10 Beautiful Things That Happen When You Do Yoga

Before I get into this blog, I'm going to tell you about how I got into Yoga. It's pretty intense. Are you ready? I got into Yoga through... the Wii Fit. Yep. You read that right. The Wii Fit is a game for the Nintendo Wii. In this game, you can do Yoga poses and I believe you earn points based on your balance. It's been years since I played it.

When I started doing Yoga via the Wii Fit, I noticed that I really liked how my body felt. The best way for me to explain it is that it felt right. And I felt invigorated after. I started following along to Yoga lessons that aired on TV. Shortly after that I discovered Yoga teachers on YouTube.

Yoga via YouTube is my favorite way to practice it.  In case you are curious, my favorite Yogi's are Tara Stiles and Yoga With Adriene.

I have been doing Yoga for about a decade now and I have been practicing it very consistently the past several years. The past year or so I have noticed changes that happened to and within me as a result of practicing Yoga that I wish to share with you.

1. You Will Align Yourself Off The Mat

When you are practicing Yoga, your teacher will remind you of your alignment. Long neck. Tail bone tucked in. Shoulders rotated. Well, I'm constantly checking my alignment when I'm off the mat. In turn, this is great for your posture.

2. You Will Practice When You Are Not Doing Yoga

The other day I wanted to get someone out of my bottom drawer. Instead of simply bending down, I kicked one leg back and practiced a standing split while getting the item out of the drawer. This isn't uncommon for me and it's safe you say you will find yourself doing the same thing.

3. You Will Become Conscious Of Your Breath

While practicing Yoga, you will learn to take long deep breaths into your belly. I have become very aware of my breath when I'm off the mat. I check myself to make sure I'm breathing deep into my belly, especially if I'm anxious.

4. You Will Listen To Your Body

After years of practicing Yoga, I now know, appreciate, and respect what my body needs. If I'm tired, I may do a Yoga routine that focuses on stretching and relaxing. There is no shame in this. I honor what my body is telling me.

5. The Burn Feels Good

And on days when you do have the energy, the burn will actually feel good. It's as if your body is telling you that this is exactly what it needs right now. You will be able to hold that plank pose longer than ever!

6. You Will Get Emotional

I had to research this one. What I found is that just like Yoga releases physical tension in your body, it also releases emotional tension as well. Don't be surprised if you well up during certain yoga poses.

7. You Become (More) In Tune With Your Body

In my experience thus far, this mostly involves food. Your body has a way of telling you when it needs food and what food it needs. This becomes more clear when you do Yoga.

8. You Will Feel Proud Of Your Accomplishments

But not in an egotistical way. You might want to show people that you can do a headstand but it's not to show off. This may happen with non-Yoga related accomplishments as well.

9. You Crave More Yoga

I started doing yoga for about 10 minutes a day. I worked up my way up to 20-30 minutes a day. Now, I have been craving doing yoga for about an hour in addition to some playtime after my lesson. Of course, this all deepens on my body and what it needs. Refer to point number 4.

10. You Will Challenge Yourself

When I first began to practice Yoga, I never thought I would ever attempt headstands and arm balances and yet here I am. You will know when you are ready to take your Yoga practice to the next level.

There is definitely a common tread in my list. Getting in tune with your body and taking what you learned on the mat outside of your practice.

I hope that this article inspires you to start or continue your practice. There are so many types of yoga. Experiment and see what works best for you.

I would love to hear from you. How did you get into Yoga? And how has it changed you?

I hope you have a wonderful day.

Namaste,

Ang

Check out some of my other blogs:

Why You Will Never Be Free Of Anxiety
https://confessionsofanawakenedyouth.blogspot.ca/2017/06/i-have-anxiety.html

9 Signs You Are Going To Live A Spiritual Life
https://confessionsofanawakenedyouth.blogspot.ca/2017/06/9-signs-you-are-going-to-and-should.html

The Best Life Hack You Must Know!

