yoga – The Great Kaysby

Feeling Philosophical

I love practicing yoga! Tonight I experienced an exceptionally relaxing class because instead of listening to an instrumental mediation, we jammed to 90’s Rock. For me this music was a more relaxing and mind soothing choice because that was the music that put me to sleep each night growing up. In fact, I spent the shavasana portion on my stomach with my arms crossed under my head remembering how I fell asleep most nights circa 2000. Since that yoga class, I keep having more and more 90’s songs pop in my head. One song in particular – Silk E Fyne’s “Romeo and Juliet” – got me thinking about the types of things people say as they get older that are fundamentally wrong when you get to thinking deeper. Based on that, I started thinking about a couple of things philosophically. Ready for it?

“When we were younger, they didn’t just talk about things like sex in songs, they only implied it.” – WRONG – Where to start busting this myth? When I was 16, we had Ludacris asking all of us “What’s Your Fantasy?” and pretty much providing a list of off the wall places to have sex with some instructions. Before Ludacris, Meatloaf had started introducing people to vehicular activities back in the 70s with “Paradise By the Dashboard Light” that left nothing to the imagination.
“We didn’t have these issues when I was younger.” WRONG – It was not that long ago that many “issues” were swept under the rug so to speak. Less than a hundred years ago, people were still sending off family members with disabilities to institutions so that they didn’t have to take care of them. Likewise, it’s only been a few decades since teenage girls who got pregnant were sent to “take care of a sick aunt” for several months. A word to the wise? Ignoring an issue doesn’t mean that it didn’t exist. This is a lesson that can still be utilized!

There are several other examples swirling through my brain, but the gist is this: oftentimes, people will think that the past was better, more innocent, etc than it really was because they forget the negatives. Forgetting the bad makes it really easy to think that life was better in a previous time, but the bottom line is that on many levels the issues are the same.

What are thinking about tonight?

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

Yoga – A Safe Space

I’m writing this as I sit in my car after a yoga class. As I was practicing at a local studio this morning, I realized why I love yoga so much. Of course, I thoroughly enjoy the wellness benefits of yoga. I truly believe yoga helps you mentally, physically, and spiritually. Seriously, there’s nothing like the calm of yoga for talking with God (or your chosen deity)! The biggest reason I love yoga? It is a safe space! At yoga everyone is welcoming and kind to you. Today, I met new people who were so caring, and they invited me back again with no qualms! Additionally, no one judges you for how you practice, your level of ability, or appearance. A yoga studio is one of the most freeing spaces in the world. When you leave, you feel recharged and rejuvenated because you’ve been in a safe space to be yourself and improve yourself. If you’re looking for a safe space, then try a yoga class.

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

The Success of Silence

I haven’t practiced yoga in a class since the start of the New Year (there was a great post about it that is worth revisiting); however, a couple of times in the past week, I have done some guided meditation mixed with yoga at home. The mediations have focused on filling in blanks with positive affirmation. For example, during the first mediation I laid in shavasana and inhaled with the thought “I am X”. Then I exhaled with “This is my love song.” For approximately three minutes, I just breathed and told myself positive things about myself. The silent affirmation and mindful breathing were game changing!

Immediately, I felt as though I had more energy! I completed this practice after getting my toddler to sleep, and I felt like it reenergized me and helped me accomplish a lot before bed. Additionally, I felt more grounded and open to receiving positivity into my day. Sometimes we close out the positive unknowingly, and it is important to open ourselves so that we don’t miss golden opportunities. Finally, this practice made me feel more balanced in mind, body, and soul. I connected my physical practice with my chosen spiritual practice, and I could feel them co-existing inside. It’s one thing to present coexistence on the outside, but believing it on the inside is what takes you to the next level. All of this was completed in silence, and I think that silence was the key to the success.

Why silence? When you’re silent, you’re more in tune to yourself and what’s happening around you. Don’t believe me? Ask a person who is successful in a field that interests you. They will most likely tell you that silent reflection helps them to succeed! If you’ve practiced silent reflection, I’d love to hear your successes! If you haven’t tried it, I invite you to do so!

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

7 Colors

Happy 2022! This morning I began my year by attending a Sankalpa session at my favorite yoga studio with one of the kindest, most caring instructors on the planet. The session involved yoga, guided meditations, intention setting, and snacks. One of my favorite parts of the morning involved the seven chakra zones and thinking of images you associate with those chakra colors. I’m a complete novice when it comes to the concept of chakras, but my reflection this morning was very powerful! So, I thought I would share my experience so that others may feel empowered!

