ishvarapranidhana.

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Ishvara is a Sanskrit word that can be translated to mean supreme, or personal God. Pranidhana means to dedicate, devote, or surrender. Put together, ishvarapranidhana can be defined as spiritual devotion or devoting your actions to a higher being or relinquishing selfish motives.

Our struggle with uncertainty and our desire to protect ourselves and the people we love from pain sometimes leads us to live life with a cautious rigidity that can constrain us from a wholehearted human experience.

In a time where feelings of separateness and disconnection prevail, so often - too often, in fact - we pride ourselves on being strong and domineering over others. We are used to our egos calling the shots, and giving us the belief that we are somehow in control of the Universe. Because of this, the idea of surrendering is taken to mean something negative, as it implies a sort of weakness, giving up or defeat. 

In yoga, however, it is quite the opposite. Victory is attained as we willingly surrender our idea of who we are (i.e. our name, our jobs, our problems, our injuries, our material possessions, and on the list goes . . .) and create the space needed to feel our true nature of Self: a Self of limitless and boundless joy. 

Our yoga practice invites us to inquire + inspire and also to trust in what we cannot see or know. We are asked us to trust in the future and to loosen our grip on the attachment we have to our actions leading to specific outcomes. The practice of ishvarapranidhana requires that we give up the illusion that we can control what will happen to us and to the people around us. 

And though ishvarapranidhana requires great self-discipline, trust, and faith to practice, ultimately it usually takes wayyyyy more effort to cling to the smallness of the ego then it does to surrender to the higher self or the greater good. If we can dedicate our lives to serving this higher entity that dwells within all beings - human and non-human alike - it's possible to move beyond all feelings of separateness and therefore get free from the stress, anxiety, self-doubt.

Within a yoga class, there are many ways to practice ishvarapranidhana, and cultivate both our ability and willingness to surrender. Without this devotion or surrender to something greater than ourselves, yoga can become self-serving and binding instead of liberating. By continuously offering up our efforts and rewards to something more than just personal gain, we are able to keep ishvara (our own personal form of God or the Divine) in the forefront of our minds. By putting aside our judgments and criticisms, and following the instructions offered in class, we learn to open up to something other than than our ego. With each forward bend, we bow down to the Divine in some form that has meaning to us; with each back-bending posture, we offer up our hearts so that we may remember that we are a part of the Universe and connected to it with every thought, word and action we take. Peace comes when we relinquish the idea that we are the "doer" and allow the infinite to guide us on our way. 

12.20.12

Another reason to live in NYC!

Don't you just love swings?! 

I sure do! I love anything to do with movement, the quality of air and fun!

This installation, the creative imagining of Ann Hamilton, over at the Armory in Manhattan looks brilliant! Her installation features 42 swings which move an enormous billowy curtain when the audience perches on a swing and sways away. "When the swings are in action, the curtain, made of a lightweight silk twill, rises and dips, and the air is stirred, causing further billowing and fluttering," writes Roberta Smith of The New York Times. How cool!?

images: Philip Greenburg @ The New York Times

Two weeks until the Winter Solstice confirms a very dark time of year. And when bad/shocking/devastating news strikes, I've somehow found a glimmer of hope to remind me of the light. Let's hope it's enough to get me through . . . 

"Fear not. What is not real, never was and never will be. What is real, always was and cannot be destroyed." 

- Bhagavad Gita 

"When you don't trust people with the truth, they don't trust you back."

~Thomas Friedman

coexist.9.11.xx.

The XX, one of my favorite bands, released their new album, Coexist. Check it out, have listen and get your groove on.

spread the good word.

via lateafternoonblog

now.

Each year, I choose a word for the year. This word, my magic word, is my personal mantra for 365 days. It is a word that nudges me along when I feel lazy, lost or indecisive. This year, my word is:

I have the above picture saved as my desktop image - a solid reminder for when I get lost in my own thoughts or on the internet or distracted by other tasks. Now is the time to complete the job. Now is the time to send that long overdue email. Now is the time to pick up the phone and speak your truth. Now is the time to make it happen! 

                                                                 Now.

                                                                       Now. 

                                                                             Now.

With the approaching Labour Day holiday on the horizon - and perhaps the squirrelly energy of the full moon - I have to say it's been quite a week. I've come to realize that Labour Day weekend is really about finishing up all the loose ends of Summer to be completely carefree all weekend long before September. All week, I've been reminded to be. here. now.

Getting present with what is - opposed to how I would rather life to be - has been my message of the week. And so, tomorrow I am diving right into my fears (being on video at TV interview. gulp. sigh. sweaty palms.) and doing what I've said I would do all Summer. Now is the time. And I've finally had the courage to step into it.

~

After speaking with a student at my last teacher training, and remembering how vulnerable it is to be taking your first yoga teacher training, we got to talking about how yoga is merely a metaphor for life. How you show up on your mat is how you show up in your life. 

How do you (want to) show up?

It takes a lot of courage, commitment and persistence to take something new on. To give something your best efforts AND to be detached from the outcome. You only need to be where you already are and realize it, make it real. There is no place else to go. You cannot fail to be where you already are. So you cannot fail at your practice if you are willing to be with things as they already are. 

Let it be. Let it be. Let it be. Let it be.

Yoga is listening.

Have you ever listened to a song over and over without ever really listening? 


I finally heard these lyrics (have a listen) and it really reminded me of some incredibly thoughtful discussions during Teacher Training on the Yoga Sutras. At the end of our morning meditation the other day, I shared a chapter from a book I'm reading now, The Mirror of Yoga (by Richard Freeman):

All too often, I find myself somewhere other than the here and now. Wondering about what is to come, planning, hoping, anticipating, dreaming, I sometimes find myself so far, far away from the present moment. And then I come back. Sometimes a little disorientated and sometimes very clear about where I am, where I want to go, which ideas and insights I dare to create and how to architect my life so that it oozes greater freedom and fun.


I believe in the power of meditation, the abundance of visualization, the importance of setting intentions AND I believe in "action".

When we can take a moment to pause, to set an intention for a given moment or experience and stand in a clear place with a calm mind, we can better create the results we want. Setting an intention before anything – whether it's embarking on a yoga class (or yoga teacher training!), going on a vacation, giving a presentation at work or envisioning on how you want your daily life to unfold helps  us to organize our thoughts and puts our minds at ease. It's like a meditation in and of itself.

What perspective and point of view do you want to carry into your day or maybe even into a specific circumstance?  What results do you really want?  What do you need to do in order to be fully self-expressed?  Establishing the attitude and intention behind your actions will ensure that your energy and emotions lead you where you want to go.

Mindfulness is indeed an art of paying attention. Paying attention to the "signs" and that little voice in your head that often goes unheard. Being mindful of what your direction is and mastering the art of attention to best guide you there.

What can you do to bring you to the here and now? How do you design your life?

Listen . . .

It's funny how the words we never say can turn into the only thoughts we know.

The Hidden Gallery

  ... at Harvey Nichols
Dubai, UAE