Day 301 Intention ~ Contribute In Some Way...

Day 301 Intention ~ Contribute In Some Way...

Lokah samastah sukinoh bhavantu

May all beings everywhere, be happy & free,

And may the thoughts, words & actions of my own life

Contribute in some way,

To that happiness and that freedom for all.

Shanti, shanti, shanti...ommmmmmmmmmmm

This is the Jivamukti invocation, it is also a mantra that is included in the closing Ashtanga prayer. It's a mantra that has been around for a very (to say the least) long time. 

Sometimes we all get so wrapped up in the little things in our daily lives, that we forget that part of this life is just about taking care of each other. 

I think about some of the negativity about some personal things that has been running through my mind the past couple of days and when I hear or chant this mantra, it makes me feel silly. Life is not about focusing on the negative, it's about bringing the good out of situations. Not wallowing in negativity and letting things just fester and grow. So, even though, right now, the things I am thinking about are personal, I want to contribute to the good and positive things in people's lives. Yes, all people. Sometimes the ones we miss are the ones closest to us. So, especially them. 

Til tomorrow...

Shanti, 

Marcia

Day 134 Intention ~ Stay in Savasana

Day 134 Intention ~ Stay in Savasana

There's always those people in class, you know the ones, they bolt as soon as the class goes into savasana, also known as corpse pose. I would think to myself, "They're missing the best part!" and go on to my own corpse pose. 

I was taught in teacher training, or at least in the Jivamukti portion, to keep students in savasana for at least 10 minutes. I thought that was fantastic. 

When I first started teaching, especially if I was teaching a 90 minute class, I would always give my students a 90 minute savasana. If they were the darting open eye type, I would be sure to place eye pillows over their eyes to help them draw inward. 

These days, I find my savasana's getting shorter and shorter. Not only in the classes I teach, but in my own personal practice. I am finding that I don't want to run over time in my classes and make my students late for whatever is next on their schedule for the day. For my own practice, I find myself getting restless. Today, I tried to lay there for 10 minutes and could only make it for four. Four minutes!! That is crazy. 

Savasana is so important to help relax the body and allow it to rest after the asana practice. It allows us to go inward and find stillness. This allows us to easily float into meditation. It also allows us to have a "rebirth" after each practice into the new person we are that day, physically, spiritually, mentally & emotionally. Savasana is not to be skipped and preferably not shortened. 

Til tomorrow...

Shanti, 

Marcia

Day 92 Intention ~ Lose the Ego

Day 92 Intention ~ Lose the Ego

Yoga. It's so funny. It always knows what I need to hear. Just in the last 15 hours or so, ego keeps getting mentioned in whichever yoga writings I end up reading. 

Whether it's a slow class, a disagreement, a failed handstand attempt or just trying to be heard, I, like everyone else, will let my ego take over at times. 

That's when those yoga lessons sneak their way in...

I am currently reading Richard Freeman's book, The Mirror of Yoga:Awakening the Intelligence of Body and Mind, (highly recommend by the way!) and the parts I was reading last night discussed ego getting in the way of kundalini rising. As soon as we get excited about freeing kundalini, the ego is there to bring it back down. 

Then this morning, I was reading the Jivamukti focus of the month, and one of the suggested mantras to chant was from Patanjali's Yoga Sutras:

PYS III:38

Te samadhav upasarga vyutthane.

By giving up the love of power, you attain the power of love.

Lose the ego. If we can let go of our egos, we can truly open our heart and find pure love in the Self. 

Is it easy? Heck no, it's not easy! But, we can try and try and try again. That is all we can do. That is all we can ask of ourselves to do. If we truly and purely try, it will happen and all that we need will come our way. 

Til tomorrow...

Shanti, 

Marcia

Day 49 Intention - Embrace Monday

Day 49 Intention - Embrace Monday!

And, boy, was it one...hence, I am just getting this entered on Tuesday evening. My computer was freezing every time I went online yesterday. I tried to blog from my so-called smartphone, but, alas, it would shut down when I started to blog. Ugh. 

Monday battles: 

• discovered that a rate increase that my credit card pulled on me is actually legal and allowed when I was certain they were breaking the new-ish credit card act that passed a couple years back 
• the computer freeze started 
• a friend told me about the vegan bakery at Nature's Bin, so I made a trip (this is not a bad thing), so craving sweet delights, I drove over there between classes in a nearby neighborhood. Some punk kid (yes, I'm waving my cane as I type), chucked some sort of fleshy, I'm assuming rotting, produce at my windshield ~ side note, I am also assuming it was some young kid, which is still leaving a streak
• no one came to my last class

Ahhhh Monday! But, you've got to just roll with it, right? On the plus side, it's nice to know my credit card isn't screwing me over (well, this time anyhow), I didn't really have to do anything on the computer yesterday, aka no writing assignments due, I got my vegan sweet treats and I do think it's my karma from my teenage years when I will admit, I egged a car or two and luckily I had gone to Julie Kirkpatrick's class last weekend (sister to David Life, co-founder of Jivamukti yoga) who talked about one person showing up for her class, so I've learned to accept low attendance, so long as it isn't permanent! And, I got to go home to my family earlier than expected, so that's always a treat. 

So, there you have it. A day late, but these are the things I was thinking of yesterday, so til...a few moments from now, when I type up today's intention! 

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 22 Intention ~ To Stay Healthy

Day 22 Intention ~ To stay healthy. 

Let's face it, winter in Cleveland can be rough. People are sick all around town and with a high of 12 degrees today, windchill of negative 15 degrees and windy snowstorms expected, my goal is to stay healthy. 

'Tis the season to eat lots of heavy, stick to your ribs type foods. Lots of carbs, lots of creamy or fried food. Not this chick! I am on my 6th day of veganism (except for one minor honey slip up) and I feel good. Lively...cold, but lively. 

Along with loads of vitamins and daily exercise, I think I may just surpass this season unscathed! Only time will tell. 

For yogis, diet is quite a debate. Many believe that veganism is the ultimate way of practicing ahimsa or non-harming. Sharon Gannon, co-founder of the Jivamukti Yoga school is a huge animal activist and outspoken on the benefits both morally and health-wise of veganism. Other yogis believe that being vegetarian with some dairy is fine...and still others believe you can eat what you like, so long as it is healthy. 

I am not here to preach. But, I can attest that in the last 6 days, I've felt cleaner and a little bit lighter than I have in quite some time. Do what is right for you. Do what makes your body feel its best and keeps you healthy. 

Til tomorrow...stay warm out there!!

Shanti,

Marcia