3/22/2013 0 Comments In their eyesHow often have you thought, or had a friend say, I wish my life was more like (insert name here) they have (and here you can fill in the blank) happiness, a great partner, great friends, great career, their entire life together, etc.? I have heard, or overheard this comment often lately. Why is it that we still gravitate to the grass is always greener idiom? We are each human, we are made of the same stuff, why do we think that someone else's lot in life is easier/better/less emotional? And more important, why are we forgetting that the whole point of the idiom is that it isn't true? The grass is never greener. Instead of gazing at the object of your "grass is always greener" life at the surface, examine it thoroughly with a microscope. You will see that it looks very different from what you imaged. Perhaps it might look remarkably similar to your own catalog of issues that you are hoping to run away from. Our problems are universal and the list of emotions we can possibly feel is limited to the same list. None of us is immune to the trials of life. We all must forge through the same ocean. Life is a journey, and no one ever promised us that it would be easy. So how do we live a life with wild emotions and still find santosha (contentment)? We find our tricks (yoga, meditation, long walks in nature - to name a few options), we look to ourselves for the answers that we hold within, we turn to others for guidance. We begin to establish a trust in ourselves that we can get through anything; that we can move through whatever comes our way; that we have the courage, the faith, and the love within ourselves to break through our toughest binds. It's something that we often lose sight of, and to realize it again can be a journey in and of itself. The more we practice the easier it comes; the more we move through, the easier it is to remember that we've done it before. It may have looked different, felt different, but it took the same courage, faith, and love that we still carry within ourselves. So remember, the next time you are looking at someone else, to see life through their eyes. To do this, simply list whatever struggles you are going through, remove the places and names for those won't be the same, but the rest will. If you are experiencing it, chances are so is the person's whose life you wished was your own. Or if they have indeed stumbled upon a plateau of contentment, ah, then you can find what tools they are using in their life to develop, grow, and sustain santosha and gather them for your own use. And don't forget to share it with the rest of us.
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2/13/2013 0 Comments Birthdays - a time for rebirthI'm not one of those people that gets super excited about their birthday. I generally try to celebrate each day of life, so in a sense birthdays are no more special than any other day. In fact, I don't recall many special birthday moments. I think this is due, in part, to the fact that the memories we hold on to most are the painful ones. At first this seems counter intuitive. Why would we cling to the painful memories instead of the pleasant ones? Actually, we are programmed to hold the things that hurt us (in Sanskrit, these are samskaras - mental impressions stuck within our subtle body) so that we can heal those old wounds. This is where our growth in life comes from.
So, I have started thinking of my birthday as a day of rebirth. This year, I allowed myself (almost) a complete day of doing exactly whatever I wanted, spending several hours reading Anatomy of the Spirit (I highly recommend it), by Caroline Myss, on cakras 2 and 3. I have spent the past several months tired and worn out due to saying “yes” when I needed to say “no,” and from not taking that deep rest and down time that I needed and deserved. There are always lessons to be learned, and that is what makes life worth living. In the book, Caroline Myss mentions stories in which clients had to "call back their spirits into their body." I realized that I needed to do this. Or more correct, I needed to unbury my spirit from the pile of "real world junk" that she was buried under. My energy was running low and I was struggling because I could no longer hear my spirit guiding me. She was buried because I momentarily lost sight of what was really important in life – being in this world, not of it. Getting lost is so easy to do, even for people who have strong yoga and meditative practices – present company included. After reading, I drew a bath and laid in the tub (it was a day where I got to do whatever I wanted) where I reconnected to my spirit. I allowed myself to release years of patterns that were no longer serving me. (Note: I can only let go of the ones that I am aware of. Meditation takes care of some, and then as life unfolds, still more patterns will become clear, so I can learn, work through, and release those. It's never ending.) But for now, I could feel the life force once again moving within my body. I am reborn and ready for this new year of my life. Another happy rebirth-day. Have you ever felt disconnected from your spirit? How do you keep yourself connected? 12/12/2012 0 Comments Finding your way back homeBefore I move into the restful time of turning inward as we move into the darkest part of the year, I have put in some serious time for workshop and event planning. This work and sense of accomplishment will make the upcoming hibernation all the more sweet. I’m certainly look forward to some deep rest. This time of year is a time we so often, instinctively, turn inward and allow for introspection and rest in order to plant new seeds, allow them to take root for the springtime, and shed things we are ready to let go. We do this by settling down, embracing the darkness of the day, and resting. We eat seasonal foods and drink warm beverages. We curl up by the fire with a loved one or an extraordinary book. We allow the world to fall away as we fall into ourselves. We reflect on the year and all the things we've done and the things we didn't get to do. We regroup. We make a new plan for the new year. We give ourselves that deep healing rest. With the Winter Solstice comes the darkness: an aspect that means gloom and doom for some and freedom for others. At times we must travel a great distance in the dark. And sometimes, we must do it alone. It's at these times, when, if we remember our own light, we can make the journey less scary and a little more dim. We can pull ourselves out. When we recognize our own light, we regain our strength to continue the journey without wanting to give up. And when I say we must go there alone, I mean the inward journey. We each have a journey and no two are alike. It's the journey with all the twists, turns, plenty of bumps, and no handy road map. Recognizing our inner light is recognizing that these are the times when we must turn to our practice with steadfast determination. The practices that lead us back to ourselves. It is our practice that holds the answers. Our practice is the road map. We often feel so lost, but the instructions are with us at all times. We just have to remember them, and we have to remember to use them. "Your right is to the work alone, but never to its fruits." ~Bhagavad Gita So I encourage you, as we move into this momentous Winter Solstice – unlike anything we've experienced within our lifetime, to allow for rest, make time for your practice, get on your mat, and dust off your cushion. You will be grateful that you did. |
AuthorJenn White, Yoga Educator, Meditation Teacher, and Owner of Embodied Bliss, began her journey of yoga and meditation in 2004 while recovering from a back injury. Feeling lost, restless and seeking something more from life, she found her path through meditation. Archives
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