NICOLE OHME

My dear Global Yoga Community,

I have been working with my dog now for months on changing her behavior and I felt that I have come quite far.
As some of you know, it took a lot of patience, time, discipline, restrictions and being conscious about any signs that I receive as well as give.

The last couple of days I felt like going back to square one. First she ran away after she was searching for her food in the woods. The next day, she ran off while searching for her food. Today left even earlier and was even gone for an extended period of time. I started with her dealing with consequences on the 2nd day; like staying outside and no more food till the next day. It worked a few months ago in the learning phase, but this it didn’t have an effect at all.
To tell you the truth, it was and is pretty upsetting and frustrating, but I consciously tried to change my response to it, like laughing/being amused by her being so strong minded. I know she is testing me, trying to get away with things one more time. That’s what intelligent dogs do. And if you let them get away with it, the next time it will be even worse.

As I was sitting on a pile of rocks close to the car waiting for her, I was thinking to myself “that she is pretty much like how our mind behaves as well”.
When we decide we want or need to change something – the most obvious time is New Years and our resolutions. We start with a strong determination to follow through this time with the change of diet, working out every day, stop drinking alcohol or smoking. Then after a week or two we might slag here and there and then more and more. The mind convincing us of various reasons to go off track and soon all is out the window.

Dogs can sometimes be mischievous or attempt to do things they aren’t supposed to. How about if we would treat our mind like an intelligent dog and not let it get away with anything. Not let our mind engage in thoughts or behaviors that may not align with conscious intentions or desired outcomes. This could include impulsive or automatic reactions that go against our conscious goals.

The moment we thing we got it and we go with business as usual, it will throw a bigger or harder test at us to see how committed we are. So next time you are going through a change, you may think about your mind being a dog in behavior therapy. Instead of getting upset with yourself and beating yourself up, you might be able to laugh at yourself how it caught you off guard again 🙂
Then continue your journey in your new found spirit!
Consider smaller steps towards your goal that you can’t set yourself up for “failure”.

Using this metaphor, is an acknowledgment that the mind, like an intelligent dog, requires attention, training, and understanding. It emphasizes the need for self-awareness and the ability to guide one’s thoughts and actions consciously.

Monday 22.01
Self-Love
Slow Flow

Wednesday 24.01.
Three Breaths
Flow

Thursday 25.01.
Open Theme
Yogis Choice

Friday 26.01.
Feel the Alignment
Elasti-Band-Flow

Wednesday 31.01.
Happy Hips
Flow

Thursday 01.02.
Open Theme
Yogis Choice

Friday 02.02.
New Perspective
Slow Flow

After all my dog gave me at least the inspiration for this blog!

Love,

Nicole

My dear Global Yoga Community,

The proverb “The eye is the window to the soul” always resonated with me. Which brings me to my main subject for this blog.
What does it mean to have a resilient soul?

A resilient soul typically refers to an individual who possesses the ability to bounce back, adapt, and overcome challenges, hardships, or adversities in life. Resilience is the capacity to face difficulties, trauma, or stress, and then recover from them with strength and grace.

A resilient soul is often characterized by a positive mindset, the ability to learn from experiences, and a determination to persevere in the face of difficulties. Resilience doesn’t mean avoiding or denying pain; instead, it involves coping with and growing from life’s inevitable setbacks.

* * *

When the soul’s immune system runs wild
Amygdala, hippocampus and somatic markers are helpful systems that work for us – or under certain circumstances against us. Because our soul is a developed system of conscious and, above all, unconscious programs. Just like our body, it must be fed with good food that the mental immune system can fend off the attacks of so-called psychological viruses. Experts such as the specialist psychologist for psychotherapy Dr. Hans Menning understand it as “penetrating harmful thoughts and feelings that have become lodged in us and cause us to ponder and make us unable to act.
Furthermore, Dr. Menning explains, “These are very powerful, often self-damaging programs; we often don’t even notice their intrusion, but once they are inside, they develop and control us. They often start with ‘you are…’ followed by a negative adjective and a reinforcement of what was said. ‘You’re chaotic, you always misplace everything!’ This seemingly harmless sentence has it all, it’s a classic psychological virus that can unfold and become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Of course, there are much more complex and subtle psychoviruses. We are exposed to attacks from a variety of viruses and are surrounded by ‘You must…’, ‘You shall…’ and ‘You must not…’. Ideally, we quickly leave these determinations behind us, but sometimes a virus takes hold and we ‘internalize’ it.”

Research shows, there are ways to stimulate the soul’s immune system, like the color blue. A blue sky has a particularly stimulating effect on our self-healing powers. This is because blue is the color of calm and serenity, embodied by water and sea, sky and horizon.
Brain researchers have discovered that the color blue has a particularly positive effect on the pituitary gland which regulates the entire human hormonal system. But blue is much more than that – it is one of the colors that particularly symbolize nature and is associated with a happy childhood. The fewer beautiful “blue” moments and the more dark experiences someone has had in childhood, the higher their risk of developing heart disease.
~ The immune system of the soul (Happi-Health 2/2019)

* * *

I think most of us are striving to be resilient. All forms of stress – physical, emotional or environmental, has an impact on our well-being. It’s a reminder that physical and emotional well-being are interconnected and intertwined, and the conclusion is taking care of both aspects contributes to a holistic sense of health, vitality and overall resilience. I am a strong believer that we always have the ability to change and reverse things in our life and in our body!
Let’s start with taking one positive action: Wear at least one blue item in class for the next two weeks 🙂

Monday 08.01.
Free your mind
Flow

Wednesday 10.01.
Happy Body – Blossoming Soul
Flow

Thursday 11.01.
Open Theme
Yogis Choice

Friday 12.01.
Through Resistance to Resilience
Elasti-Band Slow Flow

Monday 15.01.
Where do you feel stress
Flow

Wednesday 17.01.
Looking Inward
Blind Flow

Thursday 18.01.
Open Theme
Yogis Choice

Friday 19.01.
Embrace the Pain
Flow

I am looking forward to exploring the different aspects of resilience with you!

Love,

Nicole