DO YOUR BEST
FEBRUARY 23, 2009: My teacher Shiva Rea says, "The teachings of yoga include a view called parinamavada, the idea that constant change is an inherent part of life. Therefore, to proceed skillfully with any action, we must first assess where we are starting from today; we can’t assume we are quite the same person we were yesterday." So when we step into the current of grace how can we manage to do our best – no more, no less, keeping in mind that doing our best is never going to be the same like our breath. The Yoga Sutras suggest each pose be Sthira Sukham Asanam, steady and pleasant. More importantly in the incessant changing stream of life can we just keep trying? The more you practice yoga the more you will respond YES!
The great thing is that when we DO OUR BEST then we give no reason for self-judgement, blame, guilt, negative self talk of any kind. There are no regrets.
To me doing our best is kind of scary. From a western view it pulls us into that “no pain, no gain” mentality that life must hurt. But that’s not it at all. Doing our best means we are living our lives fully, in the present moment with enormous intensity because we want to be good to ourselves. We want to make life all it can be aspiring to co-create with the universe for our optimal productivity. Doing our best makes us connect to our innate happiness! Why? Because it demonstrates our LOVE for life!
LOVE IS ACTIVE,
YES IS ACTIVE
DOING OUR BEST IS ACTIVE (INACTION IS THE WAY WE DENY LIFE)
Today we keep making the soil of our souls more fertile by contexualizing through asana practice the theme of "Always Doing Our Best.” I hope this inspires you to make sensitive adjustments as you enjoy each and every breath. All of this to make the space for the dreams you wish to hatch come the first day of Spring, March 20th! My dear friends you were born with the right to be happy and as Deepok Chopra suggests why not then make Happiness the Goal of ALL other goals, and just do our best with this. Please love your life, don’t let another breath pass without making it your best breath. Love to you all, Silvia
MAINTAINING BALANCE: CHAKRAS AND MORE!
AUGUST 12TH, 2008: How do we find and maintain balance in order to live the best life ever? Well, today we discussed the Chakras and their application. The chakras are the seven main energy centers in the body where we receive, absorb and distribute life energies. They are located along the spine, starting at the base and running upwards to the crown of the head. Each chakra radiates a specific color and energy. Each chakra relates to specific spiritual, emotional, psychological and physical issues. These can become blocked through and as a result a chakra can become either deficient or excessive and therefore imbalanced. Practicing poses that correspond to each chakra can release these blocks and clear the path to more balanced living.
We passed out a handout with a chart of the Chakras and corresponding element, color, healing stones, and specific poses to help balance out excessiveness or insufficiencies within them. If you want a copy just email us at silvia@totalbodyyoga.com
“We can be sure that the greatest hope for maintaining equilibrium in the face of any situation rests within ourselves.” Francis J. Braceland