not the end, a time for change - a beginning

 "On 21 December, a day very important to the Maya. In a recent speech to the UN, Evo Morales, president of Bolivia, said that according to their tradition, this date marks the end of the non-ti...me and the beginning of time, is the end of Macha and the beginning of the Pacha - Mother Nature-the beginning of life in accord with Natural Law. It's the end of selfishness and the beginning of brotherhood. It's the end of individualism and the beginning of the collectivism. It's the end of hatred and the beginning of love. The end of the beginning of the lies and truth. It's the end of the sadness and the beginning of joy. It's the end of the division and the beginning of the unit."

I love how you can turn something upside by simply changing the perspective. The prediction of the worlds end according to the Mayan calendar is all over the news and top of mind. I think its great - some fuel for more action in the right direction. The global unity and awareness is slowly picking up momentum. And it does not mean it will not get worse before it gets better. But it means the wheels are in motion, the more energy that more humans put in the right direction will help strengthen the centrifugal force towards a better world, one people, the fresh start that will happen post-Mayan calendar. 

 

 

glitter, lost, wither, frost: unknown, found, loan, sound

All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

- J. R. R. Tolkien


Riches can be found in the unknown
Not looking is when it can be found
Strength cannot come in a loan
Time and depth will be sound

- T M Jarvis

Enthusiasm

The word enthusiasm literally means "the God (enthos) within (iasm)"

To get what we desire/want in life we must have enthusiasm towards life and living.  A general enthusiasm towards whatever you wish to do. Bring a bit of energy to the game and you will get closer to whatever you want (even if what you want is not even clear to you).

And to go deeper and understand the root of the word, you can look at your enthusiasm towards what your doing as a manifestation of your higher self (God).  Pondering this myself....hmm.

Do more good than harm?

No Impact Man - thank god for documentaries. So much thought provoking content to be pondered and wondered. And then actioned in someway....hopefully.

A difficult task, 1 year without making one bit of impact on the environment. I mean no garbage, no restaurants, no electricity, no bags, no impact at all.  I liked the film - enjoyed the relationship of this young family - so thoughtful, purposeful, smart, creative and funny. Loved the humor of his wife, brilliant. She goes along with the craziness, a bit reluctant but we go along for the ride with her.

Things I liked:

- can I live on this planet and do more good than harm?

- we are in a consumption coma (aint that the truth)

- individual action causes people to engage

- Why do this (he questions his motives) - even reaching a few matters.  To see interconnection of us (humans), even on a practical level. ie: if i splash a puddle and you are standing next to me it gets you wet. Our mind keeps telling us "I", is the only important one. However "I make pollution you have to breath". We do have to keep training ourselves over and over. It is not easy.

- One of the biggest downfalls of the current society is the loss of community. Biggest culprit of ignorance and the steady decline of our environment is screaming this is the case!

I am inspired by people like this man; visiting our leaders to see what he can do to help, what policies to back, speaking to kids and helping a little bit at a time.

example of the power of meditation

The Dhamma Brothers
is a documentary (2007) about using meditation in a prison, specifically they use Vipassana intensive techniques.  This takes places in an high security facility in Alabama.

And the impact/outcome of the experiment was powerful and such a cool experience to watch. It is moving to see what sitting in meditation can do for someone. Powerful stuff.

Just sitting in silence. Seems simple in concept yet it is complex in execution. The "internal" is not something we are taught to do.  It is a REAL shame, one I feel is a very huge loss for modern western culture. Its all about external, external, material drive for us...education, car, house, clothes, etc. But through internal work we learn to understand ourself first, our true nature, our emotions.  And this will make for a more purposeful and full filling life. Peace of mind results in happiness more often.

When you meditate it is just you, you have nothing you can hide with (emotions, fear, angry, etc) but a serious face-to-face experience.
And within that silence you will learn about yourself and the life you were given to learn within; a space to grow up, learn, endure, excel and be the best you can be.

To see these major criminals explore this and change is a strong argument that this should be part of our standard life curriculum.

Consistency - my blog goal

Yet another respite, 2 months have come and gone since I've posted. Inconsistent.
Like anything in life, without focus, attention and effort it passes us by.

I took yet another life detour - this was a detour not a turn down a road or going to a new destination. But even in a detour there is truth, and lessons to be learned.

The dots never connect during or in advance, only retroactively - as they say hindsight's 20/20. Its an important life point - if you ask your self "why me, this doesn't make sense, how can something hurt so much" etcetc, knowing that you look back and the pieces will fall into place. They just will.  This notion alone can help bring a bit of peace to the current situation. And sometimes just a little sliver of hope is enough to get us by. Cause in life that is what we all have in common, we are trying to get by.

