Passing Time in Sthira & Sukha

Greetings MyYogaPal Community!

Birthdays are a reminder of marking occasions in the constant turning wheels of time, like the intricate and precise movements of a Swiss watch moving through seconds, minutes and hours.  Today, August 5th marks the 52nd birthday anniversary of Lesley Fightmaster, our beloved teacher.  This blog is dedicated to the wonder of Lesley’s teachings to us who discovered her on YouTube and deepened our connection with her in the community of MyYogaPal.

Thank you so much to the Fightmaster family for sharing your knowledge, experience and most of all love in the realm of the yoga practice.  Through http://www.fightmasteryoga.com and https://www.myyogapal.com communities, people have found a special haven to share a healthful practice to expand our self-awareness and living more consciously in our bodies, our minds and in our community.  Lesley Fightmaster lives forever in each of her videotaped lessons and also when we share what we’ve learned from her in our own practice and teaching classes to others. In addition, Duke and Indy are continuing to preserve and grow the Fightmaster Yoga tradition with the Sunday live streaming classes on YouTube and Duke’s thoughtful shares by email.

This month, August, the theme is Time.  This topic touches upon so many boundaries and realms of yoga, physics, metaphysics, daily life, philosophy - you name it, time is a constant parameter in the equation.

On a sobering and saddening note, some of you might’ve already heard in the news about the multiple car accident in the neighborhood of Windsor Hills in South Los Angeles that resulted in 6 fatalities and injuries to others who were hospitalized.  That happened yesterday, August 4th around 1:30 pm. Our deepest sympathies goes out to the community and the families who are suffering the loss with their lives changed so dramatically and suddenly. Thus far, the California Highway Patrol (CHP’s) investigation points the cause of this accident to a driver running a red a light at the speed anywhere from 50 to 60 MPH or more.

“What’s the hurry?” - that someone could behave so unconsciously and create a situation that leaves family and friends bereft of their loved one?  It is not a judgment but an ask of what is the meaning of time in our “minds” in the small and big picture of life as we define it in our understanding of the cosmic universe.  Why is it so vital for someone to ignore the rules of the road when we drive vehicles that could be used purposefully as a tool?

Here is my contribution to this month’s blog on time.

Passing Time with Shtira and Sukha

Last week, I was asked at the last moment to substitute for a Hatha Yoga class.  The regular yoga teacher had fallen during one of her classes the day before.  As a consequence, the person sustained a major injury to require a lengthy rest period.  The “sudden” change was a reminder of how fragile our lives can be.  This fragility is more pronounced as we age in our bodies and recognize that we’re just not as spry and agile as we used to be.  As our bodies slow down, we are also forced to adjust our mentality to the reality of our bodies breaking down from its peak form which I think of as our ‘yang’ period to our ‘yin’ period.

I believe the wisdom is in yielding and accepting the reality as hard as it sometimes may be.  It’s also the opportunity to develop other aspects of our potentials for other interests and activities. It is not just to change directions but also our perspective in appreciating the ‘what is’.

When we put effort into something we generally expect results of some form and also within an expected period of time.  I sometimes smile inwardly whenever I’m in a meeting and someone brings up “time box” or “time boxing” an activity.  This means we have to measure the result in an allocated measure of time.  All those things brings the image of signposts and placards “judgement”.  Maybe it brings up other things for you. “Time box” makes me take gulps of air, and to also hold the breath in my chest until I’m forced to take another gulp of air.  I forget to breathe normally.  My adrenalin kicks in and I start to get ready for the “race”.  On your mark, get set, GO!!!

I am suddenly feeling like a rat running through the maze to find the cheese and get the heck outta there.  Sounds awful.  Maybe there’s another way to visualize ‘time box’.  But, this brings me now to the joy of teaching yoga and practicing yoga.

