Friday, November 30, 2012
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Sage Advice
More to come on this topic I'm sure, as the deeper I get into the business side of the yoga world, the less and less I like what I see. If anyone has a positive experience managing a yoga studio, I'd LOVE to hear it...
For now, I advocate a healthy dose of open-minded skepticism! Not just with yoga, but everything.
Including food, and beliefs around food.
May we savor the food we eat this Thanksgiving such that we are truly nourished body and soul! May we love the one we're with and skip Black Friday...
I hope to write a bit more this weekend as I'll have some free time away from the city.
Much love, and a deep bow of gratitude to all the turkeys everywhere~
dani
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Election results 2012
If it isn't obvious considering I am a yoga teacher/health nut/spiritualish person living in San Francisco, CA, I will share here that I was QUITE PLEASED with the results of the presidential election. Obama is still part of the machine; however I am a stand for civil rights for all humans and who wants to be on the wrong side of history when it comes to stuff like that!???
Moving on--Prop 37, which would have required the labeling of foods containing GMO's (Genetically Modified Organisms) did not pass, which was the BUMMER of the election. I've included a handy chart for you to get a good visual on where a lot of these so-called "natural" "healthy" foods actually stand when it comes to not only the health of their customers, but their stance on protecting the environment (e tu, Ben & Jerry's!?).
It's incredibly difficult for me to wrap my head around the fact that people would actually vote against this measure; I'll take solace knowing that the campaign against GMO's isn't going anywhere. Moreover, we can still fight GMO's by choosing mindfully where we spend our money.
The following list comes from Paul Chek, outlining why it would best serve all of us (mother earth included) if we eliminate all processed foods from our diets, all of which contain GMO's. Enjoy~
CHEK Points on Processed Foods
Moving on--Prop 37, which would have required the labeling of foods containing GMO's (Genetically Modified Organisms) did not pass, which was the BUMMER of the election. I've included a handy chart for you to get a good visual on where a lot of these so-called "natural" "healthy" foods actually stand when it comes to not only the health of their customers, but their stance on protecting the environment (e tu, Ben & Jerry's!?).It's incredibly difficult for me to wrap my head around the fact that people would actually vote against this measure; I'll take solace knowing that the campaign against GMO's isn't going anywhere. Moreover, we can still fight GMO's by choosing mindfully where we spend our money.
The following list comes from Paul Chek, outlining why it would best serve all of us (mother earth included) if we eliminate all processed foods from our diets, all of which contain GMO's. Enjoy~
CHEK Points on Processed Foods
• If you can’t pronounce a word on the label, don’t eat it! Chances are very good it is a chemical that your liver will have to work to detoxify.
• If it’s a non-food, don’t eat it! The more non- foods you eat, the more likely your body is to go bankrupt!
• The longer it lasts on the shelf, the worse it is for you! Unlike the natural foods that nature provides us with, many of the processed foods you eat today are so full of chemicals you can leave them sitting on the kitchen counter for days and the ants won’t even touch them! The bugs are smarter than we are!
• Never eat anything with “hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated oils/fats” in it! These are cooked fats that have been altered in a way that make them very hard to digest, as well as being damaging to the body.
• Never eat any food product that has been “enriched”! The only reason food manufacturers “enrich” foods is because they have completely killed and stripped them in processing, leaving the foods so void of nutrition that they must add things back to them.
• Currently, almost ALL processed foods contain genetically modified organisms! Eating any genetically modified food is a risk that you may want to seriously consider if you value your health.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
I've got something to say (my 'yogic' rant)
I changed the name of my blog.
The change comes after many months of reflection on my place in the greater scheme of my life; both as a yoga teacher and a burgeoning business owner. More than that though-the name change is a reflection of my renewed commitment to my own truth--not some idea of it handed to me by guru or a dietary philosophy or some future concept based on how I've experienced the past that has me completely missing, you guessed it, the present.
The catalyst for all this was the breakdown of the system of yoga I practiced, which occurred around the same time my favorite teacher moved away. I started to seriously unpack my beliefs around what a living a spiritual life actually meant for me, on my own terms, completely free of the shade I was so accustomed to living in under the previous umbrella of "yogic" v "non-yogic."
A new light started to shine.
Something else happened; during this time of breakdown in one realm of my life, I began my official health training with the Chek Institute, growing a new skill and learning that blew my mind. I began to heal myself with food. The immediacy of the results hooked me and it was incredibly empowering to look at myself in the mirror and no longer feel ashamed of my skin; to re balance my hormones without the use of birth control or antibiotics; and to heal my digestion naturally without pills or a crazy cleanse. I began to listen inward, trusting the messages from my body: checking in more easily in times of stress or overwhelm; following my intuition with the food I was consuming; working out and playing hard when called to, while equally honoring the times my body needed rest and quiet. In short, I started to experience the life I had been longing for, that I thought I would find with my yoga practice, but in reality, had been consistently falling short.
It was also the first time I was in the presence of and learning from healthy people with genuine, authentic, dedicated spiritual practices--without one mention of morality. In the yoga world, I was so accustomed to these conversations about whether or not something was or wasn't "yogic." A few examples off the top of my head: eating meat, drinking alcohol/smoking cigarettes/pot etc; eating organic; one style of yoga v. another; driving a car; flying on a plane, and so on, and so on, and so on. I was attracted to these new people because there was a whole lot less talk, and a lot more action. I saw people living into their own personal truth without any mention of right and wrong, good or bad, should or shouldn't.
It dawned on me: I was sick and tired of yoga. Just the thought of it tilted my eyes back to the top of my skull and had me running for the nearest shot of tequila.
Not MY yoga-the practice that gave me back myself; that made me feel stronger in my body and mind then I ever thought possible; that reconnected me to people and gave me some of the best friends in the world--no, no, that wasn't it. Rather, I found myself alienated from a culture whose breakdown revealed a foundation built on a faux-spirituality and spiritual bypassing that tuned me out out faster than you could say "om."
I don't care if you down a steak after every yoga class or subsist solely on organic raw sprouted almonds harvested lovingly from a biodynamic farm; what interests me is actual reality, not some idea. Do you keep your word, not only to yourself, but to others? Are you able to speak authentically from your own truth, rather than parroting something you've heard a million times or saying what you think people want to hear? Do you stand by your beliefs regardless of ever shifting popular opinion while staying open to a new perspective? Are you living a life that leads you every more closer to your heart and heart's purpose, or are you simply filling it up with as many distractions and to-do's as possible?
