A friend of mine used this word with me yesterday, thanking me by text for companionship of the day, even though we'd been in the same place for almost 8 hours but had spent almost all of the time separated. So I was surprised at the use of that word in particular.
Is companionship just the fact that you both knew you both were there or would companionship have been the actually having sat together through each little performance (it was a musically oriented day) and being able to share the experience with the person rather than alone and meeting up at the end? Obviously I feel one way and he the other, so that brings it down to a fact of perspective right?
So isn't everything about perspective? You and I go and have one experience, both in the same place at the same time, say watching the same play and both have completely different stories about what happened in the play and it made both of us feel completely different. And life is filled with these little situations where we all think everything is completely opposite of what someone else who was thought it was. Which is right? Why does one have to be right and one not? If you questioned everyone who had watched the play perhaps you'd get a different response from each and every one of them, so then how would you determine who's right? You wouldn't, you'd just have to agree to disagree and know that everyone has their own truth.
I do know why my idea of companionship would have ideally been the two of us, both sitting together, discussing each performance as it happened, enjoying the situation (or not as it may have been) and milling about together, eating together and leaving and heading home together.
Part of it is that its fall and I'm in the mood for a snuggling partner and to settle in for winter with someone to hibernate with so as to keep one another warm. The other part is that I'm ready for a companion in life. Ready to share everything with someone, waking up, morning yoga practice, breakfast and shower after and then dinner in the evening, if not lunch in between. Talking about everything that pops into our heads. Listening to music together, perhaps even singing and playing music together. Taking long walks in the fall coolness. God, I could go on forever (I'm feeling a bit romantic today!). But you get the picture right?
So, I'm also a yogi, so am practiced at being resolute within myself, whether the above scenario is in play or not. So I am happy and enjoying life and feel great. Funny thing is that those things make you want to share your life with someone even more! You feel so goddamn good that you want someone else to be there who'll benefit from that, and maybe you'll inspire them to feel good too, or vice versa. Share in the feeling good. So while I'm okay being where I am in life, I am also still in want of more.
Now, I have great friends to spend time with, I have a great family to do the same with but the type of intimacy I speak of now is different and you all know what I'm saying, so I won't patronize you by describing it any more fully than I already have.
I'm just putting it out in the universe that its time. Studying Abraham-Hicks teachings on the law of attraction, its all about putting it out there and letting go of the results and keeping your vibration in line with the things you want even though you don't have them and they will come to you. This is true I know, I have proven it time and again to myself and when I'm not lined up vibrationally it doesn't come and I feel frustrated because I can feel it there waiting for me and not coming.
So now, I'm putting it out there fully and completely and am letting go of the outcome. I am making peace with where I am, or have already made peace with it, but am now letting go of it and letting the universe take care of it. Done!
(wow, that started in one vain and completely went another way I had not anticipated)
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Yogi Bhajan quote . . .
Meditation is not what you do in the morning, that is your practice. Meditation is the way you feel the rest of the day after your practice.
This quote has been on my mind a lot lately. I used it as a theme in a class this morning encouraging the students to concentrate on what they were doing, be present and then the meditative experience would come after that.
In classical yoga as laid out by Patanjali dharana (concentration) comes first, then dhyana (meditation). It makes sense. I don't always agree that the limbs of his yoga are meant to be performed linearly but happen when they are ready to happen, but in this case, having practiced yoga for almost 10 years I do. If you pay attention to what your doing during your practice, breath, movement, energy, alignment of the bones and muscles, in other words be fully present, that the rest of the day it will be easier to focus, easier to move, easier to feel whats going on inside your body, easier to be present with whomever you are with at the time or with whatever situation comes up.
Its funny how lazy people are, myself included sometimes. THinking about being awake usually for 18 hours a day and to take an hour and a half of said day to focus and get yourself together doesnt' seem like a lot of time to dedicate towards your own happiness, peace of mind, contentment, does it? Am I asking too much? I don't think so.
The students this morning responded well to the ideas I threw out during class and commented on it after, so I think they felt what I was saying, you know, they got it. It felt to me like a great class and many of them said so after, so I guess the theme got across.
Thats what I want to do, express ideas, be creative and inspire others to open themselves up to being more aware and being more present in their own lives. Thats what I want from my teaching, right now anyway. I want to draw the students to my classes that want to learn tools to delve into themselves more and feel whats going on and make decisions from that point and maybe, just maybe I am!
Have a lovely day! Sat Nam.
This quote has been on my mind a lot lately. I used it as a theme in a class this morning encouraging the students to concentrate on what they were doing, be present and then the meditative experience would come after that.
In classical yoga as laid out by Patanjali dharana (concentration) comes first, then dhyana (meditation). It makes sense. I don't always agree that the limbs of his yoga are meant to be performed linearly but happen when they are ready to happen, but in this case, having practiced yoga for almost 10 years I do. If you pay attention to what your doing during your practice, breath, movement, energy, alignment of the bones and muscles, in other words be fully present, that the rest of the day it will be easier to focus, easier to move, easier to feel whats going on inside your body, easier to be present with whomever you are with at the time or with whatever situation comes up.
Its funny how lazy people are, myself included sometimes. THinking about being awake usually for 18 hours a day and to take an hour and a half of said day to focus and get yourself together doesnt' seem like a lot of time to dedicate towards your own happiness, peace of mind, contentment, does it? Am I asking too much? I don't think so.
The students this morning responded well to the ideas I threw out during class and commented on it after, so I think they felt what I was saying, you know, they got it. It felt to me like a great class and many of them said so after, so I guess the theme got across.
