Silvia's Blog
HOW TO REDUCE NEGATIVITY AND WORRY
FEBRUARY 28TH: In the Yoga Sutra’s Pantanjali gives us a four part process to help us clear our hearts of any negative energies as a means for quieting our minds and reconnecting to the deepest reservoirs of unconditional love. The sutras advise we:
1. cultivate maitri (friendliness) toward pleasure and friends;
2. karma (compassion) for those who are in pain or suffering, yourself included;
3. mudita joy for those that you are happy and whom we admire;
4. and upeksanam equanimity toward those who have hurt us.
So simple. Try it this week as we learned it in class today and see for yourself if this doesn’t indeed change your life! May you feel the power of transformation grow. Peace to you, Silvia
2/28/2009 Tags: YOGA SUTRAS, TEACHING YOGA, YOGA PHILOSOPHY, meditation, space, negativity Direct Link
GUEST BLOG - Spring is less than a month away!
FEBRUARY 27TH: Hi Friends! This note came to me from my friend and fellow teacher at total body yoga Mary Scudella this morning. I thought you'd enjoy it! And don't forget Mary teaches Yoga for Children Teacher Training Workshop this weekend and there are two spots left!
Can you believe Spring is less than a month away? The Spring Equinox occurs on Friday, March 20. Before our snow the other day, I observed my crocuses starting to creep out of the ground. The earth is preparing for Spring. What are you doing to prepare for Spring?
This past Saturday we began preparing for the arrival of Spring in our yoga practice. We flowed through a detox practice which stimulated and refreshed the liver and kidneys. Forward bending and backwards bending not only aligns the spine, but helps us to cleanse our system through nourishing our organs that process waste. At home, try poses like high lunge and pyramid, Warrior 1 variation arching backwards and standing splits. Even strong backbends like bow can be combined with child's pose, as long as you move cautiously from one to the next. It you'd like to add a further cleansing effect to the body, add in some twists like twisting lunge or revolved chair pose to wring out what is weighing you down. Don't forget to come back to center in downward facing dog or child's pose, feel the breath and release what binds you.
The seeds, bulbs, and roots beneath the surface of the earth are readying themselves for Spring. They have stored up energy from the fall, taken in water and minerals for nourishment and are awaiting the gentle warming ahead. Spend some time readying yourself for Spring. Through your yoga practice and through your diet - shed off the winter quiet and prepare yourself for the glory of waking up to the sun that lies ahead!
Namaste, Mary
PATIENCE AND COURAGE: EFFORT & EASE
FEBRUARY 26TH, 2008:
2/26/2009 Tags: YOGA SUTRAS, EFFORT, EASE, PATIENCE, Todd Norian, COURAGE Direct Link
THE TEACHERS ROLE IN YOGA
FEBRUARY 25TH, 2009: Tonight we talked about how yoga reveals our true nature, which is that of JOY! We all have the right to be happy, to be loved, to be peaceful. There are no conditions to meet or pre-requisites. Do you believe you deserve to be happy? Most of us come into the practice not really buying this completely, or at least that's been my experience this last 15 years of practice and teaching.
So how do we move from a state of disbelief to believing the best is possible, joy is here for us? The role of the teacher mentor is that of someone who wants to facilitate helping you rediscover your fullest potential. I see in you your greatest capacity for love and peace. I will believe in you until the day you believe it for yourself. Then we will celebrate this together!
The best explanation of the teacher's role is from Donna Farhi who puts it like this, "the teacher mentor assists the birthing of the student's dreams, visions, and hopes, and most important, what the student has not yet dared to imagine. A mentor moves the student from disbelief to belief and in the process continually affirms the student's self-worth." I want to make your learning easier by sharing with you all that I know. Now I can only make part of the journey with you. The deepest places you must discover within yourself are places only you can travel. In the meantime, I will do my best to make the journey FUN, PLAYFUL, INSPIRING and SAFE. That is my promise. I love you all my dear students. Peace, Silvia
*Reference Yoga Sutra 1.40
2/25/2009 Tags: Gratitude, Love, Self-worth, Donna Farhi, Yoga Sutras, Joy, Happiness Direct Link
FALLING IN LOVE WITH YOURSELF
FEBRUARY 24TH, 2009: "Love calls on parts of you that cannot speak." To me the highest practice of yoga is self-love. Time and again this is the purpose of practice. And just like loving another person we have to work at it. We must make an active effort to fall in love with ourselves on a day to day basis (or at the very least week to week).
The act of falling in love gets you centered to go to the next step in your spiritual journey!
