New Year and a New Beginning

New Year is a new beginnning.  This comic made me laugh because in some cases it can be true.  The gyms get real crowded in January, and then in February that New Year wears off to old habits and people give up.  How do you keep on going?  Write your resolutions down, post them on your refrigerator, and hold yourself accountable.  If you want to lose 10 pounds start with your diet with the thing you can get rid of and work your way up.  Do not try to tackle it all at once.  Do not expect fast results if you want them to last.  Keeping 10 pounds off for the entire year is a greater accomplishment then losing it and gaining it back.  Do not be so hard on yourself, and celebrate your success.  If your resolution is to spend more time with your family then plan a dinner once a month don't try to make it every week unless you know that fits into your schedule.  Do not stress out about it resolutions are supposed to make you a better person with a greater quality of life.  Remember the moments of the previous year learn from them and cherish them.  Here are some statistics for New Year's resolutions.  Pick a couple, focus on them, and create a plan.
http://www.statisticbrain.com/new-years-resolution-statistics/

Rank	Top 10 New Years resolutions for 2012
1	Lose Weight
2	Getting Organized
3	Spend Less, Save More
4	Enjoy Life to the Fullest
5	Staying Fit and Healthy
6	Learn Something Exciting
7	Quit Smoking
8	Help Others in Their Dreams
9	Fall in Love
10	Spend More Time with Family

News Years Resolution Statistics	Data
Percent of Americans who usually make New Year’s Resolutions	45%
Percent of Americans who infrequently make New Year’s Resolutions	17%
Percent of Americans who absolutlely never make New Year’s Resolutions	38%
Percent of people who are successful in achieving their resolution	8%
Percent who have infrequent success	49%
Percent who never succeed and fail on their resolution each year	24%
People who explicitly make resolutions are 10 times more likely to attain their goals than people who don’t explicitly make resolutions
Type of Resolutions (Percent above 100% because of multiple resolutions)	Data
Self Improvement or education related resolutions	47%
Weight related resolutions	38%
Money related resolutions	34%
Relationship related resolutions	31%
Age Success Rates	Data
Percent of people in their twenties who achieve their resolution each year	39%
Percent of people over 50 who achieve their resolution each year	14%
Length of Resolutions	Data
Resolution maintained through first week	75%
Past two weeks	71%
Past one month	64%
Past six months	46%

Have a Happy New Year!

Tis the Season for Joy

Christmas; who doesn't love Christmas!  It is filled with Joy, and a time where everyone seems to treat everyone a little bit better.  A time when family and friends come together to share their joy with one another, and the birth of Jesus Christ.  This year there seemed to be a little bit of controversy about using the phrase Merry Christmas, and saying it may not be politically correct.  I have never heard this before, but it seems the further we get from Christianity in our society the less we are able to share our beliefs.  At the White House they called the tree a Holiday Tree instead of a Christmas Tree.  This was shocking since it was Christmas after all.  We were told to say Happy Holidays to make others feel more comfortable if they do not share in our beliefs.  Even with all of that when Christmas came it felt like Christmas.  I said Merry Christmas because it was Christmas, and it felt good.  I went to Midnight Mass which brought me to the reason for the season.  I read the night before Christmas and drank hot chocolatel the tradition my mom started when I was little.  Matt opened his Christmas Eve present his pajamas before bed.  Everything about this season said Christmas.  We had Christmas breakfast at my brother's, and I was able to see the excitement in my nieces and nephews eyes when they opened their presents it was pure joy.  My Christmas was fillled with joy, and the presence of love just like the day Jesus was born.  They can say that saying Merry Christmas is not politically correct, but in my heart and in my family it will always be Christmas.  Merry Christmas from my family to yours.