After a full day of my job, I can escape to teach a yoga class. Teaching and practicing yoga with mindful breathing un-do’s the damage of being in a “time box”.  In the yoga room, we practice being present and letting go of the past and the future by turning the attention to each moment of each breath.  At first it is tenuous - like finding our balance as we stand on a narrow beam.  It’s a little wobbly at first then we get our footing, our balance and “feel” for the breath which I call as “the anchor between our consciousness and our body.”  In whole, “The breath is the anchor between our consciousness and our body.  For without the breath there is only a body made up of systems.”  What keeps these systems lit with “life” and having interconnections is our breath and consciousness.

Also, I try to impress to the participants to let go of expectations in our yoga practice.  As we move mindfully with heartfelt intention into an asana I want practitioners to expand their awareness beyond the mind by trusting that it’s not about the pose, but getting into the pose and how it feels - use the breath to move with ease into the pose.  I often say this in class: “It’s not a race.”

Sthira and Sukha are two Sanskrit concepts from The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.  In Sutra 2.46, it states “Asana (posture) is a steady, comfortable posture.”

Sthira is a Sanskrit word that means to have steadiness and stability. Sukha is a Sanskrit word that means “with ease and comfort.” (Credit Source: https://www.nestacertified.com/sthira-sukha-finding-balance-posture-in-your-yoga-practice/)

Even off the mat we can also practice Sthira and Sukha as we read an email.  Watch your thoughts and emotions and choose what serves best for all concerned.  If you get too hot under the collar and your heart races then take a moment to breathe, maybe even step back. Don’t fire away a response that could have a negative boomerang effect. The same idea can be applied to driving the streets of a busy intersection.  What’s pressing you so badly that we become unconscious of the space we’re traveling to? Time somewhat melts away when framed with that perspective.

I am ending my blog with a poem by Kahlil Gibran from his book “The Prophet”. I was recently gifted with a copy of the book on its “Eighty-eigth printing, August 1971”. The person who gave the present was aware of the significance of the three 8’s. Coincidentally, 8 is my favorite number. Once I was asked by a stranger in an elevator conversation what my favorite number was. I replied without thought, '8’. The stranger replied ‘Of course. Turned on its side the number stands for infinity.’

I have had copies of the “The Prophet” in my library and have leafed through it and read poems, but that night when I got home I read a passage from the 88th edition copy and I paused and reflected deeply on the phrases and the words of a poem. I was amazed at how time stood still. Maybe because it was the 88th edition, but no… it was that my perspective was reframed to appreciate a “gift” that was full of thoughts and insight. In addition, it made me discover that poetry is also a vehicle of slowing down our minds and being in the moment. The poet instills a universe in each verse and that is infinite joy.

Finding Balance & Boundaries

Dear MyYogaPal Community,

Everyone has been so fantastic in supporting each other either in words, actions and thoughts. We all have tapas to work through. I was thinking of karma, and yoga is certainly open this concept of karma yoga

Of the classical paths to spiritual liberation in Hinduism, karma yoga is the path of unselfish action.[7][9] It teaches that a spiritual seeker should act according to dharma, without being attached to the fruits or personal consequences. Karma Yoga, states the Bhagavad Gita, purifies the mind. It leads one to consider dharma of work, and the work according to one's dharma, doing god's work and in that sense becoming and being "like unto god Krishna" in every moment of one's life. - Source Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karma_yoga

Well, doing our tapas is our karma yoga. We strive (the effort, the burn, the tapas) to achieve this balance and set boundaries.

Thank you so much Erin for enhancing on this in our newest blog from the wise yogi in our community Erin! By the way, try this ‘Mello Yoga’ that Erin offers on YouTube helps towards achieving the balance by having less stress. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XB220s54WmM

Finding Balance & Boundaries

by Erin Donovan

Analyn's blog really resonated with me on so many levels.

