Time is flying. It
seems like New Year’s Eve was yesterday and here we are nearly in April. Is this a sign that I’m getting older? These past few months have been packed with
work, friends, time with the new beau (who I suppose is not all that new
anymore), and time for me. I committed
this year to focusing more on my inner peace and I can now say that I’m making
some headway.
Those of you that know me well know that generally I don’t
land in one place for too long. If I
have five free minutes to spare, I find a way to use that time. Friends joke about it, I think my mom would
say something about this demonstrating leadership and organization or “meaning
and direction”, something mom-esque, but towards the end of the year I was
feeling this way of being was just stressful.
Living in Colombia has introduced me to a culture that is
certainly not as fast-paced and time-obsessed as the U.S. culture. At first it was frustrating, especially at
work, but then I thought maybe there’s something to be said for taking a full
hour for lunch or sitting in the sun and enjoying a coffee for 20 minutes in
the afternoon during the school day and catching up with co-workers. As I started thinking about how to slow down
a bit and make time to soak in each day and appreciate the things around me –
it seemed like the world heard be and was responding with lots of advice: I stumbled across numerous articles about
meditation, a friend recommended a book to me that was exactly what I needed to
read, a great offer for my favorite yoga magazine popped up on my computer
screen (a bit creepy, but appreciated all the same) and I discovered Pinterest
and great ideas for how to make my apartment more “Zen”.
This post is dedicated to sharing with those interested the
things I’ve been doing these past few months to slow down, shut off (or at
least soften) the running commentary and solving of the world’s problems that
goes on in my mind, appreciate the
little miracles in the day-to-day and overall just be a bit happier. If this sounds extremely new agey, I
apologize, but maybe there’s something to be said for being new agey.
1. Meditation: I came across an online article when I was
perusing the Yoga Journal online. It was
about the benefits of meditation and also provided a 28-day guided introductionto meditation. I signed up immediately
and began day 1 when I returned to Bogotá after the Christmas break. For all of January I got up a little bit
early every day to dedicate 5 – 15 minutes of my morning to sitting on some
pillows in my living room and just listening to my breathing. For me this is muuuch more difficult than it
sounds. The goal is to not think at all,
to give your mind a rest and just be in the present. I was terrible and still am, although I’m definitely
improving. I can get through 10 minutes
without creating to do lists, writing lesson plans or solving my other little
problems-of-the-day - HUGE SUCCESS. And the effects of just 10 minutes a day of
meditation? I’m calmer, I’m more
productive at work (for 3 months straight I haven’t brought work home!), I’m
more patient with my students, I feel more alert in the mornings and I am happy
heading into work. Now obviously, there
are still bad days but overall the effects have been noticeable. I’m also sleeping better. According to other articles that I’ve come
across since I started this practice, meditation will also help to live longer,
show signs of aging at a slower rate, and will help me to lose weight. I mean why wouldn’t I keep meditating,
apparently it is a cure-all! J
2. Yoga: The
next step has been to incorporate yoga more regularly into my life. For awhile I was going to a yoga studio, but
the hours don’t work very well with my schedule and the classes are
ridiculously expensive for something that I know how to do and can do for free
in my apartment. I bought a subscription
to Yoga Journal Yes, they deliver to Colombia!
And yes, the first month already arrived and not late at all! Woo hoo!
The journal provides me with the motivation and the inspiration I
need. The march article was all about
how to develop your own routines and the important parts of a yoga
practice. I’ve been trying. Some days I only have the energy and/or
patience to give it 15 – 20 minutes of my time.
Other days I’ll workout for an hour without even thinking about it. I’m getting stronger and feeling less like an
almost-30-year-old than before.
3. The Four Agreements: My boyfriend is generally a very happy
guy. He’s very driven and successful
professionally, but unlike me he doesn’t seem to be consumed by constantly
planning and organizing and doing. He takes life as it comes and always seems pleased with what comes his way. Early into the new year, we were talking
about what drives us, motivates us and what we think about life – the
kinds of conversations I LOVE! Anyhow,
he mentioned a book called The Four Agreements and said that the book really
spoke to him and he tries to follow the advice of the book because he thinks it
is dead on. With my handy dandy Kindle I
immediately purchased the book and dove in.
