My remedy when I’m feeling overwhelmed by people or sounds and other external stimuli is to get alone in the silence and dim light and do some quiet yoga and meditate, allow my feathers several hours to settle back down around me.  Or I’ll go outside for my evening routine of hand watering the plants and listening to the sounds of the birds and the crickets,  the wind in the tree tops, watching the squirrels knock pinecones onto the ground, watching the sundown critter walk across the back path, the racoons, armadillos and opossums. That routine is my remedy for coming back to center each evening.  This remedy is like any other: it works when I work it.

Yesterday I went strolling down memory lane with my pal Domino, watching Youtube videos of 80’s rock ballads and metal bands, none of which I was really into.  Co-dependent love songs and screaming dudes with makeup and big hair were never my thing.  I’ll preface by saying we initially went to Youtube as we were in discussion about states of mind during crucial teen years and what our music influences were at the time.  He’d mention a band or song and if I’d not heard it, we’d find and watch the video.

You know how that goes on Youtube: one song reminds you of another, and another.  Domino mentioned a few downward spiral times in his life, and the music influences were bummer ballads, some with videos of war torn imagery with crying children.  So we spent the end of the day doing that and an hour later I wondered why I was frazzled and on edge.  Clearly, watching the videos did not put me in the same vibe as my end of day watering routine does.

My error was I wasn’t paying attention to my guidance system when I felt the first signs of resistance.  I basically got wrapped up in the communal thought about what I was watching and I forgot I had a choice.  In my effort to please someone else, I forgot I had a choice in the moment.  Had I said, “let’s switch to something lighter,” it would have been fine and he’d agree in a heartbeat.  But in the moment, I forgot that was an option.  My focus was on giving Domino as much freedom for his joy as I could in the moment.  Had it gone on longer, I’d have said something, but I let it go on enough that I allowed resistance to shift my feeling place.

Sometimes in trying to please others, I forget myself momentarily.  My bad. Then I remember who I am and why I’m here and get back on track.  It’s a yoga for sure.   That’s why they call it daily practice.  I’m in charge of whether I allow myself to get frazzled or not.  I’m in charge of how much resistance I allow into my vibration.  The power is mine.  All I have to do is recognize I’ve got the power.