This is Puja for your body. In India Pura is a ritual where they take idols that represent spirit and give their love to them, feed them, sing to them. Yoga poses (yoga asana) is like praying with our bodies in that the idea is that our bodies are temple. When you practice giving love to every part of your body through the nourishment of breath and movement you plant seeds of love and when they grow you will love, honor and respect your body even more. Life can be super easy when you LOVE yourself, when you LOVE your way of life, when you see everything through eyes of LOVE!
In the book Four Agreements a key section speaks to this, "in the search for self-love you will discover that its just a matter of time before you find what you are looking for. It's not about daydreaming or sitting hours in meditation. You have to stand up and be a HUMAN. You have to honor the man or woman that you are.
- Respect Your Body
- Enjoye Your Body
- Love Your Body
- Feed, clean, Heal Your Body
- Do what makes your body feel good
Today please repeat this Toltec prayer before bed and when you wake in the morning to promote this act of falling in love with yourself again and again: Today help me to keep the love and peace in my heart And to make that love a new way of life, that I may live in love the rest of my life." Be love, Silvia
2/24/2009 Tags: SELF LOVE, LOVE, meditation puja, body prayer, Four Agreements Direct Link
DO YOUR BEST
FEBRUARY 23, 2009: My teacher Shiva Rea says, "The teachings of yoga include a view called parinamavada, the idea that constant change is an inherent part of life. Therefore, to proceed skillfully with any action, we must first assess where we are starting from today; we can’t assume we are quite the same person we were yesterday." So when we step into the current of grace how can we manage to do our best – no more, no less, keeping in mind that doing our best is never going to be the same like our breath. The Yoga Sutras suggest each pose be Sthira Sukham Asanam, steady and pleasant. More importantly in the incessant changing stream of life can we just keep trying? The more you practice yoga the more you will respond YES!
The great thing is that when we DO OUR BEST then we give no reason for self-judgement, blame, guilt, negative self talk of any kind. There are no regrets.
To me doing our best is kind of scary. From a western view it pulls us into that “no pain, no gain” mentality that life must hurt. But that’s not it at all. Doing our best means we are living our lives fully, in the present moment with enormous intensity because we want to be good to ourselves. We want to make life all it can be aspiring to co-create with the universe for our optimal productivity. Doing our best makes us connect to our innate happiness! Why? Because it demonstrates our LOVE for life!
LOVE IS ACTIVE,
YES IS ACTIVE
DOING OUR BEST IS ACTIVE (INACTION IS THE WAY WE DENY LIFE)
Today we keep making the soil of our souls more fertile by contexualizing through asana practice the theme of "Always Doing Our Best.” I hope this inspires you to make sensitive adjustments as you enjoy each and every breath. All of this to make the space for the dreams you wish to hatch come the first day of Spring, March 20th! My dear friends you were born with the right to be happy and as Deepok Chopra suggests why not then make Happiness the Goal of ALL other goals, and just do our best with this. Please love your life, don’t let another breath pass without making it your best breath. Love to you all, Silvia
2/23/2009 Tags: Best Life Ever, Be Present, Shiva Rea, Deepak Chopra, Love, Change, Action, Yoga Sutras, Shiva Rea, Happiness Direct LinkSAY YES! YES!! YES!!!
FEBRUARY 22, 2009:
2/22/2009 Tags: YES Direct Link
A STRONG FOUNDATION: BEING AUTHENTIC
FEBRUARY 21, 2009: Our foundation both physical and spiritual provides us the opportunity to be ourselves. The stronger our foundation then less inclined we are to be pulled away from our center when we face obstacles. The objective of yoga as is written in the Yoga Sutras is to remove the divisions within yourself so that you can immerse yourself in the beauty and goodness that is you. This is the spirit of sutra chapter 2, verse 46. In the Bhagavad Ghita chapter 3 it is is said, "it is better to fail at yourself that it is to succeed at being someone else."
Thing is, it is a whole lot easier to be ourselves than it is to be who everyone else wants us to be.
So ask yourself, how do you see yourself right now? How can you be more you today?
I truly intend that this practice helps you build such a strong self-esteem and sense of self that you will be able to make all future decisions independently. That you will do what is most right for you in the face of life's obstacles. Sending you your best courage and wishing you your own best strength! Peace out, Silvia
2/21/2009 Tags: courage, foundation, authenticity, bhagavad gita, yoga sutras, meditation Direct Link
ARE YOU AUDITING YOUR LIFE
FEBRUARY 19, 2009: As you know I worked for a well-respected consultancy for many years, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, and part of the firm was auditing. You might know of PwC as they are the auditors of the Academy Awards Show this Sunday. So this morning I was reflecting on my time at the firm and what it means to audit. In business this is good, in terms of living life not so good.
