A lot of wonderful things have happened this past month, so I will take a few moments here to give you the highlights.
- My son graduated from UC Davis with a BS in Electrical Engineering.
- The kids were here for Father’s Day and we had a really nice time hanging out with them.
- I celebrated my 50th birthday. Cyndee surprised me by showing up to one of my classes! I had a great birthday and enjoyed spending it with my family and friends.
- Our financial situation is looking better and we are back on track.
- Cyndee and Chris both came up for the 4th of July. We watched the fireworks over the lake and enjoyed some much needed relaxation.
- My daughter got a full-time teaching position and she is on track for a tenured position. She teaches English at a Jr. College in San Diego.
- Doug is back to playing golf and is finding his rhythm with this bigger course.
- I got a paddle board and I am enjoying the it on the lake. I also spend a lot of time at our pool.
Well that about catches you up! Here are a few pictures from this past month.
I have been finding myself in situations where I am being challenged by being out of my comfort zone. I have had to dig deep to find the courage to be in this space. I am very self conscious about my body and I finally got up the courage to switch my one piece swim suit to my bikini. I actually will take a dip in the pool without putting shorts and a tee shirt on over my swim suit. I am even starting to feel a little less self conscious when I hop out of the pool and walk back my lounge chair. I was inspired to try this by my mentor teacher Ashley. She posted a picture of herself in a swim suit and talked about accepting our bodies. She really helped me to step out of my tee shirt and shorts and accept my imperfect body in a bikini! Although I have yet to walk across the pool deck to the restrooms without my cover up , I still feel a sense of accomplishment! I still feel “naked” , shy and a bit vulnerable, but I am accepting these emotions as I learn to be out of comfort zone.
Another way I have been stepping out of my comfort zone is that I have been making decisions based on what I want to do. In the past if someone suggested I do something a certain way, or go somewhere I really did not want to go to, I would just say yes anyway. But lately, I have been really asking myself if I want to do these things. Does this make me happy? And if I feel obligated or forced to do something, I now know that it is not right for me. This is a big step for me. I am beginning to trust myself and my thought process. Sometimes I feel like I am standing out of my comfort zone and I wonder why am I standing here, it is so much safer over there. But as I keep practicing my truth I am beginning to feel empowered.
What things bring you out of your comfort zone? Did you know that by taking the step out of your zone you may actually find happiness? In my yoga classes this week I challenged my students to try different poses or to add an element to their poses. Most of the time we ended up laughing and just enjoying the newness of not being comfortable in the poses. But we all learned that we have a choice in everything that we do and that sometimes there is pure magic in trying something new.
We must remember to live life moment by moment and to get out of our heads so we can actually enjoy our lives! How many times has your joy been interrupted by self doubt, self consciousness, or fear of trying something new? Yoga teaches how to navigate our poses and breath on the mat and it also teaches us to navigate our life. It allows us the room to grow, explore, challenge, accept, embrace, fail, succeed, be humble and be kind.
Well, that’s it for now. I leave you with this thought. Our lives can be cut short unexpectedly. Why not take a chance and come out of your comfort zone to experience all the magic your life has to offer?
Our yoga community is deeply saddened by the passing of Maty Ezraty who’s teachings have been passed down in one way another to all yoga teachers. She was the heart and soul of yoga and her teachings will continue to inspire us all.
Namaste.
