A Good Attitude

Ever since I started working in New York I've quickly realized the pleasure of coming home and not having to deal or worry about much of anything. There are no assignments to be handed in, papers to be written or tests to study for. There's no required reading or group presentations (as of yet) to prepare. Therefore, I've found that upon exiting the office at 5:30 (usually) I have the next 5 1/2 hours (until I go to bed at 11 p.m.) to myself. Lately, it's given me a lot of time to reflect attention on myself because while I know a lot of people in the city (both old and new) it is difficult to coordinate something when everyone is on their own schedules (we're all working now a days). So, because I spend a lot of time thinking I've really become interested in meditation and the practice. I've started reading a book entitled "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind" by Shunryu Suzuki, which speaks of the practice of sitting in zazen (the lotus position) and allowing your mind to clear itself. As of lately...I'm merely reading about it and have not put it into practice.

Along the same lines, I've decided that I needed to take on some hobbies to occupy my spare time. It is not enough to come home after work and take a nap (otherwise my routine gets messed up). So, because gym memberships are $100 a month (no thanks)-- I've turned to an alternative style of exercise that incorporates both my new interest in meditation and my need for physical development-- yoga. I only started a week ago going to a donation based studio(where I can pay as little as $1 to go to a class) in the Lower East Side. I've never been one for sitting in silence, dripping of sweat from every part of my body (even parts I never knew could sweat) and actually enjoying it. The practice is much more physically demanding than I ever envisioned and honestly appears at first glance. The feeling afterwards, however, is like nothing I could begin to describe. Essentially, it's an hour of my night where I am able to detox from my day. I don't think about anything but the task at hand (often some kind of stretch that tests my balance and patience). The real practice comes in the controlling of your breath, which until now I've never realized the importance (as silly as that sounds) of breathing fully and heavily. We typically have a tendency to breathe shallowly (without thought)-- try actively thinking about your breathing for 3 minutes as you read this -- filling your lungs and letting it out slowly. You'll notice a difference. In the 3 sessions that I've attended this yoga class I've noticed a huge difference in so many areas of my day-to-day life. For instance, I've actually become more toned (and found to be sore) after doing a few of the classes. I've also been sleeping a lot better and feel well rested in the mornings (no need for coffee). I've also been able to relax a lot more without having any worries taint my thoughts. It feels good to escape your life and focus on yourself for a least an hour of my day...we never do that-- as much as we like to think we try. I recently came across an article online that said a study was conducted on people who chose to participate in yoga and those who took leisure time to read (in order to unwind). The study found that yoga could lower stress, anxiety and depression (not that I'm depressed--haha).

So here's what I've come to learn from all of this...there is a direct correlation (relationship) between your attitude and many branches of your day-to-day life. A good attitude definitely influences your work (at your job), your relationships (with your significant others) and your body (warding off sickness). I believe that remaining positive also brings a lot of good into your journey-- and I never believed in that before. I was never a believer in 'things happening for a reason' or 'good things happen to good people' (or is it bad things?), but considering the unraveling of events between March (when I dreamt of moving to New York) to June (where I am living in New York) the cards all seemed to fall exactly where they should have-- no questions asked. Can I attribute that to luck? or a good attitude? Something I learned in a business class was that "Luck is when preparation meets opportunity." If I was lucky-- it's because I had been preparing for this my entire life and the opportunity fit. But, I gotta tell ya there's nothing like a downward facing dog to get you thinking about (or not thinking) about how far you've come and have left to go.