How to Survive Life's Storms

Weather events have historically been triggers for me, particularly in the winter.  I get irrationally upset about snow storms. I think it stems from years after being widowed, and running the house on my own. All of the responsibilities of figuring out if the kids were safe, fell on me and I was always afraid I'd screw up somehow.  So, even years later, because of these feelings from the past, when a snowstorm is announced I'm in an awful mood as soon as I hear about it.

Ughhh! Snow! How can this be happening? I'm the type to obsessively check weather reports online and rush to the supermarket, stand on line, and buy batteries. I don't even know for what flashlights. On the eve of the storm I'm usually glued to local TV news coverage.  For hours, I watch the split screen of over-reacting reporters, yardsticks in hand, citing records and dangers. They always include, at some point, the count of deaths this system has caused in other states. The more I watch this, the more my anxiety level climbs. But for some reason, I feel it's important to keep watching. As if stopping watching would expose us to additional danger. I realized recently that this is a bad idea if you're trying to learn how to maintain peace of mind.

This past snow event, I decided to mindfully reject all of my old habits of engaging with news reports. This is the yoga practice of pratyahara, the withdrawal of the senses. I find that a great modern way to practice pratyahara, is to cut oneself off completely from information that causes a disturbance in the mind. Turning off the laptop and phone is a good start.  X out of google. For me, steering clear of channel 4 is key. Instead, I worked, cooked a nice meal for my family, stretched out on my mat, and meditated.  As a result, I forgot to get anxious.

I wound up experiencing the snow fall in a really meditative way. I stayed present.Now the flakes are falling.... now the ground is covered.....now the roads are clear... Now I'll go to work. Then it was over and I realized no harm was done.

Ah....  that's better. Staying with each moment eliminates the thoughts about the past and avoids the
'what ifs" of the future. I am grateful to my meditation practice for that skill. The ability to choose to stay in the moment, and get that done. This works. And it's why I am super passionate about teaching it.

I can help you learn the skill of meditation and you can experiment for yourself with the practice and its benefits.  Due to my schedule I can only take on two more private meditation/life coaching students. If you are interested reply to this email.

Please see below for more offerings. My Feb public class schedule includes several sub dates for Healthy Fit students, by the way. Look here.

You can also check out my new company website here