Enough for now.

There is power in consistency and repetition. I am back to blogging, lets see how we go, if I find some "power" :)

Love and do what you love

Cheers to Delicious Ambiquity

The fear before me, is no match for the strength within

Half the battle is knowing what you want....

No easy task.
In time we find out more and more about ourselves.
I get jealous of the people that seem to just know what they want.
Life partners, jobs, furniture/design, cities to live, food, etc.
Choice is daunting.
decisions, decisions.

self protection can cast you away, find ur real Wilson

Through our very nature we aim to self preserve and pro-create - I'm talking on a genetic animal level. Natural selection and we want to win. And most people do what they gotta do to do so - dog eat dog world. Or sometimes we retreat to protect. Fight em or flight from em....

 

I want to talk on about an everyday emotional plane, emotions like happy/sad, calm/crazy, anger, satisfied, etc. Emotions carry us through a day - making or breaking it. Many things effect it - physical, biochemical, sleep, food, etc.

And we have to create personas, perceptions, and ways to guard ourselves from the harsh realities of everyday life and the emotions that make us tick. We aim to protect our experience, our future, as we are the only ones looking out for "I".

 

These protections can create deep rooted barriers which stop us from getting the very things we want.  Like Love.  In order to not lose control when a certain someone strikes our fancy. If we fall into the whimsical idea of love, we are likely to get hurt, right?

 

Love is a hard concept and emotion to fully understand. But it is one of the things they say is our purpose for being here. All things stem from love.

Love is magical.

 

Love is vulnerability. Its like being naked on your first day of school and realising it is not a dream - I just forgot my darn pants. You have to put yourself out there and possible get really hurt.

 

Love blinds. Love is irrational.

 

This makes love amazing but also the very thing that makes you uncontrollable.  In order to be in control and not deal with the uncertainty that comes along with the feelings, we hide them and block the possibility of Love with barriers.



 

 

If you are on that island protecting yourself and building a shield know that love can build bridges. But first you have to get to work on your end and meet it half way.

Search within to understand your barriers, know that the very thing we hide from (consciously or unconsciously) is likely the thing that we want.  Its like when you dislike someone, if you look hard enough it is things within them that you dislike within you (reflective feelings).

 

I do not want to be on that island - talking to a volleyball but rather finding a real Wilson. So I too, am trying to find some wood to help build that bridge across.

choose to be fearless

We will never be without fear and anxiety. So by being fearless, it is about not being without but rather pushing through it to learn from it.

Its part of getting through life and growing. Even though...it still blows!

Again another great article on Positively Positive around fear:
http://www.positivelypositive.com/2012/08/24/fearlessly-facing-a-life-threatening-diagnosis/

AND 4 life choices to combat fear:
1. Creating Present Moment Awareness (as simple as a pause to breath and create space)
2. Staying Physically Fit
3. Being in a Good Relationship
4. Speaking and Feeling Health into Being


`

A story, a struggle, a way for hope

read this - everyone has a story...through their stories we can find connection, realizations and hopefully a bit of relief...direction towards making life a little easier...

http://www.positivelypositive.com/2012/05/21/the-most-important-part-of-your-health/

The Fuel of Action

WILL is the fuel of action. Will is an internal sense of desire; a simple wanting and taking simple steps in the direction of those desires.

Step 1: what do you want? Tomorrow? Next week? Next Year? Think about it.

Will you get out of bed tomorrow?
Will you eat today?
Will you go out tonight?

Maybe easy questions.

Will you challenge yourself to be more than you are?
Will you accept yourself as you are?
Will you stop worrying what others think?
Will you face your fears?
Will you push yourself to do things that seem impossible?

Maybe not so easy.

It is not CAN, it is WILL. Simply yes or no?


Humans have "will" which is the general capacity to have desires and act (power) deliberately to achieve them.

Like everything we need to deconstruct something in order to understand. We do this to the self, in order to find ways to improve/grow. And our ultimate human desire is to find happiness (whatever that may be to each of us) and this is achieved/actioned by following your own true willpower.

If you want to find it and wish it to be, then it will come. But no...its not magic.

But simple action like general hope and thought in the right direction are putting the wheels in motion. And more effort or just energy at its simplest will help.

Blow the seeds into the wind, and the universe will help grow the flowers of your desires. 

But it takes time and again some kind of effort (to do or NOT do). This reminds me of The Secret, a great extension of this simple idea of The Fuel of Action. Also Manifesting your Destiny by Mike Dooley is another actionable approach to HOW to get what you find - put that fuel on the fire.

