By Deanna Gray

I remember those nights laying in bed,
a thousand thoughts running through my head.

SLEEPLESS NIGHTS
Filled with frights.

Day after day not wanting to leave my bed.
Can I? Will I? Maybe, but why?
I feel so dead.

The stories in my mind creating illusions of who I think I am.
Who should I be?
Should I have said that?
Now what do they think of me?
If I could do it again…just maybe.

Lost in fantasies of how my life should be.
These distorted perceptions of what was never even real – a false sense of me.
Distortions that threaten my perceptions I held so near.

STRESS
Stress in my mind rushing like a never ending river.
This should not be.
Why me?
Lost in the darkness deep inside of me.

How can I escape?
I’m never really here anyway.
My mind’s over there.
Then over here.

But never in the NOW, the only place I can be.

FRAGMENTED
My mind so far away from my body.
This I can see.

Giving away my peace for the desire to please.
To be loved and accepted is what we all need.
Looking for this outside, I’ll never be free.

Demanding unconditional acceptance from everyone I meet.
When I can’t give this to myself.
I feel so beat.

MINDFULNESS
Present moment awareness feels so out of reach.

This tiger inside of me wants to devour me.
And yet it wants to be free.
How do I tame this tiger I see?

I searched for the answer far and wide.
Then grace feel upon me and I met my beloved Guru, Yogi Amrit Desai.
This kind, gentle soul told me to…
BREATHE.

His yogic teachings have shown me the truth.
Now I witness the stories with joy in my heart for I know now the darkness can hold me no more.

The light that’s within me shines so bright.
Abundance and blessings fill my life.
And when I can’t see the light I look within you and it shines just right.
It shines like the brightest star on a clear dark night.

GRATITUDE
It fills my heart to share with you these teachings of light and love.
And it gently reminds me I AM THAT I AM.

Stress Today

Our bodies were built to withstand only 60-90 seconds of acute stress. If there’s a true threat, like a tiger in the room, we either survive or die. Either way it’s over quickly. Today we don’t have many real tigers in the room, but we do have “mental tigers”, and this type of stress will stay as long as we keep it around.

Find out how to tame these tigers and find peace even in the midst of chaos. Join me for this special two-part workshop.

“If it doesn’t change your life, it’s not yoga.” – Yogi Amrit Desai

The post Mental Tigers appeared first on Would you yoga.

January has flown by and if you’re like most of us, your new year’s resolutions have flown with it.

Why don’t new year’s resolutions last long?

It might be because they are goal-oriented, driven by the end results. When we focus on an exact out come, we set our expectations. And when we don’t reach it within the time frame we’ve set, we become discouraged, self judgmental, and even give up.

For example, if my new year’s resolution is to lose 10 pounds by January 31. What happens when January 31 comes and I’ve only lost 4? I may feel discouraged, like I’m not able to do it and I might as well give up.

Don’t give up! You can become free of bad habits, habitual patterns of thinking, and live your best life.

Try this instead…I encourage you to take your old resolution, dust it off, and morph it into an intention.

What is an intention?
An intention is a guiding force without attachment to an end result. A goal is about the destination, versus an intention is about the journey. Setting an intention is a way to stay focused in a direction you would like to go in. It doesn’t mean you have to practice it perfectly. We can learn from it, and when we ver off the path, we can resume our course without judgement or conflict.

The ancient yogis in India found that intention can consciously determine the course of our life rather than the one our unconscious has chosen for us. Yoga Nidra, a unique mindfulness meditation practice that originated in India, uses intention as a powerful tool to create new grooves at the subtlest state of being and physically transform the brain’s chemistry.

Yogi Amrit Desai explains intention, “Unless we know where we are going, our life will be driven by our unconscious tendencies. If we are not conscious, our life will be left to the devices of a haphazard, rudderless guidance system at the effect of whomever takes control; our highest potential one day, and our weakest samskaras (unresolved issue or memory from the past) on another. What is needed is clarity and stability of focus. Most of us have never considered what we truly want from life. We have a plan, direction and vision to actualize our business, but not one for the actualization of our life.”

Here’s a list of intentions to get you started.
Overeating: “I love my body by feeding it nourishing foods.”
Not enough money: “I never need money. I always have an over abundance.”
Less stress: “I resolve to remain present and calm in the midst of chaos and change.”

If you would like to learn more about setting intentions or practice working with your intention through Yoga Nidra meditation join Curt Gibson and Deanna Gray every Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 7:00-8:00 pm at the Dunedin Community Center, 1920 Pinehurst Rd.

The post Why near year resolutions don’t last long. Try this instead. appeared first on Would you yoga.