#yogiassignment

[ifilmyoga]

Merry Xmass everyone!! 🌟ॐ🎬💕 Even though I live far away from my family and I miss them very much, this year I had the chance to spend Christmas with a few dear friends of mine. So grateful for the food, the presents and those laughs we’ve shared ... really it warmed my heart!!! Much love!! ❤️🎄 - 2018 is just around the corner ... I don’t know about you but I have a few wishes in mind for this coming year! ... maybe I should make a list ... just to see? Sometimes to formulate things out load gives them more power! I will try to stay simple and realist ... and also not have too many in order to accomplish lots ... I was even thinking to do a vision board ... what about you? What are your hopes and dreams for next year? #yogiassignment #hope #miamibeach #faena #sunrise #beach #practiceyogachangeyourlife #onebreathatatime - «Hope can be a powerful force. Maybe there's no actual magic in it, but when you know what you hope for most and hold it like a light within you, you can make things happen, almost like magic.” ✨Laini Taylor (at Miami Beach, Florida)

[brumcreperie]

I would #write #edit your #thesis #report #dissertation #assignment for free. All you need is to DM me. #onassignment #researchpaper #confidentialassignment #education #academicwriting #theassignment #martinparrassignment #photographyassignment #proofreading #onlineassignmenthelp #onassignmentphx #onlineassignment #study #essays #thesishelp #yogiassignment #dissertationhelp #thesiswriting #universityassignment #assignmenthelponline #motivation #uk #paper #canada https://www.instagram.com/p/CBfKFcbl8rW/?igshid=1pxo4ywnbsp4

[bloominglotusyoga]

Yogi Assignment: Tap Into the Benefits of Tapas

Learn more: http://www.trainerprofiles.com

Sticking to something you set out to do-especially when it challenges your go-to habits-takes discipline. Here are four ways to strengthen your determination by the end of this week.

Learn four ways to strengthen your discipline this week.

This morning I woke up at 5 a.m., more than two hours before sunrise. Before 6 a.m. I was meditating, and before the sun peaked over the clouds I was already in Downward Facing Dog.

Considering this typical morning ritual of mine, it may surprise you to hear that I'm not a morning person. Over 20 years of yoga practice and I still find it challenging to wake up before the sun. My natural body clock wants to sleep in for a good 30 to 40 minutes after the sun has risen. But, years of practice and a good dose of discipline have taught me about the benefits of stretching beyond my comfort zone, both in practice and in life.

How Your Samskaras Can Hold You Back

Traditionally yoga practice is a spiritual journey that aims to cleanse the body and mind of old and destructive habit patterns. These patterns are called samskaras in Sanskrit, and we all have them. Since samskaras are the most manifested embodiments of our thoughts and personality, we are very identified with them-and it often causes us great emotional turmoil to change them.

There is a powerful inertia that drives the samskara cycle and, if left unchecked, the pattern will continue largely driven by unconscious motivating forces. Some samskaras are said to be benign, meaning that they do not generate further suffering. But the majority of the ones that govern our lives are not beneficial to our liberation and will ultimately lead to more suffering. Working with the samskaras is like performing a deep operation of the mind; it isn't something that can be undertaken in a haphazard manner. In fact, restructuring the habit pattern of the mind and laying the foundation for a life of inner peace is a devoted, disciplined practice that will require your full undivided attention.

See also 13 Poses to Help You Break Bad Habits

This is Where Tapas Comes In …

Calls for discipline can be unpopular, and even sometimes thought of as negative. In our free-thinking, self-invented culture, many people hate the idea of following the rules.

Well, in the yoga practice, there is a long history of the need for a disciplined approach to spiritual practice. Called Tapas in Sanskrit, discipline is discussed in all traditional forms of yoga practice. Sometimes Tapas can be translated as austerities, which can be even more intimidating. A softer translation comes from Swami Satchidananda, where Tapas is defined as the acceptance of those pains that lead to purification.

I love this definition because some overzealous students hear discipline and use it as an excuse to practice with harshness and severity, and even turn the practice into a kind of penance. But, yoga is rooted in the path of balance, and extreme hardship is simply not recommended. Discipline in the yoga practice actually comes from love.

See also Fuel Your Willpower to Transform with Tapas

Here's a real-world way that discipline works in the yoga practice to achieve spiritual results:

My alarm goes off at 5 a.m. and the “old” me (inspired by that old samskara!) wants to stay in bed and snuggle. The “new” me has to force myself a little to roll out of bed. There is so much momentum around the pattern of staying in bed. My entire inner dialogue speaks a seductive language that entices me to sleep in: “You deserve rest,” it says. “Just hit snooze for 5 minutes,” it continues. “It's way too early-the sun isn't even out yet,” it nudges some more.

I can choose to listen to that inner voice of my old patterning-or I can choose to get out of bed and start my spiritual practice. It isn't easy to chart a new course. It requires effort, willpower, and determination. But, as I sit on my meditation cushion and my mind quiets in those pre-dawn hours, I feel a sense of peace and awareness. This dawn, the awakening of inner light, fills me up so much so that it makes it all worth the effort.

“Every Practice Should Contain Some Element of Difficulty”

My teacher, R. Sharath Jois, likes to say that every practice should contain at least some element of difficulty. If practice is too easy, the idea is that it won't be able to teach you about the depths of yourself. The mountain of yoga is the truly the highest peak of human consciousness. In some sense, it should be a little hard and present challenges that mirror the challenges of life.

The yogi is a seeker of truth and the journey to the deepest truth demands strength, commitment, and resolution from would-be aspirants. Tapas is there to tell you that it is OK that your first attempt at a difficult arm balance is not a success. Tapas encourages you to try again, one more time or 1,000 more times, to build the strength and learn the lesson your practice is trying to teach you. If you normally back away from hardship, Tapas is there to encourage you to rise up and meet hardship with a fierce love. Tapas is one of the most important tests along the spiritual path of yoga. Tapas teaches you a spiritual paradigm that changes your response to adversity and struggle. By learning how to face those pains that lead to purification (not injury!), you will learn how to lean in to the scary places in your life.

See also How Sangha Drew Kino MacGregor Away from the “Spiritual Desperation” of a Drug-Fueled Party Scene

Kino MacGregor tapped into tapas with the discipline of her yoga practice. 

How Kino MacGregor Has Tapped Into Tapas

The Tapas of my yoga practice has changed nearly every aspect of my life.

You already know that yoga changed the time I wake up in the morning. While I still play hooky sometimes and sleep in (I'm human after all), I generally wake up much earlier than I did before I started practicing yoga. That means that I go to bed much earlier as well. Like a domino-effect, going to bed early and rising early puts a serious dent in what types of parties and social interactions happen in the late evenings (read: no more late-night parties for me).

Tapas has also changed my daily rituals. Before I started practicing yoga, the only thing I did every day was brush my teeth. Then, I accepted the six-day-a-week demand of Ashtanga Yoga and I haven't wavered for 20 years. Sure, there are days when my practice isn't the full two hour sweat fest that Ashtanga Yoga is known for. Some days my practice is just five minutes and comprised of only the Sun Salutations. But, my Tapas means that I get on my mat with great frequency. This daily discipline has become my spiritual ritual of mental and physical purification.

