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mindfulness

Constant yoga practice…not so easy sometimes…

June 27, 2010

In the Hatha Yoga Pradipika , the sage author Svatmarama shares the following wisdom: Anyone who practices can obtain success in yoga but not one who is lazy. Constant practice alone is the secret of success. As I contemplate this verse I realize that lately I’ve been “lazy” in my yoga practice in many ways. As much as I love practicing yoga and am grateful for the way it makes me feel when I do practice regularly, it seems like right now I can’t even remember the last time I rolled out my mat. Last week? The week before? Last month?!? No clue? What the heck happened? Well, with even the tiniest amount of contemplation, I clearly see that I’ve lost awareness and connection to a constant daily practice. I’ve been lazy and allowed life in general, both the big and small things, to draw my focus away from the simple habit of unrolling the mat every single day . In spite of the fact that work has been insanely busy and I’m now in the midst of moving myself and family to the other side of the world (Japan, to be specific…read more below if you wish), I’ve let myself slip away from the daily habit of simply unrolling my yoga mat. This is the magic trick–unrolling the mat–that I use to make it easier to maintain a consistent practice. Looks like I’m going to have to pull this one out of the bag again. Consistency requires overcoming both physical and mental laziness. Sometimes we avoid practice because our bodies feel too tired. It’s just a lot easier sometimes to stay in bed for a couple more hours or indulge in a marathon session of reality TV or surf the Internet to the break of dawn. Before we know it, these indulgences quickly become patterns and habits that pull us away from constant practice. Mental laziness also pulls us in this direction even though we know how much better we feel with even the slightest amount of yoga practice. There’s nothing really wrong about enjoying a marathon TV session or sleeping in, but most of the time these are just lazy decisions that we make as we chug along the path of least resistance. Yet, any yoga practitioner knows that resistance is the key to success. We know we’re stretching our hamstrings when we feel them resisting our effort to touch our toes. Resistance helps us grow . But what really fertilizes our growth is how we approach the resistance. Here are two keys to help avoid getting bogged down in the life of laziness and least resistance: 1. Increase daily mindfulness. 2. Use that mindfulness to choose good habits. Really quite simple. For me, getting back in the habit of a daily yoga practice requires one thing: Mindfully unrolling my yoga mat every single day. If I remember that one simple action, somehow I can’t help but practice at least a little bit and win the battle over laziness. …read further if you so desire…or stop here if you could care less…since I sort of feel like getting more personal tonight… Anyhow, like I said, life has been in a state of constant commotion for a while now. My little family has lived in the Florida panhandle for almost three years now, but now we’re headed to Japan for three years of adventure. Just this week we basically said goodbye to nearly everything we own as the movers drove away with 10+ crates full of creature comforts. Hopefully the slow boat to the other side of the world moves quickly since I’m already missing my Manduka Black Mat Pro . Isn’t that just the way it is though, I’ve hardly used it for the last two months and now all I want is what I can’t have. Life has been nothing short of exhausting as we’ve had movers in and out of the house for nearly two weeks, and now we’re finally moved out of the house and living out of suitcases until we skip town early next month. It’s gonna be a long flight with a 5 1/2 year old and 20 month old. Wish me luck:) I’m certainly going to miss the beautiful white sand beaches of the Florida Emerald Coast. Even though I’ve only lived here a few years, I feel a real connection to the area, which has made the BP oil disaster feel like a dagger in the heart. I sort of feel the same way about this catastrophe as I did right after 9-11. Depressed, uncertain, worried, helpless, perplexed. Honestly, for the most part, the spill has zero impact on my personal life, but this is one of those rare events that truly brings into focus both the frailty and interconnectedness of our existence. I nearly cried when I saw tar balls rolling onto the beaches only minutes from where I live. One can only imagine the long-term environmental and financial devastation this region will have to endure for the next few years as the tourists go elsewhere and the fishermen dock their boats. It’s sad, but we will overcome this. Anyhow, many thanks for reading my little yoga blog here. I know I’ve been a bit out of the blogging scene lately, but I really appreciate all the comments and feedback I continue to receive on both old and new posts. I’m amazed and happy when I hear that others find useful information in something I posted long, long ago. Just remember to keep unrolling those mats…. Namaste! Filed under: yoga

