Selfless Service

I loved the movie "Pay It Forward", where the main theme was if somebody did something for somebody, largely unexpectedly, that they in turn did something for somebody else. That the good deed forward was passed along and paid forward. This idea has the potential to create an infinite flow of outpouring that comes from a selfless place. It becomes truly selfess when it arises from a deeply heart-centered place with no strings attached: with no expectations.



It simply feels good to participate in small random acts of kindness. Those times when as you exit the off-ramp and see a hungry homeless person you give them the banana you didn't eat at lunch; when you let someone with two items go before you at Trader Joe's; when you pay the toll for the car behind you; when you help a senior by reaching for an item on the top shelf. You get the idea. The little things that can restore a sense that people are generally good and generous.



But what if you're in a position to do more? What if the acts of kindness perhaps aren't random or small?



As I begin my year of aiming to raise $20,000 for the Global Seva Challenge to India, as part of Off the Mat, Into the World, I am sitting in a place where I have a voice to do more than my small, random acts of kindness. I have become part of an organized cause where not only my efforts count, but they synergize with others participating in the challenge. Collectively, we become a much bigger voice for bringing awareness and support to an often silenced population.



I take my hat off to the many people that I see in my local community who give so much to others. They are performing their own forms of SEVA (selfless service) and although they may not have any association with yoga, they are living part of the yogic philosophy in doing so.



Stepping into my own practice of seva, I realize that I need to ask for help from others. This is not a natural part of my being as I still possess a piece of that stubborn two year old who says, "I can do it myself!". But what I am coming to realize is that when I ask for help, I can do more. When people offer to be part of my seva team, collectively we turn up the volume on the issue. They in turn participate in their own seva by helping a cause greater than themselves. They begin the process of paying it forward.

This seva challenge IS way bigger than me. It reminds me how much one person can do, but also how much more a conscious collective of people can alter the quality of other peoples lives. As my involvement deepens, I step more and more into my own power. It's an exciting challenge that has ignited my passions and I invite anyone who is seeking to have their own spark ignited to join me.

Take A Time Out

I remember being in kindergarten and toting a napping mat with me to school. Mine was red on one side, blue on the other with a white piping around the edges. It wasn't that thick, but I wasn't that big so it didn't really matter. What did matter was that when it was time to rest, it was what dictated my space. When our quiet time finished, we all sat around drinking milk and having graham crackers. What a life!



Unfortunately, that behavior wasn't encouraged much after kindergarten and off we were launched into the ever active, scheduled and goal-oriented world. Nowadays times-out have become a way for parents to manage naughty behavior. When I was a kid, it wasn't called a time-out it was, "Jaynellen! Go to your room!" Once there, I would chill out until I felt it safe to show my face and join back into family life. Mind you, it didn't happen that often :).



In our current cultural realm we navigate our daily lives as though we are guiding a boat over a lake with threatening rocks lurking just below the surface. If we become careless or mindless or move too quickly, we run aground and possibly stop our forward momentum.



My thought for the week is: how much can you slow down in your current life? Do you need to? What happens to you if you overpack your schedule? Do you begin to let go of the things that are supportive of you such as exercise, making healthy food choices, getting sleep or having down time? What do you sacrifice in order to stuff more stuff into your day? At what point is it no longer beneficial to how you intend to live your life?



I ask these questions because I observe and listen to many clients throughout the week who have hectic, full days. They come walking into class and one of the first things they ask is, "Is it time for Savasana?". Savasana (Sha-Vah-Sana) or final relaxation pose, is just that---the final pose at the end of a class. So, when people walk into the studio and ask for a time-out, it's a pretty decent indication that it's time to do less, draw inward and slow down.



One of my teachers, Judith Hanson Lasater asks the question, "What would the world be like if everyone did savasana for 20 minutes a day?". My question to you is, "What would YOU be like if you did 20 minutes of savasana a day?".



I hope this has given you a little inspiration to head into your storage area and dig out your old kindergarten mat. And then, maybe grab some graham crackers and milk. Now that's a worthy time out!

Over Stimulated

Stop for a moment as you read this. How many things are going on in your environment, RIGHT NOW? Is the TV on? Music? A conversation in progress? Are you petting your dog? Baking some gluten free cookies? Or naughty you...are you at a red light? How much is going on in your world at this very moment?



We have become numb to the amount of stimuli present in our everyday lives. If you watch one of the sports or news stations, not only do you have the game or the reporter on screen, but you have one and often two by-lines of subtext scrolling somewhere on the screen as well. In the gym the other day, I noticed a person who was walking on the treadmill, headphones on, TV on and reading the newspaper. I thought, "Wow...can this person add anything else into the mix to completely distract themselves from the actual physical activity?".



