Why Yoga …
It is true I have been doing yoga for a good, long time but it wasn’t until I hit my 40’s that I
really found the truth of the practice. There is something about forty that just makes you wiser.
The older, and perhaps wiser, I became the more I understood the innate beauty of this ancient
practice. Here are a few examples of what I have come to understand, and about the importance of yoga at any age.
Yoga teaches us to listen. It brings us back to an intuitive nature, where we are acting as warriors or the divine. We learn how to look inside for what we need, not out. Like a true warrior, we learn to be one with all that is around us… to respond, instead of react.
Yoga helps us to see the body as sacred and suddenly we stop dragging ours around like an old shoe. We become wiser about how and with whom we spend our time as we come to understand that what we surround ourselves with has a real effect. We begin to make choices that bring us less stress and more joy.
We don’t try to lose weight, but by being more connected to our bodies, we stop eating what
isn’t good for us. It just doesn’t feel right. We understand that it isn’t about another, better diet
but about understanding ourselves and our triggers.
The yoga poses make us fit for sure. They also connect us to our inner bodies so we look and feel youthful. We come to find that we are able to do more, not less, as we grow older.
Striving is something we have all gotten too good at. Listening to ourselves has become much more of the challenge. Yoga helps us to find our true confidence as we stop trying and realize we have already arrived.
Yoga is not a fad, but a way to live a beautiful life of balance.
When we increase consciousness we decrease the need for will or willpower.
As I was looking through my millions of notebooks one day, I stumbled upon this statement. It was so intriguing, I had to give it some thought. I began to think about the times I felt I needed to assert my will and what was behind that. What was the “power” behind my will and was it actually powerful or just something I have always done without question. If I stopped doing it what would have happened? What would I have done instead?
I guess it’s safe to assume that if you are applying your will you are striving for something you want but don’t yet have and inherent in that is a fear you won’t get it. Make sense?
The easiest tactic to getting what it is we want or at least the one that makes us feel most at ease is “doing” something about it. Making it happen, so to speak. This might or might not work, depending on the situation.
Okay, so I apply my will based on a fear that there is something I want that I don’t yet have and I am afraid I might not get. I will “do” anything as the doing keeps me busy and the busy keeps me less anxious and lord knows we all hate being anxious !!! Sounds like a recipe for disaster.
I thought about what I do when I want something I don’t yet have. I came up with a list of things that I do almost exactly in the same order every time.
I go to Barnes and Noble and get a book on the topic.
I then go online and read what I can, which is never very fruitful but it keeps me busy.
I find others who have done it and ask them tons of questions.
I take classes with people who have done what it is I want to do.
Essentially I fill my head with information.
Then I get really active in “trying” to make it happen. I make connections, meet all the right people, and so it goes. So what could be wrong with this??
Nothing! Except that all my actions were somehow based on a lack. I try because I am not there yet; I assert my will because I am demanding something I don’t have. I seem to always be running two steps behind what it is I want. What I am not doing is bringing a consciousness connection to this desire. I have not tried to understand it on its own terms; I haven’t even rested in the idea that I am supposed to have it but instead I’m running around trying to convince others and myself that I should.
If, in order to truly get what it is I am wanting, I need a resonance with that thing, how do I increase consciousness/resonance in order to decrease a need for will or willpower?
This is what has worked for me (and quite honestly, it starts with the list above, though I don’t think it is actually necessary once I get better at what I am about to explain…):
At some point, I decide to meditate on what it is I want. I try to call it in to understand its vibration and since everything on the planet has a specific vibration, this is not too crazy. What I am doing at this point is closing that two step gap I mentioned before and feeling the want as a part of who I am. Feeling it takes it out of thought and makes it a part of the present moment and my real life experience.
In this process all of my fear and feelings of unworthiness come up. I get to look at each fear and decide if it is true or not. I look at why I choose to believe the fear and I also get to really see if I want what I say I want. When I have thoughts I try to use them for the good of what I am wanting in that I imagine it already happening. I make it consciousness and what leaves is the doubt. Not to say it doesn’t pop up again — but inside of this real connection I can look at it without the need to assert anything but instead say: “ahh, you again my old and doubtful friend. Do you have any use here?” and if it doesn’t, it seems to float away.
Then I live my life as if it already happened. For me the deal is closed and I am just waiting for the final papers to be signed. I try not to get anxious about it if it takes longer than I’d like. Instead, I get connected to it. I continue to resonate with it and try to understand and even harmonize with it more and look at what the benefits of waiting might be.
I can honestly say that I have gotten everything I have truly wanted and the things I didn’t get, I was so very thankful for not getting — in retrospect, I actually didn’t really want it or believe it would have happened. I do believe we are that powerful when we align with out body, mind and spirit. In fact, I will be so bold as to say that I know we are.
This can work for any and every thing: Getting a job, finding a proper union, selling or buying a home, having a child – anything that feels outside of you that you want to be in your life. Why not practice with something small and see what happens? Trust that life is filled with wonderful gifts, if we choose to see it that way.