It was exactly what I needed, at the exact right moment. I have referred back to the book several
times these past months to maintain my focus and my calm. I definitely recommend it!
4. Fuel. Another
part of taking better care of me, is eating better. For starters, I’m bring my breakfast to
school every day. The school offers
teachers a morning snack but it’s unpredictable
- some days it’s something nutritious:
yogurt and fruit or crackers and cheese and an apple but other days it’s
a chocolate croissant or a donut. These
things are delicious and I have been losing weight living in Colombia, so I
wasn’t really worrying about it. But
this year I’ve been really tired and have had numerous migraines – upon reading
quite a bit I decided that perhaps it had something to do with my diet. I am now trying to only buy whole foods, I’m
avoiding white rice and other starches from the school lunch, and my breakfast
is always very nutritious: yogurt, fruit
and bran flakes. This is a bit of modification of a breakfast that another friend posted on her blog. This is just a bit easier for me and plenty filling. I also have one small coffee
in the morning and no more caffeine the rest of the day (just can't seem to quit the caffeine completely) . I drink LOTS of water – this part is a bit
inconvenient because the bathroom at school is not very close to my classrooms
or the teachers’ office but my energy levels are MUCH higher and I haven’t had
a migraine in months.
5. DIY. Lastly,
I’ve been working on making my apartment more peaceful and more green.
I started by creating a place for my meditation with pillows
to make me comfortable – I keep a wool hat and a pair of wool socks there too
because it is pretty chilly in my apartment in the mornings (before the sun
comes up). I also bought some candles to
create better lighting for me in the morning when I’m meditating or in the
evening when I’m reading. I then decided
that I wanted some wall art. Here’s what
I created:
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| I feel so accomplished! ... but now I need another project... |
This was a small idea that turned into quite a major undertaking. Rolling nearly a thousand pieces of magazine to make the rolls to
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| With a glimpse of my potted flowers too! |
paste on the letters, pasting the rolls, creating the letters, hanging the letters….oof. But when it was all done, it felt great. Maybe the word Namaste is a bit cliché But when I was deciding what word to hang on my wall, I was just getting back into yoga and starting meditation and the meaning of Namaste was mentioned in several articles. For many, it’s simple the word you say at the end of a yoga session, kind of like a thank you to the instructor. It has many translations but the one I like best is “the light within me honors the light within you”. The idea being that we can see God in everyone. No, none of us our perfect but we all have our beauty and goodness within us amongst our imperfections. The idea of Namaste recognizes that we all are the same and that when we live from the heart we can recognize this union. Again, very new agey, I know, but I also think it’s beautiful. I’m hoping that having this word on my wall will be a constant reminder to me of all the good within me and also a reminder to focus on the good within others.
Finally, this week is my vacation so I finally got around to
two other things:
- PLANTS in the apartment!
- Creating an indoor compost bin.
The plants part is awesome.
I love having flowers, so I bought some potted ones that will last longer
and actually for three plants and the pots, I spent less than I do I an
arrangement of flowers for my apartment.
I also bought a large plant that is on the floor. Today I read about the best plants for
cleaning the air in the apartment and I read about creating an indoor herb
garden. Coming soon…
As for the compost bin, the verdict is still out. I read about the process for creating the
compost bin online and followed the instructions. Some sites say I need worms, others don’t
mention them at all. Worms seem gross,
but I think it makes sense., they do the work and help break things down
quicker. Don’t know where to purchase
worms in Bogotá, however, so will have to see how the worm-less composting
works until I can track some down…
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| Drilled holes into the bin... |
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| Keeping it under my sink, next to garbage with extra dirt and paper scraps available when I need them. |
So that’s how I’ve been working on me for these past few
months. I know I’ve been rather silent
on this blog but I’m still here, very content in Bogotá. Would love any advice folks have on
meditation, indoor composting, house plants/indoor herb gardens, and/or great
books on personal growth and reflection.