Being a "recovering perfectionist," I am a creature of habit. I need structure, and I need planning. Otherwise, I feel as though I am off the rails. Oftentimes people talk about falling off a program and not finishing something meaningful to them, but there's another side, the opposite extreme. What if you finish things you don't care for because you feel compelled to complete things? Maybe this resonated with you?

The last two years of uncertainty, fear, sadness, grief, and chaos has been really challenging for most people. Yet, I know very few people that would honestly say they've okay. Most people say "stressed," "burnt out," and "overwhelmed," but "fantastic," "happy," and "balanced" doesn't seem to be as common as it was a few years ago.

What I'm saying is that you are not alone. Whether you are falling off a program or pushing yourself to "get it done," the best thing you can do for yourself is to stop. Stop and take a deep breath, then look in the mirror and tell yourself you're doing a good job. If you got out of bed today, brushed your teeth, took a shower, were kind to yourself and others, and tried to live a life you can be proud of, you did well.

So, how do we find balance? How do we strive to find something suitable for us that we're passionate about and complete the 21 days or the 90 days so we can learn, grow, and fill our cups and souls? I have an answer. Pick something. Anything that makes you feel joy. Then create a plan. Write it on your calendar every day and schedule "you" time, and make it a priority just like you would a doctor's appointment that you couldn't cancel. Failure to plan is why most people don't complete something. Let's be honest; the easiest person to push off in our lives is ourselves. So, commit to not blowing yourself off by planning.

Then, please choose a gift for yourself once you complete whatever it is. It doesn't have to cost anything. Choose something you love that you don't do often enough as your "reward" for your dedication. Then, if you're on the flip side, reward yourself for stopping that program you didn't care for and choose something else you do.

Whether you start or finish the same program 100 times, it doesn't matter; you're still doing it. You're still learning. Give yourself the same grace and love you would like someone else. You'll be surprised that when you start treating yourself how you do others, your whole mindset begins to change, and you begin to find balance and boundaries. Once you have those strongly formed, I believe the possibilities are endless.

Yoga for Balance. Lesley Fightmaster in Pincha Mayurasana

The link to Lesley’s class of a vinyasa flow for balance is here https://youtu.be/DAk7_bHhxGM

Burning Impurities of the Mind

Hello MyYogaPal Community,

Welcome to the July blog with the theme of tapas. Erin Donovan, a regular blogger here, shares with us something very important to help us slow down. Her practical and sensible style of describing meditation draws me to want to take a meditation class with her, but until then here’s the next best thing…

Tapas- Burning Impurities of the Mind So You Can Slow Down

by Erin Donovan

Western society thrives on busyness. How much can you pack into a day? How long is your to-do list, and what are you getting done so you can go on to the next thing? Our society celebrates pushing, completing, and working on the brink of burnout. As a result, it's easy to rush through your life without being truly present. When this happens, not only does every relationship in our life suffer, but our mental health also does. In addition, when stressed out and overwhelmed, we can begin negative self-talk, self-judgment, and set unrealistic expectations of ourselves.

So, how do you begin to teach yourself to slow down and burn the impurities of your mind? This is where meditation comes in. If you're thinking, "I stink at meditation, I can't stop my thoughts!" Guess what? You're not supposed to stop your thoughts. It's impossible to stop your thoughts because we're always thinking! But that's a good thing. It means your brain is healthy and doing its job. 

One of the many benefits of meditation is learning how to slow down. Through meditation, we learn how to breathe and focus on our breath. When focusing on our breath, we learn how to bring ourselves into the present moment. Really, the present moment is all we have. We can't waste our time looking in the rear view mirror, over-analyzing every decision we've ever made that we now classify as "wrong" because it's terribly harmful to our mental wellbeing. We also spend so much time worrying and feeling anxious and overwhelmed about the future when we have no idea what will happen. (This is huge for me!)

