Balance & Inspiration in a World of Chaos..Part 1

Inspiring Day doing Yoga on the Santa Monica Pier in LA.

Me...in Child's Pose finding inner calmness....

In my beautiful om scarf...a gift from India..

Yoga connects...my inspiring view from the mat.....

      Hello Loves! Happy Sunday! How are you all today? Hope your all having a great weekend! I had writer's block this week, but tonight the thoughts are flowing so there will be a part 2 in a few days. How are all your September Goals going? Remember even if it's just 20 minutes a day, visit that goal! Mine are going pretty good, I have been keeping up with my deck of positive cards based on the book, "The Four Agreements," by Don Miguel Ruiz, which I'll share one at the end of this post. I have been trying to stay more positive about things I cannot change, whether it be a bad joint day, a bad encounter with someone, & basically just things that are out of my control. I decided that since my Nana's Race is in less than 2 weeks I want to focus on making my legs stronger by running on the treadmill more so than yoga. So I am putting this month's 30 Day Hot Yoga Challenge on hold, because my legs are my #1 priority right now. I am still doing yoga but a little bit less.
   
        So today was a very inspiring & uplifting day with my girlfriends...we attended a Yoga Charity Event called, "Yoga Aid World Challenge,"where we were able to do yoga outside on the Santa Monica Pier in LA. It was so beautiful, the atmosphere, the energy of the crowd, & especially the teachers who led us through our practice. I heard so many amazing perspectives, affirmations, intention suggestions, that I was overwhelmed within the beauty of the whole idea of practicing yoga, & how it truly helps us eternally as well. September has been a crazy & busy month already with school starting, my deadline for my art show, my trying to workout every chance I get to strengthen my legs, my writing, & not to mention having time for my family & friends. I feel as if I am being pulled in every direction, & also I have really been trying to deal with other things within my life that I'd like to change that I am working on, yet I accept things take time. Such as getting back to remission, making some life moves that are scary yet needed, & just finding that balance of stillness within my crazy, yet blessed life.

      So after a week of chaos, I woke up this morning & was able to make the 7am hot yoga class, which was amazing. The teacher is always so inspiring with his words & insights. He kept saying, "Don't worry about what is outside of you, but only what is within of you." I love that, & that was sort of the theme for today in a way. Finding that inner calmness when everyone or everything in your life in anything but. We get so distracted  thinking of the past, like things we regret, or the future & worrying about it, & then we miss out on those little moments of pure bliss. Look, truly we all have a story. We all have different stresses in our life, insecurities, health scares, etc. But it is how we handle them, & not allow it take us over. So today after hearing that in my first yoga practice, I headed to the Santa Monica Pier for the Yoga Challenge with a light heart.

       As we walked down the pier with our yoga mats, I could not help but be excited to see what this was all about. It was a huge crowd with their yoga mats all laid across the pier.The class had just started & I saw people practicing without mats or even yoga clothes on, yet what was so beautiful is they were willing to be a part of the moment, & that was so inspiring to witness. As the class went on, I stretched in downward facing dog, & I just listened. There were noises & distractions all around, people talking, laughing, screams on the roller coaster where  we were practicing next too, but I still was able to focus on the position. Then in our last meditation pose, "Shavasana," I nearly fell asleep with my body limp, (I mean it was my second yoga class of the day...lol) & I realized how crazy this all was. I was in meditation on a pier, in a city in the blazing sun, & with crowds of different noises all around. They were happy noises which helped. It was a Sunday at the beach, so people were in relaxed & happy moods so it was easy to let that sink into my meditation. I took in this moment fully, feeling grateful for being healthy enough to do the class, for the laughter around me, but most of all the calmness that was within me.

           So even though we cannot always control what is around us, we can control what is within us. The chaos will melt away if we are able to block it out at times & not worry each & every moment. So in that today I realized it is all about finding that inner peace, calmness, & balance within ourselves no matter what is going on around us. This morning I was in a quite yoga studio with no music or outside noise, & then a few hours later I was on a loud pier overlooking then ocean, but eiether way I felt just as calm if not more than being in the studio as I was there. And I would not had it any other way. As Mariah Carey says,"If you have peace within yourself, nobody can touch you." So we cannot always have it all balanced or in control, but we can do our best, do not judge ourselves, & just be. I will also leave you with one of my favorite cards that I pulled from "The Four Agreements.

"Your Best is changing all the time.
Your best will depend on whether you are refreshed in the morning or tired at night.
Your best will be different when you are happy as opossed to when you are upset, or healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstances, simply do your best, & you will avoid self-judgement, self-abuse, & regret."-Don Miguel Ruiz