It's so common, we don't perceive it as being an issue. We're plugged into our devices, that are smaller and more accessible than ever. We have added another layer onto all else that we do. My question is, why?



Partially, I think it's because this is what most people are doing. It seems normal to be disconnected, so we don't have the awareness that we're participating. Our culture has led us to believe that silence isn't desirable. When we step into an experience where there is little distraction from simply being present, we often find it startling.



When we visited the Baha'i House of Worship, also known as "Lotus Temple" in Delhi, India, people were instructed to remain silent once inside the temple. As we entered and found a seat in one of the many long wooden pews there was a rustle of human activity and once people settled down, we were bathed under a vast dome of relative silence. Even after being thoroughly instructed to remain silent, many people couldn't resist the temptation to whisper something to another person. They would then be signaled to "hush" by a volunteer who would make eye contact and place prayer-like hands at their own mouths as a reminder. We sat for quite some time and we could feel a definite shift away from being over-stimulated by the densely populated city and into a sanctuary of calm.



My thought of the week is to see, even in our own busy lives, if we can peel away some of the extra layers and seek our own sanctuary. If you watch a talented juggler handling multiple balls at one time, they are still only doing one thing. Juggling. If you feel you're juggling too many things at a time, see if there is one thing to let go of in order to point your compass into a direction that is more calm. Letting go of a multi-tasking and distracting mind-set can lead us to a sense of openness and freedom, just as we found within the silent temple.

Is That My Suitcase?

On one of my first around-the-world tickets, I flew from Melbourne, Australia to Bangkok, Thailand. I was prepared for a two-day stopover in Bangkok on my way to Europe and I was excited to be taking my new red and grey backpack on its maiden voyage. It was a long flight and we arrived around 2 AM into the international airport in Bangkok. After clearing customs and immigration, I stood in the baggage claim awaiting the arrival of my new backpack. The carriage circled round and round, and as the time passed, the number of bags cycling became fewer and fewer util it finally stopped with another backpack that looked like my backpack, but wasn't.



Here I was, alone in Bangkok for the first time at 2 AM and wondering where my bag was and what to do next. I headed over to the official lost bags office and as I explained my story, the officials caught the woman who had collected my bag rather than hers. It was a simple case of mistaken bag identity (coupled with fatigue, no doubt). It was just in time for me not to have entered a full blown state of panic and unease, of wondering if the stuff in the other woman's bag would fit me.



This story relates to my thought for the week. Are you picking up and carrying around baggage that isn't yours?



Do you take on issues, dramas, stories and gossip that are about others and, in doing so, distance yourself from owning your own stuff?



Many times in this blog, I speak about looking after our own needs first so that we can hold space not only for our own growth, but so we can better hold space for others. By doing so, we enter into our own selfless service (seva). But if we haven't done the work to look deeper into who we are, how we hold our relationships to the earth and other beings then how can we have the energy to carry someone elses baggage?



Ultimately it all comes down to you owning your own stuff and the space you hold in your heart. Maybe it's time to let go of other peoples baggage.

Finding Comfort In The Uncomfortable

We're surrounded by it. It's everywhere we turn. Is there an escape or are we bound to suffer? The "it" are situations that make us feel really uncomfortable. You know, the one where your skin crawls or you just feel like turning around and fleeing as fast as you can.



Part of our yoga practice is to learn how to stay calm amidst discomfort. We experience this as our quadriceps are on fire during a Warrior pose that seems to last longer than a dental appointment. "When will it end?" our inner voice is screaming! "I don't know if I can take it any longer". And then we are guided to our breath and it's as though we find a deeper will. We begin to learn to stay with something that challenges us.



We are beings programmed to move away from pain and toward pleasure. When something we don't like presents itself, we have a couple of options---turn away and avoid, or turn toward and face it. I was recently asked, "why is it important to learn to stay with discomfort?". Good question. My answer is so we may keep our own personal selves evolving. Imagine that every time something uncomfortable (like confrontation) arises, you shut down. You hold your words. You avoid speaking your truth. Imagine this happening repeatedly throughout your life. At what point are you able to stand up for yourself? At what point can you face what challenges you and bravely not hide, but stand in the deeper place of your inner self?



We begin with baby steps. We start with the obvious such as holding a yoga pose, when all we want to do is stop. It has been said that our real yoga (union) begins the moment we want to bolt. We learn how to navigate the discomfort and, over time, the same thing is no longer painful. We more easily stay present with what is. It allows us to fully inhabit each and every moment of our lives, no matter what is facing us. Pain, pleasure, neutrality. It no longer ignites the old triggers that make us want to run and hide.It opens our heart more fully to life.



