Love is our truest nature. The path of yoga points directly to love, as the source, the center, and the essence of all beings. Imagine, all the texts, practices, and years of history, all leading us to love. Love is so simple yet at times impossible to put into practice. Before I get to love, I often arrive at denial, judgment, blame, and self-rightousness, until finally landing on love.
Read MoreKnowing we are the drop and also the entire ocean is a reference in yoga to the idea that we are both a human being, with our own experiences, beliefs, and choices, and also a part of everyone and everything. We are human and divine. The divine part of us is connected to the divine part of everyone else.
Read MoreEach of us has unique gifts that are ours. Gifts erupt from our soul and show up as kindness, laughter, food, helping, talents, and passions. Gifts also come from our experience, and they might be messy, tragic, and full of pain. When we offer our true self, we offer it all. This doesn't mean we have to bare our heart to every person we meet. But we don't have to be ashamed of the parts of us that may or may not receive validation according to the norm.
Read MoreWe've all been there - we'd rather feel sorry for ourself than take the steps necessary to be forgiven, and to grow. None of us are perfect. We want to own our mistakes in order to learn. We don't want to be so full of pride we can't admit when we've done something wrong, and we also don't want to be so full of unworthiness that we can't pull ourselves out.
Read MoreThe truth of our world is heartbreaking. The human experience is one of violence, abuse, poverty, and suffering. Of course, there is also joy, compassion, kindness, selflessness, and deep love. All of these experiences exist, in some form, in each of our lives. But there is no escape from pain. Pretending pain does not exist, or numbing the pain out, is a way of abandoning ourself as well as all of those in suffering.
Read MoreA sense of being held is often all we need to step out of our inner turmoil and into unwavering belief. Faith does not depend on an outcome or anything exterior to look a certain way. Faith is often the opposite - belief despite how something appears.
Read MoreOnce the wave crests, and falls, we discover a myriad of things about ourself - first, that we can survive difficult emotions. Second, that we will not in fact break or disappear as the result of pain. Lastly, there may be new insight we can take with us after seeing a difficult emotion through. If we stay, we arrive at the bottom of the wave, a new person.
Read MoreIf you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you.”
I interpret this bold statement to mean two things. First, there is a unique gift that resides within each of us. Second, we should not be afraid of, or doubt this unique gift. In fact, we should lean into our gifts and do whatever it takes to bring them forth.
Read MoreYou are expansive beyond what you can see. Every urge, every longing, every heart-felt sensation, is answered by the Universe. Since the day you were born, you have been a spinning orb of energy, and the love you crave, the feeling of peace and safety, the feeling of "rightness", is already inside you. Your own longings are like beacons pointing you to truth.
Read MoreWe have also been tricked into thinking if people change, we will feel better. Or if circumstances change, we will be happier. Outside experience does not dictate our inner happiness; people or how they treat us does not need to define us. Actually, our inner happiness dictates our outer experience.
Read MoreThere are toxic yoga teachers and compassionate truck drivers. There are terrible therapists and insightful bartenders. Our daily roles are a route to spreading joy and goodness. I am means we can achieve whatever we want in life, but the significance relies on how we touch and relate to others, not on the title or perceived value. Who am I? The question feels open, wide, and impossible.
Read MoreIn our bodies, there are 9 emotions that exist. The Sanskrit word for these emotions is Rasas and actually translates to "essence" - the essence or flavor of our energetic Self. Unlike emotions, which we label as good or bad, rasas are simply energy. The energy in our body takes on these 9 qualities.
Read MoreHow should a mother behave and dress? What should a yoga teacher believe, eat, do with her free time??? Get rid of the labels and roles you are trying to fit into - it’s hard enough to be who you already are. Instead of living from the outside-in, try living from the inside-out. You don’t need to match society’s expectation, you only need to bring out what is already there.
Read MoreWe can spend our entire lives stuck in a Samskara and never know any different. Except we will continue to operate with a false belief about ourself, someone else, or the world. We may feel fearful, agitated, or continually resentful. We may feel unsettled, less confident, anxious, or depressed. All of these can be symptoms of an unhealed Samskara.
Read MoreYoga is called a path. Because when you continually show up, you travel to a different place from where you began. I call yoga a return. Because our practice gives back to us all the parts we have abandoned. The parts we have been ashamed to show up as. The parts that crave our attention.
Read MoreIn yoga, befriending the body means accepting all its parts, forming a healthy relationship, and loving the body you were given. It also means listening to your body when something uncomfortable comes up, or when your intuition tries to get your attention. Befriending the body means learning how to listen, how to trust, and how to compassionately heal.
Read MoreThe more we practice, the stronger we get. Poses become easier. Balance becomes attainable. Our emotional state is the same way - the more we practice honoring ourself, the easier life gets. No longer are we guilted into staying when our gut tells us to leave. No longer are we over-extended, when we know we need to back off.
Read MoreRecently I named this intention, I welcome in love and I wrote it down in my journal. I continued writing and followed the prompts and steps Julie has laid out in the labyrinth. Part of the process of naming an intention is also to look at beliefs and behaviors that have held you back or kept you stuck from receiving it.
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