Habits: Yoga

Every morning without fail, I turn over in bed and announce to no one in particular, "There is no fricking way I am doing yoga today!" Body aches and stiffness are often my morning "weather report" as I cross from dreaming into waking. However, less than thirty minutes later, you will almost always find me on the mat.

How did I turn my sun salutations into a habit? Here is a hint, it was not simply an exercise of will.

I have been taking yoga classes for over seven years. I started out in a class titled, "Special Conditions & Injuries." Often the stroke victims, car accident survivors and those suffering from debilitating diseases were some of the most flexible folks in the class, at least in comparison to me.

I was being out posed by an old man who limped in using *two* canes fer petes sake. It was pretty demoralizing initially, but I stuck with it.

Over time, the joints started moving ever so slowly till one day, where previously there had been nothing but pain, there was suddenly movement. And I was hooked.

Session after session, I moved slowly from special conditions to gentle yoga, to gentle yoga 1. I now notice others peering at me like I use to envy the old gentleman. And I reassure them that they too can one day ... touch their toes.

The reality is that each morning when I start, I too cannot touch my toes. From my forward bend I need only tilt my head to be in flat back pose, I am that stiff initially. But by the end, my palms often touch the floor.

The key was in figuring out what was an actual limit that needed respecting. At every difficult juncture, I ask myself, "Is this an edge or a limit?" If it is an edge, I proceed with prayer, with breath and with an open heart. If it is a limit, I stop, breathe, pray and back the hell up.

And it is that question that turned my irregular practice into a daily routine. I decided that my growing edge was creating a habit out of self care. Radical self care is the water that makes all my fiery work possible. It counterbalances my predatory and visionary nature with some much needed nourishment and grounding.

Sometimes building a habit is not a testament to will, sometimes it is instead a testament to restraint.

blessings

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Habits: Tools of Change

I am constantly looking for new ways to structure my time and build supportive infrastructure as I change, heal and grow. In many ways, I can be thought of as a productivity nut case, with one caveat, my so-called “obsession” is directly liked to my spiritual life.

I have used many, many systems over the years to augment my natural organizing and planning skills. I have used Franklin planners, Covey, and now “Getting Things Done.” Each methodology was tailored to my individual needs and wherever I happened to be on my own evolutionary path. And anything that truly worked for me was never discarded in honor of some new trendy idea. I have retained from each what ever I considered as a key principle or process.

My most recent addition has been the ideas and tools created by David Seah. He is a designer extraordinaire, and as a free-lancer struggles with some of the same issues I face every day. His Printable CEO series helped me to figure out how to structure my work and decide in the moment what has priority.

This year, David has been investigating what it takes to build a habit. I have been using his blog to help motivate me to create new habits of my own.

The first habit I created was my morning routine. The current version is the result of months of experimentation and reflection. Last year, I developed what I called my canonical hours. It is roughly based on the Islamic, Catholic, and Anglican systems of prayers. (The Christian systems are based loosely on the Roman systems of hours.) I even found a pagan system online, but I later decided it was unworkable for me in my urban setting.

I tried working from it directly but it just did not register with me at a deep enough level. So I just let it sit and went on with my regular methods.

But what I have discovered is that this map of the day acted as a subtle framework and now a year later as I contemplate my morning routine, it literally lines up with the first several tiers of my elemental plan. So now I am ready to reexamine this framework with a new perspective – what really works for me.

So without further delay, here is my current morning routine.

• Cat Care
• Yoga / Exercise
• Breakfast / Meds
• Journal w/Tea
• Psychology & Magick (my book)
• Planning (after Lunch)

I have a corresponding evening (6 pm) routine, but it has not caught on as readily, so I am still observing and reflecting.

• Review Day
• Planning
• Journal/w/Tea

And finally there is my weekly routine, which squarely puts my book first except on days where I have standing morning appointments. And it also illustrates my other major habit creation, radical self-care.

I am sharing this information in honor of my hero David Seah. He has inspired me to create systems that support my lifestyle. As an independent writer, web designer and crazed mystic, I need systems that are open, flexible, and contribute toward my larger life goals.

In future posts, I hope to share more about how I organize my life.

Until then my check-in is complete. Check!

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