Why Bother?

11/29/2011

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In response to the question =  Isn’t there always some level of wanting to get good at practice?

Why?  The why you do, is more important than what you do?  A true yogi, or anyone who would like to live in a better society...create a more enlightened society, needs to start with themselves.  Martin Luther King Jr. said, "Self inquiry is the highest form of maturity."  I agree.  Start asking your self the question, "why?"  And if the answer is anything less than noble...then it's time to course correct. 

Back to the question above...if your mindset is that of one-up-manship, competition, or just showing off your awesome skills, you're actually diminishing and detracting...from yourself and your fellows.  Instead of competition...try creation.  Creating a better you.  The ego will try to bring shades of gray into the answer of why?  But truly, it can be pretty black and white.  There is a part of you that knows the truth.  Listen to that.  Work hard...not so much to show everyone how awesome you are...but how awesome they can be.  Become an example of goodness. 

There are way too many people out there trying to look good and it's not working.  Be good.  A high aim indeed...difficult at first...but with practice, it can become easy and your regular mode of operation.

Stay True,

JDS

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Adaptation

11/13/2011

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I received this question at the end of class today = "Is it okay if I put my hands on the floor during Warrior III?" 

Absolutely!  One huge thing that we're working on in Vinyasa practice is being able to adapt to the needs of the moment...the truth of the moment.  Working to not be attached to a certain way of doing things.  For example... I've just had you go thru a very difficult combination of postures and movements and you've become a little winded and now you're in boat pose...and I say, "If you've lost your breath catch it here." 

Wait what!?  In boat pose? That's right.  Perhaps you're boat is usually tip top...looks like a perfect V...yoga journal cover stuff.  Can you adapt the posture, perhaps bending the knees, so that you can catch your breath?  This requires removing ego from the action.  Humility.  Bravery.  True confidence.  Watch out though...ego is tricky...you may start adapting postures so that is appears to others that you're evolved. ;) 

Some great questions to ask yourself to evaluate your actions are... What am I doing and why?  What am I not doing and why?

Stay True,

JDS
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To Still The Mind Is Yoga

11/10/2011

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That said… We practice more so to achieve a state of Yoga (union or stillness), than do Yoga.  What we do in class is use all of the Yoga movements, Yoga postures (Yogasana), and rhythmic breathing to cause our minds to be more calm, focused, and effective. To realize and begin to cease the constant (and many times negative) chatter going on inside our heads. 

Shakespeare said, “nothing is good or bad but thinking makes it so.”  This is very true.  Through Yogasana and meditation practice we can begin realize, and stop placing so many of our judgments and labels on things and just let them be…not good or bad, just be.  What a calm and peaceful life that would be? 

That is Yoga…much more than just stretching and working out.  Of course, as a by-product of diligent Yogasana practice, the body will become in excellent physical condition, but the mind is the target.

Our lives are the sum total of our thoughts.  Yogasana and meditation practice allow us to see just what goes on in there, start to improve our patterns of thinking, and begin to respond better and better to life, therefore achieving Yoga (Union).

Thanks for practicing!

JDS

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