Butterflies & Roses

Sometimes it's not always Butterflies and Roses.

Although I do absolutely love both Butterflies and Roses, and have had the opportunity to appreciate both a tremendous amount more since moving to Louisville. There are days when life just isn't butterflies and roses.

This reminds me of something one of my teachers once said to a class. I had been practicing yoga for several years at this point, and we were in the middle of a challenging sequence and an even more challenging pose. He said, "Yoga isn't easy" .... followed by something like it's not always butterflies and rainbows (or roses in my case). Wow....that was a significant revelation. Most good teachers will bring up a concept similar in class, something like...'the challenges and difficulty you experience on the mat and you learn to live with them or react to them (or not react to them) will help you face challenges when you step off the mat into the real world'. Does that sound familiar?

In the beginning when I first started practicing yoga, I had a very hard time believing such statements. I always thought, how on earth is doing Warrior 2 for 5 breaths going to be able to help me at work or in a disagreement with someone? Over time and years of practice, reflection and observation... it started to become clear to me (in tiny bits).

Recently I had one of those tiny bits of clarity.

My husband and I went to Cincinnati for a 1/2 marathon. If you didn't know already, I walk them (and sometimes jog when I have the breath and stamina) and my husband runs them. So, I've been training for the last 2 months or so for this 1/2 marathon, but moving definitely put a damper on my being able to train as much as I would have liked to or with as much oomph as I would have liked. I was having some crazy monkey mind (i.e. internal voice was just chattering away)....that went something like this:

Loved this bridge in Cinci...reminded me of the Tower Bridge in London

Mile 1 - Ok...really, they start us off in a industrial area, where there are smoke stacks and coal being moved around. This stinks literally! this is such an ugly city and poor marathoner's having to run through this. This race is not going to be good

Mile 2 - Oh...look at that cool water tower. I love water towers...I take it back, this is a beautiful city

Recent Infatuation with Water Towers, ever since our trips to NYC

Mile 3 - It's freezing....no Wait, now I'm sweating

Mile 4 - Kind of bored with my music selection

Mile 5 - Really...why did I decide to this...I totally could be at a yoga class instead while my husband run's this race

Mile 6 - I quit! I could just stop right here...we are near the finish line (because it was a loop type course). No one will have to know.

Mile 7 - NO...YOU CAN DO THIS. STOP YOUR MONKEY MIND. FOCUS!

Mile 8 - Wow...Normally I can at least run down hills....this race I can barely walk my normal pace. What is wrong with me?

Mile 9 - Really...it's going to start drizzling. could this be any worse?

Mile 10 - Ok, I'm seriously done, never doing one of these again

Mile 11 - I think I see the end....Oh No, not yet.

Mile 12 - Really, that volunteer just said we have a little more than a mile to go...and then he smiled! WTF! a smile....I just want to see the finish line...just get here NOW!

Mile 13 - OMG, you made it! You should run across the finish line...NO, you shouldn't you are not a runner you are walker....OK, just try to run. Nope...thigh's won't let me....OH, I made it. I finished!

Maybe you can relate to this in whatever sport you practice; running, yoga, walking long distances....or even in your mediation practice or just driving to work in traffic. Look at all of the negative thoughts that we put on ourselves each day. If we could only take the energy we spend on criticizing our self and our circumstance, re-frame our perspective with a positive outlook....can you imagine the actual possibilities?!?!

I have another half marathon coming up this weekend in Disney! I'm excited for the opportunity to re-frame my perspective during this next race. Plus...I'll have Mickey and Minnie to help :)