Grab your journal and drop into a moment of reflection and self-discovery. In Season 2 of Present Moments, we're using the 'What Really Matters' deck of cards created by MetaFox to explore a variety of core values. Each episode is a 5-7 minute guided process that reviews the card and it's meaning, before mindfully evaluating what the value means to you and how it is represented. You'll also be given examples of how you can create opportunities to embrace the value in your daily practices and routine.

Self-discipline is our value exploration today. Boy is this is good one! There are definitely places in my life where I need more discipline and areas where I could stand to be more flexible and less rigid. As we go through the practice today, I encourage you to bring in the yoga yama satya, or truthfulness, to your exploration so you can be honest about your relationship with self-discipline.

Some questions to explore:

• When do you overindulge?
• How do you feel about structure and routine? Do you have one?
• Do you have a set of priorities that guide where you spend your time and energy each day?
• Are there areas of your life that overly prescriptive?
• Which relationships are supportive of the discipline you are trying to cultivate and which ones are potentially destructive? (work, family, friends, pets, exercise, money, sex, diet, substances, etc.)
• What do you value about those relationships and why do they reinforce or derail your ability to practice discipline?

For more episodes of Present Moments and to access the entire library of great content from 4 seasons-worth of reflections and mindfulness practices, subscribe for $5.99/month. Start your free 3-day trial at ⁠www.ascendingspiritwp.com/present-moments

Mindfulness can be as easy as drinking a delicious beverage and noticing everything you can about the experience. Join me in this episode with your icy or hot beverage and let's drop into this Present Moment.

Some tips for using this particular practice beyond the Podcast:

• For kiddos and teens that are dysregulated... take them to a smoothie, coffee or juice shop. On the way there, tell them that their job is to see how many things they can notice in silence about the experience. From walking in the door to taking their first sip. This is a terrific strategy to employ when talking them through a problem or big emotion isn't optimal. Sometimes changing the scenery and focus can stimulate a calming effect and move the energy away from fixation and into creativity for problem-solving.

• If you are at the office and have been in non-stop meetings, grab a beverage and head outside for 15 minutes. Leave your phone and smart devices behind so you can truly unwind for a moment. See if you can simply focus on the act of drinking and enjoying the beverage. Each time you notice the mind wandering, take a sip and bring yourself back to the experience.

• Preparing for an exam? It's said the brain can only handle 90-minutes of intense focus before the mind begins to wander and you experience diminishing returns. Study hard for 90 minutes. Step away, and make yourself a beverage or head out to your favorite local watering hole for a non-alcoholic drink. Do the Beverage Present Moment practice for 15-20 minutes breathing deeply and releasing the facts and figures. When you return to your studying, you'll notice you're able to focus again and retain the information.

To enjoy the entire library and for access to unpublished seasons, begin your monthly subscription to Present Moments for $5.99/mo. New content is added weekly! You can begin a free 3-day trial at ⁠www.ascendingspiritwp.com/present-moments

Season 4 of Present Moments uses excerpts from the book, The Eight Limbs of Yoga: A Handbook for Living Yoga Philosophy, by Stuart Ray Sarbacker and Kevin Kimple to dissect yoga beyond the mat. In each episode, I read a short selection from the book and offer an interpretation followed by some practical ways in which you can incorporate the concept in your daily life. Yoga is a spiritual practice that offers a framework for people who have the desire to walk the path of enlightenment.

In this episode, we further dissect the 8 limbs and discuss how you can approach the framework. We offer ideas on various ways in which you can incorporate or study the concepts, and challenge the notion of it being prescriptive. The beauty of the 8 limbs is that they each complement one another and there truly is no right or wrong way to explore.

For more episodes of Present Moments and to access the entire library of great content from 4 seasons-worth of reflections and mindfulness practices, subscribe for $5.99/month. Start your free 3-day trial at www.ascendingspiritwp.com/present-moments