METAMORPHOSIS - ep. 21 - I Am Open #30Letters from #yogacamp miniseries l SMart Choice Lifestyle

Yours truly is not that open. I am more of a private person that doesn't like to feel exposed and scrutinized in detail by others. I choose to only show what I think to be relevant, helpful and purposeful in a given situation. No more, no less.

Of course, it depends on the context, the person or how at ease I feel, or how in tune I feel. It's a protective measure most of the times. A protection for getting hurt emotionally. With time, I began to see that some people act strangely around me, while others are perfectly in sync. 

I noticed that if I thought a person to be tight up, that's what that person thought of me back. Lastly, I discovered that if I disliked a person for a particular reason, most certain that reason was one of my flaws.

"Open your heart, open your mind, open yourself to all possibilities."

(Adriene Mishler - Yoga With Adriene)

How I discovered that? Simple! (Wrote some more about this HERE and HERE)

I tried being more open with people I didn't think so much of at first glance, or with people that intimidated me or made me feel nervous (either excited or anxious). And guess what? They were normal, pleasant and fun to be around. I was the one who shut them out and didn't interract.

This goes the same for opportunities. Be open to them. Try new things. Challenge yourself. You'll be surprised. I know I did! The moment I gave up those gremlins inside of my mind (as @BreneBrown calls that inner negative voice we all have), it all fell seamlessly into place.

Of course there are ups and downs, good days and bad days, but the purpose of all this is to make up the courage to be yourself, no matter what others say, or what your mind tells you. It doesn't mean you can run on the street naked, howling at the Moon, but it allows you to be more self-confident and live life more assertively.

Be curious about what you encounter in life. Keep exploring unbeated trails. Keep exploring (deep) within. Be happy about opportunities and learning. They lead to growth and growth leads to wisdom.

Look at your best and worst moments in life and add those "grey" areas too. Be curious about why they happened and what you've learned from each. Dig deeper and ask yourself "why?". Be open for whatever reasons might come up and be prepared to accept, adapt, overcome and heal each one. Grow.

You open yourself up to knowing and understanding better who you are and what you need. Take into account that you might get scared, sad or disappointed, even angry because of what you'll discover about yourself.

All in all, people are pretty simple. They act like a mirror, so become aware of what you show them in you. You might not like the reflection.

Here’s the routine I’m referring to. Day 15 of 30 days of #yogacamp: I Am Open. Enjoy!

Thank you for your visit. Please remember to comment down below, share your thoughts on this. Subscribe HERE to stay in touch with what I write.

As always, transformation starts from within.

For the rest of the “METAMORPHOSIS” series, click here.

#30letters is a miniseries derived from the experience of being transformed by some of my choices, in this case yoga, a lesson about yourself and for yourself. #Yogacamp is a 30 day challenge created by the wonderful Adriene Mishler (@yogawithadriene) and shared for free on her YouTube Channel. Check it out HERE.

Sincerely,

Denisa (Alex - alias)

METAMORPHOSIS - ep. 20 - I Go With The Flow #30Letters from #yogacamp miniseries

Vinyasa yoga gets your body and blood pumpin'! If you haven't exercised for some time, you'll get tired quickly. You can also become frustrated. The session might not be that hard, but your overachiever Ego can want to be on top. You get angry at not being the best and at feeling left behind and exhausted by the video. Humbling experience.

In life, we don't always get what we want, what we plan to get, but the trick is to continue, to go with the flow. Eventually, things will get better. There is a time for everything. Have patience.

The so-called "flow" isn't always going smoothly. It has ups and downs, bumps and detours, it can become stuck or vortexed... depending on the circumstances it encounters. But it manages to adapt, to brake free from all the challenges and push through, continuing its course.

Take water for example. It's always flowing. Be like water! As Bruce Lee said it: “You must be shapeless, formless, like water. When you pour water in a cup, it becomes the cup. When you pour water in a bottle, it becomes the bottle. When you pour water in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Water can drip and it can crash. Become like water my friend.”

Be clear-minded, asses your options, accept the situation you're going through, work with what you have, innovate. Change is a part of moving forward. We have challenges, we learn, we grow. We become wiser. Experience got us where we are now.

