I am more than my thoughts and emotions

I recently paid a visit to one of my favorite places in mumbai - The Yoga Institute, Santacruz E. This where i started my journey of understanding yoga and the process to a saner me.
Well, this was a long overdue visit, went after my 3 years stint in Pondy. So naturally things change, growth and offer a fresh perspective on our perspective. I joined in a group who was discussing Kleshas -  The basic 5 problem roots. The group was comfortable enough to discuss and address our most common but revealing behavior patterns. The talk was about how we want things to be done in a particular way - say our maid had prepared lunch and its not quite good, so we have a negative word for her and a certain negative thought towards her. This is just our ego acting up, refusing to be in the moment but identifying us with the role of employee, desire of particular taste. what really got me was the statement by the mediator - all actions or thoughts that create pain have a klesha active.

There is too much of I in our thoughts. It feeds the ego, creating just so much of pain, irritation and rift in relations. I want people to behave in one way, they behave in whats seems fine with them. even within our loved ones, major conflicts rise from strong opinion on how things are to be done. If we just let it be, relax and realise that trusting the person to do the best will make all our lives so much easier.

However, its so difficult to be this calm when we start getting angry and irritated. One way is to reduce all we are doing. As Jackie Chan says " Daily reduce rather than increase what we do", we can actually be present in whats going on in my mind and see how anger rises. Just this awareness will create distance and we can choose how to respond. Let anger reign, then feel guilty or see how anger begins but just breathe, acknowledge it and know that I am more than this emotion. Lets not even judge it as postitve , negative emotion, just another emotion. And then see what needs to be done.

Long standing habits and perceptions are strongly embedded in our mind. Only being detached w,hen emotions rise can we begin to see whats really happening, cause, and then letting the entire drama play out in our head so we can figure out why so in the first place. Our learning emerges and that is the real story. This the main act of our lives rather than all the other bussiness we indulge in.

Our creativity - Being aware of it

We are all creative - why do i say so - because at every moment we are making choices, thereby creating our lives. Its just so natural, maybe thats why we tend to take our creativity for granted. We choose to express this through every thought, action, facial and body language. Lets remind ourselves this often.  Seeing ourselves as creative beings will allow us to take life less seriously. Things , events and our environment that are so natural and supportive to us, like nature and gifts send to us daily,  how can we overlook and ignore it all??

life supports us in everything, at all times, lets be more aware of it

The Way

The Way is perfect like vast space where nothing is lacking and nothing is in excess.
Indeed, it is due to our choosing to accept or reject that we do not see the true nature of things.
Live neither in the entanglements of outer things, nor in inner feelings of emptiness.
Be serene in the oneness of things and such erroneous views will disappear by themselves.

-An excerpt from Hsin Hsin Ming on Believing in Mind

Be fearless - Turn fear into a Superpower

 Fantastic article

A Letter From Your Over-Worked Super Power.

Dear Beloved, 

I wish to speak on behalf of my brothers and sisters: Anxiety, Terror, Panic, Nervous, Apprehensive, Worry and Chicken Shit. I’m writing to tell you that I Love You and I am in full support of your life, your dreams and your happiness. I know it may seem difficult to believe but if you hear me out, it may transform your life forever.

You have been told to conquer me, overcome me and avoid me at all costs.

It seems that somewhere along the way you were told that I am your enemy. This is not true. Truth is Fear, yes I, am your ally and one of your most essential superpowers. It seems society has told you that I am what prevents you from moving towards your dreams. In fact, the opposite is true. The times that you are unable to fully appreciate the moment and you are unable to move forward towards your dreams is because you have been unwilling to welcome me, to breathe into me, to feel me fully, to embrace me and to hear the message that I bring.
By trying to rid yourself of me, numb me, medicate me, suppress me and resist me, you have tried to rid yourself of the joy of the moment and the joy of being alive. Silly isn’t it? So let’s learn to be buddies again, shall we? Because you deserve to live life fully!

Now let’s get clear on who I am, just to make sure you see me in my truest light.

I am the primal response that you feel in your body when you believe that you or some-one you love are in danger or are unsafe. I am the hormonal and neuro-chemical response initiated in the brain that allows you to act quickly and respond efficiently to danger, to run like a cheetah or fight like a lion for your survival. I am a powerful force that will keep you alive in a life threatening situation. See how essential I am. Who told you that I was your enemy? What hog hoosie whollup! The problem is not me (fear itself), it is Your perception of danger, safety and threat.

In these current times, it is very rare for your life and your safety to be immediately threatened.

There are very few ferocious animals, murderers or terrorists roaming the streets, (although if you watch the news and read the papers you may have been fooled to think they are in plague proportions). They do exist but your other valuable friend and superpower, instinct will let you know when a real danger is present. If there is no danger present, instinct will tell you that everything is ok.
However, if you are listening only to your thoughts that have been fed with all sorts of beliefs from society and mainstream media, you may choose to believe you are in danger, even though reality and your instincts have told you that you are safe and everything is ok.