I'm officially coming out as a carnivore. No more hiding-this is the real yoga. Expect a lot more tyrannosaurusasana from here on out. I hope to see you on the mat, I promise not to talk your ear off.
The catalyst for all this was the breakdown of the system of yoga I practiced, which occurred around the same time my favorite teacher moved away. I started to seriously unpack my beliefs around what a living a spiritual life actually meant for me, on my own terms, completely free of the shade I was so accustomed to living in under the previous umbrella of "yogic" v "non-yogic."
A new light started to shine.
Something else happened; during this time of breakdown in one realm of my life, I began my official health training with the Chek Institute, growing a new skill and learning that blew my mind. I began to heal myself with food. The immediacy of the results hooked me and it was incredibly empowering to look at myself in the mirror and no longer feel ashamed of my skin; to re balance my hormones without the use of birth control or antibiotics; and to heal my digestion naturally without pills or a crazy cleanse. I began to listen inward, trusting the messages from my body: checking in more easily in times of stress or overwhelm; following my intuition with the food I was consuming; working out and playing hard when called to, while equally honoring the times my body needed rest and quiet. In short, I started to experience the life I had been longing for, that I thought I would find with my yoga practice, but in reality, had been consistently falling short.
It was also the first time I was in the presence of and learning from healthy people with genuine, authentic, dedicated spiritual practices--without one mention of morality. In the yoga world, I was so accustomed to these conversations about whether or not something was or wasn't "yogic." A few examples off the top of my head: eating meat, drinking alcohol/smoking cigarettes/pot etc; eating organic; one style of yoga v. another; driving a car; flying on a plane, and so on, and so on, and so on. I was attracted to these new people because there was a whole lot less talk, and a lot more action. I saw people living into their own personal truth without any mention of right and wrong, good or bad, should or shouldn't.
It dawned on me: I was sick and tired of yoga. Just the thought of it tilted my eyes back to the top of my skull and had me running for the nearest shot of tequila.
Not MY yoga-the practice that gave me back myself; that made me feel stronger in my body and mind then I ever thought possible; that reconnected me to people and gave me some of the best friends in the world--no, no, that wasn't it. Rather, I found myself alienated from a culture whose breakdown revealed a foundation built on a faux-spirituality and spiritual bypassing that tuned me out out faster than you could say "om."
I don't care if you down a steak after every yoga class or subsist solely on organic raw sprouted almonds harvested lovingly from a biodynamic farm; what interests me is actual reality, not some idea. Do you keep your word, not only to yourself, but to others? Are you able to speak authentically from your own truth, rather than parroting something you've heard a million times or saying what you think people want to hear? Do you stand by your beliefs regardless of ever shifting popular opinion while staying open to a new perspective? Are you living a life that leads you every more closer to your heart and heart's purpose, or are you simply filling it up with as many distractions and to-do's as possible?
I'm officially coming out as a carnivore. No more hiding-this is the real yoga. Expect a lot more tyrannosaurusasana from here on out. I hope to see you on the mat, I promise not to talk your ear off.
Friday, September 21, 2012
Navigating a new normal
It's been an interesting couple of weeks over here in Sage land. I am managing two businesses, teaching 2 classes/week, plus going to school. My partner just moved in, I play on a softball league, and am coaching a leadership training through Landmark education. Hence the title of this post.
I am a little nervous about writing this post. But I recently got clear about the work I want to be doing, so I'm going to share anyway.
My stress level in the past three weeks has skyrocketed significantly. After returning from my year sabbatical in Thailand, I devoted myself to creating a fulfilling schedule that left plenty of time for nothing; I knew that my experience of happiness hinged on the possibility of plenty of idle-time---to nap or write, take yoga class, be with friends, cook, clean; the possibility of simplicity and slowness. I'd experienced life from the confines of a cubicle and I did not like what I saw; more than that, I did not like who I was in that box. I was angry, borderline depressed, drank a lot, and my self-esteem non-existant. The thread of yoga alive in my life at this time often was the only place where I actually liked myself, where I felt strong. After re-learning how to like myself, I vowed that this balance was a million times more valuable than making tons of money. It took some time, but I found that balance and although money was at times tight, I felt healthy and happy for the first time in years, fell in love with a great man, and started teaching yoga.
Fast forward four years, and I'm noticing many old tendencies arising that I thought I had laid aside. Cattiness. Anger. Impatience. I've started drinking more. The glass is decidedly half empty.
I am bringing all of this up for a reason. As the Every Day Sage seed continues to germinate, grow, expand, I want to be as honest as possible. As a health coach I often feel like everything I'm putting out into the world has this glossy veneer of positivity--as if living a healthful, vibrant, happy, meaningful, fulfilling life is so easy. As if finding balance is the most natural thing in the world, and there is something wrong with you if happiness isn't your experience.
So, how DO we navigate the dark moments? Where what worked last week simply stops working? When old habits/patterns/addictions rear their ugly heads, seemingly out of the blue? In those moments of overwhelm, how might we simply sit with the sensation, instead of longing for distraction? When we feel small, how might we channel it into something creative instead of being cruel to our partners/friends/family members? How can we use the tools we've learned on our own selves? How do we quiet the inner critic, that at times relentless devil? How might we learn to honor equally both the peaks and valleys of our lives?
This is the current inquiry.
While exercise, eating whole foods, healthy relationships, and a spiritual practice are all what I wish to support people in, I also want to honor people where they're at. What if we could look at the bad, accept it for what it is, and then move mindfully from a space of acceptance, instead of should-ing all over ourselves or making our experience wrong, or (my personal favorite), constantly comparing ourselves to others we perceive as farther along the path? This is what I'm committed to: radical health and wellness for everybody--even you. Even me.
Come as you are, and fall in love with yourself.
I am a little nervous about writing this post. But I recently got clear about the work I want to be doing, so I'm going to share anyway.
My stress level in the past three weeks has skyrocketed significantly. After returning from my year sabbatical in Thailand, I devoted myself to creating a fulfilling schedule that left plenty of time for nothing; I knew that my experience of happiness hinged on the possibility of plenty of idle-time---to nap or write, take yoga class, be with friends, cook, clean; the possibility of simplicity and slowness. I'd experienced life from the confines of a cubicle and I did not like what I saw; more than that, I did not like who I was in that box. I was angry, borderline depressed, drank a lot, and my self-esteem non-existant. The thread of yoga alive in my life at this time often was the only place where I actually liked myself, where I felt strong. After re-learning how to like myself, I vowed that this balance was a million times more valuable than making tons of money. It took some time, but I found that balance and although money was at times tight, I felt healthy and happy for the first time in years, fell in love with a great man, and started teaching yoga.
