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

Rejoice in Recovery

No. we are not a glum lot. That is true – together before and after meetings you can hear the chatter and the laughter. But sometimes, on my own, I forget how to have fun. Fun had been a drink …or 5, then it had stopped being pure fun, it became fun with problems and finally, then, as they say, it turned into just problems. I kept at it, hoping for at least the “fun and problems” stage – dreaming really of the illusive FUN with FUN part. When that all stopped working I had to concede that drinking was not only NOT fun, but was an illness that could kill or incapacitate me. (Funny word “incapacitate” as is kind of breaks down to “without a head” and I definitely was moving toward a head-less existence). So , back to the subject: fun, or NON-fun. I stopped drinking, started working the program, found some relaxation and entertainment in the rooms – but still – I didn’t know how to have sober fun outside of my recovery tribe. And it is important to know how to have fun; reading or riding, crocheting or climbing, sewing or singing; I needed to find a way to do something NON productive, un-important and joyful. We were talking about this at a meeting recently: “what do you do for fun?” I really had to think! I had been so busy, had filled my time so fully – I didn’t have time for FUN. That is not completely true, I did have time, I was just frittering it away with in-between things (online foolishness, reading stuff on the way to throw it away, over committing myself, cutting out time to BE). I used my “too busy” excuse to avoid making an effort to find fun things to do. As an adult child of an alcoholic I still have vestiges of that reality in the present time; I am responsible for EVERYTHING (not). If I see a pan I wash it, a smudgy floor I mop it, a dry plant I water it and I do not live alone. Not all things are mine alone to do. Step over the smudge and out the door for a walk! Put down the newspaper ads and pick up a book. Don’t darn and mend – create! Make something for fun and not because it is useful. This is one of the reasons sobriety is joyful – we can learn to play. At the meetings I learn to laugh and find silliness in life. I listen to what others do in their “free time” and I try it out for myself. Walks or waterslides, golf or galleries, movies or museums, I need to find something that pleases me and try it. Don’t make it a rule to do it “X” number of times or until thus and such a goal is reached… just sample it and try something else. Life is for living. We are not a glum lot.



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

Personality Types Attract Different Drugs | The Fix

Personality Types Attract Different Drugs | The Fix


This is an interesting article.  The Ayurvedic tools of constitution analysis -  the doshas -  also address these concepts.  Different constitutions: Vatta, Pitta and Kapha (as well as the combinations thereof) express themselves in different addictive preferences.

First Video

A dear friend came over yesterday to help me make some videos to get the word out about my new book - "Yoga and the Twelve Step Path". Once we made the video I had to figure out how to get it out of the camera (check), and into a video program (check) and then to edit it (screech!). I was a little out of my league there. So I did a little reading a made a lot of false starts. Eventually I was able to make a few edits, add a picture and some titles. I have tried to do this justice. She did such a lovely job with the interview and helped me choose a passage to read. With her care and her support here is an excerpt from the last chapter on how to take care of oneself.

Small Pleasures

I was filled with a sense of pleasure when I read this the other day. Usually one identifies with the hedonist- the pizza inhaling, nap snatching, uninhibited shedder that is Garfield. In this strip, however, it is clearly Jon who "gets it". Rather than succumbing to ennui his senses are enlivened by nothing more than a breeze. It is wonderful to live in the consciousness that it is the small things that count. I have an orange tree by my back door and it can make my breezes "the best" as well. Today I will lift my face and breathe in the air. Life is good and totally impressive.


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

Gratitude Fills My Heart

THREE YEARS AGO THIS HAPPENED

A short note with a BIG THANK YOU to Rob and Angie of our local recovery bookstore; All About Recovery. They hosted a wonderful book signing for me to welcome my book "Yoga and The Twelve Step Path" into the world.

Now, again, All About Recovery is holding a grand RE-Opening of the store August 15th, 2015 from 11am to 3pm. There will be a celebration with food prizes and at 1pm I will be signing my NEW BOOK "Life in Bite Sized Morsels- Learning to Live Life on Life's Terms".


This is how it unfolded in 2012: 

I arrived early to see if I needed to do anything to help prepare and to find out what the process would be. They had everything under control: coffee hot and water cool for the event. Even a popcorn machine was out and ready, giving the space a festival feel.

