Inward Achievements

I love the different ways that yoga can help different people.

Why do we do it? This yoga stuff is hard. This self-study, hard work, and surrender is challenging. (Yoga Sutra 2.1) This climb of dharma peak, this inquiry into the self and true nature is no simple task. So why do we do it? I've talked about this before in one of my first ever posts about the bliss of ignorance and even to this day I remember when my yoga teacher Molly asked the question. Why? My answer in that moment was not only clear but almost forceful. It was emotional and to me very powerful. At the same time, it was simple. "Because I can't not." Hail the double negative! In other words, I feel like I have to. I feel like I don't have a choice but to search and to climb. The alternative scares me.

“What we achieve inwardly will change outer reality.” -Plutarch

I heard this quote and it spoke volumes to me about the power of yoga. It is so simply said. It is so clear. I even feel like I have an abundance of examples for when this has been true for me.

For example, certain things use to scare me. Lead climbing, steep ski slopes, rock jumping, etc. Granted my examples may see extreme to some but the challenge is familiar. If I can change my thoughts, my emotions, and my reactions to the situation then the outward reality changes. The climb is no longer impossible, the ski slope is no longer going to kill me, I am able to jump a given distance between two river rocks. I think of this when I see climbers much stronger than me and adventurers much more daring. In some cases it is not, as we would think, a physical advantage they have over me. In some cases it is what is on the inside that allows their reality to be different than mine. Free soloing to me = crazy. Free soloing to them = daily exercise. 

The physical example is always the first one for me to think of and to mention because it has been my learning platform for so many years. Mountains I have climbed that I thought were impossible, skills I have now that used to escape me. Handstands, arm balances, and the once elusive ardha chandrasana (half moon pose.) But even the physical example relies heavily on the mind. The mind can change what is physically possible. The mind can change what is emotionally possible. I can enter a situation I know if about to upset me and with breath and focus I can control those emotions... for awhile... I'm still learning. It's much harder when I'm not expecting the difficult situation!

2014 Gratitude

I knew I had been neglecting this blog.
I have no excuses!

I've been focused on everything else and haven't shared much about my yoga practice. I have still been teaching various classes here and there and my Power Yoga class at In-Shape is still alive and well. This year I have been upping my meditation game using the Insight Timer App and I've been keeping a gratitude journal. It's amazing how many things you realize you are grateful for when you sit down and just list them for awhile. The best result, or at least the most entertaining result, is that I have been turning complaining into gratitude lately. It might be slightly sarcastic at times, but it started on a run one day when I was feeling sluggish. I started complaining and as usual, it wasn't helping. Suddenly, I started talking instead about how "happy" I was and how much "fun" I was having. It may have started out sarcastic but as I started listing things I mentioned the fresh air, the green grass, the opportunity to run with my husband, and more. It felt like one of those experiences where you set out to prove why something doesn't work and end up becoming a believer. Positive mental attitude, fake it till you make it, that stuff is no joke!

So why am I suddenly here? 2014 has all the signs of an awesome year including the addition of a new yoga studio in Visalia! Painted Elephant Yoga Studio opened in March and I'm excited to start teaching some early morning classes.

I was sitting for meditation today, trying to make sure I'm paying attention to my daily practice leading up to assisting on Samarya Yoga Teaching training, and afterwards I had an interesting thought. Having just returned from a two week work/play trip and gearing up to leave for another, I'm pretty busy. I have yoga classes to plan and teach, wedding photos to edit, other photography projects to finish, and packing/unpacking among other chores. My mind was all over the place and I was having a hard time keeping my attention on my focus point. I kept drifting off to e-mails I needed to write and other to-do list items. It was hard, but also awesome to try to clear my mind for 20 minutes.

Now, I've always said I do better and am happier when I'm busy. I feel like today I learned a little bit more about why. First of all, knowing I had a lot to do I made sure to have a schedule. I woke up early, went to our favorite coffee shop for a business planning meeting with Marc, got some e-mails and editing done, worked out at the gym, ate lunch and read my current book, got more work done, and finally got in meditation right before Marc gets home for us to work together. Whew. And I still have to teach a yoga class tonight. So I'm busy and slightly stressed. Meditation is challenging. AND at the same time my thoughts are at least all positive or at least progressive. I don't have time to be sad or worried or feel sorry for myself because I have too much to get done. Stress probably doesn't have the same effect on everyone but for me, when I'm accomplishing things I feel better about life. It's easier to wake up excited for the day when I have "important" things to do. It's almost like it's easier to take care of myself when I am forced to because getting sick would derail my week.

A few weeks ago I wrote about ways that I try to live sutra 2.33. I talked about taking action towards this idea of positive thinking. I'd like to add this to this list: Action towards dreams, goals, and getting stuff done. Keeping busy, keeping moving, keeping active towards goals and dreams. If you're busy chasing your dreams and climbing your mountains there is no time for negative thinking. I love a good lazy day too, don't get me wrong. In general though I am a huge fans of work hard/play hard. Living life, sucking it dry, heading out there to see what it has to offer sure makes me a lot happier. And then I continue to attempt to clear and focus the mind, to take back control of my thoughts and reactions.