Once I learned how to build discipline on the mat, I learned to be disciplined off the mat as well. I adopted a strictly plant-based diet. I've written four books and am working on my fifth. I co-founded a yoga center, Miami Life Center, and founded an online channel for yoga, Omstars. I travel and teach yoga all over the world. While surely I have been both blessed, privileged, and lucky, I've also applied the same disciplined approach to life that I applied to my body when learning to jump through, jump back, and lift up in inversions and other asanas. If I failed, I did not waver. I picked myself back up and tried again. Now, there are some dreams (and poses!) that I'm still working on. Yet with the power of Tapas, I am faithful that all is coming in its due course of time.

See also Kino MacGregor's 7-Pose Yoga Break for Stress Relief

Kino MacGregor embraces the benefits of discipline.

4 Ways to Strengthen Your Discipline This Week

This week's Yogi Assignment is Tapas. I'd like you to introduce just one challenging aspect to your spiritual practice this week and as you do, be sure that your Tapas is rooted in love-not punishment. With the same kind heart that you would feel as you discipline your child, speak to yourself about the benefits of discipline.

Below are some options for how you might apply Tapas to your practice this week. Of course, you're welcome to explore other areas of discipline. If you feel inspired to share your progress on this week's #YogiAssignment on social media, I'd love to see how it's going. But also, feel free to make this a private, introspective journey. You might find that journaling about your experience of Tapas helps you process your relationship to discipline.

1. Begin an early a.m. practice.

Commit to waking up before dawn and getting on your mat as soon as possible. Avoid sending emails or logging on to social media before you practice. The early morning practice capitalizes on the relatively quiet state of mind that is predominant directly after waking up. By starting your practice in this calm space, you'll be able to work very deeply in the mind. Plus, if you get your practice in before “life” starts, then you will be set up for the whole day in the paradigm of spiritually-oriented thinking. Your day will flow from a place of peace and you won't ever get “too busy” to practice.

2. Eat like a yogi.

Changing food habits is never fun. You often meet cultural and social resistance, not to mention desire for past pleasure. Just for this week, try giving up a food item that you feel particularly attached to and is an impediment to your practice. For example, if you always have a glass or two of wine in the evenings, challenge yourself to give that up for a week. See who you are without your samskara of wine. It won't be easy. In fact, it will probably confront you with “stuff” you'll need to look at. But, just try it out for one week and see how you react in both positive and negative ways.

3. Roll out your mat everyday.

Commit to getting on your mat for at least five minutes every day this week. It will be easier if you practice around the same time. Just as we brush our teeth first thing in the morning and last thing at night, practice is best done when you make a ritual out of it and do it at the same time every day.

4. Change your thinking.

Your yoga practice gives you a view into your inner world. There, in the space between your breaths, you will often find your repetitive thoughts. Once you see those thoughts on your yoga mat, you will probably also see them show up in your life.

As an act of Tapas this week, be watchful over your thoughts both on and off the mat. If you notice yourself thinking negative thoughts about yourself like “I feel fat” “I'm too old” “I'm ugly”, see if you can turn the thought around. Using your spiritual strength, see if you can find a positive thought to think about yourself instead. This type of work is the hardest and requires the most discipline. But if you succeed at the other aspects of Tapas you will develop the grit it takes to retrain the habit pattern of the mind. Eventually, your mind and heart will be filled with kind, peaceful, loving thoughts about yourself-and your whole world. 

See also Kino MacGregor's 4-Step Get-Your-Handstand Plan

[cedarrrun]

Sticking to something you set out to do—especially when it challenges your go-to habits—takes discipline. Here are four ways to strengthen your determination by the end of this week.

Learn four ways to strengthen your discipline this week.

This morning I woke up at 5 a.m., more than two hours before sunrise. Before 6 a.m. I was meditating, and before the sun peaked over the clouds I was already in Downward Facing Dog.

Considering this typical morning ritual of mine, it may surprise you to hear that I’m not a morning person. Over 20 years of yoga practice and I still find it challenging to wake up before the sun. My natural body clock wants to sleep in for a good 30 to 40 minutes after the sun has risen. But, years of practice and a good dose of discipline have taught me about the benefits of stretching beyond my comfort zone, both in practice and in life.

How Your Samskaras Can Hold You Back

Traditionally yoga practice is a spiritual journey that aims to cleanse the body and mind of old and destructive habit patterns. These patterns are called samskaras in Sanskrit, and we all have them. Since samskaras are the most manifested embodiments of our thoughts and personality, we are very identified with them—and it often causes us great emotional turmoil to change them.

There is a powerful inertia that drives the samskara cycle and, if left unchecked, the pattern will continue largely driven by unconscious motivating forces. Some samskaras are said to be benign, meaning that they do not generate further suffering. But the majority of the ones that govern our lives are not beneficial to our liberation and will ultimately lead to more suffering. Working with the samskaras is like performing a deep operation of the mind; it isn’t something that can be undertaken in a haphazard manner. In fact, restructuring the habit pattern of the mind and laying the foundation for a life of inner peace is a devoted, disciplined practice that will require your full undivided attention.

See also 13 Poses to Help You Break Bad Habits

This is Where Tapas Comes In …

Calls for discipline can be unpopular, and even sometimes thought of as negative. In our free-thinking, self-invented culture, many people hate the idea of following the rules.

Well, in the yoga practice, there is a long history of the need for a disciplined approach to spiritual practice. Called Tapas in Sanskrit, discipline is discussed in all traditional forms of yoga practice. Sometimes Tapas can be translated as austerities, which can be even more intimidating. A softer translation comes from Swami Satchidananda, where Tapas is defined as the acceptance of those pains that lead to purification.

I love this definition because some overzealous students hear discipline and use it as an excuse to practice with harshness and severity, and even turn the practice into a kind of penance. But, yoga is rooted in the path of balance, and extreme hardship is simply not recommended. Discipline in the yoga practice actually comes from love.

See also Fuel Your Willpower to Transform with Tapas

Here’s a real-world way that discipline works in the yoga practice to achieve spiritual results:

My alarm goes off at 5 a.m. and the “old” me (inspired by that old samskara!) wants to stay in bed and snuggle. The “new” me has to force myself a little to roll out of bed. There is so much momentum around the pattern of staying in bed. My entire inner dialogue speaks a seductive language that entices me to sleep in: “You deserve rest,” it says. “Just hit snooze for 5 minutes,” it continues. “It’s way too early—the sun isn’t even out yet,” it nudges some more.

I can choose to listen to that inner voice of my old patterning—or I can choose to get out of bed and start my spiritual practice. It isn’t easy to chart a new course. It requires effort, willpower, and determination. But, as I sit on my meditation cushion and my mind quiets in those pre-dawn hours, I feel a sense of peace and awareness. This dawn, the awakening of inner light, fills me up so much so that it makes it all worth the effort.

