A Whole New Today; A Whole New Tomorrow...

“Just for today...”

“Practice the posture...”

“Follow your feet...”

There are myriad sayings that remind us to stay in the present. Even in my yoga practice I repeatedly remind and am reminded to be present with my breath and to stay in the pose. Yet even after all of these reminders—on and off the mat—I find it still so easy to slip into tomorrow. It's so comfortable to try and figure out what tomorrow will bring when, really, I have no idea what even the rest of today will bring.

When I go down to move my laundry from the washer to the dryer it could go smoothly, there might be someone else's clothes in the dryer, or something I can't even imagine could be in place. Silly example, I know, but it works the same with laundry as it does with everything else. I can plan and plan and plan and plan how a presentation, performance, interview, apology, confession, or whatever will go but when it gets to the actual event it's just not up to me. All I can do is be prepared; the rest is up the the Universe.

This doesn't let me off the hook for having to do any work, mind you; it just frees me from having to run the world. It's a relief, actually. The more often I remember that I have the option to stay out of the results the more easily I find I can just do the work. It gives me a chance to more directly focus my energy on the task at hand because I don't have to save any so that I can try to control and manage things I can't control or manage.

Even though I want things to turn out my way, it's just not always going to happen that way. Once I finally understood that, today suddenly took on a new light. The weight of tomorrow was lifted and today became something I could handle. If I have a task that seems too big to even start, it probably is and can be broken down into smaller, on-the-go, bite-sized pieces. It's much easier to enroll in a class or two on a Monday morning than trying to earn an entire degree while I should be working.

I do one thing, then I do the next thing, then I do the next thing until all of those things are done. They don't all have to get done right now. Other things will come up and still others will clear away. The degree to which I freak-out and micro-manage—or don't—is up to me. I'm so grateful that's where my influence ends. I get a new freedom for today and I get a whole new tomorrow.

Just for today, I will practice the posture at hand and I will be where my feet are.

Namasté

Continuous Practice

The thing about Yoga that gives me the most peace of mind is that a pose is never "done". The thing about Yoga that leaves me with the most frustration is that a pose is never "done". And look, that applies to the rest of my life as well.

Sometimes I so dearly want to use yesterday's effort to get credit for today. I made my bed, brushed my teeth, cleaned the kitchen, folded my clothes, updated a spreadsheet, paid a bill, and did some spiritual homework yesterday...and by the end of the day, boy was I tuckered out. And then here comes today and my bed is unmade, my teeth need a brushing, my kitchen is a mess, my hamper is full of clothes, that spreadsheet is now a day old, there's another bill to pay, and I have more reading and writing to do in order to keep myself spiritually balanced.

So I go to Yoga to take my mind off of things and ahhh, yes, here comes my favorite: Trikonasana (Triangle Pose). I got this one down. Ok, step my right leg back and turn it out 45 degrees, check. Reach my left arm forward and start to stack my hips, check. Allow the reach to turn vertical as I stretch my left hand to the floor (or block, as the case often may be), ahhh, there we go. Reach the right arm up as I open at the waist and turn my ribs to the ceiling, yes. Lift up through the thighs and root down through the heels, done. Oh wait, now my foot has slipped and I have some room to adjust it, okay. And now I have more room in my hips to reach my spine long and create space between my hips and my heart, sure. As it turns out, I can also readjust both my standing arm as well as my acting arm, fine. And with all of that, I let go of my thigh and it turns out I can re-engage my right buttock while I'm at it...

I can go through that checklist for as long as I am in the posture--and I can add to it each time. It turns out that what takes my mind off of my revolving to-do list out here in the rest of the world is the fact that I get to replace it with a new continuous list when I'm on the mat. How frustrating. How freeing.

It reminds me that no matter how "done" I think I am, I can always go back and check something else. I always have a choice to be fully involved in whatever it is I am doing. Every second counts--but it only counts for itself. The work I do one day strengthens me for the next day but ultimately, if I wish to maintain a practice and to reap the benefits it provides, each day is a new opportunity. One day, one pose, one breath at a time, I have the chance to work to strengthen my body, mind, and spirit.

The work I did yesterday helps me remember that for today it is a choice; it is a chance; it is an opportunity...

Namaste

Spiritual Aerodynamics

Things don't always go as I plan. I hate when that happens. At first it seems like things would just be so much easier if it all just went according to my great master plan. But sometimes a meeting for which I spent hours preparing is canceled. Or I drop and break my favorite mug and have to either forgo a cup of tea or drink one out of a Styrofoam cup--I chose to go without. Sometimes I plan to go to Yoga after work and end up stuck in traffic or just plain pooped and I don't make it.