I'm a banana addict. It's a weird thing to be addicted to but they are tasty, quick to prepare, and very good for you. I go through at least 3 bananas every day so they are always on my grocery list.

I don't know about anyone else, but grocery stores around here usually only carry bananas when they are completely green. Because of this, I usually have the wait sometime before I can eat the bananas meaning I go a week and often more without them. Boo.

The good news is that I stumbled on a way to ripen them within a couple days. I put greens bananas in my pantry one time (which I don't usually do) and I noticed they ripened really fast. So naturally, that's where I kept putting them. However, this "trick" only seemed to the work once. The one's I put in the pantry after that took weeks to ripen.

I figured out what it was. Bananas will ripen really quick if you put them in a pantry with at least 1 other very ripe banana. And viola! Ripe bananas within days. You are welcome.

Enjoy your bananas :)

Ang

Not my bananas. Just a picture I found on google. Who knows. Maybe one day I'll get into photography.

P.S. My uploading is schedule is usually Wednesday and Friday. I'm a day late today as I was busy and sick yesterday. Ce la vie. I'll try better next week. :)

We Can Only Go Forward

The past is over. It's gone. There is nothing we can do about it. But we do have right now and a future to look forward to.

I was inspired last night while I was watching the TV show Switched At Birth. Daphne, one of the main characters, had been making poor choices and is now faced with some major consequences. While she was wallowing, her mother told her that there is no going back. Only forward.

I think it's safe to say that everyone is aware of this. They know they can't go back in the past and undo or redo anything. Yet, people often say "should've, would've, could've". This makes me believe that people cognitively understand this saying but they are not truly grasping the significance of it.

So we can't go back in time. But we can go forward. Really let that previous sentence resonate with you. We can go forward. We do have second chances. All the time. We can correct the mistakes we have made. We can start right now so that we can have a better future to look forward to. That's incredible. Almost magical.  

I also lived with regrets. Here is an example. In high school I was a very reserved, introverted, awkward girl. I didn't have a big social life. Later in my life, I found friends with similar interests to my own. Now, I have a lot of fun. Well, what I consider fun. I use to think back to my high school days and regret not living it to the fullest. I see it differently now though. I lived my high school life the way I did because I had to learn, grown and discover. Now I have fun almost every day! Why would I regret that?

I have another example. Up until a couple of years ago I did not harness my talents. When I started drawing again, I wondered how good I would be now if I did. But what really matters is that I'm drawing now. I can even see a difference in my ability over the past few months. Imagine how good I will be in 5, 10, 20 years from now? It doesn't matter that I didn't draw 5 years ago. What matters is I'm drawing now.

Always remember that the past happened for a reason. You might never understand the reason but I promise that there is a valuable lesson to take from it. If you have regret, make a difference now. If you done someone wrong in the past, become a better person now. If you regret not taking singing lessons back then, register for them now. And please. Stop living in the past. It will take you from now, leave you with more regrets, and make you miserable.

Be the change.

Hope this blog finds you well. Thanks for reading.

Ang

Why You Will Never Be Completely Free Of Anxiety

Even though I have come a long way, I still have anxiety. Or at least, I can have anxiety. Let me explain myself.

I was always a basket case growing up. I think I felt anxious more than I felt calm. But in my early 20s, I experienced a shift which is what I share on Confessions Of An Awakened Youth.

But these Spiritual practices that I follow does not mean that I am 100% anxiety free. You must know that you will never find a solution to get rid of anxiety. Why? Because some anxiety is normal. I'll explain why through example. 

Imagine that you are walking home alone at night and you see a short cut which involves walking down a dark ally. You don't get a good feeling about it and you start to feel anxious. That's good! The anxiety will prompt you to be alert or find an alternative way home. Anxiety can save your life. Why would you want to get rid of that?

 For the rest of our lives we are going to be faced with uncertainty which will involve some degree of anxiety. The good news is that you can live a more care free and happy life than an anxious life. It's how you respond to anxiety that is key.

