Avoiding Relapse of Every Stripe

Yes – I can relapse – not my substance addiction but my emotional sobriety. How does this happen? How “unlovely” can I BE! What can I do to prevent it?

Some event occurs. I come into it feeling vulnerable: insecure, unsure, fearful or uncared for. A conversation commences and does not go well. And I snap. I am not able to “take” it. What ever “it” is –loud talk, hasty words, uncaring speech or even a disappointing outcome. This can be a conversation with a vendor, a service person or someone who is in calling to advise me about a plan. What ever the conversation is about there is something disappointing. I find myself out of balance and that leaks out all over the interchange. First I become strident, then I shut down. We conclude the discussion and I hang up.

But that isn’t the end of it. I go on to ruminate and disturb my current moments with the memories of that unpleasant conversation. These memories are enhanced by stories from the past, fertilized and nurtured by hurt and resentment. Now they have grown from fledgling discomfort to a full-grown jungle of negative emotions. Then "generosity" appears and I feel compelled to share this experience with others, over and over, letting their concern and sympathy fan the flames of my bitterness. I then move into self-righteous anger – a deadly intoxicant for this person in recovery – and the “slip” is complete. I have fallen off the maturity and spiritual wellness wagon. I am now on my back in the mud, wiggling around, searching for the foothold of composure and wellness. I yearn to walk upright in peace; body, mind and spirit integrated in one unified whole of compassion for self and others. And, yes, the suffering comes because I am TOO WELL to be THAT SICK anymore.

 I can be pretty unlovely, mewling in my pain and frustrated in my inability to overcome it. And the answer comes, as they often do, in the sharing of another. Don’t resist, experience. Allow the feelings to be, without the story, without justification, defense or even denial. Sit with it and let it pass. And stop “sharing the wealth” of disdain and distress. Yes, I have been taking my own poison.

And today I choose to stop. I avoid relapse of my primary addictions by sticking with my program of recovery. I avoid relapse of an uncaring attitude toward my body,mind and spirit unity by practicing all the forms of yoga. I practice keeping my spirit in good health with meditation. And, yet, I am still human and can relapse in my emotional "sobriety".  How can I avoid this? I go back to the principles of yoga and recovery.  Will that prevent them for good and all? I don't know – but I do know the periods or relapse are shorter, the anguish less severe and less perseverant, and yes, I do eventually remember to sit. Sit it through don’t sit it out.

Kyczy Hawk E-RYT200, RTY500 is the author of "Yoga and the Twelve Step Path" ans "Life in Bite Sized Morsels", a leader of Y12SR classes, and the creator of SOAR(tm) (Success Over Addiction and Relapse) a teacher certification training. 

Follow her ONLINE recovery infused yoga classes 
http://yogarecovery.studiolivetv.com/MemberRegistrationYR.aspx

Let Your Spirit Go Commando!

I had sent an email to some friends yesterday. It was a quote about dressing in one’s spiritual best by washing yourself in the morning with blissful energy rather than water. To imagine that your garments were divine robes rather than day clothes.



I added a comment to the quote that rather than “preparing for a crash” (with clean underwear) we prepare for the day living in the divine energy of our true selves and the light of our Higher Power. What could go wrong with such a reframing of our morning ablutions: to prepare for living in the light, rather than preparing for an accident? Well, alert reader DF (you know who you are) fired back an email that made me laugh out loud: “So.. should I go commando?” After ruminating on this comment all day I thought “heck yea!” we should all be in spiritual commando!

Let go of roles, let go of the masks, let go of the shields that separate us from one another and that keep us hidden from our true self. So, yes, take a spiritual bath in the morning, washing away any leftovers from the day or night before (saucha). Adorn yourself in your best garments of all the yamas and the niyamas, and go out into the day- naked, but for your true self. Yes, you spiritual warriors, Go Commando!

Kyczy Hawk E-RYT200, RTY500 is the author of "Yoga and the Twelve Step Path" ans "Life in Bite Sized Morsels", a leader of Y12SR classes, and the creator of SOAR(tm) (Success Over Addiction and Relapse) a teacher certification training. 

Follow her ONLINE recovery infused yoga classes 
http://yogarecovery.studiolivetv.com/MemberRegistrationYR.aspx

Guest Blog - "First 164"

Here is a wonderful blog on Alice in Wonderland, ego and the Big Book of AA. Thank you "First 164"! or this link

Seven Free "AttS" (Attitudes) That Will Make Life Better.

I recently read an article from inc.com  titled 7 Free Apps That Will Make Life Better.

Wow – if only it were that easy to have a better life! Intrigued – I opened the email and read on. I found out that if you had a quick way to add music to your videos, receive and track reader's questions and comments, (pant, pant) had an e-notepad for lists, thoughts, and copies of online material, (take a breath and continue) a tool for timing and releasing posts to social media, a virtual meeting provider and finally a way to send messages and photos to others either in a free online method or in postcard format for under a dollar your life would be BETTER! So that is all I need! Online methods, to post, track and meet.