Fast forward four years, and I'm noticing many old tendencies arising that I thought I had laid aside. Cattiness. Anger. Impatience. I've started drinking more. The glass is decidedly half empty.
I am bringing all of this up for a reason. As the Every Day Sage seed continues to germinate, grow, expand, I want to be as honest as possible. As a health coach I often feel like everything I'm putting out into the world has this glossy veneer of positivity--as if living a healthful, vibrant, happy, meaningful, fulfilling life is so easy. As if finding balance is the most natural thing in the world, and there is something wrong with you if happiness isn't your experience.
So, how DO we navigate the dark moments? Where what worked last week simply stops working? When old habits/patterns/addictions rear their ugly heads, seemingly out of the blue? In those moments of overwhelm, how might we simply sit with the sensation, instead of longing for distraction? When we feel small, how might we channel it into something creative instead of being cruel to our partners/friends/family members? How can we use the tools we've learned on our own selves? How do we quiet the inner critic, that at times relentless devil? How might we learn to honor equally both the peaks and valleys of our lives?
This is the current inquiry.
While exercise, eating whole foods, healthy relationships, and a spiritual practice are all what I wish to support people in, I also want to honor people where they're at. What if we could look at the bad, accept it for what it is, and then move mindfully from a space of acceptance, instead of should-ing all over ourselves or making our experience wrong, or (my personal favorite), constantly comparing ourselves to others we perceive as farther along the path? This is what I'm committed to: radical health and wellness for everybody--even you. Even me.
Come as you are, and fall in love with yourself.
Friday, August 10, 2012
Happy Friday
What are you up to this weekend?
Whether it's landing on Mars for the first time or accessing a previously impossible yoga pose, anything is possible once we commit ourselves.
...until one is committed there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans; that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too.
All sorts of things occur to help one that would never have otherwise ocurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamt would have come his way.
~Goethe
I'm navigating a new normal; two jobs, teaching, a relationship, starting a business, school, the Self Expression and Leadership Program, and of course, taking care of my own self. Walking my talk is challenging at times-but when I get really present to my commitments, suddenly I'm able to expand myself enough to encompass everything (AND get enough sleep AND practice yoga AND lay in the park two days in a row with dear friends).
How do YOU stay connected to your commitments? When you feel overwhelmed, what do you know to do to restore balance?
Have fun out there~
xo
dani
Whether it's landing on Mars for the first time or accessing a previously impossible yoga pose, anything is possible once we commit ourselves.
...until one is committed there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans; that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too.
All sorts of things occur to help one that would never have otherwise ocurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamt would have come his way.
~Goethe
I'm navigating a new normal; two jobs, teaching, a relationship, starting a business, school, the Self Expression and Leadership Program, and of course, taking care of my own self. Walking my talk is challenging at times-but when I get really present to my commitments, suddenly I'm able to expand myself enough to encompass everything (AND get enough sleep AND practice yoga AND lay in the park two days in a row with dear friends).
I felt a little physically run-down this week, and let me tell you, it felt so good to give myself permission yesterday to simply rest rather than attend the sweaty Vinyasa class I've been going to on Thursday afternoons. Being committed to health means knowing when to rest just as much as knowing when to charge ahead!
How do YOU stay connected to your commitments? When you feel overwhelmed, what do you know to do to restore balance?
Have fun out there~
xo
dani
Sunday, August 5, 2012
How to create "Peace Points" in your every day
Something I'm committed to in my practice is off-setting the urban overwhelm with simple practices you can incorporate into your every-day.
In this foot-always-on-the-gas-pedal culture of ours, idleness, relaxation, and let's face it, peace, are oftentimes elusive during our busy weeks. How many of us have crammed through the Monday-Friday race, and then at 6 PM on Friday night, ask ourselves, what just happened? Where was I? How has another week flown by already?
Peace Points (a term I first heard coined by the brilliant Paul Chek) are little actions you can take within your days that draw you back to your center, out of your head, and back to the "why" of your life. We all have greater intentions, purposes, and ambitions in our lives that often get lost in the busyness of it all; the following practices seem simple, but act as powerful ways to re-connect you with yourself. What's more, these pauses in your day, however brief, will actually serve to make you more productive, as you will be working with greater aim and purpose, not to mention clarity and focus.
Examples:
- Go outside on your lunch break, find a bit of grass, take off your shoes, and simply feel your feet on the earth. Take it a step further: lay down outside, and stare up at the clouds. Ten minutes of this and I guarantee a perspective shift.
- Scheduling in your exercise.You get busy and what's the first thing off your calendar? Usually self-care. Schedule your run/yoga class/dance class/gym session on your calendar, and honor it like you would the strictest of deadlines.
- Set an hourly alarm on your work computer. Every time it buzzes, stand up and stretch, or take 5-10 full, soulful, deep breaths.
- Wake up 20-30 minutes earlier in the morning and allot yourself some personal time. This can look like meditation; a nice, nourishing breakfast; a walk/run with your dog; catch up on reading.
I will continue to add to this list as I continue to implement them into my own life, but in the interim, how do YOU re-connect with yourself when you start to spin a little too fast?
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Thursday, August 2, 2012
Introducing Every Day Sage
Greetings~I am thrilled to announce I am beginning a new business, Every Day Sage, where I will combine wellness, nutrition and yoga. I will be working with people on how to reach their health goals, including stress reduction, increasing energy, losing weight, and improving their confidence. I’ll accomplish this by supporting them with their food and lifestyle choices. I am specifically interested in bridging the gap between mindful lifestyle choices and the challenges of city living.
As you know, I have always had an interest in health and wellness and delight in sharing this knowledge with my friends, colleagues, family, the cashier at the store, taxi drivers, bartenders, and the many people I run into on a daily basis. I decided to increase this knowledge and learn, in a formal training program, how to live a better life through eating well and taking care of myself. I am currently enrolled at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York City. I am not only learning to improve my life, I am also receiving very detailed and careful instruction on how to coach others around food and lifestyle choices. It’s an exciting time!