A couple hours ago, I was faced with uncertainty and technically I still face it. What triggered my anxiety involves my job so I don't want to get into details about it. But I felt myself rise and even panic. I wanted the matter addressed ASAP and I wasn't going to relax until it has been resolved. But it's Friday evening and there isn't anyone to help me until Monday.

Do I really want to be anxious for the rest of the weekend? Am I really going to let this take me from the present moment over the next couple of days? 

No.

I took a step back and looked at the outcomes of the situation: 1. the situation is resolved in my favor and 2. the situation is not resolved in my favor. 

Obviously the first outcome is the most desirable. But it's the uncertainty of the situation that causes the anxiety. And what happens if outcome number 2 comes to fruition? Well, I'll just deal with it. The world won't end. It will be OK. It's always OK at the end of the day. I am capable and strong even to handle any situation that comes my way. And so are you. 

You must be mindful. You must be in the present moment even if (when) anxiety rears it's ugly head. 

I hope this blog helps with your anxiety. If nothing else, I hope that it encourages you be mindful and feel fearless. It's a liberating thing when you can face your anxiety.

Thanks for reading,

Ang

Other meditation blogs you may like:

Don't Have Time To Meditate? Read This! https://confessionsofanawakenedyouth.blogspot.ca/2017/06/dont-have-time-to-meditate-read-this.html

Meditation For Dummies
https://confessionsofanawakenedyouth.blogspot.ca/2017/04/meditation-for-dummies.html

9 Signs You Are Going To (And Should) Live A Spiritual Life

When I was a child, my dad told me he knew that I was going to live a spiritual life. And naturally as a teenager, I was somewhat rebellious and defiant. I wasn't my true self and I did not express my true interests. Perhaps because I didn't understand them. But who am I kidding? I love yoga and meditation and I care deeply about every living being on this plant. As I grow older, I only embrace this very important part of who I am more and more.

I didn't understand much about Spirituality as a child. And growing up, I didn't think that my interests or beliefs were something Spiritual. But they most definitely were. Living a Spiritual life is changing me everyday. Although it's not always easy, it has definitely given me so many benefits. I'm not going to talk about those benefits right now. Instead, I'm going to share with you signs that you are (or should be) living a Spiritual life based on my own experience.

1. You Are Intuitive 

You just know things. You don't know how you know, but you do. I remember when I was in university, I contemplated skipping class (which I often did). However, I had a feeling that I should go this time. I did, and it was a good thing as the class was presented with a pop quiz! This "knowing" may present itself to you as a good or bad feeling which pulls you in a certain direction. It's what some people call your "gut instinct" or "gut feeling". If you have ever experienced this, you may be living a Spiritual life without even realizing it.

2. You Are Empathetic

Empathy is when you actually feel what other people feel. They don't need to tell you what's going on; you don't need to put yourself in their shoes. When they cry, you cry. You can tell when someone is in a bad mood just by being near them because you can feel it too. It's not always going to be obvious that you are experiencing someone else's emotions. You may often confuse them with your own and then think of yourself as an overly emotional person. If you are an empathetic person, you should consider jumping on the Spiritual wagon!

3. You Are Concerned About The Environment

You always turn off the lights when leave a room. You never leave the water running. These behaviors may not have been encouraged by anyone. You're just aware of the world around you and that it needs to be protected. And you do.

4. You Feel Compassion For Animals

Maybe you ensure that what you buy did not affect any animals. Maybe you are vegan or vegetarian. Maybe you refuse to attend zoos and circuses. Or maybe you simply love animals and you feel some connection to them. Either way, being aware of or feeling equal to animals is deeply Spiritual, whether you realize it or not. 

5. You Want To Take Care Of Your Body

Not necessarily to lose weight, to look better, or to have more energy. You do it because you know that what you put in your body matters. Even if you don't yet understand why it matters. Not only is eating healthy a sign of Spirituality, eating well can even help you progress on your Spiritual journey.

