“My Better Day” newsletter contains tips for your yoga practice, yoga quotes to bring yoga off the mat and into your life, affirmations to brighten your day and motivate, and more! It is my wish for your well-being that I send this newsletter to help make your day a Better Day!
In this issue: Yoga quote, Practice yoga pose, Meditation on the go, Chakrascope, Hand Mudra, Healthy News, Featured Recipe, Favorite Yoga Music / DVD, Happenings at Better Day Yoga LLC, Final Relaxation Quote.
*By the way–this newsletter is one of the 8 part/posts newsletters. They took quite a bit of time so I began doing single post newsletters after the February/March 2014 newsletter. That being said, if you want all of the posts of one newsletter for the 8 part/posts, please hit the back button to go back to all the posts listed with the newsletter your’re reading. Hope that makes sense!
Namaste,
Sandy Krzyzanowski
Founder, Better Day Yoga LLC
“What turns inspiration into conversation?
The power of positivity
Gains worth celebrating
And a single moment of meaningful change…” ~ Special K™ Movement manifesto
A couple of years ago I did a blog on slogans and asked what your tagline would be if you had one. I’ve always been attracted to good slogans. Being a fan of affirmations, I’m attracted to slogans that make you feel good. I’ve gathered a handful of new favorite slogans to share and invite you to ponder the slogans and taglines appearing in your life as a way to feel good inside. You won’t be bereft of advertising any time soon you may as well find a way to make the most of them, right?
“Celebrate the kid inside” /
“Let your inner kid loose” ~ OREO Cookies!
The impetus to gather another round of fun slogans came from a teeny tiny ad on my iPhone. At first I was just annoyed, as ads can sometimes do when they appear in the way of what you are trying to read, but then I saw the message and it made me smile. I often use affirmations in my yoga classes and one of them is from Wayne Dyer—“Don’t let an old person inside your body”. And then another is “You will always be that young girl.” (Or guy, of course, when there are guys in the class!)
So when “Let your inner kid loose” appeared at the bottom of my iPhone, I left it there to peak at throughout the day. It was an invitation you couldn’t resist. Their website has (had as of my 2023 update) a contest to “Bring out the kid in all of us” and I can only say “Bravo!” Watch this 30 second commercial and try not to tear up…I do every time. “You do something to me that nobody else could do.” Your inner child can do that. Don’t you love the concept of Oreo Cookies celebrating 100 years by celebrating the kid inside? That’s the way to do it! You can do that too! You’re never too old to let your inner kid loose!
I love the sign at the end—“Next Stop: Childhood” Let Oreo cookies take you there. Why not? What is your ticket to letting your inner kid loose? Find the trigger! Perhaps it is an Oreo cookie! If it is, use it! Perhaps it’s something else, but whatever it is, find it and pull the trigger! Which leads me to the next great slogan…
“Find what speaks to you” ~ Pier 1 Imports!
Just being open to the messages the Universe is sending you can open the floodgates to receiving more. One of the great gifts of a yoga practice is noticing the subtleties of messages you receive from your body, mind, and spirit. If you aren’t tuned in, you won’t get the right channel, right?
Finding what speaks to you might be easy—the messages might be “loud and clear”. If so, that’s great! But what about the subtle ones that may go unnoticed if you aren’t paying attention? What about the joy you get out of a great cup of coffee first thing in the morning—that you don’t always have time for, or perhaps don’t take the time for? You might not notice the good mood or peaceful feeling that stays with you the whole day when you start your day out right. Start noticing. What speaks to you? Is it the good mood you suddenly acquired? Or contentment for no reason that you can put your finger on or a boost in self-esteem that magically happened? Find what speaks to you!
My regular readers know how much I love affirmations. My usual morning practice includes yoga, a sitting meditation, and affirmations. When I expanded my AM yoga practice, my sitting meditation practice fell to the wayside for a bit, as did the affirmations—the two are intertwined for me. Either in the middle or at the end of my mantra meditation, I have a series of chakra balancing prayers and affirmations that includes my own personal loving kindness meditation. I could tell fairly quickly by my general mood that I was feeling incomplete and down on myself more than usual. I’m happy to say I’m back to my full morning practice. (Since this post, I have included a recording of my own personal loving kindness meditation on my site when you sign up for the newsletter. The drop down box will pop. Enjoy!)
Notice when you are in a good mood and try to figure out what brought it on. What speaks to you? Listen!
