Meet Pain and Pleasure, Your Biggest Motivators Part I/II

Meet Pain Your Biggest Motivator.
Image credit online.wsj.com

Every action that you take in your life is governed by two words that begin with the letter P – Pain and Pleasure. Understanding the two Ps and how they work in your life is a key step to figuring out why you do the things that you do, and what you need to change to truly live the life of your dreams.

Why do so many people talk about changing their lives but do absolutely nothing about it? They talk about how stressed they are, they talk about how messed up their lives are, how they wish they could leave their job for something better, how they wish they could leave their abusive relationships. And yet at the end of the day, they do absolutely NOTHING. In fact they feel more upset and angry with themselves for being unable to take the first steps towards the life of their choosing and the life of their dreams. Could it be that they want to change the way they relate in the world without addressing the underlying reasons or causes for their behaviour? Is it possible then, that that could be the real issue that needs to change? Behaviour after all is symptomatic of a belief or emotion. It doesn’t exist in isolation.

Quite simply, you see the bright blue sky on yonder and know in your heart of hearts what you need to do to get there. But the thing that stops you is PAIN. The pain of trying and then failing. The pain of trying and then losing. Think about it. You’ve been in that abusive relationship for years, and you want better things for yourself. But in your heart of hearts you know that leaving might eventually cause you the pain of not having anyone in your life after this. What if you don’t get anyone? What if you have to live alone for the rest of your life? If that isn’t pain I don’t know what is.

Pain may not always be debilitating. In fact, pain sometimes can be your most powerful motivator. It happens when you decide that enough is enough. You are no longer going to take any more abuse. It’s that magical moment when you wake up in the morning, look at yourself in the mirror and realise that this can go on no longer and action starts NOW. Many people have been driven to overcome incredibly trying circumstances only because they reached that level of pain, where they realised that there was no other option but to change. Did you ever have that moment when you realised that you didn’t want to be the only one in your group of friends who couldn’t fit into that pretty dress or have a boy ask you out because you were really that fat. Wasn’t that the key moment in your life when you decided enough was enough?

More coming up in the next posts, stay tuned!

How Can You Love Yourself More?

What are those sweet and simple ways that you can love yourself more?
Give yourself this gift today of loving yourself the best way you can!

Todays’ Buddha Doodles on Mystery

Illustration credit with thanks to Molly Hahn and Buddhadoodles.com

Today’s Buddha Doodles, on Fear.

Illustration credit with thanks to Molly Hahn and Buddhadoodles.com

Spread the Love Y’all

I’ve got Jason Mraz’ s “Everything is Sound” running in the background to go with my freshly brewed filter coffee, and he’s the inspiration for my post today

While I was putting together this post, I realised how grateful I really am for the many things that are there in my life. It’s true that my parents weren’t necessarily around to love and protect me the way that I would have liked them too. It’s true that I have a string of broken relationships behind me, and many a mistake that I wish I could go back and change. It’s also true that many years of my life were lost in a downward spiral of clinical depression,where I was lost to myself, and lost to others too.

I know that some of the scars are lodged in deep and need to heal a little bit more. But you know what?! . I CHOOSE not to dwell in in what could have been and what might have been. I have CHOSEN to be free and be happy with my space, and for me that has been the difference between falling apart and healing myself; and getting my life back together again.

I am grateful for all the life’s lessons that I have received. I am appreciative of all the love that I am able to give and receive. And I love my life for all the beautiful things and special people that are already there now and in it. I am also constantly reminded of my purpose in life which is to spread as much of the happiness and sunshine around through the work that I have chosen to do.

Spread the Love Y’all. There’s plenty to go around twice over, and then some.

God Bless!

©  Jason Mraz, Irene Lopez  and An Urban Mystic’s Blog, 2013

Today’s Buddha Doodles, on Gratitude

Illustration credit with thanks to Molly Hahn & Buddhadoodles.com

Today’s Buddha Doodles, On Doing Unto Others

Illustration credit with Thanks to Molly Hahn & Buddhadoodles.com

Bryan Kest’s Power Yoga Workout

I don’t know about you, but I’m a sucker for workout videos! Simply because I get the benefit of a complete exercise experience without having to venture anywhere beyond the warm confines of a place called home. I don’t have to go through the trouble of picking out workout gear, getting myself ready, finding my way to the gym, making sure I look fairly presentable before and after..blah blah blah. In other words, way too much hassle for something that’s actually supposed to be enjoyable!

Bryan Kest correcting a student’s posture in his Power Yoga Video series

In today’s post, I’m absolutely delighted to feature a full Power Yoga workout courtesy Bryan Kest. I stumbled upon Bryan’s video on youtube a few days ago, and I’m so completely delighted with it’s look and feel. Bryan has been practicing yoga since 1979, and has been teaching from 1985. He is also fundamentally known as the creator of Power Yoga, and is additionally also a pioneer of donation based yoga classes( Super like!).

