Practicing

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In January, after one of my quarterly trips Buffalo Exchange to sell and donate clothes, I had an epiphany.  If I “am” my possessions, why am I constantly getting rid of them?

What does that say about me?  “I am constantly getting rid of me?”  Why do I have so much of myself that I don’t need?  Which brought me to the next question – what, in life, do I really need?

I’m sure you already know the answers.  So, then and there, I made a decision to do something that I previously considered radical.  I would not buy any clothes until June.  I love clothes! 

Then, after looking at the giant pile of other miscellaneous junk waiting to be chauffered off to the Goodwill, Gregory and I decided together to not make any purchases, besides necessities, for our entire household until June.  No clothes, no shoes, no gadgets, no art, no CD’s.  Zip, zilch, nada!

Our start date was February first, and, with the exception of an Easter Lily ($6.49 at Trader Joe’s – brain fart!), we have kept our word.  It’s been really exciting, not just to see the savings add up, but to know that we can set a limit and stick to it.  

By my calculations, after a couple years of whining that we didn’t have the money, we’ll have enough to reupholster some chairs that are in dire need (darn kitty claws).  Who knows what other seemingly monumental task will be within our grasp?  I can’t wait to find out!

The picture is what our garden looks like in June, full of flowers and lush greenery.  Right now, there are some weeds and a few sprouts.  I think I forget that we already have all we need – with a little patience, the blooms reveal themselves!

I first began practicing yoga about eight years ago.  I dabbled with different videos and “live”classes, but was never very serious, at least, not until I discovered Shiva Rea.

My introduction to Shiva Rea was with the Yoga Shakti video on Amazon about two years ago.  I was immediately intrigued by the possibility of creating my own practice by selecting from the different series of vinyasas on the yoga matrix.  Since then, I have also added the Fluid Power Vinyasa Flow and the Creative Core Abs to my collection.  Each DVD gives me myriad possibilities for my practice, including degree of difficulty and length.

However, the best part about the videos is Shiva herself: strong, graceful, and powerful.  She radiates peace, love, and joy.  I find myself inspired by her, learning to approach yoga in a completely different way by connecting my practice and my life.  Before Shiva, I was “doing” yoga, but here, I feel myself evolving and actually “being” each of the asanas, all while growing stronger, too.  It is really quite wonderful.

It is funny, too, I created the title for this entry before deciding that I wanted to include a picture of Shiva, so when I did my Google search, I found her website and it is called Shiva Rea: Yoga as Conscious Evolution.  Kind of an interesting coincidence isn’t it?  Her presence in my life extends far beyond my practice.

Who knows?  Maybe one day, we’ll even meet.  Until then, thank you Shiva.  Infinite blessings upon your path…

www.shivarea.com

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