Being Empowered

Traveling Man

2009-07-16T14:54:00.002-04:00

Over the past three weeks I have been traveling. I was in Italy with my family and then teaching in Costa Rica and Las Vegas for two weeks. All in all I feel very fortunate to be able to step away from business and my family.

With this being said I am very glad to have been given the life I have. I am a home-body and I prefer being at home verses on the road. Occasional trips are fun yet after expereincing three weeks in a row I have had my fill.

I have a lot of compassion and respect for people that have to travel a lot. I was on planes, trains, automoblies and ships. Traveling can really test your patience and show you who you are. We got lost in Italy a few times, I missed a plane in Charlotte and sat next to a guy heading to Las Vegas who sniffled for four straight hours wiping his nose with his hand.

To me these are the greatest tests of yoga--when life is just not going your way. How do you react? Can you discover peace amongst discomfort? I fared pretty well yet I have a long way to go. At times I felt enlightened and at other times I felt like freaking out--isn't that the way life goes?

I will post another blog tomorrow and get back to one a week now that I am home.

9-12

2009-06-08T12:02:00.000-04:00

I taught a workshop this weekend in Charlotte, North Carolina at the Laughing Buddha Yoga Center. The owner Dawn Hinshaw and the whole Laughing Buddha Community was so nice and receptive to the teachings. Our last session was Sunday morning from 9-12pm. This was the fourth session and each session was 3 hours. Sara poetically pointed out that it was their 9th through 12th hour of yoga within 40 hours--we all laughed!

Why would someone want to do this much Yoga in such a short period of time? Simply put, because it transforms you and shifts your perspective quickly. If there is one thing yoga is aiming to do, it is shifting your perspective. As we age we tend to become more solid within our beliefs and more rigid within our thinking. It is not just our bodies that tighten and harden--it is our minds too. Our mental constructs towards people, places and things become more narrow and this limits the possibilities. This unfortunately gets us stuck in ruts. I hear adults all the time say, "I wish I could do that." You are living a substitute life.

When you practice this much yoga, your body and mind start to loosen their grip--you soften and begin feeling the many possibilities that life presents. It is the silence and the process of continually coming back to the present moment that allows us to begin seeing that-- in many ways-- you hold the key to your future. As Rumi says, "Why do you stay imprisoned when the door is wide open?". Your mind is what paints your moment to moment awareness. Yoga teaches us to become aware of the paint colors and the landscape. It also allows us to step back and change colors and the landscape.

At the end of our session on Sunday you could see the shift on people's faces. Their skin was brighter and their eyes were wide open. There was a radiance about everyone. Thanks to everyone within the Laughing Buddha Community--Sara and I felt right at home.

Guru

2009-05-26T12:11:00.000-04:00

We all have a tendency to some degree to look outside of ourselves for answers. We think that someone is going to swoop into our lives and save the day—leaving us free from our problems. I remember first meeting David Nichtern, who is a senior Shambhala teacher and also one of my mentors. He said to me, “Johnny, no one is going to save you—you have to do the work yourself”. It was a sobering thought, and in some ways, it was a slap in the face—an invitation to sit up straight, be responsible for my life and begin doing the work.

Guru is a Sanskrit word that means “to bring light to darkness”. Our darkness is our delusion which creates confusion within our lives. Spiritual practice is meant to bring light onto our darkness and lift the veil of confusion. Seeking out a spiritual teacher is very popular in the east and it is becoming more popular in the west. When I asked David what the role of a teacher was, he said it was to hold up a mirror unto the student. His answer reminded me of an expression, “The ball is in your court”. The teacher simply aids the student in seeing themselves in a clearer light by continually helping the student understand their experience. The teacher simply keeps throwing the ball back into our court.

This weekend I had a pretty powerful experience early Saturday morning that fully brought home why the ball has to be in our court. I was reading Big Mind, Big Heart by Dennis Genpo Merzel and I experienced Big Mind. I have had several glimpses of Big Mind before, yet this weekend it was particularly powerful. I dropped into a whole new level of understanding. I cannot write too much about this experience because there are no words that can describe Big Mind. What I can say is that there was a knowing beyond anything I have ever experienced. This knowing was accompanied by a deep sense of peace. I just sat there for a while on Saturday and well, I just sat there.

The only thing that holds us back from experiencing our fullness is ourselves. When we bring our attention fully to this moment and stop striving, stop wanting it to be different, and simply be with our experience, we experience our light--darkness fades and we realize that the ball has always been in our court. If we can simply just see that we are the ones we are looking for. Within us is everything and outside of us is everything. There is only separation within our mind's perception. This is the experience of Big Mind.

