"The less I think I know,
The more I really see..."
In a book about the 8 limbs of yoga I came across Aparigraha, which translated as nonpossessiveness or nonhoarding. Among other useful teachings Aparigraha warns us that we may need to be less possessive, less certain about our long held thoughts and beliefs.
You and I may look at the same object and perceive it very differently. Take the classic “Is the glass half full or half empty?” example. A rainy day for some people is a blessed gift to dry earth while for others it is a gloomy picnic saboteur.
I work as a therapist. And what do we do in this field? We meet with someone for 1 ½ hours, ask a sequence of questions, many of which are “cookie cutter” and then we develop an “assessment” of the person, a written document which immediately begins to guide our beliefs about that person and our clinical work.
The good thing is I do not have to take the “I am the expert and I have you figured out” orientation. I recently implemented a system of client feedback which allows clients to tell me what worked in a session, what didn’t, where I went wrong our made an assumption, etc. This came from a recent training and is considered a "cutting edge" approach. That is a glaring example of a tradition of therapist assumption!
Every new moment is fresh. Aparigraha can encourage us to leave behind what we believed last week, last year. How many of our beliefs and perceptions are 100% accurate? How many beliefs and thoughts actually cause unnecessary anguish?
A fresh perspective can occur in each moment if we simply allow ourselves to assume nothing. To breathe in, breathe out. To talk less, and listen more. To control less and let go more.
Thank you, Aparigraha.
Friday, June 22, 2012
Friday, May 25, 2012
You know it when you got it
Got Shraddha?
Shraddha is a Sanskrit word which means FAITH with love and reverence.
We often think we know what is best for us and become attached to a desired outcome (a relationship working out, an event occurring, ect). Our minds fixate on what we “want" and we become tense, doing what my yoga teacher calls "over-efforting". We also become mired in disappointment when things do not go our way. Even when good fortune and our "wants" manifest, things in life are never how we imagined.
Life is one great mystery.
Faith, or shradda can help us to embrace the journey, to loosen our grip and to simply, enjoy.
Believe me it is not easy. The default mode of attachment and control is strong.
Shraddha takes a willingness to be okay with uncertainty.
A big amount of TRUST
And the ability to LET GO.
We never know what our future will bring,
But we can bring more peace and contentment to our lives if let go of our expectations and hold on to our FAITH.
Often we realize later that not getting what we wanted at the time led us to something even better.
Shraddha is a Sanskrit word which means FAITH with love and reverence.
We often think we know what is best for us and become attached to a desired outcome (a relationship working out, an event occurring, ect). Our minds fixate on what we “want" and we become tense, doing what my yoga teacher calls "over-efforting". We also become mired in disappointment when things do not go our way. Even when good fortune and our "wants" manifest, things in life are never how we imagined.
Life is one great mystery.
Faith, or shradda can help us to embrace the journey, to loosen our grip and to simply, enjoy.
Believe me it is not easy. The default mode of attachment and control is strong.
Shraddha takes a willingness to be okay with uncertainty.
A big amount of TRUST
And the ability to LET GO.
We never know what our future will bring,
But we can bring more peace and contentment to our lives if let go of our expectations and hold on to our FAITH.
Often we realize later that not getting what we wanted at the time led us to something even better.
Monday, May 7, 2012
Showing up
Life is full of lessons.
If we are not paying attention we tend to miss the lesson.
However, sometimes the lesson is so glaring and obvious that it cannot be missed.
Thank goodness.
This happened to me recently.
As a recent yoga teacher training graduate I was offered the opportunity to “try out” to teach at my yoga studio. This involves teaching for 15 minutes in front of the studio owner (a well practiced yogi and teacher trainer) and a group of my peers.
I love yoga. It has helped me on so many levels, I could write a book about it. I can be a student very comfortably. I have years of experience in that role. But a teacher?
Growing in a new endeavor is challenging because my ego has perfectionist tendencies—it would rather not try than try and fail. Or be mediocre. Yet on a deep, spiritual level I feel called to teach others yoga. To share the beauty and depth of the practice.
After a long day at work I began to have doubts and think of excuses to skip the teacher try out. The previous day I had encountered the Woodie Allen quote, “80% of success is showing up”. I remembered the quote and was reassured by it--
“Hey wait! I have done ‘practice teaching’ before and will probably be offered a slot. I do not need to be a super star, I simply need to be.”
