A double shot of espresso would be nice too! But hey, I missed you last month. I hermited away and shut down from technology as much as possible. In an effort to keep centered and balanced, I frequently do take breaks from social media and other forms of tech. But this does not mean I wasn’t busy, oh contraire mon frere.
March was dedicated to mindfulness, at least in my book. I jumped on the Mindful March bandwagon last year when I did the month long mindfulness and meditation program offered by Love Your Brain Yoga. Meditation can feel intimidating to many, I know this because I hear from people, clients, who say sitting still is too much for them and they can’t turn their brain off. I get it, really I do. And I’m here to say that not every meditation is easy for me either and I love silence and sitting still, all of that. There are days when I just can’t and I have a bad case of monkey mind. It is completely normal to have days where you struggle with this. Here is something to remember, we cannot turn our mind off. Our brain is going to constantly produce thoughts because that is what brains do. We can, however, become less reactive to those thoughts, over time, with practice. It’s like training a puppy.
Consistency is key here. There is no right way to meditate either. Sitting in lotus on your zabuton cushion, incense burning next to your Buddha statue, candle glowing and Ravi Shankar on the bluetooth…..NAHHHHHH. Ok, well that is ONE way to practice meditation.
It is more likely that you will grab a comfy seat on your couch while laundry is going, your dog is trying to get comfortable on your lap, Fed Ex is ringing door bell and oops, forgot to silence the phone. Doesn’t matter where or what it looks like. What matters is that you come back to the practice daily, or as often as you can for as long as your time permits.
Breathe in and breathe out, thoughts will happen, and we release them, they happen again, release again, so on and so forth. You will notice over time that you are sitting longer, breathing deeper and responding to your day with less stress, anxiety or worry.
On March 18th I co-hosted an event with my friend Melissa Berenson and Ladies Night Network. This event was meant to raise awareness for people living with traumatic brain injuries and brain health. We had a small gathering outdoors, food, wine. It was the first time I publicly shared my brain injury story. The story of my eldest son’s motorcycle accident that left him with a TBI (traumatic brain injury) and his recovery. This experience is my “why” for taking the virtual LYB yoga training last December so that I may offer accessible yoga to people affected by TBI. Showing the documentary, The Crash Reel, the story of LYB founder & Olympic snowboarder Kevin Pearce, was part of my training and commitment to the cause. There were some tears that night and there were plenty of smiles too as this remarkable group of women came together in the spirit of learning and supporting community. If you would like more information about Love Your Brain and the phenomenal work they do, visit them at www.loveyourbrain.com.
The month of March also brought a new office space for Restoration Bodywork. Same location, different room with a view (of a parking lot but that’s ok, I swear you can hear the ocean!). And just beyond the door is the new yoga space for private and semi private classes opening this May!!!! If April showers bring May flowers then these class offerings are a bomb bouquet of wellness. Yep, Yoga for Wellness private and semi-private classes that are designed to be accessible to those who need to work on specific issues in their body or maybe just discovering yoga for the first time. Stay tuned for social media blasts on upcoming class schedules and all the necessary info for increasing your wellbeing with yoga.
April is a month for awareness. First thing that comes to mind is awareness of our planet. Earth day is April 22. It doesn’t take large action to make a difference. As with most things, start small, stay consistent and remember that every little drop of awareness makes a difference. Last year I purchased lots of metal straws and refused to use plastic ones. I even gave metal straws as gifts. Picking up trash is a good one, buying less single use plastics, shop at One World Zero Waste. It’s the little things!
Stay mindful, keep aware, put some goodness back out there, take care of yourselves body, mind and spirit!
Namastay healthy,
~Elisa~