Peace Manifest

Recently I was posed a great question from a wonderful, sincere student.... "How do I hold on to Peace? In Yoga class, I feel peaceful and relaxed and in the moment, but when I'm not practicing, that feeling of connection to and peace in the moment seems so elusive."

Peace and contentment can be fleeting for even the most earnest Yogis. We live in a world with so much to distract us. Our culture is so stimulating, and the pace the general population operates at is astounding, and we've grown so accustomed to immediate action and reaction. It takes conscious effort to draw ourselves out of the whirlwind and rest in the moments. The practice of Yoga is certainly helpful in making our bodies and minds relax, but if we do not cultivate mindful practices in to our daily living, we will likely spin out into the vortex of incessent stimulation.

There are lots of creative ways to live a mindful life. Practicing Yoga asana and pranayama and having a meditation practice are obvious to us Yogis. But bringing mindfulness in to your life off the mat and cushion is a constant challenge. For me, it involves everything from the way I go about my daily chores and interactions, the way I speak in relationship, to the choices I make from the mudane to the life-changing ones. A "mindful" life implies perhaps a constant state of peacefulness, which is a grande goal, but, for most us, especially the irreverent types ;-), the reality is that we experience a wide range of human emotion in the course of our work, relationships and daily lives. Can I be mindful when I feel anger? When I am hurt? When I am frustrated? Of course, it's much easier to be mindful when all you have on your plate is the pretty stuff, when everyone is getting along, when you feel well, when your needs are getting met. We need to begin by meeting ourselves where we are at at any given moment. Recognize the sensation of the moment, the rising emotion for what it is. I literally try to breathe in to whatever is arising. It gives me pause. Time to be fully there, whether I am experiencing pain or pleasure or something in between. I try hard, altho I am not perfect, to use mindful words and action, which again involves a moment of pause to discern truth from knee-jerk reacting. That gets pretty challenging when emotions are charged.

I think there is another layer of cultivating a mindful existence, which is about taking time for reflection. Personally, what works best is sitting practice , but I've also taken many long walks with my dog, hikes alone in the woods, listened to music, sat by some body of water or gazed at the stars. In the reflective space, I can see more clearly how my moment-to-moment attempts at mindfulness are actually working out. It is often in the reflective moments that I gain valuable insight and compassion to the 'other side' of any given story, and can then take corrective actions if need be. I am far from perfect, but I do strive to be truthful in my quest for the mindful life. So if I need to right a wrong or acknowledge an oversight or mispoken word, I do that. If forgiveness is in order, towards myself (I can be kinda rough on little ole me), or extended to another, I can do that. Reflection just gives me another layer of cultivating mindfulness, beyond the moment of action and interaction. Mixed up in the mindful life is the ability to be compassionate, to be forgiving and accepting, to be truthful and loving...with ourselves first, and then to others. This is what gives me a deep, more pervasive sense of peace.

Let's get this party started!

Welcome to the first of what I hope will be many lively and interesting discussions on YourYogaVoice! My hope is to create conversation around the topic of Yoga in our lives. With such an ancient and broad topic, and with so many different considerations given the application of this ancient Eastern practice in a modern Western life, things could get interesting...

What moved me to start this grows from a need I've observed as a full time Yoga teacher and studio owner over the last decade plus. I frequently hear awesome questions regarding the history, practice, and application of Yoga. Although an ancient practice, Yoga in our modern culture begs us to question the how’s and why’s of what we are doing. That's good thing. It's a worthy topic for discussion, and perhaps debate. In my personal view, the way that Yoga is commonly depicted in Western culture is a bit of a distortion. Often times, the word Yoga conjures up either a limited viewpoint of the practice as a physical regime of pretzel-like calisthenics, or a vision of the practice as some kind of cult-like religion for hippie-types. Either is limiting, to say the least.

My desire is to dispel the myths, to delve in to the gray areas of Yoga practice both on and off the mat in our modern culture. I do not wish to go this alone, nor pretend to be omnipotent... I'm just curious and committed to the practice in my own life. I invite your suggestions, opinions, ideas, debates, stories, musings and reflections. Let's get to know one another. Let's learn from one another. Dare to inspire and be inspired!

I am not interested in being the 'guru' of this site. Those of you who know and love me know that I can be a bit irreverent at times. No holy Yogini here...hence my handle... My experience of Yoga in practice after many years of exploration is that it is a valuable tool for living a grounded, free existence. I do not aspire to float through this life above the fray, but rather be engaged and present in my daily encounters as I am... curious, flawed, funny, impious, flavorful, smiling all the way. I live my life out loud in a quiet manner. Life is a multi-textured, colorful tapestry. I'm interested in all it's intricacies. I'm interested in what you think and feel. Enough about me...

Let's open our discussions by touching lightly on the Yamas, the first limb on the eight-fold path of Yoga, with relevance to some 'ground rules' to posting on this blog. These five observances (Ahimsa; Satya; Asteya; Brahmacharya; and Aparigraha) set an apropos platform for our communications. They perfectly describe a manner in which we can orient and relate towards one another while promoting a sense of respect and harmony...be kind, truthful, generous, use appropriate restraint, be self reliant, simple, straight-forward and open.

Soooo...In Yama spirit... Do you consider your Yoga practice to be spiritual? What makes your practice spiritual?

I do consider my Yoga practice to be spiritual in nature; in fact, it is my spiritual path. What makes it spiritual is the manner in which I approach it. Like many spiritual traditions, it is a discipline. I study and practice regularly. This is an open-ended process, with more opportunity for challenge, development, growth and mastery available at every bend. Even though the physical practice can become repetitive, (but perhaps not so much personally, as I am always creating gooey new takes on old practices....and universal alignment?.....whaaaat???...) I do, however, consistently approach my practice mindfully and from the heart, and because of this, new insights, perceptions and awareness are developing all the time. It's what I consider my growth, my spirit unfolding.

Yoga is a path with a rich philosophy; a vast repertoire of methods, practices and ideologies. Perhaps different from some religious traditions, it is not so much of an externally imposed set of rules to follow, but more of an invitation to venture inward towards that which is divine and shared in us all. Having been spiritually curious all of my life, and at the same time, having questioned the limitations of popular religious traditions all my life, the vast and open nature of Yoga personally appeals to me as a spiritual quest.

Thanks for taking your time to visit. Drop me a 'Namaste' in the comments section and tell me what you think...
Shanti Shanti Shanti