a little ahimsa

I learned a beautiful word today, ahimsa. The yoga practice of non-violence, as it applies to all living beings.

The essence of ahimsa is non-violence of our own heart. The violence we inflict on each other is only the outward manifestation of the war raging inside ourselves and it is only by stopping the war within that we can stop the war without. 

Violence is manifested in actions, in words and in thoughts. Thoughts of guilt, shame, resentment, disappointment all have a seed of violence within them. Words like *should* and* must* are the same. When we are unable to forgive ourselves or someone else, when we carry resentment; when we expect far too much of ourselves and put the responsibility of the whole world on our shoulders; 

– GaiamTV.com

Ahimsa, sanskrit अहिंसा, from a ‘non-, without’ + hiṃsā ‘violence,’ is one of the five yamas (which give us basic guidelines for living a life of personal fulfillment that will also benefit society) which emphasizes being non-violent, non-injuring, to all living creatures, the earth, and ourselves. It is important to note that protecting ourselves and others does not violate ahimsa. Practicing ahimsa, or non-violence means we “take responsibility for our own harmful behavior and attempt to stop the harm caused by others.”(yogajournal.com)

I think that the practice of ahimsa on the mat and in our daily lives is essential to healing, especially for those suffering with anxiety and depression. I know from experience, the intensity of the guilt and disappointment that comes with anxiety disorders – it is so hard to forgive yourself for things you can’t even control and that can be so frustrating. Plus we are constantly being “violent” to ourselves. You don’t deserve that, you deserve peace of mind. You are beautiful and deserve love from others and yourself. But sometimes that’s hard to do when you’re mind is telling you otherwise. I think that is why meditating and practicing ahimsa is so important to those suffering from negative thoughts and anxiety.

Personally, I’ve always had a hard time with emotional boundaries. Besides attempting to accept, love and forgive myself for my own anxious feelings and thoughts, I’ve always taken on the emotions and journeys of everyone around me, and that’s helpful and hurtful. Mainly – I’m not going to lie – it’s exhausting! In my energy sessions, I’m learning to break the ties and put up boundaries, so that I only accept the positive energy, kindness and feelings from others, so I can therefore focus on my journey and be kind to myself.

Daily yoga practice, I’ve found, is the best way to harness positive energy and now I am excited to bring the practice of ahimsa to my mat. Focus within and meditate on acceptance and peace, do not force poses, accept and love your body and your thoughts. Each morning I breath in-and-out with the affirmation of “have courage and be kind.” I want to tap, accept and emit energy of kindness and non-violence, ahimsa. I found this great article from GaiamTV that really expresses how to practice ahimsa in your daily yoga practice:

On the mat, intend to practice non violence in action and perform the poses gracefully without force. Intend to respect and love your body’s limitations. Have the intention to practice non violence in your mind. Watch and become aware of your thoughts and see if there are any that contain seeds of violence towards you or another. Once you’ve become aware, you won’t need to push it away, just recognize it, watch it come to your awareness and watch it leave. Thoughts come and go. It is by holding onto them and repeating them over and over that they become the source of our violent actions, or violent words. If you just observe them, without reacting to them, you’ll see that they will leave your awareness as easily as they came. – GaiamTV.com

The practice of ahimsa is also greatly intertwined with my newly vegetarian (or vegan) diet. All day I’ve been researching the benefits of a plant-based lifestyle. There are so many reasons why I have decided to become vegetarian (and hopefully vegan down the road), but really what it comes down to for me is, I want to be healthy and live healthy, and I no longer want to be part of something that harms animals. Not to say I am not fully accepting of anyone who wants to eat meat – we are each on our own journey and on this blog I am simply sharing mine. I am on this path of “courage and kindness,” and the pull to to be part of this lifestyle is just so strong, I want to fully embrace the practice of ahimsa, and this is what it means for me.

When I saw that word today, ahimsa, I felt this circle connect, it’s an energy that I want to hold on to. What does ahimsa mean for you? How can you practice ahimsa in your life? Think how the world could change with this practice.

So for today I invite you to join in this practice of ahimsa, non-violence, for whatever it means to you. Bring it to the mat and meditate with compassion for others and especially for yourself. We all need to be surrounded by strength, peace, & kindness, and we need bring kindness to others. 🙂

Well I’m off to watch a delightful hallmark movie, I hope you have a peaceful night.

