Dear friends!
I am very fortunate to have just returned home from “summer camp” myself! I was in Encinitas. practicing yoga for 5 days with my favorite Yoga teacher, Desiree Rumbaugh, her husband Andrew Rivin, and the amazing kula she attracts. She calls the retreat; “Raising your Vibration!” It did just that.
Every day we self-reflected on what practices bring our “vibration” down and what practices we could be more aware of that may raise our current vibrational state. We shared our reflections with the group of 66 other yogi participants ranging in age from early 30’s to 80 years of age. It was fantastic! I loved the different perspectives that the diversity of the group brought to our conversations. That said, regardless of our age difference and the various experiences we all had, we all shared in the same spiritual/philosophical outlook on life; and we could all understand and listen to each other.
In today’s post I would like to share with you what brings me down and what I do to raise my vibrational or “energy” state back up so I do not pull anyone else down with me. I will then tie this idea into how being aware of our emotional state can enhance our Pilates practice and any other endeavors we choose. I truly believe that we get good at what we practice, and being aware of the how we practice is just as important if not more important than what we practice.
I can’t count, nor would I want to count, how many times I have heard, “let it go” in my life. Each situation is different and the dynamic of who is involved at a particular moment always plays a role in my personal ability to simply “let it go”… As you may be able to imagine, I can be stubborn and have my ideals. Letting go of “being right” is hard for me! I believe we all, including myself, should soften more and acknowledge the “other side” in an effort to make better connections and communicate with more fluidity. It’s sometimes hard to see it, but I do believe we always have a choice to either insist on our opinion or accept another point of view.
I have a hard time “letting it go” when I know deep down the statement is true and it involves people I care for the most. I typically get so upset that my body also reflects my emotional state. I find myself holding my breath, or my breath is shallow and short. I also hold tension and my muscles will harden around areas in my body were I have experienced injuries in the past. My husband calls this muscle memory.
This difficulty to soften and feel my body connect into what I am doing (such as in the reformer, my mat, etc) affects the outcome and what I get in return from my practice. It’s not simply going through the motions that makes a practice effective its truly being able to feel and participate with full awareness that makes the practice beneficial.
I know deep down how absurd It is when I get so upset, as I know, this state will do nothing for me and the others involved, as it will just bring them and myself down… lowering the vibrational state. Who wants to be down?
In an effort to help myself and others(regardless if I understand them or not) I know that I must engage in things that bring me joy. When I am loving what I do, I react less
because I am relaxed and I am less likely to feel the need to “be right.” Therefore, I know I must find and continue to do the things that fill me up with joy! This is of corse different for everyone. In a movie I just watched, “Ride”, featuring Helen Hunt, there is a part of the movie when Helen asked a friend what he wished his mother would have done when she was going through a tough time. Her friend said, “ I wished she loved life anyway”.
We all go through tough experiences and may even struggle with pain in some form on a daily basis. Should we let those experiences and pain always get the best of us? Always playing victim to our pain and struggle, because we have to be “right?” Ultimately, the choice is up to us! What can we do? There are different answers for all of us as we must inquire within.
I hope you stay grounded in activities that give you joy. In my opinion this will not only help you react less in stressful times but also enhance your ability to connect to your body in your Pilates practice and any other practice worth your effort, not to mention raise yours and others vibrational state!
Ciao Bella,
Brooke
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