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/
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
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/
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/
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/
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