And while I know retail therapy can be an addiction, if you love something enough that it speaks to you for several days after you’ve seen it in the store, perhaps it’s worth figuring out how to attain it—reasonably. I mean we all love the way too expensive things, right? But what if you saved up for the one thing that really made your heart sing? Only you can decide what your heart loves—and your budget can afford. I remember taking a class at the Open U / Learning Annex years ago and the speaker said if there’s something that makes you feel good about yourself, get it, buy it, be it. There’s some magic in that statement. Find what speaks to you.
“Create Wonder” ~ Samsung!
“What surrounds us and what we choose to surround ourselves with defines how we live, what we do, and who we are….” –Part of the Samsung message: http://vimeo.com/41963210
This statement ties into the Open U speaker I listened to years ago. Look around your environment. What have you chosen to surround yourself with? It’s a common Feng Shui suggestion that if something in your environment sends you bad feelings—the holiday ornament that makes you feel guilty because you didn’t treat that person too nice once, or the decor you display because you feel obligated to but can’t stand—you should remove it. Makes sense to me! Is there something in your environment not sending you good juju? Remove it! Is there something you simply love to look at—add more of that.
I love Quan Yin—the Goddess of mercy and compassion—she makes me feel peaceful and protected simply looking at her image. It stems from an Asian lady statue/lamp we had in my childhood home. I didn’t realize the connection until I was an adult. I simply knew that I loved Quan Yin, but wasn’t sure how it came to be until one day it hit me. I realized that as a child, this Asian lady statue/lamp struck me with awe and dare I say “wonder”? It was as though she was watching over our whole household. Finding out she was the Goddess of Mercy and Compassion was simply an added bonus. Knowing that her image comforts me, I’ve chosen to add her into my environment as a way of adding peace. My yoga room contains two Quan Yins; my home—several! You can do that too. How can you create wonder in your life?
“The screen is your canvas to create wonder. Transform what you’ve captured into what you imagine.”—Both messages from Samsung’s SmartCamera campaign under the heading “Express Yourself”. There is something very magical in the invitation to “create wonder” and “express yourself”, don’t you think? Have you ever thought about your ability to “create wonder”? Yes—you have the ability to create wonder. Do you have a hard time believing that statement? Who am I to think I can create wonder? Create wonder?! Yes! You can!
Don’t like photography? No worries! You can use those cues for ideas too. Once you’ve “captured” an idea in your mind to create wonder, transform it into what you imagine. Do you imagine a fun get-away weekend? Plan for it—transform your idea into reality. Do you imagine a perfect job? Write out the details of perfect job—“just for fun”. Remember writing it down gives it a life in your psyche. “Write it down, make it happen.” What do you have to lose?
“What will you gain when you lose?” ~ Special K™!
“The Special K™ Movement
It’s time to start a movement.
Let’s rise up
Join together
And change the way we talk about weight loss.
Because when we lose weight, we gain something, too.
It’s an emotion—a spark— that comes
from achieving our best selves.
What turns inspiration into conversation?
The power of positivity
Gains worth celebrating
And a single moment of meaningful change.
Starting today—and everyday—
We can radiate confidence
We can claim our own authentic beauty
And inspire our friends to do the same.
It’s time to change the conversation.
Joy. Vitality. Moxie. Sass.
What will you gain when you lose?
Rise up and declare your gain to the world.”
What a great idea—instead of focusing on loss, focus on the gain as a result of the loss! It’s seeing the glass as half full. It’s looking for the silver lining, because there always is one. Perhaps it’s looking at the lesson, and how that lesson helped you to move forward in a better way. If you didn’t have the darkness, you wouldn’t know or appreciate the light. The darkness literally helps to define the light.
Perhaps your silver lining it’s that “spark” they mention in their “movement” manifesto above—the spark that comes from achieving your best self. Remember it’s the friction that polishes the lump of coal into a diamond. Without the friction, there’s no diamond.
“It’s also helpful to realize that this very body that we have, that’s sitting right here right now…with its aches and its pleasures…is exactly what we need to be fully human, fully awake, fully alive.” ~ Pema Chödrön.
Sometimes loss requires a moment of regrouping—yes. But to stay down is not the answer. Focusing on “what’s next” helps you get up and figure out what you’ve gained from your loss. It could be you’ve gained the ability to keep on getting up. THAT is crucial—to keep on keeping on.
One of my best friends is a breast cancer survivor. She shared a story with me about a nurse who was discussing how the treatment (chemotherapy and radiation) affects various women. When my friend shared her thought that the side effects must be harder the older you get, the nurse’s response was the exact opposite. She said that older women have seen it all. They can handle more than most. They realize that in life things happen—you figure out how to keep on keeping on. THIS is one of the gifts of getting older.
