Melissa Jones (the fitness and weightless guru I follow) recently caught my attention talking about PAUSING or SHIFTING in life. Her discussion stuck with me. I think it’s significant to understand the phases we may go through. If we are in one phase, but don’t acknowledge it, we get very frustrated and disappointed in ourselves not meeting expectations. Or at least I do.

I took Melissa’s thought and expanded quite a bit. So, the seed came from her, but follow her if you want her ideas… these are my interpretations. I’m pretty certain Melissa was referring to the journey with Faster Way to Fat Loss, but many of her weight loss tips apply to life as well, not just food;)

Right now, today, although life is shifting overall, I AM PAUSING. I’m run down, I’ve picked my life battles carefully and here I am (good thing), but I’m tired. That’s ok, though. I know I need to allow my body to rest and my mind to process. At yoga, no matter what kind of class I go to— an intense sculpt class or hot fusion (36 held poses) —the last few minutes of class everyone PAUSES. We are completely still. No fidgets. We allow our bodies to take a pause and soak up all our efforts.

PAUSING doesn’t mean we don’t go about our day to day activities and take care of our lives. I’m not talking about pausing in front of a pool with someone waiting on you. LOL (Although that doesn’t sound so bad!) This is more of a mental acknowledgment of a season. It might be a season of maintenance or a season of rest. It could last a few days, or a few years. During this phase, we can renew our spirit. One of my favorite Bible verses talks about God renewing our spirit and strength. Isaiah 40:30-31. Also, a verse most of us have heard or know, Psalm 23. When reading this chapter, you can easily see the phases of life… a time for rest, a time for renewal, a time for battle, a time to feast and a time to give thanks.

I had a convo with a colleague/friend recently. She said she was “happy where her career was right this second” and felt she could relax. I know her and I know this won’t last long. Because it doesn’t need to. She will continue to move ahead, but it was special to hear her acknowledge where she was, how far she’d come and being content in the PAUSING mode for one moment, soaking up the efforts and refueling, waiting for clear direction for the next SHIFT.

I’m aiming to be shifting and moving forward soon. SHAPE-SHIFTING with life and work. I just typed, “I want to be more productive”, but I deleted it. Because I have been productive. What I am learning is that BOTH phases are significant and productive in their own ways. And understanding which one we are in helps relieve frustration. If we’re thinking we should have a better job, travel more, lose more weight, etc., but we are naturally in a pausing phase, this will frustrate us and not allow us to appreciate the benefits of where we are today.

Are you a shapeshifter or are you pausing right now? Have you thought about this lately? Thanks for reading all my babble today. And yes, I had to throw in the True Blood reference. Did you think I’d write a whole blog on shifting and not include “shapeshifter?” Made me smile;)

For those that are utterly confused, I played Daphne in the HBO show True Blood (see phone below). She was a shapeshifting waitress (shifted into a deer, a pig… you know the usual. ha!). And last but not least, thanks for listening to me babble. I’ll have more interesting, fun posts soon! Even my photos I’m using in the post are from last year… stay tuned for better. Love to you all.

Happy Weekend, all.

xoxo AAJ

Hi y'all,

Thanks to all of you that read the Wellness Post yesterday. Today, I am focusing on breath. Most likely, this is not new information, but sometimes reminding myself of the benefits help motivate me to practice deep breathing exercises. Recently, my husband and I were asked what our top three goals were for improving ourselves. I like this question. What's going to make me a better partner in our marriage? One of my answers was to reduce stress and lower my anxiety. I can then be a more present partner and mother. Deep breathing is one way to get there. DISCLAIMER: I'm not a doctor or a life coach or anything like that....I'm just another girl with a blog sharing what is working for me.

3 REASONS TO STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING AND PRACTICE DEEP BREATHING:

LOWERS ANXIETY

"When you undergo physical pain or stressful situations, your body instinctively reacts in accordance with its fight-or-flight mechanism and your adrenal glands release the stress hormone, cortisol, which leads to increased heartbeat, muscles constriction, eye dilation, an increase in breath rate and a decrease in breath duration.

Medical professionals are unanimous in the assertion that elevated cortisol levels pose a serious threat to our health. Breathing exercises can help to reverse or mitigate the body’s natural reaction to stressful situations, markedly decreasing the rate at which cortisol is released into your system." - UnbeatableMind.com

RELEASES TOXINS AND STRENGTHENS YOUR CORE

"Good breathing habits help the lymphatic system function properly, which encourages the release of harmful toxins. This cleanses the body and allows it to direct its energy to more productive functions." LivingthenourishedLife.com I know when I practice the correct way of deep breathing, it's a great core strengthener, too. Releasing toxins and bringing in oxygen is one of the best steps to an overall healthier life.

FOCUSING THE MIND

"Increased oxygen flow to the brain allows it to function at its optimal levels, which in turn aids decision making and ability to focus on tasks. Studies have shown that breathing exercises have beneficial impacts on the brain’s state of awareness – increasing retention and concentration." UnbeatableMind. Ahhh... is this why I feel more motivated mentally after an hour of yoga?

There are many more benefits, these are just the ones that are helping me right now. I'd also like to include this link from the New York Times with simple images reminding us great ways to take a moment and take a breath.

I really appreciate hearing from you guys. Please know, I do read the DMs on social as often as I can and I take note of what you all are saying. Sometimes it's positive ideas for me to hear and sometimes it's sharing info about your lives.

Lately, I've heard from a few of you about health issues. I would love to be able to send you a link on amazon to fix those issues! OR magically take them away. I cannot. What can I do? I can pray. I can encourage and I can listen to you (read your comments). I can remind you to breathe.

Happy Tuesday, folks! Take time to take a long, deep breath. See you tomorrow.

"Be still and know that I am God." Psalms 46

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