30 days of shiva nata - checking in

first, two quick bits of news.

i added new cards to the shop! more tulips. and more atlas. did i mention that i love tulips? and atlas? i'm sure you never would have guessed. hee.

i have time this week for a reiki session. if you've been thinking about it, or you've been wanting to gently connect with your body, check out the festival of love & attention - maybe a session is perfect for you.

second, i'm so excited that so many people are joining in on the 30 days of (something)! the updates i've been getting are so wonderful. you all are inspiring me.

if you are joining in and want to check in on this post, i would love love love to hear from you. regardless, know that i am happy that we're all in this together, and am cheering you on.

so far, my shiva nata practice is going well. my practices have been longer than usual and i've managed to challenge myself every day. (total side note, do you know that i can bounce on my rebounder while in tree pose while doing shiva nata? i give shiva nata all the credit for that bit of balance. i has balance!)

i'm not entirely sure what to say about my theme of permission. for some reason, i've been journaling about other things. except for my worry post, which cracks me up because i did not even realize that it connected with my theme of permission (even though it had permission in the title) until days later.

that being said, i do like knowing that permission is swirling about in the back of my mind this month. it feels like such a loving quality.

Comments

[Sandy]

hi Elizabeth! Funny enough, as I set my intention of being creative for 30 days, I have been out walking/hiking every day enjoying the scenery around me which technically could fall under the catagory of "creative", as I take my camera sometimes. So I am definitely on goal so far, with a day to day routine for walking/hiking- this has also freed up my thoughts.... lots of great ideas are flowing and are being written down. Thanks again for this wonderful idea. Now hopping over to your Etsy to see your sweet dog who always makes me smile and some lovely flowers...... Have a GREAT day!

[Tracy]

This is wonderful Elizabeth! I love the challenge of 30 Days of Something... Pity it happened just as I was getting back from my trip. Perhaps I'll make July my own personal challenge time for something... so may things I could pick though to focus on...decision, decision... ;o) Your new cards are FAB, by the way... love the new ones with Atlas. Happy Week ((HUGS))

[tammy]

i love the way you word thoughts ...

"i do like knowing that permission is swirling around in the back of my mind this month. it feels like such a loving quality."

i give myself permission to heal my heart and stop fretting about it. so, makes that green salad and fruit look absolutmously wonderful!

[Helen]

so far i haven't missed a day of shiva nata! and woah to your bouncing+treepose+shivanata! crazy, i think i would fall, and/or get completely messed up with the shiva nata, probably both:)

[steph]

I've been sitting every day so far! Yay! There have been a couple of days (notably, over the weekend) where having made the commitment and set the intention was what motivated me to get up and *do* it (or sit down and do it, I suppose). Weekends, with their lack of structure for me in the first place, are the days that I would usually be most willing to give myself a "pass" on any regular practices, so I foresee those being the most challenging times for me this month. But I'm sticking with the gentleness, too--not badmouthing myself into sitting (so far). And I'm kind of surprised at all the different times of day that I've been sitting. Usually, I prefer to sit in the morning, and if I don't sit then, it's likely that I'll skip it entirely. But there have been several days when I've done my meditating in the evening, or even right before bed!

I'm thoroughly enjoying this experiment! Thanks again for throwing open the invitation!

[Sherron]

Apparently, my anger issues and procrastination issues go hand in hand. Ha! That's a very helpful realization that I just made this week. I was angry about several things last week, which resulted in not exactly doing just one thing every day (my thing is "do just one thing"). However, as I was willfully avoiding my to-do list, I was breaking in a new coloring book, which is very meditative for me. Plus, I watched a lot of Doctor Who episodes (and I LOVE the Doctor!). So, while I didn't get a lot of things marked off my list, I did probably accomplish what I truly needed: rest.

[elizabeth @ retinal perspectives]

@sherron: what a helpful realization to have! or maybe two, since it sounds like you realized that what you really needed was rest. yay for coloring and doctor who! (i've never watched doctor who myself; i'll have to check it out someday.)

@steph: yay! i enjoyed hearing about how you are handling the weekends - gentleness seems very much in the spirit of meditation. (i find weekends the hardest myself. i've been doing shorter and more flowy practices - somehow it fits.)

@helen: yay, helen! i can get messed up with shiva nata, but that's a good thing, remember. ;)

@tammy: your green salad and fruit sounds wonderful. love the addition of "permission to not fret about it" to your practice. cheers to that!

@tracy: so many practices, so little time. i hope charlie has let you empty your suitcase by now! ;)

@sandy: absolutely! enjoying nature is definitely creative, with or without a camera. and it is so good for getting ideas flowing. enjoy your walks!

[kate]

Hmm...ok, my 30 days is not going too well. I might start at day 1 again tomorrow. :) Love and Kindness. that's what I'm going for. a little explanation? well, originally I was thinking about food and working out. Rather than go on a "diet," I am trying to just eat things that represent love and kindness to me..things that are good for me. And not eat when I'm full, etc. But then when I ate crappy food, I would practice love and kindness with myself by not beating myself down. Anyway, it's kind of left me feeling all over the place...not really committing to one thing...I think it's too broad. Maybe i'll just practice love and kindness to others instead. :)

[Rose]

Just did my update on my blog ^_^. Bit of a slow start but back on track today; have tomorrow free to really get back into it and re-do day 3 =)

[Kris]

Hi Elizabeth, thanks for asking. After a week of walking I am not magically all skinny and strong but I do feel a bit of an emotional lift. Who knew I had so many secrets bottled up inside? Not me. I am grateful. (And that there is my daily gratitude:)

[elizabeth @ retinal perspectives]

@kris: that was so inspiring to read. walking is so wonderful for finding those bottled up things, isn't it. i sometimes think that if i walked on the trails every day for long enough, i wouldn't have any problems (since most of my problems are my thoughts about something).

@rose: read it!

@kate: that makes perfect sense. it is broad, but it is also beautiful, and includes lots of ways to be loving & kind to yourself. even if you change, that could also be a way of being loving & kind to yourself. sending love to you as you find the right practice.