Rain Drops Keep Fallin'

Rain...smell it, feel it, play in it, love it.

If you're like me, the rain must bring out the child in you. I personally get in a creative and child-like mood in this type of weather. Something about the puffy dark clouds, the thunder, and lightning along with cool drops of water awakens my senses, making me come back to life. A surge of energy rushes through me (and no, not because I got struck by lightning--though that would be quite a story to tell).

All too often, I think we as human beings tend to take for granted the nature that surrounds us. This beautiful show of change between seasons, between day and night, as well as the behavior of wildlife is a sure reminder that change is definitely happening everywhere all the time; and we can't stop it.
Because we get so busy in our lives, we rarely find the time to be grateful for what surrounds us. We can even find ourselves complaining that life is moving too quickly or that we don't have enough time, or even that we can't change certain things about ourselves as much as we'd like to.

We cannot change change. We cannot stop the circle of life. We cannot keep from getting older, our loved ones from passing on, or the clock from ticking. We just have to learn to 'accept the things we cannot change, to change the things we can, and to be wise enough to know the difference'.

The rainfall, the sunshine,the wind, the snow, the hot, and the cold can all keep us grounded--accepting life as it is, and learning to live with change.

Remember to always Breathe Deeply, Smile Bright, Play when the time is right, and Live today as if it were your Last. Give in and surrender to the nature that surrounds you.

Much Love,

Ashley

Center Yourself

"My hair is a mess!"
"I can't find my (insert item here)!"
"My pants are too tight!"
"Ughhhhh why can't I do anything right?!"
"Why me???"


If this is you, please....Stop right there, and put down the Oreo cookies! Thoughts like these most likely come from being out of touch with oneself and out of balance entirely. I'm sure many, if not all of us feel this way from time to time. Do you ever think to yourself, "My gosh...I feel so out of it...out of balance...exhausted, etc." I know I do. The past week has been just this way, and I just knew I had to do something about it.

Sometimes we can't help but feel a little blue. It happens; whether it's by fault of hormones, family, friends, or work. Sometimes it's just us being a little too hard on ourselves. As a result, our whole life can fall out of sync. We may reach for an extra sweet snack, we may avoid eating much at all, we may cry, and we may find other ways to "de-stress"... Honestly, none of these things will help the stress levels fall down. In fact, they can actually do just the opposite.

For me, I was so stressed that I wasn't drinking or eating enough to keep me 100%, especially with my amount of physical activity on top of other things. As a result, I injured my knee, just slightly... a couple days later, I didn't feel much pain at all, so I decided to go run again, only this time, I messed up my knee pretty bad. I was so focussed on other things that I payed little attention to my form, my level of hydration, and my need for nutrients.

That being said, I learned that it is absolutely imperative that one must be in tune with his or her mind, body, and spirit. When one of these things is even slightly off kilter, it can throw your entire self out of balance. I needed a remedy...

Meditation can do just the trick. Deep breathing, relaxation, and imagery; possibly even calming music, or maybe even the sounds of nature can be quite therapeutic and helpful while meditating.
Meditation can allow you to tap into your soul and find the root cause of all the problems that have recently developed in your life. It can allow you to get back in touch with yourself so that you may continue on in peace and tranquility.
Ask yourself, and honestly answer, "What is it that is giving me so much trouble?" "Why am I feeling so blue?"
Maybe the answer will come to you right away; and maybe it won't come until after a few meditation sessions...the key is to make it a habit. At least once a day, as little as 10 minutes can be beneficial and helpful to you in your hectic and busy life. It can be in the morning before you start your day, or it can be at night before turning in...it can even be on your lunch break or at some other random time that becomes available to you. It is all about becoming balanced and feeling whole. It's about being like a child, full of life and love. Find your inner peace.

Be grateful every day for the things that you have in your life...
It is good to count our blessings daily, because it keeps us in a mindset of positivity and joy. When we can be joyful and positive throughout the day, things just automatically go right, and the pieces somehow fall right back into place.

May we be grateful and loving today,

Ashley

Breath and Motion

The flow of yoga mimics the continuous flow of time, space, and the elements of life. It is an ancient practice of India which has since taught physical, mental, and emotional discipline to those who observe, follow, and apply.

