A Happy New Year for 2019 to you my friends.
You probably have never met or even heard of Phyllis Sues. She is a 95-year old woman with rotator cuff problems in one shoulder, a ruptured bicep, meniscus problems in one knee and neuropathy in her feet. Sounds really hard right?
But before you start feeling sorry for Phyllis and that creeping worry about your own aging sets in, let me tell you the rest of her story. Phyllis is also a writer, a dancer, a yogi and enjoys a steady diet of buttery mashed potatoes, bread, El Pollo Loco and nightly helpings of Häagen-Dazs ice cream. And she is a real person.
As we push into a new year this is the time to ride the wave of possibilities and inspiration.
Are you feeling inspired?
The way we use the word inspiration today evolved in the 19th century from its original meaning. The base word of inspire according to Merriam-Webster’s means to influence, move, or guide by divine or supernatural inspiration or to exert an animating, enlivening or exalting influence on, to spur on.
The origin of the word inspire was more literal. In Latin the word inspiratus the past participle of inspirare, meant “to breathe into, inspire.” In English, since the middle of the 16th century, it had the meaning “the drawing of air into the lungs.”
As I think about this new year ahead, and all the lessons from 2018, I like this idea of being aware and making choices about what I draw into my life.
Clearly, Phyllis has her share of physical challenges, and yet she also has made choices and she is still thriving, and having a very enjoyable life at 95. It would be easy to look at her and scoff, humph! She probably has more money, or better genes or someone who buys her groceries. I’ve done that. It only served to cover my own discontent with taking responsibility for my own choices and letting my own capacity to thrive slip through my fingers.
It is never too late to thrive, never too late to start a business, to get in shape and feel good in your body, begin CrossFit, (I did that this year!) climb a mountain or take dance lessons.
As 2018 came to a close our team took a good look at why we do what we do at Prasada. We asked what do we believe? What inspires us?
Here’s where we discovered…
We believe that everyone has the desire to thrive—to live a life of health, purpose and joy.
We are guides to help you discover, learn and live wholebeing practices (habits of awareness for mind and body) to make that possible.
Take a moment, sit and remember the 6-year old that you once were. What did you love? What were you excited or curious about? What did you want to climb, explore, learn about or build?
Get inspired. Let that energy and desire in. Breathe into it. Inhale and exhale and imagine how that activity might feel in your body?
Gather your courage and catch the wave of energy that is here.
You have this moment. You have this day.
Write and let me know about it. I’ll be your biggest fan.
ps. I’m reading the article about Phyllis again to see if I can identify some of her wholebeing practices and letting her inspiration seep in. We all make changes and habits happen on our own. Having someone ahead to show some options for the path, however, makes it a much richer journey.
pps. Are you ready for a first wholebeing practice? Breathe…yes, it sounds overly simple and yes you are already doing it. However, with a little practice your breathing can change the backdrop environment of your physiology, your mind and the way you experience life. I know it’s a big promise. Try Ocean Breathing for a few minutes today. Why not?