Tuesday, February 28, 2012

The Gift

Last night after class, a student stopped me & thanked me for class.  She had very kind words to say & I was touched - I always am when I hear from students.  It reaffirms for me the reason why I teach yoga.

I was still very much in the zone of teaching.  I thanked her & said simply "it's a gift" - meaning, my teaching.

I didn't think about it all until later.  There were other students leaving & students coming in for the next class.

When I did think about it much later, I felt almost embarrassed about what I said...about saying "it's a gift".  There were other people around who heard our exchange & I suddenly became self-conscious & concerned that what I said might have come across as egotistical or insincere.

For me, when I teach & am really "in the zone", it is a gift.  It's effortless.  I am filled with pure joy & love for what I am doing & the people that I am with.  It's not something that comes from me it's something that flows through me - it comes from source, the divine.

Wayne Dyer talks about it.  About sitting down to write his books, being connected to source & having words effortlessly come to him.  How easy & simple it is, when you are tapped in.

It is a gift.  It's the feeling of receiving a gift & then sharing it.  And the most effort is in staying open & receptive & trusting in what you a receiving.  This is what I feel when I teach.  This is how I felt when I was thanked by a student.

It was later, when I started "thinking" about it, that I felt that twinge of self-doubt.

The irony of all this is that in class I was speaking about the youtube video "Jessica's Daily Affirmations".  If you haven't seen it, it's a 3 year old girl, in her pajamas, in front of a mirror, saying "I am great!  I love everything!  I can do anything good!"...and she goes on like this for almost a minute.

She's still tapped into source.  She still trusts herself & all the gifts that she is receiving.  She trusts that she is great (we all are!)  No self-doubt.  Not at all self-conscious.  That's something, unfortunately, we are taught to feel as we grow older.

When you love what you do & are sharing it with others, it is a gift.  And we are all gifted in different ways.  It is something to embrace, to enjoy, to love & be grateful for.  It is something to share & simply feel great about.

You can now find my blog at the Register Citizen: http:http://www.registercitizen.com/blogs/life/ 

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Where are my keys?!?!

Last week, as I got ready to leave for the studio, when I reached for my keys, they weren't in their "usual" spot.

Hmmm.....

I checked all the alternative spots - not there.

Then the rest of my house got involved in the search.  We checked everywhere that we could think of- no keys.

I decided they had to be in my car from the night before. I said my good-byes, walked to the car - no keys.

Back to to the house!  We looked again.  No keys to be found anywhere.

At this point, I HAD to leave for the studio.  There were going to be students waiting for me for class.  My Mother let me borrow her car.  One problem remained - without my keys, I couldn't get into the building or into the studio.

As I drove to studio, I called my landlord, who put me in touch with another woman who worked in the building - she was able to let me into the building & into the studio.  Class started on time & it was a great morning.

When I returned home, I looked in my car again & there were my keys.  They had fallen down beside the seat.  I had been rushed when I looked previously.

I practiced alot of yoga that morning.  As much as I wanted to get frustrated, angry & throw up my hands in defeat when I couldn't find my keys - I stayed calm, kept breathing, and stayed focused on getting to the studio to teach yoga to a great group of people.  And it was another reminder to slow down & really focus, even when it feels challenging.  (If I had done that, I would have found my keys the first time - no self-judgement, just observation).

When I left the house without my keys, I didn't really have a plan.  But I didn't get worried - with or without keys to the studio, I knew everything would be ok.  And it was.

Later that day, when I told someone what had happened, she said "I guess you had a bad morning".  Funny thing...I didn't have a bad morning.  I simply couldn't find my keys.  It could have been a big deal, but it wasn't.  And I never allowed my mood to be altered by the fact that I couldn't find my keys.  It was what it was.  And everything was ok.

This is yoga, off the mat.  This is why we practice breathing, staying calm & focused as we move in & out of challenging poses.  This is why we practice observing how our bodies & minds behave on our mats.  So that we can take that practice into our everyday lives & feel how a simple thing like loosing our keys doesn't have to turn into having a "bad morning" or "bad day".  And it is empowering to find that other people & events don't have control over how we feel & act - all of that is within our power, with practice.

You can now find my blog at the Register Citizen: http:http://www.registercitizen.com/blogs/life/  
 

Sunday, February 12, 2012

What's with the stuff?

When I was in my 20s & early 30s, I was all about stuff.  I wanted the right stuff to wear.  Stuff for my apartment.  Nice stuff to drive.  I saw cool stuff that other people had & wanted to get it.  I had stuff stuffed into my closet.  Stuff in cabinets & on shelves.  I had alot of stuff.  And I wanted more.

There was a period of years where I moved almost once a year.  And every time I moved, I packed up my stuff & took it with me.  For a while, my stuff was in storage - but I still had it.  I liked it.  My stuff made me feel good.

At some point, a shift happened.  I started practicing & teaching yoga more.  I took a good look at all my stuff.  The stuff that I hadn't used or worn in years, but had wanted to keep because it made me feel good.  It was just taking up space.  I didn't need it anymore.  I realized that it might be more useful to someone else.  I started giving my stuff away.

I gave away alot of stuff once I started.  Instead of thinking "well, I might need this one day".  I thought "someone else might need this now".  I had less stuff.  But I had more space.  Yoga helped me realize I didn't need stuff to make me feel good.

Don't get me wrong, I still think I have too much stuff.  But it's no longer all about the stuff.  Sure, I see cool stuff & think "it'd be cool to have that stuff".  But then I realize I really have everything I need.  And then some.

My life is full - full of love & joy, abundance.  Full of friends & family.  And I am full of gratitude.  Once I started to get rid of the stuff,  once I made some room, I could see this.

You can now find my blog at the Register Citizen: http:http://www.registercitizen.com/blogs/life/