, , , ,

om monday: wise words for the new year

, , , ,
i found the following on mariel hemingway's blog last week, and this small but meanginful passage completely spoke to me.  i hope you, too, find the words inspirational.

i do not ask to travel the easy road
but for the courage to endure the road i am on.
i do not ask for fulfillment
but for the humility to accept what is in my path.
i do not ask for perfection in all i do
but for the wisdom not to repeat my mistakes.
i do not ask of these gifts before saying
thank you for all you have given me.
- chief red cloud, ojlala sioux 1819-1891
these words were written well over 100 years ago, yet i feel i could ask for the very same.  life isn't perfect, and we'll never be happy all the time, but if we approach our lives with a sense of wonder and gratitude, we will see the magic in the every day.
credit {here}
namaste : )


.

, , , , ,

om monday: perception is reality

, , , , ,

in many ways, my yogadharma classes are reinforcing truths that i already believe, but my classes are also encouraging me to view them on a larger, more worldly scope.  we can get so wrapped up in our perception of things that we forget that it's just that...our perception.

credit {here}

there's a great saying that i've long believed to be true: perception is reality.  this basic notion has been re-churned countless times, but its simple eloquence is sometimes hard to grasp.  it's sometimes hard to admit that if things are "good" or things are "bad", it's because we're perceiving them to be that way.   

sure, there are times when you could argue that almost anyone would agree with you that what you are going through is either more negative or more positive, but i'm sure we've also all experienced beautiful, sunny days when we're miserable and pissed off, as well as difficult, sad times when we've been able to share a smile or a laugh.  it's all about our perception of the situation. 

credit {here}

you can choose to see the outside world as annoying, out-to-get-you and an overall unfriendly place, or you can decide (i know, it's hard) to begin to perceive things differently.  instead of reacting with your usual knee-jerk response and going to that cold, hard place, soften and try to think about a new way of looking at the things, people and experiences you encounter on a daily basis.

...and, you'll enjoy more "sunny" days for sure....

, ,

om monday: seeing rightly

, ,

"it is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."


at the close of yoga on saturday, the teacher ended class with her usual quote.  the lovely little sentence that she often utters is so simple and so true.  i was wondering what wise yogi's words she was repeating.  so, i googled it : )


to my surprise, it was not a yoga guru who first uttered those words.  it's a quote from the little prince (a.k.a. le petit prince).  a novel by antoine de saint exupéry from 1943. 


credit {here}

as a college french major, i must admit, i'm a little surprised (and embarrassed) that i didn't know that this famous quote came from a novel that is widely read and discussed in french classes.  but, in a different setting, in the zen-quiet of a peaceful yoga studio, the words took on a new, clearer and more profound meaning. 


"it is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."


namaste : ).