So the next time you're faced with something unpleasant, see if you can become the witness to the present moment by finding your breath. See if you can notice that buffer of space that separates you from the issue. Instead of reacting in a manner of habit, notice that THIS is the opportunity for growth.

Going To The Edge

We all have limits. The question is, do you know when you've pushed beyond yours? My thought of the week is just about that: finding the edge but not diving over it.



When I was a kid, I used to walk right up to the edge of cliffs and lookouts, particularly when we'd be on a family camping trip to a State or National Park. I had this curiosity about what it would be like to "fly" over the edge. It was common for my Mother's hand to be gripping the waist band of my shorts just in case I actually thought I could fly. I loved stepping up to the edge. It wasn't until I went bungy jumping off a bridge in New Zealand that my curiosity was satiated; it didn't feel exactly like the soaring feeling I thought it would offer. It felt like falling...really fast.



We all have our boundaries but unless we have awareness, we often don't know where that border begins and ends. In our physical practice of yoga our edge is the place where we can maintain steadiness of breath, move freely without pain and feel the effects of the pose. If we press beyond our edge, we often face discomfort, hold our breath, feel pain and increase our chance of hurting ourselves. Conidering that yoga is a way to deepen our connection through our physical experience, if we hurt ourselves, we hit a roadblock in that process.



Our edge can shift, often quickly. We may begin our practice feeling sluggish and unmotivated, but as we begin to couple our breath to our body, bring heat into our tissues and reach out of our daily habitual postures, we may find that our edge expands and begins to open. The opposite is also true. We may arrive on the mat full of great intentions for an ambitious session and realize that once we begin, we need to back off and go easier than we had originally planned.



The changes of how we feel move not only throughout our practice but from day to day, week to week and year to year. It's a great disservice to ourselves to hit autopilot and go through the motions. Our lives ebb and flow...things are constantly shifting and our experience varies. It is through paying attention to how this shift is taking place that deepens our practice. When we listen to what our being is telling us from a deeper place, we set foot on the path of transformation.



And only YOU can determine your edge. No yoga instructor has the ability to tell you how hard you should or shouldn't be pushing. Nobody knows your body better than you. Nobody. So get to know yourself a little better by listening to all the cues it's sending you.



Get curious...step up to your edge without pushing beyond it and see if you can avoid the temptation to fly!

Energy Out...Energy In

Balance...that's one of the primary themes of a yoga practice. I'm not talking about being able to hold your tree pose for long periods of time, but about keeping our individual energy needs in check.



I'm also not talking about energy in the form of calories...we've all heard that to "maintain our weight, we need to take in as much energy in the form of calories as our body needs". They even have energy measuring devices on cardio equipment so you can see how many calories it takes to stride on your elliptical trainer for 20 minutes.



What I'm referring to is the vital energy that is housed in our bodies, the same energy that flows throughout the greater universe. This energy, prana, is a current that penetrates through our physical selves, our thinking minds and our spiritual being. We notice if this energy balance is out of whack when we over commit to things outside of us and under commit to keeping ourselves in good health.



We say yes to helping a friend, sitting on a committee, hosting an event or babysitting a child. All noble and loving acts...but in addition to all that we're already doing, we might be stretching ourselves a bit thin. We don't have enough reserve at the end of the day to meet more than our basic needs. Where's the time for you if you're always looking after things outside of you?



Many of us have had the experience where we push ourselves and slide right past the point where we need to say "no more" but keep going. regardless. For short periods of time, this is often easily managed. But, what if your m.o. is always turned to that switch? What if taking time for yourself feels like a luxury rather than a necessity?



Now is a great time to reflect on what you do to support your own needs. What are you doing to move and enjoy the power of your body? How many moments in the day do you notice how your breath is moving in and out of your lungs? Do you have at least 10 minutes in a day where you're not interrupted, asleep or connected to an electronic device? Do you think about how the food you eat is becoming part of your body? Is it nourishing you in the way you desire? Are you connecting to people who love and support you? Are you learning something new?



I was inspired to write about this topic because I've just come off a very intense 11-day work stint. It's been great on so many levels and by day 11, my inner voice went from a quiet whisper to a louder shout of "take time for yourself this weekend!".



So, I'm listening. Few plans. Good tea and green juices. Sunshine. Bicycling. No alarm clock. Time with Ed, Koele (my dog), and friends.



Ahhhh...back in balance.