The wolves in us ……….. 

A group of Cherokee children has gathered around their grandfather. They are filled with excitement and curiousity. That day there had been a quite tumultuous conflict between two adults and their grandfather was called to mediate. The children are eager to hear what he has to say about it.

One of the children pops the question that puzzles him. “Grandfather, why do people fight?”. “Well” the old man replies “we all have two wolves inside us, you see. They are in our chest. And these wolves are constantly fighting each other”. The eyes of the children have grown big by now. “In our chests too, grandfather?” asks another child. “And in your chest too?” asks a third one. He nods, “yes, in my chest too”. He surely has their attention now. Grandfather continues. “There is a white wolf and a black wolf. The black wolf is filled with fear, anger, envy, jealousy, greed, and arrogance. The white wolf is filled with peace, love, hope, courage, humility, compassion, and faith. They battle constantly”. Then he stops. It’s the child that asked the initial question that can’t handle the tension anymore. “But grandfather, which wolf wins?”. The old Cherokee simply replies, “the one that we feed”.

Don't forget to your white wolf today,

L x

Choosing Wellness

The way we feel is a direct result of our choices. Our bodies and emotions reveal our decisions, if not instantly, then over time. I love the feeling of being well and knowing that it is because I've been good to myself, I have chosen "well" for myself. 

It is not easy to take the most positive path at every turn and sometimes we have to detour and make mistakes to again remember how we prefer to feel and what we need to do to get there. 

There are days and sometimes weeks when I get out of rhythm and it is easy to become disheartened but we must realise that this is part of the journey. Fluctuation and imbalance are part of living, how we deal with it determines our happiness. 

When my body tells me I haven’t been making the best choices, I don’t beat myself up over it, I know I have the tools to regain my balance. I know what I can do to re-enegise and feel clean and how to nurture myself (not punish myself) back to Wellness……

You can too! 

L x

Yoga Asana - A Physical, Emotional and Spiritual Practice

Yoga Asana – A Physical, Emotional and Spiritual Practice…. potentially! Lauren Lillie

I can clearly remember the feeling of gratitude embracing me as I lay in Savasana after my first class of Yoga. That day I grasped the handle to a door, opened it and walked through to a new phase of my life, where I would explore my body and my health with more connection and love.

Yoga is described as union - my experience of this is that Yoga harmonizes polarities. It embodies strength and softness, trying and surrendering, introspection and outside awareness, movement and stillness, acceptance and change. 

On a physical level Yoga requires our muscles to work in synergy. Dormant areas of the body are awakened, restoring co-ordination, balance and mobility. Using our own body weight the postures subtly shape and define, and the low impact nature allows joints to open and muscles to simultaneously strengthen and lengthen.

On an emotional level Yoga creates a space for inner reflection and smooths the fluctuation of emotions and mental turbulence brought about by our lives. By narrowing our focus to the quality of each breath and movement, tension begins to dissolve and a quiet clarity settles in. I honor the time spent on my mat as I have found that the consistency of my state of mind is relative to the consistency of my practice.  

On a spiritual level practicing Yoga impels us to listen more closely to the messages of our bodies and cultivate a deep and nurturing relationship with ourselves. Within the dimensions of our mat we encounter an awareness the noise of living often overshadows, and this attunement to our body is a gateway to our deepest sources of wisdom, compassion and in essence, spirituality. 

L x

Welcome to my wellness journal, a behind the scenes look at what goes into my business Embodhi Wellness. If you are into Yoga, we have something in common ;) have a read of my first posted article, "Yoga - A Physical, Emotional and Spiritual Practice". My thoughts on Asana..... maybe it resonates with you.

L