I can't wait to share more with you about my new career path, and all of the benefits of this work. I’ll be inviting people to health consultations in the near future, to have the opportunity to support them to create happier, healthier, and more fulfilling lives. I’ll be in touch periodically to let you know how my training is progressing. I appreciate being able to share this with you. Please feel free to visit my Facebook page at facebook.com/everydaysage to get a preview of what I am up to!
I hope you are well and I wish you a great day! I look forward to talking with you soon. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions~
Big love,
Dani
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Heartbreakthrough
The saga continues. It's been so interesting to see how people are dealing with it. Some are withdrawing, some are rooting down for the long haul; some are pissed, others beseeching--and then there's the occasional "OM OM OM LOVE AND LIGHT everything is fine!" sort of cheerleader voice thrown in. There are the folks who want the nitty gritty details, and others holding space for a bigger perspective; there are poets and jokesters and analysts but more than anything there is a sadness. There's just no other way to put it: this is a big bummer for everyone.
It's been just over two weeks since the you-know-what hit the fan and I am about tuckered out from the constant feed of news on the internetz. It's sick. I'm exhausted. I'm sick of hearing everyone and any one's opinions.
As much as it sucks, the more I think about it, the more it makes total sense. This is the year where everything is set to shift; the world as we know it is coming to an end. The end of this beginning is just another symptom of a greater cosmic unfurling. We are being cooked in the great pressure cooker of the universe, and shit is about to get real. Who'd have thought one of the first big shake ups of the year would be a complete crisis in the yoga community?If it weren't such a disappointing cliche, it might actually be really funny.
Government is breaking down, the health care system is in shambles, and access to education is rapidly diminishing; I can't find an apartment in the city to save my life so it looks like I'll be living with roommates until I'm 50, and I'm making less money/year than any year since I was 21. Old ways of being no longer serve and we are collectively feeling the great squeeze.
OF COURSE this top heavy, patriarchal, hierarchical, single white-man run organization is unsustainable. Of course the new paradigm will be a horizontal system run collectively and cooperatively. You can't preach riding the great shakti wave in every aspect of your life and then ignore her in how you run an entire global organization. Truly, I see this as what the universe is demanding-no longer asking, but DEMANDING-happen to not only all aforementioned systems, but also within each and every one of us.
Another reason I'm grateful for this drama is the light it's shed on a few dark corners of my own sadhana. There were aspects of the Anusara community that I no matter how I tried, I just couldn't relate to--now that this is happening, for the first time I realize I am not the only one who felt that way. For example, one of the tenets of the method is fostering community. This is an incredible part of studying Anusara--no matter where you go in the world, you will be met with open arms by similarly oriented folks. However, certain parts of it felt false to me--what I call the Anusara bandwagon. Sometimes all the "SHINE OUT" jargon felt like cheerleading which quite frankly is the last thing I needed. I kept waiting for something to click within me, like one day I'd wake up and feel different. One day I'd wake up and realize that new John Friend endorsed Manduka mat really would elevate my practice to a whole new level! (har, har)
So that's one thing. I feel a new freedom that I don't have to fit into a certain mold to gain acknowledgement (because, let's face it, I am not the cheerleading type and I'm rounder than most yoga teachers you see out there). For now, I am clear about what this is all about for me and in this moment, it's not about a license, or even a certificate. It's about following my heart and those teachers who speak directly to it. None of my teachers have resigned which I find interesting.
I heard a Baron Baptiste quote recently that went something like "When you squeeze and orange, juice comes out. When you are squeezed, what do you get?" This scandal is such fodder for the practice. It's a great opportunity to learn to make spiritual lemonade!
Love to all
<3
It's been just over two weeks since the you-know-what hit the fan and I am about tuckered out from the constant feed of news on the internetz. It's sick. I'm exhausted. I'm sick of hearing everyone and any one's opinions.
As much as it sucks, the more I think about it, the more it makes total sense. This is the year where everything is set to shift; the world as we know it is coming to an end. The end of this beginning is just another symptom of a greater cosmic unfurling. We are being cooked in the great pressure cooker of the universe, and shit is about to get real. Who'd have thought one of the first big shake ups of the year would be a complete crisis in the yoga community?If it weren't such a disappointing cliche, it might actually be really funny.
Government is breaking down, the health care system is in shambles, and access to education is rapidly diminishing; I can't find an apartment in the city to save my life so it looks like I'll be living with roommates until I'm 50, and I'm making less money/year than any year since I was 21. Old ways of being no longer serve and we are collectively feeling the great squeeze.
OF COURSE this top heavy, patriarchal, hierarchical, single white-man run organization is unsustainable. Of course the new paradigm will be a horizontal system run collectively and cooperatively. You can't preach riding the great shakti wave in every aspect of your life and then ignore her in how you run an entire global organization. Truly, I see this as what the universe is demanding-no longer asking, but DEMANDING-happen to not only all aforementioned systems, but also within each and every one of us.
Another reason I'm grateful for this drama is the light it's shed on a few dark corners of my own sadhana. There were aspects of the Anusara community that I no matter how I tried, I just couldn't relate to--now that this is happening, for the first time I realize I am not the only one who felt that way. For example, one of the tenets of the method is fostering community. This is an incredible part of studying Anusara--no matter where you go in the world, you will be met with open arms by similarly oriented folks. However, certain parts of it felt false to me--what I call the Anusara bandwagon. Sometimes all the "SHINE OUT" jargon felt like cheerleading which quite frankly is the last thing I needed. I kept waiting for something to click within me, like one day I'd wake up and feel different. One day I'd wake up and realize that new John Friend endorsed Manduka mat really would elevate my practice to a whole new level! (har, har)
So that's one thing. I feel a new freedom that I don't have to fit into a certain mold to gain acknowledgement (because, let's face it, I am not the cheerleading type and I'm rounder than most yoga teachers you see out there). For now, I am clear about what this is all about for me and in this moment, it's not about a license, or even a certificate. It's about following my heart and those teachers who speak directly to it. None of my teachers have resigned which I find interesting.
I heard a Baron Baptiste quote recently that went something like "When you squeeze and orange, juice comes out. When you are squeezed, what do you get?" This scandal is such fodder for the practice. It's a great opportunity to learn to make spiritual lemonade!
Love to all
<3
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Bring a friend for free promo
 |
| Hey Everyone! I am lucky to be able to offer this promotion--for the entire month of February, bring a friend for free to my class: Friday nights @ 7:45. Much love... |
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Notes on a Scandal
On Friday, February third, two things happened that couldn't have possibly pulled my heart in two more opposite directions.
