Happy Giving Thanks Day!

Yoga SUCKS!

Now that I have your attention.....

Ok, yoga doesn't REALLY suck, but man sometimes when I am in class and attempting to twist up in some pretzel-like pose that EVERYONE else in the room seems to be able to do with ease, I find myself wondering why the heck I'm there.  Then I wonder how much of a ween would I appear to be if I just unpretzeled myself and went home.  Right about then the instructor will make some comment about how glorious and bright and beautiful we all are, and then I am madder still because she or he has just ruined my vision of leaving in a huff, my righteous indignation tossed over my shoulder like a magnificent cape.

Then I have to ask myself, "Why am I so mad?!"  It's hard to determine in the moment, what with all the pain and sweating and such, but upon reflection I realize that yoga challenges me to push my own limits, physically and emotionally.  By being asked to do things I don't think I can do, and certainly cannot do easily, my inner critic begins to chatter and say not very nice things about me.  So then I feel resentful at the teacher, the other students, the jacked-up thermostat, anything that can displace my sense of inadequacy in that moment. 

What's the reframe, then?  Mostly to just chillax and realize that I am both doing the best I can, and I am there to do better, which is naturally going to involve discomfort.  It's about learning to celebrate where I am, and yet not get too comfy in my present location.  Remembering that no one is born a yoga goddess, and that I may not ever be as amazing as some of the people around me, but I have come a long way and can reasonably expect to go even further still.  Besides, I am in control of whether or not I relish the experience of being in class or resent it; no one is making me be there, and no one else controls how I feel about it!

Oh, and as for that yoga pose in the picture?  I can't do that......yet!

Nature's reframe

I was driving around town after work a couple of days ago, in the throes of rush hour, frustrated by the traffic and making a mental "to do" list for when I got home, including wondering if I could get a walk in before the rain started and wondering if I would die of starvation if I went for a walk before eating (hey it could totally happen).  There were cars everywhere, and I found myself wondering if everyone had traveled great distances to arrive at this precise point and time just to thwart my efforts to run errands before the monsoon started.  Well, ok, I didn't actually KNOW there would be a monsoon, but the clouds looked pretty menacing....  Anyway, as I was spinning all sorts of stories in my head about my situation, I looked up and spotted a faint rainbow that spanned the storm clouds above me.  In an instant I was awed and grateful for a sight so lovely, and glad that the rush hour traffic had allowed me to be at that precise point and time to see it.

And so we begin...again......

Ok so it's four months later and I am working on post number TWO, chuckling wryly at my own timidity and reluctance to really give this a go.  Like I said before (yeah, that's right, way back in January), reframing is a skill we ALL need, me included!  I have been circling this blog thing for a looong time now, feeling pressured by my own amorphous expectation to "Say Something Important and Helpful."  And of course feeling not equal to the task, or at least being afraid that I won't be able to deliver on my self-imposed title of World's Most Awesome Blog (we all have delusions of grandeur, too, right?), I just stopped writing!  So, after some consideration and reflection, I decided that I was approaching this from a decidedly unhelpful perspective.  Maybe instead of pressuring myself to write volumes of heady, profound stuff, I can just write a sentence or two.....relay a situation that struck me as a good reframe, or a good CHANCE for a reframe......  That feels more doable, so I am going to give that a go.  Oh, and also I am going to send this to, like, actual PEOPLE who might read it and respond.  I'll be back!

And so we begin....

Well, here I am, launching into cyber space, typing to no one in particular, but hoping in time someone out there will find me and think that what I have to say is interesting and helpful.  Even better, maybe a bunch of someones will share with me what THEY have to say!  It's a new year and I imagine many of us are thinking about making some changes in how we think, feel, and behave.  In my own journey I have found the ability to "look on the bright side" an invaluable gift.  Don't get me wrong, I can put my cranky pants on one leg at a time like everyone else, but overall I am able to find the silver lining in things--a skill cultivated through years of practice.  So, from time to time I will write about situations and people and events that have required me to change my perspective, and hopefully this will build a community of people that can contribute to the discussion and share experiences from around the world!  Let's face it, the need to reframe things from negative to positive is something we all have in common and something that does not usually come naturally.  So stay tuned, keep reading, and share your thoughts!