Sudden Shifts: Heart Opening Challenge
“If you want small changes in your life, work on your attitude. But if you want big and primary changes, work on your paradigm.” Stephen Covey
Sudden Shifts: Heart Opening Yoga Challenge – Yoga Postures do work
Yoga has both physical and mental benefits when it comes to matters of the heart. It can literally improve the overall health of your heart by reducing stress, lowering your blood pressure, improving respiratory function, heart rate, and circulation. It can also help stretch the chest muscles and open the heart chakra, which can help you cultivate joy, compassion and unconditional love for yourself and those around you. via YogaWorks
Are you ready to open your heart this month? Last month, I joined hundreds of women who signed up to participate in a 14 Day Yoga Challenge through their local YogaWorks Studio. We all joined, not only for our own health but also, in support of American Heart Association’s Rock the Red campaign for Women’s Heart Health. The challenge started on February 1st and will run through Valentine’s Day on the 14th. Every day, we have to attend a yoga class of our choice, read the daily prompts of encouragement, and apply them to our lives and our interactions with others. It has been a transformative process for me as each day brings new ways of seeing and doing the yoga postures, sudden yet subtle shifts in my perspective on things that bother me, and an opening and willingness to look within and embrace new ways of viewing the world around me. My experience is what is often described in Yoga as having a Beginner’s Mind; which is setting aside our prior beliefs and experiences and engaging/viewing the world through fresh eyes. The paradigm shift that occurs allows us to learn anew and adjust our lens to accept changing perspectives. It brings eureka moments and insights into our lives.
“Yoga teaches us to cure what need not be cured, and endure what cannot be cured.” BKS Iyengar
Sudden Shifts: Heart Opening Yoga Challenge – Yoga Postures do work
Sudden Shifts: Heart Opening Yoga Challenge – Yoga Postures do work
Yoga Daily Prompts
Day 1: Are you ready to open your heart?
Day 2: Take time for YOU
Day 3: Focus on the positive
Day 4: Spread the love
Day 5: Listen to your heart
Day 6: Connect to nature
Day 7: Halfway there!
How are you doing? Doing this daily practice of yoga has become a great blessing because, each day, I challenge myself to try a new class, let go of any fears and resistance I might have, and become more attuned to the new postures taught in class. As some of my closest friends and family know, I’ve had some challenges in the last three years that forced me to adopt a new way of being. An old injury forced me to consider new approaches to healing and has given me tremendous respect and compassion for those who live with constant pain. Taking this 14 day challenge was not an easy decision because, even though I do practice yoga, the commitment meant I would have to push past some of my fears around pain and how the human body handles it. With each passing day, I have found my body and my mind feeling the calm and steadiness that yoga can offer us when it is done correctly, with love — and not competitively.
More Below!
“It’s not only moving that creates new starting points. Sometimes all it takes is a subtle shift in perspective, an opening of the mind, an intentional pause and reset, or a new route to start to see new options and new possibilities.” Kristin Armstrong
Sudden Shifts: Heart Opening Yoga Challenge – Yoga Postures do work
Sudden Shifts: Heart Opening Yoga Challenge – Yoga Postures do work
The way of the Creative works through change and transformation, so that each thing receives its true nature and destiny and comes into permanent accord with the Great Harmony: this is what furthers and what perseveres. Alexander Pope
When the seasons shift, even the subtle beginning, the scent of a promised change, I feel something stir inside me. Hopefulness? Gratitude? Openness? Whatever it is, it’s welcome. Kristin Armstrong
Day 8: How are you feeling?
Day 9: Just smile
Day 10: Set an intention
Day 11: What If…?
Day 12: Breathe
Day 13: Almost there!
Day 14: Congratulations!
What is holding YOU back? As I prepared to write this post today, I looked again at the prompt for today – Day 10. It encouraged us to reflect on all the things that are holding us back in our lives, and to set the intention to let go, forgive, and move forward. Our lives are a compilation of our experiences; they include all our hurts, joys, imaginary slights and other lifelong narratives we share or mask. If you’ve lived life boldly, you’ve had your share of disappointments and each painful and joyful event leaves a mark deep inside of us. Our bodies hold all the memories of our experiences until we work at letting the pain go and embracing new joy in our bodies. Setting an intention to let bygone be bygone was very liberating and I believe it helped me choose this as my topic today. Do come back as I continue and complete the challenge. Namaste.
