How to make yourself larger than life--or not

I just wanted to post this picture because I thought it was funny that I could get the 'ole boyfriend, who stands six feet tall, to pose in front of this old Cottonwood tree near Sierra Vista, Ariz. That's one big tree! And, yes, the BF responded well to my command, "Now hold your arms high up in the air." 

If you have a funny picture that represents something you can't believe you were able to get someone in your family to do, post it on your blog and and comment with the link here. I'll add an addendum to this post with links to your funny pictures.

If you don't have any such pictures yet, it's not too late to go take one and play along.

Coping strategy: Spend time in the great outdoors

I just returned from a 20-minute walk around my neighborhood. Nothing grand like my canyon hike to the Travertine creek pictured above. Nothing lengthy, either. Just a quick walk around a couple of blocks to refresh. It made me realize I'm lucky to appreciate the outdoors in such a way that even the heat (The temperature out there is at least 111 degrees this afternoon) won't keep me from stepping out when I know I can use the break.

I learned a long time ago that spending time outside is a great coping strategy. You don't have to do much. You don't have have a big plan to follow. A simple walk, as I did, around a block or two will relieve a little stress, ease a little ache, and relax the busy mind. Even if I'd just decided to sit outside on the patio and feel the fresh air on my skin or take in the still blue color of the sky, I would have returned to my desk with a different perspective.

From time to time I'll be posting a quick coping strategy that you can try at home or at your office when you're feeling a bit stressed during these tough economic times. It won't be anything inaccessible. The tips will be easy enough to accomplish on your end. If you need to re-work them a bit to fit your situation, I'll leave that creative challenge up to you. My purpose will simply be to help you awaken the idea that no matter the challenge you face in your daily life, you are well-equipped to overcome it--one coping strategy at a time.

And if you're wondering why I took that short walk today, it was for one reason. I'm participating in a daily challenge with other writers I know on Facebook. Called "Writers on the Move," its purpose is to get writers up and out from behind the desk in order to create a healthier life. When I'd realized I'd not participated yet today, I thought I should get up and move so I could post my update. I decided a walk would do. It did. And I feel accomplished. See how it works?

Wouldn't you feel better about something that's been bugging you or nagging at you or otherwise challenging you if you took a few moments to spend some time outdoors and get away from it all?

If you want to know why this works so well, this article (even though it focuses on the benefits for kids) explains it well.  If that doesn't convince you, here's an article that explores more reasons why the outdoors are good for adults, too.

Enjoy!

Check out Modern Love Rejects

If you've ever been rejected, like I have, from the New York Time's Modern Love editor, you know it's disheartening. Essays are personal. They're fun to write. And dammit, we want to see them published. Luckily for us rejectees, Modern Love Rejects came to the rescue. It's a site that gives us another chance for our essays to see the light of day--and maybe a few readers as well. Not NYT's number of readers, but readers nonetheless.

Today, I became one of those lucky ones. Modern Love Rejects (@ModLoveRejects on Twitter) accepted my essay called "Acting Out." If you visit the site to give my words a read, please leave a comment. And if you've ever been rejected by Modern Love, post a comment here on my site.

If you want to know how to submit to either, visit Modern Love Rejects. The editors tell you how to do both. It's a great resource for essay writers who have an essay they truly believe in and want to see published so badly they'll forfeit the pay.

Inspiration from the Happy Yoga book

This weekend, I finished reading the Happy Yoga book and took away so much from it, so much that I had to share some specific messages with you. This is a book that inspires. Enjoy!

_If you're looking for happiness, make sure you're looking within. Happiness is not located in your new car, that bigger home, nor the European vacation. Happiness is in you.

_Your thoughts, attitudes and intentions will dictate your life experience. It's the same as saying, "As one thinks, so one becomes."

_Can you let go of your attachments? Can you accept that you are brunette and not blonde, brown-eyed and not blue, short and not tall? Does it really matter? Forget about how your body looks. Ask instead: How do I feel?

_When you think of yoga, you may think only about postures. Yoga is more than that. It is about the philosophy, the chanting, the meditation. Real yoga involves the mind-body-spirit connection and a devotion to the mystery of existence.

_Pay attention. Life will keep reminding you of who you really are and what you're here to do.

