Awareness and Intent

Awareness and Intent

'Tis the New Year and the time of resolutions. While I am a big fan of clarity and "plotting a course" for the future, I think the way a lot of us go about making new year resolutions actually sets us up for failure. We set up an all or nothing laundry list of goals and things that we will give up that often ends up hanging over us like a leaden weight. When we "mess up" on some part of the list we feel like a failure and all the critical voices in our heads come to the forefront. 

Yoga can help us approach the changes we want to bring to our lives in a mindful and compassionate manner. It helps us do this in the same way it helps us grow a beautiful, sweet and steady yoga asana on the mat: by cultivating awareness and intent in every moment.

In our yoga practice, when we "fall out of a pose" we learn not to slump into a heap of criticism and self-loathing, instead we say, "How wonderful is this moment? Hmmm, why did that happen? I notice that I came out of my pose and now I have an opportunity to correct it!" Suddenly,  we are back in the present, back in the pose and have an opportunity to recognize what factors caused us to come out of the pose in the first place. We can then go forward with continued mindfulness and equanimity. Over time we become steady and unmoved by the whims and winds of change that swirl around us.

Life is a "practice" also. Nothing, especially change, happens all at once. We cultivate it little by little and with lots of practice.

We can approach what I like to call our, "intent for change" in the same manner. Let's say I have decided my intent for the year is to eat a more wholesome whole-food diet that will nourish my body, mind and spirit. On the very first day my husband bakes my favorite cookies. My favorite! I remember my intent, but the cookies call to mel — so yummy and fresh out of the oven. I eat FOUR. Sigh. I feel the sinking feeling of failure approach, I start to cut my self down for being so weak, but then, I stop. I say, "OK, I ate these cookies. This was not part of my intent. My intent is a good one, it is one I truly want and I can embrace it in this moment and go forward. I am a good person and I can observe myself and make postive adjustments when I need to." I also ask myself, "Why did I need that cookie so badly? What need was it filling inside me? Did I even really enjoy it?" By asking these questions I open a revolutionary inquiry into my own mind, into the depths of who I am and what makes me tick. I start on a journey of a thousand miles with that one step, instead of sitting down in the dirt to cry and give up.

I wish you peace, progress and compassion in all of your intentions this year. May you be steeped in awareness and surrounded by light.

Teal's Plan for 2010

Well, we are only 13 days into 2010...not to late too late to map out a plan for the year, right? Nope. It's never too late to reflect on life and see where some changes could be beneficial. So, here are some of my goals for the year:

1.  Do less, enjoy my life more.
2.  Open myself more and more to the magic and abundance of the Universe.
3.  Begin a formal mantra practice.
4.  Spend even more time outside (as much as possible!)
5.  Spend as little time on the computer as possible.
6.  Grow in my marriage as we begin our second married year together.
7.  Continue my education as a yoga teacher so that I can give more to my students and myself.
8.  Loose the 15 pounds of "loved-up" weight I have gained since I met my husband.
9.  Make more time for my own sadhana (yoga practice).
10. Produce at least one yoga DVD and book and several more audio recordings. Write to my blogs more.

Some thoughts on these goals:

One of my good friends has a motto, "The more you do, the more you can do." I love her, but I think this is total bullshit. This is the bullshit of the modern world telling us that "more is better" and we can "have it all". In this realm and in with the constraints of a physical body and time, we can not have it all. And is that really neccesary anyway? What we can have is "quality versus quantity," and mindfulness and deep experience versus mindlessness and a shallow skipping from one thing to the next. I want to FEEL my life and in doing less I feel infinitely more.

What is infinite is the beauty and wonder of the Universe. When I slow down everthing become brighter, tastes better, expands before my eyes.

To this end, I started a forty day practice of the long form of Gayatri mantra on January 10th. This means that I will chant the mantra 108 times each day (I use my mala, or prayer beads, to keep track.) This takes about 35 minutes and it is an amazing practice. I will post more on Gayatri later and give you updates on my observations throughout this practice.

One of my favorite ways to this is to be outside. Sometimes I just sit on one of the benches in my backyard and breath slowly and just watch. Oh, I love that so much. It fills my heart with joy. Being outside makes everything better.

My happiness is inversely purportional to my time spent on the computer. 'Nuff said.