Valentine’s Day Collage: Have A Happy Valentine’s Day filled with love, flowers and chocolates!
UPDATE: Finally, completion! It’s been a joyful ride filled with revelations. Until we learn to nurture ourselves, we won’t be fully present to nurture others. I’d like to invite you to make a commitment to choose one of your own. Happy Valentine’s Day!
Interestingly enough, the WordPress Daily Prompt for today is about sudden shifts in weather and, in a symbolic way, I feel the shifts I’m experiencing in this 14 day challenge are like sudden blasts of new weather conditions … only mine are more sunny with less hail. So, my tip today is to encourage you to believe in the ability of your body and mind to align itself for your own good, and to seek some form of exercise/physical outlet that can help you push past your “stuff.” Use the momentum to begin the process of healing yourself and helping others.
My fellow bloggers were equally creative with their selections. Check out how others interpreted the theme – Sudden Shifts –
This post was inspired by a prompt from WP Daily Post: Sudden Shifts You’re at the beach with some friends and/or family, enjoying the sun, nibbling on some watermelon. All of a sudden, within seconds, the weather shifts and hail starts descending from the sky. Write a post about what happens next. (If you need visual inspiration, this happened in Russia in 2014.)
Positive Motivation Tip: Believe in the ability of your body and mind to align for your own good. Then use it to help heal yourself and to support others.
PHOTO CREDITS/ATTRIBUTIONS: All Photos either from my Personal Collection, PublicDomainPhotos, and/or via Wikipedia and
Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank
Mirth and Motivation
Positive Kismet
I really enjoyed reading this. Writing prompts are a great way to move outside of our comfort zones or even just to dig something out of ourselves that we didn’t know was there.
Thank you Ben, glad to see you here. I love the creative writing process and this was very rewarding. 🙂
I’d love to do a 14 day yoga challenge. Sounds fun. Great post 🙂
It’s been a wonderful blessing. I would recommend it.
interesting post relates well to february holiday of valentines day
Yoga can be so restorative and it actually has more benefits that most realize. I love the way my body and mind feel after a good yoga session!!
Same here Rebecca… truly calming and healing. <3
This reminds me of the huge decision that hubby and I just made this month. For years, he has been asking me that we should consider finding another place, a place that is bigger and suited for the need of our family but, I keep holding back because I know the financial burden would be too much. But this year, I am trusting everything to God and told my husband that I will be working with his decision and we did. I know there would be challenges ahead but it’s part of life!
Beautiful… We must take leaps of faith to get from here to there…. Happy Valentine’s Day and blessings on your journey.
I would have to say sudden shifts tend to make me unaligned. It really comes with listening to your body and mind and trying to realign.
Interesting, Amber… I hear you. I was referring to the inner shift that occurs when we have a paradigm shift which can be sudden… like a eureka moment! 🙂
I can visualize this with our weather here. Sometimes it is predictable yet there are times that it becomes bipolar. It’s very sunny now and then suddenly a heavy rain started. Anyway, I would love to try Yoga. Friends said it is relaxing. Not just for the body but for the mind as well.
It is all of those things and more. I hope you give it a go when you can. 🙂
Sometimes all we need is to take a deep breath and give thanks to our surroundings as all of them are blessings.
Well said… 🙂
I’ve always wanted to try yoga and meditation. This seems like a promising start!
Indeed. It was organized for all levels; the challenge has brought people out of their comfort zone to try new classes and open their hearts more.
I enjoy yoga and have been doing it for a while because of my back. It was actually recommended to me by my therapist. It really does a body good, just like milk. 🙂
I like your analogy… so true. It is food for the body and soul. 🙂
Yoga truely rejuvenates the mind, body and soul. I like how you are encouraging people to take time for themself. It is vital for personal happiness. Thank you for sharing this.
Thank you George! We all need reminders to stop and regroup… 🙂
Great yoga challenge! Thanks for sharing positive motivation
Change my attitude, and then slowly, change my paradigm… paradigm is something I need to work out… sometimes, I forget to ask myself what is holding me back, and I just keep holding back without knowing the reasons too…
I hear you… you are not alone! 🙂
I love doing yoga. Its super relaxing for me, and helps keep my limber and healthy
Yes, it has been a life line for me for many years but, health matters threw me off for a while. I am humbled to have participated in this challenge. 🙂
Your post are always inspiring and engaging !! I also love the picture collages … They tell their own story!
Thank you Monroe! I’m a photo collage addict… Hahaha! 🙂