_I am no shape, no size, no color. I am simply me. I exist.
 
_Happiness occurs in the present moment.

_Breaking an addiction (no matter what kind of compulsion) requires three things: self-examination; self-forgiveness; and letting go.

_Who is your true soul mate? You are. How do you mate with yourself? Through yoga.

_Make inner peace your first priority.

_I am not my past or future. I am now, this moment, as it is right now.

_Yoga practice can focus the mind, open the heart, and reveal inner peace.

_If you engage negativity, you empower and strengthen it. Disarm it with love, for self and others.

_Our fears and anxieties exist so that we can transcend them.

_When you are no longer afraid of the world and when you are no longer desperately craving fulfillment from the world, there is truly nothing to worry about. 

_The key to everything is awareness. But first you have to silence the mind, listen and pay attention. Jesus referred to this awareness as "the peace that passeth all understanding."

_The yearning to know the divine is natural and innate, inherent in the human condition.

_Why not be happy right now, right where you are? 

Thank you, Steve Ross, for your wisdom.

Five reasons why I like Happy Yoga

I've been spending my mornings at Starbucks reading lately. And lately it's been all about yoga. My BF and I have joined a yoga studio in Phoenix this month, and I borrowed a book called Happy Yoga from the BF's sister to learn more about the philosophy--or at least this guy's version of it.

I must say, I'm glued to what I'm learning. I don't want to put the book down. Except, the information is so intense. In order to absorb the key points, I have to read this book in spurts, one chapter at a time. There are seven of them. So I'm taking notes on notecards, jotting down the quotes that stand out, the lessons I need to remind myself, the words that project some meaning for me that I don't want to forget. I'm going to get a copy of this book for myself, I'm sure. For now, I am glued to this borrowed one.

I keep suggesting to my BF that he read the book as well, and now he wants to do just that. I'm also planning to get copies for both my son and my daughter. Hopefully, their respective spouses will read the book, too.

I think it's that good. Here are ten reasons why:

_The quotes the author has collected.
From the words of Buddha ("There is no way to happiness--happiness is the way.") to thoughts like this one--If you cannot find the truth right where you are, where else do you expect to find it?--I cannot help but consider how these words can positively impact my life in this very moment. The quotes alone make me question who I am and what I'm doing here. It's perfect timing, considering my branding experience, which is moving along nicely now.

_The inspiration offered.
I am inspired by the author's own journey with yoga (from rock band to yogi man), how he came upon his passion (spent five years in India to study the practice), and what he wants to share with the world (that yoga is not as serious as you might think). Any time I can find another author or expert with a spiritual journey that has helped transform his life, I want to know how that happened. I want to know more, as I am naturally inspired by mankind's ability to live with purpose. Steve Ross seems to have that down, and his book is helping me in my own search for whatever it is I must know. Plus, his work clarifies my own thoughts about living in joy. This is a guy who sees yoga as a means to happiness. I'd never thought of it that way, but I like it. As someone who is new to the practice but also believes in this natural state of happiness, his book leads me to believe I am on the right track. And that's a good feeling.

_The lessons learned.
His book covers thoughts about death, about society's push for the perfect body and how unenlightened such a goal really is, and so much more. Essentially, this is a book that shows you how to put your mind at ease and not worry so much. What a great lesson right off the bat! For someone who has experienced a lot of fear in life, this author is teaching me how to let all of that go. That chapter alone makes this a book worth having.

_The exercises suggested.
Not only does he provide great stories that offer great lessons, he also delivers exercises or tips that will help you experience the same. Don't know how to just sit still and relax? He offers suggestions on how you can do that successfully, without having to be perfect at it the first time around. I love do-overs!

_The poses illustrated.
At the end of each chapter, the author provides pictures and instructions on how to do specific poses that will help your body achieve specific things, such as a lean body, a calm mind, or a more loving heart. If all you wanted from the book were poses to achieve a specific goal addressed in the book, you'd have it at your fingertips with this one. I like that.

"Happiness arises from acceptance of yourself, others, the world, and this moment," just as it is, Ross writes. You have a choice, he's saying--another reminder about where the responsibility for the self really lives. Inside of me. Inside of you. Inside of the individual.

Agree or disagree? Let's discuss.