Conditioning

Towards the end of our second week Rolf had the group do a journaling exercise. We had to write down three things that we were going to take from the retreat. My three things were the power of conditioning, intention and attractor patterns. Today I will address conditioning. 

How we meet the present moment of our lives is nothing more than the conditioning of our past. It involves anything we have experienced in our lives up to this point. Our conditioning is very powerful. Throughout the week I focused on the different aspects of my personality. I traced all of them back to pivotal moments in my life or people who shaped me. Some of this conditioning helps me greatly in day to day life while others cripple me and create pain. 

Part of the practice of yoga is waking up this truth and beginning to work with the painful areas. Through our awareness, we shed light on the painful areas and begin to unwind and understand. It is important not to take this conditioning personal and see it for what it is—just conditioning. The willingness to work with the pain inducing conditioning is the recognition that these patterns cause pain in our lives. This recognition becomes the intelligent thing to do. It is from this intelligent action that we develop wisdom and gain true happiness. 

It is day 30 of the Yoga Challenge. I have practiced 28 times in the last 30 days. I got back from Costa Rica on Saturday. I’m still enjoying the benefits of the amazing retreat. I feel super human in many ways but vulnerable in others. Every year the students in Costa Rica confirm my belief in the power of the human spirit as well as our innate ability to triumph over anything. 

The Power of Thought and Intention

Over the past two weeks in Costa Rica I have had some computer challenges. On several occasions I have spent hours writing blogs on my experiences only to have the computer shut down or log me off of our server. On numerous occasions hours of work was lost. Instead of getting frustrated I have laughed and said it was meant to be.

Last night Rolf gave a dharma talk, dharma in Sanskrit means truth or path on positive thinking and visualization. He balanced the talk with scientific research based in physics and his life experience. The talk was inspiring and motivating. After the talk I contemplated the question-- if I spend time painting the landscape of my future and focus on it-- what happens if my vision doesn't come to fruition? Will this leave me disappointed?

I spoke with Rolf and some fellow practitioners after the talk. My last thought before falling asleep was that I strongly believe that our intentions and thoughts have the power to manifest in the future. But sometimes other forces are working against those thoughts and intentions. Therefore, sometimes our thoughts manifest and sometimes they don't.

It is like my computer shutting down after hours of work. I guess these thoughts were not meant to be heard or read. Attaching ourselves to the outcome can be very painful while embracing the process and the possibilities is more the practice. 

The science of yoga works in principles that go deeper and deeper with practice. The power of intention and thought is one concept that has greatly deepened this week for me. Today is day 24 of the Yoga Challenge and today will be practice 24 for me. Rolf is teaching a three hour asana class today. It should be juicy.

Gotta Have Faith

Today is Saturday, and our first group has left Costa Rica.  It was a powerful week for me and I had several realizations. 

As I mentioned we began each day at 6:30 a.m. with meditation and yoga philosophy.  Then we focused on our Stationary Sequence (SS), practicing the series of asanas in sequential order twice a day.  Within the Empowered Yoga Path, the SS serves as the foundation.  By practicing the same postures over and over again, the student begins to train the mind and the body in a way that creates balance between the right and left sides of the body.  This leads to cohesiveness throughout the legs, pelvis, spine, shoulders, arms and head.  Through practicing the asanas over and over it is only natural for students to develop an understanding of the landscape of their body.  Unfortunately, some students also form an aversion to certain asanas.  At this point the student has developed an orientation to their body and mind.  For many, this can be scary and overwhelming – you can choose to ignore the imbalances and give a half-hearted effort or you can make the decision to take a step further in your life and work with what is.

 

By working with what is and embracing the areas within our bodies that need to be strengthened and balanced, you immediately begin working with your mind.  The body is metaphorical for the mind is truly one in the same.  My friend Rolf Gates says, “If I don’t want to work with my bodily imbalances then working in other areas off the mat is just not possible.”  Our imbalances become the gateways into our learning and growth.  Along the way we begin discovering who we really are.

 

This week at Costa Rica I witnessed a group of mature individuals become familiar with their landscape.  They developed a right view by showing up and not shrinking back.  They gave all they had and the results at the end of the week were amazing.  I am very happy and humbled to have been with them to witness their greatest and to see the possibilities of the human spirit.

 

As for me, today is day 19 of the yoga challenge.  I have practiced 19 times in the last 19 days.  This past Wednesday I practiced twice in one day.  On Wednesdays, I encourage people to go see the beautiful countryside of Costa Rica.  For me, it was a day of practice and reflection.

From Costa Rica

I am in Costa Rica facilitating transformational yoga retreats for the next few weeks. I have two different groups - one this week and one next week. We start each day with meditation and a yoga philosophy talk. We practice twice a day: once in the late morning and again in the late afternoon. Last night we finished our 7th practice since arriving Saturday afternoon. Our group is committed and strong. There are several repeat attendees which always strengthens the group. This is my sixth year of orchestrating this experience and the process people go through in one week simply amazes me. 