When you believe that everyday experiences are a threat, you will experience me on a regular basis.

I guess this could get a bit annoying and tiring for you. For that I am sorry. But I am programmed to respond according to your beliefs, so You are my master and I am your beloved servant.
It is not my fault that you have over used me, I was just doing what I was told. It seems that some of the things that you fear (call me for often) is change, the unknown, making a ‘mistake’, and your own brilliance, all of the things that need to be embraced for you to reach your dreams and awaken. Strange how you humans fear these great things. When I worked for animals they only used me for their survival.

I suggest that you read the tips below that Courtney has put together for you.

She is very clever but she forgets to embrace me sometimes too. Over time you will awaken to the truth that I, Fear am your beloved servant: Joy, love, peace, bliss and freedom will be eternally yours when you do.
Yours Faithfully,
Fear

Tips on how to be bosom buddies with fear.

Reality Check: When fear arises, quickly assess your circumstances to locate the perceived threat. Undertake a reality check. Dive down deep to your instincts, often felt in your belly (gut feeling) to check if everything is ok. Ninety-nine percent the time you are physically safe. Hundred percent of the time you are spiritually safe (which is why the awakened don’t even fear death of the body).

Breathe: If everything appears to be safe and your instincts tell you everything is okay, take a few deep breaths. Meet the fear with a loving breath. If fear is resisted and not breathed into it becomes immobilizing. Breathe deeply and focus on the words of your instinct, everything is ok.

Be Open: Welcome, embrace, feel and openly experience the response in your body.

Identify the fear trigger: is likely that change, the unknown, a potential mistake (lesson in disguise) or your own massive brilliance, yes You (it is your essence) have triggered fear to rise. These are all necessary things to embrace along your path to growth, awakening and living your dream.

Celebrate: The presence of fear shows that you are growing, changing and moving out of your comfort zone and into the unknown, which is where the true magic happens. Fear is often the messenger that you are moving into growth territory. Yay!

Transform: Continue to breathe into the fear until it transforms into adventure and excitement or simply primal life force. I like to call it the growth buzz.

Move forward: Use this primal life force to move you forward and continue with the task at hand. Go and be your brilliant yet humanly flawed self.

Meditate Daily: Sit down, close your eyes and calm your adrenals and nervous system everyday, by not identifying with untrue fearful thoughts and by breathing into the instinctual truth that you are safe, loved and enough. Om Love Thy Fear Om!

Fear is our loving friend. Without it, we would not survive in danger and we would have no indication that we were growing and moving towards our goals and dreams.
Go give fear a big hug and reclaim your true position as the master of your own life!

Courtney Prosser is a nature lover, wellness junkie and lover of all things true, fun and real. She has guided many on their path, working for 15 years as an Meditation Teacher, Counsellor, Wellness Coach and Author. She has travelled the world and studied with indigenous healers and shamans. She has sat at the feet of enlightened masters in India and spent thousands of hours alone in nature listening to the subtle guidance within. Connect with Courtney on her website or on Facebook.

When in need to hurry, try slowing down

Does this make sense? hmm, not really. Thats when we need to scratch the surface to see whats going on. Why this need to hurry? Is this a response to a fear, some deep rooted doubt that this opportunity will pass by? Or any other nagging thoughts?

As a freelancer furnishing consultant for 13 years, i have lived with this urge to hurry. in my case it was the fear of losing an opportunity. But digging deeper I found it was a lack of faith in myself and in the universe that was egging my fears. But understanding this took years of introspection, a lot of it unconsciously on the body level.

Now comes the yoga connection. This rooted fear sprouted several anxiety related bodily pains, a misaligned hip. Several months of physio therapy didn't work. Nor did active, energetic asanas. The more I fought against pain the more miserable i got. What finally got my attention was the healing power of restorative asana practise and spending time in a few poses. I stayed in vipreeta karni or a yoga mudra for 10 minutes. This allowed my para sympathetic response system to move in and slow down. This relaxes all the internal organs, allowing them to function perfectly. Prana flows easy, clearing all channels or nadis. Now healing can happen, restoring balance.  The biggest discovery was the waves of relaxation i experienced in my mind. Like someone had comforted me, assured me of all being very well.

Yoga as defined by Maharishi Patanjali is "yogash chitta vritti nirodhah". Stopping, reducing the mental activity. Thats what slowing down does. Begin with the body, stay in relaxed poses. Practising shavasana couple of times a day and experiencing harmony brought to fore my deep rooted confidence in myself and the universe. All the noise was just stopping me from seeing this faith. So, actually slowing down gets things rather than blustering about hurrying, worrying and raising all cortisol levels.
Now, take it easy does sound like a good idea.
also, I get to do what really fulfills me.
cheers to that!

Calm down a restless mind, be a child

The thing about restlessness is that its such a waste of energy! you think about a thousand things you want to do but unfortunately cant do anything since your energies are all scattered. The kindest thing to do is literaly surrender to the highest good! what that means is forget about everything and take a bow! ok ok, no more teasing, do the childs pose - just get down into varjasana and bend forward. If possible let your forehead touch the ground. Make it more comfortable by spreading your knees apart so you dont get too compressed on the tummy. Stay here for atleast a couple of minutes. Gently lift the head and breath easy.

