Tuesday 18 November 2014

Avoiding Growth, Self Sabotage and Being a Spiritual Mum on the Run

As a spiritual Mum on the run, the easiest way to avoid our inner work, is to go out. Out to the park, out for a walk, out of… our very selves.  
A late bonus extra month (and more) of Summer, the driest September since records began, means we had some more of this. 
The Autumn leaves reminded us that this would soon end, but the temperatures allowed us to remain in denial. A cold snap came, maybe Autumn was here after all, but then we were teased with a glorious hot Halloween. 
All of a sudden Christmas is in our eye line, yet Summer is not long since waving goodbye, still very visible in our memory’s wing mirror. This year it would seem Autumn is to be beautiful, with less layers required. The wind and rain have made an appearance but only fleetingly each time. Those of us whose mood is so effected by sunlight have had a stay of execution, before the dishwater overcast grey skies come to get us.
Let’s batten down the hatches, and be ready, before the call of nature makes it an absolute requirement.
So what makes you tick? The energy of “now” is asking us that. Some bloggers are harnessing this and posing that question directly to you. You can join in with Mama and More’s weekly #AllAboutYou linky . When I first wrote this post I linked to http://www.mama-andmore.com/2014/10/all-about-you-link-party-with-change.html
which that week came with the bonus of a way to connect via Instagram using the hashtag #AllAboutYouNow
But now, this week's post is just as inspiring "All About You Link Party"
My inner journey has been too long, in recent years, because I am in resistance, rather than actual spiritual practice and it is simply because the changes that transform us the most, are the hardest to embrace, especially when we are naturally the sort to self sabotage. When we are at the edge of a time of great growth or transformation, that - with me at least - is the time to run for the hills and do ANYTHING other than GO WITH IT.
This is the time when inner, not outer work is required. I am finally embracing these darker months, as I know they will facilitate early morning yoga. Rising 2.5 hours before dawn, for the special ambrosial hours, is a more respectable time of day in these winter months than it ever could be in Summer. For someone like me, who has not practiced yoga since 2010, starting a morning routine that commences at 5 a.m. is considerably easier than 3 a.m. Even more so, given that I am a morning person trapped in a coffee addicted body. Yes, I will be dealing with THAT addiction too, and resuming my consumption of delicious homemade yogi tea, which incidentally is a beautiful aroma to fill your home with at 5 a.m. The warm mug, that accompanies you to you yoga mat.
Do you take on the feelings of others? Like a sponge? Such that you don’t know where your feelings begin and their feelings end? You may too be an empath like me. I have been researching this for some time now, but it is also considered by Mom On a Spiritual Journey
Another question. Is it even possible to BE spiritual AND be a MUM and be in the WEST? This is a question I have been asking myself daily since becoming a Mum in 2010. If you too regularly ask yourself this question, then you may enjoy this read: What if Budha Had Been a Mum? A thought provoking quote from that very post:
What if enlightenment is simply our ability to live as we do while not seeking a magic panacea for life’s challenges … and what if that includes not comparing our current world to the world that existed in the times in which those masters lived?
Because, after all, it is being MINDFUL in those challenges, that makes us who we are. Also, those challenges, reflect who we are. We create our own reality, and it begins inside, not out. It begins with our intentions, our desires, our self worth. On the horizon, we see what we believe in, and we then draw this to us. We can manifest a new horizon. When we choose to steer our ship, instead of being flung about by the waters of the sea, that’s when true transformation begins. Hey let’s even CHOOSE the ship before we get in.
Let’s make as much effort designing our destiny as we do in putting together that Autumn craft that we so badly want to post on Instagram. I write because I am avoiding craft. You may craft because you are avoiding writing. Let’s decide where our points of resistance are, and dive right in. The things we find the hardest to do, are often the ones we see the most sense of satisfaction from when completed.
Also, when you do something that nourishes your very soul, the world can tell. All of a sudden, like minded souls will connect with you. They sense that you are connected with your inner divine, and you doing so, means they suddenly realise they can too. It's like you shining gives them permission to shine too. There's a famous quote along the lines of that right? A bit of a higher version of “smile and the world smiles with you”. Remember:
“The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.” - William Arthur Ward
We are now in the Aquarian Age, where people have to have a personal experience of what we describe. We have left behind the shackles of the Piscean Age where people would take our word for it. THIS is why children now don’t just “do as we say”. It is not  the case that we are all into middle class parenting that contains no structure or discipline. It is that the subject, the child, has changed. We as parents sense this. Children now, need to SEE US demonstrate what we want them to do, and then they need to EXPERIENCE it. So there is absolutely NO POINT in telling them to tidy their toys in a messy house. Yes they might do it if you yell and holler, but wouldn’t you want them to do it, because you have SHOWN them all the reasons that they should. In a loving home, a child will want to please you, because they can FEEL this makes things GOOD. As so many Mums realise, the change begins with US, and the child then follows suit. You’re angry, the child is angry. You yell, child does too. You are suddenly ZEN, surprise surprise, child is too.
If you really want to experience yelling less, then a fabulous book has just launched:
Yell Less, Love More and it includes a 30 day book club.
I know what my trigger points are, and I am working on them. I hope this book will further my journey, which reminds me, I must buy it for my Kindle today. I love the Book Tour blog posts that I have read. Lots of Mums/Moms out there embracing change.
Amanda, from The Family Patch, so eloquently explains the many benefits that can be experienced by getting out in nature. That post is a feast for the soul. A reminder of the me-time we HAVE to create. We do have to make this time for ourselves, and over recent years I have seen the blogging community get better and better at this. It helps when: role models like Annie champion this. That post is a feast for the eyes.
So, what have you done for yourself lately? To propel you on your life’s path? To ensure that your soul is growing, as your tension dissipates?
You know, you don’t have to attend a yoga class to experience its many benefits. If you are fit and able to do this simple pose, try Archer pose. It applies pressure to every cell in the body and strengthens the entire nervous system. By applying a stretch to the sex nerve that runs along the inner thighs, this exercise stimulates your potency to develop courage. Remember we are spiritual beings having a human experience, so if you feel your spirit soaring and your body dragging you down, time to do the breathing or the asanas required to address the imbalance.

I'm joining in with the All About You linky. You can too, just click here:

Mama and More


3 comments:

  1. Beautiful, we are indeed spiritual beings - even you mums in the west :p (or should I say especially?) We aren't having a mild autumn :( -18 and a foot of snow!

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  2. Goodness I wish my kids would be zen when I am! That's an uphill battle but, of course, you are right and persisting with more patience than I have might be best ;) But yes, I think lots of mums (including you and me) are spiritual and mums in the west. You are at your best when you write like this but I think that getting up that early when you are a mum doesn't make anyone any more spiritual than practising that kind of yoga / meditation at a different hour X

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  3. Wow Liska, what a beautifully intense and passionate post. I love that you look deeply within yourself, and question things, and search - you are such a wonderful spirit and emanate a great energy (I get that every time we meet). And morning yoga at this time of year, you are quite right, it is easier to be out of bed when I know I have my mat to get to. Thank you so very much for linking to #allaboutyou, and also for the mentions. Blessings for your journey xx

    Mama-andmore.com

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