It's not just about the Journey

2009-05-18T13:21:00.002-04:00

I spent the past weekend in bed with some kind of viral flu--I had a fever of 103, chills and sweats, dry heaving--wah-wah-wah. So you get the point--the toughest part is that I spent the last three months training for the Delaware Relay Marathon. The race was Sunday --needless to say, I could not run. A similar thing happened this past February- I was three practices away from completing the Yoga Challenge. I came down with a sickness and missed completing the challenge.

So the saying goes, "It is all about the journey." I truly believe that the journey, or the process, is a huge part of the equation, yet it's not the full equation. We often use this expression in order to focus on here and now, and to realize that the true prize is in the process. I no longer believe it is all about the journey.

The destination or goal is equally as important as the journey or process. The goal is something in the future. When you think of your goal in the present moment it motivates you and reminds you why you are doing what you are doing here and now. When there is a destination or a goal, there is a purpose that can be felt in the present moment. That purpose lights up your path so your journey becomes more crystal clear. The clarity you obtain by having a goal has the potential to infuse you with passion that can keep you enthusiastic and motivated within each step on the journey.

In the case of the Relay Marathon I immediately recognized when deciding to run that I could not just go out and run 6.5 miles--I had to train for it. I started a program three months ago and followed it closely. Before I started the program, I would go out and run whenever I wanted and run as fast or as long as I felt like on that particular day--some people would say this defines freedom. I thought it did, yet I was wrong. Do whatever you want and you will be free. However, I have discovered that for me, this defines laziness, lack of motivation, and even confusion. When you are not in touch with a purpose, there are very few people that can continue to do something with intensity, passion and consistency.

Knowing each week that I had to run a certain amount of miles with a particular pace held me accountable. There were so many days that the so-called freedom runner would have not run or dogged it. It was the destination--the goal that held me accountable in the present moment. It was discipline that helped me discover true freedom.

I feel great about my commitment. I just wish I could have done the race. I have learned a lot about the importance of having a goal and getting clear on my intentions. The largest lesson I have learned is that the clearer I am with what I want my future to be the more powerful the now can be.

Spinning Wheel

2009-05-11T13:22:00.002-04:00

As we think the same thoughts over and over again they become patterns in our lives. Eastern philosophy uses the analogy of a wheel. The wheel spins in a direction and our lives spin in that same direction. Thoughts become words, words become actions, and then actions become our deeds. Deeds turn into character and then character gives birth to destiny. This is something very powerful which all human beings should learn at an early age.

The way we think and act will become a pattern, so act and speak wisely. Learning to cultivate a pause before speaking and acting can be one of the wisest things a human being can do to prevent creating more unnecessary suffering in their lives and the lives of those around them.

Many of these words are adopted from an ancient Buddhist text called the Dharmapada. Dharma means truth or that which upholds our life. Pada means foot. Dharmapada is a collection of the Buddha's teachings which provides guidelines for walking a path of truth. In this journey, you are asked to recognize that which upholds integrity within your life and that which blocks integrity.

For me, this is a moving target--it is a real practice to pause and get in touch with my words and actions and observe that which builds integrity and that which blocks it. Noticing ways of thinking and acting that no longer uphold integrity can be painful when you begin to realize just how long you have been doing something that blocks integrity.

For me, pain sets in after I have reacted and I realize that I said something or did something I did not want to--just out of habit. The habit is the spinning wheel. Our reaction and actions are so heavily imprinted within us. It takes a strong desire to want to change matched with patience to pause and notice that there is a choice. In pausing we begin seeing the power of the spinning wheel. The forward pulling energy of our tendency to react the way we have always done it.

This is where faith steps in. When speaking about faith, Martin Luther King said, "You don't need to see the whole staircase, just take the first step." Notice when you pause. Feel the tendency to react and pay attention to your body. There is a tension you can get in touch with--this is your fear body. Take a breath in and begin consciously breathing. The tension will begin to dissolve with your attention. This is the beginning of learning to work with the spinning wheels within our lives. This is the beginning of changing the direction of the wheels. This is being empowered.

Master Cleanse

2009-04-21T11:36:00.001-04:00

I am on Day Seven of the Master Cleanse. It is arguably one of the world's most famous cleansing programs. The Master Cleanse was created by Stanley Burroughs in 1941. Author of "Healing for the Age of Enlightenment" and "The Master Cleanse", Stanley was renowned for his research into the role of toxemias in disease. Stanley experimented with cleansing techniques and discovered that drinking a mixture of organic Maple syrup, Organic Lemon, distilled Water and cayenne pepper throughout a ten day period would clean all of the systems of the body and detoxify the body.

