Dana Fortner Yoga

Yogi Rambles

[danafortneryoga]

Limits

We all have limits, some are very obvious, many are unseen. How many of these limits are self imposed shackles we put on?

The “I can’t shackle”

the “I don’t have time shackles”

the “I won’t be good enough shackle”

Given the nature of how our modern society works, dispensing of these shackles might seem impossible

I invite you to try to free yourself anyway

[danafortneryoga]

All the thoughts that have been buzzing around in your mind, all the things on your task list, all the worries you have, all these things are valid.

But none of them should distract you from what matters.

Your next breath. Your next intentional moments.

That matters.

The rest is ephemeral. The only essential is the this moment and where you allow it to take you.

Be well,

D

[danafortneryoga]

5 posts!

[turtlesandfrogs]

Heads up to anyone taking a yoga class or doing anything that involves stretching in a group setting, or looking at such on social media:

Some of those people are hyper-mobile and may not know it yet. Some of those people are causing harm to their bodies and don't know it yet. Do not be envious of people more stretchy than you, and do not look at others as examples of what you "should" be able to do. Do not stretch to the point of pain.

If you have a normal range of motion, be glad.

Just, you know, a heads-up from someone over 30.

[danafortneryoga]

Seriously, this makes so much sense. Forget about instagram model yoga, most of us don't look like that aesthetic, so why on earth are we comparing our ability to express an asana to another's expression of an asana? EveryBODY is different, therefore everyASANA will be expressed differently (even if it is so subtle and difficult to see). Focus on guiding yourself towards alignment and see how it feels inside of your body. That's your guide.

[danafortneryoga]

Set some rules to get you through the holiday season.

Ah, ‘tis the season. A season of joy, aseason of love and laughter. A season of families and friends getting together to celebrate community, and for some, a season of deep spiritual meaning. The dark side of this season is that often it is met with stress, fraught with chaos, and leaves some feeling as though they have no control over their time or their energy. Here’s a thought, make yourself some rules, a few boundaries that you create to ensure that you are able to enjoy this time of year with peace.

Here are mine:

1- do something to fill your cup every day. It doesn’t matter if it’s good or if it’s a small thing, just make sure you doing something for yourself each and every day. No, this doesn’t mean folding that last basket of laundry, this means taking a walk, meditating, reading a few more pages in that book, that you’re really laughing, having a cup of tea with a friend, or taking a nap

2- say no to something. We tend to over complicate and overcommit in our lives. Remember that when you say notice something, that leaves you open to say yes to something else. Often but yes, it’s what you truly do you need or desire

3 - practice gratitude. I know I know, easier said than done. Especially when some jerk just cut you off and took the absolute last parking spot at the mall. I get it. Try to find the little moment in the stress or you find something that enriches your life in a small way. I am constantly tripping over my kids shoes. We have a boot tray by the front door, they have shoe racks in their rooms. None of this seems to matter, though, as I dodge the pile of air, Jordans and combat boots that are inevitably left in front of the couch, in the doorway of a room, or, once on top of the toilet, I know I have no idea how it got there and no it wasn’t my shoe. As irritating as the shoes strewn about can be, they belong to my children. The people who made me a mother. The beings that allow me to help guide them into adulthood. So yeah, try to find a little space for gratitude each day.

This is by no means an all encompassing list. Each of us will choose rules are boundaries that service best. But I encourage you to pick three things that will enhance your holiday season, and allow you to skillfully maneuver through it with your sanity intact.

Each of us has a tiny, spark inside of us, this spark makes us who we are. Allow your spark to grow into a flame, and may that flame light your way until we meet again.

[danafortneryoga]

Charting Your Course

We are asked relatively early on in life what we “want to be when we grow up”.  Likely in an effort on an adult’s part to make a connection with a child. This is a seemingly innocent question that is actually a way to program children into catagorizing themselves.

What do you want to be should be replaced with “who do you want to become”.  What kind of individual do you want to become.  How to you want to contribute to the world around you.  

Contribution.  Connection.  Community.  

All of these feed into each other.  

Contribution allows us to connect, and benefits community.  

Community is connection in a pure form, and every individual in a community contributes to that community in a multitude of ways.  

Connection is the tether.  Connection keeps us grounded, and bound to our humanity.  

What is your contribution?  

Where is your community?

How are you connected or connecting?

Be well.

D

[danafortneryoga]

Spend a moment each day getting grounded. Breathe deeply. Inhale to invite peace, exhale to push away the negative thought that just crept in.

[danafortneryoga]

Yet

Our inner voice can be dismissive of our progress at times - it may say:

I am not  as flexible as I should be, yet.

I am not peaceful, yet.

I am not enlightened, yet.

I am not knowledgeable, yet. 

Acknowledge the yet 

Then let it go 

because 

even though you may not feel as though you are those things ~ maybe you are not

And YET

 perhaps you are flexible enough 

perhaps you are enlightened, enough

perhaps you are peaceful, enough 

Perhaps you are knowledgeable, enough

Let go of the yet

 hold onto the enough 

You are enough in this moment.