Author: ConcreteRoseTheMoonchild

Rest set and reflect. Something I needed much time to do.

Have you ever felt as though you were losing yourself? As if you are trying your hardest to hold on to the pieces of yourself that keep you going. Like you’re looking for ways to salvage what your reflection use to looks like. The feeling of losing ones self in some cases may be what triggers depression and anger issues. When you are losing yourself it feels as though you do not have control of your life; like everyone wants a piece of you. Or like everyone is holding on to the old frame of what use to be you. To lose yourself is to become a robot; carrying the same routine day in and day out with little to no capacity for self. We begin to slowly back track reverting to old ways. In some cases we become stagnate because we fill stuck; trapped with no where to turn. Each of us go through a time in our life where we fill we are suppose to chase something. Whether it is money, fancy items, the latest trends, fame, or all of the above. When do we reach a point where we realize this doesn’t make us who we are? How can we treat ourselves to nice things and “quality” living without falling in the materialism trap of what seems to be “normal”?

Each time you start a new chapter you are destined to fight to save yourself once more. As you shift in income you being to run after more money. You want to make sure you keep the steady income maybe even work harder to see little increases here and there. However, this wasn’t my problem. My problem was fighting to not compromise myself for the sake of keeping what was steady, normal, and secure. I felt myself embarking on a new curve of my spiritual journey; one that would test my breaking point. My fight was not with money, materialism, or temptations it was with conformity. We are often asked to remove layers of ourselves to let others in all while keeping emotions dormant. We are asked to over extend ourselves to make others comfortable. Wearing a mask in society is a normal day to day thing. Little do we know we become that mask and slowly our true self is forgotten. All because we no longer have the capacity for self.

*How much do I love myself to carve out as much time for me? That is the question I ask myself.*

As you set boundaries for yourself to protect your peace others become angry. The more comfortable you become with yourself the more uncomfortable you make others. Mask are pulled back and the truth of others will show.

My decision to take a break was a slow and gradual process. It was a must for me to pull back slowly but surely. I felt as though I was losing a grip of my peace and I wanted to asses the issue little by little. I had become very sensitive and vulnerable to the negativity around me. I found myself uneasy and in tears. I was not easily worked up  however irritability and frustration was close to second nature. I gradually became uninspired. Some days I didn’t feel like doing anything. Taking small escapes is what kept me going. Because I felt myself slipping away I would force time in to read and write so that my creativity wouldn’t fad away. However, it felt like every time I found a groove something would happen to lower my frequency. I began to pull away from people, activities, and actions that didn’t align with my values or morals. In this I created space for my meditation and yoga. I carved out a little more time that I had for writing; it wasn’t enough……… My heart craved more, my soul was heavy, and my mind wondered. While at work I found myself day dreaming about what else was out there; drifting to a space where I was doing what I loved to do. I dreamed of being in a space were I was appreciated and valued for being my true authentic self.  I wasn’t in a good head space. I realized there were times I questioned my intuition and my sacred connection. That is when I knew I needed more of a push. It was time for a radical act of self love.

For a while I had been putting into the universe that I wanted to further my knowledge and master my craft. I planned and set up a time line and the opportunity presented itself when I needed it most. Taking the leap of faith I enrolled in Yoga Teacher Training. Everything that I knew was confirmed and life slowly came full circle. It wasn’t until I took a week to disconnect I realized I needed silence. No phone no social media just nature and endless adventure. My soul was happy and I was surrounded by nothing but love in it’s purest form. After connecting with nature and stepping out of my comfort zone I felt it was only right to take that time for self. I carried that with me and realized I needed to extend that period of silence. I wanted to experience the silence in stillness as well; no adventures just stillness with self. I needed time to shift my perspective and focus on the present moment. I had forgotten why I embarked on this journey back to self. Because of this I needed to remember my purpose and honor my journey. Honoring your journey allows us to honor our pace along that journey as well. To honoring my pace I needed to take time away from outside influences. I often felt it was a race instead of a tribe of people making a difference. As I focused my energy on being lighter my time at work became lighter. Once Hurricane Harvey hit I was forced to bring the self care aspect back into my life; something I desperately needed. Being in an environment where the energy and mindset is scattered or weird can drain a person mentally, physically, and spiritually. During the hurricane I had time to up the doses of self love and care. I meditated and recharged myself; reflecting on myself in every way was healing to my soul. During the hurricane I spent much needed time outside. One day while it rained I allowed myself to take a walk in the rain. As the rain rolled down my flesh it felt as though every drop was cleansing me. That day I gained clarity and started to goal set. I knew my perspectives were shifting however I didn’t know in what way.