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Tagged as: art, black, florida-emerald, house, internet, japan, life, mindfulness, personal, personal-life, time, world, yoga

Constant yoga practice…not so easy sometimes…

June 27, 2010

In the Hatha Yoga Pradipika , the sage author Svatmarama shares the following wisdom: Anyone who practices can obtain success in yoga but not one who is lazy. Constant practice alone is the secret of success. As I contemplate this verse I realize that lately I’ve been “lazy” in my yoga practice in many ways. As much as I love practicing yoga and am grateful for the way it makes me feel when I do practice regularly, it seems like right now I can’t even remember the last time I rolled out my mat. Last week? The week before? Last month?!? No clue? What the heck happened? Well, with even the tiniest amount of contemplation, I clearly see that I’ve lost awareness and connection to a constant daily practice. I’ve been lazy and allowed life in general, both the big and small things, to draw my focus away from the simple habit of unrolling the mat every single day . In spite of the fact that work has been insanely busy and I’m now in the midst of moving myself and family to the other side of the world (Japan, to be specific…read more below if you wish), I’ve let myself slip away from the daily habit of simply unrolling my yoga mat. This is the magic trick–unrolling the mat–that I use to make it easier to maintain a consistent practice. Looks like I’m going to have to pull this one out of the bag again. Consistency requires overcoming both physical and mental laziness. Sometimes we avoid practice because our bodies feel too tired. It’s just a lot easier sometimes to stay in bed for a couple more hours or indulge in a marathon session of reality TV or surf the Internet to the break of dawn. Before we know it, these indulgences quickly become patterns and habits that pull us away from constant practice. Mental laziness also pulls us in this direction even though we know how much better we feel with even the slightest amount of yoga practice. There’s nothing really wrong about enjoying a marathon TV session or sleeping in, but most of the time these are just lazy decisions that we make as we chug along the path of least resistance. Yet, any yoga practitioner knows that resistance is the key to success. We know we’re stretching our hamstrings when we feel them resisting our effort to touch our toes. Resistance helps us grow . But what really fertilizes our growth is how we approach the resistance. Here are two keys to help avoid getting bogged down in the life of laziness and least resistance: 1. Increase daily mindfulness. 2. Use that mindfulness to choose good habits. Really quite simple. For me, getting back in the habit of a daily yoga practice requires one thing: Mindfully unrolling my yoga mat every single day. If I remember that one simple action, somehow I can’t help but practice at least a little bit and win the battle over laziness. …read further if you so desire…or stop here if you could care less…since I sort of feel like getting more personal tonight… Anyhow, like I said, life has been in a state of constant commotion for a while now. My little family has lived in the Florida panhandle for almost three years now, but now we’re headed to Japan for three years of adventure. Just this week we basically said goodbye to nearly everything we own as the movers drove away with 10+ crates full of creature comforts. Hopefully the slow boat to the other side of the world moves quickly since I’m already missing my Manduka Black Mat Pro . Isn’t that just the way it is though, I’ve hardly used it for the last two months and now all I want is what I can’t have. Life has been nothing short of exhausting as we’ve had movers in and out of the house for nearly two weeks, and now we’re finally moved out of the house and living out of suitcases until we skip town early next month. It’s gonna be a long flight with a 5 1/2 year old and 20 month old. Wish me luck:) I’m certainly going to miss the beautiful white sand beaches of the Florida Emerald Coast. Even though I’ve only lived here a few years, I feel a real connection to the area, which has made the BP oil disaster feel like a dagger in the heart. I sort of feel the same way about this catastrophe as I did right after 9-11. Depressed, uncertain, worried, helpless, perplexed. Honestly, for the most part, the spill has zero impact on my personal life, but this is one of those rare events that truly brings into focus both the frailty and interconnectedness of our existence. I nearly cried when I saw tar balls rolling onto the beaches only minutes from where I live. One can only imagine the long-term environmental and financial devastation this region will have to endure for the next few years as the tourists go elsewhere and the fishermen dock their boats. It’s sad, but we will overcome this. Anyhow, many thanks for reading my little yoga blog here. I know I’ve been a bit out of the blogging scene lately, but I really appreciate all the comments and feedback I continue to receive on both old and new posts. I’m amazed and happy when I hear that others find useful information in something I posted long, long ago. Just remember to keep unrolling those mats…. Namaste! Filed under: yoga