Put simply: are you Auditing life or are you a full-time active player.
There are really only two teams: WHICH TEAM ARE YOU PLAYING FOR?
Yoga teaches that LIFE requires active participation. Instead of watching folks dance on tv, why not dance? Instead of watching folks on TV sing, why not start singing or playing guitar yourself. Instead of watching folks take great adventures in the amazing race, why not have an adventure of your own? That's the inspiration I hope you find from tonight's class at 7:30pm, Level 1. That you show up and participate more fully in your life, that you don't just audit it watching others live. When we do this, I see it as a WIN for life itself. This is a true victory of spirit! This is a victory for life itself!
Take to heart the words of Jon Kabat Zinn, "When you quit working at life, life stops working for you." Yup. So engage your life right now, get in the game! Love and courage to you all, Silvia
2/19/2009 Tags: Courage, determination, tapas, shakti, intention, auditing Direct LinkPLEASURE IN THE WORK OF ART OF YOUR LIFE
FEBRUARY 18TH, 2009: I am a poet, dancer, singer, artist and musician. I have been since I was a child. So when I read Thich Nhat Hanh's words, "Each minute of our life is a work of art. Everything we do is an act of poetry or a painting if we do it with mindfulness." I got it.
More importantly what this means to me is that as an artist there is pleasure in creating one's life. You can ask anyone that dances, sings, writes about the joy that comes from their art and they will tell you what great pleasure they get from it. The thing is that we are all the artists of our own lives. I just hope that you use this practice to find pleasure in experiencing your life.
I don't want you to worry about doing the poses perfectly or trying to do them like me or a dvd or someone else. There is no pleasure in that. Instead I want this practice to be about being yourself, your most beautiful self and taking pleasure in that. Why? Because the real yoga is what you CAN'T SEE, IT IS INVISIBLE. So know that when you join me I am looking for what is most amazing about each and everyone of you, I see your beauty and want to inspire you to dream big! In the words of Dr Wayne Dyer, "Let no doubt into your dreams and intentions. The dreamers are the saviors of the world. Just as visible world is sustained by the invisible, so too do the manifestations of man find nourishment in the visions of dreamers. BE ONE OF THOSE DREAMERS!"
Rock on! Love, Silvia
2/18/2009 Tags: Pleasure, joy, thich naht hanh, dr. Dyer, Direct Link
LIVING LIFE OVER AGAIN - A FAVE POEM
"If I had to live my life over again
I'd try to make more mistakes next time.
I'd try not to be so damn perfect.
I'd relax more, I'd limber up.
I'd be sillier than I've been on this trip.
In fact I know very few things that I would take quite so seriously.
I'd be crazier and I'd certainly be less hygenic.
I'd take more chances, I'd take more trips.
I'd climb more mountains, I'd swim more rivers.
I'd watch more sunsets, I'd burn more gasoline.
I'd eat more ice cream and fewer beans.
I'd have more actual troubles and fewer imaginary ones.
You see, I was one of those people who lived prophylactically
and sanely and sensibly, hour after hour and day after day.
Oh, that doesn't mean I didn't have my moment... and if I had it
all over to do, I'd have more of those moments.
In fact I would try to have nothing but wonderful
moments, side by side.
I was one of those people who never went anywhere
without a thermometer, hot water bottle, a gargle,
a rain coat, and a parachute.
If I had it to do all over again, I'd travel lighter next time.
If I had my life to live over again, I'd start barefoot
earlier in the Spring and I'd stay that way later in the Fall.
I'd play hooky a little more.
I'd ride more merry-go-rounds.
I'd smell more flowers.
I'd hug more children.
I'd tell more people that I loved them.
If I had my life to live over again.
But you see, I don't."
- Author Unknown
2/17/2009 Tags: perfection, flexibility, love Direct Link
THE GENIUS THAT YOU ARE!
FEBRUARY 16, 2009: Every single one of you is vitally important to the universe. You are genius! The world needs your genius now more than ever before. In yogic terms all human beings have within themselves the same essence of consciousness and one attribute of consciousness is genius. Yoga asana and pranayama help us remove the mucky muck that impedes our alertness to our inner genius. As Buckminster Fuller says, “Everyone is born a genius, but the process of living de-geniuses them.”
