How Fashion Changed My Life (Or at Least My Mornings)

My love for fashion helped me develop a regular meditation practice. Yes, I said fashion!

I've taken amazing classes--and lots of them. I've studied with some of the best yoga and meditation teachers in the world. I've read countless books. I've blogged in an attempt to hold myself accountable. I think I ever made a chart at one point. Did any of this help me to develop a consistent and regular yoga practice? Nope! It would work for about a week.. then.. Poof! Something happened (I have no idea what) and I just couldn't do it anymore. It was my fashion obsession that changed everything for me.

I was in the habit of standing in my closet every morning for a good 10 minutes scratching my head. I have SO many choices, and yet, I would think to myself, "I have NOTHING to wear.. I hate ALL of my clothes." Often, I'd put one one outfit... decide it's not the right one and change several times before I actually made it out the door. All of this takes a ridiculous amount of time.

Ironically, even though I spent so much time getting ready in the mornings, I realized I still wear the same outfits over and over again. This is unacceptable for someone who loves clothes as much as I do. Determined to make better use my closet and dresser (both ridiculously full), one Sunday afternoon I decided to find five creative new outfits for the week. I tried everything on. I laid out every outfit--even the jewelry.

The following week, I was astonished by how much time this saved me in the morning. I felt fabulous in my newly-constructed wardrobe and ready for work with 15 minutes to spare.. So I thought, what the heck? I sat down to meditate. That was almost three months ago, and I haven't missed a day since.

Since I just happened into my meditation practice this time, I had no expectations and no worries. It wasn't forced--just a happy accident. This means I've been able to watch it all unfold organically, without judgment. I really am noticing a difference. I'm calmer, more connected, and yes, better dressed!

Quality vs. Quantity

This morning I sat down to meditate. I turned on the video I usually stream as a guide, closed my eyes. and took a deep breath.

Then, I tuned out my guide and my mind wandered through my daily to-do list, thought about what outfit I should wear for the day, and other random thoughts about life. The next thing I knew, I was being cued to open my eyes and start my day and my 10-minute meditation was over. Oopsy!

Now, I know it's normal for your mind to wander during meditation, but can you even call it meditating if you don't even have a few moments of mindfulness mixed in there somewhere?

I've been thinking a lot about quality vs. quantity lately--and meditating is just a part of the equation for me. I go back and forth on whether it's worth it to practice meditation, yoga, writing, and all the other things I am dedicated to for just a few minutes every day or if it would be better to practice it more fully and deeply a couple of times a week?

In the yoga community, the conventional wisdom is that if you practice just a few minutes a day it makes a huge impact. But, for me, it's nowhere near as satisfying as a nice 90 minute class at a studio.

Does anyone else struggle with this? I'd really rather have enough time to get a good thorough practice in every single day, but it's just not going to happen.

A Love Affair: Supta Padangusthasana

I'm afraid to tell you this because I might jinx it ... but here goes...

I've been meditating again. Every day. In the mornings before work. This is something that has seemed like an impossible feat for me--someone who always wakes up a few minutes late, then rushes the dog out the door, and can never find the right thing to wear. Here's a trick I've learned. If I meditate before I start rushing around like a mad woman, the need to rush kind of evaporates and I make it work on time even though I'm moving a little slower as I do my morning rituals.

The most surprising part of my new morning meditation ritual (knock on wood) is that after I've focused on my breath for 10 minutes, I take just a few more to do an asana or two.... and my pose of my choice has been Supta Padangusthasana (Reclining Hand to Big Toe Pose). This is an odd choice for me. I've been obsessed with arm balances for the last year and have had very little interest in any pose that works on my already flexible hamstrings... And although I typically get bored of practicing the same poses every day, I've been coming back to this one (and only this one) again and again for the last few weeks.

Image: YogaJournal.com

Guess what? It's SO much more than a hamstring opener! Guess what else?! The twisted variation is my pose nemesis--Revolved Triangle! (I seriously hate this pose when it's a standing pose, but reclined it's pretty awesome.)

Anyway, I'm not sure if my meditation is giving me intuition to work on a pose that my body needs (rather than an arm balance or backbend that feeds my ego) or what the deal is, but right now I'm loving my practice!

What pose are you obsessed with right now?