6. You Have A Purpose

That may be art you want to share with the world; a personal story to inspire others; or knowledge and skills to help people. Maybe you do not even know what it is yet. But you know that you will create, inspire, and help. My purpose is doing this. I love writing and helping people on a deep, Spiritual level.

7. You Have Had A Calling

I remember when I decided to stop eating meat. I wasn't being influenced by anything. I just felt that I needed to stop eating it. This happened about 8 years ago and I haven't eaten meat since. I believe it was a calling. If you have ever experienced something similar, you are on your way to a Spiritual life.

8. You Crave Deep Conversations

Small talk and mindless parties can be fun for a while, but they bore you. You would rather sit with a few close friends and talk about anything from politics to religion to ghosts and aliens.

9. You Always Find Your Way Back

You may have felt like you lost interest in Spirituality. Maybe you stopped meditating or eating healthy. But for some reason, you always find your way back to it. You rely on it. You realize it is part of who you are. And when you do get back on tract, you feel Spiritually stronger.

If you have ever experienced anything from the previous list, you are probably well on your Spiritual path, even if you don't realize it. I encourage you keep going. Keep exploring.

I want to say that I don't believe that certain people are chosen to live Spiritual lives. We are all Spiritual. Or at least the potential is there. For some people, like myself, Spirituality may come a little more naturally with a little less effort. And that's OK. We are all at different places in our lives and that is a beautiful thing.

I would love to hear from ya. What prompted you to live a Spiritual life?

Namaste

Ang

Don't Have Time To Meditate? Read This!

Guys, I'm not going to lie. It's a beautiful day here in Newfoundland. The first hot day of the season. I have a list of topics of things I'd like to blog about and for today, I picked one short and sweet.

 I (use to) often schedule time to meditate. I would allow 20, 30, even 60 minutes to meditate. I would do this when I could be left alone. If there were any distractions, that would be an excuse to skip out on meditation.

 It's fine if you want to schedule a meditation time. I still do as well. But if you're looking for the perfect moment to meditate, it's not going to happen very often. The good news is that there is something else you can do. You don't need to schedule a time; you don't need the perfect moment. All you need is a moment. And your breath. It's called mindfulness meditation. This is when you become 100% fixated on what you are doing and your surroundings. If you have a passion or hobby you take part in, you may understand what I am talking about. You sort of "lose" yourself. Time passes and you don't realize. Your attention has been on what you are doing.

 You can do this literally with anything. Taking a shower? Pay attention to the sound of the water running, how the water feels when it's on your body, the smells from products you may use. Doing the laundry? Notice how the clothes feels in your hands and pay attention to how you fold it. Periodically bring your attention to your breath. Breathe deep from your diaphragm. Don't worry your mind wanders away. Bring it back to your breath and what you're doing. Do this 100 times if you have to. And there you go! You're living in the present moment. It's that simple.

 Also, distractions can be used to your advantage. Put all your attention on them. Even if they are unpleasant or annoying. They deserve love to!

 Now you have no excuse!

 I would love to hear from you. What do you do to meditate?

 Have a great day (even if the sun isn't shining),

 Ang

Here is a link to a more in-depth tutorial on how to meditate:
https://confessionsofanawakenedyouth.blogspot.ca/2017/04/meditation-for-dummies.html

Edit no. 1: I'm not sure why this is saving as one big paragraph when I actually put paragraphs in it. I'm new to all this and I'm not tech-savvy so please be patient. :)

Edit no. 2: I have figured out why my paragraphs weren't spacing. I was writing in HTML instead of compose. It's a learning experience right?!

6 Things That Happen When You Live Your Life Purpose

I am so excited that I have found my life purpose. Even when there are challenges I am bursting with happiness. It took a long time to get here but alas I made it. I have created a list of things that happened to me when I started to live my life purpose. If you're living your life purpose, you may have experienced some of these yourself. If you're not living your life purpose, then you have something to look forward to. Enjoy!

