Catching up with the New Year

January comes to a close and it can be a reminder of how fast time can pass us by.

It can be a reminder that good intentions and good deeds require some discipline if they are to be united.

If you think that the first month of the year went too quick for you to execute on some of your resolutions then perhaps it may be helpful to slow down a little.

To take the time to reflect on the month that was so that you may learn from it and step more wholeheartedly into the one that will be.

A simple framework for stepping into our greatness can provide us with an empowering and insightful tool for reflection and projection

A Framework to Support Greatness

Plan - set a plan for what you want from the day, week, month, year ahead.

Preparation - prepare your self and your environment as best you can

Practice / Execute - do the thing, the task, the activity, the work, the behaviour, the action - that's going to get you closer to your destination. Execute with excellence.

Reflect - an opportunity to review our process, to recognise what we did well, where we could improve and how we can make this month better than last (remember that consistency is a key quality - repeating a winning process is strengthening that process.)

The gift of reflection is the power to engage constructively with what we know of our past so that we might learn and grow more strongly into our future.

This can be a step beyond  mindless rumination and disempowering self criticism.

With that being said lets use the same framework to guide our reflection\

Reflecting to Learn and Grow

How did you go?
Did today, this week, this month fee like a win?
Did today, this week, this month bring you closer to your goal?

Did you plan well?

Did you prepare appropriately?

Did you execute with excellence?

Did you reflect consistently, honestly, productively?

What challenges did you face?

How might you handle those challenges better in the future?

Does anything else seem helpful of relevant as you look back on the month that was?

Begin Again

Based on this reflection and your goals repeat the above process so you might move forward more strongly

Plan . Prepare . Practice . Reflect

Plan - What's you plan for the month ahead?

Prepare - How will you prepare yourself and your environment to make this month a success?

Practice -  Execute with excellence. What will you do? When will you do it How will you do it?

Reflect - Did you plan well? Did you prepare appropriately? Did you execute with excellence? How will you improve?

The Tiger & The Monk

Without the Monk the Tiger is a slave to impulse.
Without the Tiger the Monks freedom is trapped with in.

Stillness

“Rest in the Mystery of Stillness,
Allow it to be your guide.
Be taken into the mystery.
Even though you don’t know where you’ll be guided to
Because you don’t know where you’ll be guided to  
If you knew you wouldn’t need a guide.” Om Shri

Momentum and Motivation During Lockdown


The gym is place where we train more than just our bodies 
It's a sanctuary in which we can cultivate the energy, resilience and momentum that helps us thrive during the day. 
It can be a powerful, experiential reminder of our physical and mental strength, our personal evolution and our capacity for growth. 
Being in lock-down can be quite challenging, it can be a little disorientating having a new schedule and way of being to deal with. 
Not having access to the gym can add to our sense of loss. 

But it doesn't have to be that way. 
With a little bit of reflection, creativity and discipline you can build the inner resources and outer environment to help you thrive and grow in these strange times

Reflection 

Why did you start training in the first place? 
What are your goals?
What would you like to achieve from being at the gym? 
These could be physical or psychological attributes, they could just be a way of feeling.
E.G Stronger, more muscular, more mobile, leaner, more energy.  Confidence, discipline, personal autonomy, achievement. A feeling of being energised, pushing your limits, honouring your health and your body by moving regularly etc, etc…

If you can get really clear on this why and it's still meaningful you’ll have some fuel for the fire. 
For some of us a strong why/goal got us into the gym but then something else took over and (whether we realised it at the time or not) we fell in love with something about the experience.

Why Do You Love Training?
What is it about the experience of hitting the gym that you really dig?
This can take some time to figure out, be patient.
Reflect on what you love about the gym - this is likely to be a combination of certain thoughts (or lack of thinking), feelings or emotions, physical sensations or a general state of being that you experience before, during or after the gym. 

Creativity 

Once you're clear on why you got into the gym and what you got from the gym you can set a plan to develop (or at least maintain) the qualities that support your why and create an environment that supports the thoughts, feelings and sensations that shape your experience. 

Some questions to help this process

What can you with what you've got to work toward your goals? (There's always something.)

How could you replicate some of the environmental factors that shape your gym experience? 

What internal qualities can you cultivate in the current circumstances? 


Discipline 

Creating plan is like drawing a map, you are no closer to your destination until your walk the path you've set out for yourself.
Have a whole hearted crack, do it for a week and reflect. 
Did it work?
Do you feel fulfilled?
Do you feel better than when you didn't do it?
What can you do to improve next week?
How can you make this new way of being even better? 

Resources - Routine - Rituals

Routine

Consider your priorities - what’s most important to you?

How might you honour those priorities today or this week?

What do you hope to get out of this week or each day? 

Recognise that consistently trying for too much is a way to set yourself up for stress and a sense of failure? 

You might consider what’s the least I can do and still feel a sense of achievement and honour my priorities?

Have considered the above make a plan for the day or the week and experiment with how it works

Resources


What tools, skills, practices, tricks do you have that help bring you back into your window - a place where you can think clearly enough, feel well enough - to choose what to do next (& that what to do may be nothing)?

