Day 30~ The Record Shows, I Took The Blows, & Did It My Way

onthemat • January 31, 2017

My month of doing yoga every day comes to a close today. It has been such a privilege to practice every day at a studio with such a wide range of talented teachers. I appreciate Ramsay and OTM giving me this opportunity to commit to a regular practice and thank anybody who took the time […]

My month of doing yoga every day comes to a close today. It has been such a privilege to practice every day at a studio with such a wide range of talented teachers. I appreciate Ramsay and OTM giving me this opportunity to commit to a regular practice and thank anybody who took the time to read me blathering on in this blog about its effects on my body and mind.

Mentally, I always knew that this was a wonderful opening, but If I am completely honest, it is possible that I forgot how fortunate I was occasionally. Full confession – at a particularly low moment I yelled at my husband that I had to go to “F$%# yoga.” To state the obvious I was always glad I went, and came to notice that when I was most resistant to going, I often benefitted the most. I learned that a lot of my excuses for staying away from my mat where baloney. Apparently I am not too tired after work to go to an evening class and my body is not too stiff in the morning to attend. I can also occasionally make it to a mid-day class and my job is still there when I return. My personal end goal for this experience was to create some balance and consistency with my practice and break the old binge yoga habit. I know for me, it is really important to push myself and get moving and at this point it only happens when I am being led by a teacher. Having said that, mixing in slower, more gentle classes and regularly stretching at home is also needed to make sure I keep returning and am not scared off by too much repeated intensity. I am lucky that this balanced approach is supported by the range of offerings at OTM as long as I continue to show up.

Thank you again to Ramsay and all of the truly amazing teachers at OTM who generously share your talents and wisdom. While I may never be super bendy and pretzel-like, I feel a little transformed by the whole experience and have no plans to stay away again. Namaste

On The Mat Yoga Blog

Heart~ Day #7 (Week #4)

By Linda Malcomb • May 3, 2020
“There is a light in the core of our being that calls us home—one that can only be seen with closed eyes; We can feel it as a radiance in the center of our chest. This light of loving awareness is always here, regardless of our conditioning. It does not matter how many dark paths we have traveled or how many wounds we have inflicted or sustained as we have unknowingly stumbled toward this inner radiance. It does not matter how long we have sleepwalked, seduced by our desires and fears. This call persists until it is answered, until we surrender to who we really are. When we do, we feel ourselves at home wherever we are. A hidden beauty reveals itself in our ordinary life. As the true nature of our Deep Hear is unveiled, we feel increasingly grateful for no reason—grateful to simply be.” —John J. Prendergast, PHD, The Deep Heart

SUN!~ Day #6 (Week #4)

By Linda Malcomb • May 2, 2020
Seems like it’s been rainy, windy, dreary for eons. Which may have helped us shelter inside a bit more. I remember reading years and years ago in a Seth book that weather can be influenced, and even created by mass human emotion. Why not? We are far more powerful than we currently acknowledge, and science is beginning to validate many phenomena that had seemed inconceivable before. Those seemingly endless days of “bad” weather seemed congruent with the emotional tone of covid her in New England. And now SUN! Glorious, warming, invigorating, hope-filled Sun! Today I will be outside basking and gardening and thanking. And I’m sure the whole neighborhood, and most of New England will go outside, stand with our faces to the sun and breathe a huge healing breath of joy. And maybe the collective energy of that will resonate out across the word as a promise of brighter days to come.
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