Quote of the Day

"The only authentic responsibility is toward your own potential, your own intelligence and awareness - and to act accordingly. Values should not be imposed on you. They should grow with your awareness, in you."

Quotes of the Day

"Meditation will bring you sensitivity, a great sense of belonging to the world. It is our world - the stars are ours, and we are not foreigners here. We are part of it, we are the heart of it. And this sensitivity will create new friendships for you - friendships with trees, with birds, with animals, with mountains, with rivers, with oceans, with stars. Life becomes richer as love grows."


"Life is not a tragedy, it is a comedy. To be alive means to have a sense of humor."

--Osho

Just be

"This constant desire for 'knowing' and for 'improving'... that is just the ego's distracting game. Simply be how you are, whenever you are, and you will realize that you already know everything there is to know about this great universanl woven fabric you are a part of."
-Osho

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

Quote of the Day

Remember, in life, pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional.
-Cheri Huber

...and here is a nice Yoga Journal article on the subject: http://www.yogajournal.com/practice/2246

Quotes of the Day

A consistent thinker is a thoughtless person, because he conforms to a pattern; he repeats phrases and thinks in a groove.

If we can really understand the problem, the answer will come out of it, because the answer is not separate from the problem.

There is no end to education. It is not that you read a book, pass an examination, and finish with education. The whole of life, from the moment you are born to the moment you die, is a process of learning.

---Jiddu Krishnamurti

Quote of the Day

Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now.
-Goethe

Quote of the Day

And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.
-Kahlil Gibran

It's been a while!

As some of you may have noticed, I have taken a short hiatus from blogging. This was due in part by an extremely office job/yoga schedule, but I am going to try to post more often, for the tens or even dozens of people who may read this from time to time.

"Real love is only possible whe you see everything as yourself." -Sri Swami Satchitananda

Delving in to the Sutras a bit, Sutra 1.24 says: "The Divine Conscioness is self-effulgent like the sun". So, if the Divine is always in our hearts, why do we need to call it forth at all? The reason is that many of us became stuck and stagnant, having closed off our heart, from ourselves and eachother. So, as we are able to open up the hearth through practice, our Divine self is revealed. The true miracle here is that if we are able to open our hearts like this, overcoming self-doubt or self-judgement will happen naturally, over a course of time.

And down the road in the future, those once-intense feelings of self doubt will simply begin to become more comfortable in your own skin. This is an amazing transformation. Over time, you will feel grounded, at peace, and able to deal with any wobbles life may through at you. As I'm fond of saying in class, life is never going to stop throwing wobbles, some big, some small, but what we can learn to do on and off the mat is to stay very calm, tap into our inner resources of our inner-balance and equinimity, and BREATHE! .......knowing that wobbles, intensity, and firey feelings in the muscles are not a hinderence to your practice, but a gift, not only serving to strenghten you physically, but also mentally.

Sutra 11.7: "Excessive fondness for fleeting pleasures (Raga) causes longing."
Sutra 11.8: "Excessive avoidance of unpleasant experiences (Dvesa) causes pain."
Don't let these sutras put you off. All they are saying has been said many times before by very wise people - "Everything is fine in moderation." In yoga, we try to figure out how to walk the middle path. Being an Ashtangi or yoga practitioner should not create more stress, tension, and self-comparison to yourself and others. If this is where you're at, take a nice deep breath and remember that things are always impermanent & will shift for you.

I know it's incredibly hard to drop judgement sometimes, but like everyhing else it's a learned skill. Finding a little detatchment from our ego-dramas does not me we devalue ourselves or our emotions. Instead, it means we are doing more to help them, but not feeding more negative energy into the system. Over time, we can learn to be far more compassionate towards others, including ourselves (meaing ourselves as individuals, as well as the entire human race).

Ashtanga yoga is a highly individualized learning process for each individial person, and it's important to remember that, when you're feeling frustrated, those feelings will pass. I promise. Please always: Work compassionately with your body, always being gentle instead of forceful. If you ever want to talk about frustrations, or any other topic, you can find me at the studio, email me at lindsay.yoga@gmail.com, or give me a call at 734.846.4366. I am always very happy and honored to chat and assist, so please don't hesitate to get in touch. Namaste, everyone, and have a safe and happy up-coming Halloween!!
Blessings to all beings. -L

Sutra 11.15 "Intuitive wisdom empowers us to expand beyond the constantly changing natural world ("the seen") to the abode of the Divine Spirit (The Seer).

"When we are able to know the self, all else is known." - Bhagavad-Gita

Quote of the Day

"If we practice the science of yoga, which is useful to the entire human community and which yields happiness both here and hereafter - if we practice it without fail, we will then attain physical, mental, and spiritual happiness, and our minds will flood towards the True Self."