“Every Practice Should Contain Some Element of Difficulty”

My teacher, R. Sharath Jois, likes to say that every practice should contain at least some element of difficulty. If practice is too easy, the idea is that it won’t be able to teach you about the depths of yourself. The mountain of yoga is the truly the highest peak of human consciousness. In some sense, it should be a little hard and present challenges that mirror the challenges of life.

The yogi is a seeker of truth and the journey to the deepest truth demands strength, commitment, and resolution from would-be aspirants. Tapas is there to tell you that it is OK that your first attempt at a difficult arm balance is not a success. Tapas encourages you to try again, one more time or 1,000 more times, to build the strength and learn the lesson your practice is trying to teach you. If you normally back away from hardship, Tapas is there to encourage you to rise up and meet hardship with a fierce love. Tapas is one of the most important tests along the spiritual path of yoga. Tapas teaches you a spiritual paradigm that changes your response to adversity and struggle. By learning how to face those pains that lead to purification (not injury!), you will learn how to lean in to the scary places in your life.

See also How Sangha Drew Kino MacGregor Away from the “Spiritual Desperation” of a Drug-Fueled Party Scene

Kino MacGregor tapped into tapas with the discipline of her yoga practice. 

How Kino MacGregor Has Tapped Into Tapas

The Tapas of my yoga practice has changed nearly every aspect of my life.

You already know that yoga changed the time I wake up in the morning. While I still play hooky sometimes and sleep in (I’m human after all), I generally wake up much earlier than I did before I started practicing yoga. That means that I go to bed much earlier as well. Like a domino-effect, going to bed early and rising early puts a serious dent in what types of parties and social interactions happen in the late evenings (read: no more late-night parties for me).

Tapas has also changed my daily rituals. Before I started practicing yoga, the only thing I did every day was brush my teeth. Then, I accepted the six-day-a-week demand of Ashtanga Yoga and I haven’t wavered for 20 years. Sure, there are days when my practice isn’t the full two hour sweat fest that Ashtanga Yoga is known for. Some days my practice is just five minutes and comprised of only the Sun Salutations. But, my Tapas means that I get on my mat with great frequency. This daily discipline has become my spiritual ritual of mental and physical purification.

Once I learned how to build discipline on the mat, I learned to be disciplined off the mat as well. I adopted a strictly plant-based diet. I’ve written four books and am working on my fifth. I co-founded a yoga center, Miami Life Center, and founded an online channel for yoga, Omstars. I travel and teach yoga all over the world. While surely I have been both blessed, privileged, and lucky, I’ve also applied the same disciplined approach to life that I applied to my body when learning to jump through, jump back, and lift up in inversions and other asanas. If I failed, I did not waver. I picked myself back up and tried again. Now, there are some dreams (and poses!) that I’m still working on. Yet with the power of Tapas, I am faithful that all is coming in its due course of time.

See also Kino MacGregor's 7-Pose Yoga Break for Stress Relief

Kino MacGregor embraces the benefits of discipline.

4 Ways to Strengthen Your Discipline This Week

This week’s Yogi Assignment is Tapas. I’d like you to introduce just one challenging aspect to your spiritual practice this week and as you do, be sure that your Tapas is rooted in love—not punishment. With the same kind heart that you would feel as you discipline your child, speak to yourself about the benefits of discipline.

Below are some options for how you might apply Tapas to your practice this week. Of course, you’re welcome to explore other areas of discipline. If you feel inspired to share your progress on this week’s #YogiAssignment on social media, I’d love to see how it’s going. But also, feel free to make this a private, introspective journey. You might find that journaling about your experience of Tapas helps you process your relationship to discipline.

1. Begin an early a.m. practice.

Commit to waking up before dawn and getting on your mat as soon as possible. Avoid sending emails or logging on to social media before you practice. The early morning practice capitalizes on the relatively quiet state of mind that is predominant directly after waking up. By starting your practice in this calm space, you’ll be able to work very deeply in the mind. Plus, if you get your practice in before “life” starts, then you will be set up for the whole day in the paradigm of spiritually-oriented thinking. Your day will flow from a place of peace and you won’t ever get “too busy” to practice.

2. Eat like a yogi.

Changing food habits is never fun. You often meet cultural and social resistance, not to mention desire for past pleasure. Just for this week, try giving up a food item that you feel particularly attached to and is an impediment to your practice. For example, if you always have a glass or two of wine in the evenings, challenge yourself to give that up for a week. See who you are without your samskara of wine. It won’t be easy. In fact, it will probably confront you with “stuff” you’ll need to look at. But, just try it out for one week and see how you react in both positive and negative ways.

3. Roll out your mat everyday.

Commit to getting on your mat for at least five minutes every day this week. It will be easier if you practice around the same time. Just as we brush our teeth first thing in the morning and last thing at night, practice is best done when you make a ritual out of it and do it at the same time every day.

4. Change your thinking.

Your yoga practice gives you a view into your inner world. There, in the space between your breaths, you will often find your repetitive thoughts. Once you see those thoughts on your yoga mat, you will probably also see them show up in your life.

As an act of Tapas this week, be watchful over your thoughts both on and off the mat. If you notice yourself thinking negative thoughts about yourself like “I feel fat” “I’m too old” “I’m ugly”, see if you can turn the thought around. Using your spiritual strength, see if you can find a positive thought to think about yourself instead. This type of work is the hardest and requires the most discipline. But if you succeed at the other aspects of Tapas you will develop the grit it takes to retrain the habit pattern of the mind. Eventually, your mind and heart will be filled with kind, peaceful, loving thoughts about yourself—and your whole world. 

See also Kino MacGregor's 4-Step Get-Your-Handstand Plan

[krisiunicornio]

Sticking to something you set out to do—especially when it challenges your go-to habits—takes discipline. Here are four ways to strengthen your determination by the end of this week.

Learn four ways to strengthen your discipline this week.

This morning I woke up at 5 a.m., more than two hours before sunrise. Before 6 a.m. I was meditating, and before the sun peaked over the clouds I was already in Downward Facing Dog.

Considering this typical morning ritual of mine, it may surprise you to hear that I’m not a morning person. Over 20 years of yoga practice and I still find it challenging to wake up before the sun. My natural body clock wants to sleep in for a good 30 to 40 minutes after the sun has risen. But, years of practice and a good dose of discipline have taught me about the benefits of stretching beyond my comfort zone, both in practice and in life.

How Your Samskaras Can Hold You Back

Traditionally yoga practice is a spiritual journey that aims to cleanse the body and mind of old and destructive habit patterns. These patterns are called samskaras in Sanskrit, and we all have them. Since samskaras are the most manifested embodiments of our thoughts and personality, we are very identified with them—and it often causes us great emotional turmoil to change them.

There is a powerful inertia that drives the samskara cycle and, if left unchecked, the pattern will continue largely driven by unconscious motivating forces. Some samskaras are said to be benign, meaning that they do not generate further suffering. But the majority of the ones that govern our lives are not beneficial to our liberation and will ultimately lead to more suffering. Working with the samskaras is like performing a deep operation of the mind; it isn’t something that can be undertaken in a haphazard manner. In fact, restructuring the habit pattern of the mind and laying the foundation for a life of inner peace is a devoted, disciplined practice that will require your full undivided attention.

