This is me, then

Some of you might have already seen this picture here, but as I am all for recycling and sustainability, including digital photos, so there you go.

I used to wish I were tall, lean and skinny. But I'm not.

I am short, I am not fat, I am not skinny either.

I have boobs, I have a belly with a life of its own no matter how hard I try and do abs (hellooo, muffin top!), I have wide hips, I have strong thighs. Hell, I might even have bra fat but I didn't bother to check in the mirror.
I will never be tall and lean and skinny. But that's ok.

I practice yoga because it keeps me grounded. I practice yoga because my body, my mind, my heart, open. I practice yoga because it makes me a better person. Not perfect, only better, according to my own perception of what "better" is.
I don't practice yoga to lose weight. I will never be tall and lean and skinny, and it's ok.

This is me, then.

You? You might be tall and lean and skinny. You might be short, and skinny. You might be short and bigger than me. You might be taller and bigger than me. You might be a blonde, a brunette, a red head. You might have smaller boobs and wider hips. Or tiny boobs and tiny hips.
You might not look that way you want to look, but you know what? You are enough. You are beautiful the way you are. You are you, and it's ok.

This is you, then.

Blanks

I'm a crazy list maker, you already know that. I won't go grocery shopping without a list (doesn't stop me from buying stuff that is not on the list, though), I make to-do lists at work, I make lists for goals, I should maybe make a list of lists.
When I so this list here and here, among others, I knew I had to fill in the blanks too, you know, sounds like fun, because lists are my idea of fun.

1. The most adventurous thing I've ever done is... going to the UK for a year on an exchange programme when I was a student. I was seriously shy and had never got away from home, as my local university offered the studies I wanted to take. They also were part of an European exchange programme, and I took a shot at it. I already loved the UK back then so no wonder I signed up, hell yeah! And I had to, wait for it,  TALK TO PEOPLE so I wouldn't spend a whole academic year miserable on my own.
This and stepping on a yoga mat for the first time, truly had no idea what was in for me. That said, I still have no idea!

2. If I were a pair of shoes I would be... a pair of Doc Martens. These ones, the originals:

Ok embarrassing confession: I used to have a pair of those, I got them when I was 17 and would wear them every day. I mean, EVERY day, until 5 years later I had to throw them away. So I cut out the little tags at the back and kept them as a souvenir. For years.

3. My preferred mode of digital communication is... email, definitely.

4. I feel happiest when... I'm having a good laugh with Lovely Boyfriend. He's my boyfriend, my lover, my best friend, and I think being able to laugh with your partner is essential in this kind of relationship. It's easier of course when you have the same lame humour.

5. A little dream I have for my life is to...travel the world, fall in love with a place and move there, and be my own boss.

6. The one modern convenience I could NOT do without is... Fridge or washing machine? Tricky one...
How about the internet?

7. Music, movies, TV or books: if I could only choose one to enjoy I would pick... books. I've always been a huge book lover, reading is my hobby of choice, too sad I can't read as much as I would like to but hey, choices... Music is close though.

Enough ramblings for today, I have to take care of my kitchen turned into a baking lab. "And it burns, burns burns", you know...

Take care.

Sunday thoughts

I've been thinking a lot lately, my mind is racing in full gear, and I've been excited and overwhelmed.

Excited because I have a lot of ideas, that might turn into proper projects, because at some point acting and doing is the way to go. Overwhelmed because there are so many things I want to do, and so little time, not to mention little money (oh the ugly word ;-)).

See I started this blog because I had been thinking a lot about my life, I had started taking steps towards changes, and yoga has played a tremendous part in this direction (or better said, I let yoga play a huge part).
I'm feeling now that I've gone up a gear, and that this whole change thing is not only about me, about who I want to be, but also what difference I can make and how other people's lives can benefit from my actions. How can I step off my mat and make this difference, how can I help?

Yesterday I got caught up in this whirlwind of thoughts again, you know, how? when? where? what about my full-time job? what are we going to do?
And today it's kind of fallen into place. I stepped on my mat, chose to do a podcast, aimed at simplicity, you breathe, you move, no questions, no drama, and I went with the flow. I realized that you don't have to look for change for it to happen, because eventually, as your perspective is shifting, change does happen, and then comes a time when you have no choice but feel compelled to act, because that's what you are.

Enoshima, Japan

Meanwhile things might be a bit uncomfortable but you learn, you learn to be happy where you are, because where you are is the right place to be at this moment. It doesn't mean settling in indefinitely because you've been told that that is what life is. It means appreciate what you have at this very moment, while you move forward, and you will appreciate where you'll be in a day, a week, a month, while everything's unfolding. You're enjoying the journey and fully embracing the stage you're in, I guess that's my take on santosha :-)

So I'll be happy where I am, and I'll keep going my way. It will all fall into place, it's the natural evolution, I definitely believe it.

Have a nice Sunday :-)

Enoshima, Japan