The remarkable thing about the brain is although we are always thinking, we can only have one thought at a time. We might have a lot of rapid thoughts, but we're still only thinking one thought at a time. Something that I've witnessed not just through teaching but as a longtime student of meditation is most people don't think they're "good" at it, especially when they're first learning how to practice. We seem to have this false belief that we're "supposed" to be doing something or achieving something. That is 100% incorrect! All we need to do is simply breathe and be present in the moment. That's it. If you can breathe and focus on your breath, you can meditate. The rest is merely building a practice that works for you. 

I think it's important to know that there does not have to be rules and it doesn't have to be complicated. You don't need hours a day. Try 2 minutes. Then work up to 5 minutes. Then maybe 8 or 10 minutes. The point is to try to make it simple and doable. If you can do that, you will reap more benefits than ever imagined. I promise it gets easier. Through consistency, we can begin to "burn the impurities of the mind," which will help us slow down, become present in our lives, and feel more balanced.

Intention, Time & Tapas

Sometimes the things we love to do or are passionate about can be our prison also.  I’m talking about my love of reading and writing, playing guitar, and also practicing yoga.  It’s so strange to me, until recently, how I can hit a wall with these activities.  I will be religious about doing these things then I find my passion and interest waning, as though these things become a chore rather than a source of joy.

I get into a rut and it’s a lot of work to dig myself out of it with a new perspective, and sometimes it’s not the one I expected or wanted.  To give an example, I’ll talk about my yoga practice.  I was doing the 90-day Shine Program, and I barely squeaked by to get to the 90-day finish.  I think I was stuck around the 70 - 80 day period for a long time, because, I repeated the classes 2 or 3 times, maybe even 4 or 5 times. I did so, because I felt I didn’t do it justice.  What I mean by that is my focus wasn’t there, and my best intentions weren’t present.

I almost wonder if we should give ourselves some kind of a graduation ceremony for accomplishing a feat of doing 90 days of yoga as a recognition of completion and getting ready for the next step.  What could that be after 90 days of the Shine program?

So what perspective did I gain after I had to re-boot myself from the rut?  No pain, no gain.  I am being a bit facetious in thinking and writing those words, but I’m not editing them out.  The reason is there is truth to the cliche (as cliche as it may be).  Here’s my real life experience about this.  I have two stories to share.

I’ll start with my recent project that I started about 2 months ago.  I decided that I want to be able to do at least one pull up before the end of this year.  So, after teaching my twice a week yoga classes at a private club, I go to the weight room and work on my pull ups.  One of my yoga students is dedicated about his weight training.  He started to notice me be a regular in the weight room.  He offered me advice on how to reach my goal.  First, he asked what my goal was and analyzed my workout.  Then he said that I needed to also do some weights to strengthen my pectoral muscles. I followed his advice.

Two weeks ago, one of my other yoga students joined me in the weight room as we continued a conversation after class.  ‘What are you doing here?’, he asked, so I told him.  ‘Well, have you tried doing one without the machines?’  I said no.  ‘Try,’ he said, ‘You might surprise yourself.’  I was doubtful, but I did it anyway and guess what - I almost got to one… I was able to lift my weight higher than I ever expected.  He said, ‘you’re almost there?!’  ‘Really?’ I beamed.  ‘Yeah.’  My coach was there too, working on his usual routine.  He said, “To be successful you have to be ready to endure pain.”  I haven’t forgotten those words since.

The other story is I have been healing an injured rotator cuff or a very tight knot around my right neck and shoulder area.  It’s been rather painful, that I can barely do a chaturanga.  I do a modified chaturanga.  Here I am, a yoga teacher, and I’ve suffered an injury.  I hope I’m not teaching anyone the wrong way.  I’ve always always been mindful of making sure my shoulders are aligned with my arms, wrists and hands.  It could be a combination of repetitive motion injury and arthritis plus my new pull-ups program.