Continue that flow that began when you were a baby: explore, keep trying, be curious and happy about what you have and succeed in doing. Enjoy what this life has to offer. Live morally, in love and kindness. Avoid temptation and anything that makes your soul feels strange, heavy or fearfull. Listen to your conscience first.

Live in the present moment and hope for redemption. Choose the good in the world. Don't tie your happiness to money! Share, be humble and let go of Ego. Learn to work with others for a common goal. Collaborate. Be just and do justice for all. Choose to see the love in all things, the love in all people. Focus on the beauty life has, on its good things.

Throughout your lifetime, you cannot amass all the knowledge in the world. Remember to take care of your soul and live your life according to God's Law. Enjoy life while you are young, do the things you want to do decisively, you only get one go in life. 

Did you ever had that moment when you thought "man, this is the worst day of my life! I don't know how I'm going to get through tomorrow!"? And then tomorrow came and you were alive and well? And then a week, a month, a year passed and you became stronger that you've ever been? What happened then?

Your mind, your Ego was telling you that you can't do it, that it is to hard, that something bad will happen, right? That was fear, our oldest defense and survival mechanism that alerts us when something is wrong and we need to take care of it to avoid dying. 

But we can't die multiple times. Only once. Just go with the flow. Everything is smoke. It shall pass, let it flow. Breathe!

Here’s the routine I’m referring to. Day 9 of 30 days of #yogacamp: I Go With The Flow. Enjoy!

                           

Thank you for your visit. Please remember to comment down below, share your thoughts on this. Subscribe HERE to stay in touch with what I write.

As always, transformation starts from within.

For the rest of the “METAMORPHOSIS” series, click here.

#30letters is a miniseries derived from the experience of being transformed by some of my choices, in this case yoga, a lesson about yourself and for yourself. #Yogacamp is a 30 day challenge created by the wonderful Adriene Mishler (@yogawithadriene) and shared for free on her YouTube Channel. Check it out here.

Sincerely,

Denisa (Alex - alias)

METAMORPHOSIS - ep. 19 - I Deserve #30Letters from #yogacamp miniseries

To deserve means to be entitled to something, to be worthy, good enough, meritorious enough to receive or have what you wish for. It means to be able to receive a something because of good service, because of serving devotedly.

When we think of it in the context of self-transformation, it all boils down to how well are you treating yourself? How much service are you putting out there for the people around you, in order to gain that much-wanted self-confidence and sense of ease that leads to an improved you?

We tend to be self-judgmental, self-critical and think so low of ourselves that we often think that good things are not going to happen to us because we're just not lucky enough, not smart enough, not pretty enough. That's just negative down-talk and it doesn't do you any favors, either if you keep it all to yourself or you talk to others about it (plus, people tend to stay away from complainers).

We are all entitled to happiness, health and a good quality of life. From ages ago, people have fought to gain these things because they knew they were entitled to have them. The situation changes when we're alone with our minds. We don't really think to high of ourselves. At least not all the time.

We think that if people around us suffer, we're not allowed to be or feel happy. If people don't show us love, we think we don't deserve it and get frustrated and sad. All the love we will ever need comes from inside us. 

We all have it, most of us forget about it. I don't know about you, but for me, this love comes from God and how He wants me to live this life: with joy, happiness and with the need of helping others, just to feel like I'm being useful.

Self-reflection, as time-consuming and complicated as it might first seem, it's pretty simple actually. All you need is time with yourself, time to think, and a will to understand what you are all about, why you do certain things, why you do them in a certain way and not another, what your feelings are, when and why you have a certain one, and so forth. 

We each are different, have certain life experiences, certain abilities, wants, ideas, dreams. But at the end of the day, we all want to belong, to be accepted, to feel like we deserve to be loved, to be understood.

The trick is to stop asking for permission. Love is free. Happiness is a state of mind. Having a better life it's your right. But you must do the work for getting all of this. Daily! Connect with yourself, breathe deeply, be happy!

Here’s the routine I’m referring to. Day 9 of 30 days of #yogacamp: I Deserve. Enjoy!

Thank you for your visit. Please remember to comment down below, share your thoughts on this. Subscribe HERE to stay in touch with what I write.

As always, transformation starts from within.

For the rest of the “METAMORPHOSIS” series, click here.