Ever since I started my novice yoga teaching career just shy of two years ago, I always said I wanted to give the practice back to communities who perhaps wouldn't have access to the teachings/public yoga classes. Friday afternoon saw me on the 49 bus up Van Ness for a meeting with case managers from La Casa De Las Madres, an organization that serves women victims of domestic violence. We are moving forward and I will teach one class per week to the residents at one of La Casa's centers. I start this Wednesday.
That same day, immediately before clocking out of my day job and hopping on the bus, I learned of a crisis in the Anusara community (for those of you who read this and don't know what that is, it is a method of yoga/spiritual practice that I have aligned my entire life with). I am not going to link to any information here as I do not wish to contribute to the online brou-haha, but suffice it to say, it rocked me to my core and I spent the weekend investigating my thoughts, feelings, and initial reaction to the news. In a nutshell, unsubstantiated allegations were made against the founder of Anusara, and it is rattling the community as we patiently wait for the truth to come to light.
The juxtaposition between the political drama of what in the West is an elite system (yoga) and spending an afternoon with women, most of whom are old enough to be my mother, who are at-risk homeless, living in single occupancy rooms without even a bathroom to themselves, effected me all the way down in my bones. My emotions ran the gamut between heartbreak, anger, disappointment, anxiousness, disgust, fear, annoyance, bewilderment, and uncertainty.
What a brilliant opportunity to practice.
In yoga, the first step is to remember the bigger picture; take a step back, breath fullness into the back of your body, listen, and allow for a little space. We practice this subtle attunement on our mats again and again, day after day, week after week, so that when challenges arise in our "real" life, we learn to respond in a conscious way instead of being held captive by habitual patterns of reaction. This doesn't happen overnight. I doubt there is anyone living for whom this level of presence is a permanent state! Think about it as a well-worn dirt road; regardless of your intention, it is really difficult at first to steer your wheels in a different way when they are so used to just grinding down the same old grooves. But with practice, it is possible to shape a new and distinct path.
If the moment, ahem, shit gets real, I bail on all practice and training and insight and growth I've been supposedly committed to for the past near-decade of my life, then what is the point? It is easy for me to default to the anger that used to so easily rage out of me, that for years now I have been training myself to channel into higher forms. I take this practice so seriously, and the hardest part for me is how with all the online back-and-forth, speculation, and full on vitriol, it is relegated to mere tabloid fodder. I am not over exaggerating or lying when I say yoga saved my life--my early twenties were spent throwing myself so fully into the void just like so many of the ones who came before me that I am grateful every day to be healthy and safe, and even better yet, happy.
So I guess what I'm saying is practice more. The last thing I will do is claim to have all the answers; I am still young and have so many more experiences to come. All I know is it is on my mat that I feel the anchor that connects me, that connects all of us, to the source. It's the only place where that bigger perspective grows; tuning in to the universal, we are brought back down to earth.
Amen Hallelujah Namaste and a big dose of LOVE
x
See you on the mat, where the rubber literally meets the road (;
Ever since I started my novice yoga teaching career just shy of two years ago, I always said I wanted to give the practice back to communities who perhaps wouldn't have access to the teachings/public yoga classes. Friday afternoon saw me on the 49 bus up Van Ness for a meeting with case managers from La Casa De Las Madres, an organization that serves women victims of domestic violence. We are moving forward and I will teach one class per week to the residents at one of La Casa's centers. I start this Wednesday.
That same day, immediately before clocking out of my day job and hopping on the bus, I learned of a crisis in the Anusara community (for those of you who read this and don't know what that is, it is a method of yoga/spiritual practice that I have aligned my entire life with). I am not going to link to any information here as I do not wish to contribute to the online brou-haha, but suffice it to say, it rocked me to my core and I spent the weekend investigating my thoughts, feelings, and initial reaction to the news. In a nutshell, unsubstantiated allegations were made against the founder of Anusara, and it is rattling the community as we patiently wait for the truth to come to light.
The juxtaposition between the political drama of what in the West is an elite system (yoga) and spending an afternoon with women, most of whom are old enough to be my mother, who are at-risk homeless, living in single occupancy rooms without even a bathroom to themselves, effected me all the way down in my bones. My emotions ran the gamut between heartbreak, anger, disappointment, anxiousness, disgust, fear, annoyance, bewilderment, and uncertainty.In yoga, the first step is to remember the bigger picture; take a step back, breath fullness into the back of your body, listen, and allow for a little space. We practice this subtle attunement on our mats again and again, day after day, week after week, so that when challenges arise in our "real" life, we learn to respond in a conscious way instead of being held captive by habitual patterns of reaction. This doesn't happen overnight. I doubt there is anyone living for whom this level of presence is a permanent state! Think about it as a well-worn dirt road; regardless of your intention, it is really difficult at first to steer your wheels in a different way when they are so used to just grinding down the same old grooves. But with practice, it is possible to shape a new and distinct path.
If the moment, ahem, shit gets real, I bail on all practice and training and insight and growth I've been supposedly committed to for the past near-decade of my life, then what is the point? It is easy for me to default to the anger that used to so easily rage out of me, that for years now I have been training myself to channel into higher forms. I take this practice so seriously, and the hardest part for me is how with all the online back-and-forth, speculation, and full on vitriol, it is relegated to mere tabloid fodder. I am not over exaggerating or lying when I say yoga saved my life--my early twenties were spent throwing myself so fully into the void just like so many of the ones who came before me that I am grateful every day to be healthy and safe, and even better yet, happy.
So I guess what I'm saying is practice more. The last thing I will do is claim to have all the answers; I am still young and have so many more experiences to come. All I know is it is on my mat that I feel the anchor that connects me, that connects all of us, to the source. It's the only place where that bigger perspective grows; tuning in to the universal, we are brought back down to earth.
Amen Hallelujah Namaste and a big dose of LOVE
x
See you on the mat, where the rubber literally meets the road (;
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
FOCUS 2012
Friends!
Here are my top three overarching goals/intentions/aims/foci for this great year of 2012, still so shrouded in mystery:
Here are my top three overarching goals/intentions/aims/foci for this great year of 2012, still so shrouded in mystery:
- Find a new home with my partner, Dave.
- Gain Anusara Inspired teaching certification, the next level of certification in the Anusara method.
