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Mind Body Messenger
Issue #32, January 2006
Keeping Up With Heather… Well we’ve
come to that time of year again where we say goodbye to an old year,
and welcome in a new year, with high hopes of a year of great adventure,
opportunity and happiness. This year, we tell ourselves, this year
will be better. This year I will take my career to the next level.
This year I will really commit to my health. This year I will develop
relationships that are more intimate, more honest, and more nourishing.
This year I will sign up for those Spanish lessons, clean out the
overflowing closets, shed this extra 10 pounds, take a real vacation.
For how many years have we set the same goals, written the same
affirmations, and held aloft the same expectations and somehow still
found ourselves at the eve of another year recycling the same old
resolutions from the year before? This year of 2006 (as with all
years) holds so much promise. So, how will we fulfill these important
promises to ourselves this year? The key is to make goals that are
realistic. Optimism is certainly a healthy attitude to take
in making change and in fact, I guarantee that your attitudes and
beliefs about your ability to succeed are a major component in achieving
real success. But, the other key ingredient is making real plans
for your real life that you can really act on, every day. As a person
often accused of being chronically optimistic, my advice may seem
disingenuous, but the truth of the matter is that the key to making
successful long-term change lies in being realistic. If you
want a new career, but have no training, experience or connections,
is it realistic to set a goal to find a new career this year that
will fulfill all your financial, professional and personal desires?
Probably not, but perhaps this will be the year that you take the
courses you need or perform an internship or develop the contacts
that are necessary for your long term goal. If you want to
find that perfect partner, but never socialize, have little self
esteem and even less confidence in dating, maybe waiting for Mr
or Mrs Right to throw themselves into your path is a little unrealistic.
But, perhaps this will be the year where you join some organizations
that will get you “out there”, and will give you opportunities
to develop yourself and your self esteem. If you want to
lose forty pounds, but have little experience with exercise and
have had little success with diet plans, perhaps setting a goal
of losing those forty pounds by spring is a recipe for disappointment.
But, perhaps this will be the year that you do the research and
get the support you need to form lifestyle patterns that suit your
individual needs and abilities; a plan that will not only help you
lose that forty pounds but will also create a foundation for lifelong
health and fitness, so that a year from now you don’t find
those pounds have snuck up on you when you weren’t looking.
When it comes to reaching our personal goals, and in particular
in the area of lifestyle change, weight loss and exercise we can
take our cues from the tortoise, “Slow and steady wins the
race”. When we make too drastic a change in our lifestyle,
the results don’t often stay with us long term. Want to lose
weight, keep fit, and attain great health for the long term? Make
changes that you can stick to long term. What it takes to lose weight
is pretty much the same as what it takes to maintain weight loss,
so keep that in mind especially this season where crash diets can
be tempting.
So, to take the next step in creating a real plan to reach your
goals, take a look at what you want to achieve, whether it’s
a goal for better health, sports performance, a new career, or a
new skill. Find out what it’s going to take to get you to
that goal, ask the experts and plot your course. Write it all down
and keep it handy, just as the captain of ship or the pilot of a
plane wouldn’t tuck their map in the visor (do planes have
visors?) it’s important that you don’t lose sight
of your goal, and the steps you will need to take to get there.
And, the next time we are singing “Should old acquaintance
be forgot…” we will smile, knowing that we haven’t
forgotten, not our goals, not our plans, and not the opportunities
that exist in every moment, in every day, not just on January 1st
but every morning that we wake up and think, today I am going to
be the person I always dreamed. And, with that I am wishing
you well on your journey into 2006, and I will leave you with a
few inspiring thoughts from some very inspiring beings to light
your way. Namasté, Heather.
I know of no more encouraging fact than
the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by a conscious
endeavour.
Henry David Thoreau
The moment one definitely commits oneself,
then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one
that would never have otherwise occurred; unforseen incidents,
meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed
would have come his way.
Johann Wolfgang Van
Goethe
Success is a journey, not a destination
Ben Sweetland
If I had 6 hours to chop down a tree,
I’d spend the first four hours sharpening the axe.
Abraham Lincoln
If you don’t know where you are
going, it doesn’t matter which way you go.
Cheshire Cat in Alice in
Wonderland
Success Strategies Our second in a new regular
column exploring your fitness success. To get us started over the
next few issues I’ve asked a few of my clients to share some
of their success strategies, and I hope that you will not only benefit
from their wisdom and experience, but also share your own stories
of fitness, wellness, and lifestyle success. Shirley
Shirley has lost over forty pounds in the past year by making diet
changes. Although she plans to begin an exercise regime in the near
future, she attributes her successes to some simple changes to her
diet, including:
• Reduced dairy intake, although she has cheese occasionally
for a treat.
Reduced yeast intake, and now enjoys multigrain bread made with
a sourdough rising agent.
Eats lots of fruits and vegetables.
Tries to incorporate more ethnic foods in her diet, especially
Asian foods.