Now what I see as the phenomenon, is the fact that people want things but they do not take any sort of action  - it is like they are are not to the point where they want it enough to make the effort or there may be things like physical addictions stopping them (addiction being to laziness, contentment, sorrow, mental barriers, self pity, drugs, etc).

Failure to act comes when the desire to want does not out weight the fuel of action needed to ignite effort.

Its an interesting concept to explore because it is hard to know what is just wanting something else (not being content cause its our nature) vs really needing to take action to get out of a rut, to better yourself.

Many of our "goal posts" continually move as we get closer to (you never will seem to lose enough weight or get fit enough). Its a fact we feel better about ourselves when we are healthy (proud to be putting in the effort to exercise), we feel better around others, our attitudes improve, etc. But the "doing it" part seems to always fall to the waste side. Maybe it is because the goalpost moves and that defeats our willpower?



You might thinking I have NO willpower, cause I see that chocolate cake and I am eating that before I can even think twice. Saturday morning comes and I am so on that couch with the cartoons on, vs running that mile.

BUT everyone has a Devil on their shoulder so its just finding the "will" to overpower "him" more times than it controls you.


OK soooooo we have desires and actions.
How can we understand our desires and take action to get it?

1. Try listing out what you want today, tomorrow, next month, next year and in the next 5 years
2. For each thing, write 1 thing you think you need to do or not do to get that desire
3. Write a sticky note that says "you can do it, I believe" put it on your mirror and say it out loud each day
4. Know you might take 10 steps back before 1 forward

A great talk worth listening to in showing the power of positive thoughts/actions - http://www.ted.com/talks/shawn_achor_the_happy_secret_to_better_work.html


Key stat/advice:
-2 minutes of action, 21 days in a row, changes your thought pattern and in the end creating a more productive and efficient person.



The conclusion:
- WILL is the fuel of action
- There is no CAN in WILL
- Simple steps to ignite your fuel

Practicing what you preach aint easy....

As embark on yet another relocation to another big city...maybe the biggest this go, NYC, I cannot help but sit here and realise its time to put into practice all this mumbo jumbo you go on about. Mind control, present moment, confidence, perspective, no what if's, etc. 

Step up, step in and step to it.

Time to walk the walk and put my theory into practice (TIP).

Remembering that even if I let myself down, I am human and trying to figure this out too. The trick is to just try and know that you didn't fail at the hardest step...the first one.

And even if the next few steps are you stumbling backwards. More can be said and more growth can be seen with the first step alone.

Here we go.

The Nasty Need of Validation - the SPIF revolution

Why do we need someone else to validate who we are, the actions that we take and anything for that matter.  For some reason when a person says how *wonderful* (insert affirmative word) you are, you kind of believe in yourself a little more.  Even if it is someone we barely know.

Doubts come - like clouds in the sky and validation is like the wind. But why I question.

If there were an easy exit to remind us of our self worth, I'd put that blinker on to get on that highway with a quickness.

I feel there is a lot more genY'ers (twenty something and younger) on this hwy, I look at them with a bit of envy; "you little kittens, walking around like lions". Do you really have that much confidence on the inside? Or is it just a party on the outside?

I do think you can be of a self-worth mind set and still crave validation. And the genY'ers are just externally and vocally projecting in order to get that validation.








I think somehow the mind on its own should be able to find the strength to be self sufficient.  One of life's mission is grow in the direction of being mentally self-sufficient. This way  contentment/happiness would be found more easily.

However, we are social creatures, we thrive to find this connection and almost need it for a sense of completeness for the journey of life.  Double edge sword.

OK the SPIF (Social Pay it Forward) Revolution -

 

WHY?
I would LOVE to help drive a bit of daily selfless giving. But it might just be a pipe dream, with no legs but hey, dream big or go home.

Its a nice idea.

WHAT?
Imagine being able to give without needing money. To make someones day with a little note.

Its simple.

So many people post their status updates, really just fishing for some support. And there is NOTHING wrong with it.

IE:
status: "do not think today is going to be a good day, everything sux."
Reading between the lines: hey guys, you're my friends, please help me make it through the day, are you out there"


SPIF: Its proactive vs reactive.


HOW?
I think everyday we go to one of our unnecessarily large facebook "friends" list, pick one and give them a random little boost.

Its easy.

Maybe a reason why they are your friend. 
Maybe just a "hey you are great and lots of people look up to you, just saying",
"you can make today a good day,
"just remember you are special and live today like there is no tomorrow".