Click to continue reading “Constant yoga practice…not so easy sometimes…”

Tagged as: art, black, daily, florida-emerald, house, internet, japan, mindfulness, personal, yoga

The Art of Doing Nothing

June 27, 2009

“Smile, breathe and go slowly.” - Thich Nhat Hanh, Zen Buddhist monk

Isn’t it nice to have those moments in life when you’ve checked off every last box on your agenda and can just let your mind and body relax? I’m sure that happens to you all the time, right? Yeah, right.

Are you still waiting for all that free time to show up before enjoying the fruits of doing absolutely nothing? Do you know how to “do nothing?” Are you too busy or have too many thoughts running through your head to relax and enjoy those ever-present moments of sweet nothingness? Do you even know what that is?

For some, doing nothing is a waste of time, but for others it can be an art form that enhances their ability to enjoy the simple pleasures of life. Follow this simple plan to master the Art of Doing Nothing, and in the process improve your life, melt away stress, become more patient, and make yourself more productive when you actually do have stuff to do.

Step 1: Start small

Doing nothing, in the true sense of the word, can be overwhelming if you attempt to do too much nothing all at once. Most of us simply don’t know what to do with ourselves when we have nothing to do, which is why it’s best to start small. Focus on 5-10 minutes at a time, and start your practice sessions in a safe place — at home, not at work or in a busy public place. Find a time and place where there are not many distractions, not much noise, not a lot of people to bother you. Just make sure your surroundings are quiet and comfortable.

Step 2: Remove distractions

Shut off all distractions — TV, computer, cell phones, regular phones, Blackberries, and the like. I know this might feel impossible to do, but doing nothing is tough when you’re surrounded by blinking gadgets beckoning for you to do something. Although you may initially get that panicky feeling that swells in your chest when you realize you drove all the way to the grocery store without a cell phone, I promise, it will be all right. I’ve been there, and I lived to tell about it.

Now, close your eyes, and do nothing. Do nothing. Simple, huh? Perhaps doing nothing is more of a meditative mindset than a physical possibility. Of course, you’re always doing something — you’re sitting, you’re thinking, you’re breathing — but if someone were to call you and ask what you’re doing, of course you’d say, “Oh, nothing.” But luckily you’ve already turned your cell phone off, so you don’t have to worry about pesky distractions or telling others that you’re busy doing nothing.

Just sit there for five minutes and do nothing.

This is all you have to do to attain a basic level of do-nothingness. Commit to this practice for five to 10 minutes a day and observe what happens. To take this practice to the next level, continue on to the next step.

Step 3: Breathe

The first place to start to master this simple art is with your breath. If this sounds suspiciously like meditation, just remember you’re not meditating, you are doing nothing. (Okay, you can call it meditation if you want to:)

First, breathe slowly in and slowly out.

Next, on the inhale, notice how the breath enters your body through your nose, journeys down to your lungs, and expands your diaphragm.

On the exhale, feel the lightness of the air as it slowly escapes the body. Feel the satisfaction of empty lungs. Try to do this for 5-10 minutes.

You may notice while you are doing nothing that your mind starts to tell you that you need to do something. If it makes your mind feel better, go ahead and trick it by telling it that you are “doing” breathing. The mind just wants something to do. Of course, you’re not actually doing anything since you can’t help it whether you breathe or not. You’re just letting the body do what it does naturally: BREATHE. No effort, no work, just simply doing nothing.

Conclusion

Amazingly enough, if you commit to just this little bit of doing nothing, chances are good that you’ll find that you like it a lot. Of course you won’t become a master of the Art of Doing Nothing overnight, but once you become proficient with these simple steps, don’t be surprised to find yourself wanting more and more nothingness. Doing nothing is not easy. It takes practice. But, if you commit to taking a few minutes each day to do nothing, it will become easy, natural, and a definite item to check off your daily to-do list.

[Inspired by Leo at Zen Habits]

Tagged as: breathing, lifehack, meditation, mindfulness, relaxation, yoga