...and coming soon...

An article about how to integrate yoga into your workday, particularly if you work a desk job. Thanks very much to reader Art for the suggestion! Any more suggestions, questions, etc., feel free to email me at:

lindsay[dot]yoga[at]gmail[dot]com

Namaste :)

The Best... you already are

Continuing with the theme from Friday's post about what it truly means to be "the Best" (vs. what our culture has constructed as 'best').

It has been noted by psychologists that very bright and talented children often have very high levels of anxiety and low self-esteem. Why should this be so, when they are obviously talented, often more so than their peers?? It turns out that the reason is because these special traits and talents are so focused on by the adults in their lives, that these children feel that not knowing something or just being ordinary at something is a failure in some way. Subconsciously, those proud and loving parents are sending their child the message that they will be unlovable if they are not perfect. They must always be The Best in their parents' (and teachers', etc.) eyes.

Even if we were not one of those few talented children who could memorize pi to 40 digits or some other amazing feat, we have all felt that fear of, or actual rejection by, a parent or other authority figure for failing to live up to expectations. As small people, we were taught that we were being "prepared for life", and if we did not learn the lessons well enough, we would ultimately fail at life (or some other such threat, spoken or implied). But guess what? As children, as small people, we were not preparing for life. We were living life. And, along with the wonderment, we learned some harsh lessons along the way. As we grew up, we wondered: how can I be successful? How can I make my parents happy? How can I make myself happy? How can I be good enough?

Well, the answer, happily, is that you already are good enough, and you always have been. Your parents' pressure on you as a child, intentional or not, has no bearing on you or your inherent 'goodness'. We all have our strengths and weaknesses, and therefore don't need to be perfect at anything! That's one of the big pros about living in a society where you know and are connected to your neighbors and/or other community. So put your talents to use, whatever they are, and graciously accept the help of others when you need to. This has no bearing on your status; your self-esteem - you are already, in the words of the Tejobindu Upanishad, your "Shining Self".

[...trying to find a link to the Upanishad for you, but no luck! Anyhow, the opening lines are:

Let us meditate on the Shining Self

Changeless, underlying the world of change

And realized in the heart in Samadhi.]

What does it mean to "Be the best"?

In Western culture, we are taught to compete to be the individual best in almost everything we do. That is why it is so difficult to drop that competitive mind-set during yoga, both with yourself and others. But all that energy spent on a "competitive edge" takes the practitioner out of the moment and into a realm of separation and contest. Use your yoga practice to practice dropping that need to be the best. Let your practice flow naturally. Being open and present, even when things do not "feel perfect", is in itself the greatest perfection.

"The best, like water,
Benefit all and do not compete.
They dwell in lowly spots that everyone else scorns.
Putting others before themselves,
They find themselves in the foremost place
And come very near to the Tao.
In their dwelling, they love the earth;
In their heart, they love what is deep;
In personal relationships, they love kindness;
In their words, they love truth.
In the world, they love peace.
In personal affairs, they love what is right.
In action, they love chosing the right time.
It is because they do not compete with others
That they are beyond the reproach of the world."
--Lao Tzu

Non-compete clause ;)

"The best, like water,
Benefit all and do not compete.
They dwell in lowly spots that everyone else scorns.
Putting others before themselves,
They find themselves in the foremost place
And come very near to the Tao.

In their dwelling, they love the earth;
In their heart, they love what is deep;
In personal relationships, they love kindness;
In their words, they love truth.
In the world, they love peace.
In personal affairs, they love what is right.
In action, they love choosing the right time.
It is because they do not compete with others
That they are beyond the reproach of the world."

-Lao Tzu

Quote of the Day

"True strength is always gentle."

-Lao Tzu

Teaching yourself to relax

At first glance, relaxing seems relatively easy. Maybe we watch TV or a movie, or have a drink, or engage in a favorite hobby. But these are not really relaxed states (expecially when someone is watching their favorite sports team lose a game, for instace)! Instead, a truly relaxed state produces a quiet, contented, non-judemental mind.

Just like Savasana (relaxation pose) at the end of a yoga session, we can scan the body for any left-over tension, and then gently breathe into those areas to help them release. The body (and mind) can never be "forced" to relax; instead they must be gently persuaded.

The body is one of the most ancient scape-goats. We find it difficult to love our own body sometimes, especially when it continues to be villified and condemed (moreso in certain areas) in modern times. But our bodies are temples of life. However, we often belittle them, feel angry at them for not "being perfect", and otherwise sending very negative signals to ourselves from childhood/early adolescence & sometimes into adulthood.

Some peoples's disconnect from their body is greater than others. In class I often mention that in Westen culture, we like to live from the neck up, and mostly ignore everythind below the collarbone. We view this as the most intelligent, rational way to deal with life and its challenges. But although it is good to expend energy and be procutive, we in the West have not learned how to balance out our flurries of constant activity with some true relaxation.

So, even on a day when you don't attend or practice yoga, try this meditation exercise. You can even do it for only 10 minutes! Surround your body with loving compassion, drawing in good energy from the Universe and/or those loved ones around you. Then, either sitting or laying down, begin to observe your breath. Your body is your outermost attribute, and your pure consciousness the most inner. It is the breath that connects these two. Once again, no need to try to "force" your mind to be quiet (although it's usually a temptaion for many new AND experienced meditators.) All you have do is breathe into the present moment and observe. It will get easier over the course of time, just like any other skill! As your meditaiton practices deepens, you can use this practice in any number of difficult "real-world events"!

TO SUM UP: Meditating for only 10 min a day (or however long works for you) can have a significant effect on stress reduction, improving concentration, and helping you feel more centered.

NAMASTE!

RECOMMENDED BOOKS (as of late):
Being Peace by Thich Nhat Hahan
Pharmacy for the Soul by Osho (This is a great book, never seen anything else like it!)
Yoga: The Science of the Soul by Osho
Meditation in Action by Chogyam Trungpa
In the Buddha's Words: An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon ed. by Bhikkuu Bodi (Foreword by the Dalai Lama)

Hello again

Hi there,

It feels like I've been away for such a long time. It's easy to get stuck in those ruts, where we feel we only have energy for life's absolute necessities and everything else seems to fade into the background. Well, fortunately, life being the fluid thing that it is, we can outsmart the mind's routines and help bring back creativity and spontaneity into our lives and our yoga practice.

This is a bit of an usual technique, a sort of gentle 'shock into awakening' for the mind. The point is that when you are dealing with feeling stuck, or with difficult emotions, do something completely unexpected!! If you are crying, start dancing. It doesn't matter if there is no music, it doesn't matter if at first you don't want to dance. Just start; throw yourself into it, and in a few moments your mind will have allowed the sadness to flow right out of you. If you are angry, try sitting in compassion for the person who has angered you. This can also be confusing to the mind. The situation, which seemed so black and white before, can begin to turn a subtle shade of gray, until you realize that you are sitting in peaceful awareness, the anger having subsided.

The only catch to this technique is: it's better to not use the same response twice, because then your body and mind will simply become habituated to that! So you must always be creative, always on your toes. But that is part of the fun of life.