Starting the post with SPIF, so people do not think its an odd stalker post.
"SPIF: I remember in high school you were a leader, a motivator and someone not enough people knew - I am sure today you are even better. Keep on, keeping on."

"SPIF: you are so beautiful. I do not know you that well but our paths crossed at some point. And I just think you are going to have a great day and get through all of life's challenges.

"SPIF: "Today you are on my mind. Keep being amazing."


WHEN?
Sometimes I feel death brings these reminders out. But why not do it when people are still alive. It is good to see, read and know that people do care. And think you are special.

Life is bloody hard. Imagine having the real support of "friends" to help get you through. And the support is as simple as words - YOU can do this.

THE SPIF REVOLUTION.

External validation will take a back seat when one can find the strength to control the mind, and happiness is at our finger tips once we realise we are not that voice.

But for now help a friend out - SPIF 'em.

Your a gravitational pull

I move around a bit and really seek for new connections often. Or coming back to old cities and try to reconnect. Life is busy. It takes effort and is hard.

Sometimes we can take it personal. Its not. And if it is, who cares.

I just like thinking about the saying in the image below. All in due time. Its important to make effort and pursue to a point. We are a ball of energy and things will inevitably come to you...if you build it the right things will come to you.

Just worry about your gravitational pull, your world and the rest will fall into place as they should. Believe.

unclarification of clarification

Yoga means Union - each time you meet with your mat ponder this:

Now begins the clarification on Union.

Union is the suspension of thought.

Union reveals pure consciousness.

Often we hear, read, touch or find something to cause a deeper reaction within.  Somethings we can't necessarily explain. And sometimes this happens right away, sometimes it take times and the effect continue to ripple into larger things (thoughts, changes, interest, knowedge).

These words are, in essenance, the beginning of the Yoga Sutras and the beginning of a journey that will no doubt take many life times to understand. 

One might now ask - What is Pure Consciousness?

I think the key is not always to try and understand everything; to put a science and logic to it.  We have to experience and feel it to know.

As we venture towards the Meditation step in the 8-fold Asthanga Path, each time you sit on your cushion you will ponder this:

Now begins the clarification of Pure Consciousness.

Pure Consciousness is the translucidity of self.

Pure Consciousness reveals the soul.

I am asking myself - why go vegan?

Funny I never thought I would go vegetarian, let alone vegan. But sometimes in the course of life you gravitate in a direction that you could never plan or anticipate. That's life. If you could foresee your future, it wouldn't be all that fun or exciting right? Or you'd probably probably be laying on a beach, of your own island, doing skype psychic sessions right.

Meat just never sat right in my stomach. And it doesn't really go through the body as fast as I'd like - they say meat sits in your intestines rotting for months or longer.  Yuck.
Also, I seem to be plagued with bloating (and yes equipped with Gas X to help avoid public ramifications of this), which dairy and all animal products are known to contributed to.  Bloating doesn't feel good. And feeling good is kind of important for me.

When I ate meat, I tried to hide from the fact of it being an actual animal and all, which I think a lot of people have to do in order to eat it (the cheap frozen bag of chicken is just food, not a living breathing thing...ok then cool).

On August, 18th 2011, I embarked on a trip to India, connecting in Abu Dhabi. I was alone and new to the whole turban, everyone staring at white people thing (especially blonde women type, many days I wish I'd just had a burka handy). Well, I saw a little piece of home and comfort when I saw Burger King. Chicken nuggets and a conversation with an Aussie bloke before I continue to the unknown was in order.

I wish I could say my last meat was a delicious fillet mignon or better yet pork dumplings. But nope the good ole BK nugs was it.

I knew I wasn't going to eat meat in India; just set that stake in the sand when I decided to go. First, because the carcasses are still warm and hanging in view on the street. Two, I just wasn't keen on the idea of unsanitary-ness when it comes to meat. I knew I was going to have enough issues with the tummy as it was (and I did). Thirdly, the religious fabric of the country and culture makes you want to follow suit to really be immersed.

I got back to reality in the West. And thought why not continue this? I feel great. Lighter. Healthier. But bloody hell the menu's and access to food without meat is a pain.

People kind of look at you weird. What...now your a hippy freak - are you going to go throw paint on people wearing fur?  Yeah, maybe...and watch out I will be naked under the full moon in your front lawn. Well, that actually might come true.

