Gratitude

Everyday last summer, I wrote a gratitude list in my journal of all the things I felt grateful for that day.  I would do it first thing in the morning, the minute I woke up.  Even if the thing I felt grateful for was my bed or sleep or something deeper than that, I wrote it down.

This summer, I have been so so so so busy!  Every single day, it seems that I have scheduled myself down to the second with things to do, classes to teach, private students, massage internship appointments and have forgotten to set aside some down time simply to feel grateful.

Today, I got the chance to sit in stillness and beautiful things started happening.  I woke up naturally for the first time in a while (usually it is to the sound of my horribly annoying alarm clock), then I strolled into the kitchen and made breakfast (tofu sauteed with onions, pinto beans, and broccoli with corn tortillas, avocado and Mexican Salsa.) and coffee (still refuse to give it up...but I'm being gentler on myself with that one).

I sat at the table and read my horoscope for the month.  Susan Miller of Astrology Zone informed me that this month is bound to be full of opportunity, and now that Mercury is no longer in Retrograde, I don't have to worry about the strings of energy pulling at me all day long.  Things will flow with ease in the coming weeks and it won't be as much of a struggle.  Good news!  Last month was difficult in terms of communication and also with my efforts to want control.  It's time to let go now.

After reading my horoscope I went to Dharma Yoga for their 9:30 All Levels class.  It was so powerful, beautiful and exactly what I needed...as it usually is.  The teacher, Denise, was incredible.  I resist new teachers sometimes because of my own karma I guess, but it was so worth it to expand my horizons.  She asked us to envision someone or something we felt grateful for and hold them/it close to us during practice.  She told us to see them as an angel.  Doing this exercise really helped in some of the more difficult poses (and there were several).

Then, I went to Acupuncture.  I realized I had not gotten a treatment since November!  It was really lovely.  Laura Matthews at Neighborhood Acupuncture Project is the best!  When she felt my pulse, she told me that my Liver energy was stagnant.  I asked her what she meant and she told me that it could either be that my future goals were not being realized or that I was trying to control other people....yes.  Correct again.  She gave me some herbs to balance this out. 

Then I got a Thai massage.  Oh man.  That stuff is incredibly powerful. I need/want more of that in my life...maybe to learn it even!!

When it came time for me to teach Yin Yoga that night, I felt so full and grateful that I had acted so kindly toward myself the entire day. 

Here's to more days off/days where I treat myself really really well