What are you gonna do?

The Challenge just ended this past Sunday and I missed the required 45 classes by four. I came down with the flu last week.  What an experience! I have never had the flu before. I made the mistake of mentioning to Sara that I thought I could finish the Challenge. The hammer-head voice inside of me was yelling, “Get back in there and finish the Challenge!” I knew if I tried to finish it would be foolish:  the flu symptoms would most likely reappear and it would put me in the doghouse with Sara for not listening to her motherly instructions to stay home. I listened to the voice of reason and the hammer-head voice gradually quieted down.

 

So, in the infamous words of Tony Soprano, “What are you gonna do?” (You have to say it with the Tony Soprano voice and facial expression to get the full effect.). Sometimes in life there is nothing you can do about the situation at hand or the cards you have been dealt. In some religious traditions this is referred to as the practice of “surrender”, an unappealing word indicating a loss of control or power. It can be a real hit in the heart or a gentle reminder of our vulnerability as human beings.  I prefer the latter of the two.

 

Human beings are very vulnerable. If we embrace our vulnerability, it allows us to develop a deep sense of appreciation for what we have.  We can realize that at any given moment our life can change dramatically, or be over, and many times it is completely out of our control. The realization of this truth can bring a profound sense of preciousness and appreciation into our lives.

 

It is Monday and I am about 90% back to normal. I have decided to continue writing a blog. Congratulations to those of you who completed the Challenge. Namaste

 

Home Sick with the Flu

Last week I practiced on Monday.  After practice I didn’t feel right. One of the many benefits of practicing yoga is the increased level of sensitivity you develop with your body. I skipped Tuesday but practiced Wednesday.  After Wednesday’s practice I really didn’t feel right. 

 

As I said in my last blog, I decided to rest up for the three workshops I had to lead last weekend.  Unfortunately, late Friday it hit me. By Saturday morning I had all the typical flu symptoms, along with a high fever. Needless to say, all three workshops had to be cancelled.

 

Today is Tuesday.  I feel like the worst is over, but I have been cautioned to continue to take it easy or else the symptoms will come back and I’ll be sick all over again.  With only four practices left and the Challenge ending this Sunday, I’m not sure what is going to happen. I want to finish the challenge but I don't want to be a hammer-head and wind up back in bed for a week. I can only take it day by day at this point. Back to bed.

 

Day 51

Today is day 51.  I haven’t written in six days.  I have only practiced twice in the last six days because I have been under the weather.  I am up to 41 practices and have only four more to go until the challenge is completed.

 

I’m often asked, “Should I practice when I’m sick?”  For me, it has been an experiment of trial and error – sometimes it brings the sickness on with its full wrath – other times it knocks the sickness out of me.

 

This weekend I have to lead three workshops. I will need a lot of energy, so I have chosen to do some light asana practice throughout the week, conserving my energy for teaching. Depending on how I feel tomorrow I might take class in the morning. For now I am going to go rest and shut the computer down.

Inspired on Friday February 15th

So the flow is now inspiring! Today is day 45 and I completed my 39th practice this morning. I intended to practice six times this week, but yesterday my life off the mat didn’t cooperate. So this week I will practice four times and next week I’ll get a little closer to completing the challenge.

 

I am feeling strong in body and clear in mind. Tonight we have a teachers gathering.  All the teachers get together to practice and I'll share my vision of Empowered Yoga. The dedication of our teachers and their commitment always humbles me.  When building a business, you work very closely with people.  This ongoing process has taught me that the sum of the parts is always greater than the parts itself. When people come together for a common goal and support one another amazing things can happen. I have truly learned I am only as good as the people around me. Fortunately, I’m surrounded by some great people.

Uninspired On Tuesday, February 12th

I have been feeling flat since Monday. I’ve felt flat since yesterday.  Today I told Sara how I felt and she told me to “snap out of it” as only she can.  I am lucky to have her as my wife.