Throughout the cleanse, the water nourishes the cells and keeps the body hydrated while the vitamin-rich lemons help to loosen and break up mucus in the body. Grade B Maple Syrup is one of the most balanced of all sugars- it keeps sugar levels balanced to avoid unnecessary spikes in hunger or extreme lows in energy levels. Finally, cayenne pepper is a blood vessel dilator, thermal warmer, and valuable source of vitamin A.

Stanley believed that toxicity was the main reason for disease and the root of many of the problems that our bodies experience. Over the last thirty years, people all around the world have taken part in this fast and have cured themselves of everything from infertility, diabetes, back pain, ulcers, and more. While I am not claiming that this cleanse can heal everything, I firmly believe that the Cleanse can take you to a whole new level of living!

The idea of not eating anything for 10 days is scary. Immediately, you realize just how much time and energy you put into thinking about eating, getting the food, preparing the food, eating the food, cleaning up from eating and then eliminating the food. The body requires enormous amounts of energy to process food. How do you think you will feel when that energy is not being spent on food? At times, the energy can be overwhelming.

When people tell me "I could never do that" I say "That's right, you can't." You will do whatever your mind tells you that you can or cannot do. Understanding the power of the mind is what begins to elevate human beings. Maybe it's time to clean up and clean out your mind and body—it was for me.

Yoga Systems

2009-04-12T21:23:00.002-04:00

In a previous Blog I wrote about how my Hatha Yoga was taking a backseat to my Yoga Running. The average reader has probably never been introduced to Yoga running and thinks of yoga as an activity that involves stretching. This is a limited view of yoga and without some knowledge of yoga, how would anyone know? The word yoga comes from the Sanskrit word yuj which means to yoke. Visualize two oxen pulling a plow—the thing connecting the two of them is called a yoke. The word yoga means two forces working together to create a singular action.

Classically you have 6 major systems of yoga

1. Hatha Yoga—yoking physical postures (asana) and breathing techniques (pranayama)
2. Karma Yoga—yoking our actions with the benefit of others
3. Bhakti Yoga—yoking our life with God through devotion
4. Raja Yoga—Royal path or the Eight Fold Path. Path outlines guidelines for yoking our life with God
5. Jnana Yoga—the study of scriptures in the pursuit to attain more knowledge helping us come to a greater awareness of God
6. Kriya Yoga—is a complete system covering a wide range of techniques, including mantras and techniques of meditation for control of the life-force, bringing calmness and control of both body and mind.

From a contemporary standpoint, most serious yoga practitioners are practicing all six systems. In the west most of us come to the yoga practice via Hatha Yoga—as we stick with the practice we become curious and start reading yoga books. Now we are practicing Jnana yoga. Through the process of gaining knowledge we become more aware of where we are creating stress in our lives and the lives of those around us. In this stage we are practicing Raja Yoga. As we refine our lives we become more conscious of the seeds we are planting through our words and actions. Now we begin practicing Karma Yoga. We discover that the true purpose of Hatha Yoga is to sit in meditation and come into deeper levels of stillness. We are now practicing Kriya Yoga. Finally we begin to contemplate the face of God and what God means to us. The veil of egotism begins to lift and Bhakti Yoga becomes a moment to moment practice.

While it seems like I am suggesting that this is a linear progression, it is not at all. This is a 360 degree dynamic process that keeps unfolding and unwinding within us and around us. Yoga is something we do—it is also something that we are. As we begin to understand the profundity of this ancient science it becomes evident that yoga is our birthright all aspects of life can be yoga. When I am running if I maintain awareness of my mind and body then running takes on the traits of yoga. For me this is changing my relationship with running.

Energy follows Attention

2009-03-30T09:34:00.002-04:00

This is a law of the universe of which I am quite fond. I make this point often in class: wherever you direct your attention in life is where you are going to go. If you are dealing with an injury and you put your attention into learning about the injury, doing workshops, asking teachers questions and spending time on your yoga mat, you are going to heal the injury. If you are making lifestyle changes and putting your energy into activities that will foster this change, the change will become a reality.

Yoga also affords us the opportunity to hone in on what thoughts we are putting energy into and where are placing our attention. If we feed into positive thinking, our life will breed positive vibes. So what do you do when you realize you are feeding negative thinking? First of all, congratulate yourself, because the first step to change is awareness that there is pain. The next step is to become non-judgmentally aware of these thoughts, learn to watch them and notice how your body reacts to them. It is important to not judge yourself because falling into judgments worsens the matter and creates further self loathing.