~little flannel flower~

Resources:
http://www.gaiamtv.com/article/ahimsa-yoga-practice-non-violence
http://www.yogajournal.com/article/yoga-101/beginning-journey/

Protea, give me strength

Meaningful Monday: Protea, flower of strength and courage

My eyes were shut tight as I began my morning with a “focus” yoga session. As I took a deep breath in today (well as best I could I have a bit of a cold) I felt overwhelmed. I wanted to block out everything, all the thoughts that were swirling around in my head. The knots in my shoulders twisted and my chest filled with air. I stop. I know the air is supposed to be going into my belly for a better, deeper breath. It feels so natural that the breath would go there first. Always a fight or flight response first, that is what I am working on, to fight.

I adjust, shoulders first, letting go of the yesterdays that have caused this. Letting go of the boss that mistakenly thought it was okay to be hurtful. Letting go of fear of making the wrong decision. I turn my neck to one side, then the other, no longer needing to be confined to the upright position. I touch my fingers together in a “mudra,” (used in Hatha yoga) creating an energy seal that sends a surge of power though my body. I feel connected. And last I relax my eyes, weary from tears of weeks past, but not without their light. My eyes still hold their light because I will not give up.

With my exhale, I felt strength.

Strength, my mantra for today. I asked for strength in life to handle the burdens we have been handed. Strength for my family and friends in their lives. Strength to be confident in my decision to move home, which I officially decided yesterday. Strength to look forward and soar, flying towards happiness and peace. Courage to tell my friends and others my decision, and the strength to look at this situation as a chance to heal, and what better place to do that then home, where my heart is.

My flower for this Meaningful Monday, as you probably guess is the flower of strength and courage. The King Protea Flower, the South Africa National Flower.  A flower for those with courage, to overcome big problems, or accomplish a hard task or duty.

A little about the Protea,

“Greek legend tells us that protea were named after Proteus, the son of Poseidon. A sea god who had the power to know all things past, present and future, Proteus would change shape and transform to hide from people seeking his insights. Protea Flowers come in many shapes and forms and therefore this flower symbolizes diversity, courage and strength.” – expressoshow.com

I think the Protea represents all of us. We are all constantly changing shapes to thrive in this world. Morphing and adjusting, building strength and courage. Though the core of us stays the same, true to what we believe in, I know that I am always learning, always finding I am stronger than I ever knew, and so are you. We all work so hard everyday to be happy, or reach a goal, or help others.

This morning I laid my head upon the mat,folding into child’s pose, releasing my burdens through breath out of my body, and breathing in the strength for this day and the next. I felt the power within me and I invite you to do the same. Even if it is only 5 minutes, 10 minutes. Take some time for yourself to adjust, make the changes in thought you need for the day and embrace it.

~little flannel flower~

Resources:
http://www.expressoshow.com/articles/Flower-Meanings-.html?articleID=3922
http://esromart.hubpages.com/hub/Flower-Meaning-Strength

meaningful mondays

Good morning! I hope you are having a beautiful day so far!

I was thinking back in my floral design class yesterday why I have always been drawn to flowers. I think it started with a beautiful moment in my life during meditation about 5 or 6 years ago. I remember I was sitting in the stillness, listening closely to my body and feeling the joy of the breath. In the silence I imagined, in such detail, a beautiful white flower. The petals were soft a exquisite, each petal opening slowly as I took each breath and letting go ever so slightly at my exhale. I was entranced, I felt an overwhelming sense of peace.

After my meditation I described the flower to my mom and she was shocked. She knew exactly what the flower was. What I was seeing was the Lotus Flower which is a big part of yoga practice. I swear I had never seen or heard of this flower before and there it was. That fact that I was looking at the image online as I had seen in mediation was amazing, my little lotus flower emerging from the mud so beautifully.

After that I wanted to learn more, I felt connected.  The Lotus Flower is native to Tropical Asia and Queensland, Australia it is commonly cultivated in water gardens. The Lotus has many different meanings in many different cultures. Some of the meanings include purity, divinity, rebirth, creation, compassion, beauty, knowledge, wisdom, light, life and enlightenment.

