Week 3:  2/15/2021

I’ve finally figured out what life is all about; it’s right here in PRESENT MOMENT:  we live for the experiences, the here and now, moving right along with the ebb and flow of the universe, playing our tiny part in the grand scheme of things.  The problem is that many of us humans let our past experiences and habitual patterns cause us to react to the world in ways that prevent us from living each present moment fully.  For much of our lives, we don’t even realize this.  Basically, we’re always in our heads, man!  The worried mind can cause people to doubt what they do every step of the way.  That doubt clutters up the place, clogging up the smooth flow of life.

So I practice. Anytime I realize that my worried mind is fixated on something like upcoming financial needs, deadlines at work, my children’s future, the state of the country, and even deadly viruses - which happens regularly throughout each day, I might add - I take a breath, concentrating fully on the deep inhale and slow exhale.  That small act compels me to pay attention to what is right here now.  Hopefully in the moments to follow,  I can remind myself of some of the words of my teachers.  In a documentary film, Eckhart Tolle once said something like, Oh you won’t have any more of the answers to all of life’s perplexing questions, but you sure can have a different relationship with life.  He chuckled in a way that showed his rather endearing acceptance of such hard truths.  The primary advice in his bestseller The Power of Now is simply be right here fully, “As soon as you honor the present moment, all unhappiness and struggle dissolve, and life begins to flow with joy and ease.” And If you can be fully present in the moment with nature, taking in its abundance with gratitude, even better.

Week 3 of Yoga Teacher Training has us learning about the 8 limbs of yoga.  The average human usually only knows about 1 limb, the physical practice with all the poses, like down dog.  That was the extent of my knowledge when I first began.  I was blown away at the words of my first yoga teacher, Melissa, who spoke of the yoga practice as an analogy to life.  I couldn’t believe how similar they were to the words of the man I consider my first teacher, Mickey Singer as I was reading his bestseller, The Untethered Soul.  Yoga stills the mind to access a deeper dimension within you.  This allows you to reflect on the magnitude of the universe, instead of worrying about if someone noticed your hair out of place, if you said something wrong, or why someone responded the way he did.  Singer reassures, “There is no reason to constantly attempt to figure everything out.”  However that’s what some people spend too many of our present moments on. “The truth is that most of life will unfold in accordance with forces far outside your control, regardless of what your mind says about it.”  The healthiest thing to do is to focus all your energy right in the moment, whether good or bad.

“To attain true inner freedom, you must be able to objectively watch your problems instead of being lost in them,” Singer says.  Yoga offers one the space and stillness to achieve this worthwhile goal.  I’ve been lost in my problems, my circumstances my whole life; I had no idea there was anything more.  Most of my present moments were spent in stress with never ending TO DO lists, especially after having children.  Thanks to the words of Mickey Singer, I now understand, “through meditation, through awareness and willful efforts, you can learn to keep your [energy] centers open. You do this by just relaxing and releasing,” no matter what is going on in the present moment.  This is a true feat for the fearful mind who is ready to turn on all the stress reactors at the slightest hint of a problem.  The Buddhists created 8 limbs of Yoga to prepare the body and mind for such growth on earth.

The first 2 limbs are things to do and not to do to make your life and body free from harmful contaminants.  Yamas are things to omit from life, restraints, Nyamas are things to bring into life, practices. The Asynas are the poses; wow it’s amazing that they’re only ⅛ of the Yoga practice.  Then comes the breathing; the fourth limb is called Pranayama.  I had no idea how many different breathing exercises Yogis practice, most for the purpose of quieting the busy mind.  As far as I can tell, the remaining 4 limbs offer deeper levels of concentration to transcend from the physical to the metaphysical.  I look forward to understanding and some day experiencing the metaphysical limbs: 5) Pratyahara, 6) Dharana, 7) Meditation, and 8) Samadhi.  My teacher suggested that the whole point of Yoga is to prepare your body and mind to live each moment on earth in a state of meditation.  When I read about these levels of meditation, I just keep practicing my simple moments of stillness with hopeful intentions toward growth.

So here I am swimming in the shallow waters of personal growth, and my simple take away and recommendation at this stage is to live life in the present moment instead of in the worries of your mind.  Even when challenging circumstances occur in the present moment, live through them without trying to reject them or grabbing for the nearest habitual form of distraction.  I’m excited to know that my Yoga Teacher Training and practice will get me closer and closer to that enlightenment for myself, and I can barely fathom that I will inspire fellow humans with these important lessons for life in years to come.  Amazing!