I read a few books over the years - Skinny Bitch is one that stands out cause obvi its hilarious.
I took away one of many important things - first the idea that milk was a marketing ploy.  I am a marketer (not proudly) and this makes me mad - its is not good for adults and we are the only adult animal to have this substance past adolescence. Cows milk makes little baby cows into 2 ton creatures, why the heck are we putting it in our bodies. We think we need the calcium, but do we really?

Then I started watching documentaries because they were on Net Flix and sounded interesting. Funny how happy accidents are born - some in the form of knowledge.

I started to learn more about what is going into the animals that we are eating - the steroids, and poisons that make them grow faster.  The antibiotics to deal with the unsanitary and unhealthy conditions these animals are in. Its just not what food used to be and not good for us. And its all in the name of making a profit - industrialisation. Knowledge is power and lots of people just do not want to know.  And I was one, but now the old philosophy is out da door "what we do not know does not harm us"

Forks over Knifes is a great documentary review research of doctors into the need for protein from animals - everyone thinks we need meat for protein. But do we? Certainly not the meat we have access to with all the chemicals.
They are finding that we do not need it and can get the needs from other means. And 2nd that a lot of diseases and cancers are starting to be correlated to our diets and, in particular, meat.

Then I started reading about what this industrialisation is doing to the environment and some compelling realities about this industry, and some cruelties to animals. The natural cycle of cows, their poo, the flys, the grazing, the circle of life - doesn't happen naturally anymore.
The dirt no longer has the nutrients the veggies are in, cause of too many chemicals and cycles of growth...

Here are a few crazy stats:

1. Animal excrement is 130x that of the entire human population in the US.
2. Animals produce MORE global warming gases (carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide) than all the motorized vehicles in the world combined.
1. Switching to a vegan diet is 50% more effective than switching to a hybrid car
3. More than 1/2 of the water consumed in the US is used to raise animals for food.
1. Veggie diet requires 300 gallons of water per day, while a meat diet requires more than 4000 gallons daily.
4. 1 animal requires 16 pounds of grain for just 1 pound of edible flesh, thats a lot of food to feed the animals vs redirecting to starving people.
5. Dairy cows on average live for 5-7 years, where as they are able to live to 20 yrs+
6. Pigs are more intelligent than dogs, and have the intelligence of a 3-year old.
7. Egg-laying hens are kept without water and food for 14 days at a time to force their bodies into another egg-laying cycle
8. Beaks of chickens and tails of pigs are cut off with no pain relievers. Ouch.

I am seeing/hearing more people becoming aware, making changes which will shift out planet and society back out of the enivormental dark ages. That is this whole hoopla about 2012 Mayan calendar - consciousness, awareness, responsibility and action.

2 "hows":
- Buying local - supporting small businesses and farming. Why support major cooperations, paying the "man" vs the people trying to make it?
- Buy organic - not only is it better for you health wise, its better for the animals and the environment.

Its annoying that doing all this is more expensive, but the industrialisation caused the prices to go down. And cheaper is not better. It is supposed to be more money (=more value).  I am telling this to myself as well cause with a minimum wage job now, its hard to do.


I think each to their own. I hope for more people to be gravitate towards knowledge; better the world and themselves. How, what and when is all in due time and up to each person.



So as I take some time seeing if cheese and I can break up, I will continue to open my eyes and mind to the world around.

What can I do to help myself, others and the world?


PS - um chocolate has milk (light bulb momento), this vegan thing could prove to be difficult....slowly slowly

The grit factor - counter intuitive recipe for success

I love this:

"Progress in life is directly proportional to the dirt under our fingernails. Let’s call the dirt, the grit factor, “g.”

(Usefulness of your Idea + Luck + Connections)*g = Success

Embrace the suck. Enjoy the grit. It’s good for us. It will make us better. And if we’re not trying to get better every day, shame on us."

Another great article from:

http://www.positivelypositive.com/2012/07/30/the-counterintuitive-ingredient-to-experiencing-success/

 

Whats your relationship to time?

This is a great article - I am inspired to write this way and to continue to evaluate time...its our responsibility and beneficial to many facets of our life...

http://www.positivelypositive.com/2012/08/03/the-side-effects-of-chronic-hurrying/

And I cannot help but add in something Joseph Campbell says - in time we are simple only 1 fraction of what we truly are....

How to walk with a full cup of coffee?

In Yoga, we aim for mobility, flexibility, strength and peace of mind. How? Through challenging postures - stretching and balancing.
Balancing in the standing asanas are always interesting as many things impact your ability to do the posture; depending on your energy level, your sleep for that day, and most importantly your dristi - or gaze. Ever try walking with a full cup of coffee in your hand? Your instincts tell you to watch or keep you eye on the cup in order not to spill...when I was 16 working my first job, a waitress that had been in the biz a long time, told me that I am doing this all wrong as my hand and shoes are wet with coffee. She says gaze directly ahead, dont even keep the coffee in your focus...you see where you are going and you automatically have a steady hand. Boom, no spill.



