Day 11

I have to be honest, it has been too long since I have done any intentional yoga. I say intentional in the sense that I am setting aside time and space to sink deep into my practice. I have stepped into the odd down dog here and there to work out some tension and to relax, but that is about all. It is not for lack of wanting to, I just don't seem to make the time in my current disorganized state. I have been drifting lately, adjusting into a new schedule with a new job, classes coming to an end, and a handful of end of term projects coming due in the next week or two. It is time to get my act together and make the most of my time, taking control of my own schedule to make sure this happens.

Day 11 Yoga Challenge:

Just like with happiness and anger, we are each responsible for establishing our own boundaries. And then, the harder part...communicating these boundaries to the universe.

I am notorious for having what you might call flexible boundaries. I have a hard time saying "no" when it may inconvenience another. I find myself often in the position of a doormat, taking the mud off everyone else's shoes so they are free to come and go as they please, while I am hanging out with their excess baggage and troubles. I don't resent this, as I love to make people happy and to see them succeed. I simply wish I were more true to myself in the process. As I have been telling others, you can't make anyone else happy until you are truly happy yourself. Essentially - take care of yourself first, it will set you up to better take care of others as well. Now, I am not exactly great at following this advice I so willingly spew out to others.

I have been learning, slowly, to set boundaries for myself and to enforce them when necessary. Speaking my mind has been a recent development that I am still discovering and beginning to appreciate. What I have learned so far is that people are often more at ease when you tell them "no" honestly, than when you say "yes" simply to please them. That truth is a funny thing. So with this challenge, I will continue to work on setting and expressing boundaries for myself, no one else can do it for me.

Day 11 Training Mission:

For these two days, seek to increase your NEPA (non-exercise physical activity). Look around and be aware of every opportunity to use your muscles more, to simply move more. Make it a habit.

I'm inclined to pass this one off as "pah, I already do this by not driving and therefore walking or biking everywhere" but, lets face it, there is always room for more activity. Taking the time to crank out an extra couple pull-ups every time I walk by the rack, sitting up tall in my chair instead of slouching into the backrest, biking or walking instead of taking the bus to work, and doing some yoga instead of mindlessly clicking around cyberspace! This, I can and will do. Some of these missions and challenges are so obviously helpful, but it is so easy to forget them. This journey has been a great reminder to slow down and focus on a handful of small changes that have the potential to add up to something bigger.