Day 45 Intention ~ To Lead With a Pure Heart

Day 45 Intention ~ To Lead With A Pure Heart

Happy Valentine's Day! In honor of that, although, it is important to do this everyday, today especially, I am going to lead with a pure heart. 

In the yoga sutras, sutra II:41 reads, 

Sattvasuddhi Saumanasyaikagryen Driyajayatmadarsana Yogyatvani Ca.

This translates to, "Moreover, one gains purity of sattva, cheerfulness of mind, one-pointedness, mastery over the senses, and fitness for Self-realization."

In regards to this sutra, Swami Satchidananda says, "First you understand the body, then the heart is purified as well. When the heart is pure, you are always happy...Just be pure in thought, word, and deed." He says if we practice this purity for even just one day, we will feel the reward and hopefully will be encouraged to practice it again and again. 

So, today, I am going to lead with a pure heart and mind and hope that you will too. 

Til tomorrow...

Shanti, 

Marcia

Day 44 Intention ~ Take Things As They Come

Day 44 Intention ~ Take Things As They Come

Just in the nick of time...it's been one of those days. So, hence, today's intention. Many of us have those days where things just don't run smoothly. It is just how it goes sometimes and that was how today was for me too. 

I did try to write this earlier, but my home computer was freezing up. Now I am back to where I am house-sitting and quickly getting this in before we reach day 45! 

Flow with the wind. It's the best thing we can do. Some of those days can get very frustrating, but if we just laugh at it and let things roll off our backs, it will just make your day better rather than worse. Learning to accept what is going on around you can be tough and it's easy to fall into that "why me?!?" attitude, but that just makes you feel like a victim and those around you roll their eyes. Therefore, let's laugh at life and enjoy. 

Happy early (by 1 hour) Valentine's Day! Let's spread lots of love tomorrow...and everyday! 

Til tomorrow...

Shanti, 

Marcia

Day 43 Intention ~ To Find Focus

Day 43 Intention ~ To Find Focus

Okay, this may sound like finding stillness like yesterday, but it's different. It's one of those multi-tasking days over here and quite frankly, I need to focus on one thing at a time or else I feel frazzled. Not really in an attempt at meditation, just in a way to get things done. 

In a yogic sense, finding focus is called dharana, the sixth limb in the 8 limbs of yoga, the fixation of the mind. It is a tool to help us actually start to find that single-pointed focus of the mind. You keep focusing on one thing, whether it is a mantra, counting the breath, or staring at the flame of a candle. Trying to bring your focus back to this until the mind becomes steady. Once we gain that single-pointedness, we are one step closer to actually meditating. Believe me, it takes a long time. Many of us will never even get there. But, we keep trying and we do find that we can gain more focus in our day because of practice. 

Til tomorrow...

Shanti, 

Marcia

Day 42 Intention ~ Be Still

Day 42 Intention ~ Be Still

When looking back on the last month, things have been very busy, physically & mentally. Finding that calmness even when the winds are blowing wildly around you can be difficult. The breath and meditation always help to ease an uproarious mind and bring one back to steadiness. When we find this balance, it makes those around us also feel more grounded. 

Practicing yoga poses that make us feel grounded can help bring stillness to the body and mind also. They can help to bring balance back to the muladhara "root" chakra. This chakra represents our survival instincts and when it is balanced, it helps us feel grounded and calm. Focusing on the lower body, rooting and stretching the feet and opening the hamstrings or stretching and strengthening the thighs can help us feel more powerful in our base. Forward folds, mountain pose, warrior poses can help us feel strong while seated poses like cobbler's pose, and other seated forward folds or child's pose can help us reconnect to the Earth. 

Til tomorrow...

Shanti, 

Marcia

Day 41 Intention ~ To Let Go

Day 41 Intention ~ To Let Go

For those of you that read yesterday's intention, yes, I was a little bit upset. It happens. I don't usually like to bring it out to everyone, but I feel very strongly about how others treat others in general, and especially within the yoga community. Practicing ahimsa is one of the first things we are taught to practice in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, and practicing it towards one another just seems like a no-brainer. 

But, it is a new day, and it is time to let go of my negative emotions from yesterday. I feel very lucky to have gotten to practice with advanced Jivamukti teacher, Julie Kirkpatrick, today. There was a gentleness to her teaching, although a Jivamukti asana practice is a rigorous practice, and we all moved and breathed together as one. The energy in the room was lovely and supportive. It felt like home. I felt reaffirmed in my practice and of how yogis behave towards one another. I also realized it was time to let go of my emotions from the day before and move forward. Each exhale allowed more release, each inhale, I felt myself expand towards new life and new energy. As I laid in savasana, I felt release and relief. Carrying around those heavy, angry emotions is exhausting. As we breathed in, we mentally said, "let", as we exhaled, we mentally said, "go". As we practiced this over and over, I could feel a lightness take a hold of me and I felt like myself again. 

"Let Go." If you ever find yourself obsessing over something in a negative way or if you are just feeling a little bit stressed and you can't find release, I suggest you try this technique. It can lead you into a nice meditation. Inhale "let", exhale "go". 

Til tomorrow...

Shanti & Namaste, 

Marcia

Day 40 Intention ~ To Support People Around Me

Day 40 Intention ~ To Support Those Around Me

I believe that we are all one. We should support each other. Especially those in the yoga community. Isn't that the community we are supposed to be building? The satsang? Don't we want the same things? 

I like to think that yoga, meaning to yoke, to join, a union, that my practice & that my community and how I behave in that community is a supportive environment. One that creates a positive place for us all to discover our inner Selves, practice and find that connection between us. For are we not all one on this universe? Everything we do effects  each other and the universe around us. 

Too much lately I feel like I have seen the opposite. Yoga teachers and studio owners not treating people right because they are trying to keep up with the (yoga) joneses or obsessed with the almighty dollar. Believe me, I understand having to make things work out, trying to make a living, but when you sacrifice your treatment of others to make a buck, I think it's time to reassess why you got into the yoga business to begin with. 

I have always been better at supporting fellow teachers rather than myself because I do think it's a community. I encourage my students to try all sorts of classes and all sorts of teachers because I want them to experience all different types of styles/teachings and really find what will work for them and their practice. So, even when someone is concerned that I only have 5 people in my class, I will still support my yoga community & hope that my intention to teach to all no matter if there are 50 people or 2 people will always hold true. I don't ever want to sell out who I am as a teacher just to make a buck (or two). 

Til tomorrow...

Shanti, 

Marcia

Day 39 Intention ~ Stop Messing Around

Day 39 Intention ~ Stop Messing Around!

You heard me! (I'm talking to myself.) I am falling into that procrastinating lazy state when I have a looooooooong list of "to do's" today. On a cold, snowy February day (and Friday for that matter), motivation is slowly floating out the window. Not possible today. There is still one class to teach, four articles to write and a meeting this evening. 

There is no time to waste. 

On that note...til tomorrow!

Shanti, 

Marcia