#30letters is a miniseries derived from the experience of being transformed by some of my choices, in this case yoga, a lesson about yourself and for yourself. #Yogacamp is a 30 day challenge created by the wonderful Adriene Mishler (@yogawithadriene) and shared for free on her YouTube Channel. Check it out here.

Sincerely,

Denisa (Alex - alias)

How Emotions Can Hijack Your Diet Choices

Do you ever ask yourself why food is known to damage you, but not to heal you, to make you feel better? Why do the media and doctors say that you should eat less of this and less of that? Why food x caused y condition and nothing is said about what you should eat for a healthy system? I do to. Even more after being diagnosed with an autoimmune chronic illness like multiple sclerosis. I not only choose to quit sugar, but gluten and dairy too. Let me tell you why.

Last time I wrote about this issue (find it HERE) I was on a positive wave, or more well said, going through a constant good and calm state of my life. What I failed to remember was that life is a roller coaster. I didn't pay enough attention to the fact that the Black Knights (more about them HERE) are bound to come back and trash my efforts of leading a healthy life.

I'm talking about those moments when you feel so upset or tired, that you just need an ice cream or some chocolate. Eating sweet or tasty foods helps you feel better almost instantly (or at the bottom of the can, in some cases).

But that's the real problem. Our brains have been wired from an early age to know that we can find comfort in eating. What nobody told us was how to better manage what and how we feel. How to identify and balance the emotional roller coaster life has prepared for us, and do that without food.

For me, choosing not to eat gluten, dairy and sugar came as a no brainer once I did my research. And when I say research, I mean spending hours upon hours finding out how casein and gluten can mimic other proteins in the body and how sudden insulin spikes put the body into deep stress (and get you fat in the process). I have the notes to prove it! :))

I still have the same principles and ideas, only that now I am more aware of how moments of angst, fear or anger can make my hormones and neurotransmitters fluctuate, and thus somehow make me crave the foods that I know very well can make me feel bad.

On a rational level, it's all good, and I stick to the plan about 80% of the time. The other 20% is dependent on how I'm feeling. That's why I now focus mostly on balancing my emotional state, as it is the root of all evil. Kidding, just the root of cravings (which are equally as bad :)) ).

All this "I'm changing my diet!" is in fact a process, with its ups and downs. But nobody really talks about failure. About cravings, about how it's all connected to the way we feel, not only by logic and willpower. The stricter the diet, the most prone to failure it is. Especially if you go through hard moments in life. 

Here's where self-compassion comes in. I used to get upset with myself for eating some gluten or having some dairy, or for eating chocolate at certain times of the month. The trick is to allow yourself to indulge for a bit (if you're feeling really crappy there's no use in making things even worse) and then return to your usual eating habits. The problem begins when you continue on a downward spiral and eat mindlessly, going over your own decisions.

At the end of the day, we are all free to make our own choices, but just make sure they align with the rest of our lifestyle.

The following months we'll go deeper into what it takes to become stronger: body, mind and spirit. To become the architect of your wished lifestyle. To become #strongerthanMS.

Until then, I thank you for being here. Liked this post? Share it with friends. Want to receive more articles like this right into your inbox? Add your email to the SMart Choosers list HERE. You’ll receive every new article and a monthly Newsletter of wonderful resources and insight, to help you make the smart choices that best fit your lifestyle.

Sincerely yours,

Denisa

METAMORPHOSIS - ep. 18 - I Trust #30Letters from #yogacamp miniseries

Trust is about confidence. In others and in yourself. It’s about having faith and being optimistic about things. It’s about hope. It’s about courage and the power to live in spite of the unknown you might be facing. Have faith in yourself and in God that things are going to be alright, that there’s a solution to every pain-point. Every action has a reaction, so make the right choices for your life; those smart, informed choices that will benefit your lifestyle on the long run.

Trust is the opposite of fear and doubt. Would you like to live being scared and doubtful or having confidence that all things are going to get better? They will surely change, nothing stays the same. But they will not improve by themselves if you’re just waiting for something to drop out of the sky and make it happen. It doesn’t work that way.

The U.S. Navy SEALs have a saying: "Get comfortable being uncomfortable.". That way you can prepare yourself for whatever hardship life will throw at you. And life does that. It makes you feel uncomfortable all the time, especially when going through a new experience or trying something for the first time.

Our lifestyles might be comfortable, we might not welcome change, but it’s the way things happen. Especially in MS. In order to go forward with anything, you need to adapt. But adaptation doesn’t come if we don’t accept what’s happening. If we grab hold of our old way of living and reject the new things. It’s a perfectly normal reaction, but so is change. We go through it since we are babies, go through adolescence and reach adulthood and we think this is stable. We have to trust the process. Things change. We change. Accept, adapt and overcome. That’s how life moves forward, no matter the consequences.

The point here is that you need to focus on what you want to achieve, no matter how uncomfortable it might get. I had moments when being uncomfortable with approaching a new person lead me to miss out on things. Or when, after my diagnosis, I was to afraid to exercise, thinking it will cause me to relapse. Two years into it, it hasn’t done it yet, but I learned to live with that fear, and in time it went away. I got stronger. I might not have a beach-body, but I feel toned, my muscles get stretched every day and I learned to go forward, to trust myself into doing things.

You have to take risks, dare more, try new things, work on getting better again and trust that it will eventually be OK.

Here’s the routine I’m referring to. Day 9 of 30 days of #yogacamp: I Trust. Enjoy!

Thank you for your visit. Please remember to comment down below, share your thoughts on this. Subscribe HERE to stay in touch with what I write.

As always, transformation starts from within.

For the rest of the “METAMORPHOSIS” series, click here.

#30letters is a miniseries derived from the experience of being transformed by some of my choices, in this case yoga, a lesson about yourself and for yourself. #Yogacamp is a 30 day challenge created by the wonderful Adriene Mishler (@yogawithadriene) and shared for free on her YouTube Channel. Check it out here.

Sincerely,

Denisa (Alex - alias)

METAMORPHOSIS - ep. 17 - I Release. #30Letters from #yogacamp miniseries

Releasing means letting go, dropping something from a tight grip. When we’re doing this with negative emotions, all kind of weird things might happen: aggression, panic attacks, nervousness, being tired, stomach acidity and others. It really depends on each person.

Releasing all that does not serve us anymore can mean becoming calmer, more at ease. It literally can feel like we drop a heavy rock or block of concrete and now we can breathe again. We begin to feel lighter on a psychological level.

Many logical people think that there’s no real correlation (a scientific one) between the body and the mind. This happens mostly in Western cultures. Meanwhile, the Eastern part has always been aware of the psychosomatic connections between the brain and the rest of the human body.

Take for example at how you feel when you’re stressed, angry or afraid. Relive those sensations. We’ve all felt them. Then, remember how you’ve felt when your mind was no longer paying attention to those issues, remember that feeling of relaxation and ease that you get when you breathe deeply. That’s what I’m talking about here.

Yoga relaxes the mind and body. Relaxed muscles help release endorphins that in turn improve your emotional state, giving you that sense of ease, of feeling good in your own skin.

Make the conscient decision / choice to let go of and release those negative thoughts. It will make you feel better.

Here’s the routine I’m referring to. Day 9 of 30 days of #yogacamp: I Release. Enjoy!

Thank you for your visit. Please remember to comment down below, share your thoughts on this. Subscribe HERE to stay in touch with what I write.

As always, transformation starts from within.

For the rest of the “METAMORPHOSIS” series, click here.

#30letters is a miniseries derived from the experience of being transformed by some of my choices, in this case yoga, a lesson about yourself and for yourself. #Yogacamp is a 30 day challenge created by the wonderful Adriene Mishler (@yogawithadriene) and shared for free on her YouTube Channel. Check it out here.

Sincerely,

Denisa (Alex - alias)

METAMORPHOSIS - ep. 16 - I Am Present. #30Letters from #yogacamp miniseries

Our minds are always fighting between remembering the past and planning the future. The present is merely a time when we do these things and regret or get anxious / stressed about what is to come.

Living in awareness of the present moment is important. It connects mind and body and makes us more in tune with what’s happening with those two in our lives. When we’re not aware, we eat compulsively, we think of other things when people talk to us, or plan the next big project / deadline when we’re on vacation or with a loved one.