However this reassurance was soon replaced by more doubts and excuses (my ego trying to protect itself and talk me out of the plan).I picked up a book of Yoga teachings and quotes a dear friend gave me. I opened to a random page, and THERE WAS THE QUOTE AGAIN!
I had never heard or seen it before and suddenly it appears before me TWICE IN ONE WEEK!? So I went to the “try out”. Once I arrived I felt good. I enjoyed teaching and seeing the other graduates. And guess what?
All of those who tried out were offered a teaching opportunity. The most skilled & eloquent, the least skilled, and all of us in between…
There is a long road to becoming an experienced yoga teacher (or an experienced anything), and....
We can travel far as long as we keep showing up.
If we are not paying attention we tend to miss the lesson.
However, sometimes the lesson is so glaring and obvious that it cannot be missed.
Thank goodness.
This happened to me recently.
As a recent yoga teacher training graduate I was offered the opportunity to “try out” to teach at my yoga studio. This involves teaching for 15 minutes in front of the studio owner (a well practiced yogi and teacher trainer) and a group of my peers.
I love yoga. It has helped me on so many levels, I could write a book about it. I can be a student very comfortably. I have years of experience in that role. But a teacher?
Growing in a new endeavor is challenging because my ego has perfectionist tendencies—it would rather not try than try and fail. Or be mediocre. Yet on a deep, spiritual level I feel called to teach others yoga. To share the beauty and depth of the practice.
After a long day at work I began to have doubts and think of excuses to skip the teacher try out. The previous day I had encountered the Woodie Allen quote, “80% of success is showing up”. I remembered the quote and was reassured by it--
“Hey wait! I have done ‘practice teaching’ before and will probably be offered a slot. I do not need to be a super star, I simply need to be.”
However this reassurance was soon replaced by more doubts and excuses (my ego trying to protect itself and talk me out of the plan).I picked up a book of Yoga teachings and quotes a dear friend gave me. I opened to a random page, and THERE WAS THE QUOTE AGAIN!
I had never heard or seen it before and suddenly it appears before me TWICE IN ONE WEEK!? So I went to the “try out”. Once I arrived I felt good. I enjoyed teaching and seeing the other graduates. And guess what?
All of those who tried out were offered a teaching opportunity. The most skilled & eloquent, the least skilled, and all of us in between…
There is a long road to becoming an experienced yoga teacher (or an experienced anything), and....
We can travel far as long as we keep showing up.
Friday, April 27, 2012
Half of me
I had an interesting experience at a yoga class when I stood in front of an odd-shaped mirror. Technically several mirrors had been pieced together in a 3 dimensional shape. The effect that it had was that I could only see
Half of my reflection.
It appeared that I was split down the middle and half of my body was gone. This played with my mind and I thought,
“Where did the rest of me go?”
In society we are so used to focusing on the material aspects of ourselves and life – money, body image, possessions, cars, buildings, business-- We forget that we are much more than the 3 dimensional flesh and bones we see.
Ironically the best aspects of ourselves and life cannot be seen, right?
Things like Love, Hope, Creativity, Compassion, Generosity, Humor, Healing
Yeah, the good stuff!!
The second part of the mirror’s message was: Like it, love it, or loathe it – our physical selves will be here for a limited amount of time. Perhaps half of my physical life has already been spent. Life is a precious, limited comoditiy.
What a beautiful double message –
1) That body that you see is not what you ARE
2) Embrace any stage of life you are in – all joy, all suffering, all color and darkness
To what extent are you living your life to its fullest potential?
Half of my reflection.
It appeared that I was split down the middle and half of my body was gone. This played with my mind and I thought,
“Where did the rest of me go?”
In society we are so used to focusing on the material aspects of ourselves and life – money, body image, possessions, cars, buildings, business-- We forget that we are much more than the 3 dimensional flesh and bones we see.
Ironically the best aspects of ourselves and life cannot be seen, right?
Things like Love, Hope, Creativity, Compassion, Generosity, Humor, Healing
Yeah, the good stuff!!
The second part of the mirror’s message was: Like it, love it, or loathe it – our physical selves will be here for a limited amount of time. Perhaps half of my physical life has already been spent. Life is a precious, limited comoditiy.
What a beautiful double message –
1) That body that you see is not what you ARE
2) Embrace any stage of life you are in – all joy, all suffering, all color and darkness
To what extent are you living your life to its fullest potential?
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