I've been distracted by many other activities recently, so haven't been adding to this blog regularly.   I'm working on changing that.  I come up with so many ideas for this blog, and I sometimes can't decide which one to flesh out first.   Or in the process of fleshing it out, it seems much less important than some other idea.  I have a number of "half-baked" half-written blog posts that I've never published!

Basically, my problem is that my mind has been more scattered lately, and it's a challenge trying to figure out how to get it back on track.   I've been feeling unsettled over the last few weeks. This seems to happen more often for me during the changing of the seasons.  

The practice of yoga centers me, but sometimes I have to plan more carefully to make sure I get in a good practice when my mind is scattered.

It's helpful for me to arrange a practice with a friend at my studio (or some other place that's not my home practice area) -- then I can't let my scattered mind take me up to the computer or out to the kitchen to eat a snack, or to make a phone call.

My pranayama practice, which is calming under good circumstances, is very difficult to settle into when I'm scattered and unsettled.   A good uninterrupted active asana practice with many standing poses is much more useful.   Then ending my practice with inversions, especially Sarvangasana (shoulder balance), and quiet forward bends brings me to a quiet, calmer, more focused state of mind.