Staying Focused

This past week was one that saw a new record set at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club-Wimbledon. For us tennis fans, it was an amazing feat, as American, John Isner and Frenchman, Nicholas Mahut engaged in an ultra marathon of a match that spanned three days and lasted 11 hours and 5 minutes.

Being a tennis player, albeit currently sidelined, it was this freak anomaly in that the longest match I've ever played lasted over 3 1/2 hours, and the longest one I or anyone else ever witnessed wasn't even close to the Isner-Mahut epic.

And what does this have to do with yoga?

Well...everything! We so often view yoga as a series of poses, some seemingly impossible or often ridiculous that we by-pass the thread that holds it all together. Breath and staying focused. The historical tennis match was a complete metaphor for staying present. When Mahut was asked how did he manage to keep coming from behind to hold his serve he replied, "I only thought about winning that game. The next point. That's it".

Both players needed to stay fully present to keep playing into a 70-68 fifth set final decision. If either of them projected themselves into what might happen in the future, or contemplated their past errors for more than a nano second, the seam would have been opened wide enough for the match to be just another "ordinary" match at one of the world's greatest tournaments.

Instead, each player stayed focused on what they needed to do in each moment. At the end of the second day of suspended play, they both had to go and focus on recovery through hydration, rest, nourishment and relaxation before picking up the thread yet again and resuming the match.

If we, as yoga practitioners can gleam just one lesson from this tennis match it's to step fully into what you are currently doing. That's it.

Beyond that, the other interesting impression is that after John Isner won and returned to play in his next match, his tanks were empty both mentally and physically and he lost. What that tells me, is that we often don't know how far we can push ourselves. We have tremendous potential to undertake seemingly impossible tasks and challenges. And to continue to do so...we need to honor the process of healing, recovery and nourishing our physical and emotional selves so that our spirits can continue to soar.

Thanks Dad!

I wrote the following in 2009 for Father's Day and had the urge to reprint it (with some edits) for today. I hope you don't mind a repeat!

With today being Father's Day, I have spent part of my day reflecting on my own Dad and how he was one of my most valued teachers. He passed away almost 28 years ago from kidney cancer. He was 46 years old...younger than the age that I am as I write this. It makes me think how much more life lies ahead of me and it taught me to value every moment, as you never know when your moment will be met. But, instead of focusing on the feeling of loss, I choose to reflect on all that he was able to teach me.

My Dad was a brilliant man...not just a biased observance, but well established as he was a metallurgical engineer who was a researcher in aerospace. When I was young and he told me he was an engineer, I thought it meant that he drove trains. I even had a quick vision of his engineers hat, although I never saw him wear one. In my eyes what made my Dad brilliant was that he took time with me...to teach me. We played softball together, he kept my stats, measured off how many steps it was to the pitchers mound and coached my teams. He held me patiently as I was screaming with frustration at not understanding algebra. He took the time to explain, teach and support my learning. I ended up with A's in algebra by the end of the school year.

He supported my decision to travel to Australia as an exchange student and encouraged me to make decisions around my higher education based on interest of topic, not my interest in a boyfriend.

He taught me to get my fingernails dirty in the garden and in pitching a tent. To be the "tomboy" that I was without embarrassment but through embracing my abilities, even if others thought it to be "un-lady like".

My Dad embraced me for who I am and who he thought I could become. I miss him, but have his voice and eyes burned into my thoughts and heart.

Happy Father's Day to all of you and your Dad's. My thought for this week is to sit for a moment in gratitude for all that your Dad has given you.

The Leaky Boat

One of the most interesting and innovative bands to come out of the Australian/New Zealand rock scene back in the 80's were called "Split Endz". Two brothers Tim and Neil Finn formed the band, wrote many hits, were hugely popular down under and eventually reformed as Crowded House (initially with Tim). What do they have to do with yoga, you might be asking?

It has to do with my thought of the week and as I have been thinking about it, it reminded me of a song Split Endz had called "Six Months In A Leaky Boat".

And you're still wondering...Split Endz...yoga...leaking boats...what's the connection?

Here it is. One of the keys to any pratice, including a yoga practice is consistency. Turning up time and time again on your mat, going through repeated exercises of breath, movement and awareness. It often begs the quetion, "how much is enough?". And that's where seepage comes in. As soon as you embark on the journey of a yoga practice, the moment you set yourself onto your mat, I believe you are forever on the journey. It is a process of unfolding, opening and growing awareness.

Even if you only practice yoga on an irregular basis, you will begin to have seepage. Some of the thoughts, ideas and practices will begin to ooze into your everyday awareness. We often procrastinate doing something because we are unable to fully commit to doing it...the all or nothing syndrome. But, once you begin to learn the tools of yoga, they begin to seep into your day.

Things such as:
1. Taking a deep breath before answering the phone.
2. Pausing before taking your first bite of a meal to inhale the aromas.
3. Thinking about your standing posture as you are waiting in line at the store or bank.
4. Allowing yourself five minutes to just sit and do nothing.
5. Recognizing when your self condemning thought is just that...a thought that can be shifted into a self supportive one.
6. Giving someone 100% of your attention when listening to them speak.
7. Feeling gratitude for someone or something.
8. Moving your body in a natural and easy way.

These are just a few simple things that can easily leak into your life. And what is the ingredient that they all have in common?

Awareness.

Obviously we do as much as we can. If we seek to dive deeper into our practice we can certainly dedicate more time to doing so. We can open the flood gates and let our practice become a way of living. But if that's overwhelming, try spending six months on a leaky mat instead...

The Blame Game

When I was a kid, I became quite skilled at playing the blame game with my siblings. One of us would do something that we weren't supposed to do and when our parents would find out and want to know "who did it", the game would begin. You became the victor in the game if you did the forbidden act and managed to get one of your siblings in trouble for something they didn't do. And of course, there was no way you would ever take responsibility for it. "Who me? I had nothing to do with it" I would say with my innocent brown eyes.

My thought for this week is at what stage in our lives to we begin to "own it"? When do we begin to fully understand that our actions have consequences and that holds us in a place of responsibility? As we evolve, I believe we begin to accept more responsibility. We start being better skilled at separating out what is "our stuff" and what isn't. We gain courage in saying, "yes, it was me" and handle the subsequent consequences. But do we ever fully realize how our actions move away from our immediate actions into the greater community, world and environment?

Take for example the recent oil spill in the Gulf. People are hungry to put blame onto someone...BP, the government, corporations. But aren't we all responsible? Do we not live in a society that uses oil and fossil fuels to put into our cars and manufacturing? Doesn't demand drive the economy and if we're demanding low gas prices, does that not encourage oil companies to drill more and faster...perhaps recklessly?

Now, I'm not saying that it's right or wrong. I'm not laying blame. I'm just saying if we pull the lens back we can all offer up our support or lack of support for finding other ways to not dig into the earth for our mass needs. Can our individual and collective voices admit that we are all connected to each other and to this planet and in being so, we hold it in our hands to look after each other.

When an accident like this happens, it causes reflection and sadness. But if life is an experiential teacher, what have we learned and what ACTION can we take?

My commitment is to act like a big girl now and own my own actions. To become more aware of how I impact my world and all the other creatures that inhabit it. Big girl action takes awareness and a promise to keep doing the best I can. To stop pointing the finger at someone else. How about you?