The blood flows into your brains which are in need of it real bad. So this relaxes the mind and you can now think afresh without too much distraction.

Variations are yoga mudra, where you sit in padmasana or simple cross legged- sukhasana with your head down. If you can reach your head to touch down keep a cushion and rest on it. Paschimottasana also has same results. If at work, then just get your head to rest on your table for a couple of minutes. You will feel suprising refreshed and most certainly more centred, quieter.

Allowing yourself to relax - Meditation practise

Yoga asanas are designed so that we can see how far we can open ourself to the posture. This means how much we can open up or allow our bodies to relax in someway which isnt normal in our daily life. A simple twist can be done with a lot of effort and resistance from the body or it can be done with the breath flow, observing the body and moving when the body relaxes into the posture. The thing is that you have to give it time and patience. Allow the body to respond, listen quietly. You will be amazed how much you can stretch further if you only listen carefully.

For each day just select a few asanas and spend sometime in each one. You will observe that its easier to do other asanas with ease because the body is willing and enjoying rather than pushed to do something. also, this time spend in one pose brings great awareness of your inner silence and stillness. Its so close to the surface, a simple meditative practise.

Try this in the simple lying down spinal twist.

Technique:
1. Lie down on your back, arms stretched out to shoulder level.
2. Bend knees, feet on the floor, knees together.
3. Drop both the knees on to the right side keeping feet together, on each other.
4. Turn the face to left side, twisting the spine. 
5. Allow your self to relax the shoulders to the floor and try to bring the upper back as close to the floor as possible. stay for 2 minutes
6. Bring knees to start position.
7. repeat on left side.

Appreciation; life supports us

Six months since my last post! should i say that i had nothing worth sharing?? or that there has been such impactful events happening that im still sorting and understanding them?? However, as we all know life has both of these well balanced out. Thats whats keeping me so self absorbed :)

Ive been in pondicherry since february, making pots and developing sculptural work. This time i also started teaching there which had some delightful results. Most students were french and reminded me again how similar we humans are no matter where we come from. Also taking children yoga workshop was tremendous fun, the high energy and playfulness that kids bring :)

However the intensity at which i worked at the pottery caused a disconnect in me. i overworked my body, did not listen to it and landed up in a lot of pain. Infact, instead of relaxing and allowing the distress to ease of I kept complaining and adding more toxic thoughts!! Its a miracle that i continued all that physically intense labours with clay, a sure enough proof of the years of loving yoga practises. Thats what really kept me going. 

The fact was that i had completely stopped listening to what i really needed to do. So often we trick our self into believing something that doesnt really resonate with who we really are.  I lost myself trying to "fit in" please others and keep up my goody good image. All this trying is so pointless coz you can never be truly good and loving if your unkind and false with yourself. And at the root is that doubt, the fear that "i am alone" so i "need" people or some thing or event or circumstance to achieve what i want. All this drama does is further to eat into your faith, that basic knowledge that it is life that supports us.  Not people, circumstances or events. its our thoughts and feelings of love, appreciation and gratitude that really gets things going in the right direction.

and what is the right direction? the path, the activities that bring a sense of wholeness, a quiet joy in our heart. we know we are on the right way when we can stand up to a discomfort, question what is this fear and realise that its not so powerful. Let the worst happen, life always has supported me and will always continue to, as long as I appreciate and trust this wonderful life, God, higher being  or energy. by whichever name you call it, doesnt really matter. Its the feeling that does matter. 

and we can only start feeling all this when we are true to our self.  To see whats really going on we need to quieten down, stop the incessant thoughts- doubts- fears. Yoga is one way. Following the flow of breath, we align to the flow of life. Now, i truly appreciate the beauty of my breath, of my life. Life wants me to breathe, to love, to enjoy it. Thats what i now know.

also, we have to do what the real us says. No matter if nobody agrees with that decision. Else, we live someone else's life not our own. Thats our most important duty, dharma, our path.
 

Yoga is an education

Education is not  the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think- Albert Einstien

Yoga is just this - a discipline to train the mind to think correctly. its about mental, physical, emotional management. And this can happen only when we spend time with the subject - ourself. The more you pay attention, listen to yourself the more you understand and then develop management techniques and skill. So you can acheive what you wish. But it has to begin with listening to yourself, without judging.

Practising asana tells how our body feels now, whats going on. Pranayama shows the mind condition. quiet time meditation can happen only once the body and mind is a bit quiet, settled, comfortable. Then we begin to make progress in seeing ourself for what we are, what our thoughts are about, our responses to thoughts. How to manage is clearly seen. This process allows us to deal with any situation because we are a bit detached, above it so can solve it with calmness. Its just like solving a riddle, doing sudoku!!
attention without tension :) Its a personality development that results from such education. Hows the sadhana going??