We are as happy as we want to be. Is this true?
It is true that we are a series of patterns that get triggered as a reaction and, on better days, as a response to our life situations. Sometimes these patterns work for us and other times they just no longer do.
When it comes to deciding whether we can be happy, as we want to be, we may claim to be satisfied in our own lives by changing our attitude towards reality. Unfortunately, this may not be a universal principle for all of us. No one can deny that real-life circumstances have a tremendous impact on our emotions. This may lead us to wonder why we feel so helpless. Our inner thoughts might run like this: “What’s wrong with me?” “Why do I let people affect me so?”, “If only (you fill in the blank) happens, then I will be okay”, “Why do I feel enslaved by my thoughts?”, or “Why can’t I just be happy?”. If only it were so easy…
These were questions I often asked myself before I found the power of meditation. Through meditation, I learned to sit with my thoughts and myself. I found a way to allow the triggers to rise up and learned to employ a different response to them. I found the power of pause. In certain meditations I was able to give my life a clear direction and then when I got off my pillow, it was easier to step in that direction. It felt good to decide how I wanted my life to be, rather than being taken for a ride by the waves of my life situation. It felt good to be in control of my own emotional world.
In January, Reflections will be holding an Winter Urban Silent Retreat , where we will introduce and develop the practice of mindfulness. Along with restorative and vinyasa yoga classes, there will be sitting meditation and intention setting. There will be time to write and just be in the energy of our Kula (group). This will be a powerful weekend where we are all gathering to bring 2011 in as a year of clarity and focus, all with the highest of intentions. I do hope you join us for one or both days of this silent bliss!
This weekend is suitable for beginners and practitioners who want some time away from life’s complexities to deepen their practice.
Does Paula’s story resonate with you? Do you think you might enjoy exploring the ways we move through life and how yoga and meditation can give us a new perspective on them? Take two days with Paula and Friends at Winter Urban Silent Retreat, Jan 8th and 9th: more info here
In any given year we can reflect back on our year and recant our experience, both good and bad. Yoga, in its many forms, has helped me to gain a deeper understanding and more importantly, acceptance of life’s inevitable shifts.
No one is exempt from experiencing both the beauty and the challenges that life has to offer. The Yoga Sutras explains this so elegantly through the dance of the Gunas. The continuous movement of light to dark and back again. When we can truly see that nothing is wrong, but that both sadness and happiness are inherent in the cycle of life, the challenging times become richer in their lessons and the gifts more precious in their beauty. Knowing that my life is as magical as the changing of day to night, or as beautiful as the turn of the seasons, offers me deep peace and the knowledge that I am part of something much bigger than my particular life situation.
We are both massive and very small. When we can find the wisdom to simply let it be, we can see the innate beauty in everything.
I wanted to take a moment to thank you all for your incredible love and support this year. Reflections continues to grow with many new and exciting ways for our community to find their path, their own voice as we all walk this amazing journey of life.
Whether it be in our teachers training, our philosophy,dance or nutrition classes, We are here to explore it all. Please continue your input on our blog. We are excited to make it a place where you can get useful information and tap into the bigger energy and love that is undeniably what Reflections is about.
Much Love and Happy holidays
Paula
Does Paula’s story resonate with you? Do you think you might enjoy exploring the ways we move through life and how yoga can give us a new perspective on them? Join New York Teacher Teacher Training: Jan 21-Mar 13: more info here or Take two days with Paula and Friends at Winter Urban Silent Retreat, Jan 8th and 9th: more info here
When we increase consciousness we decrease the need for will or willpower.
As I was looking through my millions of notebooks one day, I stumbled upon this statement. It was so intriguing, I had to give it some thought. I began to think about the times I felt I needed to assert my will and what was behind that. What was the “power” behind my will and was it actually powerful or just something I have always done without question. If I stopped doing it what would have happened? What would I have done instead?
I guess it’s safe to assume that if you are applying your will you are striving for something you want but don’t yet have and inherent in that is a fear you won’t get it. Make sense?
The easiest tactic to getting what it is we want or at least the one that makes us feel most at ease is “doing” something about it. Making it happen, so to speak. This might or might not work, depending on the situation.
Okay, so I apply my will based on a fear that there is something I want that I don’t yet have and I am afraid I might not get. I will “do” anything as the doing keeps me busy and the busy keeps me less anxious and lord knows we all hate being anxious !!! Sounds like a recipe for disaster.
I thought about what I do when I want something I don’t yet have. I came up with a list of things that I do almost exactly in the same order every time.
I go to Barnes and Noble and get a book on the topic.
I then go online and read what I can, which is never very fruitful but it keeps me busy.
I find others who have done it and ask them tons of questions.
I take classes with people who have done what it is I want to do.
Essentially I fill my head with information.
Then I get really active in “trying” to make it happen. I make connections, meet all the right people, and so it goes. So what could be wrong with this??