 As an extra added attraction their daughter in law was set up to do chair massage. I was the first one to take advantage of this offer - and she gave me the most wonderful massage - gratis - effectively petting all my fur into the right direction. I calmed down, got centered, used my breath and - well not quite relaxed - but moved into the moment. As I was draped over the chair I heard the first person come in asking about the signing and the book. It is really happening.

Even before 2pm folks were coming in. Friends brought snacks, they chatted and walked around the store. They bought cards, CDs and books. I was able to witness the interconnectedness of people in the area - folks who knew each other unbeknownst to me. With the conversational buzz and greetings shouted across the room, and general feeling of excitement; it was a PARTY! Seated at a table in the back of the lovely air conditioned shop I was able to spend a few minutes with each person who came. That made it even better than a party where you really don't get to SEE everyone who comes because you are dashing about.

At this celebration I got moments with each person. I saw people who had driven quite a distance, people I hadn't seen in years, and people who were an unexpected surprise. At 5pm, an hour after the signing was to have been done, I grabbed a treat from the snack table and wandered off to my truck and home, exhausted but delighted. I thank you all! I am so grateful, Namaste.

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

My Mind Was Playing Thief This Morning

This morning I was sitting in meditation – or I was until my mind stole away from me. In fact – it stole away WITH me. I had settled onto my place, without a thought of concern or dismay. I had done my rituals before settling down to let go. I was looking forward to this moment of quiet with no second thoughts of; “Will I be able to have a moment with a quiet mind?” “Will I be able to let go?” “What busy-ness do I have going on with my morning that I cannot afford these few minutes of mediation?” None of these usual resistances came to the fore. I lit my incense, I prepared my cushion, I got my shawl. I ensured that my toes would be warm and that my space was prepared. I sat.

The next thing I knew I was back from a long mental journey – whisked away on a story of unusual content and amazing detail. I was securing my home! I was locking the windows that are behind me in this room, I was turning bolts on the doors to my house and fretting about what was of value that could be stolen. What about the computer files that had not been recently backed up! I was not sure I could remember the name of my off line back up service and certainly not the passwords to retrieve the data. In fact I was convinced that all my work would be stolen away, unappreciated, and the hard drive wiped clean so my machine could be resold. I was shocked by this feeling of vulnerability as well as the idea of grasping and covetousness I was sensing about my goods. I was feeling so fearful and trying to think of a lo-jack equivalent that would prevent the computer from being useful to anyone else who might end up with it. Some sort of gizmo that would prevent start up in the “wrong” hands. How greedy and unkind; how confusing to my deep sense of “don’t fret, all will be well” that was accompanied with a twinge of pay back. “Go ahead and take my stuff – it will be useless to you if you do”.

Heart beating and heart hurting I came back to the present moment shocked and surprised. Breathe in, breathe out. Again. Breathe in, breath out; again. Release and find the meditative state; breathing and letting go and a blink later - WHAM – my mind is in my truck now – designing a key chain clip that would prevent a car from functioning 3 minutes after it was stolen or hijacked. There would be some kind of a chip that would need to be connected (wi fi, of course) to something I had in my pocket so that the ignition would function. If this connection were interrupted the car would stop; however the car would run long enough that the thief would think s/he had gotten away and then the vehicle would cease to function, not able to start again until this connection with the “mother chip” were re-established. Of course the thief wouldn’t know about this clever anti theft device until it was too late and then they would be nabbed.

I snapped to, back on the cushion – the timer had gone off and I was in distress. What was going on? I was afraid of loosing my current work. I didn’t know that. I was unaware of any feelings of scarcity or lack; any sense that what I am doing could “go away”. And yet – I was mentally locking doors and windows to keep my “self” safe. I am not a vehicle person. I love having transportation but I am not all about my truck. Any vehicle will do – so maybe rather than being possessive about my truck, it is the option and the freedom and the mobility that the vehicle symbolizes. Who knows. I was trying to find a way to keep myself from being ripped off AND, again, of having what was stolen be useless to the other.

What does this mean? I am still working it out. I need to take care of myself and give myself a sense of security. What is there in my world that is on shaky ground, that I feel could be taken away? It won’t be the obvious; that I know. So, for now, I am being kind, and coming back to the mat – where evidently the unconscious fears can be released. I also have to look at that feeling of retribution; spitting on someone else's food so it won’t be palatable to them . I hope my mind is more generous than I am; allowing me to find these peregrinations useful and not making the lesson useless to me. Thank goodness it is the PRACTICE of meditation. I will keep coming back to the cushion and to my program.

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