Allowing for the Process of Acceptance
14 Jul 2011 Leave a Comment
in Consciousness, India 2010, Sattva Yoga, Yoga Classes Jupiter, Yoga Juno Beach, Yoga Meditation, Yoga Palm Beach Gardens, Yoga Philosophies, Yoga Tequesta
The journey of self discovery is a challenging road filled with highs and lows and some eyebrow raising unknowns. We seldom need help with the highs, or even the unknowns, but the lows, well, that can be a problem. We can be crusing along feeling pretty good about our progress, rolling around in the comfort of syncronicity, then without warning, a shift occurs, and we find ourselves sidelined, distressed. We know we can’t make sense of it, yet we try, creating more confusion. The questions of how did this happen, how did I get here, nag at our reason, begging to be answered, but the only answer that really works, or even fits, is pure acceptance of what is.
Swiftly finding our way to acceptance is personal and may not be as swift as we would like. It is useless to try to rationalize our way there because the rational mind has left the building, and we find ourselves keeping company with negative, irrational thoughts that move us in a downward spiral much farther away from acceptance than we ever want to go. So we try to stay in upward spiral. Some may run it out in the park, or work it out in the gym. Others immerse themselves in hobbies, or seek counceling. Meditation and journaling have been helpful for many. How about a good ‘ol cry, or a full on pity party? That works too. Whatever the vehicle, the PROCESS of arriving at acceptance is vital to getting back on track and needs to be respected as a sacred time of transformation and compassion for the self, no matter how undignified you may feel about it, no matter how long it takes.
Acceptance and transformation walk hand in hand and allow us to re-commit to the journey, the highest road within us. Questioning doesn’t work. Seeking wastes energy. Negativity creates a breading ground for fear. As my teacher Anand Mehrotra says “Have more love in your heart than fear. It is too much to ask to not be afraid. Our love can trump the fear.”
India and Beyond
10 Dec 2010 Leave a Comment
in Beachfront Yoga Classes, India 2010, Nisargadatta, Rishikesh, Sattva Yoga, Yoga Classes Jupiter, Yoga Juno Beach, Yoga Palm Beach Gardens, Yoga Philosophies, Yoga Tequesta
“What you have learned here becomes the seed. You may forget it apparently. But it will live and in due season sprout and grow and bring forth flowers and fruits. All will happen by itself. You need not do anything; only not prevent it.” – Nisargadatta
Embracing the wild side of life, leaving what we know to be comfortable and familiar, will almost always create a permanent energetic shift in every direction and facet of our life experience. Even if we are blissfully happy in our routine and not in search of even a sliver of adventure, the road less traveled will find us, defying any logic or reason we try to argue against it with.
I had many reasons to not make this journey to India. I never felt that I needed to travel half way around the world for an experience – not even for yoga. Yet, when I completed my first full certification of 2oo RYT (registered yoga teacher), I felt that something was missing; that it all seemed two-dimensional and I could feel there was more. The thought that maybe I needed to experience yoga in its purest form in the place where it all began 5,000 years ago started pestering my conscience. As quickly and frequently as the idea manifested, I dismissed it with multiple, viable reasons why it was a bad idea to make this journey: money, time, my parents, my husband, my dogs . . . all of that, but still, the idea kept returning. Call it karma, Kismet, whatever, a wild wind was literally blowing one Saturday during a beach yoga class that I was participating in. My teacher encouraged all of us to sometimes embrace our wild side, shake up our lives, asking us what were we waiting for? Within an hour, I registered for a 10 day intensive with Sattva Yoga Center in Rishikesh, India. Shake up my life, I certainly did! I had many opportunities to question my motives, to back out, right up until the day I departed the USA. India kept drawing me to her like a magnate, still unable to really rationalize or make sense of it. Therein lies the lesson – that not everything makes sense in life. The death of a loved one, good fortune, misfortune, the path our lives take, etc. none of these are ever reasoned or explained adequately, if at all. Still, they happen, and mysteriously, are intended to move us forward although sometimes cruelly, transforming us in a metamorphosis type way. We are still “we,” only more informed, more aware, more capable versions of ourselves.
Looking back, I know now that I needed to experience yoga in this sacred and holy place of Rishikesh. It has changed the way I perceive and teach yoga & meditation. More importantly though was the experience of the Indians themselves. Their genuine, often light-hearted, direct, respectful nature was like a comfortable hug of friendship and spirituality combined. They welcomed all of us in our small tribe of yogis sharing their customs, traditions, families and hearts. Just when I thought I knew all there was to know about acceptance and non judgment, this mystical place revealed another opportunity to expand the boundaries of my perception. Just as Sattva Yoga is more of an “experience” rather than a type of yoga, so too is India itself, an experience rather than an exotic destination. What began as me unreasonably embracing my wild side, ended with India unexpectedly embracing me. I have yet to know fully how completely what I learned in and about India has affected me, but as Nisargadatta says it will sprout and grow and bring forth fruit – - and I shall not try to prevent it through reason or explanation.