- Create a lucrative career.
It is my aim to complete one action per day in service to each of these goals, even if that action is a simple prayer.
My practice goals for 2012
- feet flat on the floor in ado muka svanasana
- drop backs
- full hanumanasana
- handstand (without the wall!)
- cannonball jumps into handstand
- hips over hands when leaping forward from ado muka svanasana to uttanasana
- full natarajasana
- full vasisthasana (both sides)
- pinchamayurasana (without the wall)
- Memorize the Anusara syllabi (the whole thing)
- LOVE MY BODY
These first few days of the new year have been soft and quiet. I have cut back on caffeine and haven't had a drop of alcohol...save that shot of tequila last Monday with Dave's dad. I am enjoying the clarity and focus that this time is providing, before the busyness of life takes center stage and my energy turns to projects, workshops, trainings, and hopefully a bit of travel.
I'd also like to send infinite blessings of gratitude to the endless support I receive every day. Thanks to those of you who read this blog! Oh, I guess that's another thing I'd love to fire up this year...
In service,
In service,
Dani
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Fingers Crossed!
You guys! I just found out that Yoga Kula SF has some classes opening up!
Please keep your fingers crossed that they take me into consideration as a teacher there!
xoxoxoxoxo
Please keep your fingers crossed that they take me into consideration as a teacher there!
xoxoxoxoxo
Friday, November 4, 2011
First cold Friday in November...thoughts and wishes.
I thought "hope" was what I felt when we elected Obama; this current is pouring forth from an entirely different wellspring.
I was 17 when the planes hit the two towers. A decade later, I feel my power returning.
Not just mine, all of ours, the collective. It's a cautious excitement, but an excitement nonetheless.
What joy to witness a movement that truly cuts through all ideological lines, you know? An evolution from the power center to the heart, a visible, upward moving connection.
The stakes are higher than they have ever been. And we are rising to the occasion.
I changed over to a credit union today. I was tempted to hop into H&M and peruse the fall merchandise, but I abstained; as alluring as those prices are I am committed to bolstering community with every action, this includes where I use mah monies.
The stakes feel higher inside too. No more lies. No more shirking responsibility. Most of all, no more excuses.
I am so tired of excuses.
May each moment be an opportunity to serve the highest. May we all have the courage to be nonviolent harbingers of TRUTH.
Tomorrow 11am I am assisting Katchie's class, then quick lunch, then will be heading down to march if anyone wants to join...
I'll leave you with this, it's been keeping me going all week, by the incomparable Martha Graham:
"There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open."
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Sigue siguiendo
Things are trundling along. Seven people came to my Monday night class last week, a new record for me in that space so I am excited and humbled and working extra hard to make sure my classes are varied, fun, and challenging to the myriad of levels that are attending lately. The most exciting part is that the students are repeats; that is to say, it wasn't random that seven people showed up that night, I play a part in their presence at my class...suffice to say that I'm doing something right, and I'll be honest, after almost a year of barely one or two people showing up, it feels really good.
Next week is the one year anniversary of the first class I ever taught at Balance in Motion. Teaching yoga is absolutely 100% the opposite of what I imagined it would be during the year I was perpetually enrolled in various trainings and workshops, the year that I attended yoga classes at least five times/week, (even working at the studio to balance this passion--my biggest expense aside from rent), the year I was more-or-less sober and celibate, the year I (and here's where some yogi-speak comes in) remembered my essential nature, and finally stopped filling up the gaps with ridiculous, short-term flings, or searching for answers at the bottom of a pint. I had multiple dreams, vivid, realistic dreams of giving birth, my belly full and ripe; I'd wake up trembling, not so much from the actual details of the dream but from the fact that I knew in my heart I was giving birth to a new part of myself, a delicate, vulnerable part that I would have to hold close and nurture to fruition. It was an exciting time.
Cut to nearly exactly a year to the day later--I experienced some health issues that were quite the opposite of giving birth to something. I won't go into detail here because it's not the place but it was a sharp juxtaposition from my previous year of growth-in both cases, my internal landscape manifested itself physically. I was scared. I had forgotten, in my excitement, that for anything to truly blossom and flourish, old growth must be cut away to make room for the new. I learned that sometimes it feels liberating and expansive to let go of the old; other times, it sucks and I want to do whatever it takes to hold on to it, even after it's no longer useful. It's that old metaphor about the plant: if you don't transfer a plant every so often, it becomes root bound and dies. Same goes for us--my question is, why is the new pot so damn terrifying???
It is a difficult lesson to learn, and one I am still learning, every day. The yoga practice has illuminated the very aspects of myself that I used to run from. I don't know why I ever thought this would be easy! Because it's not, it's actually really fucking intense. That's why this practice works. It's uplifting in that it celebrates all the wonderful things that make you who you are; but it's also really hardcore sometimes to have this very honest mirror held constantly in front of you, and to STILL keep coming back day after day to your mat as a student, practicing, inquiring, listening. I know there is this stereotype of the always-blissed-out yogi, and while I have had moments like that, I've also had the opposite: moments where I feel like a dragon and all I want to do is spit fire at the instructor; or moments at home, where I roll out my mat only to do a couple poses before bursting into tears. I'm not going to tell you it's fun all the time, because that would be a lie, and I'm trying not to do that anymore...
Teaching yoga is an honor and a privilege. I am working on breathing into the growing pains, recognizing when I start to feel anxious about the new growth, and moving forward anyway. It's hard, but it's so worth it. See you on the mat! xoxox
Next week is the one year anniversary of the first class I ever taught at Balance in Motion. Teaching yoga is absolutely 100% the opposite of what I imagined it would be during the year I was perpetually enrolled in various trainings and workshops, the year that I attended yoga classes at least five times/week, (even working at the studio to balance this passion--my biggest expense aside from rent), the year I was more-or-less sober and celibate, the year I (and here's where some yogi-speak comes in) remembered my essential nature, and finally stopped filling up the gaps with ridiculous, short-term flings, or searching for answers at the bottom of a pint. I had multiple dreams, vivid, realistic dreams of giving birth, my belly full and ripe; I'd wake up trembling, not so much from the actual details of the dream but from the fact that I knew in my heart I was giving birth to a new part of myself, a delicate, vulnerable part that I would have to hold close and nurture to fruition. It was an exciting time.
Cut to nearly exactly a year to the day later--I experienced some health issues that were quite the opposite of giving birth to something. I won't go into detail here because it's not the place but it was a sharp juxtaposition from my previous year of growth-in both cases, my internal landscape manifested itself physically. I was scared. I had forgotten, in my excitement, that for anything to truly blossom and flourish, old growth must be cut away to make room for the new. I learned that sometimes it feels liberating and expansive to let go of the old; other times, it sucks and I want to do whatever it takes to hold on to it, even after it's no longer useful. It's that old metaphor about the plant: if you don't transfer a plant every so often, it becomes root bound and dies. Same goes for us--my question is, why is the new pot so damn terrifying???
It is a difficult lesson to learn, and one I am still learning, every day. The yoga practice has illuminated the very aspects of myself that I used to run from. I don't know why I ever thought this would be easy! Because it's not, it's actually really fucking intense. That's why this practice works. It's uplifting in that it celebrates all the wonderful things that make you who you are; but it's also really hardcore sometimes to have this very honest mirror held constantly in front of you, and to STILL keep coming back day after day to your mat as a student, practicing, inquiring, listening. I know there is this stereotype of the always-blissed-out yogi, and while I have had moments like that, I've also had the opposite: moments where I feel like a dragon and all I want to do is spit fire at the instructor; or moments at home, where I roll out my mat only to do a couple poses before bursting into tears. I'm not going to tell you it's fun all the time, because that would be a lie, and I'm trying not to do that anymore...
Teaching yoga is an honor and a privilege. I am working on breathing into the growing pains, recognizing when I start to feel anxious about the new growth, and moving forward anyway. It's hard, but it's so worth it. See you on the mat! xoxox
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Just what I needed to hear!
Look what the universe sent me this morning:
"I still don't get why people are so surprised that the turtle beat the rabbit over the long run.
Consistent effort, Dani, no matter how small, sparks magic, fills sails, butters bread, turns tides, instills faith, summons friends, improves health, burns calories, creates abundance, yields clarity, builds courage, spins planets, and rewrites destinies."
It's especially welcome as I FINALLY last night updated my yoga fliers and created/purchased updated business cards! It might sound small but it is something, I'm slightly embarrassed to report, I have been putting off for the past 10 months...maybe longer.
These little reminders are so tremendous--I don't know about all of you but I certainly, sometimes on a daily basis, feel like I'm banging my head against a wall. The bigger picture, the greater vision, is so clear, I just want to sink my teeth into it already: and then when I think about how far away I feel from the end result, I can't help but feel bogged down about the state of everything...(initiate thought pattern of doom).
And then I remember! That everything I do is one step closer to the greater vision, that there is no backsliding on the path, that I am doing the best I can, and there is plenty of room for me too, and my particular brand of passion and humor and desire. Sometimes all it takes to tune back into that remembrance is an anonymous email in my inbox on a bright Tuesday morning, on an early fall day, in the glorious city of San Francisco.
Thanks for reading, and remember, "...without you, space, time, and everywhere ever thought of would be far less."
Also, I find it excellent that the universe sounds decidedly like Tom Robbins....
LOVE
"I still don't get why people are so surprised that the turtle beat the rabbit over the long run.
Consistent effort, Dani, no matter how small, sparks magic, fills sails, butters bread, turns tides, instills faith, summons friends, improves health, burns calories, creates abundance, yields clarity, builds courage, spins planets, and rewrites destinies."
It's especially welcome as I FINALLY last night updated my yoga fliers and created/purchased updated business cards! It might sound small but it is something, I'm slightly embarrassed to report, I have been putting off for the past 10 months...maybe longer.
These little reminders are so tremendous--I don't know about all of you but I certainly, sometimes on a daily basis, feel like I'm banging my head against a wall. The bigger picture, the greater vision, is so clear, I just want to sink my teeth into it already: and then when I think about how far away I feel from the end result, I can't help but feel bogged down about the state of everything...(initiate thought pattern of doom).
And then I remember! That everything I do is one step closer to the greater vision, that there is no backsliding on the path, that I am doing the best I can, and there is plenty of room for me too, and my particular brand of passion and humor and desire. Sometimes all it takes to tune back into that remembrance is an anonymous email in my inbox on a bright Tuesday morning, on an early fall day, in the glorious city of San Francisco.
Thanks for reading, and remember, "...without you, space, time, and everywhere ever thought of would be far less."
Also, I find it excellent that the universe sounds decidedly like Tom Robbins....
LOVE
Friday, August 5, 2011
Happy Friday!
What's the good word this weekend? If any of y'all are interested, tomorrow morning I'll be at Katchie's 11 AM yoga class @ Yoga Kula, followed by lunch at Stable Cafe, hands down my favorite cafe in the city...Want to join?
Wishing you all a sunshine filled weekend!
<3
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Last night...
..... my teacher said something in class that hit me real good. She said many incredible things, as she is priestess/warrior/sage/yogini, but this one thing stood out in particular:
"By giving up thinking about how things should be, we can get present to how things actually are."
Simple, no? In that instance, she was referring specifically to asana, how, so often, as we are going through the physical motions in yoga class, we get so caught up in how we look: how our pose compares to the person next to us; how, jeez, I've been practicing this pose for years, why can't I just touch my toes/lift my leg higher/stretch my hamstrings et al a little farther; how, if I could just push my foot a little farther or suck my gut in a little more, I would be better... before we know it, we've gotten so caught up in "shoulding" ourselves that we've missed out on the pose completely.
I'm telling you, this blew my mind. I've heard this before but last night, it dug in a little more. Sometimes it's the seemingly simplest of teachings that hit the deepest.
I should all over myself all the damn time... and not just on my yoga mat.
I should have more money saved.
I should be working harder!
I shouldn't eat/drink/smoke/try/indulge/desire/trust/say that. I definitely shouldn't wear that...
I should feel more passion for my job.
I should already be farther along my path than where I am.
I should be more productive!
Sound familiar? The list could go on and on.
My teacher has this uncanny ability to speak to exactly what is going on in our lives--a little three second blurb in an hour and a half class has the ability to pierce right through the bullshit and hit me right where I need it most.
When we come to our mats at the beginning of our practice, but also as we initiate every pose, the first step is to soften simply to what is; open ourselves to the bigger picture, expand our perspective, and accept what is in front of us. Then, into that spaciousness, we organize our bodies in such a way that is optimal, regardless of body type, past injury, pain, and so on. Closing our eyes, breathing deeply, maybe the deepest you've ever breathed before, we drop out of our busy brains and into our bodies, and it is in this sweet spot that yoga occurs.