Thats what I want to do, express ideas, be creative and inspire others to open themselves up to being more aware and being more present in their own lives. Thats what I want from my teaching, right now anyway. I want to draw the students to my classes that want to learn tools to delve into themselves more and feel whats going on and make decisions from that point and maybe, just maybe I am!
Have a lovely day! Sat Nam.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
addiction
Addiction has been coming up a lot this week, on tv, with friends and even in yogic circles.
There was a guy on a news story at my hotel in Knoxville, TN about a man who runs now, having replaced his drug and alcohol addiction with that. The story was about replacing one addiction with another and is it better to have the healthy addiction or the unhealthy one or is an addiction an addiction?
I think an addiction is an addiction, because even if you have an addiction to a healthy thing, too much of it can be bad. Its about the balance right?
This weekend my roommate and I were in Tennessee for another White Tantric Yoga: a Kundalini Yoga day long event that incorporates movement, chanting and pranayama into a 9 hour or so extravaganza of energy building. Its quite and amazing thing and the energy you feel traveling through your body during and after (for about 40 days) is palpable. Almost feeling high, all of the time, to the point you have to really concentrate to function in regular life, as well as do a lot of grounding work. I've been walking in the park and doing hatha yoga to balance it out. It also has life changing qualities if you can maintain and handle the intensity of the energy moving through your life. It will change and for the better, maybe bringing out the bad stuff, or less desirable stuff in the process. But its intense for sure.
Anyhow, the point being, after taking part in this and feeling its effects I can see where it could be an addiction. Feeling good, what can be better than that right? And so you get attached to it, and attachment is not what yoga is about. Its about using the techniques and the energy created, built up or let free from its bindings within your body to find non-attachment to the things of life. Not its bad having or doing things, or wanting things, but being attached to them seems to me not such a great thing. When you can't let go it can become a problem. For sure.
Not judging anyone for being attached, for gods sake we're all human and attachment is part of it. Finding ways to let go can be part of it, especially if you're following a yogic path, since it teaches you tools to become less attached to things.
Addiction seems to me to be just an over-attachment to things, or people, and lack of presence in your daily life, moment to moment living. I know, I know, that has got the be the hardest thing but if you're not giving your present the awareness it deserves it will become something you think about with regret later. Maybe, maybe not.
I say stop thinking about it so much. Thinking about the people, places and things and just being. Just finding ways to feel good in every moment, thinking the thoughts that will help you feel better rather than dwelling on those things that are not making you feel good, which we are wont to do right?
Oh well, I'm done. I can talk about it forever but either you'll get the idea or you won't and think I'm crazy and thats okay too (I may be crazy) but I'm just like you, trying to get through life with as much happiness and peace as possible and leaving as little in my wake as possible.
So find a little happiness, right now, even if its just a thought that makes you feel better. If not, go on my facebook page and watch the old lady give her raunchy and abrupt version of advice and if that doesnt' make you laugh and feel better, nothing can.
Take care, sat nam!!!
There was a guy on a news story at my hotel in Knoxville, TN about a man who runs now, having replaced his drug and alcohol addiction with that. The story was about replacing one addiction with another and is it better to have the healthy addiction or the unhealthy one or is an addiction an addiction?
I think an addiction is an addiction, because even if you have an addiction to a healthy thing, too much of it can be bad. Its about the balance right?
This weekend my roommate and I were in Tennessee for another White Tantric Yoga: a Kundalini Yoga day long event that incorporates movement, chanting and pranayama into a 9 hour or so extravaganza of energy building. Its quite and amazing thing and the energy you feel traveling through your body during and after (for about 40 days) is palpable. Almost feeling high, all of the time, to the point you have to really concentrate to function in regular life, as well as do a lot of grounding work. I've been walking in the park and doing hatha yoga to balance it out. It also has life changing qualities if you can maintain and handle the intensity of the energy moving through your life. It will change and for the better, maybe bringing out the bad stuff, or less desirable stuff in the process. But its intense for sure.
Anyhow, the point being, after taking part in this and feeling its effects I can see where it could be an addiction. Feeling good, what can be better than that right? And so you get attached to it, and attachment is not what yoga is about. Its about using the techniques and the energy created, built up or let free from its bindings within your body to find non-attachment to the things of life. Not its bad having or doing things, or wanting things, but being attached to them seems to me not such a great thing. When you can't let go it can become a problem. For sure.
Not judging anyone for being attached, for gods sake we're all human and attachment is part of it. Finding ways to let go can be part of it, especially if you're following a yogic path, since it teaches you tools to become less attached to things.
Addiction seems to me to be just an over-attachment to things, or people, and lack of presence in your daily life, moment to moment living. I know, I know, that has got the be the hardest thing but if you're not giving your present the awareness it deserves it will become something you think about with regret later. Maybe, maybe not.
I say stop thinking about it so much. Thinking about the people, places and things and just being. Just finding ways to feel good in every moment, thinking the thoughts that will help you feel better rather than dwelling on those things that are not making you feel good, which we are wont to do right?
Oh well, I'm done. I can talk about it forever but either you'll get the idea or you won't and think I'm crazy and thats okay too (I may be crazy) but I'm just like you, trying to get through life with as much happiness and peace as possible and leaving as little in my wake as possible.
So find a little happiness, right now, even if its just a thought that makes you feel better. If not, go on my facebook page and watch the old lady give her raunchy and abrupt version of advice and if that doesnt' make you laugh and feel better, nothing can.
Take care, sat nam!!!
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