Its a journey

http://instagram.com/yogaistarafic Check out my instragram for yoga challenge and daily life pictures! :-) Today I went to Bend for a lunchtime yoga class with Ashlee. I really enjoyed her class… we focused on our arms/shoulders which is really what I need to work on! Actually, I need to work on everything… but right now I have been noticing a lack of strength in my arms and how it has actually been affecting my life and work. I'm a small person but that doesn't mean I need to be weak! I think of that Shakespeare quote "although she be but tiny, she is fierce." and I am becoming that person. I have overcome so many things in my life that overcoming these little nuances with my body is actually becoming an enjoyable experience. My arms are weak, my legs are inflexible, my back is weak, my neck is weak, my core is weak, I am weak but I am trying and I am practicing and I am doing my best. I will get better… my mind and my body. I find myself very tired today however… although I have been dealing with my illnesses very well, I still have symptoms that I can't control sometimes. I hope that the more I persist with my meditation and asana practice my symptoms will continue to subside. I also have given up MANY horrible things that might have been contributing to my tiredness, migraines, joint pain, anxiety, depression and heart palpitations… In the last 6 months I have completely given up… (in no particular order) All prescription medications, including pain killers, sleeping pills, anxiety medication… the only thing I take for pain is Excedrin and the only other medication I take is Nasocort for my horrendous allergies! Red Bull! This was a huge one for me… I was up to 2 or 3 a day when I was working at Q.C. Laboratories doing field work driving all around the state.. SODA! (aka POP as the yinzers say) This is also a big deal… what a terrible thing soda is. Empty calories, not hydrating, loading with sugar. Plus, when considering the environmental impact alone, imagine if everyone drank water instead of soda??? Less cans / bottles / cups, chemicals, things being transported, manufacturing! Think about it!!! Meat! This is the newest of the list of things I have rid myself of… environmentally and ethically speaking this is a decision I have made before. I was a vegetarian for 5 years, being a vegan for a portion of that. This decision was influenced by the Jivamukti Yoga book I have nearly completed. CIGARETTES!!!! How have I not done this before? What a nasty habit… I don't even have anything to say about this… I feel silly for ever starting and am SO GLAD I have quit!!! I am slowly but surely becoming the person I want to be. It is a journey!