a new cycle.

trust the process.

I know you're tired but come, this is the way.

~ Rumi

Constant effort with great . . .

choice point.

"Growth actually has discomfort to it. The deeper you go, the more uncomfortable it gets in some ways, and yet in other ways, the more fulfilling it gets.

We tend to prefer the comfort of the known...even if it's not helpful...even if it's somewhat painful, than the discomfort of the unknown...even if the unknown is inspired, unique and totally breaking out of our shell...breaking out of our old state, our old self. Often times as we practice, we start feeling a new part of us emerging and coming forward, and we may actually feel a recoiling of sorts...a recoiling back into the known. And here is where we stand at a "Choice Point."

Am I going to courageously face the unknown so that I will continue to grow and evolve? Will I continue to follow inspiration and allow positive changes to happen? Or am I going to step back into what's more familiar...the old, no longer constructive state?"

~Rod Stryker

welcome a beginner's mind.

"Learning never exhausts the mind."

~ Leonardo da Vinci

Move from the Known to the Unknown. 

Leave room for the mystery and let the mystery carry you forward.

Stay open to what comes.

Life is uncertain. 

The goal is not to become more certain about anything but to relax more into the mystery of not knowing what will come next.

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rasasvada

daily mOMents . . . part ii

via icrypapertears

For the prequel, daily mOMents part i have a peek back here.

Here's part ii:

• Asking the angels.
• Spa and solitude nourish my soul.
• I have nothing to complain about. Life is a blessing.
• Nothing but love.
• Remember to rise.
• Where there is a will there is a way. But there must be will for there to be a way.
• Be responsible for your own emotions and the energy you give out.
• New goal: evolve to Super Soul status.
• Never blink against your own brightness.
• Be honest with yourself about what you see.
• Don’t let your fear win.
• Prioritize your pleasure.
• Nourish your self with your tastes, desires, and lifestyle choices.
• Feed your own simplicity.
• Exceptions are a part of life.
• Lead by example
• Own everything that happens to you.
• Patience is persistence.
• Obstacle is inspiration.
• See all that you are instead of what you are not.
• Be mindful of your judgments: You never know . . . when you see or meet someone what their story is
• Your past does not determine your future. It could, but it doesn’t have to.
• Simple pleasures make all the world of a difference in delight.
• Yoga is the path to awesomeness
• No matter what: stay open.
• Hold faith that the magic of yoga will work . . . and it does.
• I wonder: is being a yoga teacher trainer more about the journey for them or my own? Who is the one who goes through the most transformation? Who is the pushed to the boundaries of it all: compassion, love, delight and evolution?
• Students are the greatest teachers of all.
• I bow to the teacher within and beyond . . .
• Create your calm.
• Forget regret.
• When it’s over. It’s over. Let go and let live.

Le fin - June 2013

Winnipeg, Canada.

daily mOMments

via ikilledjackjohnson

Hours before I jumped on a plane for my last YYoga Teacher Training (over at Yoga Public in Winnipeg), a dear friend of mine asked me to stay in touch and send her my three mOMents each day of yoga teacher training. She suggested that these three moments do not (necessarily) have to be the highlights of my day, but merely three things that stood out for me - they could be the low lights, the moments where my students really challenged me or reflected something back to me, the moments of illumination (break downs or break throughs) or any thing else in between.

And so, my journey into consciously reflecting on three simple mOMents each day with the intention of growing as a teacher, student and spirit quester begins.

Here are a few highlights:

• It’s a blessing to be Canadian and I am so grateful for the opportunities to work and visit here.
• The Mother-Daughter relationship proves to be the most mysterious, complicated and fortuitous dynamic of all.
• I need to take better care of myself when I travel: sleep at least 7-8hrs/ night and eat more regularly.
• Sleep makes me grounded and calm.
• Silence nourishes in a way that rivals food.
• Be more decisive. If I can avoid the trap of indecision as to what to do about whatever I unearth along my journey, I will be less susceptible to succumb to the cowardly old curse of a watered down sense of responsibility that robs me of being clear and empowered.
• Move from the inside out rather than from the outside in.
• Deep savasana = deep healing.
• I really should NOT keep sugary treats in the house/hotel room. I do not even have a sweet tooth, but treats just seem to disappear. Poof!
• Get beyond yourself to help others soar.
• It’s ok to visit the past . . . as long as you stay grounded in the present and optimistic about the future.
• When it comes down to it, I am not as strong as I think I am. But, hey, here’s to being optimistic.
• commUNITY. The power of yoga in action is when the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
• Be responsible for what you say.
• Ask for more signs. Yup, angels, I'm talkin' to you!
• Every student is a gift.
• Everything good goes.
• Sometimes, rest is best. Learning to honor my body.
• Absence does make the heart grow fonder. Practicing the art of being alone and flying solo and staying connected.
• Love more. Dislike less.
• The time to take care is today.
• Be earthward, earthling. 
• Life whispers. Listen closely.

ishvarapranidhana.

via Flickr

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. 

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. 

EK! Jumping for joy over here in Dubai!

A very exciting day today: graduating 19 incredible women from yoga teacher training! Today is our last day, Graduation Day, and it is going to be an emotional one (deep breaths). This has been one of the most incredible programs I have ever been apart of and this group of women have transformed their bodies and lives during this last month. And that is why I love what I do: it's an honor to witness the magic and transformation that people make in their lives through yoga. 

The knowledge gained, the shifts made, the friendships gained. EPIC! AMAZING! INCREDIBLE! UNFORGETTABLE! What a blessing!!!!!

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 . . .

Morning Meditation

“God turns you from one feeling to another and teaches by means of opposites so that you will have two wings to fly, not one.”

~ Rumi

The Ten Commandments of Teaching

1. Do not feel absolutely certain of anything.

2. Do not think it worth while to proceed by concealing evidence, for the evidence is sure to come to light.

3. Never try to discourage thinking for you are sure to succeed.

4. When you meet with opposition, even if it should be from your husband or your children, endeavor to overcome it by argument and not by authority, for a victory dependent upon authority is unreal and illusory.

5. Have no respect for the authority of others, for there are always contrary authorities to be found.

6. Do not use power to suppress opinions you think pernicious, for if you do the opinions will suppress you.

7. Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric.

8. Find more pleasure in intelligent dissent than in passive agreement, for, if you value intelligence as you should, the former implies a deeper agreement than the latter.

9. Be scrupulously truthful, even if the truth is inconvenient, for it is more inconvenient when you try to conceal it.

10. Do not feel envious of the happiness of those who live in a fool’s paradise, for only a fool will think that it is happiness.

- Bertrand Russel

via Swiss Miss

mornings.

this is glamorous

It's Monday morning: the first day of my last week before heading off on a French rendezvous in Montreal with my bestie AmyLu, a quick visit in Toronto en route to Winnipeg for a one month yoga teacher training at Yoga Public. Needless to say, lots to do!


Deep gratitude today for yoga and my espresso machine. Life sure is about finding that delicate balance, isn't it?