Fall down seven times; get up eight ~ Japanese Proverb.
So how do you achieve your best self? Only you can answer that. What are you holding onto that you’re afraid to lose? Be it weight, am unfulfilling job, or a negative friend who drains your spirit—write down what you’ll gain when you lose and dwell on that. Be like Special K™ and “re-frame loss from deprivation to inspiration. It really isn’t about what you have to lose—it’s all about what you have to gain.” Believe it. See the video at the end of the following link. http://theinspirationroom.com/daily/2012/special-k-what-will-you-gain/
“Believe—because it works” ~ Weight Watchers®
I love the word “believe”. I own several rocks that have that word on it. It’s an affirmation in and of itself and attracts forces in you that you didn’t know you had. Yes—it’s magical!
The video below starts out with “I am you and you are me.” This phrase resonates perfectly with the definition of “Namaste”:
“The divine in me recognizes and honors the Divine in you. I greet that place where you and I are one. I honor the place in you, which is of love, of truth, of light and of peace.” ~ Ram Dass.
Recognizing that we are each Divine—the same Divine—creates trust, unity, and strength. Believe because it works. Believe because without belief it won’t work! Believe in yourself—in your goals, in your efforts, in your greater self. Believe in the greater good of all people—because “I am you and you are me.”
“From The Secret™ Daily Teachings
Ask, Believe, Receive – just three simple steps to create what you want. However, very often the second step, believe, can be the most difficult one. And yet it is the greatest step you will ever take. Believing contains no doubt. Believing does not waiver. Believing is absolute faith. Believing remains steadfast despite what is happening in the outside world.
When you master believing, you have mastered your life.”
“Challenge what’s possible” ~ Olay®
What you think is possible is filtered through your own personal beliefs. If your background and life history contains a story—it will be difficult to conceive of another version of the story. Perhaps your parents or older siblings have repeated the phrase, “Oh it’s because I’m old.” Or, “They say you fall apart after 40.” That’s simply not true!
We’ve all fallen prey to outdated beliefs—that ache or pain that you think isn’t going to go away because you’re of a “certain age”; or the idea that you can’t do something because you’re too old.
As I mentioned earlier, one of my favorite affirmations is: “I’ll always be that young girl.” Dwelling on that makes me smile and gives me a sense of confidence so why dwell on the alternative? Visualize the younger you—and know that younger you is still inside. Where else would she be? Your younger you is what made who you are today, so all of that younger you is still in there!
The great thing about getting older is that you don’t lose all the other ages you’ve been. ~ Madeleine L’Engle
More than once in the past when I had a major pain in my body I thought I’d just have to live with because I was over 40. Get over it! I’m over that kind of thinking and I’m here to tell you, your body heals at all ages! Your body is designed to regenerate constantly! It uses your mind power as part of the fuel—so be careful what you put into your mind.
If you aren’t healing the way you want to, try other options. Don’t be complacent. Challenge what’s possible! There’s always other options! And remember, “healing” may or may not be “cure”.
I remember buying some skincare items at the local store and the wonderful checkout lady sharing “at least you are still making the effort”. Of course I am! Another favorite mantra of mine is “I’m goin’ down fightin’!”
Old age is fifteen years older than I am. ~ Oliver Wendell Holmes
Defining what you think beauty is isn’t the question here—it’s being the most beautiful you because you radiate from inside. Who needs “perfection”? What’s more, who can define it? As they say “Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.” Taking care of yourself—mind, body and soul—will resonate more than physical beauty. You’ll be unstoppable!
Some people, no matter how old they get, never lose their beauty – they merely move it from their faces into their hearts. ~ Martin Buxbaum
Feeling good about how you look is essential to your self-esteem, and taking excellent care of your emotional health and well-being can make your RealAge™ as much as 16 (!) years younger.” (Source: RealAge.com)
When it comes to staying young, a mind-lift beats a face-lift any day. ~ Marty Bucella
“Here’s a Daily Holistic Beauty Regimen: Try these five habits on. Perhaps add one a day to your life and practice it mindfully for twenty-one consecutive days.
HABIT #1 – Explore PEACE: I will practice inner quiet and tranquility at least one hour a day.
HABIT #2 – Explore MENTAL CLARITY & FOCUS: I will practice doing one thing at a time for as long as I can.
HABIT #3 – Explore JOY: I will practice creating and experiencing moments of joy until my life becomes a joy-based life.