Same with yoga and balancing. Once you focus your gaze, ideally your mind, you will find peace in the posture. Which directly translates to your everyday life. Whow whow you think, how can you just jump from a posture to life. Some things you cant explain. You can read and read about swimming but until you are in the water, floating, the concept of the weightlessness is not fully understood until experienced. Same-same with these concepts in yoga.  But there is a indirect relationship between focusing (one-pointed mind) on something, like the gaze/breath in order to assist you in succeeding to remain steady (if even for a second). There is never perfection, meaning once you achieve it that means in the future you will do it again. Nope. As I said, it depends on many factors - what did you eat today, too much sun, too little sleep, mind busy?

Key parts of the body are directly tied to balance, most of which can be improved through yoga (muscles, joints, grounding/touch, gaze/focus). There are 2 things left to anatomy of the head - brain (vestibulcerebellum) and ear (perilymph fluid).



We hear alot about balance in life - in food, in activities, in really everything...moderation. Moderation is balance. It is an important lesson in life, that no one will master but it is a daily effort we must all try not to forget.

Moral of the story today is balance in your standing postures, will help with overall steadiness and balance in your life.

A respite...is ok

Well I cannot believe its been 2 months since I have been an active yoggie blogger...I took a little detour on the journey of life. More like a pit-stop, pulled over, slowed and stagnated...
I am back, heaps and heaps of yoga and life passions in queue to post...more to come in hours and days to come.

One foot in front of the other has been my motto for the last 2 months...thats just not going to cut it.
I have been getting back into regular yoga in July, its just bloody expensive and I need to change that with donation based studio in Seattle!

I think we push and push....more and more. When we stop for a respite that we always desire, we feel guilty, we feel a lacking, a need to be doing...its just in some of our natures. How to find contentment, a million dollar quest....

stay tuned, Im back.

Of course your just a spring chicken

Most people seem to be frozen in the "I'm a spring chicken" phase and the whole aging thing is a life-time away. Well one day when you wake up and your body's not moving as good as it use to, you realise I'm screwed - a fully aged chicken whos body aint moving so great. A bit of yoga along the way is a good solution to help keep some movement in those joints and muscles.

Recently I had a bout with fatigue - my mind was sound but I just couldn't really get the energy to move. For the first time I really felt imprisoned in my body (well the second, the first time was when I had a broken ankle). I started to really think about handicaps, diseases and age - to have a strong mind but not be able to move. Terrible.

Well, we can stop the effects of the natural inevitable aging process with a lot of things - we hear about movement/exercise, eating, low stress, and DIET. But flexibility and constricted movement can still happen with those things.  Yoga is a good solution or way to really have control and freedom of movement.

 

WHO: is clearly everyone :)

WHY:

When people ask why I do yoga and like yoga - I just like being able to move. Something feels great about being able to correct your posture and touch your toes (gives control over the body) - this was something I found even before yoga; at the gym I'd always stretch and work on flexibility.

HOW:

Yoga is about 3 things at first: Effort, Concentration and Balance.

Its a systematic twisting, bending, balancing - restricting and constricting muscles as well as creating new flow of blood to areas of the body. Relaxing your mind while you engage all other vital organs, skeletal and muscular, strengthen and cleansing as you detox.

You become more aware of what your dealing with - your body, and yours patterns of movement and alignment. 

Soon enough you'll see the connection to spirit.

WHAT: benefits

 

Physiological:

- Movement of Joints: increased flexibility and range of motion

- Parasympathetic Nervous System (some types of yoga more than others): rest and relax function. 

         SLUDD: sexual arousal, lacrimation (tears), urination, digestion and defecation

Toxin Release

             - within organs, flushing new blood and oxygen to all areas of the body

             - through sweat: breathing (pranayama) helps heat up the body; for sweat and malleability

Creates Strength - like most exercise

     - muscle

     - organs (lungs, heart, etc)

Stronger grip

Hand-eye coordination improves

Better posture

More resilient and higher endurance

Psychological Benefits

Mental

- Concentration

- Peace of mind

Used to help things like depressions and anxiety

Depth perception improves

Concentration and attention increase

 

Biochemical Benefits -
I'm not sure how this works yet, looking into it as it is very interesting....