When I'm not as busy I can feel like there is no point to wake up early, no problem if I watch tv, and no reason to work hard. I fall from extremely productive to extremely lazy really easily and when I don't feel like I've accomplished anything is when I start to have negative thoughts. Which makes it harder to motivate to do anything. Setting personal and professional goals and making to-do lists to get all the things done means that I'm moving forward toward more of what I love. Sometimes being really busy sparks momentum, that's where I am right now. I'm trying to to embrace the busy, harness the momentum, and get stuff done.

Side-note: While I was traveling, I taught a class to some family the day before my mom's wedding. My mom's probably my biggest fan and was excited about having yoga as part of her wedding celebration. I threw in some partner poses for some family yoga fun.

Misconceptions on "Do Something You Love"

I've realized lately that some people have a misconception about those of us who try to "do something we love."

People say things like, "there should be meaning in life, but you shouldn't find it at work." People think that work is work and the things you love should be kept as hobbies so that you don't love them less by relying on them for income. Some cynics strongly disagree with the statement "do what you love and the money will follow." I figure that statement used to read, "Do what you love and the money will follow because of your natural aptitude, ceaseless hard work, and passion." Yeah, whew, they had to shorten the statement so that it would be a catchy quote. They thought the whole "hard work" thing was implied, I guess they were wrong.

I agree that sometimes we do whatever work we have to in order to make money so that we can do the things we love. I know that some jobs that need to get done might not be easy to love. I agree that some things should be kept as hobbies. I also can site personal experience for how money complicates our passions. Still, I strongly believe that we should attempt to have a day job that we love, or at least I should. It's a choice I make for myself and if someone asked me my opinion I would give them similar advice. We spend so much of our precious time at work. Having a day job we love doesn't mean we are happy and carefree everyday. That's not the definition of love we are talking about.

Let me clarify. It's not about doing something you love so that work doesn't feel like work. It's not about loving your job because it's always fun and easy. It's not about always being happy. In fact, it could be argued that it's the opposite. Doing something you love probably means you will work harder than ever, have ridiculous expectations, and care a lot about the outcome. It won't be easy and stress-free. Think about the people you love most. Don't you love them "in sickness and health, good times and bad?" Don't you work hardest on the relationships you have with people you love? Words are difficult. You might hear someone say, "when I'm doing what I love it doesn't feel like work." This is not to mean that said person isn't working. In fact, it is likely they are working really hard. Sometimes it doesn't "feel" like work because they have natural aptitudes and passions that make it enjoyable. It's still work. There is still effort involved.

People that search for dharma or a calling aren't just looking to have a "dream job" so that they can coast through life. Happiness is not about always being on vacation, happiness often means using the skills and gifts that we have.  It's not simply "I love to do yoga so I want to get paid for it." It's more about a love to teach, share ideas, and help others so I'll teach yoga... or coach soccer... or write a blog... or share ideas with friends. It's not even always about the doing something related to the thing you love. Sometimes it's about doing something related to the things you love doing. It's about utilizing your strengths and aptitudes.

Sometimes I think it would be easier to use my "degree" to get a "stable" job in a "reputable" industry like engineering. I know, however, that things that are easier aren't always better. Some people work for the sake of work. That's fine. That's their choice. Some people want to do something they love. Call us naive, call us dreamers, call us unrealistic... but know that we won't give up.

After all, doing something we love is something we are willing to work for!

Here's a neat post by someone more direct on the subject: Doing what you love ...instead of some shit that sucks. I tried to find a argument for the other side but I suppose I'm a little biased.

Training Climbs

"Man, if I was in better shape that wouldn't have been so hard. I should keep myself in better shape so this doesn't hurt so much." 

We've been having conference calls about the Samarya Yoga Teacher Training coming up in September. I'm getting excited to return to the Seattle area and see my friends in the Samarya community. I'm getting excited to teach as well as continue my own studying. I was thinking yesterday about the Samarya yoga trainings and how they have helped me so much as a yoga teacher but even more so as a person. Yoga as a practice helps us deal with our emotions, thoughts, and challenges. Yoga helps us cope and grow. As I train, study, and explore the various aspects of yoga in order to become a better yoga teacher I have also become a better friend, wife, and daughter.

I had lunch yesterday with a friend of mine who talked about being a positive person. She talked about making a choice to find the positive in life's challenges, making a choice to work hard and change something when she's not satisfied. She kept talking about the "choice" to to be happy and I couldn't help but think about how far I have come in realizing how manage my reactions and emotions. I remembered the old version of me that would have been defensive at her suggestion that we have a choice. I am not always a happy and positive person. I work at being happy and positive. I work at seeing the good in a situation. I practice it and practice it. We can't always control what happens to us, we can't control what other people say or do or how they treat us. See, my friend didn't say that we have a "choice" to have an "easy life." She said we have a choice as to how we deal with the life we have. I use to think that the happy and positive people were the ones that had the perfect lives. The more people I meet and the more I really talk to them about their own challenges, the more I learn that it's not what happens to us but how we handle it. Sadly, I'm not the first person that has said this.

