The Bhagavad Gita tells us we must do our duty without regard to the outcome. Our duty is not to have open hamstrings or to stand on our heads, but rather our duty is to do what we can to make life on this planet better for everyone. Seem daunting? It doesn’t have to be. We must be willing to do the work on ourselves, but not for ourselves. One can do this through unwavering devotion to a higher power, by improving themselves through study, or by working for the benefit of others. The truth of the matter is, as we improve ourselves, we improve the planet. It is that simple. So we do the work for someone else: a loved one, a stranger, a cause, the universe, something other than ourselves. If we do our honest best, remain unattached to the outcome of that work, and have the faith (shradda) that what we do matters, good things will happen.
Food for thought.
Avoid being a yoga snob. All styles of yoga are great. There is no one style for everyone. Experience as many styles as you can and don’t dis the styles you don’t like.
Seek out groups of people to share readings, philosophies, and discussions with. Learning cannot happen in a vacuum. One needs a circle or community (sangha) to learn with.
Namaste
Seek out groups of people to share readings, philosophies, and discussions with. Learning cannot happen in a vacuum. One needs a circle or community (sangha) to learn with.
Namaste
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There Is No Perfect Yoga Body—Yoga Is Perfect For Every Body by Diana Zelfoher
We have all read, heard, seen and felt the multitude of benefits resulting from physical activity. Whether you already have a gym membership, or walk, surf and play sports to get your fix, the intention of this simple note is to help shape things into a different perspective for those of you who might have already proclaimed, “Yoga is not for me.”
Unlike any other sport, yoga is a field where everyone is a winner—going in and coming out. Because winning is not about getting a medal for bending into a pretzel, or who does the best asana [pose], but about learning to do the best asana for your body in each moment. Every day we wake, we receive a new body.
You also might have already heard that our breathing affects the mind, our thoughts affect the immune system, what we eat affects our mood, and physical activity affects emotions, and so on and so forth. But did you know that yoga also holds a reputation for helping bring mood, energy, and metabolism into a more satisfactory balance? Understand though, that balance is not a fixed place at which you arrive, but a constant adjustment process to the circumstances of each moment.
The ability to expand one’s attention to all areas of the body while simultaneously directing focus to specific parts improves powers of mind. Developing mental awareness, mental clarity, and insight are not only at the heart of yoga, but cultivating this inner focus will make our physical practices far more interesting, engaging, and effective. Yogis practice to learn and grow, not to win and defeat. Yoga is the art of balancing attaining with attuning.
“Yoga is not a goal. It is a lifelong process of living and learning
that nurtures our being and that enriches the quality of our days.”
Yoga does not take time—it gives time. If you ever question your progress in terms of improving strength, flexibility or endurance, start thinking of it from the long view perspective—maintenance. Most people would be delighted if they could be in the physical condition they are in today twenty years from now. It’s important to recognize that asanas are only tools, and their purpose is to serve our body, mind and spirit. We need to practice so that, looking back years from now, we’ll be content with ourselves.
Advancing our practice implies refining our ability to see and listen to our body on deeper and subtler levels. Refining this internal perception is more important than merely attaining more exotic postures. Next time you set foot on a mat, keep in mind that your practice is for you—for your growth, development and well-being. Even staying in the same place is a great attainment! And for those of you who don’t consider yoga a workout, I mean that literally and figuratively speaking
I encourage you to stay open-minded—forever endeavor™. Enjoy each moment to its fullest, and move from an inner place of being, rather than from an outer place of doing
We have all read, heard, seen and felt the multitude of benefits resulting from physical activity. Whether you already have a gym membership, or walk, surf and play sports to get your fix, the intention of this simple note is to help shape things into a different perspective for those of you who might have already proclaimed, “Yoga is not for me.”
Unlike any other sport, yoga is a field where everyone is a winner—going in and coming out. Because winning is not about getting a medal for bending into a pretzel, or who does the best asana [pose], but about learning to do the best asana for your body in each moment. Every day we wake, we receive a new body.
You also might have already heard that our breathing affects the mind, our thoughts affect the immune system, what we eat affects our mood, and physical activity affects emotions, and so on and so forth. But did you know that yoga also holds a reputation for helping bring mood, energy, and metabolism into a more satisfactory balance? Understand though, that balance is not a fixed place at which you arrive, but a constant adjustment process to the circumstances of each moment.
The ability to expand one’s attention to all areas of the body while simultaneously directing focus to specific parts improves powers of mind. Developing mental awareness, mental clarity, and insight are not only at the heart of yoga, but cultivating this inner focus will make our physical practices far more interesting, engaging, and effective. Yogis practice to learn and grow, not to win and defeat. Yoga is the art of balancing attaining with attuning.
“Yoga is not a goal. It is a lifelong process of living and learning
that nurtures our being and that enriches the quality of our days.”
Yoga does not take time—it gives time. If you ever question your progress in terms of improving strength, flexibility or endurance, start thinking of it from the long view perspective—maintenance. Most people would be delighted if they could be in the physical condition they are in today twenty years from now. It’s important to recognize that asanas are only tools, and their purpose is to serve our body, mind and spirit. We need to practice so that, looking back years from now, we’ll be content with ourselves.
Advancing our practice implies refining our ability to see and listen to our body on deeper and subtler levels. Refining this internal perception is more important than merely attaining more exotic postures. Next time you set foot on a mat, keep in mind that your practice is for you—for your growth, development and well-being. Even staying in the same place is a great attainment! And for those of you who don’t consider yoga a workout, I mean that literally and figuratively speaking
I encourage you to stay open-minded—forever endeavor™. Enjoy each moment to its fullest, and move from an inner place of being, rather than from an outer place of doing
A blog entry from Seth Godin
Who judges your work?
Here's the mistake we make in high school:
We let anyone, just anyone, judge our work (and by extension, judge us.)
Sue, the airheaded but long-legged girl in Spanish class gets the right to judge our appearance.
Bill, the bitter former-poet English teacher gets the power to tell us if we're good at writing.
And on and on.
The cheerleaders are deputized as the Supreme Court of social popularity, and the gym teacher forever has dibs on whether or not we're macho enough to make it in the world. These are patterns we sign up for, and they last forever (or until we tell them to go away).
In high school, some people learn to ship, they learn to do work that matters and most of all, they learn to ignore the critics they can never possibly please. The ability to choose who judges your work--the people who will make it better, use it and reward you--is the key building block in becoming an artist in whatever you do.
Here's the mistake we make in high school:
We let anyone, just anyone, judge our work (and by extension, judge us.)
Sue, the airheaded but long-legged girl in Spanish class gets the right to judge our appearance.
Bill, the bitter former-poet English teacher gets the power to tell us if we're good at writing.
And on and on.
The cheerleaders are deputized as the Supreme Court of social popularity, and the gym teacher forever has dibs on whether or not we're macho enough to make it in the world. These are patterns we sign up for, and they last forever (or until we tell them to go away).
In high school, some people learn to ship, they learn to do work that matters and most of all, they learn to ignore the critics they can never possibly please. The ability to choose who judges your work--the people who will make it better, use it and reward you--is the key building block in becoming an artist in whatever you do.
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