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?

The Voices in My Head

I'd like to share a speech with you that I wrote for a Toastmasters meeting. I was asked to re-give the speech at a kick-off for a new club so I re-wrote and tweaked it a little. I borrowed ideas from all kinds of wise people!

It's a lot about yoga sutra 2.33.

When I googled it to find the translation to paste here there were so many different ways of saying the same thing that I'm amazed we haven't figured out how to do it yet! So we'll go with this translation: “When disturbed by negative thoughts, opposite ones could be thought of.”

The voices in my head

"The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance. The wise grows it under his feet."

"If you hate your work, leave.

If you hate your hate, leave that too."

Good afternoon and welcome to Toastmasters. It’s an honor to share a speech at the kick-off for this new club. It’s always an honor to get up and speak in front of a group, to share an idea or a story. I’ll have you know that Toastmasters is a supportive environment for sharing ideas. Even the crazy ones. That being said, I’ll have you know that someone else suggested I share the following speech.  A speech in which I reached deep into my subconscious in order to write. A speech for which I had to listen to the “voices inside my head.” This afternoon, I’d like to introduce you to them… to the voices… the voices inside my head.

Now these voices are tricky. I’m not talking about another person inside my head, I am talking about the voices of my emotions and thoughts. Before you get me one of those fancy jackets and haul me off, tell me if this doesn’t sounds familiar.

“I have to give this speech, I’m a little nervous. What if no one likes it? What if I forget what I am supposed to say? What if I trip? Or sweat too much? There’s no way I can do this. I should have called in sick. That guy is staring at me. He looks angry. I think he hates my speech, I think he hates me.”

Time out. At what point did the voices in my head take me down that path? Let’s say that guy was staring at me looking angry. Does that automatically mean he hates me? No. Maybe he had a bad day, maybe he’s thinking about something else, maybe that’s just what his face looks like. There are numerous possibilities and most of them have nothing to do with me. Those voices in my head think the world revolves around me. Those voices are not being useful and they are not being helpful.

Maybe some of you don’t relate to those thoughts. You have no fear of speaking, you know everyone loves listening to your ideas, you’re just hear to watch other people try to become better at public speaking. See if you can relate to any of these voices instead:

I don’t deserve a raise. I can’t run a mile.  I suck at cooking. I’ll never be as good of a speaker as Brenda.

Are any of those useful thoughts? Are any of them even true? Well maybe that last one… but those are just the stories we tell ourselves and they aren’t helpful.

There is this idea that we could acknowledge those thoughts when they arise and simply notice them without believing them. We could even say hello to the voice and recognize it for what it really is instead of accepting it as truth. “Hello jealousy, how are you today?” Hello judgment.”

Has anyone seen the movie “The Big Lebowski.” There’s this character in the movie known as “the dude.” As you can imagine by his name, he’s kind of a laid back guy. He doesn’t let much get to him. In the book, “The Dude and the Zen Master.” Jeff Bridges says that it would be interesting if we could respond to the voices in our heads like his character responds to someone who’s talking down to him. “That’s, like, just your opinion man.”

The voices in my head try to convince me that they are truth. All I know about those voices is that they exist and they are often problematic in my life. We have all heard one version or another of the saying, “When disturbed by negative thoughts, opposite ones could be thought of.” I’ve decided that I agree. I’ve decided that if I am going to have voices inside my head, not only am I going to acknowledge them for what they are… I’m also going to start listening to different voices. The positive ones.

One day while on a camping trip, a man was sitting at the campfire with his  grandson. He was telling him about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, “My son, the battle is between two ‘wolves’ inside us all. One wolf is evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, ego, and superiority. The other wolf is good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The grandson thought about this for a minute and then he asked his grandfather, “Which wolf wins?”

The old man replied, “The one you feed.”