I quit. The shift was to take another leap of faith on self. To resign and dedicate myself to the path that is carved out specifically for me. Scary? Yes. Nerve wrecking? Of course. However, it is so worth it. There comes a time in our lives where we will be tested. We often times confess to the Most High that we want our universe to shift. We speak things into the universe that we wish to manifest in our lives. We do this without expecting to take action ourselves. When we ask of anything within the universe it is expected of us to do the work that is required. This is how we grow; it is necessary to take leaps of faith on ourselves. Trusting our intuition is trusting our higher self our soul that guides us which is directed by the Most High.

Peace and Blessing,
My thoughts my views, Share with me, vibe with me
– Rose 

Are You An Old Soul?!

Do You Feel Like An Old Soul?!

When looking up the term old soul it is rare that we come across a concrete definition of what that term really means. We often hear the term at a very young age when we are called an old soul. Elders say it with sense of pride as though they are giving you a bage of honor. Referring to our effortless ability to hold good conversation and listen attentively as they tell stories passing on wisdom. As we look up the meaning of an old soul list come up that describe what is to be one.  The description consist of; you are very wise and spiritually in tune. Often times introverted and withdrawn from the materialistic way of living. Urban Dictionary also gave a brief definition of an old soul.

A spiritual person whom is wise beyond their years; people of strong emotional stability.Basically, someone whom has more understanding of the world around them. Some people even believe an old soul is a person whom has learned from past incarnations, or lives.

We are told time and time again that we are “Wise beyond our years”. Others may go out of their way to tell us it is almost as though we have been here on this earth before. However, we never truly knew the extent of what that meant until we were old enough to be fully aware of our actions. To be an old soul is to be unapologetic in your authentic self. We put thought into everything we do to insure we are remaining true to our self.  As we grow older we can probably think back to the many times being wise got us in trouble. For example constantly asking “why”. In being an old soul; as a child we never went about the conventional way of doing things if we didn’t understand. “Because I said so” wasn’t enough to convince us of anything. Even though we would get in trouble for asking too many questions we often got our answers one way or another.

We always knew from an early age there was more to life. The status quo often bores us due to the fact that we may feel trapped in a box. When we find ourselves confined to the beliefs of others we feel compelled to break free.We are fully aware of our divine right to be authentic in every way.  There is something deep within us telling us we have the ability to create the life we have always wanted. Fulfilling our purpose is always in the forefront of our mind.When in a box we are aware we are forced to repress our souls cravings and our hearts desire. Aware we are placed in a rat race to create competition or conformity; we consciously seek deep meaningful connections. Because of this some of us may be drawn to a none materialistic way of living. Our hearts may desire the freedom to travel the country or even the world to experience other cultures and their way of living. We acknowledge there are many perspectives within this world and we are driven to explore those views. Everything within the universe is full of life. Everything that has life has a purpose to serve. In being old souls; wise beyond our years we often feel the need to assist the universe in healing to rise back to it’s full potential. Feeling compelled to assist the universe in healing and raising the conscious level; we realize this is more than a feeling it is a purpose. The gift of purpose comes with the perspective to see that everything is connected. Everything is connected by energy because everything is energy. Energy has a divine order which can not be destroyed.

