This year, weather-wise this was not relatable until this week in Boston.
“It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.” – Charles Dickens, Great Expectations
Notice what triggers you to attach or fight. Always a great check-in. Can we can be accepting of both ends of the spectrum, with the likes and dislikes, etc.
Some recent favorites:
“Do not wait for strength before setting out, for immobility will weaken you further. Do not wait to see clearly before starting; one has to walk toward the light. When you take the first step and accomplish that tiny little act, the necessity of which may be apparent only to you, you will be astonished to feel that the effort, rather than exhausting your strength, has doubled it—and that you already see more clearly what you have to do next.” – Philippe Vernier
“It’s never too late to completely change your entire life. To become a better person. To become an asset to this world. To be of service to humanity. To transcend your Earthly predicament with love, compassion and humility. Never believe it is too late to rise to a higher vision. Each day is a fresh, beautiful opportunity to attain a pure heart. Correct your actions. Become a living embodiment of the Supreme; full of wisdom and loving kindness. All that is of Good will lift you up into Ultimate Reality when you emanate Goodness. The Illumined Ones will assist you. You are not alone. You will attract that which you are in your heart.” – Sri Robert Adams
This is essentially a re-post from 6/2013.
“I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that makes the weather. I possess tremendous power to make life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration, I can humiliate or humour, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis is escalated or de-escalated, and a person is humanized or de-humanized. If we treat people as they are, we make them worse. If we treat people as they ought to be, we help them become what they are capable of becoming.” — attributed to both Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe and Haim G. Ginott
An empowering reminder of how mindfulness, free from habit and auto-response mode, can go a long way.
This is challenging to read as I start each class (…and not just because I have trouble pronouncing “Goethe”). I am reminded again and again of the power and opportunity of this special role as teacher. My skills and ability to take right action and do right by these people is magnified. Reaffirming my intention has been key to do the best to serve their highest and my highest.
Another perspective I find interesting is how we treat ourselves personally in thoughts and action. Unfortunately, it may be far from flattering and more “as I am,” or even “worse than I am.”
Are you treating yourself as you ought to be?
“Renew thyself completely each day; do it again, and again, and forever again.” – Chinese inscription cited by Henry David Thoreau in Walden
We are not stuck or trapped. This can be hard to believe at times. However, the laws of change and impermanence will naturally allay any doubts over time.
We can begin again at any time…New Years, Chinese New Years, Rosh Hashanah, Spring, Summer, Fall, March 1st, Sunday, tomorrow, Morning, Meditation, Inhaling, now etc…
We may not need these hallmarks of renewal. However, they can serve as great reminders that we can start again as we can easily feel stuck. I find these reminders helpful and inspired by the Chinese New Year, and the above Chinese inscription shared in classes last week.
Regular meditation and asana practice help to provide space and freedom from the residue of the past or the thoughts that serve to shackle us. We then have a chance of connecting to our selves at a deeper level and our true nature of peace.
I am grateful to a student Mark who shared this beautiful poem by John O’Donohue in response to class.
For a New Beginning
by John O’Donohue
In out-of-the-way places of the heart,
Where your thoughts never think to wander,
This beginning has been quietly forming,
Waiting until you were ready to emerge.
For a long time it has watched your desire,
Feeling the emptiness growing inside you,
Noticing how you willed yourself on,
Still unable to leave what you had outgrown.
It watched you play with the seduction of safety
And the gray promises that sameness whispered,
Heard the waves of turmoil rise and relent,
Wondered would you always live like this.
Then the delight, when your courage kindled,
And out you stepped onto new ground,
Your eyes young again with energy and dream,
A path of plenitude opening before you.
Though your destination is not yet clear
You can trust the promise of this opening;
Unfurl yourself into the grace of beginning
That is at one with your life’s desire.
Awaken your spirit to adventure;
Hold nothing back, learn to find ease in risk;
Soon you will be home in a new rhythm,
For your soul senses the world that awaits you.
Fusing active and resistant stretching and ball rolling, along with more passive yin and restorative stretching to get deep into muscles and connective tissue. This is a great opportunity for athletes, as well as all those who simply need a good stretch, to release tension and stress while building flexibility. Special attention will be paid to the neck and shoulders, hamstrings, hips, quads and lower back. The benefit of this work will be to relieve tension created from workout endeavors as well as time spent sitting behind a desk. Yogis, runners, skiers, cyclers, bootcampers, and barre practitioners will all benefit greatly from this important investment. Class size is limited to make use of the wall space and to maximize attention for optimal therapeutic effect. Class includes an optional assisted savasana.
If you are looking to feel more openness, ease and freedom in your body, this workshop is for you !
Register @ the Studio or e-mail randy@theyogaloftmarblehead.com or call 781.631.9642
“Our job is to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are worthy. That is not our business and, in fact, it is nobody’s business. What we are asked to do is to love, and this love itself will render both ourselves and our neighbors worthy if anything can.” -Thomas Merton
Happy Valentine’s Day!
“The peace that we’re looking for is not peace that crumbles as soon as there is difficulty or chaos. Whether we’re seeking inner peace or global peace or a combination of the two, the way to experience it is to build on the foundation of unconditional openness to all that arises. Peace isn’t an experience free of challenges, free of rough and smooth, it’s an experience that’s expansive enough to include all that arises without feeling threatened.”