Rituals



What can you do before key moments in the day to help harmonise your body, mind and energy with the task at hand?

Intentions to Support Meditation

It’s quite common for our mind to wander during meditation. The instruction when you notice this happens is to kindly direct your attention back to the focus of your attention.
Setting simple intentions before practice can serve as guiding lights for you to stay on your path (and kindly guide yourself back when you fall off.
For one pointed awareness our primary intention might be
”To direct attention to the Om, the breath, the body (whatever you’ve used as the object for meditation)”
The secondary intention could be
”If i notice my mind has wandered I will kindly and gentley guide it back to the breath”.
Just setting these intentions before practice primes your for focus and kind guidance.

Connection

To connect with our own highest values and ideals and express them as often as possible

To connect with our chosen path and step toward our ideal destination

To connect with our resources, inner and outer, consistently

To connect with our past, future and presence

To connect with that space inside of you where you can rest in peace, that space inside where we are all one

To realise that we are all connected to each other and to Mother Earth

To connect with a way of thinking, living and being that honours that connection

To connect with each other and ourselves with an open mind and open heart that we may navigate our challenges, our suffering, our separateness and live peaceful, joyous, flourishing lives.

Intention + Practice = Outcomes

Intention
What are you here for? Do you have an idea of how this session is going to bring you closer to your goal?

Practice
What are you going to practice during the session? Technique, Mindset, Mind Muscle Connection, Strength, Endurance, Energy Management? The gym is a place to practice the things you'd like to become (the coaches are there to guide you around how and what to practice to become that person).

Outcomes
The outcome of one session should be that you’re one step closer to who you set out to become when you started the session. This could mean “I added extra weight to the bar”, “I nailed every rep perfectly”, “I took it easy when my body really needed it”. Almost all outcomes are going to be (at least) supported and (more likely) defined by what you do outside of the gym. Get your rest, nutrition and stress right and your work in the gym will be paid off.

YOU LIVE IN A CAGE

You mind was caged at school when they told you what to think instead of how to think

You desire is caged by advertisers telling you what you need
Your food has been caged by corporations putting it in boxes
The media sells to your fear, ignorance and anger and keeps you caged in these primitive states of mind
Your attention is caged by phones, apps and ads
Your body is caged by lack of strength, movement and mobility

You may not know, it may be invisible to you, but you live in a cage

The exciting and daunting thing is you have the key
The truth the cage only exist if you let it

BE FREE

Zen & The Art of Juggling

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Juggling
A practice for clowns, for kids, a waste of time?
Something you can't do?

Meditation 
A practice for Monks, for the patient, for the focused?
Another thing you can't do?

What if these thoughts weren't true?
What if these were things that could help "grow" your brain, connect with your body and breath? 
What if they could make you feel a little younger, more patient and focused?
What if they were another couple things you can do?

On the Weekend I had the great privilege of attending a Personal / Professional Development course.One the activities we practised was juggling.

The hand and eye co-ordination was obvious, we were told about the science of how juggling helps "grow the brain", but what struck me is how juggling can help meditation. 

One of the challenges we had was to juggle for a certain amount of throws. 
It didn't have to be throws in a row which meant there was less room for hesitation each time I dropped a ball. It encouraged me to pick the balls up again and keep juggling. The time I could have wasted telling myself how bad a juggler I was instead used to practice juggling. 

Meditating on the breath is a lot like this - it's inevitable I will "drop the ball"  and loose track of my breath - when I do so I can spend time reprimanding myself or I can "pick up the balls again, re connect with my breath and continue to grow. 

Like juggling I can be breathing and noticing how busy my mind is. I can even be thinking I'm no good at this, but as the balls go from hand to hand, as I stay aware of my breath I get better and every now and then I fall into flow, there's juggling, there's breathing, there's a whole lot more but it's not interrupting the flow. 

Try this 

4 Minutes (2 x 2 minutes)

Juggle with two balls in the right hand - see how many total throws you can get in 2 minutes. Then start the clock again and do the same thing in the left hand. If you drop the ball don't waste time being mad with yourself or considering how bad you are - just pick up and keep going (growing). Write your scores down if you like so you can try to better them next time. 

5 Minutes  

Sit with a straight spine and focus on your breath. No need to count the breaths just notice each one. If you notice you've stopped breathing "dropped the ball"  again don't hesitate - just tune back in with the breath and keep going (growing) 

If you do this everyday you will build a new brain and a couple more "Can Do's" if you don't you won't. 

The Courage of Compassion

Self Compassion is powerful ally on our quest for self mastery.

Self Compassion leads us to the healing grounds of awareness, acceptance and guidance and away from the often damaging world of ignorance, neglect and self criticism.

From this space we can move forward from pain, suffering, set backs, vulnerabilities and challenges from a place of self acceptance and love. 

But it’s not always and easy thing to do.


It takes courage to accept and get close the parts of ourselves that hurt.
It takes humility to recognise that we too suffer, just like everyone else and that we too are deserving of compassion, acceptance and love (even when we don’t really think we do)
It takes discipline and will to break habits that don’t serve us and start ones that do.