We have an incredible ability to rationalize and ignore where we put our energy—I catch myself doing it all the time. Be mindful of where you are placing your attention and begin noticing whether the results of your attention will be constructive or destructive to your state of peace. Wiser life choices arise by continually refining your attention. Yoga is the art of paying attention.

Nature of Task

2009-03-24T12:19:00.000-04:00

“That which we persist in doing becomes easier—not that the nature of the task has changed, but the ability to do it has increased.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

I am running more than I have run in years and my Hatha yoga practice has taken a back seat to my Yoga Running practice. On a good week I practice Hatha Yoga five days. Recently, I have had to take it down to three times a week due to time constraints—I will let you know how my body adjusts to this training change. I am following a structured running program: as the mileage increases, so does my capacity to run faster and longer.

When running I am being mindful of my foot strike and the alignment of my body. It is a real mediation to let go of thinking and let my attention rest within. I am very aware of my habitual running patterns and over the last few years I have been able to cultivate a much more ergonomic technique. It has been challenging to change the way I run, yet, with repetition my ability has grown. I feel Emerson's wisdom each time I run.

Within our teaching training program students often make the same comments- "you make it look so easy" and "you are so good at what you do". My response is always the same, “If you do this for as many years as I have, then you will also be good at it. If I'm not a half decent teacher by now then I am pathetic.” I find the better I get at any skill the less serious I take myself. Getting good at something is nothing more than practice and repetition. If you are committed to something and keep practicing you too will find wisdom in Emerson’s words.

Hatha Yoga

2009-03-16T09:15:00.002-04:00

In the last two decades yoga has exploded in America—more specifically Hatha Yoga. Hatha Yoga is the physical practice of yoga. The word yoga comes from the Sanskrit language. When translating Sanskrit, often times multiple words are used so you can gain a better understanding of the word. Yoga means “to yoke, join two things together or balance out two polarities”.

It is important to take a step back and realize language was created to bring about a mental construct around something, in an effort to communicate with other beings. Your mental construct may not be the same as mine. It is also important to realize that yoga is older then any modern day religion. Yoga is not a religion, instead it is a tool that can be applied to any and every aspect of life.

Recorded history doesn’t go further back than 3,000 years. The rest has all been handed down orally. The original translation around yoga is said to mean yoking God and human. Where and when the Hatha Yoga part came along is also a bit of a mystery. Some scholars say it was spontaneous movements that came out of meditative states while others say it was learned by watching animals move and imitating their movement. The latter of the two would explain why many poses have animal names.

Classically speaking the yoking in Hatha Yoga is Asana and Pranayama. Asana literally translates as seat. Pranayama translates as extension of life force. There are thousands of interpretations of Hatha Yoga—Empowered Yoga is a contemporary approach. Hatha Yoga was the first form of exercise ever created and works powerfully on balancing out the strength and flexibility of the body. It helps train the mind to be stable which brings clarity and breeds cultivation of wisdom.

Dynamic Self

2009-03-10T22:05:00.002-04:00

In Buddhist wisdom the self is viewed as dynamic and alive and not some fixed object of permanence. If the self was permanently unchanging then it would not be affected by thoughts, emotions and concepts so what would it have if it did exist? When we treat ourselves as a fixed identity—we are taking ourselves too serious. We say things like, “I was hurt so bad” We are unable to let go of the past and we suffer for it.

When we are able to view ourselves as always in creation then our fixation on the past will severely be reduced and our possibilities for the future will increase. It is at this point that we can really take charge of our lives. When viewing ourselves in this dynamic relationship the present moment becomes a great opportunity to reinvent who we are. The past becomes easier to work with and the future becomes whatever we want it to be.

Yoga Teacher Training Transformation

2009-03-03T09:11:00.003-05:00

Guest Blogger--Liz Freeman who graduated from Yoga Teacher Training this past weekend