Being an old soul may consist of holding space for others as an listening ear. Often times called an empath; we relate to others and their experiences because we are very sensitive to energy. If we can not relate we are able to feel their emotions on a soul level. Because of this people are drawn to us and often times feel comfortable enough to vent about  anything. Old souls, empaths, indigo children, etc are all titles and labels that have pretty similar meanings.  The titles often refer to those that have a higher energy frequency. With those frequencies comes a sensitivity to others energy and emotions. Your energy level allows you to have a aura or energy that transforms negative or stagnate energy into something positive. However, everybody has a different experience; although we may experience similar moments. It is hard to compare each persons spiritual journey. Many of us may feel older than what are from time to time; causing us to feel the need to rush through life. We all have a purpose to feel and rushing the process causes us to forget the purpose and 9 x’s out of 10 miss the purpose. Being spiritually inclined we often feel as though we can not relate to others. We are often introverted until we warm up and get to know people. Often labeled a loner however it is normally not the case. We enjoy meaningful conversations and/or being out exploring what our surrounds has to offer. We are happy with our own company doing things that intrigue us. When we do hold space for others it is for meaningful, memorable, and adventurous fun. Old souls may be seen as the “odd ball” in many cases. Although we can adjust to just about any setting as long as at the core we do not feel out of place deep within or the need to compromising who we are.

The truth of the matter is everyone including old souls are unique in many ways. To compromise who we are to fit in is not the name of the game for many old souls or etc. Becoming a better version of self is what drives an old soul and enjoying the many gifts of life. Because it feels we have a second chance in many instances self growth is at the top of our list. Knowing there is more to life than meets the eye; stagnant is a direct reflection of what we do not wish to become. Because of this we often need to rest and reflect. Something I needed much time to do.

Peace and Blessing,
My thoughts my views, Share with me, vibe with me
– Rose 

Yoga, when broken down to Yuj means to bring together. In yoga we are bringing the body back to the breath. When researching the history of yoga we find the many fathers and pioneers from different schools of  thought.We find that each school of thought is reaching a similar goal; ultimate peace. With yoga we can find it dates back over 10,000 years. More interestingly enough we will find that meditation was the first depiction of yoga. When practicing yoga we find ourselves focusing on our breathe from the beginning of class to the end. We use the breathe to heat, energize,and cool the body. In focusing on our breathe yoga becomes meditative and relaxing no matter the style or pace. Surrendering to our breath allowing it to carries our movement; it is then yoga and meditation is connected. Yoga is often referred to meditation in motion. We each have our own yoga preferences and experiences. Some of us do yoga for spiritual purposes and some for the workout. The fact of the matter is we are meditating whether we realize it or not. The same applies to yoga; we are doing yoga daily. When we are being mindful our thoughts as well as actions we are doing yoga. Taking the time to consciously remind ourselves to breathe we are doing yoga and meditation.

The art of yoga and meditation is rooted in stillness. When our lives feel chaotic we must challenge ourselves to remain committed to that moment and breath through it. However, we find a way to retreat so we do not have to deal with the choatic uncomfortable situation. In yoga poses become more challenging, we being to shake, it becomes uncomfortable, and we want it to be over so we come out of it. When things get hard that is when yoga kicks in. We then remember to breath and find that solid foundation we started with. In meditation being still is the hardest thing to do. We want to fidget, open our eyes, look around, and our thoughts become scattered. Some call this having monkey mind. Monkey mind is when our thoughts are all over the place and we can not focus on just one single thing.  It is as though your mind is filled with drunken monkeys all making noise for attention; the loudest of them all is fear. Meditation initially may seem impossible because we are afraid of carving out time for ourselves. We are afraid we may not have enough time or that someone may see this as being selfish with our time. Often times it is the fear of silence; it is the loudest when your thoughts begin to roll in. In meditation we have the challenge of facing those thoughts without feeding them energy with our emotions. The moment a thought triggers an emotional reaction we are stuck in that moment for what may seem a lifetime. Allowing each thought to flow freely pass us gives us the capacity to let go, forgive, and be lighter.

Even though yoga and meditation challenge us on different levels one of the connections between the two are reactions. When practicing yoga and meditation we are training the mind and body to be less reactionary to our thoughts. Each thought we have triggers an emotion in turn triggering a reaction. In practicing stillness and fluidity we learn to think before we react as well as flow with the currents of life; becoming more observant of mind, body, and soul rather than reactionary. There are a few yoga poses that cause us to deepen the breath.