Balance is an evident need in our lives. Once again, I point out that stress is huge in this day in age; therefore, it is great to find ways to alleviate that stress for better health.
Yoga has a way of keeping a person grounded and relaxed. The various poses, asanas, and sun salutations work together to purge the body of toxins (both mental and physical ones!)which may be keeping that person from feeling their best. Yoga is not a religion itself, and is therefore accepted across the globe by many different cultures. Although some people do yoga without connecting spirituality, others use it as a form of meditation or prayer. To some, it is solely a form of exercise, but to others, it is perceived as a much more in depth practice. For those who have learned to love yoga and do it often, you'll find that most, if not all of these yogis practice for the mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual benefits it can bring.

I was first introduced to yoga when I was a freshman in high school, close to 5 years ago. Once a week, my Physical Education class would be a yoga class for an entire semester. I found that after every session, my mood, mind, and body were somehow rejuvenated and refreshed enough to get me through the rest of my day in school and after school.
Once my freshman year was over, I continued to do more and more yoga. I found youtube videos as well as DVDs that took me through step by step sequences and taught me more and more things I didn't know. It was a great learning experience for me. I was learning how to connect all physical and non-physical parts of me with one another.

I stopped doing so much yoga between mid sophomore year of high school and junior year, but picked it back up again when I realized how much I missed it. If I go even a week without doing yoga, I still feel sore after an intense session sometimes...but I like the art and flow power yoga the most, therefore my body is pushed more than if I were to be doing hatha yoga, which is the traditional form. There are many types of yoga out there. You just need to find which one works the best for you.

Yoga is great for quieting the mind and listening to only your body. It is a wonderful way to connect with all things present and omnipresent. Yoga is for people of all ages, races, ethnicities, etc. The constant and simultaneous flow of breath (pranayama) and movement help us learn that our body, heart, mind, and soul all work together to keep us functioning and well so that we may live long, healthy lives.
"Holding the poses we learn to link the mind's intentions with the body's movements and the breath. Even introducing yoga into life on just a weekly basis offers a respite to free the mind and body from stress, releasing blockages in the muscular, nervous and glandular systems."-yogawarrior.co

My favorite poses are the ones which require a lot of balance, flexibility, and coordination. I personally love the challenge. It helps with concentration as well as with learning how to overcome any given obstacles one may encounter throughout their life.

A few to try:

Scorpion

Kings Dancer

Dancer

Crow/Crane

Side Crow/Crane

And many other arm/leg balances

You can find a variety of poses and sequences as well as much information about yoga and its benefits at http://www.yogajournal.com

I urge you who have not attempted yoga to try a yoga class, video, or group and see what it does for you, and your entire being. You may find that your first time isn't pleasant, but continue to practice, and you will learn to love what you are doing.

Learn to love, and love to learn.

May your week be filled with much love, joy, peace, and many, many smiles.

Namaste,

Ashley

The Beautiful Truth

What is beauty? Well, according to dictionary.com, beauty is:
the quality present in a thing or person that gives intense pleasure or deep satisfaction to the mind, whether arising from sensory manifestations (as shape, color, sound, etc.), a meaningful design or pattern, or something else (as a personality in which high spiritual qualities are manifest).

Personally, I believe that true beauty flows from the inside out, rather than the outside in. Outside-in beauty is considered artificial beauty, and has no real significance.
We are living in a world where material/temporal things seem to matter much more than spiritual or emotional things. It seems that true values have diminished, and many of us only care about the next greatest film, the most popular song, the newest cosmetic products, and so on....

So, what has happened to our true sense of what real beauty is?
It seems to have been hidden behind layers of facial products and even more layers of hair products--all in attempts to "make" oneself 'pretty'.
Women (and some men) feel that it is the end of the world when he or she has a new pimple on display...I have been one of those--but I was recently told by a (my definition of beautiful) woman that "acne builds character"...and it truly does.

Instead of focusing on how we look on the outside, we must foremost focus on how we look and feel on the inside. What covers our soul cannot be beautiful if the soul itself is dark and empty... We were each given a body upon conception, and it is our body until death. Whether we like it or not, it is ours, and we must take special care of it by eating right, exercising, breathing, laughing, loving, and living our lives to the absolute fullest.

One does not need artificial beauty to become loved and appreciated by others...for artificial beauty itself is empty and is never satisfied. When one is beautiful and content within him or herself, his or her full and living beauty is illuminated across rivers, seas, mountains, and streams...it matters not what he or she wears or looks like when they have this real, genuine beauty.

It is so important to take a good look at yourself in the mirror, and then imagine turning that body of yours inside out to see what you really look like... Is everything a healthy, pink and glossy color and texture? ...or is it just the opposite?
Stress, poor caretaking, and other factors of the like can affect the way we look and feel, inside and out...so, my challenge for you is to go, look into the mirror, and tell me what you really see.

May true beauty be yours,

Ashley