"Not according to the plan" can be a good thing also, however. Sometimes a meeting I dread is cancelled. Or someone gives me a gift of a new coffee mug out of the blue. Sometimes evening plans are cancelled and I get to go to Yoga when I didn't expect to be able to.

The point is: my plans mean little to the Universe. My plans about my career, my plans about my stuff, and my plans about my practice...

The good news is: I still get to go to work, I still get to deal with my stuff, and I still get to trudge the road of my spiritual (and physical) practice....

What it means to me is this: there are no big deals. And that's what all of my plan-making not meaning a thing to the flow of the Universe has to do with that nifty term I think I coined.

The idea of no big deals is of great help for me when it comes to both life on and off the mat. Whether it's great news or terrible or something in between it will pass and it doesn't have to be something that will knock me over. Maybe today work was no fun but tomorrow could be different. Maybe I "got" a really tough and fancy posture during Yoga class tonight but that doesn't mean a thing about what my practice will look like tomorrow. Either way, it's just something that happened and there's no reason for my flame to flicker wildly.

At first that sounds kind of boring. As though I have no feelings and nothing but nothing has any effect on me. Believe me, it's not boring. First and foremost because this aerodynamic state of mind of mine is much more theory than practice but also because when I am in that place, it's the greatest place in the world to be. On those occasions when my spiritual practice and connection to the Divine are sturdy enough to hold me up I can be satisfied, fulfilled, and given joy from everything. I hope you can experience it soon. I hope I get to as well...

Namaste

Practicing Patience and Gratitude

I like to rush. Sometimes I forget to say thank you. Pausing is often forgotten. I can often act in a manner which best serves me. That is, of course, unless I am mindful of practicing patience and gratitude. My guru would remind us of this while we were in uncomfortable postures--and now I get to do the same. Holding the pose in Virabhadrasana II (Warrior II) is a great time to remember why I practice yoga. What a good time to remember gratitude for having a car when I am stuck in traffic. How strong a lesson to be patient when I want to find an apartment and move next weekend.

The practice of patience and gratitude is just that: a practice. We forget, we remember, we forget, we remember.... The goal of the practice is that the forgetting happens less frequently and the remembering kicks in a little sooner than it did the last time. When I have tried for anything more, I have become disappointed in myself. From the practice of patience and gratitude comes the gift of being present. I am here now and this is where I am. That alone is a gift and for that I am grateful. The Universe has a map and I can only see what is directly in front of me--for even when I look back my vision is blurry and distorted.

All I need to do is be here. Be here and be grateful. When that becomes my natural state the rest falls into place. Holding the pose becomes an opportunity to mind my breath. Traffic doesn't bother me because I can't be where I'm going until I get there. I have a place to live and all the time in the world for whatever upgrade in living is on the books for me. I am here now. I am grateful now.

On this day...
In this moment...
With this breath...

Namaste

If I’m doing it, then it’s yoga…

I was talking with a fellow yogi today and, about my job, said “well, it’s not yoga, but it’s good for now…” He reminded me that everything can be yoga. He’s right. As a yogi, if I’m doing it, it’s yoga—all that’s required from me is the right intention and mindfulness such as I would bring to my practice on the mat.

During a practice in a class I begin by setting an intention for that practice and then keep ever-mindful of my body, breath, and mind during the practice. Is my big toe grounded to the floor? Is my head on straight? Is my breath even and deliberate? Am I using the sound of the Ujjayi breath to help keep my focus? Am I present or does my mind wander?

Why would that be any different at my job? I can set the intention to be a productive worker today. I can remain mindful of my posture in front of my computer. I can take the time to stretch at my desk when the mouse gets the better of me. I can remember to breathe and drink water. I can be present and not daydream…

As a yogi, I can make it my responsibility to extend my practice into my daily affairs. If I treat life as yoga, yoga continues to grow as my life. Sitting here in “sitting-at-the-computer-asana” or “filing-user-guides-asana”, I can be just as aware of my posture, breath, and intention as I am in Trikonasana (Triangle Pose) or during Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation). The choice—as always—is up to me.

Sometimes this is easier said than done—but I suppose that is why we call it our Yoga Practice and not our Yoga Perfect. Today, I choose to set an intention of grateful action and spiritual mindfulness. Today I choose to focus on the solution to my spiritual condition. Today, I continue to practice yoga in all of my affairs.

If I’m doing it, it’s yoga…