Pigeon Pose, a hip opener that provokes thought. We are promoted to rest in this posture for quiet some time to allow our hips to open and breathe through the process. Our hips carry the issues and trash we thought we let go of. Here is where what if’s and why not reside. In this moment it’s very enticing to interact with those thoughts rather than breath through them. Deepening the breathe and sinking deeper on the exhales makes way for a deeper posture.

Svansana, a yoga pose that focus on breathe solely. This is the most important yoga pose of yoga; at least that’s what the people say. Right? Along with “Can we smile to lessen the tension in the face?”. In svansana we are laying down, hands gentle resting by our sides, palms facing upward to the heavens, and our eyes are closed. We are breathing; mentally scanning our bodies to feel and observe every tingling sensation. What do we do? We experience the sensations we connect with them. In this we allow our body to feel and our mind to interpret the sensations without any reaction physically. Here thoughts come up as well. We allow ourselves to be the observer of the thoughts. Our breathe acts as a filter releasing each thought back into the universe

When things get intense such as hip openers or uncomfortable like silence and stillness it is our first thought to move around and/or entertain the thoughts in our mind. Through yoga and meditation we learn to not take every thought and situation seriously. Honor the time you carve out for self no matter how big or small. Just drop and yoga. Namaste.

Peace and Blessing,

My thoughts my views, share with me, vibe with me,

-Rose

When we take a look at social media, the magazines, and our TV’s  we see that zen is in.  Everyone is talking about yoga and meditation as if it were a new fashion trend. To some it is just another fad while to others it is a way of life. Nonetheless, people are looking for alternative ways to fight off the stress of day to day life and more; and meditation is in fact one of them. But why? Why is zen in? I started meditating as an extension of my yoga practice. I chose meditation as a way to calm my anxiety and anger. I realized how much smoother my days went by in college as I deepened my practice. I was able to set intentions for the day and in that I become more focused. I noticed I was more involved in my school work and how my grades improved along the way. Aside from me retaining information better inside the classroom and outside; I am more in tune with my emotions. I noticed how I responded to situations as well as why my emotions change through out the day. Creating that mindfulness assisted with being less reactive; forcing me to express how I felt and why. Allowing room to pick and choose my battles. In meditation I realized I am able to take ownership of my mind, body, and soul. Yoga and meditation is what I thank for my knee healing as rapidly as it did also. Yoga and meditation has become the cure for any ailments that I may have that doesn’t require medical attention.

Meditation by definition is vague do to the fact that there are many different approaches to meditation leaving room for many interpretation. However, meditation is holding space for yourself. As we hold space for ourselves we  begin to create more space by clearing space. Meditation is simply focusing on our breathe.  As we focus on our breathe we allow our thoughts to come and go with each breathe. In doing this we create awareness of the mind without interacting with our thoughts directly. Connecting the mind with the breathe allows us to connect with our body’s as well as bring everything in sync on a soul level. In this awareness meditation becomes a lifestyle due us becoming more mindful of our actions and reactions. When talking about meditation many assume to meditate you have to be seated only. Meditation can be in movement as well; yoga is meditation synced with movement. There are yoga practices that challenge us to place a movement with each breathe we take. Meditation can also be dancing. When we sent an intention to use these practices as meditation it is done.

*Well how do you I begin meditation?*

I am glade you asked. You begin mediating by creating space for yourself. What does that mean? It means carving out time for yourself; which is the hardest part. Once we have carved out time for ourselves we can meditate anyway we want. You can meditate laying down, in cobblers pose ( sitting Indian Style), in the shower, or even in a chair. There is no right or wrong way to meditate; as long the focus is on breathe. Many may choose to use crystals, incense, and/or essential oils to add on to their meditation practice as well. When meditating it is all about what resonates with you. In finding what resonates with you, you being to experience the many benefits of meditating.  Let’s look at some benefits of meditation:

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