– Pema Chödrön from Taking the Leap
“Often we can achieve an even better result when we stumble yet are willing to start over, when we don’t give up after a mistake, when something doesn’t come easily but we throw ourselves into trying, when we’re not afraid to appear less than perfectly polished.” – Sharon Salzberg
“If we fall, we don’t need self-recrimination or blame or anger—we need a reawakening of our intention and a willingness to recommit, to be wholehearted once again.” – Sharon Salzberg
I refer to this useful inspiration regularly. The New Year’s remind us that we can start again. However, we can always begin again. From “The Power of Intention” published in O Magazine in 2004. Sharon Salzberg speaks to the power of cultivating awareness of the intentions behind our thoughts and actions.
I recall listening to Sharon Salzberg speak to how the important work in meditation, is not when we have it perfect, focused and present, but when we falter. When we catch ourselves distracted, mindlessly breathing, or even when we miss a day of practice. Do we get frustrated, put ourselves down or fuel our feelings of incompetence? Can we be kind and loving of ourselves in our response? Can we remain accepting of our capacity for more?
Readily applicable to our Asana and life practice.
Happy New Years!!
The start of the calendar year serves as an opportunity to get present with clarity, acceptance and kindness. Gently accept where you are on your path and remember you are never stuck. What feels right/not? What’s whispering or calling for your attention? What scares you and why? And what inspires your heart?
I am continuing to share the following from Sandra Sturtz Hauss around New Years. It is a beautiful reminder and inspiration and New Year’s wish for us all:
Untitled by Sandra Sturtz Hauss
May you find serenity and tranquility in a world you may not always understand. May the pain you have known and the conflict you have experienced give you the strength to walk through life facing each new situation with courage and optimism. Always know that there are those whose love and understanding will always be there, even when you feel most alone. May you discover enough goodness in others to believe in a world of peace. May a kind word, a reassuring touch, and a warm smile be yours every day of your life, and may you give these gifts as well as receive them. Remember the sunshine when the storm seems unending.
Teach love to those who hate, and let that love embrace you as you go out into the world. May the teachings of those you admire become part of you, so that you may call upon them. Remember, those whose lives you have touched and whose have touched yours are always a part of you, even if the encounters were less than you would have wished. It is the content of the encounter that is more important than the form.
May you not become too concerned with material matters, but instead place immeasurable value on the goodness in your heart. Find time each day to see beauty and love in the world around you. Realize that each person has limitless abilities, but each of us is different in our own way. What you feel you lack in the present may become one of your strengths in the future. May you see your future as one filled with promise and possibility. Learn to view everything as a worthwhile experience. May you find enough inner strength to determine your own worth by yourself, and not be dependent on another’s judgment of your accomplishments.
May you always feel loved.
Re-posting from Sept. 2013:
“Sometimes folks will treasure your work, sometimes they won’t. Sometimes you’ll get the gig, sometimes you won’t. You’ll be on the marquee and you’ll be passé. You’ll be thanked and you’ll be taken for granted. You’ll give and you’ll get nothing in return. You’ll be “Liked” and you’ll be unfriended…Anchor your purpose within, sweet friend. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself drifting out at sea again and again.” — Kris Carr
Practice offers the opportunity to find space from the external forces that we often use to base self-worth, value and happiness.
The quote is from Kris Carr’s Huffington Post blog post titled “The Myth of Finding Your Purpose” and found it inspiring and necessary. I highly recommend it. It was Kris Carr’s New Year’s message in 2013 .
In the post (read it, as I will not do it justice), she speaks to finding our purpose within, outside of the statuses of work, relationship, clicks, views, fb, etc. We easily attach our happiness to recognition, offers, praise, acknowledgement and their counterparts. We can easily feel valued or worthless based on these factors. She speaks to finding our purpose through self-acceptance, forgiveness, compassion, faith and kindness
Kris’s message inspires the practice of Maitri (Sanskrit) or Mettā (Pali) cultivating Unconditional Love or Friendship towards ourselves (and therefore others). It all comes back to Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra 1.33 — Can’t leave home without it! I focused on the sutra this past March and cultivating this unconditional love by practicing loving kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity (i.e., the Four Limitless Ones).
I am no expert, so here is Pema Chödrön on Maitri (I love listening to her speak!):
Incorporating Loving Kindness meditation (Mettā or Maitri) along with exercising the questions Kris poses in the post and practicing sutra 1.33 in our relations with ourselves and others is the perfect combination to strengthen Kris’s message of purpose in unconditional love and friendship with ourselves. In this form of meditation we practice forgiveness and compassion for ourselves and others. By turning inward and connected to and empowered by our greater Self awareness, we can continue on a journey that is plagued with distractions and opportunities to become less.
Here are a few guided meditations to support your work:
Loving Kindness Dharma talks and guided meditations on Dharmaseed.org
Guided Loving Kindness Meditation Download from UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center (9 minutes)
Meditation Teacher Sharon Salzberg is a great resource.
Take the opportunity with the New Year’s Holiday to reflect. We can gently gage and acknowledge our growth and where we may have veered and then forgive and re-commit to ourselves. Making time to re-commit and renew ourSelves can happen outside of New Years. You can do so with the start of each new season, month, week, day or breath.
“It’s a new dawn, it’s a new day, it’s a new life…”