HABIT #4 – Explore CREATIVITY, CONNECTION & CONTRIBUTION: I will practice creating daily. I will practice listening to others like every word they say is from the Divine. I will practice contributing to others with no strings attached. (Note: You can also do these three things simultaneously.)
HABIT #5 – Explore STUNNING HEALTH: I will practice only consuming things that will add life and vitality to my body.
Another way to integrate these habits slowly is to add one habit per week and practice for twenty-one consecutive days. Tip: Be easy with yourself and have fun with it.
Holistic Beauty: This perspective of beauty is a function of your whole, perfect and complete wellness. It’s a stunning and magnetic beauty that oozes from your insides. It’s how you retire in the evening, give thanks for the day and consume the miracles of nature as fuel to realize your ultimate destiny. It’s how you celebrate our respective cultures, and present the gift of yourself to others. It’s a beauty that says that everyone can be a rockstar by tapping in and utilizing what you have at your finger tips. Like Cracker Jack’s, there is a guaranteed prize inside of you (and in each one of us). Everyone is a gift and that gift deserves a lovely package.”
~ Excerpted from OMTimes Magazine article, Beauty v. Holistic Beauty: 5 New Habits, by Akua Auset, September 2012.
Image Credit: Sakari Graphics
It’s not the miles, it’s how you live them ~ Volkswagen
I saw this commercial the night before I was going to release my newsletter. The commercial is a testament to the healing benefits of laughter yoga. An excerpt from my June 2012 newsletter:
Not only is it healthy to learn to laugh at yourself, it’s very healthy to learn to laugh whenever you can; and if you can’t, fake it. There’s healing in laughter. “…laughing lowers blood pressure, reduces stress hormones, increases muscle flexion, and boosts immune function by raising levels of infection-fighting T-cells, disease-fighting proteins called Gamma-interferon and B-cells, which produce disease-destroying antibodies. Laughter also triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers, and produces a general sense of well-being.”
Have you tried a laughter yoga class before? “I went to a seminar on laughter yoga, and I felt elated for hours later. I didn’t have any pain,” When you combine laughter and breathing, there’s healing there. ~ Jody Ross, certified yoga laughter leader. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/06/laughter-yoga-benefits_n_1478960.html?ref=healthy-living
The tagline—It’s not the miles, it’s how you live them—speaks to your heart. My mantra: It’s the quality of your life every day that matters. So be on notice for the things that add to the quality of your life. I am finding myself saying “That makes me smile” more and more. It’s another phrase I use to “call out” the precious moments that make up the quality of my life. (Another is “This very moment” whenever I want to claim it as precious.) Yesterday it came out as I watched a squirrel bouncing across our path as my husband and I went for a walk. Earlier, it was the call of the robin in the area. You know the one, it sounds like a giggle to me, and it happens around the 24 second mark in this link. For me, this sound is the sound of summer. So hearing it now–in the midst of fall, makes me smile. What makes you smile?
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we takebut by the moments that take our breath away. ~ Hilary Cooper
“Open up and invite life in.” ~ SC Johnson’s, Glade®
Glade was part of my last slogan article in 2010 as well. Then it was “Release the magic™”. What can I say? I like their slogans! (Truthfully, anything with the word “magic” in it appeals to me!)
The lesson here is open up! If you aren’t open to new adventures, new ways of being, new thoughts, new emotions, then you will stagnate just as you are. Remember the earlier slogan, what will you gain when you lose? Lose the old stuff!
“If you keep on doing what you’ve been doing, you’ll keep getting what you’ve been getting.”
“I am open to possibilities.”
“If you want tomorrow to be different from today, you’ll need to take yourself off autopilot and make different decisions today than the ones you made yesterday.”
“Make something amazing.” ~ Kraft
When I went to Kraft’s website today to check out their “Make something amazing” campaign, I found that they have other phrases following “make something”. They’re all absolutely inspiring: Make something sizzle. Make something wondrous. Make something with a touch of awesome. Make something authentic. Make something a little better. It’s amazing to me what an affirmation can do for the spirit.
Each and every one of these phrases speaks to your ability to create the life YOU want—you have the ability, and only you, to do that for yourself! And if you’re going to create something, it may as well be amazing, sizzling, wondrous, awesome, authentic and better! Why not? Not feeling up to the challenge? Let Marianne Williamson’s famous poem answer your fears:
“A Return to Love by Marianne Williamson
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves,
Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine, as children do.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine,
we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.”
So make something—anything—amazing! Make your life amazing! Use the power of your mind with each and every thought to affirm your amazing, sizzling, wondrous, awesome, authentic, better life!