-Sri K. Pattabhi Jois (Guruij)

"There is no need to be overwhelmed by the many dimensions of astanga; just come in and take from it what you want."

Quotes of the Day, and some commentary

Before you've practiced, the theory is useless. After you've practiced, the theory is obvious.
-David Williams, Ashtanga teacher

This calm steadiness of the senses is called yoga. [Then] one should become watchful, because yoga comes and goes. -Katha Upanishad

...that's right, our yoga fluctuates, just like everything else in this universe. So if fluctuation is to be expected, then it is no problem. The only problem arises when you are not able to simply observe this fluctuation. Do not give in to the society-encouraged temptation to judge yourself. You are not "good" or "bad" as a result of your practice. And your practice itself is not "good" or "bad" at any time. It simply is what it is. It may be waxing, it may be waning, it may feel contsistant for the time being, but our most important lesson is in learning to drop judgement and the ego. One of the first places we can try to do this is with our practice itself. If you find there is a part of yourself that can't stop judging, that's ok. It's a habit that's hard to break, & as I said, we don't get much encouragement from society. Try your best to accept the judgemental part of you without judging it! Sound like a paradox? It's not. As humans, we are more like a small city than a single individual. We all have many different aspects to us, some even hidden to us at times. What we want is for the Non-judgmental Observer to be in charge of this boisterous city, rather than leaving the Ego and the Judging Mind in control. Be aware that the Ego and the Judging Mind will probably not like this shift in power. They will complain. Learn to recognize their voices so you can respond with compassionate meditation, rather than Ego-based actions & thoughts. Over time, as you learn to reside with the Non-judgmental Observer at the helm, you will be able to deal gently and compassionately with anything that arises.

Quote of the Day

"Some say the glass is half empty.
I say who gave you a glass in the first place? Is it not a gift?"
-Seth Bernard

Quote of the Day

For one who has conquered the mind,
the mind is the best of friends.
But for one who has failed to do so,
his very mind will be the greatest enemy.
For one who has conquered the mind,
Paramatan has already been reached
for tranquility has been obtained.
To such a person happiness & distress,
heat & cold, honor & dishonor are the same.

-Bhagavad Gita

The Golden Rule

"The Golden Rule for life
is that there are no golden rules.
There cannot be. Life is so vast,
so immense, so strange, so mysterious,
it cannot be reduced to a rule or a maxim.
All maxims fall short,
are too small;
they cannot contain life
and its living
energies.
Hence the golden rule
is significant, that there are no golden rules.
An authentic human being does not live by rules, maxims,
commandments.
The authentic human being
simply lives."

-OSHO

Quote of the day

I wanted to share an exchange I had with my wonderful boyfriend the other night. I said something about Savasana being the "end of class/practice". He responded incredibly insightfully, saying "Oh, but Savasana is just the BEGINNING of practice! That's when you've worked through everything, found your peaceful state, and can then remain in that peaceful state as you extend your practice out into the world."

Thank you, Jer, you are absolutely right. Savasana is just the beginning of true practice.

May you all find inner peace and calm resting within you throughout every part of your day.

Quotes of the Day

"Yoga exsists in the world because everything is linked." -Desikashar

"Do your practice and all is coming." -Sri K. Pattahabi Jois ('Guruji' to Ashtangis!)

"Yoga is 99% practice and 1% theory." -Sri K. Pattahabi Jois

"Before you've practiced, the theory is useless. After you've practiced, the theory is obvious." -David Williams

"The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift." -Albert Einstein

Quote of the day

One of my favorite pieces of writing by the incomparable Kahlil Gibran (the text of his book of collected writings, "The Madman", is available through the Gutenberg Project at http://infomotions.com/etexts/gutenberg/dirs/etext04/thmdm10.htm)
****************************************************
The Astronomer

In the shadow of the temple my friend and I saw a blind man sitting alone. And my friend said, "Behold the wisest man of our land."

Then I left my friend and approached the blind man and greeted him. And we conversed. After a while I said, "Forgive my question; but since when has thou been blind?"
"From my birth," he answered.
Said I, "And what path of wisdom followest thou?"
Said he, "I am an astronomer."

Then he placed his hand upon his breast saying, "I watch all these suns and moons and stars."
*****************************************************

There is a whole universe within. We are all infinite. All we need to do is be still, and look.

Quote of the day

From song lyrics by Daisy May, a Michigan based musician I adore:

Oh my brother, don't give up on the world
Just know you can't seek shelter outside of yourself
Oh my sister, don't you get so low
Build a home within you, take it with you when you go

Wherever we go, there we are....