Episode 83 Practices, intentions and gratitude

The Equinox, the solstice, any time that might have a moment where we in our minds can say, okay, this is a time that now something starts or something ends. And when we have a new year, as I am recording this, we can take the time to prioritize. Setting intentions prioritize some practices, prioritize resolutions, prioritize different things. And what I wanted to focus on is on what I prioritize that is practices for me, having practices is key.

Because practices are the things that I do they in and they out, but then they become my habital patterns. I don't really have to think about them anymore. I do them with intention. I do them. Being present and connected yet. I don't have to think too much about it. I don't have to put too much energy as I would, as I'm starting as I am building it as I am changing my ways. When we as society, when we have a new year, we do practices of resolutions of setting intentions.

Sometimes they are not something that might happen. Sometimes they happen. Sometimes they don't, there's different reasons why that happens or doesn't happen. But one of the key things as well, there is that when we are setting that type of intention or that resolution, we need to understand also how do we relate? To expectations in that sense. What if we don't achieve that? How do we relate to that?

When we set up to do a different practice, like it's, let's say we want to make an intention that for the year 20, 22, we are going to practice. Every day, at least five minutes of yoga or movement or sitting meditation. And when we do that, we understand this is a practice. This is something that most likely we haven't done it, or we haven't done it in that way, which means that there's a learning curve doesn't have to happen every single.

Doesn't have to happen perfectly, whatever that perfectly in our mind is. And having an understanding that, okay, this is a practice. This is something that one day it's going to go real well, little by little, it's going to get better some days it's going to not be that great. That is something that is manageable. Something that we can intend to do.

So my encouragement to you is for this year 2022, regardless of when you are listening to this, even if it's later in the year or in another year, what are the practices that you are wanting to continue to carry on that you are already do? And what are the practices that you want to incorporate? And. I always, for me, I always recommend start with one don't overwhelm yourself. It's something that you know, that you can achieve if you want to add on that perfectly. Okay. We are all different.

We all do things that are on time, our own way yet when we just take one step, makes it easier than to take five steps at a time. I know for me, my practices have been key to my understanding of myself and how I relate and connect to others, to myself, to the environment, to the earth, being able to understand the importance of that practice has been key as one of my teachers, this say to have discipline, you need to find the right discipline. I found it in some of my practices.

I found it in my meditation practice. I found it in my movement, meditation practice or yoga practice. And I actually was doing little bit of, uh, search on my, on the calendar of how long I have been doing consecutively. My meditation practice. And it's been over 3,400 days. And that's something that I, I have no idea until I looked at it the other day, but B also, there's a lot of learnings that I took from all of this time of having.

Meditation practice and having that discipline of every single day, no matter what was happening, no matter the circumstance, no matter if it was the day that I was working a day, that it was the weekend a day that it was on holidays traveling. It doesn't matter. I took time to practice. Now that practice took a lot of different forms in a lot of different ways, just because of that. Some days I was on retreat, which meant that I was able to practice the entire day.

Some days I did multiple hours, some days I just did 10 minutes, as soon as I woke up in bed. And that was it throughout. My time practicing every single day for at least 10, 15 minutes of intentional practice that has led me to be able to not have to really practice in a sense, not have to sit to meditate, to be able to maintain that level of awareness, to be able to stay connected. Because I am much more used to that.

I have been really fortunate to be able to do these practices, to be able to learn them from a younger age, to be able to allow them to become part of my life, to be able to have different teachers and mentors. To give me tools and give me some feedback and give me understanding on wisdom that allowed me to carry on with my practice to understand that it was perfectly okay.

Anytime that I was thinking in my practice, anytime that I just, when somewhere else and wasn't fully connected, that's part of the practice. It's not about perfection. It's about the practice. And keeping that discipline has been key. Now that doesn't need to be meditation for you. It can be another way of connecting. It can be going for a run every single day, doing some exercise, going to the gym, going to play football or rugby or tennis, sort of whatever it is, your thing.

How do you connect. In setting that intention to practice and keeping ourselves accountable for that, and potentially letting others know about it, a for them to Keepa, um, accountable, but also B so that we can give and can create good boundaries. Because if, for example, My practice involves time by myself.

I need to be able to tell others that I need that amount of time, wherever we set out by ourselves every single day, if we need quiet, then we can communicate that and we can let others know. It makes it much more easy. When others in our life, in our household know what are our practices and what are the things that we are intending to do. So as I am here at the start of training 22 this new year, and I intend to keep on my practices. I also look back.

I do this every single new year, every single birthday. My birthday is just one day away on the 30th of December. I look back throughout the year and even beyond being grateful that I'm still here and looking at all of the things. That I went through all of the learnings, all of the growth that happened.

All of the challenges that I overcame noticing how things that potentially in the moment seemed really big when time goes by, that are not as big noticing how things that didn't seem to matter at that time potentially are now important back. Noticing how fortunate I am to be alive, to be well, to be healthy, to be connected with so many amazing people, to be able to live life full of joy and happiness and love, and to be able to be me be able to live life the way that I want to.

How fortunate and privileged that is in a world where not many are able to do that, whether that is because of their circumstances, their level of awareness or whatever it is. Not many can say that I know the position that I am, and I am grateful for that. And when I am. In that space, in that energy of gratitude and deep appreciation that touches my heart, that opens up my heart and that same frequency, that same vibration is where I set the practices for this coming year.

I set some of my goals, my ambitions. How I want to feel the experiences that I want to have the connections that I want to have, and then letting all of that go, allowing the flow of life as well to take over, to be present. I love to plan yet at the same time. I love to be present and to allow the energy to take me places. And this is key to know, are you like that? Or do you prefer to know everything advance?

Do you prefer to plan every single thing when you understand the way that works better for you? Everything is easier. When you allow yourself to do things the way that you want them, not how anybody else wants or things that seem to work, but it's for others, you start to be more aligned. Things. Start to flow a little bit more. and that doesn't mean that everything in life is going to be perfect. It doesn't mean that you're going to get everything that you're looking from other people.

Cause perhaps that's not what you are supposed to get or the way that you are supposed to be going in, allowing the time to connect with what it is that you. Really want to experience and to feel during this coming year, what are the practices that you're going to carry on or to introduce this year, knowing that there's no failing only doing and learning. There is no way that you can fail. This is something for me that has been key.

My intentional, my intentional, my expectation might not be met. It doesn't mean that I fail. That means that I might need to readjust your things differently, plan differently. How different expectations when I understand that, and I understand practices, then I can allow myself to do that. I can be gentle with myself. I don't expect a kid to be an expert on a topic that they are just learning at school.

So why would I expect myself to be whatever that perfect is in whatever practice I want to practice, especially from day one. Even if it's on like 300, 3000 for a hundred for whatever number it is that I am now with my practice in consecutive days, when we are kind to ourselves, when we are soft and gentle, we touch those places in our songs that make us feel alive, allowing us. To be aligned with the flow of life.

So once again, what are the practices that you are wanting to bring and cultivate in this new year? Let us know, send us in message, comment, whatever you find this episode, share the practices. Perhaps they might help, or they might spark an idea on someone else. What are the practices that you're bringing into this new year? Thank you. Hope that everybody has the best year based on where you are based off what you are intending for this 2022.