See also 13 Poses to Help You Break Bad Habits

This is Where Tapas Comes In …

Calls for discipline can be unpopular, and even sometimes thought of as negative. In our free-thinking, self-invented culture, many people hate the idea of following the rules.

Well, in the yoga practice, there is a long history of the need for a disciplined approach to spiritual practice. Called Tapas in Sanskrit, discipline is discussed in all traditional forms of yoga practice. Sometimes Tapas can be translated as austerities, which can be even more intimidating. A softer translation comes from Swami Satchidananda, where Tapas is defined as the acceptance of those pains that lead to purification.

I love this definition because some overzealous students hear discipline and use it as an excuse to practice with harshness and severity, and even turn the practice into a kind of penance. But, yoga is rooted in the path of balance, and extreme hardship is simply not recommended. Discipline in the yoga practice actually comes from love.

See also Fuel Your Willpower to Transform with Tapas

Here’s a real-world way that discipline works in the yoga practice to achieve spiritual results:

My alarm goes off at 5 a.m. and the “old” me (inspired by that old samskara!) wants to stay in bed and snuggle. The “new” me has to force myself a little to roll out of bed. There is so much momentum around the pattern of staying in bed. My entire inner dialogue speaks a seductive language that entices me to sleep in: “You deserve rest,” it says. “Just hit snooze for 5 minutes,” it continues. “It’s way too early—the sun isn’t even out yet,” it nudges some more.

I can choose to listen to that inner voice of my old patterning—or I can choose to get out of bed and start my spiritual practice. It isn’t easy to chart a new course. It requires effort, willpower, and determination. But, as I sit on my meditation cushion and my mind quiets in those pre-dawn hours, I feel a sense of peace and awareness. This dawn, the awakening of inner light, fills me up so much so that it makes it all worth the effort.

“Every Practice Should Contain Some Element of Difficulty”

My teacher, R. Sharath Jois, likes to say that every practice should contain at least some element of difficulty. If practice is too easy, the idea is that it won’t be able to teach you about the depths of yourself. The mountain of yoga is the truly the highest peak of human consciousness. In some sense, it should be a little hard and present challenges that mirror the challenges of life.

The yogi is a seeker of truth and the journey to the deepest truth demands strength, commitment, and resolution from would-be aspirants. Tapas is there to tell you that it is OK that your first attempt at a difficult arm balance is not a success. Tapas encourages you to try again, one more time or 1,000 more times, to build the strength and learn the lesson your practice is trying to teach you. If you normally back away from hardship, Tapas is there to encourage you to rise up and meet hardship with a fierce love. Tapas is one of the most important tests along the spiritual path of yoga. Tapas teaches you a spiritual paradigm that changes your response to adversity and struggle. By learning how to face those pains that lead to purification (not injury!), you will learn how to lean in to the scary places in your life.

See also How Sangha Drew Kino MacGregor Away from the “Spiritual Desperation” of a Drug-Fueled Party Scene

Kino MacGregor tapped into tapas with the discipline of her yoga practice. 

How Kino MacGregor Has Tapped Into Tapas

The Tapas of my yoga practice has changed nearly every aspect of my life.

You already know that yoga changed the time I wake up in the morning. While I still play hooky sometimes and sleep in (I’m human after all), I generally wake up much earlier than I did before I started practicing yoga. That means that I go to bed much earlier as well. Like a domino-effect, going to bed early and rising early puts a serious dent in what types of parties and social interactions happen in the late evenings (read: no more late-night parties for me).

Tapas has also changed my daily rituals. Before I started practicing yoga, the only thing I did every day was brush my teeth. Then, I accepted the six-day-a-week demand of Ashtanga Yoga and I haven’t wavered for 20 years. Sure, there are days when my practice isn’t the full two hour sweat fest that Ashtanga Yoga is known for. Some days my practice is just five minutes and comprised of only the Sun Salutations. But, my Tapas means that I get on my mat with great frequency. This daily discipline has become my spiritual ritual of mental and physical purification.

Once I learned how to build discipline on the mat, I learned to be disciplined off the mat as well. I adopted a strictly plant-based diet. I’ve written four books and am working on my fifth. I co-founded a yoga center, Miami Life Center, and founded an online channel for yoga, Omstars. I travel and teach yoga all over the world. While surely I have been both blessed, privileged, and lucky, I’ve also applied the same disciplined approach to life that I applied to my body when learning to jump through, jump back, and lift up in inversions and other asanas. If I failed, I did not waver. I picked myself back up and tried again. Now, there are some dreams (and poses!) that I’m still working on. Yet with the power of Tapas, I am faithful that all is coming in its due course of time.

See also Kino MacGregor's 7-Pose Yoga Break for Stress Relief

Kino MacGregor embraces the benefits of discipline.

4 Ways to Strengthen Your Discipline This Week

This week’s Yogi Assignment is Tapas. I’d like you to introduce just one challenging aspect to your spiritual practice this week and as you do, be sure that your Tapas is rooted in love—not punishment. With the same kind heart that you would feel as you discipline your child, speak to yourself about the benefits of discipline.

Below are some options for how you might apply Tapas to your practice this week. Of course, you’re welcome to explore other areas of discipline. If you feel inspired to share your progress on this week’s #YogiAssignment on social media, I’d love to see how it’s going. But also, feel free to make this a private, introspective journey. You might find that journaling about your experience of Tapas helps you process your relationship to discipline.

1. Begin an early a.m. practice.

Commit to waking up before dawn and getting on your mat as soon as possible. Avoid sending emails or logging on to social media before you practice. The early morning practice capitalizes on the relatively quiet state of mind that is predominant directly after waking up. By starting your practice in this calm space, you’ll be able to work very deeply in the mind. Plus, if you get your practice in before “life” starts, then you will be set up for the whole day in the paradigm of spiritually-oriented thinking. Your day will flow from a place of peace and you won’t ever get “too busy” to practice.

2. Eat like a yogi.

Changing food habits is never fun. You often meet cultural and social resistance, not to mention desire for past pleasure. Just for this week, try giving up a food item that you feel particularly attached to and is an impediment to your practice. For example, if you always have a glass or two of wine in the evenings, challenge yourself to give that up for a week. See who you are without your samskara of wine. It won’t be easy. In fact, it will probably confront you with “stuff” you’ll need to look at. But, just try it out for one week and see how you react in both positive and negative ways.

3. Roll out your mat everyday.

Commit to getting on your mat for at least five minutes every day this week. It will be easier if you practice around the same time. Just as we brush our teeth first thing in the morning and last thing at night, practice is best done when you make a ritual out of it and do it at the same time every day.

4. Change your thinking.

Your yoga practice gives you a view into your inner world. There, in the space between your breaths, you will often find your repetitive thoughts. Once you see those thoughts on your yoga mat, you will probably also see them show up in your life.