Nothing! Except that all my actions were somehow based on a lack. I try because I am not there yet; I assert my will because I am demanding something I don’t have. I seem to always be running two steps behind what it is I want. What I am not doing is bringing a consciousness connection to this desire. I have not tried to understand it on its own terms; I haven’t even rested in the idea that I am supposed to have it but instead I’m running around trying to convince others and myself that I should.
If, in order to truly get what it is I am wanting, I need a resonance with that thing, how do I increase consciousness/resonance in order to decrease a need for will or willpower?
This is what has worked for me (and quite honestly, it starts with the list above, though I don’t think it is actually necessary once I get better at what I am about to explain…):
At some point, I decide to meditate on what it is I want. I try to call it in to understand its vibration and since everything on the planet has a specific vibration, this is not too crazy. What I am doing at this point is closing that two step gap I mentioned before and feeling the want as a part of who I am. Feeling it takes it out of thought and makes it a part of the present moment and my real life experience.
In this process all of my fear and feelings of unworthiness come up. I get to look at each fear and decide if it is true or not. I look at why I choose to believe the fear and I also get to really see if I want what I say I want. When I have thoughts I try to use them for the good of what I am wanting in that I imagine it already happening. I make it consciousness and what leaves is the doubt. Not to say it doesn’t pop up again — but inside of this real connection I can look at it without the need to assert anything but instead say: “ahh, you again my old and doubtful friend. Do you have any use here?” and if it doesn’t, it seems to float away.
Then I live my life as if it already happened. For me the deal is closed and I am just waiting for the final papers to be signed. I try not to get anxious about it if it takes longer than I’d like. Instead, I get connected to it. I continue to resonate with it and try to understand and even harmonize with it more and look at what the benefits of waiting might be.
I can honestly say that I have gotten everything I have truly wanted and the things I didn’t get, I was so very thankful for not getting — in retrospect, I actually didn’t really want it or believe it would have happened. I do believe we are that powerful when we align with out body, mind and spirit. In fact, I will be so bold as to say that I know we are.
This can work for any and every thing: Getting a job, finding a proper union, selling or buying a home, having a child – anything that feels outside of you that you want to be in your life. Why not practice with something small and see what happens? Trust that life is filled with wonderful gifts, if we choose to see it that way.
by Paula Tursi The yoga teacher training program that you select has the potential to truly change your life, mine did! It had such an effect on me that I quit my job and became a full time yoga teacher… not recommended so quickly! It was easier then and still I starved for a bit. No regrets though. It was by far the best thing I have ever done. Trainings are an investment of your time and money as well as in your personal growth. How do you find the right one for you? Here are some guidelines to consider before saying “I do” and taking that first big step into the world of yoga… 
Figure Out Who You Are Make an honest wish list of all the things you hope to gain from this experience. What are your interests? Look at the classes and workshops you take. Be honest. Do you tend choose more technical classes? Do you prefer to flow through poses rather than concentrate on alignment? Taking stock will reveal more about who you are rather than who you might want to be. Home or Away Figure out how much time you can offer where you can be totally committed. Would you like to travel and if so where? this can help you narrow it down. There are many wonderful programs all over the world. It might be a great opportunity to travel and learn Credentials A program is legit they are registered by the Yoga Alliance. If they are, you will find the Yoga Alliance logo on their site 200 or 500 Hour Levels In the 200 hour level training you get a lot of broad information that helps you get more clear of your path, but in order to specialize and fine tune you will want to continue with your training. It is best if your program has both 200 and 500 hour levels. This allows you to know that the program has been around for awhile and that if you like what you have learned you can go deeper into their philosophy. You will also find that you will find a family in a good training and the option of having a 500 hour program allows you the time to build these important relationships. Application Process The applications process is as much you picking the program as they selecting you. What types of questions do they ask? Do they require an interview? Essentially do they really want to know their applicants or are they just looking to have a large enrollment? Interview If there is one it is good opportunity to understand how your time will be spent. What are the particular interests of the program? Do you have a compatible feeling with the studio, its teachers and students? Cost Most trainings run between $3000-4000. Just because a training is linked with a big name doesn’t necessarily make it good, but it can make it more expensive. Sometimes the independent trainings will give you more time and access with the main teacher, which is what you want. Celebrity teachers tend to run their trainings a bit more impersonally and don’t provide a lot of opportunity for placement when you graduate. What is Required of You Find out upfront what will be required of you in addition to class hours so you know you can commit. Some trainings have a rigorous program after the course is completed and before you get your certificate. This is a good thing as it provides you more training but be sure you can offer the time. Placement A training that can place you or at least connect you with teaching opportunities is a huge bonus, however, it shouldn’t be the number one reason to choose or not choose a program. These are some guidelines in choosing the right training for you. It is important to know that all trainings will offer you the opportunity for growth if you let it. You are as much a part of your learning process as the teachers and studio.
The yoga teacher training program that you select has the potential to truly change your life. Trainings are an investment of your time and money as well as in your personal growth. How do you find the right one for you? Here are some guidelines to consider before saying, “I Do” and changing your life.