“My primary objective”, says Kest, “besides turning more and more people on to a healthier, more peaceful lifestyle that continually challenges them to grow, is to teach a system of exercise that fully integrates the body, mind, and spirit.The combination of body and mind creates an incredibly broad range of fulfillment, including top physical condition and a calm, peaceful, clear mind.”

It’s really vital when you do yoga that you have a good teacher. With a good teacher, it’s easier to get your foundation to the practice set up correctly and properly. For the uninitiated , yoga is not just about twisting and contorting yourself into different postures , but it at it’s very roots, is a very complete and satisfying system of approaching life, and navigating it’s many ebbs and flows with calmness and equanamity.You learn how to breathe properly, develop conscious awareness of your body, expand your ability to focus and turn inwards, and also, as a happy afterthought ( it could even be your main goal) develop a lean, firm body with consistent practice and application.

I hope you enjoy this video as much as I do. Like everything else in life, success comes with consistent practice. Go through the video initially, once or twice to familiarise yourself with the format , instructional style and visual presentation. Start slowly, and go only as far as you can go with comfort.  Stop when you can’t do any more.  With time, you’ll be able go further and experience yourself in deeper ways. Have fun and let me know how you’re getting along. Namaste!

Bryan Kest Power Yoga 1 : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SY5qGREnUi0

Bryan Kest as he is today.
http://www.poweryoga.com/

Today’s Buddha Doodles, on Love

 Illustration credit with thanks to Molly Hahn & buddhadoodles.com

Healing the Family Tree

Healing The Family Tree.
Image credit 67notout.com

You’d be surprised at the things you inherit from your ancestors. You don’t just share their physical characteristics. You share their emotions, their drive, their intellect, their passions and yes, their illnesses too. Genetics is powerful. Which is why it’s so important to understand and acknowledge the role of your ancestors in your physical, mental and emotional existence. In the words of the ancients, we are the sum and parts of all who have gone before, the ones who surround us now, and the ones who are yet to be born. Our souls are linked from across time and space in very real and palpable ways.

It’s important to really look at our family structure dispassionately and objectively to see for ourselves whether we can trace the origins or roots of our difficulties to our family tree.  Closely examine the male and female ancestral lines in your family. Do you see a pattern in your disharmony?

Our beliefs and emotions are ingrained in us from our childhood as a result of the interactions with our family and significant others, and our own direct experiences. Our parents in turn, are the products of the feelings and emotions of their parents and significant others, as well as their own direct experiences. These emotions and feelings get passed down through the family line from one generation to the next along with the physical makeup and structures unique to the induvidual lineage.

If your great-grandfather suffered greatly during a time of great war and persecution, you may have inturn inherited the several inexplicable fears and anxieties with which you’ve been struggling your entire life to resolve. Perhaps your family history is littered with accounts of sudden traumatic deaths , miscarriages, or various types of addictions, as a result of which you indirectly struggle with issues of fear, guilt , infertility and disease.

If your family history is fractured with negativity, it does not mean that it is irreparable damage and that all is lost! There are ways and means of healing yourself and moving forward with your life. All that is required from your side is a willingness to make peace with the past. Whilst a skilled healer can help you uncover the roots of discordancy in your life,  it is still OK if you do not have access to one. Each one of us is capable of healing ourselves, and doing a darn good job of it .Patience and persistence is the key. There are many ways to release yourself from the inherited pains of your ancestors , and a very simple way to do this is by honouring your ancestors and allowing them , quite simply, to heal you.

Altar for the Ancestors, image credit kiwimojo.com

Create an altar with pictures of your ancestors or atleast visual representations of them( if you have no pictures or prefer not to use them). Line the altar additionally with spiritual objects that bring you happiness and peace. Light candles, burn incense and feel the air of the room start to clear. Once you’ve done this, genuinely reach out to all your ancestors. Appreciate and honour their beautiful and continued presence in your life. Thank them for sharing their thoughts and feelings with you. Ask that they heal and take away all the illnesses and pain that do not belong to you so that you may be free to live your life with peace. And finally thank them for their release and seek their blessings.

This ceremony looks rudimentary on the outside but don’t allow it’s simplicity to dissuade you from it’s efficacy and power. If performed with a true heart and pure intentions, honouring and acknowledging your ancestors and having them heal you can change your entire life for the better.

When our past is a fundamental aspect of the reason for our existence , it makes sense to make peace with it, if only to make a better present for ourselves and an even happier future for our children.

Namaste.

© Irene Lopez  and An Urban Mystic’s Blog, 2013