And here I have been looking for enlightenment by developing a spiritual life and attending to my morals and ethics. Silly me. But really, for my life to be better I have found the following seven “must have” ATTs (attitudes) to be important; Patience
, Compassion, 
Tolerance
, Acceptance, 
Courage, 
Open Mindedness, 
Willingness .

Each day, in every way, having these attitudes makes my life better, no matter what is going on – employing at least one of these ameliorates the situation. Willingness and open mindedness at the beginning of the day, patience as the day progresses, tolerance as I encounter the difficult, courage in the face of challenge, acceptance and compassion as I come in for a landing at night with things yet to do and tiredness descending. That is what gets me though.

What are your “must have atts”? Add them and share them here!
Kyczy Hawk E-RYT200, RTY500 is the author of "Yoga and the Twelve Step Path" and "Life in Bite Sized Morsels". She is a leader of Y12SR classes, and the creator of SOAR(tm) (Success Over Addiction and Relapse) a teacher certification training. 

Follow her ONLINE recovery infused yoga classes 
http://yogarecovery.studiolivetv.com/MemberRegistrationYR.aspx

Yogasync TV - a new online offering

I have just subscribed to an online resource called YogaSync. I have been following Al and Greg's yoga classes online for several years. They are from New Zealand and with their delicious accents have been offering offering online videos for detailed yoga sequencing through Yoga Online at Yoga.org.nz. You can go to that website and download an hour long class. For Free! (until the end of May) Or you can view it on You Tube. They have now launched a new and fabulous product called YogaSynch TV. This online tool allows the user to select already created sequences at any level, for a huge number of specific target areas or challenge poses. From the image above you can see that they give a comprehensive view of the pose. You should check out the website for all the wonderful features. One can also go into their library of poses and create one's own sequence. It is very easy to do picking from the pose library, the level of effort,flexibility, and challenge that is best for you. You can then name and save it for re-use. It is fun to plan and time classes with this tool as well. As one of the founding members I was also able to contact Sarsha, one of the wonderful teachers featured in the videos, to get my own personal sequence developed and I have been loving it. They have numerous pose, meditation, and relaxation videos on you tube. Do a search for one and give them a try. Al also has some great nutritional advice and recipes to feed the inner yogi. Give it a try and tell them "Kyczy sent me"!

It's not the falling down that makes us fail...

it's the staying there. Check out this blog, comments and videos to see tremendous dedication in spite of tremendous odds. The teacher has offered props and the student has accepted them and yoga has invited improvement. (See the You Tube video from this link here: http://youtu.be/qX9FSZJu448)


Kyczy Hawk E-RYT200, RTY500 is the author of "Yoga and the Twelve Step Path" and "Life in Bite Sized Morsels", a leader of Y12SR classes, and the creator of SOAR(tm) (Success Over Addiction and Relapse) a teacher certification training. 

Follow her ONLINE recovery infused yoga classes 
http://yogarecovery.studiolivetv.com/MemberRegistrationYR.aspx

Gratitude and Samskara- Habits of the Mind

I was thinking about samskara (habits of the mind) today. Recalling gratitude throughout the day is such a powerful tool in developing healthy habits of the mind.
Generosity is a two part event. The giving and the receiving. Giving anonymously is good to exercise the former. In order to complete the cycle, however, there must be some exercising in the ability to receive; to receive with grace, with enthusiasm, with authenticity. Gratitude is a way to practice this. It completes the cycle of giving. The universe, the divine, your higher power, has given to you with open arms – no thought of reciprocity except to take, use and enjoy the gift. That’s it. So gratitude is the way to say thank you.
Gratitude and engagement. Engage in the gift. The gift keeps on giving: as you practice gratitude you also create positive emotions in yourself. The brain and nervous system relax and receive. You build habits of positive thought. While you are building positive thought you are changing the habit of creating negative thought. This negative thinking; these habits of the mind, referred to in yoga by the sanskrit word "samskara", harm us and harm our world. So the gift of receiving the grace of our higher power, being grateful, creates positive habits of the mind, which in return allows us to live in positive energy which is….like a gift to the world. In receiving we are giving. Kind of a sweet connection to make.

“What you feed grows and what you starve dies.”  And by “feeding” the positive we encourage it to grow; at the same time “starving” the negative. I will feed my gratitude today and so the feelings of lack, loss and scarcity will diminish.

So don’t delay – start your gratitude list today.


Kyczy Hawk E-RYT200, RTY500 is the author of "Yoga and the Twelve Step Path" ans "Life in Bite Sized Morsels", a leader of Y12SR classes, and the creator of SOAR(tm) (Success Over Addiction and Relapse) a teacher certification training. 

Follow her ONLINE recovery infused yoga classes 
http://yogarecovery.studiolivetv.com/MemberRegistrationYR.aspx