 

We all experience ebbs and flows in life. Some mornings you wake up feeling great and some mornings you just want to stay in bed. The idea is to start seeing the constant flowing nature of life. When you truly embody this flow you begin to see that even though you are the flow –you are not. You can see the feelings and the thoughts. There is a dimension of awareness where you can become pretty comical about it. Learning to laugh at yourself can be better than taking yourself so seriously. Instead of saying I am feeling flat you can start saying that there are some flat feelings happening within me. I train myself to look at the feelings as “interesting”. This kind of awareness helps me in not identifying so much with the day to day emotions and thoughts because I know they are short lived. I will feel differently in 5 minutes, one hour, tomorrow morning and on and on. It is the permanent nature of living in an impermanent world.  

Asleep at the Wheel

It's Sunday morning and I am filling in at our Plexus Nemours Center. This is not my normal Sunday morning routine. Normally I am home playing with the kids and hanging out with Sara. I spent the morning grading papers for our Yoga Teacher Training (YTT) program. Part of our curriculum involves homework where the participants share their insights. We have an amazing group of students this year in our YTT. I thoroughly enjoyed reading their thoughts and revelations. Sometimes I wonder who the teacher really is.

 

I have noticed that many people experience a special feeling along the yoga path called perpetual awakening.  This feeling comes with consistent practice of yoga and meditation. I too experience this awakening.  From time to time I feel like I have been asleep at the wheel while navigating through my life.  Suddenly I’ll awaken with a jolt of adrenaline - my arms stiffen up and my eyes become twice their normal size. It is this "Holy Shit Experience". I then settle back into my life with a new found sense of alertness.  Have you ever dozed off at the wheel?

 

The experience of awakening was a common theme in the YTT papers I graded. They’ve begun to understand their minds and their lives with a greater sense of clarity. It is through this experience that we gain greater insight into the life we are living and things we have attracted into our lives thus far. 

 

We are energetic beings living in an energetic world. This is not “New Age Philosophy.” Quantum physics teaches that we are constantly sending energy into our environment through our thoughts and actions.  We then attract the same energy we send out.  When we are unconscious to our thoughts and actions many times we unskillfully create our future. As we become more aware of our energy we can better co-create our future. By thinking something over and over again we have to power to manifest that. This is a VERY powerful concept incredibly described in Dr. David R. Hawkins’ "Power vs. Force”.

 

Today is day 41 of the yoga challenge. I practiced four times this week which gives me a total of 36 practices. This week Jimmy is at his Dads so I am hoping to get in six practices. Namaste.

 
 

Brought to you by processed food

I am so fortunate that my wife Sara cooks healthy food for our family. Sara’s cooking makes a huge difference not only on my waist line but also in the way I feel. Sunday I thought it would be okay to eat soft pretzels, pizza, cheese, soda, etc. I know you can eat anything in moderation, but unfortunately that’s not what I did.  Right before the game I started to feel heavy and lethargic from eating white flour.  So I did what anyone would do—I ate more crappy food.

 

Monday morning I took Nancy’s 90 minute SS class.  By dancers pose I could feel the junk coming out of my body. My breathing was short. I felt weak and nauseous. I had been feeling so good while doing this yoga challenge until Monday morning when I experienced the negative effects of food. I didn’t even drink any beer! This feeling was completely induced via eating processed food. We truly are what we eat, drink and think. We are constantly recreating ourselves moment by moment. While in Costa Rica I ate so clean.  Pura Vida doesn’t serve any processed food and they use no refined flour. By the end of my second week I was really feeling the effects of clean eating and yoga. I am a big believer in moderation and enjoy some processed food yet Sunday I lost moderation and felt the effects of it.

 

Today is day 35. I took off Saturday and Sunday so today was my 32nd practice. I am getting ready to teach two classes and I am feeling pretty good after my butt whipping this morning. Thank God for yoga and its ability to offer us a fresh start.