It's not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters. -Epictetus

I think happiness quotes get a bad rap because they tell us it's our own fault if we aren't happy. My first reaction when I'm told that is to be defensive. It would be more helpful to be given information on how to react or how to get better at reacting. It feels like I'm already supposed to know how to react to something before I even know what that something is. I mean anyone who has had something really bad happen would tell you that you can never be prepared. And you can't. But Yoga helps us train. I notice that when I've been practicing yoga and something hits the fan, I am more prepared to deal with it. I still react emotionally but my recovery time has gotten better. The time it takes me to get back up after being knocked off the horse is faster. I think back to something my yoga teacher always said about practicing on little things so that we are ready for the big things. Now I get it.

It's like training climbs. We climb little mountains so that we are ready to climb the big ones. Climbing is never about one climb or one peak. You can't just wake up and decide you are ready. You have to be training and preparing. At least a little. Every time I come down from a big day I think, 

"Man, if I was in better shape that wouldn't have been so hard. I should keep myself in better shape so this doesn't hurt so much." 

Give Up

Watch this video. Trust me.

"So give up. Yes. I said give up. Give up yourself. Bury your weaknesses and tendencies into the heart of the earth. Release your arrogance and self-worth into the river to be carried away. Leave your fear in the valley and climb. Yay, climb over that mountain."

Dharma and Taking Action

I received a letter from an awesome friend that made my day, "You sounded very tired on the phone the other day, and I hope you remember and can find ways to recharge yourself each day or at least each week." I felt so blessed that I have such amazing people in my life that care about me like that. These are the relationships we need to cultivate and hold on to tightly.

I've learned over the years (by trial an error and from advice of great friends) that it's important to make taking care of myself a daily practice. Luckily this is sort of yoga right? A daily practice that helps us take care of ourselves. I've been thinking lately about what I actually do. I know I need to take care of myself, but how? I've been thinking about it since I gave my speech "The Voices in My Head," which I shared in my last post. I received some feedback after I gave the speech where someone wanted me to go further and share how I stop listening to the negative voices and start listening to the positive voices. Good point right? Whats the use of inspiration without tangible action items. How do we actually cultivate those opposite and positive thoughts?

Molly, my Seattle yoga teacher, always talks about daily practices so I've tried to incorporate some daily practices into my life. Some I do better at than others, some I do more often than others, some have become ingrained in my daily life and some take more effort. It's a matter of scheduling in positivity.

Some examples:

• I allow myself time to read and write at the coffee shop or in the hammock at least once a week
• I have an affirmation letter I wrote to myself on yoga teacher training framed on my nightstand so that it's the first and last thing I see every day.
• I have a quote on my to-do lit that says "dreams don't work unless you do" to remind me when I get discouraged why I'm doing what I'm doing
• I try to always be reading something educational or inspirational whether it's The Meditations of John Muir or something like the book "Start" that I'm reading right now.
• I keep my yoga mat accessible and have a space in my office always cleared and ready
• I have a place where I sit and meditate and some guided meditation recordings on my computer for when I need extra help
• I started using the Insight Timer to track meditation time, it's awesomely motivating!
• I write love notes to my husband and friends to remind myself and them why I love them so much
• I try to make time for exercise, baths, eating healthy... all those things that make us feel good

Another random one which sparked this post. I get a daily insights in my e-mail from yoga journal. Sometimes they get deleted and sometimes they are on the exact topic I've been thinking about all week. Or they are about a pose or poses that I've been wanting to teach in my yoga classes. Today, the insight was about dharma... which I write and think about a lot and have even named a peak after! Hence the blog title "Climbing Dharma Peak." For better or for worse, Yoga Journal is great at catering to the general yoga audience. At its worst, this means a lot of yoga pants and products that make me feel like I need to spend money. At its best, there are often very clear and easy to understand ways of talking about things. Descriptions without a lot of jargon or intangible concepts. Here's an note on dharma:

"Your personal dharma is the path you follow toward the highest expression of your own nature—and toward the fulfillment of your responsibilities to yourself, to others, to your society, and to the planet. In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna often speaks of dharma as something inborn, a life calling that each of us has been given and from which we depart at our peril. But he also uses the word to mean right action, and for most of us, personal dharma comes down to that most basic question: What is the right thing for me to do now? Or, given my nature, my skills, and my personal preferences, what actions should I take to support the greater good?"

So, now I am passing along the encouragement that I received:

I hope you remember and can find ways to recharge yourself each day or at least each week. Perhaps ask yourself: What is the right thing for me to do now? Or what actions can I take?