Happy New Year! 2015 = Mind, Body, Spirit Transformation

"The Spirit Tree," a beautiful Red Mulberry in my neighborhood, a great meditation spot!

   Hello again! I haven't written in this blog for many moons now (a normal occurrence for me when it comes to keeping blogs) but I figure the first day of the new year is a GREAT time to write again! I hope everyone had a great holiday season and are looking forward to 2015! I, for one, am insanely stoked that 2015 is finally here. 

One of my personal favorite mantras is Dance like the Maiden, Laugh like the Mother, Think like the Crone; drawing by me, Theresa Mattiello

      

   So I'll be honest, 2014 was equal parts awesome and rough for me. Lots of AMAZING things happened in 2014, but I also encountered many barriers and limitations in my thinking and physical body. I have done some serious reflecting on all of the issues (both physical and mental) I encountered throughout the year and realized that many of my mental/emotional issues stemmed from insecure feelings, self-doubt, guilt, anxiety, stress and just overall negative cycles of thinking. I spent a good chunk of 2014 rooting out these tender emotions, figuring out exactly why I was feeling them, and why I was allowing my own thoughts to sabotage my progress. On a physical scale, my injuries from 2013 (neck and shoulder) crept up yet again. I knew then that I had to get to the bottom of what causes all of my stress, because a lot of pain occurred right after I had stressed hardcore about something, usually something money related. So, in order to address these issues, I began practicing meditation, to find peace within myself, to decrease the negative feelings and be present in the moment. yoga for my chronic pain, for strengthening and lengthening my body, and keeping me relaxed and mindful; and gratitude, by writing or vocalizing what I am grateful for each day, in order to stop thinking about what I don't have, and in turn, feel the abundance of everything I DO have.

Moonlily feeling the love at the "Spirit Tree"

  In 2015, I want to strengthen these practices. I want to make a part of everyday routine. I want to reap the benefits of meditation for my mind, yoga for my body, and gratitude for my spirit.
Below, I am sharing some great resources for starting your own mind/body/spirit practice. These are the programs I am currently following, and I encourage you to do them too! Everyone's practice will be different. There will be different goals and different barriers to break through. But EVERYONE can benefit from doing this. You just have to do it. Do it for yourself!

"You can do it! We believe in yooooooooouuuu!"

The Benefits of a Mind/Body/Spirit Makeover
 So I've listed three great links that will tell you all about the benefits of meditation, yoga, and gratitude. And I'll tell ya right now, the lists are LONG! :-)

Health and Yoga: Meditation...Its Benefits

Yoga Journal: 38 Health Benefits of Yoga

HappierHuman Blog: 31 Benefits of Gratitude 



Find Your Mantra: Commit to You 2015 by My Yoga on Gaiam TV

 This is a fun interactive quiz that helps you develop a personalized mantra according to what you are looking to get out of your practice. The result mantra I received was I AM HERE. Perfect!

30 Days of Yoga with Adriene 

 I just discovered the amazing-ness that is the Yoga with Adriene youtube channel. Adriene Misler is a yoga teacher/actress from Austin, Texas, and she makes yoga a wonderful, benefitting, and fun experience. She has a warm, grateful, quirky attitude, and she inspires you to do what feels good for your body. Plus, she has the cutest blue heeler puppy. AWWW! I highly recommend you check it out here or go to her actual website, where you can find lots of amazing free yoga videos, tips, and instruction. She is currently holding a 30 days of FREE yoga through her youtube channel and website. For 30 days, starting tomorrow (January 2) she will post videos varying in length and sequences all designed to challenge and inspire people in their at-home private practice. Another great thing about this is you can start whenever you want. I will be starting tomorrow and I simply cannot wait! Check out this video below, and get ready to hop on your mat!

Meditation Invitation: 28 Days of Meditation 

 This is a free guided meditation spread out over four weeks, in four different modules, in which you follow guided meditations aimed at helping you successfully achieve meditation, including posture, seating positions, breathing techniques, visualization, and asanas to open up your hips. The guided meditations are designed to help you reach a "meditation current." I just did the first one today and I really enjoyed it. Though I cannot say I reach a full meditation current, I was definitely relaxed and achieved some clarity. At least enough clarity to write this blog, ha! I definitely invite you to join this program. It is completely free and you don't have to do it in 28 days, but it would be beneficial for you to do so, as each meditation session builds upon another, no matter how successful or unsuccessful it may be. Read this article by Sally Kempton, Daily Meditation Made Easy, for further explanation of what to expect from Meditation Invitation.


Good luck everyone! Namaste.

Chill out, yo!