The past six months have been the beginning of what is proving to be an incredible journey. A few thoughts about how things have changed in my life:
* At a base level, I've learned that the opportunity to practice yoga exists in my life all around me. It's up to me to choose to practice. I consciously make a choice to practice even more in my life.
* Recently my boss, with whom I've worked for almost three years and have known for five, shared with me that she thinks the past year has been my greatest year of personal growth: I've developed, matured, and become so much more of a resilient person. I have tremendous respect for her, and so this feedback is really very special
* My dear friend, the fashionista, has been one of my greatest yoga teachers off the mat and outside of EY. Simply by throwing away everything in my closet, and then helping me (1) recognize my filters, and then (2) work to break through them, I quickly realized that what I learned about clothes isn't limited to clothes. It applies to the rest of my life. I am recognizing my filters - about all sorts of things in my life - and then breaking through them. It is scary, especially because I have countless ones to work through still.
* I am grateful for the friendships and love and perspectives that everyone in the YTT program has offered. While I will miss the time-intensive weekends, I trust that I will continue to grow as an individual because of what I've learned from others and the relationships that we'll maintain.
* I am not as scattered as I once was. While I still do too many things and keep too busy, I have learned to prioritize. And taking care of me is a priority. And I am slowly starting to slow down. This is a good thing, and I am grateful for each small win.
* In the past two years, I've become better connected with my body and with my mind. It's amazing that I've made it to 32, and just finally beginning to wake up. Thankfully though I am now. And some days, even though it's scary, I'm excited to learn whatever it is next. And other days, I wish I could curl up in a ball and not face myself or the world. It does take courage every single day to open up. I am thankful for having the support and friendship of those at EY - it helps me find this internal courage.
* It turns out, I really enjoy teaching! It is a huge part of my practice. I feel so honored to be able to guide others through a practice, and while I'll never know what each student is going through specifically, I know that each person is on a journey. I know the courage it takes for them to show up on their mat, and I feel humbled that they are comfortable to come to class because all I can offer is support, love and compassion, and it turns out, that really is enough. In turn, their presence and friendship offers me the same.
* I am lucky to have amazing people in my life. In the past several months, however, I feel like I've been taking more than I've been giving in many of my relationships. Recently though I've realized that maybe I'm giving in different ways than I previously have. And it might not be "less," it might just be different. As an example, two of my dearest friends have signed up for (and completed) BNB. They signed up because they've told me they've seen a difference in me - for the better. They loved me then, and they love me now just the same. But they see something in themselves that they want to explore, and it's awesome that they feel comfortable exploring it. Again, it really is about love and compassion. Wow.

Outside affecting the Inside

2009-02-24T10:29:00.001-05:00

I just finished reading an article in Discover magazine entitled, “Are we still evolving?” I love to read about evolution and how organisms change. If you asked me if we are still evolving, I would say, “Of course we are!” I was surprised to read that there are certain scientists who think evolution has halted. It appears that recent studies of human genomes reveal that not only are we still evolving but we are evolving at an accelerated rate.

It appears that the accelerated rate may be due to the increasing size of the population among other factors that largely deal with the environment we are living in. My brother is an evolutionary biologist and studies how DNA changes due to environmental factors. He uses insects within his work and says that DNA is DNA. If DNA changes in insects due to environmental factors then it changes in human DNA. I have learned from him that the same exact species will develop differently when it lives in different environments. The outside environment affects the inside.

This makes me think about our environment — our homes, places where we work and the company we keep. How all of this is affecting the way we are evolving and changing inside. It really makes you stop and reflect on your environment. Are there things that I need to change in my environment? How can I create an environment that promotes healing and love to all those that are in it or may enter it?

Runner's World

2009-02-14T05:32:00.003-05:00

About a year ago a writer from Runner’s World magazine contacted me about a workshop I was leading entitled, “The Balanced Runner”. Over the past year I have had several writers from Runners World come down for workshops. They discovered the deeper essence of what yoga can do for runners.

This past summer I went up to Runners World headquarters and lead a workshop to several staff members on Movement Principles for Runners. Most of those in attendance had been practicing yoga yet not with the awareness of the movement principles. Just before Christmas I had an opportunity to record nine exercises for www.runnersworld.com which can be found on their website.

This experience over the past year reminds me of something I say often while teaching. It is not what you are doing as much as where you are when you are doing it. When we move our body we can be completely connected to our body and let go of the cognitive aspect of our brain. By focusing on what we are feeling verses what we are thinking we can come into a deeper connection with our mindbody—running can be a meditation.

Any movement whether in the gym, yoga room or running can be viewed as therapy and healing if it is being done with principle. If it is not done with principle it tears the body apart. Running can get a bad rap. There is nothing wrong with running although there is something wrong with running on an imbalanced structure. Learning the movement principles can be the difference between being sidelined with injuries and running into your nineties.

Dropping Performance

2009-02-10T12:16:00.002-05:00

Six years ago I went to a Vinyasa workshop with Rolf Gates. Rolf had just recently published his book, “Meditations from the Mat”. He was a powerful teacher and quickly becoming well known throughout the yoga world. When I arrived for the workshop the yoga room was buzzing and it was mat to mat. You could not even see the color of the floor—mats were touching. People were dressed in their most fashionable yoga gear while intensely warming up. I felt like I was back in an ice hockey locker room prepping for a big game.