Glucose decreases

Sodium decreases

Total cholesterol decreases

Triglycerides decrease

HDL cholesterol increases

LDL cholesterol decreases

VLDL cholesterol decreases

etc 

Info found here:

http://www.abc-of-yoga.com/beginnersguide/yogabenefits.asp

WHEN: is clearly now.
Start slow - whats once a week for an hour, nothing if it means control and movement. 

Lesson today: find the vinasya within a posture

Four definitions of vinyasa:
1) the linking of body movement with breath
2) a specific sequence of movements used to transition between postures
3) setting an intention or goal for a personal yoga practice and taking necessary steps
4) a type of yoga class

2 facets of posture - pose and repose

Pose: just doing the physical posture -or artistic assumption of a position

Repose: finding perfection in the pose and maintaining it. Reflecting in it with intelligence and dedication.

During the "repose" process you can react to the teachers queues by adjusting your posture, moving, breathing and getting in touch with the body as well as the mind during it.  You can think about previous lessons learn in other classes, try to absorb within to see if you can adjust naturally without too much thought.

One of my teachers explained this as the vinayasa within each posture. A posture is never static - there will never be perfection. The principle of the asana practice (one element of yoga) is that its not necessary an attainable goal but rather a journey (a step in preparation for mediation and eventually enlightenment).

Continued movement of physical and mental - with the goal of stillness. A dichotomy or contradiction, however I find this irony poetically beautiful....

Experience aint a window, can be a door

A good little thing to consider and think about - do you muddle what you gain from an experience with the actual experience? There are things that you could gain but forget due to the memory of how you felt, what you went through, who you were with, etc.
There are things you can always take away from anything you do but sometimes we get lost in the memory of what the mind perceives, we just need to remember to look at a situation from different angles.  It could be good, bad or ugly but its all a learning game.

This was an ahhh-ha moment I had today.  I was lost in a particular experience I had while living and working abroad. Instead of focusing on what I gained, I was focused on what I dislike and generalised to a broader "thing" (not a full disclosure moment).

Open the door vs confuse your memory as a window to a past experience. Think about it.

What a story!!

This incredible story shows the power of yoga and the human spirit. Nothing is impossible

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qX9FSZJu448&feature=share

Lessons in a creative, concise, and printable way...

What a great, little creative display of all the life lessons I always crack on about. Its easily digestible. Love it. Really hits all the key things for life - encapsulates purpose and how to find happiness now.

This is print worthy for a little daily reading and reminder....



What's this OMing about?

 

OM Symbol

I know that people not into the yoga spiritual thing get a little weirded/intimidated by the whole OMing thing. But its just a connection point before and after yoga - almost like an integration from and to the craziness of life. 

The OM is like slapping the mind into the present - like "yo ok we get there are lists of do, things I want, what i shouldve did, will do, and blah blah blah. but for this next hour I am just going to stop thinking and take control back from the little voice. Focus on my body and me!"  Its me time.

More about da OM:
OM or AUM - the sound or vibration of creation. A universal sound, "no word can be uttered without the symbolic sound of thes three letters a, u, and m."

A is the opening of the mouth, U is the crux of the sound and M is the closing of the mouth.

HOW:
Take a deep breath in and on the exhale start the OM or AUM -  the A is short, U is longest, the M (mouth closed) is short with the 4th element at the end of the breath is the silence. Doesn't really matter what it sounded like but the lower the frequency the closer to the the actual sound.

WHERE:
Through the OM we are connecting to the sound of creation. It has physiological impacts on the mind - brings stillness and peace of mind.  The vibration of the sounds can be felt in the body - A in the legs, U in the chest and M in the head - the energy can be felt through the body, try focusing on this. If you dont feel it, its a sign you have blockages in the body - physically, emotional and energetically. I can feel it in my chest and head but my legs are all kinds of blocked (which I was told by a Reiki master without him knowing that I couldn't feel the A vibration).
If anything its just nice to listen to and be in the room with. You will get the benefits even if you dont feel comfortable joining in. Which you don't have to. I tend to use it in everyday, like in a crazy heated situation just "hey guys lets just OM it out" - coined it.
Worked well in hectic unpredictable india...ie: the road is blocked due to an elephant stampede, about to miss a train, police want money so the bike tuk tuk can proceed, etcetc "just OM it out, OM it out...inhale deeply exhale completely"...ahhhhh. Lived to tell the tale.


WHAT: it means in India
As the symbol of the Hinduism religion it is the center piece of the country. Religion is infused in the fabric of this very big country.  Below is a picture that breaks down the symbol even more.


