YOGA REVEALS OUR HABITS
FEBRUARY 9, 2009: Today is the full moon. The moon reflects the sun. As BKS Iyengar says in Light on Life, “The meaning of Hatha Yoga is Sun (Ha) and Moon (tha), Yoga is which Sun is the Soul and Moon is Consciousness. Consciousness can be compared to a lens. Its inner surface faces the soul itself, and its outer surface comes into contact with the world. Inevitably a degree of grime attaches itself to that outer surface and obscures our vision. In fact prevents us from seeing clearly what is outside, and it equally prevents the light of our soul from shining out. If our house is gloomy because the windows are dirty, we don’t say there is a problem with the sun; we clean the windows. Therefore yoga cleans the lens of consciousness in order to admin the sun (soul).”
We all form habits as we go through life. Yoga teaches us that even our good habits keep us from growing spiritually. This is because habits are by definition an attachment to a pattern of behavior, or a form of dependence. So a key principle of yoga is to break our attachments. This includes not just our attachments to material objects (like needing a hamburger and fries to be happy), but also attachments to only seeing things our way rather than being open and accepting of other’s opinions.
Our time on the mat is important because it gives us a chance to examine our behavioral patterns or habits. When we realize that we are creatures of habit and that those very habits, even the good ones, keep us stuck in patterns and we begin to break those habits and to try different things, then true spiritual growth begins. Alex Levin puts it like this, “habits allow us to not think about what we’re doing . . . giving us the illusion of ease.” When we are under the illusion of ease, not thinking about what we’re doing. Breathing the same old way, moving the same old way, thinking the same old way we check out of the present, out of happiness itself.
I invite myself all the time to step (think) outside the box. For example: I emptied my bedroom of furniture and rearranged everything. I ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on Friday for the first time in years, I am going to a movie tonight at 9:30pm instead of during the day. Even my trip to
Chapter One
I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I fall in.
I am lost .... I am helpless.
It isn't my fault.
It takes forever to find a way out.
Chapter Two
I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend that I don't see it.
I fall in again.
I can't believe I am in this same place.
But, it isn't my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.
Chapter Three
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I still fall in ... it's a habit ... but, my eyes are open.
I know where I am.
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.
Chapter Four
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.
Chapter Five
I walk down another street.
CLAP HANDS - TODAY IS A DAY OF FESTIVAL!
NOVEMBER 14TH, 2008: My favorite Rumi poem begins: "Come for today is a day of festival, Henceforward joy and pleasure are on the increase. Clap hands, say, 'Today is all happiness, from the beginning it was a manifestly fine day.” It reminds me of when we were kids and we’d clap our hands together to celebrate ourselves spontaneously. How great was that! To clap and celebrate ones own life is yoga! The Dalai Lama puts it like this when he says “the roots of all goodness lie in the soul of appreciation for goodness.” When we symbolically clap hands by saying nice things to ourselves through our thoughts we are appreciating our goodness. Healthy self-esteem comes from seeing our own gifts, unabashedly celebrating them thus making today a day of happiness, a really fine day.
If we seek our happiness outside ourselves it sets us up for disappointment. Or as Dr Wayne Dyer says "Every moment that you spend upset, in despair, in anguish, angry or hurt because of the behaviour of anybody else in your life is a moment in which you have given up control of your life." So join me in clapping hands every day (even at the end of a yoga class!) My hope is that if we can let go of our pretenses we will be able to more easily share the amazing beauty and humor of our real selves. Just try it, spontaneiously express your joy and appreciation for your life by clapping hands, I’m sure it will make you smile! Love Big In
DO YOU! NO LONGER DOUBT YOURSELF
JULY 23RD, 2008: So on Tuesday night I was watching a show called "Shear Genius" on Bravo. The deal is that hairstylists compete for a grand prize survivor style. The main challenge on this night was teaching regular women how to style their own hair. The woman who self-styled her own hair the worst lost - her stylist then was out of the competition. Bummer that we have so little confidence in ourselves that we don't even believe we can style our own hair, you know? We don't know how to be as we are.
Dr. Wayne Dyer writes, "the greatest mistake we make, which causes a loss of self-respect, is making the opinions of others MORE IMPORTANT than our own opinion of ourselves." Even the word self-respect pretty much says it all, it originates from the self. Yogis have always recognized all we need is within us. These days it takes a great deal of courage to DO YOU (as Russell Simmons writes in the book of the same name which encourages "staying true to who you are.")
I hope your yoga helps you learn to make sensitive adjustments in your thoughts, in your actions and that this helps you take responsibility for doing YOU. Ultimately I wish that you no longer doubt yourself and stop withholding self-love. I leave you the words of Mark Twain, "A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval." Give it to yourself now, as you are. LOVE YOU! Silvia