And in the end…
December 31st, 2011In Conclusion
December 29th, 2011Time Flies
December 23rd, 2011Jackie’s December Post
December 17th, 2011No Complaining (by Betsey Downing)!
December 12th, 2011
Editor’s note: This post is courtesy of one of my favorite certified Anusara yoga teachers, Betsey Downing. Betsey founded the Garden of the Heart Yoga Center in Sarasota, FL, and now travels nationally and internationally teaching yoga. Her wonderful teaching ability reflects her deep wisdom and wonderful heart. Thank you, Betsey! P.S. Here is Betsey’s Web site.Or maybe you’re out of sorts because you didn’t get the job you wanted…or you don’t make as much money as you want…or because the price of gas has doubled. The truth is that despite your fretting, reality is the way it is.
Yoga helps us to complain less because it trains us to consistently make our best effort in yoga class and in our home practice. When you consistently approach a situation without resistance, and instead decide to do your best in that situation, you automatically train your mind to stop complaining.
Your best in a given pose today may be different than it was last week, before you tweaked your back. Yoga students constantly learn how to take their present limitations into consideration to find the appropriate pose for themselves in the here and now. Students learn that although they may not like certain poses, they can give their best effort anyway!
Every day we are given the opportunity to make many choices, choices that add up to make the difference in the quality of our lives. It is the little decisions that we make over time that help us to train our minds to respond in the best possible way to what is.
I recently had the opportunity to practice ‘making the best of it.’ I had traveled to Guatemala to co-lead a women’s yoga retreat, but while there, broke my ankle. The following day a field trip was scheduled, but I couldn’t go.
John Friend, the founder of Anusara yoga, was scheduled to visit Florida shortly after I returned home. By that time, I had been outfitted with a big, black boot to stabilize my ankle, so was unable to do any poses at John’s first workshop. I was still learning how to use my new, Mac computer, so sat in the back of the room and typed my notes into it. It turned out to be a great experience! I learned so much from watching the workshop, and got to play with my new computer. My new Mac let me quickly take notes so there was no need to transcribe them.
Yoga teaches us to do our best in every situation in which we find ourselves. As we learn that on the yoga mat, we learn to take it off the mat and into our lives as well. As we do our best in any situation our best gets better, and we are able to make the impossible possible.
Along the way we encounter new possibilities and new joys in a life that continues to unfold and delight us. May you open up to the new and greater possibilities presented to you each day!
Namaste.
Betsey Downing
Reconnecting with a Kula
December 2nd, 2011
In Sanskrit, a kula is a community of like-minded people.
I liked the description I read in the EcoDivas blog: “Imagine a group composed of different, radiant friends who support and love you for you, without having to know your job title or background…Kula happens in the sweaty smile shared with a stranger who had that same wobbly balance pose as you did…Kula gives us that sense of peace, of welcome, of home.”
This past weekend I went up to Sarasota for a workshop with my yoga teacher, Todd Norian, who was in town from Massachusetts. I decided to go last-minute, and slid into the studio five minutes before the Saturday-morning workshop started. I parked myself in the back of the room.
Todd saw me, and smiled a big smile and waved. I went up to the front of the room and gave him a big hug. It felt so good to see him, to reconnect. When I was in Boston, I would assist Todd at every opportunity to continue to grow as a teacher. Since that time, it feels like I’ve been in the Sahara desert of yoga with occasion drinks of water at the oasis.
Todd began his theme of the importance of conviction, of staying with what is important to you, because you just never know when the next breakthrough will happen. I drank in his meaningful words, and sank back, as if I were at home back in Boston, into his exquisite teaching.
He expertly led us to our edge in pose after pose, one of which was handstand. “Jiminy Crickets,” I thought. “I haven’t done handstand for two months since Philippe last spotted me.” But up I went anyway, supported by my two partners. My handstand was as strong as ever.
I came down, exhilarated. I went back to my mat and closed my eyes. My energy surged, replenished. “I love yoga. I totally love yoga,” I thought. I realized how much I missed being part of a group of like-minded people, a kula, that supports and empowers you to live each pose fully, to live life fully.
It was a total affirmation, the breakthrough to which Todd had alluded. I had no idea how much I missed my Anusara kula, until I was in their midst again.
At lunch, I saw Todd and told him: “Seeing you is like having a bowl of my favorite, warm soup on a cold day. It makes me feel at home.”
Thank you, Todd, for sharing your exquisite teaching, and for making the world a better place with your gifts.
Leo’s Post
November 27th, 2011Phil’s Second Post
November 21st, 2011Tamara’s Post
November 15th, 2011Never Postpone Joy
November 9th, 2011
Editor’s note: This post is courtesy of one of my favorite certified Anusara yoga teachers, Betsey Downing. Betsey founded the Garden of the Heart Yoga Center in Sarasota, FL, and now travels nationally and internationally teaching yoga. Her wonderful teaching ability reflects her deep wisdom and wonderful heart. Thank you, Betsey! P.S. Here is Betsey’s Web site.
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Tantric philosophy believes that everything in life can be used as a means for awakening — as catalysts to open us to our true nature of consciousness and bliss. It is particularly useful to view our life’s most powerful events through the Tantric lens.
I recently returned from a gathering to celebrate Geri Quinn’s life. Geri was a longtime student at Garden of the Heart Yoga Center (GOH) and a devoted participant in our book club. She suffered a stroke at the yoga center on May 9, and passed away the following evening, surrounded by her family. All of us at GOH, her family, and her friends were stunned by the sudden passing of a bright light. We will always remember her enthusiastic spirit, her dedication to her spiritual practices, and her zest for life.
Even though we all know with certainty that each of us will die one day, death is never an easy topic to discuss. The real question is not when will we die, but how fully are we going to live until we do? When we are on our deathbed and look back, what will have mattered? Given the current course of our life, will we have any regrets?
Geri’s death has encouraged me to look at how I live my life and how I might live more fully. The first thing that came to mind was to let the people that I love know that I love them. I have renewed my commitment to my marriage, and freed up time to do more things with my husband. We plan to take more trips together (although he still hasn’t convinced me to drive cross-country through the country’s back roads and towns!).
Research shows that our overall level of happiness does not depend on ’big things,’ like winning the lottery or living in a mansion, but rather on the small, daily pleasures with which we nourish ourselves. As an example, I love going to the beach. I particularly enjoy taking Teddy, our golden doodle, to the dog beach. As soon as we arrive, he runs ahead excitedly and has usually made a few, new friends by the time I make it out onto the shore. His antics and enthusiasm make our visits there a total delight!
Don’t wait until tomorrow to create more joy! Discover what makes your heart sing and commit to doing it more often. Life is full of varied and plentiful delights — gardening, writing, running, cooking, reading, spending time by the water, long walks in nature, playing with your grandchildren, volunteering…you fill in the blank for you.
Love more today. Don’t wait for someone to love you in order to share your love with them. Let your friends and family know how special they are to you.
One breath from now, you’ll be one breath closer to death. One year from now, you’ll be one year closer to death. How can you use this year to create a life that is uniquely yours? How much joy can you give and receive to yourself and to your loved ones? Start now!
Blessings.
Betsey
