happiness... your choice

 

courtesy of http://poptimist.tumblr.com/

magic

the magic is not in the word,
the magic is in YOUR relationship to the word

we are in control of our own thoughts, experiences, actions, etc...
it is up to us to choose what we will see as magic

what will you choose to be magical

observation

Last week my teacher, mentor and friend "officially" observed my class for the 1st time. One of the steps on the path to becoming an Anusara Inspired teacher is having a Certified Anusara teacher observe your class and recommend you for the inspired status.

Anusara yoga focuses on seeing the good first. We are trained to 1st see the good and then see how it can be enhanced/refined. This is part of the process of the observation and feedback of teachers. It is a very different process than what I was used to from the critique process in college ; that was almost always to find what was wrong, scrutinize it, re-hash it over and over - each person adding in why it was wrong. Maybe, just maybe you would get some good feedback if you were lucky. (And we wonder why so many people have negative self images?)

I have been looking forward to my observation for some time. I am hungry for information and feedback. I appreciate hearing what I am doing well and ways that I can enhance my teaching. The observation process is a great way for me to refine my teaching skills. This process also helps me to evaluate myself and find a deeper connection to who I am, where I started and where I am going.

Tonight my mentor and I met and reviewed her feedback. It was great!

She offered very clear positive feedback - reinforcements of the good. Some of what she mentioned were particular things I have been focusing on since receiving feedback from her and others. It was nice to hear that the effort I had been putting in was coming through.

Interestingly, not surprisingly, almost all of the recommendations for things to refine were things I was already aware of. Enhancements that I had been contemplating (some distantly), some of which I had been stuck on how to approach. The discussions that developed brought things to mind that I hadn't noticed myself i.e. don't use the wall as back rest during centering (hum didn't realize I was doing it.) I have so many things to now contemplate. To look at my strengths, to look at how far I have come in a short time and to look forward to where I am going.

I went to teach a class after our meeting and was able to take specific feedback into that class - WOW what a difference. The students rocked, I rocked - it was awesome!

This observation was a re-affirmation of how invaluable a mentor. The insight that our teachers offer will help us to transform.

I am already looking forward to my next observation!

November is Gratitude Month

November is Gratitude Month. As a remembrance for the month we are all asked to each day think of something that we are grateful for.

Yesterday I had so many things I wanted to start off my list with. Unfortunately it became a day of sad news which changed where my heart and mind were with gratitude.

I received sad news of an acquaintance, 37 years young, passing over the weekend from a brain tumor. On this same day another friend, also 37 years young, was told by the doctors that her 5 year old son was in the final stages of his battle with cancer and it was time to say goodbye.

These are reminders that life is so short and precious. Both of these people thought they had beat their tumors. Both had received 2nd chances - they both went into remission and lived 2-3 more years. They had an opportunity to LIVE, LOVE, BREATH, CRY, LAUGH and BE LOVED for longer than they expected. They were given a gift and made it count. Each day is a gift, a gift that we should honor and celebrate.

I am grateful for each moment I have in this world.

I am also grateful that I have come to a place in my life where I am thinking and recognizing how important this is.

What are you grateful for today?

Limiting language

We each have our own story. Our own thoughts that we can get stuck on. How we choose to view then, how we choose to approach them effects if they stay or if we can move forward.

For many of us the words we use keep us from moving forward. We choose to use words that limit us. I have a problem. This always happens. I can't. This will never.

By simply changing our words we can change the way we look at our story and empower ourselves to let (make) change happen.

When you find yourself using limiting language turn it around. Start the sentence with a phrase that allows the story to change.

Sometimes this happens.
Up until now.

Let your words empower you instead of limit you.

today

Today will be a great day
Today I will be great
Today I will fall and get back up to go again
Today I will inspire
Today I will be inspired


Today will be great and I will be great!

randomness... find the good 1st

become the person you'd love to fall in love with
~ Maya Angelou

an ongoing process...
acknowledge the beauty within
acknowledge the potential inside and outside of myself

I was recently reminded how important the words I choose are. A simple negative statement can effect the rest of the experience and/or day, however if you take that same statement and look at it from the other side - the positive side - the experience can be great.

as we are always reminded in Anusara ... look for the good first

that little voice

As I have become older I have also become more insecure and doubting of myself.

