow into. 

If given more time in my week, I would really like to look into having our dog become certified for the pet therapy program in town. If this were to happen, the two of us could visit local hospitals, nursing homes and schools. I've been witness to the comfort and joy that a therapy dogs brings to people in critical situations. They visibly relax and shed their troubles, if only for a short period of time. Our local Humane Society offers the necessary training to have your dog qualify for this program. I feel that not only would he benefit from interaction with others in new situations, but I would truly enjoy the experience. It would be a way to share the joy my dog has brought to our family, and what a wonderful way to get out into the community. Now to take a deep breath, and find the time to make this goal happen! I know that as person in need of spiritual growth, this would be a great seed to sow!

Searching for the spirit of the season...

I'm making a confession here. 

 I am so NOT in the holiday spirit. 

I have zero excuse as to why either, and it's starting to make me sad! I have every reason to be thankful, happy and excited for Christmas, but just cannot seem to get into it. 

My kids are at perfect ages, so excited about the lights, and the tree, decorations and of course Santa. There is snow on the ground and it helps totally set the scene. My house is decorated, stocking were hung with care, St. Nick has already visited. We've been to our first holiday party already, celebrating with friends and drinking good cheer, and yet, nothing. Maybe it's because I've left too much to do for the past few weeks. Maybe it's because I haven't wrapped a single gift, or addressed one single Christmas card. 

I'm hoping a magic Christmas "whammo" will strike and I'll find myself humming along to carols and anxious for December 24th. But in the event that does not occur, I'll still follow the holiday routine. I'm baking four dozen cookies for a cookie exchange. I'll probably wrap a few presents during the next few chilly days. My Christmas cards are stuffed and waiting, so they will find their way to friends and family. I'm going to dedicate my radio to the holiday station and practice Christmas songs on the guitar. I hope my kids' enthusiasm will rub off and I'll be as jolly as old St. Nick himself come tomorrow. At least, that's the gift I want most this year! 

How about you? Are you ready, festive and loving December? If so, please feel free to share what makes you so into the spirit of Christmas. I went and revisited the spirit dimension from the Balanceyour7.com website and here's what it said:

Spiritual wellness: Search for meaning and purpose, actions match your values and morals, find peace and harmony.
• Explore your individual spirituality
• Spend time alone
• Meditate
• Be tolerant of different beliefs
• Keep a clear sense of right and wrong

Maybe I'm missing the true meaning and purpose. I guess I'll have to keep searching!

Our spiritual journey leads to a church home

I know I have blogged about our family and it's spiritual quest to find a church that fit. Well we have joined a local church and have enrolled the kids into its Sunday school program.

So far, so good.

While I have stayed home with our youngest, our two older kids really loved going to school with some of their fellow school mates. Our 5-year-old's biggest complaint was that it wasn't long enough! I think we can take this as a good sign.

But more than the social pluses we are seeing, we have joined a very welcoming community, which, in turn, has helped our spirituality grow. I'll be the first to admit that I won't be attending every Sunday, but I don't feel like I need that. Yet for others this is an essential part of their every day or every week.

However you find yourself spiritually, it took our family quite some time to find a place that suited our needs and gave us a sense of comfort. It was worth it, and I hope we continue to grow together and keep learning from this experience.

TRI Like a Mother!

I've done it now.

I've gone and committed myself to competing in a triathlon this weekend.

Ok granted, I am not doing all of the swim, bike and run, I'm competing as part of a relay team. I will be the one running, sweating and cursing, across the finish line.

My husband and I are traveling to our dear friends' town this Labor Day to visit and compete in this race.

My husband will be competing in his second tri, and I have been convinced to compete as well. I love the idea of doing any type of exercise, but I also like the idea of adequately preparing for it too!

Oh well, it will certainly be a character builder and I'm sure we will have a blast during the process. At least this is what I keep telling myself. Doing only the running part, I have the least to complain about anyway.

I was also assigned the task of coming up with our team name. Every cool team needs a name! Several options were presented "The Cold Turkeys," "Momshells," "Tri Ineffectas." But the overall winner is "TRI Like a Mother."

And you can bet I will!

Here is some training advice for busy moms.

Heaven got a great angel on Monday

On Monday I learned that a fellow high school classmate had lost his five year battle with brain cancer. He left behind a wife and three young kids.

This is a guy I will always remember for his huge smile and positive outlook. We went all the way through grade school, junior high and high school together. He also happens to be the first boy I kissed. Although I haven't seen him in almost twenty years, his passing still makes me sad.

I know that I hugged my family a bit closer, and realized just how precious and sweet life can be. Two things I know for sure, heaven got a great angel on Monday, and cancer sucks.

Our spiritual health

After moving to the area a few years ago my husband began the process of church shopping. We had both been raised in a Christian-based church, but had not gone on a regular basis in years.

He felt it was important that we introduce religion to our children, and let them chose their faith or church affiliation when they got old enough. It is also such a great way to find a sense of community, especially when you are the newbies.

Thus began a Sunday morning adventure a few times a month. Many different churches were explored, some felt comfortable but others were like stepping into a foreign land. Eventually a fit was found, and I tagged along to a service. There were many familiar faces, and our kids recognized friends.

I'm more comfortable taking a walk in the woods or doing some yoga to find my spiritual comfort zone, but I do agree that for the sake of the kids it's nice to have a foundation to start from. For now I think the church shopping is over, but we found that this area has a very welcoming, varied faith community.

But sometimes there is nothing like a good hike in nature to revitalize your spirit!