Non-attachment
31 Jul 2010 Leave a Comment
in Yoga Palm Beach Gardens, Yoga Philosophies
If we were asked to describe ourselves, what would we say? Maybe we would make reference to our age, our job, our family, where we live, our hobbies or the things we like to do. Just watch any of the game shows like Jeopardy or Wheel of Fortune, every time Alex Tribeck or the other guy asks the contestant to tell the audience about themselves, each and every one says anything BUT something about themselves, such as I am married to a wonderful husband of (#) years, I have (#) wonderful children and I am a homemaker; or I’m a systems analyst for ABC company and I love to fish in my spare time. We are more apt to refer to what we do with our time, what occupies our day, rather than really answering Mr. Tribeck with some description of the self. This is what we call in yogic philosophy as attachment, and is at the very heart of frustration and self loathing.
Many of us do really identify with occupations and possessions and those of our family members almost as a measuring stick of accomplishment. It is just something we have grown accustomed to as humans. Of course, these things really are accomplishments and we should be extremely proud, and we should enjoy them to the fullest. However, we also need to be able to detach from them as well, seeing them as separate from our “self” and knowing that they no more describe the real self any more than saying the ocean is made of salt water would thoroughly describe it. Things are just things – wonderful, material manifestations of our perception of happiness, however fleeting that happiness may be. Our self is really “our truth,” and our truth is our soul or “spirit.” Even our children and grandchildren whom we identify with, while they are not “things,” are separate forms of energy with their own unique properties, and do not describe who we are, nor have they ever really belonged to us. They are just borrowed, as is time itself, and all of it will be gone at some point, including the human form. We all belong to the larger entity of oneness, to a higher power that is beyond our comprehension.
To identify oneself with the body and yet seek happiness is like attempting to cross a river on the back of an alligator. In truth, you are Spirit. The body has been projected by the mind, which itself originates from Spirit. If the wrong identification ceases, there will be peace and permanent, indescribable bliss. ~ Ramana Maharshi
So yes, continue to love and enjoy all the “things” in life including yourself and your body, but know that even life is simply our projection of our understanding, a tangible something that allows the mind to do its job by making sense of all the information it receives. Who are you? You are limitless, boundless, reflections of divinity (repeat that to yourself every day). Detachment – it’s a process!
Beachfront Yoga Classes
24 Jul 2010 Leave a Comment
in Beachfront Yoga Classes, Yoga Classes Jupiter, Yoga Juno Beach, Yoga Palm Beach Gardens, Yoga Tequesta
There is a general infatuation with beach yoga – yoga practiced as it was originally intended: no mat, no floor, no walls, no problem! So many people ask me what a beach yoga class is like, and the answer of course, is always that it is the best kind of yoga class ever. A better question may be: is a beachfront yoga class right for you? What follows are some of the things that make beach yoga unique and might help you decide.
- Open air studio. Originally, yoga was practiced in the midst of nature (think mountaintop, cave, field, desert) and still is in many places. To experience all the elements of nature while in a moving meditation brings together the whole concept of joining the human with the divine.
- Distraction, distractions, distractions. Gulls, dogs (sometimes wet), joggers, children (shrieking, crying, etc.), ATV’s, dolphins, frisbees, hoots, hollers, you name it. Distractions abound. If you can find detachment amidst the chaos, then you know you have found true peace.
- The sand. Whether it is between your toes or imbedded in your third eye, the sand has a way of rubbing us the right way. It’s uneven characteristic and ability to move without warning is a particular challenge to maintaining focus, as well as balance. Sure it gets into every nook and cranny of your person, exfoliating all that not longer serves us mentally and physically, and testing our resolve, but isn’t that what we are striving for?
- The possibilities of a passing shower. Even in a light rain, class will go on, unless there is thunder. The rain can be a welcome respite from the heat of your practice, especially in the summer. Plus, it cleanses and purifies, washing away all that no longer serves us (see #2).
- The sunrise or sunset. No explanation needed, and always miraculous and inspiring.
- The ocean. Moving from savasana directly into the caress of the ocean current is like a gift with another gift tucked inside. Not only is the brain floating from rest, but now the body is floating in semi-weightlessness. Yum!
All in all, beachfront yoga classes are completely different from the studio experience. After reading this post, you may decide the comfort of a controlled environment is more your speed, and I applaud your decision without judgement. But if the smallest shred of curiosity still remains, I suggest you try one. It may open the door to a realm of possibilities and change.
