How many times have you caught yourself getting into a bad mood because of the situation before you... you are having a tough day at work, an argument with a loved one, your shoulder hurts, you get a flat tire. The possibilities each day are endless. There are so many opportunities for what happens each day to affect our mood. We can feel powerless to stop it and we can feel like each day we are just anxiously waiting for whatever it is going to be that day to put us in a bad mood. I can't tell you how many times I have been in a great mood and my sweet, but sassy daughter Addison does something and it pushes my good mood right out of the window. I will suddenly find myself on edge, or cranky.
Through yoga we learn together that we can't effect what happens in life and our practice becomes more and more about learning to go with the flow and find compassion and acceptance for things just as they are instead of our habitual fitting against each moment and allowing these moments to effect our mood.
The other day I was having a conversation with my beautiful friend and Hannah and she told me about an exercise she does daily in her own life that helps her pilot each new moment. Every morning when she wakes up she chooses her mood for the day. I found this to be so refreshing and a beautiful reminder from my beautiful friend of a truth I had long forgotten. We have the power to choose! We are not victim to the bad day. We are not a product of some unfortunate circumstances. We are in fact the author of the energy we bring into each moment. I was so empowered by her sweet exercise that I share it with you for we can all benefit from these loving reminders from the universe. We don't have to allow the flow of life to toss us around. If we set out mood for the day it becomes a very powerful practice an then...POOF...we have a tool to help us pilot what might happen throughout the day.
Now Hannah takes it one step further and this is where the practice get potent. She adds to this word each day and "ing" thus giving her mood action. Now on the day we had lunch her mood was abundance. So whatever happened that day she saw it as a chance to be "abundancing." I thought about Addison and how I can easily allow the challenges of raising a spirited daughter effect my energy. I though about what a gift this little practice my friend Hannah has given to me. For the very next day I woke and choose happy, a mood you will most commonly find me in, but now I added an "ing" As I drove to the studio this day I was happying as I got ready for class, as my beloved students filled the room I was still naturally happying, but here lies the beauty. Later that afternoon Addison did something (who can remember now what it was) that tested my parenting muscle and I could have very easily allowed that interaction to strip away some of my happiness. Now armed with this new life tool I reminded myself my intention for the day was to be happying in whatever came across my plate. I stayed happying as I pilot the situation with Addison and when the dust settled..all be damned if I wasn't still happy!!!
It takes no time at all...5 extra seconds each morning. To choose a word, a hearts intention, to set your mood. Now Hannah so poeticly suggests "make it something big enough to live into for the day." All day long no matter how rainy, stressful, busy, and demanding, boring or aggravating the circumstances of the day might get, you can be "gratituding" or "peacing", "calming" or "loving" as you move through the moment. Remember dear friends, you are FREE, free to choose and you always have been. Namaste,
JFK