When Rolf walked in he was calm and collected. Before he began the class he asked some profound and simple questions, “Can we drop the performance mode? Can you empty your cup and allow me to guide you through a practice?” The intensity of the room dropped and everything grounded down into an non egotistically awareness—it was a profound shift. Rolf’s wisdom still rings in my ears. There are many people who come to the physical practice of yoga with a performance based and competitive mind. You can learn a lot about yourself if you can see this aspect of yourself. The part of your mind that wants to perform, wants to be better then those around you and wants to win.

At Empowered Yoga we emphasize challenge over competition. A challenge is born within your heart—it is a quest for inner excellence. When you compete it is about the ego, there are winners or losers and the motivation is many times not so pure. When your motivation shifts to challenge we broaden our view. Our practice becomes a simple question, “Am I doing my best?” If the answer is yes then you are always a winner and there are no losers. Paradoxically this shift from competition to challenge inspires others to let go of egocentric motivators. Paradoxically my body is stronger, more flexible and graceful when I am operating from challenge. Fear constricts us and a competitive mind is a mind that is based in fear.

75 to 25

2009-02-02T10:03:00.003-05:00

Saturday afternoon I was sitting by a pool in Costa Rica then hours later I am in freezing temperatures. I went from one polarity to another. This is metaphorical for being on retreat and then in the blink of an eye, being back in your real everyday life.

In my last class Saturday morning I gave some helpful hints on reentry into society after a retreat.

As soon as you land into your respective airport notice your surroundings and the speed at which everything is moving.
As you are picked up by family and friends notice your heightened awareness and let this awareness see people with a greater sense of openness and appreciation.
No one else was on the retreat so don't expect those in your life to be any different. You are the one who is different. (Non-judgemental of course)
Don't speak too deeply about your experience. Just tell people it was life changing.
Realize that without a daily practice you too will fall back into the speed and potential unconsciousness of life

What makes a retreat powerful is incorporating the teachings into daily life. If you have never been on retreat make it a goal to someday attend one. They can be truly life changing.

Opening or Closing

2009-01-29T10:39:00.001-05:00

In any given moment we are either opening or closing to life. If you are closing you may feel anxious, stressed and typically uncomfortable. If we are opening to life we feel calm, relaxed and at ease. In any given moment you can pause and notice how you are feeling. Getting into the habit of noticing this can help you make decisions about the direction your life is taking.

When we are closing we are resisting reality. We wish the moment was different. We want life to be different then it is. No matter what we do wrestling with reality is one fight we will always lose. If you do not like what life is presenting to you resisting it will only make it worse--what we resist will persist. In fact it will not only persist yet in many cases build pressure and inflict more stress.

If we are open to life then life is more workable. We can accept what life is presenting and begin working with what is. In many ways this can turn the most difficult circumstances into powerful learning experiences. Happy moments can become even more joyous!

Presence

2009-01-22T15:22:00.003-05:00

Before I started to practice yoga I never really gave much conscious awareness to the present moment. I would be awakened from daydreaming by a nun slapping down a ruler or a coach yelling loudly. Of course I spent time in the present moment yet I never knew the difference between being in thought and being present without thought.

In high school and college I continued living without this awareness. In reflecting back I was always living in my head, reliving the past or strategizing about the future—never fully appreciating where I was. Do not get me wrong—my childhood was incredible. I just never knew that there was a difference between thinking and experiencing the present moment without analyzing with thought what was happening.

When I first started practicing yoga I would wonder what the teacher thought of me and while in class anticipate what posture was coming next. I would look around the room for entertainment. If a class did not entertain me, I would seek out another teacher or class. I would be thinking constantly during practice. This all changed one day when I started to practice Ashtanga Yoga.

Ashtanga Yoga is a series of postures. There are three reference points to creating a mind and body connection. I learned to bring my attention to the stillness in my eyes, the breath, and the awareness of my body as it remained still and as it moved. I began understanding what it meant to be present—athletes call this the zone. It is the place where everything slows down, thought drops and the appreciation for life grows.

These three reference points have grown into daily tools that I use on and off the mat to return back to the present moment awareness. Life seems to get brighter and brighter and my appreciation grows from this practice—a worthy component to being empowered.

