a drving metaphore

I have been thinking the about the different attitudes we take out of our freedom when we drive. We can distract our self with radio, friends, phones, thoughts... When we drive like this we can easily get lost or in an accident. We can agitated our self as we drive getting angry, stressed, and in a reactive mode, possibly flipping or yelling at other drivers. When we drive like this it is hard on our heart and we could possibly cause an accident. We can choose to drive mindfully being aware of what is going on around us. When we drive like this we can consciously choose where we want to go, how we want to get there, and we can choose how to respond to a situation in the most appropriate way. This is just like our life! We are given a vehicle=our body and the road= the path we are on in life. We also have the same options to distract our self, to contract and get agitated, or being mindful and present. I have found the more I practice being mindful on the mat the more able I am to be mindful in other parts of my life, even when driving. The Anusara philosophy teaches us that at our core we are intrinsically good and when we are mindful and present we can more easily experience our own goodness and the goodness of others.  From this connection to our innate goodness we can express more patience and compassion to our self and others.

heart based theme idea

Christina Sell week two.
wow this week Christina explained a few more ways to start developing a heart based them that goes from the universal  (a big philosophical teaching) and bringing it to the personal and connecting it with chit ananda and the UPA's. She gave us so many my mind keeps day dreaming about all the many heart based themes i could create form my experience, challenges, word definitions, and poems. Because I have all these new ways part of me is hesitant to fully dive in. (hence to recent blog posts but lots of stuff in my head). Figured I needed to dive head first in so thought I would post a short idea.

Courage. The root word for courage is “cour” = “coeur” which is heart in French. In Latin being courageous translates to be heartful. When we are trying to find the strength to do something courageous we should remember to draw into our heart. In the Anusara Philosophy there is the idea that we are all intrinsically good. When we remember that naturally pull into the heart and we find strength to express our self courageously and with joy. In tonight’s class we will play with some balance poses that will require us to draw into the mid line (ME) and into our heart for the strength to express these poses fully and with delight.
As I continue to build the theme throughout the class I would mention that in Sufi-ism the heart is considered the ‘house of the divine’ they say if you completely connect with the heart you are promised a state of no fears, and no worries.
I also might try to think of some link btw wizard of oz and the lion with courage.

more heart based themes to come.

on another note there have been many exciting changes and shifts about to happen in my life. I am going to go to massage school in January which is going to turn my world upside down and really challenge me and my normal teaching and practice yoga schedule. AND the yoga center got sold!!!! but i am confident the new owners are going to continue to cultivate it  and they continue to bring more anusara love and teachers to the space.

more soon

assignment #1 Heart Based Theme

I am just starting the mentorship program with Christina Sell. I am so excited. Here are some of my thoughts and theme ideas from our first assignment which was to build a theme going from the Personal to the Universal and then apply that one theme to each of the UPA's or to some aspect of each of the UPA's.
What is a challenge you have faced in the last year?
Over the last year I have struggled with what I want to do in my life. I felt tremendous pressure from my family and friends that I should be going school, but what I was studying no longer felt right to me. I didn’t feel like the direction my life was going was where I wanted it to go.

What lessons did I learn from this challenge?
I learned and hope I continue to learn is to come back to my heart and reflect on the actions I am taking, and on the path I am on to make sure that it is making me happy and is making the relationships I am in more fullfilling. (other lessons I learned: it wasn’t my family and friends that were putting pressure on me but I was creating it and adding more stress to an already intense situation. I learned I need to be honest with myself, do what makes me happy but also surrender to the flow of Grace.)

How does this tie into the Anusara Yoga philosophy?
The Anusara Yoga Philosophy teaches us that one of the purposes of life is to have revelations of our intrinsic goodness and a sense of unity with each other, the world and Spirit. Following our heart leads to these revelations.

Tie it into Chit (consciousness) and Ananda (bliss)?
When we know what’s in our heart and what makes us happy we can express more delight, courage and joy.
Apply the theme to the UPA’s:
1st principle Open to Grace: Focus on foundation of hands and feet. When we use good foundation with care and intention we protect the body and put more meaning into our practice. We also do this as we decide what we want our life to look like and what path we want to take. If we use care and continue to check back in with our foundation, actions and where we are on our path we can maintain the integrity and the intention of our practice and our life. (Class type ideas: backbends)

2nd principle Muscular Energy: Focus on the midline. When we are thinking about what makes us happy it is important that we draw into our self, that we come into the core of our body. Muscular energy also creates strength and it requires a lot of strength to create change in your life if you are no longer happy, and it also requires strength to continue on a path that your heart wants. Muscular Energy also creates steadfastness and a commitment to doing the work necessary so to create the kind of life you want (Class type idea: handstand work and inversions)

3rd principle Expanding Spiral: Focus on the inner thighs going in, back, apart and wide. When we really listen to the heart and when we look inside of our self we expand into our self and into our potential. When we choose to take a path and act in ways that reflect the heart we touch our self, our relationships, and the world in a deep way. This looking within, this inner widening allows to come into our self and really contemplate what we want, taking in all the possibilities. It is the expanding spiral so we are looking at all the options possible. (Class type idea: hip openers)

4th principle Contracting Spiral: Focus on scooping the tailbone and the lift of the low belly. When it comes to following a path that makes us happy we need to be specific and steadfast. You have to be specific and have a strength in your decision. What exactly makes you happy? How specific can you get? What activities can you do to allow you to experience more happiness? It is the contracting spiral it is getting specific and doing the action. When we scoop the tail bone under we create stability and engage the core. You could say being specific and doing it takes guts (haha) (Class type ideas standing poses and forward folds)

5th principle Organic Energy: focal point, root to rise. We need to come into our self and see what makes us happy and we have to have integrity and use effort, but there also needs to be a surrendering and a celebrating. An attitude of “I have done all that I can and now I am going to enjoy the ride and shine.” This surrounding takes the energy from the focal point into the foundation creating a strong base (root) and then from this base, from all this work we have done through the other UPA’s we extend from the base and raise high to the sky (rise) in a celebration of the heart. (Class type idea: backbends or inversions)