An individual’s act is nothing but a part of a cosmic act. It’s not that you are acting. You are made to act. Somebody made you with a purpose. Know that somebody has made you, somebody is making you work and somebody is going to make you stop. You are free to remember that or not. That’s all.
…When You make me forget, I become egoistic, I become miserable.
That should be our prayer. To recognize His unseen hand always.
‘The main purpose of asana…is vibrant health. Saying one style is better than the other or more spiritual than another, is ludicrous! No matter what form of yoga asana you choose to practice, make sure that it takes you in (to deeper levels of consciousness), otherwise it is just another glorified version of stretching.” - Prem Carlisi, 2007, p207
“Your body is your temple. Any pose that makes you feel otherwise, any teacher that makes you feel otherwise and any practice in the canon of yoga that makes you feel otherwise should be avoided.”
“The greatest teacher of yoga is not Iyengar or Bikram, but Gandhi.” Read the full article here.
“Trying to understand…why the poor lack shoes is also yoga.” This just affirms that the things that I do make sense on their own, and, put together, make a cohesive, meaningful whole.
“The yogi is not one who sits down to practise breathing exercises…he is one who looks upon all with an equal eye, sees other creatures in himself.”
Got this from my sister, sharing her exchange with my dear niece:
Mama can’t find her lipstick and is getting frustrated. Sarah wanted to talk and for me to pretend I am Caillou.
Mama: Hang on, sweetheart, I cannot find my lipstick…..(still searching)…argggh! This is frustrating…
Sarah: Settle down mama… That’s just the way life is!
Mama: Did you lose something already?
Sarah: Yeah remember my white ball with confetti? And my purple paintbrush?
Daddy: And the first Ernie?
Sarah: Yeah! That’s just the way it goes sometimes…
Glad my 4-year-old niece has realized this fact this early in her life. And I, her 40-year-old aunt, must learn from her! It’s okay to lose things, but do not lose the lesson that goes with the experience.
*****
It took me more than a year to accept that there are only 24 hours in a day and it’s not humanly possible to keep adding to my routine and think that everything will just be the same. I have added 9 hours of classroom sessions, 9 hours of travel (in addition to my normal commuting time), and maybe another 9 hours of reading assignments every week; work is more flexible now, albeit demanding the same hours of study and attention; domestic obligations are more demanding and less flexible. What do these things leave for yoga? I guess my calling for now is something else. Going back to my 3x-4x a week ashtanga habit is not possible, at least not for now. In the last three days, however, I have been trying to establish my 1.5-hour pranayama+my yoga (and I mean MY yoga, working on my back and legs that seem to have become stiff due to long hours of sitting and walking in the last two months). Let’s see how regular this routine would get.
*****
I thought that if I were to become a saint, I would be the patron of difficult bosses, as I have been blessed with the tenacity to deal with their mood swings and the capacity to meet their (sometimes unreasonable) work standards.
Now if I were to become a yoga teacher, I would not be the yoga teacher of the business tycoons (like someone I know ) nor the yoga teacher of the yoga teachers (again, like someone I know ). Instead I would like to be the yoga teacher of the mere mortals, who struggle to balance their responsibilities, to make money to fund their yoga life, to find time for themselves, and to bend and twist and balance on one foot. And two things I will teach them: that yoga is love and yoga is surrender. In that order.
Starting the year right with clear energy channels! I welcome all positive energy that the new year brings!
That’s as good as it gets!
*****
Argh! Found these coupons for free drinks tucked neatly at the back page of an old planner. Sigh. If only I searched hard enough…. I hope this 2012 I would not miss any opportunity only because I did not search hard enough…or not wait long enough. OM.
Do you ever feel like a plastic bag
Drifting through the wind, wanting to start again?
Do you ever feel, feel so paper thin
Like a house of cards, one blow from caving in?
Do you ever feel already buried deep?
Six feet under screams but no one seems to hear a thing
Do you know that there’s still a chance for you
‘Cause there’s a spark in you?
You just gotta ignite the light and let it shine
Just own the night like the 4th of July
‘Cause baby, you’re a firework
Come on, show ‘em what you’re worth
Make ‘em go, oh
As you shoot across the sky
Baby, you’re a firework
Come on, let your colors burst
Make ‘em go, oh
You’re gonna leave ‘em falling down
You don’t have to feel like a waste of space
You’re original, cannot be replaced
If you only knew what the future holds
After a hurricane comes a rainbow
Maybe your reason why all the doors are closed
So you could open one that leads you to the perfect road
Like a lightning bolt, your heart will blow
And when it’s time, you’ll know
You just gotta ignite the light and let it shine
Just own the night like the 4th of July
‘Cause baby you’re a firework
Come on, show ‘em what you’re worth
Make ‘em go, oh
As you shoot across the sky
Baby, you’re a firework
Come on, let your colors burst
Make ‘em go, oh
You’re gonna leave ‘em falling down
Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
It’s always been inside of you, you, you
And now it’s time to let it through
‘Cause baby you’re a firework
Come on, show ‘em what you’re worth
Make ‘em go, oh
As you shoot across the sky
Baby, you’re a firework
Come on, let your colors burst
Make ‘em go, oh
You’re gonna leave ‘em falling down
Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
I have regretted giving second chances to people, after realizing that not everyone deserves it. But then I also realize that life is not an assembly line in a factory where items that fail to meet the quality standards are thrown out and completely discarded. The universe gives each and every soul umpteenth chances to evolve and transform. Life is a journey, not an assembly line.
*****
This is my prayer for 2012, from the film “What the Bleep do We Know?”:
Show me a sign that you paid attention to any one of these things that I created and bring it in a way that I won’t expect, so I am surprised at my ability to experience it today and make it so that I won’t have doubt that it came from you.
*****
Some years ago, a friend sent me this new year’s greeting, which I happened to see again today in FB status. It won’t hurt to relive that message again. Cheers!
May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you’re wonderful, and don’t forget to make some art — write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself. ― Neil Gaiman
So looking forward to good madness and to surprising myself this year! And kissing someone won’t be so bad either