Find Inspiration - Give Inspiration

I recently spent the weekend backpacking and brought a photography book to read. It's amazing how words from a stranger can inspire you. I have always loved sharing ideas and hearing ideas, there is something about the power of words. This particular weekend the words poured out of the book, into me, and I felt recharged creatively. Sometimes someone touches your soul without knowing it, they help you without expecting to. This is why I teach. If something I say can someday help someone the way my teachers in life have helped me, I will have made a difference. I will have returned the favor and passed on the love.

I just came across the words below that speak to me about the climb. Our dharma peaks; our passions, visions, and goals. I suggest you read the entire thing, very inspiring regardless of your career path. Very strong thoughts on following your vision. This was written by a photographer which is part of why I love it!

In closing, I want to take you to Switzerland where I also teach. Imagine a mountain before you. You see its peak and want to climb up to the top. It is your life’s goal. Start by standing back far enough to confirm it is really there, then head straight for it knowing it will disappear from sight for most of your life as you climb and meander the hidden forest trails that lift you ever higher even as many sections force you to drop down into the mountainside pockets of disappointment or even despair, but you will be climbing soon enough and always headed toward your goal.

There will be those special occasions — and may there be many of them — when the fruits of your labors are suddenly made visible, to be celebrated, when you will again see the peak, only closer now, giving you confidence to step forward ever more briskly and bravely.

At one point the tree line will thin out the way hair on the top of an old man begins to bald away, but the air will be clear and the path sure.

At the top you will delight in what you have accomplished. You look around you and see just how far you have come. But then your turn around and as you do you become aware of mountain peaks far higher than what you had ever dreamed of, peaks that from the distance when you first looked up were not even there, completely hidden from your view.

And now, there they are, huge peaks but your climbing days are done.

You have three choices: You can look up with raging jealousy and end your days in sadness and regret. Or you can look down at all the distance you climbed, become arrogant about every step you took and not have many friends with whom to share your closing days.

Or you can skim the horizon and take in the gorgeous sweep of the panorama before you. If you can do that you will know peace and rare humility.

We do not have to be number one in this world. We only have to be number one to ourselves. There is a special peace that comes with such humility. When you reach this peak in life, you’ve reached the highest mountain peak of them all.

Read the rest here.

Samskaras

Every once in awhile someone says something on facebook worth pausing and thinking about. This week I've been thinking a lot about habits (good and bad), conditioning, and personality traits. Someone posted a B.K.S. Iyengar quote that was perfect for what's been on my mind.

"Yoga teaches us to cure what need not be endured and endure what cannot be cured."

For me, it's a tricky balance between trying to change something and learning to accept it. The more I study and explore, the more I appreciate that some things I think are "bad" aren't actually bad. This leads me to thinking about samskaras; habits, conditioning, patterns. I sometimes wonder how many of them are things we can change verses things we can't change. Change is pretty scary on every level and a lot of people don't seem to like change. Moving, getting married, and switching jobs are nothing compared to the internal changes that yoga can inspire. I used to think about the difference between change and growth. That idea has come back to me now. I feel like I am not who I was and am also exactly the same. I feel like in a lot of ways I haven't changed but I have definitely grown. I notice such things a lot around family where many of my patterns first formed. For example, I still get really mad at my big brother but I am much better at dealing with it and loving him anyway!

"Be careful in casting out your devil ‘lest you cast out the best thing about you."
-Friedrich Nietzsche

It's ok!

I'm not sure what it is that puts so much pressure on us to succeed. Even with Yoga I find myself trying to achieve. I even talk about it as climbing a peak. But even though I think and try to believe things like "It's the journey, not the destination" or "It's the climb, not the summit" I still want to reach the destination. I still want to reach the summit. Recently we went backpacking to Nine Lakes Basin with the possible goal of climbing Mt. Stewart. When we got there I knew I wasn't going to try for the summit and I was disappointed for a moment. Eventually I realized that where we were was enough. It was a beautiful hike and had I considered not summiting something a "failure" I wouldn't be doing the trail and all of its highlights justice.

