Thursday, September 27, 2012

15 quotes on waking up



One of my favourite things in a yoga class is when the instructor reads a poem or shares a quote either at the beginning or the end of the class.  Something to get you thinking, something to take home with you.  I try to do this in most of my classes and through doing the reading and the research to find little drops of inspiration, I've come across some real gems.

Here are my favourites.

On opening your heart

Stop the words now. 
Open the window in the centre of your chest,
and let the spirits fly in and out.
~Rumi

On opening your mind

I want to unfold. 
Let no place in me hold itself closed, for where I am closed,
I am false.
~ Ranier Maria Rilke

Full circle

We are here to do. 
And through doing to learn.
And through learning to know.
And through knowing to experience wonder.
And through wonder to attain wisdom.
And through wisdom to find simplicity.
And through simplicity to give attention.
And through attention to see what needs to be done.
~ Ben Hei Hei

On Feelings

Feel your emotions, live true your passions, keep still your mind.
~Geoffrey M. Gluckman

On Stillness

Be still.
Stillness reveals the secrets of eternity.
~Lao Tzu

On Yoga

Yoga is the study of balance, and balance is the aim of all living creatures:
It is our home.
~Rolf Gates

On Gratitude

The best things in life are nearest.
Breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet,
duties at your hand, the path of right just before you.
Then do not grasp at the stars, but do life's plain work as it comes,
certain that daily duties and daily bread are the sweetest things in life.
~Robert Louis Stevenson

On acceptance

Out beyond ideas of right doing and wrong doing, there is a field.
I'll meet you there.
~Rumi

On angels

Every blade of grass has its angel that bends over it and whispers "Grow, Grow".
~The Talmud

On Peace

Peace is every step.
The shining red sun is my heart.
Each flower smiles at me.
How green, how fresh all that grows.
How cool the wind blows.
Peace is every step.
It turns the endless path to joy.
~Thich Nhat Hanh

On Waking Up

The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you.
Don’t go back to sleep.
You must ask for what you really want.
Don’t go back to sleep.
People are going back and forth across the doorsill
where the two worlds touch.
The door is round and open.
Don’t go back to sleep.
~Rumi

Because Rumi said so

Today, like every other day, we wake up empty
and frightened. Don't open the door to the study
and begin reading. Take down a musical instrument.
Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.

~Rumi

Because Patanjali said so

The mind becomes clear and serene when these qualities of the heart are cultivated.

Friendliness toward the joyful
Compassion toward the suffering
Happiness toward the pure
and understanding toward the impure

Peacefulness towards all beings.
I am blessed with peace.
I am peace itself

Joyfullness towards all beings.
I am blessed with joy.
I am joy itself.

Kindness towards all beings.
I am blessed with loving kindness.
I am loving kindness itself.

Compassion towards all beings.
I am blessed with compassion.
I am compassion itself in action.
~Yoga Sutra of Patanjali 1:33

Because St. Theresa said so

May today there be peace within.
May you trust God that you are exactly where you
are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite
possibilities that are born of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received,
and pass on the love that has been given to you.
May you be content knowing you are a child of God.
Let this presence settle into your bones,
and allow your soul the freedom to sing,
dance, praise and love.
It is there for each and every one of us.
~St. Theresa's Prayer

Because Gandhi said so

Happiness is when what you think, what you say and what you do are in harmony.
~Mahatma Gandhi

What are your favourite droppings?  Please share in comments.
















Sunday, September 16, 2012

be quiet



I just caught the tail end of Eat, Pray, Love on t.v.  Just as I tuned in, Julia Roberts was cycling through the rice paddies of Bali.  It brought me back to my time in Ubud during my yoga teacher training.  Mike and I rented a house in the paddies.  There was no t.v, no internet, no music, just us and the symphony of birds that shared our space.  It was peaceful, and quiet.  Every morning at 5:30am, Mike would get up with me and scoot me to the training.  The sun would just be coming up and the birds would just be starting their song and we would be sleepy and all seemed just as it should. 

In this quiet, I had moments of clarity.  Through stillness I started to get the teeniest glimpse of my true self.

On the last day of training, while in savasana our instructor Vidya placed a card next to each of our mats.  Mine was 'Be Quiet'.  Here's what it says.

Be Quiet

The mind's engagement with activity is noise.
Which prevents us from being at peace and knowing the truth.
The easiest and most direct way to know truth is simply to be quiet, not engage the mind and remain in present awareness.
When the mind wanders to the past or future, gently refocus back to the present moment.
This card is a call to change your focus beyond this noise of mind.
It is a quest to simply be in consciousness.
In peace, finding truth and beauty, the answer to your questions lies in Being Quiet.

I'm going through a slight period of transition right now, and a serious period of frustration as I'm pretty much back to the drawing board as far as building up my teaching hours again.  I'm feeling lost.  I have so many questions.  "Am I on the right path?" And, "should I get a new job?", seem to be at the top of the list.  As I go through the day trying to figure it all out, there is a lot of noise that is filling my space.  And I can't hear the answers. 

I need to remind myself to slow down, to be still and be quiet.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

are you happy?



Are you happy?  This is the question posed by Gretchen Rubin in her book The Happiness Project.  Or more specifically: could you be happier?

I devoured this book in a couple of days, not becuase the writing was so good (it was okay), but because I've become obssessed with the idea of being happier.

A couple of months ago during yoga, as the class winded down into savasana the instructor said to bring someone to mind that could use a little extra love.  And you know who came to mind: me.  Like a five year old version of me.  I started crying.  Luckily the class was online through www.myyogaonline.com and I was in the comfort of my own home enjoying a very nice pants off morning.  Nothing like a good cry in your undies.

This got me thinking: a) I need more friends, b) I need to start taking better care of myself, c) I love what yoga can do

This book came to me - recommended by a student of mine- at exactly the right time.  I was breaking down.

"When the student is ready the teacher will come".  This is a buddhist proverb that Rubin talks about in her book.  This book, this idea of a happiness project has become my teacher.

This is how my happiness project is going to work.  Or as I like to call it "the no shit experiment"  As in; eating healthy will make you happier.  Uh, no shit.  Or, taking better care of your finances will make you happier.  Uh, no shit.  Or, cherrishing and having more sex with your partner will make you happier.  Uh,  not shit.  Etc, etc...

Each month will have a theme, and then within that theme there will be resolutions to help me to stay on track.

This month is all about Energy.

My resolutions, and these are daily, are to:
Eat three servings of veg/day
Have a green smoothie
Listen to music while getting ready
Do yoga
Get outside for a walk
In bed by 10pm (M-F)
Out of bed by 7:30am (M-F)
Floss

She suggests making a resoluting chart to help to keep you on track and to have a constant reminder of what your resolutions are for the month.

Mine looks like this:



But for those of you who are artsy or have any sort of computer skills it may look a little different.

So, who's up for this 'no shit experiment'?  In the words of Jerry Maguire..."who's comin' with me"?  repeatedly.

Happiness project or not here's a great way to have some fun.

Put on your favourite album, leave your yoga mat in the corner and just start to move.  See what comes up.  The freedom that comes from moving outside the confines of your mat brings up some exciting new sequences/dance moves. 

In my mind I look something like this:





I probably look something like this:



Hopefully it's somewhere in between.  Album of choice for me:  Ceremonials by Florence and the Machine!

Amazing!!!!!

Cheers to happiness!

ps.... my homeboy is doing it too!!

pps...pass it on to anyone you think could use a little extra happiness  http://happiness-project.com/