As an act of Tapas this week, be watchful over your thoughts both on and off the mat. If you notice yourself thinking negative thoughts about yourself like “I feel fat” “I’m too old” “I’m ugly”, see if you can turn the thought around. Using your spiritual strength, see if you can find a positive thought to think about yourself instead. This type of work is the hardest and requires the most discipline. But if you succeed at the other aspects of Tapas you will develop the grit it takes to retrain the habit pattern of the mind. Eventually, your mind and heart will be filled with kind, peaceful, loving thoughts about yourself—and your whole world. 

See also Kino MacGregor's 4-Step Get-Your-Handstand Plan

[remedialmassage]

Yogi Assignment: Tap Into the Benefits of Tapas

Sticking to something you set out to do—especially when it challenges your go-to habits—takes discipline. Here are four ways to strengthen your determination by the end of this week.

Learn four ways to strengthen your discipline this week.

This morning I woke up at 5 a.m., more than two hours before sunrise. Before 6 a.m. I was meditating, and before the sun peaked over the clouds I was already in Downward Facing Dog.

Considering this typical morning ritual of mine, it may surprise you to hear that I’m not a morning person. Over 20 years of yoga practice and I still find it challenging to wake up before the sun. My natural body clock wants to sleep in for a good 30 to 40 minutes after the sun has risen. But, years of practice and a good dose of discipline have taught me about the benefits of stretching beyond my comfort zone, both in practice and in life.

How Your Samskaras Can Hold You Back

Traditionally yoga practice is a spiritual journey that aims to cleanse the body and mind of old and destructive habit patterns. These patterns are called samskaras in Sanskrit, and we all have them. Since samskaras are the most manifested embodiments of our thoughts and personality, we are very identified with them—and it often causes us great emotional turmoil to change them.

There is a powerful inertia that drives the samskara cycle and, if left unchecked, the pattern will continue largely driven by unconscious motivating forces. Some samskaras are said to be benign, meaning that they do not generate further suffering. But the majority of the ones that govern our lives are not beneficial to our liberation and will ultimately lead to more suffering. Working with the samskaras is like performing a deep operation of the mind; it isn’t something that can be undertaken in a haphazard manner. In fact, restructuring the habit pattern of the mind and laying the foundation for a life of inner peace is a devoted, disciplined practice that will require your full undivided attention.

See also 13 Poses to Help You Break Bad Habits

This is Where Tapas Comes In …

Calls for discipline can be unpopular, and even sometimes thought of as negative. In our free-thinking, self-invented culture, many people hate the idea of following the rules.

Well, in the yoga practice, there is a long history of the need for a disciplined approach to spiritual practice. Called Tapas in Sanskrit, discipline is discussed in all traditional forms of yoga practice. Sometimes Tapas can be translated as austerities, which can be even more intimidating. A softer translation comes from Swami Satchidananda, where Tapas is defined as the acceptance of those pains that lead to purification.

I love this definition because some overzealous students hear discipline and use it as an excuse to practice with harshness and severity, and even turn the practice into a kind of penance. But, yoga is rooted in the path of balance, and extreme hardship is simply not recommended. Discipline in the yoga practice actually comes from love.

See also Fuel Your Willpower to Transform with Tapas

Here’s a real-world way that discipline works in the yoga practice to achieve spiritual results:

My alarm goes off at 5 a.m. and the “old” me (inspired by that old samskara!) wants to stay in bed and snuggle. The “new” me has to force myself a little to roll out of bed. There is so much momentum around the pattern of staying in bed. My entire inner dialogue speaks a seductive language that entices me to sleep in: “You deserve rest,” it says. “Just hit snooze for 5 minutes,” it continues. “It’s way too early—the sun isn’t even out yet,” it nudges some more.

I can choose to listen to that inner voice of my old patterning—or I can choose to get out of bed and start my spiritual practice. It isn’t easy to chart a new course. It requires effort, willpower, and determination. But, as I sit on my meditation cushion and my mind quiets in those pre-dawn hours, I feel a sense of peace and awareness. This dawn, the awakening of inner light, fills me up so much so that it makes it all worth the effort.

“Every Practice Should Contain Some Element of Difficulty”

My teacher, R. Sharath Jois, likes to say that every practice should contain at least some element of difficulty. If practice is too easy, the idea is that it won’t be able to teach you about the depths of yourself. The mountain of yoga is the truly the highest peak of human consciousness. In some sense, it should be a little hard and present challenges that mirror the challenges of life.

The yogi is a seeker of truth and the journey to the deepest truth demands strength, commitment, and resolution from would-be aspirants. Tapas is there to tell you that it is OK that your first attempt at a difficult arm balance is not a success. Tapas encourages you to try again, one more time or 1,000 more times, to build the strength and learn the lesson your practice is trying to teach you. If you normally back away from hardship, Tapas is there to encourage you to rise up and meet hardship with a fierce love. Tapas is one of the most important tests along the spiritual path of yoga. Tapas teaches you a spiritual paradigm that changes your response to adversity and struggle. By learning how to face those pains that lead to purification (not injury!), you will learn how to lean in to the scary places in your life.

See also How Sangha Drew Kino MacGregor Away from the “Spiritual Desperation” of a Drug-Fueled Party Scene

Kino MacGregor tapped into tapas with the discipline of her yoga practice. 

How Kino MacGregor Has Tapped Into Tapas

The Tapas of my yoga practice has changed nearly every aspect of my life.

You already know that yoga changed the time I wake up in the morning. While I still play hooky sometimes and sleep in (I’m human after all), I generally wake up much earlier than I did before I started practicing yoga. That means that I go to bed much earlier as well. Like a domino-effect, going to bed early and rising early puts a serious dent in what types of parties and social interactions happen in the late evenings (read: no more late-night parties for me).

Tapas has also changed my daily rituals. Before I started practicing yoga, the only thing I did every day was brush my teeth. Then, I accepted the six-day-a-week demand of Ashtanga Yoga and I haven’t wavered for 20 years. Sure, there are days when my practice isn’t the full two hour sweat fest that Ashtanga Yoga is known for. Some days my practice is just five minutes and comprised of only the Sun Salutations. But, my Tapas means that I get on my mat with great frequency. This daily discipline has become my spiritual ritual of mental and physical purification.

Once I learned how to build discipline on the mat, I learned to be disciplined off the mat as well. I adopted a strictly plant-based diet. I’ve written four books and am working on my fifth. I co-founded a yoga center, Miami Life Center, and founded an online channel for yoga, Omstars. I travel and teach yoga all over the world. While surely I have been both blessed, privileged, and lucky, I’ve also applied the same disciplined approach to life that I applied to my body when learning to jump through, jump back, and lift up in inversions and other asanas. If I failed, I did not waver. I picked myself back up and tried again. Now, there are some dreams (and poses!) that I’m still working on. Yet with the power of Tapas, I am faithful that all is coming in its due course of time.

See also Kino MacGregor's 7-Pose Yoga Break for Stress Relief

4 Ways to Strengthen Your Discipline This Week

This week’s Yogi Assignment is Tapas. I’d like you to introduce just one challenging aspect to your spiritual practice this week and as you do, be sure that your Tapas is rooted in love—not punishment. With the same kind heart that you would feel as you discipline your child, speak to yourself about the benefits of discipline.