In yoga practice the Lotus Flower represents purity and a spiritual awakening.

The Lotus Flower begins its life growing in the mud. Surrounded by dirt and other obstacles, it must push it’s way toward the light to emerge from the darkness and blossom above the water, opening it’s petals to the beautiful world that surrounds it.

“The lotus is the most beautiful flower, whose petals open one by one. But it will only grow in the mud. In order to grow and gain wisdom, first you must have the mud — the obstacles of life and its suffering. … The mud speaks of the common ground that humans share, no matter what our stations in life. … Whether we have it all or we have nothing, we are all faced with the same obstacles: sadness, loss, illness, dying and death. If we are to strive as human beings to gain more wisdom, more kindness and more compassion, we must have the intention to grow as a lotus and open each petal one by one. ” 
― Goldie Hawn

For me this was what touched me. Dealing with social anxiety a lot of the time you feel “stuck in the mud,” or “lost in the darkness” and emerging from that each time is what makes you stronger and beautiful like the Lotus. There is something beautiful to be learned from hard times and this little flower reminds us of that. I loved it so much I even got a lotus tattoo on my wrist. It reminds me everyday to breathe and that through the tough times we will all emerge and grow, guided by the light.

So this is the first of many Meaningful Mondays.  Each flower evokes emotion and symbolizes different things in our culture. Every Monday I’ll be bringing you the meaning of new and inspirational flowers – plus what better way to learn their names too!

I hope you have a blessed day full of warmth and love.
I’m off to do a little yoga practice, I’m feeling inspired. Namaste 🙂

~little flannel flower~

Resources:

http://www.ndsu.edu
http://www.lenamadsenyoga.com/the-lotus-flower/

The Story of the Lotus Flower

floral inspiration

my little flannel flower.

I wanted to give you some background on why the Flannel Flower has helped to inspire me and this blog. The Flannel Flower has been chosen as the symbol of mental health awareness in Australia and this is me bringing the symbol to you. Mental Health Awareness is something that is very important to me, as I have been living with Social Anxiety Disorder for around 10 years now.

It’s funny, I’m actually thankful sometimes that this – excuse my language – bitch of a disorder, is what I was given to deal with. Let me explain – Now I’m not saying dealing with SAD doesn’t completely suck – not being able to sit through your sister’s graduation, or missing one of your best friend’s weddings? Those are tough days that have changed me and shaped my life.

But for those of you who suffer from mental health issues of any kind, have times you feel discouraged, sad, overwhelmed; do you also have moments when you look back at what you went through and say wow, I am so strong to have made it through that? I do. That’s how I feel today, at this moment right now, and I am blessed to feel this strength. That’s what I hold on to.

I hope you do have these days too, because you are so strong and brave.

Australia’s Mental Health website states:

The Flannel Flower, as with all native Australian plants, needs to be adaptable and enduring in order to survive. In the same way all of us, regardless of our life circumstances, develop resilience and the ability to adapt to change, in order to maintain good mental health.

That is a symbol I can stand behind. I think that is what I’ve learned more than anything through all of this. I think changing, growing and accepting everything life throws at us, is how we find peace and not only survive each day, but thrive each day. The Flannel Flower is a beautiful flower that is the first to bloom after the ice melts. 

The entire plant is covered with a soft, silky down, and it has velvety white petals tipped with sage-green. The leaves have a lot of character, and are tipped with a grey-green colour. The Flannel flower, because of its soft texture, encourages contact and is thought to help people express their feelings verbally and to develop sensitivity.

The Little Flannel Flower is there to remind us to take a breath and stop the constant stream of thoughts flying around our heads. I wanted to start doing yoga every morning and so I began #30daysofyoga with Adriene. I’ve been following the blog Yoga With Adriene (I suggest you all follow her – she’s great!) Yoga helps you reset. Start each day fresh and check in with your body. Take the time to remember what is important and feel your inner strength flow through you. Mental health is so important. Take some time for yourself, exercise, talk to someone, start a blog :), take care of your body and your soul.

I am so glad that this little flannel flower exists because it reminded me that beautiful things can come out of the darkness (or from frozen ice), there’s beauty in the breakdown. 

That is the origin of my little flannel flower, my inspiration. I’d love to hear what inspires you.

~ little flannel flower ~