1. Red (Root) = comfort and safety. For this chakra I imagined red hair. In my life my hair, which is red although some bottle assistance is required these days, has always been a security blanket. I’ve always found comfort in twirling or running my fingers through my hair. I’ve also always found safety in being able to hide behind my hair.

2. Orange (Sacral) = Pleasure. I immediately thought of sunrise and sunset! For me the image of the rising or setting sun melting into the horizon is pure joy and calm. During these moments I feel so blessed by everything given to us in this life. It’s the best time to see miracles!

3. Yellow (Solar Plexus) equals strength. This time I thought of sunflowers. Sunflowers always remind me of one of my grandmothers. She lived in Kansas, and she was very much like a sunflower. She was strong and beautiful, and an inspiration of what a loving wife, mother, and grandmother should be.

4. Green (Heart) = acceptance and compassion. I immediately thought of nature specifically grass and trees. There is something about nature that makes me feel like everything is or is going to be okay depending on the situation. There’s also something about being in nature that just fills me up with compassion too. I can’t pinpoint exactly what it is, but it’s there.

5. Turquoise (throat) = communication. I immediately thought of the turquoise waters of Half Moon Cay. In these waters you can see the sand below clearly! I pray that I am able to communicate like those turquoise waters. I pray that my communication in the new year is clear, calm, and filled with the same pure spirit as those waters.

6. Indigo (Third Eye) equals intuition and trust. I didn’t actually come up with an image for this one. When I think of indigo, I lean more heavily to the blue part. Blue – my favorite color – just makes me happy. My thought with this chakra is that I hope I do a better job this year of following my gut instead of over analyzing everything!

7. Purple (Crown) equals knowledge and fulfillment. This one made me think of the Princess Diana Beanie Baby. For one, I thought of it because Princess Diana was a great role model. She admitted her flaws (such as her marital issues), but she still found ways to serve the people through humanitarian efforts and leave the world better than she found it. Serving others is very fulfilling for me! Secondly, my second grandma’s favorite color was purple. That’s why as a gift I gave her this particular Beanie Baby. Thinking of her reminds me of all the real life knowledge she had (her highest education was eighth grade) that has helped me in my own life. She’s been gone 11 years this month, but she is still teaching me lessons!

For my readers, I hope this blog post gets you thinking about the chakra colors and what they can mean for you. For me, I hope this post helps me to stay grounded in my values in 2022. Happy New Year everyone!

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

Stretch Stories

Did you ever have a Stretch or Fetch Armstrong as a kid? Ideally you could pull on them and pull on them, and they would temporarily distort before going mostly back to their original state. My Fetch Armstrong worked in this manner until the day the stretchy inside stuff started oozing out of it. In contrast to this incident, when we stretch, no matter how we’re stretching, we often find that we have a new story to tell. In my experience, while stretching may be difficult, it is a rewarding story in the end.

To start, let’s jump right in and talk about stretch stories in terms of stretch marks. In a world full of creams designed to minimize the appearance of stretch marks, I’m going to be bold and say that I love my stretch marks! Society may deem my tiger stripes to be ugly, but to me my tiger stripes are a reminder that my body performed the miracle of growing a baby! As that baby was growing, I gained 31 pounds, and I don’t regret a single pound of it! Now whenever I look at those stretch marks, I can think about the story they tell of my pregnancy and birthing journey! Side note: I think of my c-section scar as a beautiful thing too!

Even though it cannot be seen, I also think that mental stretching is a great story teller! In my opinion (I’m not an expert) mental stretching can be as simple as doing math without a calculator or as complex as challenging yourself to learn a new language or skill. In either case, when you do these mental stretching activities, you learn things about yourself. Just yesterday, I used mental math skills that I hadn’t used in a while. I was amazed at my brain’s ability to still do it! Likewise, when I started doing brain puzzles again, I was amazed by how quickly they came back to me! They say that mental stretching can also help with keeping your memory sharp! Plus it’s always a great feeling to know that you can do something you thought impossible!

Speaking of things you thought were impossible, there’s some stories that literal stretching can tell! Last summer I took several yoga classes, and do you know what stories I learned from that stretching? One, at 38 I can still put my foot over my head. Two, my body can with correct training do Hot or Glow yoga and reap the benefits without feeling ill. Three, I can stretch and release tensions from my body! When I was regularly practicing yoga, I felt more relaxed than I have in a long time! Now that’s a great stretch story!

How about when you stretch? Do you feel your confidence boosted by instances of mental or physical stretching? Has it been so long since you’ve stretched your body or brain that you need to do it for a reminder of how you feel? What stories do you want your personal stretching to tell in the future?

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby