August has brought with it a huge lack of motivation and enthusiasm in regards to two things that usually nourish my mind and soul; blogging and yoga.
For several weeks I have been acutely aware of my avoidance of both the mat and WordPress and both remind me daily of my neglegence; my mat sits unrolled in the corner of the living room and another morning rolls by without hitting “Publish”. It wasn’t until this morning, as I tried to envision both yoga and posting fitting into my day, that the similarity between the two hit me.
Yoga and blogging are both
- deeply personal paths.
- on-going practices that are more often about the journey, not the destination.
- best when practiced regularly.
- a beautiful and unique way to connect with others.
- challenging!
- self-directed.
- creative.
- mobile; they can travel with you!
- versatile; I can tailor my posts and my practice to suit my mood and needs.
Yoga and blogging can both be like taking a good, long look in the mirror and allowing (ok, sometimes forcing!) yourself to be open to what’s staring back at you. I don’t believe that I am avoiding anything huge in the self-reflection department, I just needed a break from the constant practice of it.
But I miss them both.
And so over the second half of August I will work to regain my near-daily practices of writing, unrolling my mat, snapping pictures, finding movement, finding stillness, creating recipes, flowing through Surya Namaskar, and hitting “Publish”.
Wanna help me out? Let me know what you would like to see on Gracefulfitness, ask me a questions about food or workouts, or tell me something that helps motivate you to get on the mat.
Hmmm… I would love to know about a day in the life.. regarding the food and exercise. Lol.. sorry if that creeped you out for a sec. I am always curious to see what people who are in great shape are doing and eating.
Not creepy at all! I love ready “day in the life” type stuff and would be happy to do one. Thanks for the suggestion/request!
I enjoy your how-to posts on the things you make from scratch – like the sauerkraut, and kombucha and even the failed cheese. I also enjoy your gardening posts – lets me think that maybe someday I can do those things, too. My herbal garden has been a big success. I’m so proud of my basil and mint and oregano. The thyme not so much. I most enjoy the everyday posts of what’s happening in your life.
Thank Johanna, I take that as a great compliment!
The thyme that’s planted in the herb bed is growing great and spreading like mad, the one in a container-not so much! Is yours in the ground or container?
Container and it’s not dying but it looks the same as the day I planted it.
have you ever made your own ketchup using only honey or maple syrup as sweetener? without canned tomato paste (like from actual homegrown tomatoes. can you try and post about it!
Yes! Thanks-love this suggestion! I did make some awesome ketchup over the winter but I used canned paste, you know I’m game for a more homegrown approach.
The window may have passed for this project, our tomatoes are only dribbling in! If I get another good harvest I’m turning it into ketchup!
I’m doing ok with the whole blogging thing. Although I’m pretty consistant about posting to my blog, I participated in NaBloPoMo (http://nablopomo.blogher.com/) in July. I think it helped me to focus on the fact that if I want to do this as an important part of my life, I need to Make it a part of my life. Sometimes it helps to have something like that to jump start your process. I love Gracefulfitness. You seem like such a serene person. You might not agree, but that’s what I get from you.
Serene, 🙂 that’s nice and I do believe quite accurate. I love that this comes through in the blog because I feel like it one of those traits about me that I couldn’t “try” to convey, it just happens. So true that you much actively make things happen in your life, it’s always good to be reminded of that.
My blogging motivation has slacked quite a bit — I still really enjoy it though. I think a lot of my struggle is trying to allow my own style to come through & deciding how to approach it, which you don’t seem to have a problem doing. Your style rocks! & is so genuine.
I love all of your homemade/from scratch how-tos. I would love to hear more about your pilates/yoga…maybe even sample sequences. Oh & your photography (if you enjoy it) — I love watching your style develop.
As you know, I was getting psyched about pilates recently, but something switched & now I’m really inspired & motivated by my yoga practice. I took some awesome workshops at a festival recently, & am excited to delve into these concepts more. You might be interested in one I took called “functional anatomy” by a couple women from Houston (they travel a lot). Dave & I also started practicing Acro yoga together & LOVE IT. Such a different, beautiful, trusting way to connect with another person through your practice. If Tate isn’t into it, Acro practitioners are very open to meeting up with people to play. Also, I keep thinking I should have done “August Break” with blogging: some bloggers are just posting (a) photo/photos every day this month, rather than long posts to give themselves a little break without taking a total break. You wouldn’t have to do photography, but maybe there are other themes or condensed thoughts you could throw in occasionally to not feel the same pressure/guilt of not posting at all. There is much more I’d love to hear about from you, so I’ll keep it in mind & send specific questions.
So much good stuff in this comment! Let’s see here..
I have always LOVED photography so learning to play with a real camera has been wonderful. And I love that the blog offers a venue for photography!
I have often thought of posting some yoga or Pilates sequences but have lacked the photographer to make it possible! Tate would be willing but…
The studio I used to work at in Portland regularly hosted Acro Yoga! It’s so awesome! Very cool that you and Dave are practicing together. Tate likes to practice yoga…once a year. 😉
Thanks, as always Allie, for your insight and support!
I’d love to know more about lifting/working out how-to’s. I read lots of books on the subjects, and they’re all so different, which leave a layperson (i.e. one w/ an education in Spanish, not health/physiology!) confused. Love the blog and appreciate your thoughts in the blogosphere!
🙂 Thanks for the compliments and suggestions!
You’ve also given me the idea to organize my workout posts a little better, like a directory to find them.
That would be awesome!
Recipes! Interval training! More fermented foods! Race recaps! How you prepare for your various races! How did you become a vegetarian? What was it like growing up in a small town in WVA? Stories from your travels around the world! you have so much to offer and you are SUCH a great storyteller!
:)! You need to get to my house-NOW! xo
Sadly exercise, including yoga, is the one thing that seems to ‘disappear’ when i get busy despite me knowing that it is probably the one constant that i need!! Am even contemplating missing yoga tonight….(need to finish making cowgirl outfir for a party!!) BUT i kow that when i DO go i feel so grateful for having ttaken that time out of my day to be on the mat!
How’d that cowgirl outfit turn out? 🙂
What you eat in a day would be helpful. From what I observe, I would feel most comfortable viewing your diet on a regular basis. Do you count calories? What do you do if you get cravings that are not great for your body? Why do you eat the foods that you eat? Also, exercise -How much? Meditation tips would also be useful. Music that is good for meditation. Books you enjoy reading. You seem to love life and this world so much. How does one stay so happy and beautiful? Have a wonderful day. Peace, Dom
Thanks Dom, great suggestions! And what sweet compliments! You brought a big smile to my Thursday morning, thank you. 🙂
Think Positive Week 3: Mind over Matter « Freckles & Spice
[…] Gracefulfitness – Yoga is Like Blogging […]
I’m so glad you wrote this! I have been trying to start blogging – i have written a few posts and set a goal in August to write more – but it’s just hard to make it a habit. I love writing and I know that once it becomes something I do regularly it will come more easily, but it can still be a bit frustrating. I love how honest you are on your blog, and I really appreciated this post! Have a great day!!
The more I write the easier it is for sure! This post was a serious challenge to sit down and write, I kept getting up from the computer and finding other stuff to do. I love that in the end it ended up resonating with a lot of people.
I really appreciate the honesty comment, I write what I write because it makes sense to me but sometimes it’s hard to know just how it comes across. Thanks!
It may seem contradictory but for me Fall always feels like the perfect time to get back on track- eating healthy, exercise, etc… I guess because it is back to school time for my kids and work for me- so a routine is necessary. Your blog post is more motivation for me to stick with my routine- yoga in the morning, cooking healthy meals, wine only on the weekends. I’d love to read more veggie recipes and I enjoy your hiking/outdoor posts 🙂
I totally agree, Fall is a great time to return to routine. Actually I feel this way about each change of season, it’s a natural time to hit refresh!
Thanks for the comment and feedback!
Is it just the heat, or a carryover from all the years of students (and staff) getting “summer vacation”. Even while we homeschooled you and sisters, there was a marked cutback in summer, then we waited until after Labor Day to get very active and scheduled again. Makes me wonder in areas that have year round schools, whether the same “summer vacation” mentality, energy shift takes hold. Anyone out there grow up with year round school?
Wow this connection between blogging and yoga was expressed so well by you. I’m fairly new to bloghing but I relate yoga with how well I am enjoying life all the time. The day doesn’t feel complete without even a few “cat & cows.” Blogging is also a great release of positive energy into my day buti wonder if I will develop a need for bloggin like I have for yoga.
September Plans | Gracefulfitness
[…] feeling like yoga was absent from my life for most of the month, I actually practiced sort of regularly! Mostly I realized that August was a […]