What I'm trying to say is that we already put enough pressure on ourselves in this foot-always-on-the-gas-pedal culture of ours; yoga doesn't have to be yet another masochistic activity we cram ourselves through. We practice getting present to and creating space around the physical postures during yoga class in the hopes that one day, that presence will trickle over into our "real lives." Once this starts to happen, our experience of life starts to shift, and we create space there too- around our relationships, in our careers, with our creative ideas and projects, and our daily interactions start to flow from this place of space, and we are no longer living at the mercy of habitual patterns and reactions.
What I'm trying to say is, be kinder. Yes, to everyone around you, but first, to your sweet sweet self. Our time is so valuable--don't waste it spending time with the should monster. Enjoy the people in your life-really take time to sit down and listen to them. Go for walks. Touch the things around you. Lay down in the grass. Move your body!
I'm excited to have this little teaching be my guiding light for the next cycle; my practice is going to be, when I catch my self "shoulding," I'm going to stop whatever I'm doing and take 10 long, deep, soulful breaths. I would love for you to join me.
And for you cynics, another nice side effect of the practice is long, leaner muscles, and a stronger core from the inside out. But don't take it from me, try it yourself!
Where do you should yourself? What other practices do you take to ground or return to the present?
Sunday, November 21, 2010
"Selling out" vs "Saying yes"
The thing is, I really like saying yes. I like new things, projects, plans, getting people together and doing something, trying something, even when it's corny or stupid. I am not good at saying no. And I do not get along with people who say no. When you could die, and it really could be this afternoon, under the same bus wheels I'll stick my head if need be, you will not be happy about having said no. You will be kicking your ass about all the no's you've said. No to that opportunity or no to that trip to Nova Scotia or no to that night out, or no to that project or no to that person who wants to be naked with you but you worry about what your friends will say.
No is for wimps. No is for pussies. No is to live small and embittered, cherishing the opportunities you missed because they might have sent the wrong message.
What matters is that you do good work. What matters is that you produce things that are true and will stand. What matters is that the Flaming Lips' new album is ravishing and I've listened to it a thousand times already, sometimes for days on end, and it enriches me and makes me want to save people. What matters is that it will stand forever, long after any narrow-hearted curmudgeons have forgotten their appearance on goddamn 90210. What matters is not the perception, nor the fashion, not who's up and who's down, but what someone has done and if they meant it. What matters is that you want to see and make and do, on as grand a scale as you want, regardless of what the tiny voices of tiny people say. Do not be critics, you people, I beg you. I was a critic and I wish I could take it all back because it came from a smelly and ignorant place in me, and spoke with a voice that was all rage and envy. Do no dismiss a book until you have written one, and do not dismiss a movie until you have made one, and do not dismiss a person until you have met them. It is a fuckload of work to be open-minded and generous and forgiving and accepting, but Christ that is what matters. What matters is saying yes."
-Dave Eggers
No is for wimps. No is for pussies. No is to live small and embittered, cherishing the opportunities you missed because they might have sent the wrong message.
What matters is that you do good work. What matters is that you produce things that are true and will stand. What matters is that the Flaming Lips' new album is ravishing and I've listened to it a thousand times already, sometimes for days on end, and it enriches me and makes me want to save people. What matters is that it will stand forever, long after any narrow-hearted curmudgeons have forgotten their appearance on goddamn 90210. What matters is not the perception, nor the fashion, not who's up and who's down, but what someone has done and if they meant it. What matters is that you want to see and make and do, on as grand a scale as you want, regardless of what the tiny voices of tiny people say. Do not be critics, you people, I beg you. I was a critic and I wish I could take it all back because it came from a smelly and ignorant place in me, and spoke with a voice that was all rage and envy. Do no dismiss a book until you have written one, and do not dismiss a movie until you have made one, and do not dismiss a person until you have met them. It is a fuckload of work to be open-minded and generous and forgiving and accepting, but Christ that is what matters. What matters is saying yes."
-Dave Eggers
Friday, November 12, 2010
Shifting the Default
With all the talk of cycles ending, moving from light into dark, expansion into contraction, it seems the natural progression of these thoughts brings me to the following question:
How does one navigate transition and change gracefully?
Typically we humans have our defaults set in such a way that we don't even realize we are in a constant cycle of repeating the same patterns over...and over...and over. Usually we react to things (interactions, decisions, relationships, challenges) in one of two ways: we either shy away from it, tune it out ("I can't do it") or we try to conquer it--muscle through, take control, assert our power. This is our default. Think about your tendency: How do you typically react when something unexpected arises, when your buttons get pushed or something triggers you? What are your patterns in relationships, in your career, in your social sphere? If you are having trouble thinking of something, look no further than your family. The holidays are right around the corner, and a lot of us will be spending time with family members we don't see very often. For me, when I go home to visit my family, it is the shiniest mirror I could possibly imagine reflecting back all the things I may the day before thought I had all figured out and squared away. I see my life through a certain lens; I imagine myself a certain way, until I go home and suddenly I'm 17 again and playing out all the old samskaras with my sister, and I'm thinking, what the hell just happened? This isn't how I want to be.
Now imagine a particularly challenging yoga pose, one that causes you to cringe every time your teacher announces it. What is your default here? I'm willing to wager that how you react to a difficult pose translates exactly to how you react to struggle in your day-to-day life.
So how do we shift the default? Just like anything else in life, with practice. This change won't happen overnight; just as our physical bodies on our mats get stronger with consistent asana practice, and those challenging poses begin to open up for us, so does the practice of shifting out default get stronger over time to the point where the practice doesn't fade away the minute you roll up your yoga mat, but is carried with you into
A consistent yoga practice is a call to the highest: can we practice in such a way that every movement, action, thought, and expression begins to move into alignment with our highest nature? By learning to approach challenges on the mat with a sense of curiosity, rather than aversion or assertion, we are more able to work with life's curve-balls instead of being constantly mowed down or blindsided by them.
Ramakrishna said, "The winds of grace are always blowing; it is for us to raise the sails." By opening to the winds of grace, we begin to have more and more of those fantastic "A HA!" moments and it becomes more and more easy to catch ourselves falling into old patterns and snap out of our defaults with greater ease. And the world in turn starts to turn every day a bit rosier.
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