Ahhh…the sweet aroma of incense fills my senses and my soul. The worries of the day begin to fade. The warm candlelit room deeply calms me and the soft, peaceful, voice of the teacher draws me into a deep state of relaxation and bliss and finally, I am home. Home on my yoga mat, away from the fast passed, plugged-in world, where I normally, or perhaps abnormally, dwell.
My body is comfortable here; my mind at ease. We move gently from one asana to another and I am transformed. Transported to a place where all is well. Class seems to magically fly by. I reluctantly roll up my mat and vow to return as often as I can! Now begins, ‘real’ life, off my mat, a deliberate day-by-day, moment-by-moment, quest to live a life of excellence and purpose.
Five Simple Steps to Living a Life of Excellence and Purpose…Off the Mat.
1. Discovering Mindfulness
Mindfulness is a deliberate, on purpose practice to connect with yourself and others on a deep, physical, emotional, and spiritual way. Mindfulness is centuries old, and has been adopted from the Buddhist practices of meditation. The main goal or purpose of mindfulness is to be in the present moment at all times. When you are deeply mindful there is no judgment of others or yourself. It is freedom! It’s important to practice mindfulness each day, moment by moment. Why? It is an on-purpose way of redirecting your thoughts and not allowing precious moments of your life to slip away.
Mindfulness leads to a life of excellence and purpose. It helps you be aware of the moments of your life, good or bad, light or dark, happy or sad. Just simply being aware and mindful of what you eat, think and say will change your health and well-being. Being aware of how you spend our time and with whom dramatically impacts body, mind and spirit.
However, mindlessness is where most of us invest our time. Arriving at a destination and not knowing how we arrived, overeating and not remembering what or if we ate, and so on, are results of mindlessness. Living this way will ultimately lead to a less than par life. Spend a few moments each day quietly sitting, focusing on your breath, clearing your mind, and setting an intention to live in-the-moment, even if just for today! This simple step, just five minutes a day, will help guide you toward a more mindful way of living.
2. Discipline
“It was character that got us out of bed, commitment that moved us into action and discipline that enabled us to follow through.” Zig Ziglar.
This simple phrase explains clearly why discipline is a crucial step. Creating a schedule or plan each day will help you to stay on course and begin to change the abnormal pattern of your life. Discipline is defined as “to bring to a state of order.” Antonyms to discipline are agitation, chaos, disorder, and negligence. Creating goals or priorities each day may help resume order in your life. Sticking to your plan is important if you want to experience great results. Don’t be over zealous with your list, just make it simple. How do you wish to live your life—in chaos or order? It is really up to you!
3. Live without Fear
Fear is often described as False Evidence Appearing Real. Fear is a deeply paralyzing emotion. We spend so much of our lives being afraid. Afraid to step out of our comfortable box, afraid to say something wrong, afraid to offend, and afraid of what other people will think or say. We bombard our days and nights with endless news programs that are full of fear based stories. Our day is on fear overload. Fear will ultimately immobilize us and send us into withdrawal. Perhaps creating a fearless mantra, to ease some of the toxic effects of fear, will help. Some mantra examples might be, “I am not afraid,” “No fear,” “I release all fear.” Create your own fearless mantra. Be a warrior and fight for your life!
Repeat your mantra several times each day. Say it out loud, in the car, before bed, when you rise, or silently at your desk! Writing the mantra on several notes and arranging them throughout your home, office, or on your computer screen will remind you daily to be fearless!
4. Acceptance
“Once we accept our limits, we go beyond them.” Albert Einstein
This is the big one! Learning to accept where you are and who you are is the glue that will bring all the other steps together. Please do not interpret acceptance for giving up or giving in. Acceptance is an action step; a call-to-action to appreciate where you are in your life, to determine how and where you want to go, to define your dreams and desires, and to enumerate the steps to accomplish your dreams and desires.
Before moving forward to there, you must first genuinely feel happy, here. To become your true authentic self, try repeating the Serenity Prayer each night before bed, allowing pure acceptance to flow.
5. Gratitude
Being grateful is kryptonite to negative feelings and emotions. We must learn to be grateful not only for the joyful times in our life but also the difficult times. It is in those times of trial we learn, stretch and grow. A perfect plan to invite gratefulness into your life is to help someone else. Just a simple note in the mail—not an email or text, but an actual hand-written note can make someone’s day. Smile to at least three people each day! Be creative, think of something fun. Spreading kindness to others will fill your life with gratitude.
Life off-the-mat is a deliberate journey. It is truly a lifelong journey, filled with part-time turbulence and part-time joy. I hope by adapting just these five simple steps, you will be inspired, and ultimately create a life of excellence and purpose, on or off your mat!
Namaste, all is well.
Elizabeth Aleksinas, Owner of Bramasole Wellness Center, is a Certified Personal Fitness Coach, Yoga Teacher and Healer. She teaches one on one Meditation Training and Reiki Certification. Located in Morris CT, she may be reached at 860-567-0219. [email protected] www.bramasolewellness.com.