At 35 years I was lucky enough to find my soul mate. Everyday with him is a gift and growing together in our lives is something I look forward to everyday.

Last year I was fortunate to study with some amazing yoga teachers including, TKV Desikachar, Tias Little, Aadil Palkhivala, Mary Reilly and Phyllis Rollins. As a result, I grew SO much as a teacher and student. I want this to continue in 2010.

Any yoga teacher will tell you that it is an ironic occupational hazard of being yoga teacher that one's own practice tends to suffer. With a full teaching schedule of group classes and privates each week it is easy for my personal practice to get shorter and shallower. This will change.

Love, sweet love. A wonderful thing is the abundance of love...not so lovely are the "love handles" which result from getting "all loved up." I've gained 15 pounds since I met my hubbie and while I am still a size 6 and extremely healthy, I don't feel good in my own skin...at all. This also goes back to the previous point about needing to make more time again for my own practice and other forms of exercise.

Writing to my blogs has been something I have enjoyed so much and I need to get back to it. I have several guided meditations recorded and for sale, but I want to do more. Producing my own yoga DVD and book has been a longtime goal and I want to make that happen this year. Balancing doing this (I will write, perform, edit and produce both of these myself) with my goal to limit computer time will be a great challenge.

Well, that's it! I'll let you know how it is going.... and I hope you will do the same! What are your goals this year?

Ahimsa: a resolution for non-violence

Image via WikipediaThose of you who are long-time students of yoga are already familiar with two of the great ethical precepts of yoga: the yamas and niyamas. These two short lists of abstentions and observances, respectively, create a clear road map for the yogini's life. They are as follow:

YAMAS (abstentions/restraints)
Ahimsa: non-violence
Satya: truthfulness
Asteya: non-stealing
Aparigrapha: non-coveting
Bramacharya: correct use of energy

NIYAMAS (observances)
Saucha: purity
Santosa: contentment
Tapas: right-effort or discipline
Svadhyaya: self-study
Ishvara Pranidhana: surrender to the highest ideals, to Source, or God.

I am not going to address each of these in detail in this post, but check back as I will be forming discussions of each of them in the coming year, and I greatly welcome and encourage your reflections and input on the meaning and application these precepts have in your own lives.

For now, I would like to focus on Ahimsa: non-violence, or non-harming. This yama is the one I have been most preoccupied with in my personal study in the last few years. In part this is because of what I see externally in the world around me, and in part, as a result of what I observe within myself. In my mind, the two are inseparable. If each of us was not consistently practicing some level of harming within ourselves, and in our actions in our lives, it would be impossible for us to live in world that is fraught with fear and violence; that sort of world simply cannot exist without us each individually contributing to and supporting it with our own brand of violence.

While that may seem like a fairly heavy indictment, in truth I feel it to be really, really good news. This concept reminds us of the deep and far reaching power of our own personal thoughts and actions. And since our own personal thoughts and actions are the only thing we really have dominion over, we have an exciting opportunity to practice peace in every step.

At this time of year many of us are forming resolutions and plans of action to make changes to many areas of our life. I would offer the yogic precept of Ahimsa as an incredible spring board for any inquiry you undertake. Whether you are trying to loose weight, break an unhealthy habit, become a better parent, or start a new business venture, consider making Ahimsa the corner stone, and benchmark, for your efforts.

To do this simply check each thought or action against the standard of non-harming. Simply ask yourself, "are my thoughts, or proceeding with this particular set of actions, bringing harm or perpetuating violence in anyway?" If the answer is "no," you can go forward knowing that you are adding, in a powerful way, to the forces if good in this world; if the answer is "yes," then you have a wonderful opportunity to consider an alternate thought pattern or plan of action.

In applying Ahimsa to your New Years Resolutions, or just to your life in general, remember that the most critical place to stay grounded in kindness and non-violence, is in relation to yourself. If you do something "himsic" (harmful) in your life, and then use that as a way to think angry, disappointed thoughts towards yourself, you are only perpetuating more violence. Remember, we are only human, and we will make mistakes on our way along our path, but intention is everything, and we can always begin again... in the very next moment.

Ahimsa is at its root a path to non-suffering. I hope you will welcome this yogic ideal into your life in 2009. May it bring you peace, and peace to our world.

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