Chapter 24

Practice is a inner journey. I never get things in the moment when someone is teaching me. I always need to go back to the quiet space of my mat and just practice. There, with no one watching, just me and my breath, my body and spirit guide me. There's a little voice that says, try this, send the hips forward, breathe, relax. And this quiet space of inner listening is the real gift of the practice. Because in life there is a gentle guidance that draws you forward, that sends you signals about what direction to turn, what words to use, how to be a force of peace and healing. If you learn how to listen life will be so much more filled with light and love, ease and flow. Yoga isn't about the poses, it's about learning to be strong enough to listen for the signs of love, to follow the road of humility and kindness. That's why we practice, practice, practice. 

Savor every moment of your life. Take time to appreciate the sky, the sunset, the air, the water, and all the small blessings that surround you. Just for a moment, when you're looking for something to do, instead of clicking around online, pause, breathe and take in the majesty of life. Every second is a miracle waiting to be discovered. Every person has depth and meaning in their soul, if only you take the time to draw it out. Every breath is another chance to live like a force of nature... And the most powerful force in the universe is love. 

Be vulnerable with yourself, know yourself deeply, and love yourself fully. When others are brave enough to reveal a sliver of their raw, unedited, unprocessed self, have the courage to empathize, to listen, to love. True strength is love in action.

I have faced periods of great sorrow and been crippled with doubt and depression. Out of desperation I ran from my sadness and hit the bottom of the sea of my own consciousness. But there is wisdom in sadness, truth in sorrow. Cheerfulness is lovely, like a spring blossom. But winter brings its own revelation. If there is one thing I've learned from the practice of yoga, it's not to run from pain. Your pain is your greatest teacher. The cracks in the cheerfulness filter set on your life are actually your greatest asset. Sorrow brings earnestness, longing, justice, and compassion. Doubt can lead you to humility, true self-confidence, and even a return to innocence. There is beauty and grace in sadness. Like the elegance of rain, periods of apparent suffering are often important times of growth, resetting the inner clock to a time zone closer to your spiritual home. If you are suffering right now, don't run and don't give up. Instead, dig in, dive deeply down, and just experience it, get comfortable with it. Make friends with your tears and let them be your teacher. Let the search for meaning guide to you a new spiritual lesson and see the truth revealed through your trials and tribulations. It's there, hiding in the fragility of a raindrop and in the perfection of a snowflake, the hidden meaning of it all, so simple and yet totally complex, perfectly whole and yet glimmering in a thousand little pieces of love. 

1. Sit with your sorrow and don't fight it. Just observe. Make peace with what you feel. This month I'm posting new meditation videos on YouTube. These are a great tool for learning to sit with whatever emotions arise. 

2. Ask for guidance. Consult a mentor, friend, therapist or inner counsel. With an open, humble heart ask what the lesson from your suffering is. Be willing to learn and hear the answer.

3. Reflect. Think back on a period of difficulty. Observe the lesson you learned and how it has shaped who you are and what you value. What changes did you make as a result of the revelations afforded to you after the period of suffering?

Faithful actions bear the fruits of peace and happiness. Fearful actions bear the fruits of pain and suffering. Faith comes from a belief in your wholeness, a recognition of your worthiness and a heart full of love. Fear comes from a feeling of lack, the notion that you aren't whole or good or worthy. The root of all action is in either faith or fear. Faith is built on the positive result of goodness in action. Fear is a looming terror of negative consequences often imagined in our mind. Make the choice to believe and choose faith. Choose faith in moments when fear seems bigger than you. Choose faith in difficult, hopeless times. Choose faith. One of the first steps is realizing that you have a choice and being strong enough to make it. Faith - Called Sraddha in Sanskrit, yogic faith is born from action and experience. Sraddha is the kind of tenacious faith that waits out the long journey without being shaken, the kind of faith that says, I am willing to believe in my dream against all odds, I am brave enough to find love again no matter how many times my heart has been broken. 

Yoga is a promise of a peaceful life, a joyful heart and a vibrant spirit. That promise us fulfilled by your commitment to practice. It's as simple as that. The practice always keeps its promise although the practice does not always meet your expectations. You may expect peace to look a meditative when in fact for you it's a deep backbend. You may expect joy to look like a handstand but in fact it may be a day off. You may expect your spirit to soar when everything goes your way, when actually you feel the most spiritually connected in times of need. Expectation can sometimes be a box that limits your possibility, closing you into the tunnel vision of your own plans. Sometimes negative expectation can bring the very thing that you fear into being. And sometimes overly positive expectation leaves you perpetually broken hearted because nothing can ever measure up. But the practice is diligent, patient and persistent. It never gives up and will not bend according to your will because it has a promise to keep. One day you'll see that everything is unfolding according to a Divine plan. Even the mistakes and stumbles are part of the grand perfection. We all have plans and ideas of what we think happiness looks like, but we can't always see the bigger picture. Let go of your expectations and surrender. Let the experience of today lead you. Follow the gentle signs and be flexible, willing to let go of your preconceived notions of success. 

​1. Expectation--what is your expectation for today? Do you think it's going to be a good or a bad day? Can you let that go and just observe the day as it unfolds? 

2. The present moment--let go your expectations of yourself and others and see each moment as fresh and new. Be reborn. 

3. Be Flexible--where can you soften your hard edges and be willing to try something new, accept something outside your comfort zone and just go with the flow a little more? 

I am not a naturally patient person. When I have an idea I get the feeling like I want it to have happened already. But 5 years of practice has taught me patience. I've heard from students and questioned myself, how long before this pose happens? How long for a handstand and how long for my legs to go behind my head? Every pose has its lesson and it can't be rushed. Things happen in the body's time and no amount of fighting or forcing will make it faster. In fact the more you push the longer it takes. Patience like any attitude can be practiced. Contained within patience is trust, faith and surrender. You're willing to let it go because you believe that it will happen one day when the time is right, when everything is lined up. But you never give up, you keep working, believing, practicing, with patience. 

Three tips to cultivate patience:

1. Infinite patience brings immediate results. We practice to gain more peace not to bend the body into shapes. The moment you have patience it imparts a gift of peace and miraculously the body opens. 

2. Let it go. What in your life are you rushing and forcing? Are you being impatient about a life situation or another person? How do you feel if you turn it over and let it take its own time? Don't give up but stop trying to "make" it happen or force your will to be done. Try it out and notice the effect.

3. Be patient with yourself and others. Hidden in a patient spirit is the gift of forgiveness. In order to accept that what you want isn't happening now you have to be willing to forgive.