Let It Be Messy

Respectfully, some of the most famous artists can be considered the messiest.  Think of abstract expressionists for example, such as Willem de Kooning and Jasper Johns.  Their work can be looked at by some as sloppy yet it’s worth millions upon millions of dollars.  I love Jackson Pollock but he definitely doesn’t color inside the lines.

Patanjali describes yoga asana as being steady (sthira) and joyful (sukha).  He clearly doesn’t state yoga poses should be rigid and perfect.  Part of finding freedom, whether it’s on the yoga mat or painting on a blank canvas, is being our unique selves (no one is perfect) and letting go of rules (rigidity).

Next time you hit your yoga mat, be expressive in your practice.  Enter, explore and exit each asana with the sthira sukham asanam intention.  This intention enables us to balance effort with ease and fully be in the meditative aspect of the asana practice.   And it’s from this intention we discover that messy is okay and we each shine in our own way.

Each asana (yoga posture), as is life, is a process; they’re both masterpieces in progress.  There is always space to do better, be brighter and more at ease.  If you have to go outside the lines every now and then, do so with awareness.  If you make mistakes, learn from them rather than judge.  Do the best you can –even if it’s a little messy.  Be in it.  Be in the moment.  Be yourself.  Be okay with being a little messy.

Believe to Achieve

As Robin Sharma states in his book The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari, “The only limits on your life are those that you set for yourself.”  Say you “can’t” and you “won’t”.  View things from a negative perspective and they will be discouraging.  Doubt your dreams and they’ll remain in dreamland.

Envision your life, as you want it to be and then passionately do what you can to live your dream life.  Start today by writing down your personal and professional goals.  Go beyond that.  Write things you think sound impossible!  Why not?  Who are you going to hurt by dreaming big?

Still stuck?  Think about areas in your life you want to improve —your health/fitness level, connections with others (family, friends, community), volunteer work/service to others, your financial picture, relaxation time (vacations, books you want to read, etc.)  Again, dream big!

Associate timeframes with each goal.  For instance, I will achieve X within 1 year.  I will accomplish X within 5 years.  Some goals will be easily attainable.  Others might require a lot of work.  Some goals you might not achieve but know there will be a lesson learned in the process.  As Lenny Kravitz sings “If you want it, you got it.  You just got to believe…believe yourself”.  Something like that but you get the point.

Lastly, review your goals regularly.  Check in at least once a week.  Revise as you need to but don’t scale back.  Scaling back limits your life.  Again, “the only limits on your life are those that you set for yourself.”

Life is full of possibilities.  Live big.  Dream big.  Be big.

Need help with goal setting?  Read Maximum Achievement by Brian Tracy.  Also visit lululemon.com and utilize their online goal setting tool which includes email reminders as the deadlines for your goals approach.

Take a Yoga Vacation

The title of this entry does not imply going on a yoga retreat to do yoga all week as a vacation.  What I am suggesting is you take a break from your yoga practice for a few days, maybe even a week.  Dare I say this!  Why would I suggest it?

The best thing for your practice can sometimes be not practicing.  I discovered this a couple weeks ago while spending a week of vacation in the Caribbean.  The first few mornings my natural inclination was to immediately think I needed to jump out of bed, unroll my yoga mat and practice with the sunrise.  Something told me, hold back.  After all, I was on vacation to take a break from my daily routine.

Sure I practiced a little asana and meditation almost every day (anywhere from 15-45 minutes) but I did it without a plan.  Even in these short practices, I felt my body in a way I haven’t felt in a long time. –stiff!  Yes, I felt stiffer than usual because I wasn’t practicing as much.   But this unfamiliar stiffness brought greater awareness to areas of my body I hadn’t quite paid attention to in some time.  I felt more connected from the inside out.  I moved slower but I felt more in sync with my natural surroundings —the swaying palm trees and calm morning ocean.

Now as I settle back into the reality of my everyday life, I have returned to my mat with a greater appreciation that I have yoga in my life.  I am appreciative for the longer practices I am able to do most days.  I am even more appreciative of a couple poses I previously wasn’t a huge fan of, such as upward facing dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana).

P.S.  If you were reading this blog entry in hopes of finding a yoga retreat for a yoga vacation, grab a copy of the November issue of Yoga Journal and read “Great Escapes”.