Author: pmcrose

Ashamed of pain,

weakness, or any sign of it, is weakness.

Even to oneself, it is an affront.  Somehow offensive, debilitating.

Life eventually will have its way and end this charade of the ego.

Even the strongest among us will wither physically in time. This is the law of nature, temporal—strengthening us at times… and weakening…

What if in our ashamed “weakened” state, we were brave enough even for a moment to step out of our closet of loneliness and isolation?

And what, if doing this, we were to find a different strength in our spirit beating like a heart that is falling in love anew with life and its mysteries?

In a softer body that’s more supple and open with more space, there’s greater room for all kinds of emotions and life events to come and go with less resistance, and therefore less stress.

A stiff, less open body and mind resist difficult emotions and life events.  There’s little or no room and flexibility for them and greater resistance which cause stress.

Yoga and meditation bring greater strength, suppleness, and openness to life and its difficulties.  We become more like a tree in a storm– rooted, feeling the winds blow around and through it.

Our heart becomes more present and free to love amidst it all!

The next two weeks, The Every Day Yogi will be visiting family and friends in the South.  So it’s going to be yoga on the road!  First stop, New Orleans….

When traveling, packing a yoga mat can be difficult.  They are heavy and bulky.

However, the Manduka eko superlite travel mat weighs only 2 pounds and is 1.5 mm thick.  It’s easily foldable and can be put in your suitcase, purse, or backpack.

In addition, it’s super sticky despite its thinness so you can easily do your down dog and warrior 2 with all your usual vigor.

The only thing that will be missing is your favorite yoga instructor from back home!

Meditation gives me a chance to hear life’s whispers.

Shhh!

Life is speaking!

In art, the space around an objects is called negative space.  This is the empty space, that which the subject does not fill.

In meditation, the space or consciousness around a thought is the thoughtless space, the empty space.

It is the space in between the thoughts.  Not thought.

In meditation, we focus on and become aware of this “negative” space–the space around and between the thoughts, this empty space of stillness.

It is truly the most positive of things, this no-thing we meet in meditation!

Thank the mind for all its hard work,

And as it quiets,

You can see its open expansive sky

That makes room for the glory of the heart.

Rising and descending are the order of the universe.

With each inhale, expanding and rising up;

With each exhale, settling and descending.

Expansion… inhale.

Contraction… exhale.

Opening…

Closing…

The beating of the heart…

Lungs breathing…

We move with the rhythm of the universe.

The heart is at the heart our being, with 3 chakras or energy centers above and 3 below.

Meditation and yoga open, support, and uplift the heart so it may radiate into the world.

Through use of the breath and chest opening asanas (among others), meditation and yoga literally increase the space for the heart to expand.

 

What you feel is what you are; it’s what you experience.

If I feel sad, I experience sadness.

If I am kind, I feel kindness.  It’s what I experience.

When I am angry, I am anger… it’s what I feel… my experience.

Give love, be love.  It’s what you experience.

This does not mean you control what happens to you, but it does mean you have an opportunity in how you choose to view it, in how you respond.

We know it’s often hard to see with more compassion and less self-pity or anger, but it’s worth the effort.

After all, we receive the gifts of instant karma!

The yoga mat and meditation cushion are both transformation stations.

In yoga, you may get stronger and more flexible via asanas or the postures.  In meditation, you may get calmer while on the cushion.

But do not be mistaken.  These benefits are only the tip of the iceberg.  Neither practice is an isolated activity you do for a time and then afterwards resume your normal life.

With yoga and meditation, you come to the mat or the cushion again and again.  They are like a good friend that you implicitly trust with your heart, mind, and body.  You offer yourself willingly to the practices.

And as a consequence, both can transform, and over time improve who you are as a person, how you are in the world, and how you live.

Yoga and meditation literally are for life!