2.14.2012

be {still}

being still is so very hard for me.  i am always doing SOMETHING.  my leg is constantly bobbing up and down, i fold clothes while i watch tv, i'm thinking of the next thing on my to-do list when i'm trying to focus on what i'm currently doing.... sometimes i even do all of THAT at once. ;)

really, the only time i'm 'still-ish' is when i'm at church or in a movie theatre.  it's rude to be on my phone in church, and it's against the rules in the theatre ;)

my mind consists of one big checklist, and i'm looking forward to the next 'thing'.

i know that's wrong.  i KNOW that.  yoga is making me face what i already know about myself:

i need to learn to be still.  to be present.  to just breathe.

as they say, i need to 'stop and smell the roses'. 

every year, my husband and i make a birthday video for our daughters.  it's kind of their 'year in review.'

when our youngest had her 1st birthday, we included this song:


one of my favorite lines is: 'saw a flower growin' in the middle of the sidewalk, pushin' up through the concrete, like it was planted right there for me to see.'

there is so much beauty in this world.  i need to remember to be PRESENT.

i need to BE STILL.  i need to breathe in whatever moment i find myself.

unfortunately, i can't make it to the yoga studio every day.  i really wish i could!  last night, i was practicing at home.  i rolled out my mat, lit a candle, turned off the lights, cracked my window (i love the smell of winter) and turned on my yoga playlist.

i was laying in 'corpse pose' when the below song came on.  


i've been struggling a little in that the 40-day is almost up (today is day 37).  yoga will be a part of my life forever, but it's a little hard for me not knowing what my schedule will be, etc..  

i am very proud of how far i've come since this challenge began (will write more on that later), but i'm finding it difficult to look at how far i've come and not how far i have to go.

*see?  i'm going on a tangent... i'm not being 'still' in my original thoughts... ;)

ANYway, i was in 'corpse pose', and i felt the wind blow in my room.  i know it was a windy night, but i really felt like it was God.  reminding me i'm not alone.  that i have help.  that i CAN do this.


-until next time,
j

2 comments:

  1. Jeri, I can really relate to your struggle to be still! I find myself running through my to-do list over-and-over-and-over in my head, under the pretense of trying to decide the most efficient order to do it all. Meanwhile my list is on a constant loop until I get myself all worked up! Yoga has made the biggest difference, even if I'm only learning to be aware of it so far!

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  2. Learning to "be still" is very much on my mind now, too. I don't do yoga (yet....), but I'm trying to teach myself to "be still". I even put an alarm alert on my phone, just to remind me every morning - to "be still and know that I AM GOD". Thank you for your beautiful story, helping all of us realize again the joy and peace that comes from being still. I love both of the songs you shared. You are my hero, and I love you so.

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