Incremental advancements

Climbing a hill, looking at two perspective, a metaphor

While my wellness activity today may not feel like an advancement, I need to recondition my mental pathways to think thus. During yoga I noted my flexibility limited and my muscles rigid. During my posture and stability exercises I noted a wobbiliness and curved spine. By the end of weightlifting I gasped for air and my heart raced. You may be wondering where is the advancement?

The advancement manifests in the form of perseverance.  Even though I preferred sitting in the rocking chair and reading, I stood up and did my yoga.  I struggled to remain present during yoga, my mind wandering my focus blurring, yet with each self-inflicted distraction I took a breath and called my attention to the pose. I did not berate myself, I merely accepted the wandering of thought or focus and allowed myself to bring focus back to the stance and breathing. Advancement!

When I weighed in and did my stability test I almost was discouraged by the results, but again I took a breath, accepted that the success is in the process not the number on the scale. Advancement here is positive focus.

After yoga and posture building exercises, I did not want to lift weights.  By belly hurts (I think I ate something wonky yesterday) and my abdominal muscles feel tight in an uncomfortable way.  I thought about taking a break and doing weight-lifting later today.  I allowed a moment of reflection on my choices (now / later) and decided that I had enough energy and strength to do the lifting now, and if I put it off until later in the day I might allow myself to not do the work at all.  I got out my gear and did the exercises, taking time to align muscles correctly and not injure myself through inattention or laziness. Advancement - dedication and presence.

Finally, I end my morning routine with refreshing hygiene routine - sweating out toxins is a marvelous release, and cleansing my body of those toxins is satisfying. While I brushed my teeth and looked at my face, into my eyes in the mirror, I thought, "Good on you, Brooke! You are looking good.  I am proud of how I am taking care of myself."  As I brushed my hair after dressing for a day of wellness, I thought, "I look good. Healthy, strong. I am blessed and pleased to be me."

If feels awkward and embarrassing to discuss self-affirmations. I remember how humorous we found SNL's "Daily Affirmation With Stuart Smalley" funny: "I'm good enough, I am smart enough, and doggone it people like me." So as I write about the reality of intentionally affirming myself in to the mirror, I an sensitive to the underlying cultural perception that it is a joke; to be laughed at. Simultaneously, I know of the incredible power of reframing thought patterns.  Life is often a series of coming to terms with acting for personal and social good in the face of cultural norms or accepted modes of being. The tensiveness existing in the juxtaposition is real, whether acknowledged or ignored.

By sharing the close of my morning wellness routine, the much more personal self-affirmation and hygiene rituals, I  show vulnerability and openness, and the ofttimes more secret elements of self-image, an advancement for me today.

I celebrate myself; I celebrate every person who struggles with the juxtaposition of personal positive body and self images against the mammoth of cultural expectations.
I celebrate incremental advancements. Yahoo!!