Below are some options for how you might apply Tapas to your practice this week. Of course, you’re welcome to explore other areas of discipline. If you feel inspired to share your progress on this week’s #YogiAssignment on social media, I’d love to see how it’s going. But also, feel free to make this a private, introspective journey. You might find that journaling about your experience of Tapas helps you process your relationship to discipline.

1. Begin an early a.m. practice.

Commit to waking up before dawn and getting on your mat as soon as possible. Avoid sending emails or logging on to social media before you practice. The early morning practice capitalizes on the relatively quiet state of mind that is predominant directly after waking up. By starting your practice in this calm space, you’ll be able to work very deeply in the mind. Plus, if you get your practice in before “life” starts, then you will be set up for the whole day in the paradigm of spiritually-oriented thinking. Your day will flow from a place of peace and you won’t ever get “too busy” to practice.

2. Eat like a yogi.

Changing food habits is never fun. You often meet cultural and social resistance, not to mention desire for past pleasure. Just for this week, try giving up a food item that you feel particularly attached to and is an impediment to your practice. For example, if you always have a glass or two of wine in the evenings, challenge yourself to give that up for a week. See who you are without your samskara of wine. It won’t be easy. In fact, it will probably confront you with “stuff” you’ll need to look at. But, just try it out for one week and see how you react in both positive and negative ways.

3. Roll out your mat everyday.

Commit to getting on your mat for at least five minutes every day this week. It will be easier if you practice around the same time. Just as we brush our teeth first thing in the morning and last thing at night, practice is best done when you make a ritual out of it and do it at the same time every day.

4. Change your thinking.

Your yoga practice gives you a view into your inner world. There, in the space between your breaths, you will often find your repetitive thoughts. Once you see those thoughts on your yoga mat, you will probably also see them show up in your life.

As an act of Tapas this week, be watchful over your thoughts both on and off the mat. If you notice yourself thinking negative thoughts about yourself like “I feel fat” “I’m too old” “I’m ugly”, see if you can turn the thought around. Using your spiritual strength, see if you can find a positive thought to think about yourself instead. This type of work is the hardest and requires the most discipline. But if you succeed at the other aspects of Tapas you will develop the grit it takes to retrain the habit pattern of the mind. Eventually, your mind and heart will be filled with kind, peaceful, loving thoughts about yourself—and your whole world. 

See also Kino MacGregor's 4-Step Get-Your-Handstand Plan

from Yoga Journal https://ift.tt/2Jniyqh

[amyddaniels]

Yogi Assignment: Tap Into the Benefits of Tapas

Sticking to something you set out to do—especially when it challenges your go-to habits—takes discipline. Here are four ways to strengthen your determination by the end of this week.

Learn four ways to strengthen your discipline this week.

This morning I woke up at 5 a.m., more than two hours before sunrise. Before 6 a.m. I was meditating, and before the sun peaked over the clouds I was already in Downward Facing Dog.

Considering this typical morning ritual of mine, it may surprise you to hear that I’m not a morning person. Over 20 years of yoga practice and I still find it challenging to wake up before the sun. My natural body clock wants to sleep in for a good 30 to 40 minutes after the sun has risen. But, years of practice and a good dose of discipline have taught me about the benefits of stretching beyond my comfort zone, both in practice and in life.

How Your Samskaras Can Hold You Back

Traditionally yoga practice is a spiritual journey that aims to cleanse the body and mind of old and destructive habit patterns. These patterns are called samskaras in Sanskrit, and we all have them. Since samskaras are the most manifested embodiments of our thoughts and personality, we are very identified with them—and it often causes us great emotional turmoil to change them.

There is a powerful inertia that drives the samskara cycle and, if left unchecked, the pattern will continue largely driven by unconscious motivating forces. Some samskaras are said to be benign, meaning that they do not generate further suffering. But the majority of the ones that govern our lives are not beneficial to our liberation and will ultimately lead to more suffering. Working with the samskaras is like performing a deep operation of the mind; it isn’t something that can be undertaken in a haphazard manner. In fact, restructuring the habit pattern of the mind and laying the foundation for a life of inner peace is a devoted, disciplined practice that will require your full undivided attention.

See also 13 Poses to Help You Break Bad Habits

This is Where Tapas Comes In …

Calls for discipline can be unpopular, and even sometimes thought of as negative. In our free-thinking, self-invented culture, many people hate the idea of following the rules.

Well, in the yoga practice, there is a long history of the need for a disciplined approach to spiritual practice. Called Tapas in Sanskrit, discipline is discussed in all traditional forms of yoga practice. Sometimes Tapas can be translated as austerities, which can be even more intimidating. A softer translation comes from Swami Satchidananda, where Tapas is defined as the acceptance of those pains that lead to purification.

I love this definition because some overzealous students hear discipline and use it as an excuse to practice with harshness and severity, and even turn the practice into a kind of penance. But, yoga is rooted in the path of balance, and extreme hardship is simply not recommended. Discipline in the yoga practice actually comes from love.

See also Fuel Your Willpower to Transform with Tapas

Here’s a real-world way that discipline works in the yoga practice to achieve spiritual results:

My alarm goes off at 5 a.m. and the “old” me (inspired by that old samskara!) wants to stay in bed and snuggle. The “new” me has to force myself a little to roll out of bed. There is so much momentum around the pattern of staying in bed. My entire inner dialogue speaks a seductive language that entices me to sleep in: “You deserve rest,” it says. “Just hit snooze for 5 minutes,” it continues. “It’s way too early—the sun isn’t even out yet,” it nudges some more.

I can choose to listen to that inner voice of my old patterning—or I can choose to get out of bed and start my spiritual practice. It isn’t easy to chart a new course. It requires effort, willpower, and determination. But, as I sit on my meditation cushion and my mind quiets in those pre-dawn hours, I feel a sense of peace and awareness. This dawn, the awakening of inner light, fills me up so much so that it makes it all worth the effort.

“Every Practice Should Contain Some Element of Difficulty”

My teacher, R. Sharath Jois, likes to say that every practice should contain at least some element of difficulty. If practice is too easy, the idea is that it won’t be able to teach you about the depths of yourself. The mountain of yoga is the truly the highest peak of human consciousness. In some sense, it should be a little hard and present challenges that mirror the challenges of life.

The yogi is a seeker of truth and the journey to the deepest truth demands strength, commitment, and resolution from would-be aspirants. Tapas is there to tell you that it is OK that your first attempt at a difficult arm balance is not a success. Tapas encourages you to try again, one more time or 1,000 more times, to build the strength and learn the lesson your practice is trying to teach you. If you normally back away from hardship, Tapas is there to encourage you to rise up and meet hardship with a fierce love. Tapas is one of the most important tests along the spiritual path of yoga. Tapas teaches you a spiritual paradigm that changes your response to adversity and struggle. By learning how to face those pains that lead to purification (not injury!), you will learn how to lean in to the scary places in your life.

See also How Sangha Drew Kino MacGregor Away from the “Spiritual Desperation” of a Drug-Fueled Party Scene

Kino MacGregor tapped into tapas with the discipline of her yoga practice. 

How Kino MacGregor Has Tapped Into Tapas

The Tapas of my yoga practice has changed nearly every aspect of my life.

