What struck me?

“The belief that it is possible to heal the world without healing ourselves first is what the Yoga Sutras call a lack of true knowledge.”

“The truth is, when we are happy we spread happiness, and when we are in pain we spread suffering.”

What does this mean in my life and practice?

The immediate thought that comes to mind when reading these quotes is the familiar reminder to put on your own oxygen mask before helping someone else. I have never much cared for that comparison. It refers to what would otherwise be protocol in a tragic event, when most of our lack of self-care is far less tragic. Most of our neglect of ourselves happens in the ordinary course of living. We keep going, keep giving, and put ourselves off until later.

What I do believe is that who you are is what you deliver to the world. The energy you carry comes with you. It finds its way into your conversations, your patience, your reactions, and the way you make someone feel in your presence.

Be responsible for the energy you bring.

What struck me?

“If you do what you did, you get what you got.”

“Practice is doing the work. It is following up your intention with action.”

What does this mean in my life and practice?

These two quotes from today’s reading are the conflict between my intentions and my reality. I do not want to stay stuck, I know what I am doing will keep me where I am, yet here I am.

I know better than anyone that when you start walking down new paths you find new lands. Why then do I track back to walk the paths that I have walked before. Those that keep me stuck? Stuck in a cycle of exhaustion and excess that lacks the energy to forge ahead.

This means that I don’t negotiate with myself, I do it. I don’t make excuses, I do it. I know better, and I do better. Every time I am true to this statement, I am taking one step closer to my new reality.

Just do it.

What struck me?

“If you want to end darkness…you have to turn on a light.”

Marianne Williamson

Be the light. — LK

What does this mean in my life and practice?

This is so obvious and yet so profound. We choose. We decide. If you want to be in the dark, you will stay…dark.

Turning on the light in my life is turning on the light that radiates from inside me. I am light. I choose to be light. I decide.

Turn on the light.

What struck me?

“…out of the driver’s seat for a while and enjoy the scenery. Let the river of yoga take you where it will.”

What does this mean in my life and practice?

This is exactly what I have chosen to do by signing up for Yoga Teacher Training and spending my time this week mostly focused on yoga as a whole. This is most definitely my happy space. Why not have more of it?

The force to do it is less pushing and more a pulling—pulling more toward what I want. What I need.

I am going to enjoy my time. I am going to prioritize it.

I am going to BE.

What struck me?

“Everything all the time.”

Which resonates with me and is in my mind flawed as multitasking being inefficient, unfocused, and out of reach. I appreciate the note that “we must have a mind that has let go of the habit of distraction and developed the habit of concentration.” This is where I believe I need the most work. What surprised me was the final sentence, “We are doing our yoga all the time.” Wow.

What does this mean in my life and practice?

It means that there is a place for everything all the time and concentration rather than focus may be the key differentiator. Focus means we hone in, tunnel vision. Concentration means we dive in understanding that there may be many views in that dive that allow us to concentrate on the bigger picture even when there are many areas of focus.

What struck me?

"We must simply remain open to our own spiritual potential and be willing to take action on our own behalf."

What does this mean in my life and practice?

Trust your instinct. Trust your voice. When something is pulling follow when it is in alignment with your spiritual journey. Resist when it takes you further away from where you want to be.

My example is with the Kloud mat. I succumbed to it on day one for 45 minutes and seemingly had a very solid night of sleep. I decided to rent it, to indulge those helping me decompress, and to be open-minded. All the while there was something pulling me in a different direction however I pushed forward. Ultimately the second time on the mat proved to take me out the following day. Whether it is truth or hyperbole it is enough to know that this is not for me. Now.

I have lived much of my life, pleasing others. Meeting others expectations. Now it is time to not be pulled around by my “grounding cord” but rather to hold sacred what is my own space. I don’t need to explain. I don’t need to speak life into others beliefs. I only need to hold space for my own. How is it changing me. How is it serving me?

I will continue to explore this new space. This new sacred space.

What struck me?

"Yoga is the study of balance, and balance is the aim of all living creatures, it is our home."

"It is the aim of all spiritual seeking to bring us home, home to the understanding that we already have everything we need."

What does this mean in my life and practice?

Balance is what I am aiming for in all things in my life. I want to find the middle, the grey, the place where the extremes are extreme. The place where peace lives.

The statement “that we already have everything we need” is so very powerful. I find myself seeking constantly. Regardless of substance, I am seeking. Hunger for food, things, love, attention, it matters not, I am always seeking. When you reconcile that you already have everything you need you stop seeking. You start living. You live in a space of gratitude that all that you need is already here. This is where I am to be.