So this practice performed regularly helps you reveal your best self. It will help you live more fully realizing your greatest potential. Yoga is a process of helping you become who you really are. As Dr Dyer writes in power of intention, “If you bring forth what is inside you, what you bring forth will save you. If you don’t bring forth what is inside you, what you don’t bring forth will destroy you.” Whether you want to or not life is moving forward. Leo Buscaglia writes, “The easiest thing in the world to be is what you are, what you feel. The hardest thing to be is what other people want you to be, but that’s the scene we are living in. Are you really you or are you what people have told you you are? If you are interested in really knowing who you are because if you are, it is the happiest trip of your life.”
In class we talked about the shared characteristics of those whom we all honor as bringing forth their genius into the world like Jonas Salk, Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci, Mozart, Madam Curie. More was offered in class with the poses serving as the true contexualization of the philosophical but in brief qualities such as trust in your inner wisdom, optimism, spirituality, simplicity, appreciating the genius in others, joy for life, love for what you’re doing, self-love, love for what makes you unique and special (honor your funkiness). Finally at the end of practice we pulled this together by practicing a gratitude meditation. Gratitude is where what you know and what you intend for your life merge. I hope the written journaling you did at the beginning and end of class on your immediate and longer term intention offered each of you great insight. May we all be grateful for gratitude expands us! It is in the state of expansion that our genius will surface most easily. You are wonderful you guys! Love to you all, Silvia
2/16/2009 Tags: gratitude, meditation, genius, fullness, leo buscaglia, dr dyer, love Direct Link
LET GO - LIBERATE YOURSELF!
FEBRUARY 15TH, 2009: Believe it or not Spring starts in about a month already. WOW! So this is the perfect time to shed old aspects of ourselves and our lives that no longer serve us. This allows us to make room for the new growth that comes with the longer days of Springtime.
Today we devote to Liberation (Jivamukti!) to clear space for change. What is the ultimate key to liberation? Well it's as Michael Franti sings, "Love will set you free." Take this practice to liberate yourself, how? Let go of your worries. Patanjali says in the Yoga Sutras, “What you’ve already done, you’ve done – LET IT GO,
Let It Go By Danna Faulds
Let go of the ways you thought life would unfold; the holding of plans or dreams or expectations — Let it go. Save your strength to swim with the tide. The choice to fight what is here before you now will only result in struggle, fear, and desperate attempts to flee from the very energy you long for.
Let go.
Let it all go and flow with the grace that washes through your days whether you receive it gently or with all your quills raised to defend against invaders. Take this on faith: the mind may never find the explanations that it seeks, but you will move forward nonetheless. Let it all go and find the place of rest and peace, and certain transformation.
A Meditation on Letting Go By Ajahn Chah
If you let go a little
You will have a little happiness.
If you let go a lot
You will have a lot of happiness.
If you let go completely
You will be free.
"Only as high as I reach can I grow,
Only as far as I seek can I go,
Only as deep as I look can I see,
Only as much as I dream can I be."
-Karen Ravn
LET LOVE RULE!
FEBRUARY 14TH, 2009:
2/14/2009 Tags: LOVE, FEAR, COURAGE, Direct LinkGRATITUDE
FEBRUARY 13, 2009: It is really impactful to think that we have been chosen to breath today on purpose. That not everyone got picked to breath and so in a sense we won! the lotto of all lotteries. The most fundamental cause for gratitude is life itself! I start every morning with a gratitude meditation that is pretty sijmple: you say to yourself "I am grateful for...." then fill in the blanks for a few minutes or however long you comfortably can. Two of my favorite inspirations about gratitude are below for you to enjoy! Peace out, Silvia
Gratitude gladdens the heart.
As gratitude grows it gives rise to joy.
Like gratitude joy gladdens the heart.
We can be joyful for people we love,
for moments of goodness, for sunlight and trees,
and for the breath within us.
And as our joy grows
we finally discover a happiness without cause.
We can rejoice in life itself, in simply being alive!”
Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow." ~ Melody Beattie ~
2/13/2009 Tags: Gratitude, Jack Kornfield, Poetry, Meditation, Joy, Love, Happiness Direct Link
VULNERABILITY
FEBRUARY 12TH, 2009:
2/12/2009 Tags: Vulnerability Direct Link
WAKE UP AND ROAR!
FEBRUARY 10TH, 2009: It is interesting that we just had the full moon yesterday and on December 31st of this year it will also be a full moon. Is this the year that you no longer sleep walk through life and just make it ok? Do we commit to waking up and being present, taking back our thoughts and owning our life?
YES! Even Winston Churchill speaks to this when he said, "The price of greatness is responsibility over each of our thoughts." Everyday yoga tells us that we move our mind state from one of "nidra" sleep to "Buddhana" awakening. The practice encourages us to be MORE than aware, but really awake. So you have from today until December 31st, same full moon to do something more than just using 20% of your mind as a rest station of awareness but instead really engaging 60-80% of your mind to wake up to the blessings of life. Remember: Your I CAN is more important than your IQ.
So what is your intention, what makes you wake up and roar? Go inside and figure it out. Take time right now for five minutes. Follow the advice of Carl Jung, "your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside: dreams; Who looks inside: awakens."
Or as Pantanjali says in the Yoga Sutras, "When you are inspired by some great purpose all of your thoughts break their bonds; your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction and you find yourself in a new, great and wonderful world!" Be the cause of your own future my firends. Wake up and start living! Love, Silvia
2/10/2009 Tags: Yoga Sutras, Winston Churchill, Carl Jung, Moon, Awaken, Be Present Direct LinkYOGA REVEALS OUR HABITS
FEBRUARY 9, 2009: Today is the full moon. The moon reflects the sun. As BKS Iyengar says in Light on Life, “The meaning of Hatha Yoga is Sun (Ha) and Moon (tha), Yoga is which Sun is the Soul and Moon is Consciousness. Consciousness can be compared to a lens. Its inner surface faces the soul itself, and its outer surface comes into contact with the world. Inevitably a degree of grime attaches itself to that outer surface and obscures our vision. In fact prevents us from seeing clearly what is outside, and it equally prevents the light of our soul from shining out. If our house is gloomy because the windows are dirty, we don’t say there is a problem with the sun; we clean the windows. Therefore yoga cleans the lens of consciousness in order to admin the sun (soul).”
We all form habits as we go through life. Yoga teaches us that even our good habits keep us from growing spiritually. This is because habits are by definition an attachment to a pattern of behavior, or a form of dependence. So a key principle of yoga is to break our attachments. This includes not just our attachments to material objects (like needing a hamburger and fries to be happy), but also attachments to only seeing things our way rather than being open and accepting of other’s opinions.
Our time on the mat is important because it gives us a chance to examine our behavioral patterns or habits. When we realize that we are creatures of habit and that those very habits, even the good ones, keep us stuck in patterns and we begin to break those habits and to try different things, then true spiritual growth begins. Alex Levin puts it like this, “habits allow us to not think about what we’re doing . . . giving us the illusion of ease.” When we are under the illusion of ease, not thinking about what we’re doing. Breathing the same old way, moving the same old way, thinking the same old way we check out of the present, out of happiness itself.
I invite myself all the time to step (think) outside the box. For example: I emptied my bedroom of furniture and rearranged everything. I ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on Friday for the first time in years, I am going to a movie tonight at 9:30pm instead of during the day. Even my trip to
Chapter One
I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I fall in.
I am lost .... I am helpless.
It isn't my fault.
It takes forever to find a way out.
Chapter Two
I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend that I don't see it.
I fall in again.
I can't believe I am in this same place.
But, it isn't my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.
Chapter Three
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I still fall in ... it's a habit ... but, my eyes are open.
I know where I am.
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.
Chapter Four
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.
Chapter Five
I walk down another street.
YOUR APPOINTMENT WITH LIFE
FEBRUARY 7TH, 2009: BE HERE NOW is not new and it is really quite simple in theory isn’t it? We all know we can only live one moment at time yet I really didn’t put this into practice for more than half of my life. There were various traumatic events, including losing my Dad suddenly when he was only 59 years old, that served as “wake up” calls for me. My intention in teaching the life philosophy of yoga is that it doesn’t really have to take tragedy or health crisis or emotional crisis to figure this out. I don’t want you to have to learn this simple lesson the hard way as I did. So I write and teach to “exhaust every little moment” (Gwendolyn Brooks) to help others realize life is GLORIOUS!
The words of Thich Nhat Hanh spoke to me, he says it like this: “We have an appointment with life, and that appointment takes place in the present moment. If we miss the present moment, we miss our appointment with life, which is serious.”
I get it. If we put more value on our oil change appointments, dental appointments, business appointments, hair appointments than we do on our life appointment something is amiss. We aren’t really living life. John Lennon says, Life is what happens to you while your busy making other plans. Dude that’s it. So a favorite inspiration I handed out in class this morning is below so you can all enjoy and remember. Life is now. Keep your appointment! From my heart, Silvia
From A Short Guide to a Happy Life by Anna Quindlen, 2000
You are the only person alive who has sole custody of your life. Your particular life. Your entire life. Not just your life at your desk, or your life in the car, or at the computer. Not just the life of your mind, but the life of your HEART. Not just your bank account, but your soul.
People don’t talk about the soul very much anymore. It’s so much easier to write a resume than to craft a spirit. But a resume is a cold comfort on a winter night, or when you’re sad, or broken, or lonely, or when you’ve gotten back the check X ray and it doesn’t look so good.
Take a moment: Think about your resume, your resume of heart.
So I suppose the best piece of advice I could give anyone is pretty simple: GET A LIFE. A real life, not a manic pursuit of the next promotion, the bigger paycheck, the larger house. Get a life where you pay attention. Keep still. Be Present.
Get a life in which you are not alone. Find people you love, and who love you. And remember that love is not leisure, it is work. Each time I look at my diploma, I remember that I am still a student, still learning every day how to be human.
OPENING UP WITH ENTHUSIASM
FEBRUARY 6TH, 2009: When I traveled as part of my life on a regular basis I had amazing “travel karma”. I’d get upgraded, flights would be on time, free stuff would come my way, rental cars would be easily available, really everything would always be smooth. I knew through the 15 years in the corporate world that I influenced this. If I traveled with an enthusiastic attitude and demeanor good things would open up. This is the first principle of alignment, opening to grace and stepping into the flow.
Flow is good!
Excitement for life is great!
Life is precious!
This speaks directly to a favorite quote from the Alchemist, “There was a language in the world that everyone understood. It was the language of enthusiasm, of things accomplished with love and purpose, and as part of a search for something believed in and desired." We are riding the wave when what we think and what we do are done from love with great enthusiasm and vigor. This happens when we are living in “the present.”
So make today a party! Find the flow of grace. Heed the advice of the Alchemist, “Because I don't live in either my past or my future. I'm interested only in the present. If you can concentrate always on the present, you'll be a happy man. .... Life will be a party for you, a grand festival, because life is the moment we're living right now.” I wish you bright sunshine, amazing energy and vitality to live life fueled by your passion for life! BIG LOVE!! Silvia
*Hope you enjoyed today's 70's and 80's inspired love songs!!!
2/6/2009 Tags: ENTHUSIASM, OPENING UP, BE PRESENT, BELIEVE, LOVE, GRACE Direct LinkBE PRESENT: BE MORE THAN OK
FEBRUARY 5TH, 2009: It is easy to see everything as flat and "ok" but that means we really aren't paying attention. This is when we aren’t really awake for if we were living in the moment (where true happiness lies) then we'd see the depth, like the mountain ranges I experienced last weekend. It really is just that SIMPLE. As is written in the Alchemist, “It's the simple things in life that are the most extraordinary; only wise men are able to understand them.”
When we are present, our minds become clear and still. This is a fundamental truth from the ancient writings of yoga. From the Bhagavad Gita 6:19-22, translated by Eknath Easwaran: The mind is unwavering like the flame of a lamp in a windless place. In the still mind, the Self reveals itself. Beholding the Self by means of the Self, we know the joy and peace of complete fulfillment. Having attained that abiding joy beyond the senses, revealed in the stilled mind, he never swerves from the eternal truth. He desires nothing else, and cannot be shaken by the heaviest burden. Two of my favorite writings about being present are offered below. Enjoy! BE PRESENT. LOVE LIFE. PEACE TO YOU, Silvia
Look to this Day! - an inspirational poem -
Look to this day!
For it is life, the very life of life.
In its brief course
Lie all the verities and realities of your existence:
The bliss of growth;
The glory of action;
The splendor of achievement;
For yesterday is but a dream,
And tomorrow only a vision;
But today, well lived, makes every yesterday a dream
of happiness,
And every tomorrow a vision of hope.
Look well, therefore, to this day! - Kalidasa - 5th century Sanskrit Poet
By Thich Nhat Hanh titled Twenty Four Brand-New Hours from Peace in Every Step:
"Every morning, when we wake up, we have twenty four brand new hours to live. What a precious gift! We have the capacity to live in a way that these twenty-four hours will bring peace, joy and happiness to ourselves and others.
Peace is present right here and now, in ourselves and in everything we do and see. The question is whether or not we are in touch with it. We don’t have to travel far away to enjoy the blue sky. Even the air we breath can be a source of joy.
We can smile, breath, walk and eat our meals in a way that allows us to be in touch with the abundance of happiness that is available. We are very good at preparing to live, but not very good at living. We know how to sacrifice ten years for a diploma, and are willing to work very hard to get a job, a car, a house and so on. But we have difficulty remembering that we are alive in the present moment, the only moment there is for us to be alive. Every breath we take, every step we make, can be filled with peace, joy and serenity. We need only to be awake, alive in the present moment. This is an invitation to come back to the present moment and find peace and joy. Peace is every step. We shall walk hand in hand. Bon voyage."