Being aware is not some New Age fairy tale that advises us to dream of flowers and pink rainbows. It’s the best way to get more things done in a shorter amount of time, because we are more focused. It’s the best way of increasing our relationships by really being there in the moment, conscious of what we’re saying, feeling and sensing. It’s the best way to maintain health, as we sense when our bodies are full and we don’t overeat or stuff our guts mindlessly. We get more out of our exercise because we’re doing it 100%, not thinking of other stuff.

That’s what we find to be so hard at yoga: aligning the mind to the body. Being aware of our bodily sensations and the emotions that come with them. Through the stretches, our minds want to quit, but get silenced by the body, who gets stronger and goes stronger and lightly through the poses, proving the mind that we are strong and capable.

The sensations feel good, even those that strain us. We go through them. One can get through hardship if only one has patience, acceptance and lives the moment.

Choose to be present and aware. Continue forward.

Here’s the routine I’m referring to. Day 9 of 30 days of #yogacamp: I Am Present. Enjoy!

Thank you for your visit. Please remember to comment down below, share your thoughts on this. Subscribe HERE to stay in touch with what I write.

As always, transformation starts from within.

For the rest of the “METAMORPHOSIS” series, click here.

#30letters is a miniseries derived from the experience of being transformed by some of my choices, in this case yoga, a lesson about yourself and for yourself. #Yogacamp is a 30 day challenge created by the wonderful Adriene Mishler (@yogawithadriene) and shared for free on her YouTube Channel. Check it out here.

Sincerely,

Denisa (Alex - alias)

World MS Day 2016: Independence is about... CHOICES #strongerthanMS

Writing about choices is basically my “bread-and-butter” on this blog. Everything we are or do boils down to choosing the way we act. Today is MS Day and the theme for 2016 is Independence. I’ve written about choice before, HERE, HERE and HERE.

Me and independence go way back. Since I can remember, I have always been that fiercely independent kid, that although needed protection and care like any other, also had a mind of its own. As I grew up, sometimes the social peer pressure to conform was acting strong. I mostly kept my own points of view and tried to make my own choices. At the same time I made sure that nobody got offended.

Here is where I made the mistake. Other people will always have something to say. No matter what or how you do it, they will always have an opinion. Guess what? That’s their own independence and ability to choose acting up. People might get upset or hurt because of your choices, but as long as you act from your best intentions, it will all be OK in the end.

Experience made me understand that the best outcomes are those in which we feel like our truest selves, without minding what others might say. As we grow older, social pressure to conform to what the majority or the authority thinks gets excruciating.

We become afraid that if we don’t mold ourselves to those patterns, we’ll become outcasts, excluded from society. Conformity is most of the times driven by fear and by what we can lose when we rebel.

The funny fact is that we all have nothing to lose. We all die in the end. We don’t take nothing with us. Of course there is also pain, sadness, loss, worry, compassion and all that. But nothing lasts forever. Our world is constantly changing. We change.

That’s the only constant we have: change. Our greatest ability is then adaptation, the capacity to adjust and readjust to the ever changing conditions life puts us through. 

We all get to choose how we react to what’s happening to us. That’s what I understand as independence.

Being given a diagnosis of having an incurable chronic illness, puts things into perspective. At least for me it definitely did that. It made me think about my fears, my loves and my angst. Interesting journey, by the way!

It’s fascinating what you can find when you dig deep within yourself. When you take time to, little by little, analyze old wounds and ask yourself why did that happen and why did it matter that much? When you realize that all that you’ve been searching for all along, things like acceptance, control, calm and most importantly, love… have all been inside you all along.

When you understand that it’s all right to not be in control all the time, that there are higher forces at stake and your best ability is to adapt, accept and overcome the crisis you may go through.

You get to a point where you no longer regret the past and fear the future. You become at peace and begin to make change happen for others. Because you realise that we all have limited time and our mission is to make it count.

I might as well read all the books in the world, I’ll not go with all the knowledge to the grave with me. Then what’s the point in learning and knowing things? Teaching others, leaving a legacy and growing others through what you accumulate. Pay it forward. Be kind.

At the end of the day, we all get to choose who we become, given our specific contexts and opportunities. It’s that simple.

So, that’s what independence is for me.

MS doesn’t stop me from… choosing to adapt & pay it forward. #strongerthanMS

Happy MS Day! Or better said: Be happy to overcome MS each day ;)

Yours truly,

Denisa