Next time your you’r feeling down, life’s not going your way or you know you’re being too hard on yourself have a crack at the below exercise

Your Destiny is in Your Hands

Your Destiny is in Your Hands



Creative Self Compassion Practice

What you’ll need 
2 pieces of paper 
1 black pen/pencil
Some coloured pens/pencil

1. On the first piece of paper draw a circle.
This represents you. Inside that circle, with the black pen write or draw phrases, words or pictures that sum up the difficulties you’d like to work with.
This could be nasty or unhelpful thoughts you have about yourself or difficult situations in your life.
There may be many or just one or two.
When you feel you’ve got down all you are willing to work with move to 2.

2. Using the coloured pencils write compassionate, warm hearted kind responses to the difficulties your facing.
These could be emphatic words or phrases ( “I hear you” , “wow, that must be tough”),
advice or affirmations or anything else that feels right. 
When you’ve filled the page or feel like you’re complete move to 3.

3. Take out the second piece of paper - draw another circle - inside this circle use the coloured pens to write the essence of the compassionate words you used to fill the first sheet. Fill the circle up or continue to write until you feel you’ve finished then move to 4.

4. Feel the essence of that second circle - try to embody and feel the energy of what you’ve written.

This exercise may seem a little strange and part of you may think you’re above this sort of practice - I strongly encourage you to give it a go if you’re doing it tough.
The paradox of self compassion is often when we need it the most we don’t think we deserve it.

Be courageous.

The paradox of self compassion is Self compassion can appear to be a soft discipline (and there are eliments of self compassion that are soft) but in-bedded in the practice is courage, discipline and a willingness to act. 

Self compassion It can be much more productive and whole approach to personal growth, wellbeing and self mastery t

When wallowing in a state of self pity or just being stuck in a space of self criticism it can be can be hard for to step into the healing space of self compassion far from making as soft, self compassion allows us to grow from a space of love, acceptance and kindness.

as opposed from ruminating and wallowing in a space of self pity, hate and 

Intention


What will you do today to honour all you have to be grateful for?

What will you do today to step into your personal power? 

To full-fill your potential? 


Words have power - they can fuel and inspire action - asking your self questions like this every day, setting intentions based of these questions and then following through with what you said you were going to do adds direction, purpose and personal autonomy to your day. 

Try this :

  1. Write down three things that you can and will do today that will bring you a a little closer to fulfilling your potential to be a flourishing human being? 

  2. Do those things 

The Mind of a Meditator Disciplined, Curious, Compassionate, Free.

Meditation can open your heart and your mind to the universe that is you

Meditation can open your heart and your mind to the universe that is you

“I hear you knocking but you can’t come in”
said attention to mind, sternly

“I hear you knocking and I don’t mind the sound”
said attention to mind, curiously.

“I hear you knocking so I open the door”
said attention to mind, compassionately

“The door is always open”
says the Monk, freely

Discipline

To be disciplined you need to become a disciple of something.

To be disciplined you need to become a disciple of something.

Something worth making changes for, that compels you to practice what you set out to do.

Something worth devoting your time, energy, attention and focus too. 

Finding something worthy of devoting yourself to is a tremendous gift. 

Realising your potential to believe in something bigger than you (your small self) can help free you from the petty worries that stop you from being at your best. Devoting yourself to fulfilling that potential can help you navigate life with more focus, clarity and joy.

You'll align yourself with a constant companion that gives your life direction and meaning. 

A companion to remind you to rise and shine, to face life's obstacles with a sense of joy, determination and patience - a companion that reminds you to be a be a better you.

Fight to Flow - The Path / Process

Once you have found something to devote yourself too, to become a disciple of, you can set a plan a goal, a path to walk to fulfil that potential, to realise (to make real) that which you have imagined.

With a path chosen the work of practicing discipline begins. 

The discipline of creating new habits, making wise choices doing what you set out to do. 

At first this can seem like a fight - a fight with your old self, old patterns of behaviour,. A fight with distraction, set backs and doubt. 

Fight with courage, focus, patience, perseverance and compassion- these qualities will grow stronger with practice.

When you win this fight consistently enough over time there's less resistance and eventually the fight becomes flow. 

Your discipline will have taken you to a new stage - a step closer to fulfilling your potential, a higher foundation. 

As the Island of our Reality grows the shore of our potential Expands 

From a new foundation the view of your potential broadens and new opportunities for growth present themselves.

Now’s not the time to be complacent - confident, yes - you have won many little battles and levelled up in life. You are now the commander of your ship.
Just don't let this new found power weaken you.
Continue to honour the practices and behaviours that have brought you to this point, enjoy wholeheartedly where you're at and who you've become, reflect honestly on where you've come from and expand diligently into your new potential. 

The destination of Life is the Journey 

Once you get comfortable with this cycle (if you do so mindfully) you'll realise that contentment and continued development co-exist and you'll have reached your destination - a flourishing, fulfilled, meaningful life.


Be sure to enjoy the ride