Enjoying lots of different tastes and spices.
Drinking lots of water.
I know, doesn’t sound like much, does it?
But in reference to the discussion on Realistic Goals in the above
column, this is proof positive that long term health means long
term change, and Shirley is a great example of someone who made
realistic plans, and has achieved fantastic results! To share
your success strategies write to heather@yogatrinity.com.
Never forget that your trials and errors as well as your successes
offer a wealth of wisdom and motivation for others! Schedule
Update Well as the snow falls outside my window I am happily
preparing to travel to Australia for the next six months, and of
course I want to keep you all updated on where I will be and what
programs and classes I will be offering. Until the beginning of
February I will be working with private clients in Toronto and York
Region offering Thai Yoga Massage, private fitness training, Pilates
and yoga sessions. Until January 24th I will continue my
classes at Level V Fitness:
- Wed 6-7:30pm Ashtanga Yoga
- Sat 1-2:30pm Ashtanga Yoga
- Sun 10-11:30am Ashtanga Yoga
From February 9th through
July 15th I will be in Australia teaching Yoga Teacher Training,
and travelling a bit around the country offering workshops and private
sessions. For details stay posted to this newsletter or visit www.yogatrinity.com
for updates. I am wishing all my students in Canada a happy,
healthy and joyful year. I have had a wonderful time meeting some
great new people, upgrading my skills, and developing my business.
I look forward to returning to Canada in July to offer a Yoga Teacher
Training program in Toronto, as well as returning to my private
and corporate clients. To keep in touch while I’m in Australia
you can always reach me by email, and I look forward to hearing
from you! YTT Update Australia:
We only have two spaces left in our Australian Yoga Teacher Training
Program, and have extended our registration deadline to January
10th to make room for our last two teacher trainees. For info visit
the trinity website, or to register write to heather@yogatrinity.com
or in Australia call Chris at 02 6253 2824. Canada:
We are planning a 9 weekend non-residential program to be held at
College and Euclid during the months of September, October and November.
Space will be limited in this program, so to voice your interest
please write to heather@yogatrinity.com
and you will be kept updated on all developments in this exciting
program.
Thoughts On…
A Life Well Lived
Take into account that great love and great achievements involve
great risk.
When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.
Follow the three R’s: Respect for self - Respect for others
- and Responsibility for all your actions.
Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful
stroke of luck.
Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
Don’t let a little dispute injure a great relationship.
When you realise you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps
to correct it.
Spend some time alone each day.
Open arms to change but don’t let go of your values.
Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
Live a good, honourable life. Then when you get older and look back,
you’ll be able to enjoy it a second time.
A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for
each other exceeds your need for each other.
Judge your success by what you had to give up to get it.
Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon
Yoga For Mind and Body
Part of an ongoing series offering yoga postures for men, women,
and children to practice at home, school, on the road or in the
office. With special thanks to Ross Pottinger of Wink Photo Design
in Brisbane, Australia for the photos and the support in this project.
And many thanks to Louisa Dick for taking part in the project. Do
check with your health care practitioner before beginning a yoga
practice. Many postures are not suitable for pregnant women, people
with joint replacements, those with hypertension or other medical
conditions. If you have a posture that you would like to see in
this column, I welcome your suggestions. Namaste, H
 To
Begin: Sit with legs extended and feel your sitbones reaching
evenly into the ground. Press the back of thighs firmly into the
mat and reach heels towards the end of the mat.
The Pose: Inhale and stretch arms
up and overhead, lengthening through the front of the body. Exhale
to stretch the body forward along the thighs to bind the big toes
with first two fingers and thumb. Keeping your weight distributed
equally over the front of the sitbones, take a few moments to lift
and lengthen through the front of the body to bring belly button
to thighs, chest to knees, and forehead to shins. Then settle into
the pose and the steady breath.
To Intensify: Hold outer edges of
feet, clasp hands under feet, or bind the wrists under the feet.
Focus on strengthening the front of thighs, keeping inner lines
of the legs and feet connected, and relaxing face, neck and shoulders.
To Modify: Sit on a folded blanket
or blocks if the sitbones do not reach the ground comfortably, or
if there is excessive rounding in the lower back. Use a strap around
the balls of the feet if you cannot reach the toes.
Breathing: Hold 5 deep breaths, allowing
each inhalation to lengthen the body, and each exhalation deepen
the pose.
Focus: Move into the pose with a gaze
on the dark spot between the ankles. After a few breaths you can
close the eyes and focus on the ajna centre.
Cautions: It is important to work
with the concept of surrender in this pose. Although we are gently
pulling to lengthen the body and stretch the back of thighs, be
sure not to overcontract the belly, restricting the organs or overstretch
the lower back. This pose is about creating space in the front and
back of the body. Let the breath guide you into deeper levels rather
than strength or force.
Benefits: Lengthens hamstrings and
calves, supports kidneys and adrenals, stretches the back and encourages
a shift away from the physical poses towards the internal experience. |
