|
Yoga teaches me that almost is enough.
So, here I am. The forty day challenge ended on Sunday and I’m crossing the finish line on a Tuesday. Some of us finished the 30 classes in 40 days and some of us didn’t reach our goal. If you did...Congratulations!!! If you didn’t complete the challenge, that’s okay! I was going through it with all of you and obstacles arose....they don’t call it challenge for nothin’! On some days we were tired and listened to our bodies, resting instead of going to yoga. On others we realized that pushing through isn’t the point - maybe we needed to connect with friends or family and going to a public yoga class just didn’t make sense for our schedule.
0 Comments
Yoga teaches me to set clearer boundaries.
Before I began practicing yoga, I had frequent gramal seizures that occurred in public spaces with large groups of people. As a result, I stopped going to see live music or attend events. This was so inhibiting for me because I formed the mental relationship, people = bad. Yoga teaches me to let go and move on.
Aparigraha is a sanskrit word meaning non-possesiveness and it’s one of the yamas in the eight-limbed path of yoga outlined in the yoga sutras by Patanjali. The practice of aparigraha basically means clearing space by letting go of the old in order for new, fresh energy to flow. This brings lightness and vitality into our lives. Yoga teaches me to follow my bliss.
I once thought that in order for something to be effective, it had to be hard. Many of us feel the rush of pushing past our perceived threshold to new areas of physical experience. It makes us feel empowered to overcome a challenge. Yoga teaches me to look at my shit and be okay with it.
We’re always gonna have issues, or as one of my favorite teachers Laura Benton refers to as, “shit”. These main themes in our lives emerge as cycles, pointing to us saying "Here is an opportunity to learn and grow.” She also said something I will always remember. She said as we waded through the waves on the beaches of Tulum, Mexico “The shit will always be there. We’ll just get different perspectives as we circle around it over time.” Yoga teaches me the importance of intention.
In the beginning of each yoga class, we are often asked to set an intention. I wondered about the true meaning of intention for a long time. Is it something that I want to happen? Is it something I am willing to happen? How do I set it and what do I choose? Yoga teaches me that I have the ability to intentionally direct my focus.
A wise teacher, Guru Atma Kaur, once said to me that for every force there is an equal and opposite force. She offered me this advice in the context of success. She said that I ought to notice when I’m receiving resistance or negative energy from outside forces as as a sign that I am expanding in a positive direction. “There has to be the equal and opposite force....It’s Physics!” she exclaimed. Yoga teaches me that most things are temporary and I can be still and watch the show. Like the dashes that follow a cartoon bee across an animated skyline, circumstances in life fluctuate. Sometimes there is a lot of movement in our families, friends, and culture in general. And other times, life is still and gets boring. In both instances, active or slow, we don’t have to make a change.
Yoga teaches me that PMS is real! For a long time I denied this reality. There is this time of the month when I move a bit slower, am more sensitive, and get irritated more easily. These are the symptoms of PMS which differ from person to person for longer or shorter periods of time preceding their monthly cycle.
Yoga teaches me that there is inspiration to be found in many places - even in Rick Ross!
We were in warrior one, arms in reverse namaste with sweat running down our arms, when cosmically my playlist shuffled to the words chanted like mantra “eryday I’m hustlin’ hustlin’, hustlin’ hustlin. Eryday I’m hustlin’.” I cringed a bit, knowing the following verses contained expletives not fit for a yoga class. And then the class reacted in a completely unexpected way - the entire room resounded in buoyant laughter! |
AuthorHi! I'm Robin - Teacher, Singer, & Author. I love creativity & sharing what I love! Archives
October 2017
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed