intention

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Want Change? Make Changes.

August 27, 2009 in Yoga | 7 comments

"Want Change?  Make Changes."  is an old saying from back in my engineering days.  Don’t get me started about stagnation in the corporate world.

Not just a big-biz phenomenon, We all form patterns of behavior, some serve us well, and some are in the way of who we’re becoming.

Yoga asks us to look at things differently, through a lens that is continually cleansed and changed by our practice.

Yoga asks us not to get lulled into the trap of complacency.

change through the heat of Tapas

Doing just one thing different can change everything.  Take a different route home today.  Buy that strange looking vegetable at the farmers market. Skip Netflix this week and go to the big screen, go to the drive in.  Walk don’t drive.  Wash the dishes by hand.  Need some new and very-loyal friends? Buy a bird feeder.  Go to that other coffee shop with a good book.  If you always read, just sit and sip. Try a new Yoga class out.  (hint… visit LuLu Lemon and pickup a bunch of first-class-free coupons to the area studios.)   Yeah, I’ll miss you in class, but, it may be really good for you.  

What do you avoid, shy away from?  Why?  Shake things up:  Roll out your mat.  Do your nemesis posture 10 times, with a smile.  imagine it was your favorite.  If you’ve been practicing for years, take a beginners class.  Next time you’re feeling resistance to something, step right into it.  Cook it with the heat of your Tapas.  The resistance becomes dust in your path.  Yes, you’re a step closer to who you’re becoming.

Sidestepping our normal patterns tells ourselves at many levels that we are open to change, really, and that we are making room for it.

Anyone can want change, anyone can set an intention, but a Yogi follows through with the effort required, and that Tapas creates lasting change.  

"If we always do what we’ve always done, we’ll always get what we’ve always got."   -Hanumanji at Ananda Ashram

So I put it out there, Make a change, click on the ‘add your comment link’ and inspire us all with how it goes. 

Om Shanti,  I’ll see you in Class  -j

 

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Your best class ever

September 23, 2008 in Uncategorized, Yoga | Add Your Comment

Yesterday over lunch,  I was fretting about a recent loss. 

My friend Ani Desal, a Tibetan Buddhist Nun told me, "In every moment you have a choice, positive or negative, focused, or unfocused, present or not present.  Choose to see this in a positive light."

Simple, and profound.  Yet sometimes difficult to practice.  

Pausing to get clear on our intentions, may be the most important part of Yoga class.  I’m not saying the words "Get very clear on the intentions that lie behind your practice" to fill space.  It’s because setting a crystal clear intention works for me.  It brings me further in my practice, and I share that with you.

You can let this be random, or you can choose a positive and focused presence.  Random is dangerous. Random is like when you arrive at work and don’t remember the drive. Where were you?

Fog on golden gate bridge

Yoga practice is like driving through thick fog, you can just barely see in front of you, you’ve got to slow down and concentrate on what is right in front of you.  (this breath, this posture)  then, you may see the glint of a taillight up ahead.  That is the teacher. Not smarter or better than you. Without supernatural powers, they are just a bit further up the road, so with some trust,  you let go and follow.  Hopefully the teacher has lineage, and is following their teacher, (choose wisely, ask who their teachers are.)

We have to stay present because we don’t know when the veils may fall away, the opportunity for clear vision, for enlightenment is going to happen.  It could be your next class.  Don’t miss it.

Maybe you choose that this will be your most focused class ever. Why not?  Like the proverbial weed growing through the crack in the sidewalk, you rise from the ground up into your warrior pose, full-up with reason. You are grounded, and your outstretched arms are reaching for something.  Your ViraBhadrasana is on purpose.  You’re one posture closer to becoming your intentions.  Live your intentions, radiate them, and become a source for others. 

The fog is clearing.  

Om Shanti, I’ll see you in class.

John

P.S.  This coming Saturday Ani Desal and I are leading a Yoga Workshop , There are a couple spots left.  and We’ve got a great group together for the Fall Foliage Yoga Retreat coming up in just under two weeks.  There may be one spot left, (or we could squeeze a couple in) so if you were thinking about joining us, let me know right away.

 

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