Posts Tagged ‘Yoga’
Rest in Love
Tuesday, November 30th, 2010
Love is the antidote to what ails us.
I have been thinking about love — being in love, letting love in, giving love. As I prepared for the final yoga resting pose, Savasana, I heard the teacher say that this is the position that gets rid of all impurities and allows the body to process all the poses. “Dharma (Mittra) says that Savasana is the antidote to all impurities.” I closed my eyes, relaxed my body, took long and slow breaths and rested.
As I felt myself rest in love, I could feel the whole room fill with love. And when it came time to open my eyes, all I could hear from my meditation was, “Love is antidote to what ails us.”
May we rest in love, always.
Mary Anne
National Yoga Month!
Wednesday, September 15th, 2010
September is National Yoga Month! It’s a great way to celebrate mind, body, & spirit connections. I only started taking yoga classes this past January. It has been an amazing journey. Most of the poses still confuse me and it takes great effort to do a should stand, but I find that I can push myself just a little bit more each class. And what has really inspired me more than the poses is the ability to create a heart-centered practice that deepens my relationship with the Divine.
My yoga teachers start our class by asking us to dedicate our practice or our day to someone we love. ‘May each pose be an offering to a loved one or the Divine.’ What a beautiful way to start each day! When I look around the room at other folks doing yoga poses, I often think, “Will my body ever bend like that?” I am reminded to always come back to my breath. I breathe deeper and watch how my body is able to expand, and yet, I can clearly recognize the limits of how far my body will push itself — how much pain feels good and tolerable.
For me, yoga has been more than a trendy exercise. It’s been an experience of self-awareness and self-acceptance. I am perfect exactly as I am in this very moment.
I invite you to stretch yourself this month (in mind, body, spirit). Offer your practices or day to someone you love.
Namaste,
Mary Anne
To find out more information about National Yoga Month click the link: http://www.yogamonth.org/
Pushing Past the Veil of Resistance
Friday, February 5th, 2010
“Most of us have two lives. The life we live, and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands Resistance.” -Steven Pressfield
How does resistance show up in your life? Resistance can push you far from your dream through procrastination, sabotage, excuses, and convince you that the worst outcome will always happen. We do our best to keep resistance at bay and then we feel it – fear. But listening to fear can actually propel us to do exactly what resistance is pulling us away from. If we are scared, we might be on the right track towards ‘success’. Fear might actually be the catalyst that brings us to our growing edge.
In his book, The War of Art, Steven Pressfield writes, “The more scared we are of a work or calling, the more we can be sure that we have to do it.” If it didn’t mean anything or push our limits, then there would be no need to be fearful and expose ourselves to expansive experiences. Resistance keeps us in place.
There comes a time, a point in your life, a remembering of your original creative genius self that is ready to push past the veil of resistance. When you are ready, here are a few ideas to support you in tackling resistance. First, listen to that deep voice inside that has had that dream since you first learned to walk and ask: do you still love that dream? Next, after all the excuses have been made why you can’t draw, write, dance, create, or start a business, take some actions anyway. There will always be reasons and excuses and the best way to move forward is simply by taking daily actions. Lastly, ask for help. Get all the support you need to move your idea forward. Seek out experts, teachers, alliances, change agents, and anyone who understands that we are more than our resistant voice.
Here is a conversation with Resistance:
Self: Given my work schedule and NYU class, can I handle continue taking Yoga classes?
Resistance: You will never be able to do all that. Just forget it.
Self: Really? Give up Yoga?
Resistance: Why bother? You are doing enough already.
Self: Yoga gives me the space to go within and spend time in body, spirit & mind practices.
Resistance: Give it up–it’s too much and too hard to do work, school, & Yoga.
This could go on and on. To stop bantering with resistance, feel free to get quiet, get centered, and feel all of the emotions. Visualize where you want to be and see yourself in that full experience.
After sitting quietly, my meditation revealed the following response to Resistance:
“Is school not awakening your body as well as your mind? Ask your heart. Is yoga not awakening your mind as well as your body as you focus on balancing during a pose? Ask the stillness within you. You are already all of it. You can have all of it – in your divinity you already do.”
Push the veil to see what is on the other side of Resistance. This is a daily practice. Together, let us keep the veils moving.
Mary Anne