I think that this is sort of what we talk about when we say the purpose of yoga is yoga. Or when we practice non-attachment or any of those other challenging yoga concepts that make us pause. Take the meditation practice I have been writing about lately. We want to be good at it. We want it to be easier. What about just witnessing? What about how awesome the present is? What about how much we learn about ourselves because of the challenge?

Maybe we shouldn't set out to change. Maybe we just set out to "witness" and change happens on its own... or it doesn't. Where we are going is important but where we are could be enough.

Meditation

In my last post I mentioned meditation briefly in passing. I finally downloaded the Insight Timer app on my iphone. It has the "yoga bells" and allows you to track your meditation stats. It also has a cool journal feature that pops up after the session. I love it because I get excited as I see the counter grow showing how much meditation I've logged.

I've been thinking about meditation a lot differently lately. I have a very active mind and the idea of quieting it has always seemed impossible. Lately I've realized that I don't need to see the thoughts as "bad" (especially when they aren't bad thoughts.) I can have thoughts and I undoubtedly will have thoughts. The trick is what I do next. Do I dwell on the thoughts or do I let them go and return to my focus of my meditation? Do I accept them as fact or do I watch them and recognize them for what they are? Emotion, judgement, planning, exaggerating... What part of the thought is truth if any? Once I let go of my expectations in meditation I've been able to enjoy it. Once I let go of trying to be "good at it" I could just sit.

Time Out

There's a Edward Abbey quote that is sort of a mantra for us, there's a line in it

that states:

"Save the other half of yourselves and your lives for pleasure and adventure."

The quote is a reminder for balance in life. Work hard, play hard. As we were driving up to Kings Canyon National park yesterday Marc said, "This week we'll flip it. Play hard, work hard." We were taking a Monday off to get out into nature and recharge. We were stressed and tired and had a to-do list twenty pages long and we ran away from our responsibilities to explore the National Park. We weren't really running away because we knew we'd be right back. We just needed a break, a recharge. A little self-love. (Meditation helps with that too.)

Our Future is Calling

Sometimes my best days are the ones I get up early and hang out at a coffee shop. I remember in college I used to love studying at a coffee shop while Marc wanted to be at the library. I love sitting here watching people starting their days while listening to whatever music is playing intermixed with the grind of the espresso machine and vibrant conversations. When I get up and get out of the house I am so much more productive than when I slump from bed to the office without a good start to the day. Running also works but as it gets hotter here, our motivation to wake up earlier and earlier to beat the heat wanes. We've decided to swim on lunch breaks instead.

At the coffee shop I bring three things:
1. something to work on
2. something to read
3. something to write

In the office I am often only working. The pressure of the white board to-do list and my ever growing inbox leaves little room for reading and writing.

Marc had this little book by Justin Zoradi chilling on his pile yesterday so I stole it for my Monday morning read. I love when I get my hands on inspiring words that encourage living life with purpose. I am so glad this book ended up in my pile this morning.

Last week Marc and I had the opportunity to present/talk about our photography and adventures. Our message was simple. Love. Adventurously. The friends that we have and the things that we have done make it impossible for us to choose anything other than living an adventurous life. Everyone has their "thing" that they love and carve our time for. For us, it's adventure, it's getting outside and exploring. We realized we have to make it a priority. The work hard, play hard recipe only works if you work hard first. Justin talks about this when he says "Don't follow your passion, follow your time." Passion alone is temporary, he compares it to caffeine or a spark. We won't feel passionate, inspired, or motivated every day. Somedays we'll have to push ourselves to live passionatly. Where are we spending those finite hours of our day? What choices are we making with how to spend our day? Do we schedule time for our health, our relationships, our dreams? Where we spend our time tells us what our priorities are. On top of my to-do list I put a quote as a reminder of this, "Dreams don't work if you don't."