1. You No Longer Question If Its The Right Path

Maybe before you were living your life purpose you questioned yourself a lot. Should I go back to school? Will this make me happy? Will this lead me to where I want to be? When you live your life purpose, you will no longer have those questions. You will have an intuitive feeling that this is the path you were destined to take.

2. You Make Sacrifices

Your life purpose all of a sudden comes first. It comes before entertainment or hanging out with friends.  You may wake up early before your day job starts to work on it. Maybe you sacrifice downtime when you get off to work on your life purpose. I'm off every Wednesday and Friday. I stay home on these days to work on my blog and art.

3. It Becomes Part Of Your Life

You don't mind making these sacrifices. It becomes part of your life. You don't necessarily have to schedule time for it. It just happens. You just do it.

4. Things Will Be In Alignment

Have you been seeing 1111 or 222 or 333? Repetitive number sequences are a sign from the universe that you are on the right path. Each number sequences means something different so do a little research on what you have been seeing. It can help you tremendously on your journey.

5. You Feel Will Good

This one is so simple that it makes it hard to explain. You simply feel good. Happy. Alive. A sense of fulfillment. You will feel so good about what you are doing that you may feel like bursting with happiness even if you are not yet reaping tangible benefits. Warning: People may want to know your secret :)

6. Money Is Not An Issue

You are living your life purpose even if you don't get paid to do it. You love doing "that thing" simply for the sake of doing it. Not for money, prestige, or status.

If you are experiencing anything from the previous list, then congratulations! You are well on your way. If you are not, don't feel discouraged. That is also part of the journey.

I would love to hear from you. How did you know that you were living your life purpose?

Have a great day wherever you are,

Angela

How To Deal With Negative Emotions

I bet it's safe for me to say that most people don't feel question why they experience positive emotions such as happiness. Why would we? It's a natural state that most humans strive for. But what about the polar opposite? People respond to these feelings very differently. I often see people dwelling or suppressing negative emotions.

But why would you do this? Probably because emotions such as anger and jealousy are unpleasant to experience. People who do not know how to handle such emotions often experience psychological problems. People who have pent up anger may lash out; people who refuse to admit to feeling jealousy may sabotage others; people who are chronically sad may commit suicide.

So how do you deal with such emotions? Think of this way. Yin and Yang, a Chinese Philosophy, states that things that are opposite or contradictory are actually connected and that one cannot exist without the other. Think of hot and cold; up and down. So why would we deny ourselves the right to experience every possible emotion? Because some are unpleasant. But just like happiness, they are also natural and necessary. Remember, positive emotions cannot exist without negative emotions.

The more we dwell or suppress our emotions, the stronger they become. So I have some suggestions on how you can handle negative emotions.

1. Admit What You Are Feeling

If you are feeling jealous because you boyfriend is talking to another girl, admit that you feel jealous. If you are upset because you did not get accepted to university, admit that you are upset. Be honest and open about what you are feeling.

2. Analyze Why You Are Having These Feelings

The best way for me to explain this is through example. Let's say you did not get accepted to the university of your dreams and you cry. Why are you crying? Because I'm sad (Tip 1). Why are you sad? Because I didn't get accepted to university. This reasoning is circular, so let's go a little deeper. Why does being rejected from a university make you upset? Because it confirms that I'm not good enough. Or because I won't be able obtain a good career and I'll be poor for the rest of my life. Now you have an understanding as to the real reason behind your emotions.

3. Understand That You Are In Control Of Your Life

Let's go back to the previous example. You know that a letter of rejection from a university does not dictate your worth. And not obtaining a career and being poor is a choice. These outcomes do not have to come to fruition. Life is about personal growth, development and progress. The choice is up to you. There are always other options. There is always a way. This is kind of like looking on the bright side of things. It will make it easier for you to come to terms with your emotions.

4. Love And Accept Your Emotions

Understand that the good cannot exist without the bad, Welcome these negative emotions with open arms. You are human and you reserve the right to experience and express any emotion.

Remember that what you are feeling is only a temporary state. I hope these suggestions help you to make room for infinite happiness.

Hope this helps.

Ang