2/5/2009 Tags: BE PRESENT, Alchemist, Bhagavad Gita, Simplicity, Thich Nhat Hanh, Meditation Direct Link
FACING UNCERTAINTY: FACING YOUR FEAR
FEBRUARY 4TH, 2009:
William Shakespeare wrote, "Learning to trust ourselves is a worthy practice, the practice of authenticity. This is the work of aligning with our deepest passions and dreams. It's the work of making promises to ourselves and keeping them. It's the work of knowing who we are without judgement."
Take a moment and think about what holds you back from taking custody of your life. Not just temporary custody but really owning your life, your entire life, not just the work life but your heart and soul too. Is it enough to tell yourself that fear of the outcome will prevent you from living more fully? The thing is if you are waiting for a guarantee, 100% certainty of the result you are never going to get it. Life is uncertain.
All we can do is be present to what is in front of us right now and set our intentions for the kind of energy we wish to attract but ultimately we will never know the outcome until its present. We can simply manage our reactions to the details or our lives and just keep paying attention. Best advice I can give is take time every day to BE STILL, BE PRESENT, Silvia
2/4/2009 Tags: UNCERTAINTY, FEAR, CHANGE, COURAGE, TRUST Direct Link
QUIET COURAGE: FAITH AND PEACE
FEBRUARY 3, 2009: We have a gazillion opportunites to practice courage each and every day. Not the big splashy front page sort of courage but the quiet courage of daily life. While on the slopes my ski instructor Patrick Vaughn's favorite word was "quiet". He encouraged me to keep the movement quiet no matter what the external forces were around me (other skiers, the sunlight, the shadows, verticality of the run). I am deeply inspired by his kindness and want to dedicate this lesson to him.
This quietness in skiing keeps you nonreactive and calm. The splashy courage may help us initiate action in our lives but in order to "run the whole race" we have to maintain enough quiet courage that we can get to the bottom of the hill so to speak. This peaceful courage is sustainable, and certainly there is an aspect of endurance to it.
The best practice of courage is to believe without what Judith Lasater calls "proof of the future, without confirmation that the outcome will be what we want it to be." So it is easy to see that Faith is just another name for courage. A way without conditions, prerequisites or judgement to be present allowing the next thing to unfold. Living from this courageous place (which always comes from the heart the source of love and inner strength) is that state of non knowing that yoga teaches us.
Today I encourage you all to run your own race, don't just get started or think about it but find the deep resorvoir of quiet courage that helps you get to the to bottom of the hill. I wish you peace, Silvia
2/3/2009 Tags: courage, change, peace, quiet, faith Direct LinkLESSONS FROM MY TRIP THIS WEEKEND
FEBRUARY 2ND: My Dear Yogi Friends, as you know I was away this weekend for four days in Colorado. I was totally getting that Rocky Mountain High: breathing, skiing, yogaing, enjoying the sunshine! I benefited from many life lessons as a result of this trip that I will share in classes this week related to yoga philosophy. As always the most important of which is to wake up, pay attention and BE PRESENT in order to live life more fully in each moment. A fave quote that speaks to this is:
“Most of the time we don’t even pay attention to the depth of life. We only see flat surfaces.” -Anonymous
Some other topics that came up during this weekend: AHIMSA - a fundamental principle of yoga often known as non-harming, kindness and safety. Every day we are fighting for our lives but how do we do so without hurting others. How do we create a safe situation for ourselves where we aren't driven by fear but by the desire to be kind? COURAGE - not the front page stuff but the quiet courage that requires trust, faith and a really brave heart. HABITS - those habits with attachments that prevent us from growing spiritually. You know those one's that give us a false of sense of ease because we grow dull doing the same thing over and over again. OPENING UP - When we close down we are like fish moving towards dry land, when we open up and even allow vulnerability we flow with grace towards the ocean. The mountains helped me remain open even though all I wanted to do was contract during challenging moments. BE PRESENT - It is easy to see everything as flat and "ok" but that means we really aren't paying attention. This is when we are not awake for if we were living in the moment (where true happiness lies) then we'd see the depth, like the mountain ranges I experienced this weekend.