Logically I know that there is no reason to doubt, to feel insecure. My brain can rationalize and tell me that these are false thoughts... yet there is this voice that keeps popping up. I almost want to give her a name - we often speak many times a day - we really should be on a first name basis. She is not a very supportive and encouraging friend. If I saw her number on my phone I would probably choose not to answer.

Depending on where I am teaching she may choose to come and help me setup for class. Once I take my seat she almost always goes away and I can teach with confidence. Often she returns for savasana. We silently argue - her telling me all of my mistakes, things that I forgot, telling me how someone else would have done it this way and better.

Sometimes she is winning the arguments and I start to scrutinize all aspects of the class and my teaching and start to wonder why am I doing this. On a pretty regular basis students will come to me after class (they actually go out of their way) to tell me they enjoyed the class or ask for advice. At this moment - I win the battle and she goes away. I receive confirmation from outside of myself to help win the battle and make her go away.

I know, in my head, the truth that I am a good teacher ; continuing to refine and improve on a daily basis. I think I am more insecure now then when I was 20 because I care a great deal more now about what I am doing - the stakes are higher. I want more for myself and for those around me.

At this time - I will choose to keep her without a name. I want our conversations to be less frequent so that she doesn't need a name.

managing our expectations and influencing someone else's

How do you manage expectations of a situation? How does your sharing of an experience alter someone's expectation of a similar situation?

I went to my 1st John Friend workshop the other weekend. When I returned everyone was asking me how it was and my response was "I had fun, it was good, I learned a great deal". Each time their response back to me was - "Just good?"

For years now I have been hearing that his workshops were "amazing, life changing, like nothing else out there". This is a very unfair expectation to put on a situation and a person. How can any one situation possibly live up to that expectation. It is very much like a movie that everyone is raving about for weeks telling you that is the funniest thing they have ever seen. You finally go to the movie expecting to laugh so hard you will pee in your pants. Well, it is funny but your bladder is intact. It has been built up so much that there is no way it could possibly live up to the expectation.

We need to be more aware of how the sharing of our own experience can effect another person's opportunity to create their own expectation from a similar experience.

be mine

I came across a number of quotes while watching a YouTube video "Message from the Infinite Heart". This one in particular really stuck with me.

You, yourself,
as much as anybody
in the entire universe,
deserve your love
and affection.

It can be so easy to focus our energies outward on other people that we can forget in order to share love with someone else we need to 1st love ourselves.

For this Valentine's day I will BE MINE 1st before I try to ask someone else to be mine or offer myself to be theirs.

pūrṇatā

pūrṇatā - fullness, completeness, perfection

I love the idea that we are always beginning. Each moment is an opportunity to begin again. We are only as perfect as that very moment. The next time we try the same thing it is an opportunity to begin again and achieve yet a new level of perfection.

doing small things great

We look around a room and see someone in an amazing pose and think "I want to be like that." We hear of a friend going on an amazing trip and think "I want to do that." We see a colleague at work get honored for their achievement and wonder "how do I do that." It is so easy to get caught up in the idea of doing great things or being the best at something that we can loose site of our priorities and the actual joy in doing.

I have been teaching for a few months now and am loving it. Each week gets better and I become more comfortable. I took a class with one of my favorite teachers the other day and was marveling at "how great" she was and wishing I could be like that. I started to compare myself and think about all the things I wasn't doing that she was doing. I then came across the following quote and it helped me re-align my focus.

We can't always do great things, we can do small things great.

As I pondered this quote I realized I didn't need to be great. I didn't need to be the best teacher. I needed to focus on the small things that I could do great while teaching a class which in the end would make the experience great. As I taught class last night I focused my energy on doing these small things with greatness and love. The energy put into the small things made the entire bigger experience - GREAT.