You already know that yoga changed the time I wake up in the morning. While I still play hooky sometimes and sleep in (I’m human after all), I generally wake up much earlier than I did before I started practicing yoga. That means that I go to bed much earlier as well. Like a domino-effect, going to bed early and rising early puts a serious dent in what types of parties and social interactions happen in the late evenings (read: no more late-night parties for me).

Tapas has also changed my daily rituals. Before I started practicing yoga, the only thing I did every day was brush my teeth. Then, I accepted the six-day-a-week demand of Ashtanga Yoga and I haven’t wavered for 20 years. Sure, there are days when my practice isn’t the full two hour sweat fest that Ashtanga Yoga is known for. Some days my practice is just five minutes and comprised of only the Sun Salutations. But, my Tapas means that I get on my mat with great frequency. This daily discipline has become my spiritual ritual of mental and physical purification.

Once I learned how to build discipline on the mat, I learned to be disciplined off the mat as well. I adopted a strictly plant-based diet. I’ve written four books and am working on my fifth. I co-founded a yoga center, Miami Life Center, and founded an online channel for yoga, Omstars. I travel and teach yoga all over the world. While surely I have been both blessed, privileged, and lucky, I’ve also applied the same disciplined approach to life that I applied to my body when learning to jump through, jump back, and lift up in inversions and other asanas. If I failed, I did not waver. I picked myself back up and tried again. Now, there are some dreams (and poses!) that I’m still working on. Yet with the power of Tapas, I am faithful that all is coming in its due course of time.

See also Kino MacGregor's 7-Pose Yoga Break for Stress Relief

4 Ways to Strengthen Your Discipline This Week

This week’s Yogi Assignment is Tapas. I’d like you to introduce just one challenging aspect to your spiritual practice this week and as you do, be sure that your Tapas is rooted in love—not punishment. With the same kind heart that you would feel as you discipline your child, speak to yourself about the benefits of discipline.

Below are some options for how you might apply Tapas to your practice this week. Of course, you’re welcome to explore other areas of discipline. If you feel inspired to share your progress on this week’s #YogiAssignment on social media, I’d love to see how it’s going. But also, feel free to make this a private, introspective journey. You might find that journaling about your experience of Tapas helps you process your relationship to discipline.

1. Begin an early a.m. practice.

Commit to waking up before dawn and getting on your mat as soon as possible. Avoid sending emails or logging on to social media before you practice. The early morning practice capitalizes on the relatively quiet state of mind that is predominant directly after waking up. By starting your practice in this calm space, you’ll be able to work very deeply in the mind. Plus, if you get your practice in before “life” starts, then you will be set up for the whole day in the paradigm of spiritually-oriented thinking. Your day will flow from a place of peace and you won’t ever get “too busy” to practice.

2. Eat like a yogi.

Changing food habits is never fun. You often meet cultural and social resistance, not to mention desire for past pleasure. Just for this week, try giving up a food item that you feel particularly attached to and is an impediment to your practice. For example, if you always have a glass or two of wine in the evenings, challenge yourself to give that up for a week. See who you are without your samskara of wine. It won’t be easy. In fact, it will probably confront you with “stuff” you’ll need to look at. But, just try it out for one week and see how you react in both positive and negative ways.

3. Roll out your mat everyday.

Commit to getting on your mat for at least five minutes every day this week. It will be easier if you practice around the same time. Just as we brush our teeth first thing in the morning and last thing at night, practice is best done when you make a ritual out of it and do it at the same time every day.

4. Change your thinking.

Your yoga practice gives you a view into your inner world. There, in the space between your breaths, you will often find your repetitive thoughts. Once you see those thoughts on your yoga mat, you will probably also see them show up in your life.

As an act of Tapas this week, be watchful over your thoughts both on and off the mat. If you notice yourself thinking negative thoughts about yourself like “I feel fat” “I’m too old” “I’m ugly”, see if you can turn the thought around. Using your spiritual strength, see if you can find a positive thought to think about yourself instead. This type of work is the hardest and requires the most discipline. But if you succeed at the other aspects of Tapas you will develop the grit it takes to retrain the habit pattern of the mind. Eventually, your mind and heart will be filled with kind, peaceful, loving thoughts about yourself—and your whole world. 

See also Kino MacGregor's 4-Step Get-Your-Handstand Plan

[kinoyoga]

Forgiveness is easier said than done. While you may think you’ve truly forgiven someone, just wait until they repeat the same action that hurt you all over again. Then the cycle begins again. One thing I’ve learned is that emotion can’t be rushed. If you want to forgive someone the first step is actually acknowledging that you’re mad at them. Unfelt anger is repressed and never leaves. Once you admit your angry about something, keep it short and simple, depersonalize it and try to avoid making value judgements. Saying, when you did X, I got triggered and was angry is a simple truth. Saying, you’re an ignorant, inconsiderate jerk turns your feeling into an attack that only leads to war. You can’t help when you get triggered, but you do get to choose what comes after the trigger. That’s the point of freedom, the space between stimulus and response, where you have the power to break old habit patterns and craft a constructive path forward. _ Try this— _ 1. Forgive Yourself— You’re only doing the best you can and that’s the truth. Even when you’re not at your best or when you’re messing it all up, that’s what you’ve got. If it could be better it would be. Recognize any anger you have towards yourself and state it simply, refraining from judgements. Then forgive yourself. 2. Forgive God— Because there is no wrathful deity waiting to punish you, there really only is a stream of love you can step into, forgive God because there is a depth and meaning to all your suffering and the suffering of the world. Most of what’s done in the name of God is actually just human B.S. and has nothing to do with the true power and glory of the Divine. 3. Forgive your enemies— Feel your anger if you’ve been hurt, and also be willing to let it go. It doesn’t mean you need to allow people that hurt you back into your life or pretend that what is wrong was right, but forgiveness does mean you can put the burden of hurt down and be free yourself. _ #practiceofpeace #yogiassignment @omstarsofficial #yogachallenge Photo @astrudaaa_photography 🙏 (at Miami Beach, Florida) https://www.instagram.com/p/ByvnpMnHHUj/?igshid=jdz20cwd7ycy

[blisswarrior-blog]

“Let’s forgive the past and who we were then. Let’s embrace the present and who we’re capable of becoming. Let’s surrender the future and watch miracles unfold.” ― Marianne Williamson Yumminess... #yogawithrichelle #miracles #bepresent #beachyoga #yogagirl #yogalife #tulumlife #tulumyoga #instagood #huffpostgram #yogagram #yogaeverywhere #YogaEveryDamnDay #girlgetoutside #mermaidyogis #lifewithoutlimits #practicedaily #YogiAssignment #yogaphotography Photo at @sanaratulum

[kinoyoga]

