Resonating Moments: Lessons From the Week
Welcome to the second edition of "Resonating Moments." Each week I share one lesson from parenting, teaching yoga, practicing on my mat, and simply living life. My intentions for sharing these lessons are twofold: (1) to make a personal effort to record moments that resonate or ring true (Chime) with who I am at my core, and (2) to offer what I have learned in hopes that you can relate and share about your experiences in the comments below.
Here's what I learned this week:
Lesson from parenting: I have finally come to accept that it is impossible to rationalize with a 4- and 2-year-old, especially when they are mid-temper tantrum. Trying to do so only builds frustration and a sense of failure to parent and communicate. We now have a list of "house rules" that hangs on our refrigerator to resort to when my little loves don't want to cooperate. Surprisingly, the girls are responding to this approach very well. In fact, Demetra and Zoe take pride in rattling off the rules from time to time. Leave me a comment if you would like to learn how my husband and I went about this process and are enforcing the rules. It's not easy, but it is proving to be worth it. Also, share if you have a similar approach that works in your house.
Negative thoughts are just noise, not truth.
Lesson from life: I had a "rich" week of life lessons. The one that resonated most came from a dear friend with whom I was having a heart-to-heart conversation (you know, the kind of deep, honest, put-it-all-out-there-talk you can only have with a really, really good friend). In response to my sharing about some negative thoughts that were rocking my confidence, she so beautifully and wisely said, "Those thoughts are just noise, not truth." Her words seemed to magically zap the power right out of those thoughts that had such a grip on me. And now, I have the most perfect mantra to repeat when negativity tries to take over: "Noise, not truth." I invite you to take these words for your own when you are ensnared in a web of negative thoughts. They have helped me tremendously!
Lesson from teaching yoga: I have observed that yoga students generally TRY to avoid using props (especially yoga blocks). I did the same thing when I first started practicing. I didn't want to look weak or let others see me "needing" help. Then, with time, as my practice taught me to drop my competitive and perfectionist thinking (I don't claim to accomplish this all the time and in all areas of my life), I learned that yoga blocks create tremendous possibilities in our poses. They help up twist more, ground more, reach more, open more. They provide stability. Interestingly, the more I emphasize to my students how blocks represent possibility and are NOT a sign of one's limitations, the more people are willingly using them. Blocks rock! Leave a comment if you want some guidance on how to experiment with using blocks to get more out of your poses.
Lesson from my mat: I had the sheer delight of practicing with a friend I have not seen in quite some time. Breathing and moving in and out of poses in sync with a friend is a powerful form of connection. I received the benefits of deeply connecting with someone I care about while also connecting to myself. I need to get some more yoga dates on my calendar!
Perhaps some or all of these lessons resonated with you as well. If so, I’d enjoy learning how! Please share in the comments below.
Other Tidbits of Inspiration and Information
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: These words stopped me in my tracks. More self love—we all need and deserve it. Why is it easier to show compassion to others than to ourselves? Share your struggles and/or successes with self compassion in the comments.
Good Reads
On Motivation:
Life coach Amita Patel provides hands-on advice about how to stay motivated to achieve goals in her post "How to Stay Motivated When You're Not in the Mood to Do Anything." What I appreciate most about this post, is how Amita identifies fear as the biggest culprit "behind our motivation, time-management and general life struggles." She goes on to say, "Many of us unconsciously believe that we 'should' be doing something other than what we want, we procrastinate to avoid pain, or we don’t believe we deserve to take time for ourselves." Talk about cutting right to the chase! Great post to read if you want to jump start past efforts.
On Building Confidence:
Jessica Lawlor's post about the power of the four words "I believe in you" on her Get Gutsy blog is a feel-good, inspiring read. Jessica shares how, after hearing a yoga teacher she admires say those words to her, she felt "an instant boost of confidence, happiness and excitement." I love Jessica's story for the confidence she gained from that experience, but also because it reminds me to say those words more often to the people I love (especially my husband and children), to my friends, my peers, and my yoga students.
On Empowerment:
A friend recently introduced me to Women For One, a website where women are invited to tell their stories and support other women in their efforts to "inspire action that will transform the way they live, love, and learn." Check it out. You will feel uplifted and empowered! And maybe even inspired to share your story!