Costa Rica

2009-01-21T14:31:00.002-05:00

I am writing this entry from Pura Vida Spas in Costa Rica. This is my 7th year facilitating retreats and every year it seems to get better. The attendees this year are steadfast, enthusiastic and came to work deligently with a smile. There is not much resistance and this makes the practice much more enjoyable and fun.

Each day starts off with a basis meditation. This year Chris Rogers has joined me to lead the group on Big Mind training. Big Mind is learning to think bigger then yourself. Our theme is Beginners Mind. This is a term which orginates in the Zen tradition. The general idea is that a beginners mind is a Big Mind and capable of numerous possiblities. A more advanced mind is a small mind and limited in possibilities.

After each morning session we enjoy amazing fruit and other healthy food. We ask people to stay light on the eating due to a 10am Hatha yoga practice. After practice we shower and enjoy a heathy and tastey lunch. Much of the afternoon is spent resting by the pool or sleeping.

We practice again in the later afternoon. This is a longer practice where more theraputic movements are practiced. Afterwards everyone showers and we have dinner together. The conversation is rich.

I really enjoy being down here yet it is challenging being away from Sara and our children. I hope to handle the Blog on Presence while I am down here.

I have not had time to edit this blog so excuse me for any grammer mistakes.

Commitment

2009-01-07T09:04:00.003-05:00

Maintaining a commitment can be very difficult for people—why is this? I believe the most important part of maintaining a commitment is being clear from the very start why you are feeling the way you do. Around this time of the year people are setting resolutions. Their commitments are rooted in dissatisfaction—an aspect of your life that you are not happy with and you would like to let go of and change.

It is really important to spend time with this feeling of dissatisfaction and not just ignore it. The more intimate you get with the dissatisfaction the more meaningful the commitment will become. Spending time writing down what will happen if you maintain the commitment and what will happen if you don’t maintain the commitment can be very fruitful. Brainstorm and refine your thoughts and feelings to one page. Read this page daily and remind yourself why you made the commitment.

If you are unwilling to spend some time to become clear on what it is that you want your life to be about then chances are you will lose your commitment. I don’t think people lack willpower or discipline they just lack presence. I will address presence in my next blog.

If you are new to the blog I aim to post weekly entries. I write about my challenges and triumphs in life. My intention is to help you live a more empowered life.

Importance in Personalizing

2008-12-03T11:36:00.001-05:00

The beauty of yoga is beginning to understand the paradoxical nature of truth. Yoga is derived from the Sanskrit yuj, meaning, "To yoke" or "to unite".
It connotes the idea of balancing out the polarities. It is within this balance that we discover oneness. When the Buddha was asked how to tune a lute he replied, “not too tight and not too loose”. Yoga is all about striking a balance.

In the last entry I wrote about the importance of not personalizing your experience. In this entry we will address personalizing our experience. Let’s look at two different situations. One that will create suffering and one that will create happiness. During situations where suffering arises, I find it important to stop and ask myself how I have contributed to this situation. By making this a practice I don’t fall into a victim mentality spending endless time blaming someone else for my present state of unhappiness. I know if I don’t practice this, I will become hard, defensive and guarded in life.

Now, when it comes to successful situations that produce happiness, I don’t personalize it. I ask myself how those around me have contributed to this situation. For me this keeps me humble and non-egotistical. This helps me foster an attitude of interdependence and appreciation for those around me. I can rest in the cohesive nature of life.

Striking a balance is the skillful act of knowing when to personalize and when not to personalize an experience. Your internal compass needs to point towards happiness at all times, so if personalizing an experience brings up suffering then you can let go of personalizing. If not personalizing the experience brings up suffering then you need to stop and ask yourself “how have I contributed to this situation?” This requires a keen sense of awareness and the ability to discern.

This is a very important practice while being on the path to happiness.

The Pain in Personalizing

2008-11-28T14:10:00.001-05:00

Up until a year or so ago, I did what most human beings do—I personalized everything in life. If someone was nice to me I would take it personal. If someone would not let me in while driving in traffic I would take it personal. If someone whom I loved said something hurtful or did something hurtful I would take it personal. As I began taking a step back in my life I began noticing that in the majority of all of these situations I have very little to do with the reactions and actions of those around me especially if I don’t know the person at all.

For instance the other day my wife Sara got upset with me and said something’s that she did not mean. I reacted to her, yet not nearly as much as I would have one year ago. After reacting a bit I engaged the present moment, watched my thoughts, and emotions, I calmed down pretty quickly. Within the calm was a deeper understanding of Sara’s reaction. Her Mom just started chemo again and is living with bone cancer. It is very painful for Sara to see her mom suffer and there were other things also going on that had Sara upset. Her reactions to me truly had nothing to do with me—I was just the receiver of her angry and sadness.