Ok, many other lessons learned over the weekend like Managing Doubt, Simplicity, Facing Our Fears, Body Prayer, Spirtual Seeking, Peace of Mind, but I'll save those for my book. Please join me this week to learn more about these key one's above. I look forward to being with you on the mat! And remember today is not a rehearsal - this is IT! Love to all, Silvia
2/2/2009 Tags: Kindness, Ahimsa, Courage, Be Present, Vulnerability, Habits, Doubt, Simplicity, Meditation Direct LinkAHIMSA: KINDNESS, SAFETY, SELF-LOVE
FEBRUARY 2ND, 2009: Ahimsa is a fundamental principle of yoga often known as non-harming, kindness and safety. All living beings thrive on kindness!
Every day we are fighting for our lives but how do we do so without hurting others. How do we create a safe situation for ourselves where we aren't driven by fear but by the desire to be kind? In learning how to ski again I got a guide, a ski instructor, Patrick Vaughn. He helped me stay safe, control my speed so that I wouldn’t run other people down nor would I hurt myself. This was an expression of kindness all the way around. But the key thing here is to know it wasn’t about fear. That’s something different to live in a way that restricts us because we are afraid all the time. I have been there – I spent a great deal of time in my past afraid and basing my actions or inactions on fear. That’s no way to live. It drains you, it creates a constant feeling of being unsafe. The potential for danger constant.
One of the most interesting things about fear is that it exists in relationship to the future. So making sensitive adjustments going down a slope means you have to do so by staying present to all those that exist around us (life as we know it is not a game of solitaire) as soon as you get afraid in the what ifs then you move out of the present, you tune out, you drop out and you literally WIPE out.
Ahimsa is directing our actions from a kind place of gentle thought. The toughest practice of Ahimsa is paying attention to negative, violent thoughts. And if we are really honest we all have to admit we don’t always think kind thoughts towards ourselves (or others for that matter). But our existence as a global tribe requires we figure out how to manage kind thoughts because they lay the foundation of kind actions. It is the intention behind the actions not the actions themselves. Otherwise we fall into the trap of being afraid to hurt others and then act in ways that can often hurt ourselves.
We are all critically important to the universe. I saw this on the mountain it literally took a village to run the place. So we all can work together in a kind, loving way and suffering will be reduced in the world (not eliminated). Pay attention to your breath and it will give you a sense of your depth of kindness internally, are you cutting yourself off from breathing? Is this a form of violence towards self, isn’t it life diminishing?
So today let’s invite kindness, peace into our practice. On the plane I would say to myself ‘I am peaceful, I am feeling peace, I am peace” Take this as my gift. The best practice of Ahimsa is making time for ourselves (like my mini holiday, or you being here tonight in class). We are obliged to take time for ourselves the sutras teach us. And it is much more pleasant and fun to do willingly before any disease invites itself into your life.
LOVE FOR ONESELF IS LOVE FOR ALL.
SPIRITUAL SEEKING -> ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH!
See posting for January 28th below to explain where I am being.
JANUARY 28TH: I am out of town for four days (1/29-2/1) in Colorado "yogaing" and skiing and taking time towards looking within myself to seek a deeper spiritual meaning in my life. The Sutra that inspires me is Chapter 1, Verse 3: the the seer abides in his/her own true nature which is JOY.
I am a spiritual person by nature. I seriously felt this even as a little girl and it took until I was 25 years old before I even began spiritual babyhood. Before then I had not given birth yet to my Spirit. I was really in a gestation period the first 25 years of my life. As you know many circumstances that brought me pain took place during that gestation period to help reveal who I really am, that sense of wholeness that yoga teaches is within us if we just remove all the outer crap. But with that said I want you to know that I have never experienced failure at life because there is no such thing, however I did get stuck many times along the way in a state of suffering. Yoga tells us pain is part of life, YUP. But suffering is optional. REALLY? Yes. Judith Lasater says, "suffering is caused by the emotional reaction we lay on top of our pain."
So I became a spiritual seeker and it wasn't until I was 30 years old that I started to say that out loud. Before that I was too embarrassed to admit it for fear of what other people would think of me. I really was afraid folks would think I was a freak or I'd lose "popularity" from more traditional friends. Then another event happened in my life which resulted in FINALLY accepting responsibility for myself and I officially entered Spiritual Adolescence and finally Spiritual Adulthood where I've been for a while now.
This trip, as my daily practice does as well, helps me stay connected to what is important to living spiritually. Some mantras I speak to myself from my hero Judith Lasater are:
*I am my own authority
*All the answers are within me.
*Life is practice: practice is life
So this trip is my practice. Hope to see you upon my return where together we will keep at this work in progress. Please live in the moment, love life fully for this is the performance! Silvia
2/1/2009 Tags: spiritual seeking, yoga sutras Direct Link