"The symbol of AUM consists of three curves (curves 1, 2, and 3), one semicircle (curve 4), and a dot.
The large lower curve 1 symbolizes the waking state (jagrat), in this state the consciousness is turned outwards through the gates of the senses. The larger size signifies that this is the most common ('majority') state of the human consciousness.
The upper curve 2 denotes the state of deep sleep (sushupti) or the unconscious state. This is a state where the sleeper desires nothing nor beholds any dream.
The middle curve 3 (which lies between deep sleep and the waking state) signifies the dream state (swapna). In this state the consciousness of the individual is turned inwards, and the dreaming self beholds an enthralling view of the world behind the lids of the eyes.

These are the three states of an individuals consciousness, and since Indian mystic thought believes the entire manifested reality to spring from this consciousness, these three curves therefore represent the entire physical phenomenon."


Other means respective to A U M (relatively):
I like thinking of OM as the creation, preservation and destruction (born, live, die), of ourselves and eventually our earth. The circle of life. The semi-circle is our body which is interpreting the physical experience and also is the connection to the inner-self, or the soul (the dot).

• Deity : Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva.
• Action : Creation, Preservation, and Destruction.
• Seasons : Spring, Summer, and Winter.
• Periods : Morning, Midday, and Evening.
• Manifestation of Speech : Voice (vak), Mind (manas), Breath (prana).
• Power : of Action (kriya), of Knowledge (jnana), and of Will (iccha).
• Man : Body, Soul, and Spirit.
• Time : Past, Present, and Future.
• Stages of Existence : Birth, Life, and Death.
• Phases of the Moon : Waxing, Full, and Waning.
• Elements: rajas (action), tamas (stillness), sattva (peace)

Lots of deets:
http://www.religionfacts.com/hinduism/symbols/aum.htm

In India they always say the AUM has hundreds of meaning, one of which is God.

Not in the traditional western "man in a white beard" judging and being worship but rather God is everything, including us. We are one. Om Shanti Shanti Shanti

90/10 in life and yoga

Now that I’m old and gray (but not quite in my rocker yet!), I look back on my life and think about things I wish I knew earlier. It would have made my life so much easier if I knew then what I know now. Here’s my list of things I wish I could turn back the hands of time to tell my younger self. Maybe it’s not too late for you.

http://www.positivelypositive.com/2012/01/14/50-lessons-i-wish-i-had-learned-earlier-blog/


"Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it."

I just love this for so many reasons - its ring true on every level!

Reminds me of  what SK Pattabhi Jois says about yoga: "yoga is 90% practice, 10% theory"


My second fav is this one, and 3rd, 4th, etcetc. SO many good ones that can speak to you are different times in life.
Do what you love, not what you think you’re supposed to do.
Don’t forget to enjoy your journey!
Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning to dance in the rain.
If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you’re getting.
Making one person smile can change the world.
Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.
What lies before us and behind us are tiny matters when compared to what lies within us.
As Henry Ford put it, “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you are right.”


I love putting these kinds of things on my blog (cause really lets be real I am the only one reading it) but I can always look back to see things that inspired and spoke to me along the way. So it doesnt get lost in the interweb, I guess I could pinterest it, its on my facebook, this digital era is something else...

Enjoy life more - step 1

My last post was deep and long on the path of yoga and happiness. But I wanted to explore something more tangible to start now. To evaluate ones life gets the ball rolling, helps start your vision toward enjoying everyday more.

I think this little exercise is easy - as least as a starting point. I do think the HOW or action plan can be hard to come up but everything is due time - create steps and this is 1.

Vision without action is daydream. Action without vision is nightmare.
- Japanese Proverb

A good place to start is by making a list with the following key aspects of life:

• Work
• Family and Friends
• Physical Activity
• Recreation and Play
• Community Activities
• Spirituality
• Plans and goals

Are you satisfied in this area?
Do you feel happy with?
Do you do enough?
Do you have? do you want?
Why not? Am I doing anything about it?
Whats stopping me? Does someone else impact my happiness in this area?
Have I tried to do something in the last 6 months to change things?

If there are things missing, then create an action plan to improve in certain aspects:

 - get a resume ready, search online
- talk to someone new
- go for a walk
- get a new hobby
- volunteer a local soup kitchen
- contemplate lifes meaning
- make a 5 year goal life

 

A C T - clap clap clap -I O N (this is me revisiting an old highschool cheer) but its all about taking action. Even just writing down a list is a step in the right direction, putting it out in the universe you want/need change.

There are a ba-zillion self help starting points and books out there. I found the circle of joy and thought who doesnt want a little joy....why not post something around it.