The next time you experience an emotional charge or reaction, pause, engage conscious breathing—stepping into the present moment. Watch the emotions and thoughts as a third party observer and watch them fade. After fading remain in the non-judgmental awareness and watch insight arise as to what you just experienced. I find most of the time it is not personal. A necessary practice in Being Empowered.

Confirmation or Unease

2008-11-26T10:29:00.001-05:00

If you contemplate the questions, what is my life all about and you receive confirmation congratulations you are living the life you want. If there is some hesitation or unease, you need to start digging deeper. What is it that comes up? Write it down and begin studying your dissatisfaction.

Some people have a tendency to ignore dissatisfaction. It is the old saying, “ignorance is bliss”. Maybe at first ignorance is bliss—over time whatever we resist will persist. I find the persistency becomes annoying because it is reality knocking on my door getting louder and louder. At some point the volume becomes painful and our dissatisfaction deserves attention.

Once you get in touch with your dissatisfaction pull it close like a doctor analyzing a sickness, turn the questions around. Why do I want to be here, what do I want my life to be about and when I am gone what do I want people to remember me for? These can be very empowering questions. Journaling can be some of the most transformative work. If your life is worth living—it is worth writing about.

The Big Picture

2008-11-17T13:10:00.002-05:00

When I was first introduced to present moment awareness, I thought “this is hard”. In educating myself about my own mind I realized that in many ways my mind has always controlled my life. My habits and judgments and the past have always lead the way. In the beginning I realized if I could just direct my attention away from the stream of thought and disconnect once a day it would be more than I had been doing my whole life. As I began to bring my attention away from the thought stream and into the present moment I discovered a new way of living.

The intention behind developing a calm abiding practice is to develop a non-reactive and non-judgmental orientation to the present moment. Most of our suffering and stress in life comes from us personalizing our experience and continually reacting to life in a way that is purely predicated by our past conditioning. When we are only identified with our thinking this is the only way we know how to answer to life on a daily basis—we know no better.

I always remind students that this practice is a moment to moment commitment. It is important that you see the big picture of developing a mindfulness practice. The big picture is that our ability to evolve and cultivate our inner wisdom is not just for personal reasons. As we elevate ourselves above the bondages of habitual ways of living that cause suffering and pain in our lives, we begin to affect those around us. People begin noticing that we are different and less reactive. It is our presence and example that begins to inspire others.

I truly believe that each human being is here in this life to show what is possible within a human life. Now you may think I am being cliché yet I ask you to cultivate these questions. Why are you here? What is your life all about? When you die what are people going to say about you? If you spend time contemplating these questions and come back to them often enough you will begin to notice one of two things—confirmation or unease. I will handle this in my next entry.

Discovering Your Vision

2008-11-17T12:48:00.002-05:00

Focusing your eyesight during a yoga practice is called drishti in Sanskrit. Drishti is a point of focus. Each yoga posture has a designated gazing point. Focusing your eyes during a yoga practice is the first step in a three tier process which synchronizes your mind and body. The word drishti is derived from the Sanskrit root rish meaning vision or insight.

Your mind tends to identify with whatever it looks at. When our minds are busy we don’t have an opportunity to see clearly. If your eyes are wandering your mind is wandering. In ancient India the Rishis were visionaries who lived amongst the tribes. They were able to give wise advice about decisions that had to be made for the welfare of the tribe. Similar to the stories you hear about the Native American Indians seeking insight from their elders.

It is typical for the beginner yoga student to look around the room, move quicker than the teacher, anticipate the next posture and of course we can’t forget the good old fashion fidget. These are all simple signs of being identified with thinking verses being. The mind is leaning into the next moment and focused on thoughts instead of the body. Remember your body is always in the present moment—it is our minds that get caught up in the past and lean into the future.

I remember in the beginning of my practice I would spend a lot of time looking around trying to figure out how to do postures correctly. We encourage new students do to this in the beginning of their practice. It helps them gain an understanding. As you gain a deeper understanding of the alignment and the process of synchronizing the mind and body, a student gains confidence and begins discovering the power of a stable vision.

This is paradoxical. By narrowing your vision and bringing your attention to a one pointed focus you begin to gain a larger perspective within your life and the lives of those around you. The consistent practice of synchronizing the mind and body leads to a calmer state of being outside of the asana or meditation practice—within this state something very special and revolutionary happens. You begin seeing your thoughts from a third party perspective. Your thinking slows down and something much vaster than thought shows itself. I will handle this in my next entry