It took me years before I understood just how important the breath is to the depth of yoga practice. There are people who can perform quite exciting asanas but they are unable to breathe deeply. Similarly, there are other students whose asanas may not appear so deep but their breath demonstrates a penetrating inner focus. While it may be tempting to associate proficiency in asana with deep yoga, the truth of the matter is that the yoga practice is an inner experience. While we can never measure or judge someone’s spirituality from the outside, the breath gives you a window to peer into the often obscured realm of the spirit. _ The breath is the thread that ties the conscious and subconscious together. By tuning in to the breath you have a window into the deepest layers of the mind. Even more, the mysteries of life and death are contained within inhalation and exhalation. The faculty of the breath is the power that illuminates the body with the vibrance of life. Without the breath, there is quite simply no life. There is an old yogi myth that states that each individual’s life span is defined by the total amount of breaths allotted to them on this journey. When those breaths are finished, then the journey ends. If you have had the grace to be present when a soul is born into a human body, it is miraculous to see the breath bring life to the body. Similarly, if you have been present when a being breathes their last breath out and life leaves the body, another miracle has occurred. The breath is life and intimacy with the breath brings wisdom and attunement to the rarefied realm of the spirit. _ Read this week’s #YogiAssignment on the Breath here— https://www.kinoyoga.com/yogi-assignment-prana-vayu-the-breath/ _ Question: would you be interested in me doing a weekly talking video on my Yogi Assignments? _ Thanks for reading 🙏 #practiceyogachangeyourworld #onebreathatatime Photo @freexmoney @b.lvvk Outfit @liquidoactive 💗 (at Miami Beach, Florida) https://www.instagram.com/p/BpPi_UTHjlN/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=4g01iuowd06w

[blisswarrior-blog]

Take a chance and go beyond rational reason for love... love for another, love for yourself, love for your furry friends... because without love, there is no reason. ❤️ #loveeveryday #yoga #yogawithrichelle #growwiththeflow #yogagirl #yogagram #yogateacher #yogaeveryday #yogaeverydamnday #YogiAssignment #yogaoffthemat #practiceyogachangeyourworld #iwillwhatiwant #getyourOMback #yogadichastudio Photo shot at @yogadichastudio

[yogaginamaste-blog]

Day 16!! #30dayyogaliving Crane pose- Bakasana “WE ARE ALL CONDITIONED BY our experience. Whenever we see, hear, taste, smell, touch, feel, think, speak, or act, our heart and mind are affected. It is our heart-mind field that accepts sensory input from outside, processes it, integrates it into ourselves, and remembers, ruminates, and directs the delivery of thoughts, words, and actions. The heart-“mind stores our experiences, including emotions, in memory, and over time uses this information to construct an identity that defines who we think we are. Citta is our heart-mind, our outer and inner psyche, and the primary place of interest in the Yoga Sūtras. Our heart-mind sits between the ever-changing outside world and an inner light of awareness. This inner light never changes, and it represents pure, unconditional love. A heart-mind sullied with mental-emotional baggage prevents the inner light from shining through, causing us to act or react according to our deep habitual patterns of behavior. As the heart-mind is clarified, more light can shine through it, and our actions become more loving and positive toward others and ourselves. One of the core aspects of yoga is the process of clarifying the heart-mind (citta-prasādana), so external objects are perceived accurately and truthfully.” Excerpt From The Path of the Yoga Sutras Nicolai Bachman @kinoyoga @omstarsofficial @teekigram @xyience17 🧘🏻‍♂️💜🧘🏼‍♀️ #yogiassignment (at Deerfield Beach, Florida)

[kinoyoga]

Myth buster—Yoga is not easy and yoga should not always feel good. _ I realize that this might not be the best news you’ve heard about yoga or the most positive promotional words about yoga, but I want to keep it real. There is often a discrepancy between the curated imagery of yoga in mainstream advertising and the reality of dedicated daily practice. I realize that I must take some responsibility for that because I too produce peaceful looking yoga photos and videos. While yoga is in fact a path of peace, that is a longterm promise. This ancient spiritual tradition is not built on instant gratification. Yes, eventually your practice will bring you a sense of peace. But no, your practice will not (and should not) always feel good immediately. _ Yoga, like all true spiritual practice, is confronting. I’ve personally been challenged by this aspect of yoga. There have been times when I have not been able to face the depths that my practice asked me for. One such time was during a two year bout of depression where I battled suicidal ideation nearly every day. I kept doing asana but I stopped meditating then because I could not face the darkness of my own inner world. It was the biggest mistake I made. And, it was the choice to get back to my spiritual practice that ultimately began to light the path out of that darkness. Today, I sit even day, even if just for five minutes and I practice Ashtanga Yoga, even if only a few poses, six days a week. The ritual of spiritual practice is the sustenance that keeps me afloat through challenging times. But, if I wanted my practice to always be light, free and easy, then I would not be practicing today. _ Read the full blog here: https://www.kinoyoga.com/yogi-assignment-depth/ _ Be sure to sign up for my weekly #yogiassignment emails 🙏 _ Photo by @yogaphotographer behind the scenes for an awesome project. _ #practiceyogachangeyourworld #onebreathatatime 💗 (at Scotland) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bn14vxWFSMv/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1xb6881up701b

[blisswarrior-blog]

'Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.' - Judy Garland Do you. Be you. No apologies. No excuses. Happy Sunday! ~ xx #alignandflow #alignedflow #yogawithrichelle #tulum #tulumyoga #YogaRetreat #yogini #yogalife #yogagram #invercerion #handstand #practicedaily #yogapractice #YogiAssignment #yogalove #yogaeveryday #yogaeverywhere #beyou #happy #authentic

[kenjmanderson-blog]

@kinoyoga #YogiAssignment Boundaries What do you do when something really bothers you? Shut down or fight back? Implode or explode? Neither is really the best course of action. Emotional intelligence requires maturity of the spirit and experience in action. Sometimes I think it would be really cool to have a mandatory class in empathy and effective communication in school. I mean, not to say that geometry and history haven't been wildly useful, but imagine if we all learned and studied our emotions, behaviors and thought patterns from an early age. I know it would have helped me. If you read my last post you know yesterday was a tough day for me. I went into a mild state of shock after a difficult business meeting where I left feeling belittled, disrespected and bullied. Instead of effectively communicating all I said was “ok”. Now I sit with the remnants of feeing like I did a bad job sticking up for myself. All the old victimhood came right back and lead me into a downward spiral all the way to a panic attack. I haven’t had one of those in awhile, so I guess you could say it’s been a good streak. In retrospect I found the right words. Looking back I can see where I failed to draw the line. The lesson for me here is about boundaries and self-respect. While I can tolerate a lot, when it does bother me it really does hit me right to the core. Rather than waiting for someone else to change it’s important that you set your own standards for what you will accept. Take responsibility for your own actions and avoid blaming others. Rewrite the story and learn from your mistakes. ⚡️ . Tips for Good Boundaries: 1. Change Yourself— Don’t wait for someone else to change before you feel better. Make the changes within yourself and realize that only you are responsible for your own mental well-being. 2. Respect Yourself— Do not engage in actions, name-calling or other immature behavior that you will regret. In other words, take the high ground. 3. Don’t Settle— Walk away from relationships, professional or personal, that don’t treat you or value you 4. Do Your Practice—There is nothing like the empowering feeling of practice. Video from today's practice 🙏 (at Des Moines, Iowa)