om monday: why do i want that?

morning, mavens.  i hope you're enjoying this fabulously looooong weekend.  i wanted to share with you something from my yoga class yesterday.

often yoga teachings can seem at odds with wants and desires.  i know, for me at least, i sort of felt like i wasn't fully embracing the yoga mindset until a resigned myself to a life of little possessions and quiet meditation.  but, my teacher, amy, in yesterday's class enlightened us to the true yogic take on wants and desires.

she said that it's ok to want things - like a fulfilling job, money to support your family or even (in her case) red cowboy boots.  but, she explained that it's also important to ask "why do i want the things i want?".

this take on it completely resounds with me.  with this philosophy in mind, any earthly desire can be seen as a conduit for discovering something deeper and more meaningful about yourself.  very cool.

credit {here}

so, let's take this idea out for a spin...why do i desire cosmos?  what are they offering me?  and what am i truly looking for when i order my fabulous $6 drink at happy hour?  well, they offer me (and craig) a night out to connect, enjoy one another's company and talk.  they offer me a "treat" after a long week or long day and provide a subtle means of letting go.  of enjoying something for enjoyment's sake.  so, when i order my cosmo, i'm actually ordering a little mini vaca from our day-to-day lives.  a moment to take a breath and connect with the guy i'm crazy about.

now, that i know what i'm truly looking for, perhaps i can find it in other places as well.  (like in a pomegranate martini....just kidding....)

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om monday: law of attraction

sometimes, you have to just move forward, even though all the steps aren't clear.  recently, i was accepted into yogadharma - a yoga teacher training program.  if you've ever looked into teacher training, you know it can be expensive, and this program was no exception.  with our upcoming wedding, it didn't feel like the appropriate time to pursue my certification, though i wanted to so badly.

when weighing the options, craig came to me and said, "you have to do this.  you'll regret it if you don't".  with his support, the choice seemed easy and obvious, and i applied the next day.

the day after i was accepted, i received an email from a former writing client saying that they could use me on a regular basis, 1-2 days a week.  i.e. steady, reliable income.  music to my ears as a freelancer.

it's crazy how things like that happen.  you move closer to your goal/dream/passion, and suddenly your current reality shifts to support it.  the law of attraction at work.

have you ever experienced the law of attraction in your life?

[all images are of my teacher, amy, from yogadharma]

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if i had my life to live over

this morning in yoga, my teacher started with a bitter sweet poem - if i had my life to live over.  the poem speaks to our tendency to put things off, dream of the future and forget the present moment - the only thing we ever really have.

if i had my life to live over

i'd dare to make more mistakes next time.
i'd relax, i would limber up.
i would be sillier than i have been this trip.
i would take fewer things seriously.
i would take more chances.
 
i would climb more mountains and swim more rivers.
i would eat more ice cream and less beans.
i would perhaps have more actual troubles,
but I'd have fewer imaginary ones.
 

you see, i'm one of those people who live
sensibly and sanely hour after hour, 
day after day.
  
oh, i've had my moments,
and if i had it to do over again,
i'd have more of them.
in fact, i'd try to have nothing else.
just moments, one after another,
instead of living so many years ahead of each day.

i've been one of those people who never goes anywhere
without a thermometer, a hot water bottle, a raincoat
and a parachute.
if i had to do it again, i would travel lighter than i have.

if i had my life to live over,
i would start barefoot earlier in the spring
and stay that way later in the fall.
i would go to more dances.
i would ride more merry-go-rounds.
i would pick more daisies.

by nadine stair, 85 years old

we don't get any do-overs.  this one life is it.  pursue your passions, follow your heart and when you look back at 85, don't wish for a chance to do it better.

what can you do today to make sure you'll have no regrets tomorrow?.

om monday: wise words

every month, the yoga studio i take classes at picks a living, modern master to study for the month.  in so doing, all the teachers select books to read quotes from, teach from and find inspiration in.  i love that they do this - i've learned so much and been so inspired by the "masters" they've covered.

they've highlighted individuals like mary oliver, the poet, and beryl bender birch, the founder of power yoga in the usa.  i love coming to class, sitting with my eyes closed and absorbing the wise words.

namaste studio @ the solebury club.  credit {here}

last month, they chose pema chodron, a buddhist monk, prolific author and enlightened guru.  her words are awe-inspiring.  and the simple truths she points out make you rethink how you look at the world & life's experiences.

so, without further ado...pema chodron...

"…feelings like disappointment, embarrassment, irritation, resentment, anger, jealousy, and fear, instead of being bad news, are actually very clear moments that teach us where it is that we’re holding back.  they teach us to perk up and lean in when we feel we’d rather collapse and back away.  they’re like messengers that show us, with terrifying clarity, exactly where we’re stuck.  this very moment is the perfect teacher, and, lucky for us, it’s with us wherever we are."   

yoga @ the solebury club.  credit {here}

"the most difficult times for many of us are the ones we give ourselves."   

"welcome the present moment as if you had invited it.  it is all we ever have so we might as well work with it rather than struggling against it. we might as well make it our friend and teacher rather than our enemy."

so, mavens...what do you think of pema?

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