But I recognized there’s something deeper going on here, so I stopped looking externally as to why I’ve suffered this set back. I decided to investigate inwardly.  What is it in my life that’s really bothering me and that I’m avoiding or running away from?  I decided to revisit writing on a daily basis again to help draw out this invisible elephant in the room.  I went back to my roots of spending more time alone which I need on regular basis, because it’s always been my nature. Also, I have had to start being honest with myself and recognize to put myself first.

I was very spoiled when I lived next to a national park that bordered my home in Vancouver, Canada.  I would spend hours in the trails of the forest with my dog running, hiking, jumping and being alone but not lonely in nature.  I was one with the sounds of the forest - the rushing waters of the creek, the call of the birds, the soft wind through the needles of pine trees and leaves of deciduous trees.

That was my meditation.

Now, it’s 20 minutes if I can steal it from the heavy schedule of a regular job, and the pets (chickens and dogs), cleaning, cooking, shopping and teaching yoga.  I got lost in all that and lost a vital part of me - just spending time with myself doing the things I enjoy without the pressure of the walls of time closing in.  Isn’t it funny how we perceive time.  It could be infinite or finite, depending on our state of mind.

I really meandered on this blog.

But it all ties in with the words of intention, time and tapas.  To get to the next level of where I imagine my life to be then I have to be in tune with myself - aligned.  I need to continually evaluate when I’m not tracking to my intention and put in the sweat, effort and time to re-align and stay in-tuned to my inner voice - that calling that cannot be silenced until there is no more.

It’s easy to get thrown off my path and I have to guard my time wisely because we haven’t got a lot it.  Be generous with others but be more generous to myself.  This is my authentic self when I’m taking care of myself.

Change Is Inevitable

Hi MyYogaPal Community!

We’re moving towards longer and longer days of the year in the northern hemisphere. The sun rays are reaching out and casting long shadows on everything it is illuminating. Soon enough we will peak to the longest day of the year, June 21st, then we shift to shorter days for the following six months.

We don’t have to make much effort at all as the changes prevail and so here is a beautiful reminder to go with the flow…

Change is Inevitable

by Erin Donovan

It's that time again. Summer is almost here. Schools are almost finished for the year. Some are moving to their next grade in elementary, middle, or high school. Some are moving on to college, (Congratulations, Indy!) grad school, or a full-time job. Change is inevitable. It happens even when you're not looking.

One thing that I love about this time of the year, other than the longer days, is the slowness of the mornings. I love to sit in my sunroom and watch the sunrise as I meditate and drink coffee. Yes, most days, I do them at the same time. I love a hot cup of coffee first thing in the morning. =)

Stopping to appreciate these little moments in my life helps me to remember that there is always a peacefulness within me, even when I get myself too busy when I'm off my mat to stop and notice it. It's easy to forget sometimes. Thankfully, we have our practices, whether yoga and meditation or just mediation, while enjoying a coffee to remember.

Change is going to happen whether we're ready for it or not. Fighting it will only create more stress, and denying it will cause way more issues for you in the long run.

So, when change is happening, what do we do? I don't have the answer for you, but I'll share what I do. I pray. When I'm scared, stressed, unsure, overwhelmed, frustrated, or want to bury my head in the sand, I pray. I say, "Universe, I need a miracle. I surrender and will get out of the way. Please lead me to the next step." Then, I get out of the way and let go of things on "my time." I trust that whatever comes to me is what is meant to be happening. It's not always easy.

Change is hard. Most times, it's going to be hard at first, but when you get used to embracing the idea of change, it's no longer scary. After a lot of practice, now I don't fear change. I fear things not changing because if there is no change, there is no growth, and I don't know about you, but I always want to grow and be better today than I was yesterday, and tomorrow, I want to be even better than today. That only happens because of change, big and small.

I loved Analyn's blog about "Go with the flow". Try it, then try to shift your perception of change. What are you facing? Can you look at it as an opportunity to grow instead of fear? I said it's not always easy, but I believe it's worth it.

All the best,

Erin

Indy and Duke doing the Sun Salutation Flow - Moving with the Changes