I am always trying to follow my passions. That doesn't mean that because I love what i do, it's easy. That's where the main disconnect is for people when they say that they wish they could quit their job and do something they love like I did. They think they can't because they don't have some secret easy trail to follow. There is no trail. You bushwhack the whole way. Climbing dharma peak, following your calling, being inspired everyday... it all takes work and effort. (Tapahs in yoga terms.) It takes all the things that Justin talks about none of which is luck. Yes, we are blessed with an opportunity. But we have to leap. We have to fight. Dreaming is not passive like it was when we were children. Dreaming takes work. The choice can be set in front of us, but we have to climb. I think that's why it's so scary. When did we start getting so scared? Scared of falling? Scared of failure?

Remembering the Victories

In light of our recent discussion about doing the "work" in our lives and on our selves from a place of love, I think it is important to remember the victories. It's helpful to remember our successes and use them as evidence for why we should keep climbing our mountains in life.

I was climbing the Middle Teton in Grand Teton National park with Marc. Every mountain I have climbed has taught me about my strengths and weaknesses. (Note: I have learned a lot about my weaknesses!) Mountains remind me of my humanity. My fears. How big the mountain is versus how small I am. For me it’s often a case of “I think I can, I think I can.” Only, I actually don’t think I can but I am hoping that if I say it enough I will start to believe it!

This trip to the Tetons was different. I knew I could. I was feeling strong and having fun. I was working hard but I felt powerful and unstoppable. I will never forget that feeling. It was a feeling I had been chasing. Many mountains have received tears of my frustration and pain. This mountain received tears of my joy and empowerment.

"The Rock Warrior's Way" by Arno Ilgner is one of my favorite books about both how to climb better and how to lives our lives better. The book essentially talks about mental training and the power of our mind to make us better at climbing or whatever it is we are trying to be better at. One of my many favorite concepts from the book is, "All the training in the world will have minimal benefit to you if you don't give yourself room to believe."

When I am teaching a power or vigorous yoga class and we are doing something hard or new, I always ask the students to first imagine it. Can we do the pose in our imaginations? I find that for some people it is hard to even just imagine it. If we can't see ourselves doing it in our minds when we don't actually have to do anything, how are we to ever actually do it?

A Sanskrit saying comes to mind. "Mana eva manushyanam karanam bandha mokshayoho." As the mind, so the man; bondage or liberation are in your own mind.

That is why it is important to me to remember the victories. If I have successes to remind myself of then I can believe in my ability to reach the summit, to kiss the summit marker, and to shed that tear of victory!

A Labor of Love

I have no excuse for not sharing. I have been writing, just not sharing.

Rather than dwell on that, I figured I could just jump right in to what's been going on for me lately and how yoga ideas help. (Speaking of yoga, I will be teaching new classes with Visalia Park and Rec so stay tuned!)

I talk about this idea of Dharma Peak as the mountain we are climbing in our yoga practice. I talk about the climb, the work, and the effort we put in while trying to get where we are going. Here's a secret, I think that I talk about these concepts because they are easier for me than some of the others! It's easier for me to think about what I can do than try to figure out this idea of non-attachment. Easier than even just sitting still. I'm always trying to do something.

Which is fine. But... This "doing" could be done as a labor of love. 

I’ve been working, searching, and studying. I have come back around to this yoga idea of pain or hard work (tapahs) as a means to purification. What I have realized it this. Accepting the hard work is one challenge. Understanding and awareness of the reason that we accept it is another.

The hard work, the struggles, the challenges we put ourselves through in the pursuit of something better would be more beneficial to us if our intention was to do so out of love of ourselves.  If we think that we are not good enough and that is our motivation, we are only setting ourselves up for more disappointment. "All grief comes from expectations." – Amma

"Doing" because we are not good enough goes against this other yoga idea of underneath everything we are perfect and whole exactly as we are. "Doing" because we love ourselves, now that's another angle. A slightly new one for me. I get love. And I get work/effort. I just haven't always put them together. How can work come from love? 

I am not talking about work as in what we do as an occupation, although that is a good place to start. If you think about work that you do because you have to versus work that you do because you love it, do you see a difference? The work in either case is not the variable, our ability to come from a place of love is what is changing.