Tragedy is All Over This World

What a week it has been.  There are so many opinions and political views around the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting.  When I heard about this on Friday my heart ached with pain for these kids, teachers, parents, and everyone in the world that was caused pain and for our world.  Others took it upon themselves to talk about how it could have been permitted.  The truth is no one could have prevented this unless we know everyone's thoughts and actions.  Very bad things happen every day.  This does not make this any easier and some people will not even turn on the news because of this.  The world is changing and people are changing.  This will not be fixed overnight and definitely not without God.  We were not promised a life without tragedy or loss it is all about how we handle things and come together instead of seperating.  I remember 9-11 where I was and all of the events of the day.  I was back at the dorm after a class when I received the phone call from my mom waking me up from a nap; yes rough life.  She told me a plane hit one of the Towers in New York and to turn on the TV and be careful today.  When I hung up the phone the first naive thought was I am in San Marcos what does this mean to me?  I turned on the TV and the second plane hit the tower I now understand how that day affected me and everyone else in the world.  America thought for a long time that they were invincible; I thought I was invincible, and that day I discovered no one is invincible bad things happened.  After my mom died I thought nothing bad will happen to me I had gone through too much then I received a phone call that my cousin, her husband, and their son were in a car accident they did not make it.  The worst part is it was a media circus since they were both teachers we dealt with it by also reliving this tragedy in the news.  There are protestors going to the Sandy Hook Elementary funerals through all of this suffering they are now having to also deal with media and now protestors.  We have all been through so much every day is a new day with new possibilities.  If everyone was mindful of one another and put love first the world would be a better place.  Every day is an opportunity to be your best self.  If these tragedies have taught us anything it is this do not take life for granted, love like there is not a tomorrow, and cherish every moment.  Remember the names of the victims at Sandy Hook pray for them and forget the names of the shooters.

Life is a Series of Waves

Do you determine your happiness by the events in your life?  You are happy when things are good and unhappy when what you consider things are bad.  I have been paying more attention lately to my feelings, and how I feel day in and day out kind of like a check up.  One time during Yoga Teacher Training I asked a question of what do you do when something bad happens?  The answer surprised me and put a new perspective in my life why is it bad?  I could argue well it was bad news and it made me sad.  The point is life is a series of wave you have the good and you have the bad. but they just are a state of being.  When my mom passed away I was in a state of shock and my world was turned upside down.  There were lots of people in my life that expected me and waited for me to fall apart.  My thoughts on this is that if I was really able to feel the pain I may not be able to recover so I had to stay strong.  I now know that you if you are sad than be sad fully and if you are happy be the happiest you have ever been.  Live your emotions to the fullest and acknowledge them and move on.  I do know that you can not let your emotions control your life like you are on a constant roller coaster.  My full time job is sales so I experience this roller coaster of a full variety of emotions, but I have to know how to pull myself back up and not let the emotions control me and my actions.  My best advice is to live out of a place of love for yourself and others.  Look to the present moment and learn from the past and the future will come soon enough.  Think about this the next time you are feeling out of balance acknowledge that is okay focus on your breath and bring yourself back to the present moment.

 

Misconceptions of Yoga

One time someone told me they do not practice Yoga because they are a Christian.  This brings me to my next blog the misconceptions of Yoga.  While Yoga may be in Religions, the many Yoga practices with body, breath and mind, along with their transcendent with body, breath, and mind, along with their transcedent goal of direct experience, are generally neither characteristic of Religions, nor typically practiced by the adherents of Religions.  Yoga means union.  It is the joining together the aspects of ourselves which were never divided in the first place.  To say that the word Yoga itself is a religion makes as much sense as saying that the words Union or Holistic are themselves religions.  http://www.swamij.com/religion.htm  As I mentioned Yoga is a path to greater personal freedom, health, long life, and heightened self- understanding and ultimately self-realization.  Believe it or not I have been asked about religion and Yoga on more than one occassion.  I am a Christian and I see it as a great way to show your and dependence on God through a Yoga practice by moving inward and becoming self aware.  Shavasana at the end of practice the surrender of all things and the vulnerability that shows.  It is a way to look at life through love and giving every day a purpose.  This creates so much freedom in your every day life and therefore can bring you closer to God.  It has helped me discover new awareness in my life and helped with my walk with God.  Yoga is a celebration of life, movement, and breath.  I guess that can be confusing to compare that to religion, but the worshipper if that is what you choose is your choice.  It provides so many great benefits to your life and body.   Yes some religions use Yoga in their worship, but Yoga itself is not a religion it is your path to your self-realization.  Enjoy your Yoga and your God through celebration together in life.  Yoga did change my life and it continues to change my life not because of finding a new religion, but because I found myself and increased my awarenes that brought me closer to God.  Continue your Yoga journey and celebrate your life every day!