Living the Wisdom of Yoga in Modern Times

The Ups and Downs of a Typical Yoga Practice

As creatures existing on Mother Earth, our lives are governed by natures laws. There is a time and season for everything. The planet cycles through night, day, Summer, Spring, Fall and Winter. The same is true for the rhythms of our bodies and yoga practice.

In order to get the most out of yoga and to truly transform the mind and body, daily practice is recommended. Practicing yoga doesn't just mean doing poses, it can also be meditation, spiritual study, chanting, service to others, or just living according to the 8 limbs as laid out in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.

The number one impediment to a daily practice is the refusal to be okay with life's daily ebbs and flows.

It is the idea that in order to practice yoga, a perfect storm of events has to occur.

You have to:

• Feel like practicing
• Have at least 1 hour
• Have no injuries
• Be in a hot room
• Not be in a hot room
• Be in a yoga studio
• Not be tired
• Do the whole series
• Not Be sick
• Have a teacher
• Have a particular teacher present
• Be in a particular class
• Have Music Playing
• Have No Music Playing
• Have complete silence
• Etc

However, just like nature, everything changes and moves. If you plan your yoga practice around things that are not constant, then it will never be consistent and your results will be shaky. Just like taking a shower and brushing your teeth, it has to be a ritual that you do regardless.

When you embark on cultivating a daily practice, you will notice that every day is different. Poses that come easy one day, are difficult the next.  Some days you can meditate, study and live with fierce focus and other days you are totally distracted. Ashtanga Yoga teacher David Swenson often talks about Yoga Fairies.  One day the yoga fairy will tap you on the head and you can put your feet behind your head and the next day they will tap you and you can't.  

This happens because we are holistic beings. Everything in our life and our environment effects us. Their are no singular events. Even though we have daily rituals, no one's life is the same every day. Even concepts that exist in our subconscious mind, effect us.  These little daily shifts also ripple into our practice.  

As long as we except this, we do not suffer. Yoga teaches us to be in the present moment and not let our happiness or focus be swayed by what we see outside of ourselves. Work towards your goals but see everyday with new eyes. Practice Ahimsa, or non-violence, by not forcing your body or mind.  Know that as everything ebbs and flows, your focus and poses will return to you. With steady practice and faith, everything will be revealed and achieved. Accept the ups and downs and do your practice anyway.

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Was Steve Jobs a Yogi?

 I don't see Steve's death or anyone else's as a bad thing. It is the melding of our souls back with pure awareness. If you are a Christian, it is your ultimate reunion back with God. Sadness happens because we will miss that persons presence in our life. The person who is dead is fine and doesn't need our tears. He lived a great life and it should be celebrated. I don't know if Steve Jobs was a yogi but these words below definitely came from a place of pure awareness.

 

"Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything - all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart."
– Stanford commencement speech 2005

"That's been one of my mantras — focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it's worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains." 
– Business Week 1998

"Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn't matter to me … Going to bed at night saying we've done something wonderful … that's what matters to me."
– Wall Street Journal 1993

"You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something – your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life." 
– Stanford commencement speech 2005

"Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle."
– Stanford commencement speech 2005

 

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