Catch a Glimpse

As we develop a deeper awareness of our self, others, and the world around us, we catch glimpses of the magnificence in the ordinary and the sacred in each day. We live and move through our world with greater awe, being truthful to who we are, allowing walls and barriers to drop down and fall away. Stay open, curious, and flexible.

Play with Your "Edges"

Whether in Life or in Yoga, it is so important to "play around" with your edge rather than fearing it or avoiding it all together.

"There are valid reasons for fearing your edge--danger lurks there. But so does growth. If fear prevents you from playing your edge, that same fear is preventing you from learning, from progressing, from developing your full potential, including full health..."

"...the edge is the cliff of challenge and change. It may be high, it may be scary, but it is necessary. There are many kinds of edges. There is the physical edge...the emotional edge...the psychological edge...the spiritual edge..."

"Edges are where something is about to happen..."
                                                                                          --Bernie Clark in his book Your Body, Your Yoga

What edges are you playing with today?
How is that playfulness challenging and growing you?

What edges are you fearing, avoiding, or running away from?
How is that fear or avoidance keeping you stagnant?

I have an immense fear of heights. However, I play with my physical and mental edges by hiking mountains and getting as close as I mentally can to the edge to enjoy the incredible view. That view from the high points is exhilarating. It is worth every sore muscle and the occasional shaky legs, and it makes me feel wonderfully alive!

As long as we have life and breath, let us not stop playing, learning, growing, adventuring!  Savor every moment of this gift of life.

Consciously Choose Your Path

“We set out to better ourselves, only to find legions of reasons to break our commitment to health.  We say it is too difficult to make the hard choice today.  And yet, the obstacles in our path are the path.  Every time we stretch beyond our resistance and our fear, we make a choice for life.  And every time we choose life, we find that fear loses its grip on us.  We all know more than we think we do, and we are stronger than we believer ourselves to be.  We come to [the] mat and to our lives to learn by going where we have to go.”  

--Rolf Gates in Meditations from the Mat

Should I Put on Boxing Gloves?

This week I read a wonderful article written by Srinivas Rao titled Everything You Fight Has Power Over You.  Everything You Accept Doesn't. 

I do not believe we should "surrender" with a defeated, apathetic, this life will never be better, woe-is-me attitude.  The surrender referred to in this article is one of acceptance with continued progress.  We benefit and are empowered by accepting the circumstances over which we have no control while also taking a position of graceful actions, continued progress, and alternative paths.  A quick example is my own personal experience with back pain over the past years and some of that time the pain being quite excruciating.  I accepted the fact that I had injury which must take a long time to heal, but I did not lie down and stop moving.  Instead, I found plenty of ways in which I could still have an active lifestyle and a fulfilling yoga practice that continued to strengthen and heal my mind, body, and soul, all within a pain free range of motion.  I chose the route of acceptance with continued progress.

The article is full of excellent life wisdom. In case you don't want to take the time to read the entire thing, I've included here some of my favorite excerpts.