 

Most people's normal everyday lives involve speed and a lengthy to-do-list. This can create a life that is lead without much contemplation. Our retreats in Costa Rica allow people to slow down and get in touch with the direction their life is headed. I am always amazed by the insights students share throughout this process. Many times people are not aware of the substitute life they are living until all distractions are taken away. Then they begin seeing a dichotomy between the life they are living and the life they are yearning for. Simply becoming aware of this separation is the first step towards a change. 

 

As for me, today will be my 15th practice. I missed one day last week. Thursday, January 10, we had our ribbon cutting ceremony and party at our new fitness center, Plexus at Nemours. It was a late night (I celebrated with a few Twin Lakes beers!). When the alarm clock went off Friday at 6:00 am I could not answer the call. I didn't get too down on myself for missing practice. Instead I got back up, brushed myself off, and renewed my commitment to practice.

 
More insights to come from Costa Rica.

Excuses……Excuses…..Excuses

Today was day 10!  I have practiced ten days in a row before but for this stretch I have been very focused and diligent. It was tough to get to practice this morning.  I got home from work at 8:30 p.m. and helped Sara around the house until 10:00 p.m.  I got to bed around 10:30 p.m. and got up at 5:00 a.m. to make it to the 6:00 a.m. class.  I felt stiff and lethargic during the first several asanas but halfway through practice I began to experience a rush of energy and clarity.

After practice I had to high tail it back home to take my son Jimmy to school.  Round trip from my house to Episcopal and then back to Wilmington was 90 minutes.  Plus, it took me 4 minutes for the early morning drive to the Wilmington Center for class.  I don’t dread all this time in the car – I think of it as an opportunity.  For the last several years I’ve listened faithfully to Zencast, which is a podcast directed by Gil Frosdal.  Gil and his guest teachers have been enormously helpful in teaching me how to integrate what I learn on the mat into my life.  For all intents and purposes this is truly the art of practice.  Anyone can come in and work on developing strength, flexibility and balance within his or her body. Taking the principles and wisdom learned through the practice and incorporating them into your daily living is the true fruit of yoga. 

This morning would have been one of those practices I would have skipped.  I would have used two excuses:  I have to take Jimmy to school and I worked late and need to sleep.  Yet because of the challenge, I stuck to my commitment to wake up early and come to practice.

Honestly, I am writing this entry with so much energy and clarity because I simply said “Yes” this morning.  Where in your life are you saying “No” when you really need to say yes?  There’s an old saying: “Excuses are like a--holes, everyone’s got one.”  What if you let go of your excuses?  Could you take a step closer to happiness in your life?  Would you feel more fulfilled if you stopped making excuses? 

This morning has been a great lesson for me about excuses.

Day 7

Liam is just under 10 months and he is sleeping for longer periods of time.  Needless to say sleep has not been plentiful the past two years.  Drinking coffee throughout the day to stay alert and awake had become the norm.  When I committed to the yoga challenge I also stopped drinking coffee.  I knew too much coffee was affecting my hydration as well as numerous other mental and bodily functions.  This morning while practicing I felt calmer and more relaxed in my postures.  A sense of confidence poured over me which translated into being able to still my eyes while going deeper into  my breathing.

Today was  day 7 for me.  I have practiced 7 days in a row and I am feeling different in many ways. I got a lot of rest this weekend and ate a lot of fruits and vegetables.  The consumption of water, fruits and vegetables and eliminating coffee is making a big impact on my strength level.

A snapshot of my life

Just finished my third practice and I am feeling pretty awesome. My wife and I have Irish Twins. Liam is 10 months, Leia is 22 months and they both like to get up around 5:30am and begin playing. We also have a second grader named Jimmy. We live in West Chester which is 30 minutes from Wilmington. Wilmington is where our Plexus Central Offices and Wilmington Empowered Yoga are located and this is where I spend the majority of my work day.

Jimmy goes to Episcopal Academy located 40 minutes away from West Chester. He lives with us one week and his father the other week. Idrive Jimmy to school when he is with us. We leave the house at 7:20am and round trip it takes me around 90 minutes. My wife, Sara needs some help with the chaos the twins can create in the morning so our mornings begin pretty early. I teach several nights a week and my days are filled with operating and growing Plexus and Empowered Yoga.

I am creating a picture for you to see that my life is just as scheduled as yours. I refrain from using the word busy once I learned the Chinese meaning for busy is "broken heart". In the 21st century we are so over schedule, over caffeinated, over processed and over dramatic. The speed of life can leave us disconnected from our friends and family and most importantly from ourselves. We cannot offer what we do not have. This is why it is so important that we take care of ourselves and realize the importance of developing a practice or routine where we can rest, renew and reflect on the direction our life is taking. If we are not consciously checking in on a daily basis we can head in the wrong direction and make choices that are not authentic. For me this is where the practice of yoga steps in and guides me. To be continued.