Know, Speak, and Live Your Truth

It’s hard to process after all of these years that I have just taught my final class. I was expecting some sort of emotional to and froing which did happen and what I am left with is a sense of deep contentment, beauty, and gratitude.

At the end of some classes throughout the week, I asked what gifts people have received from being in their yoga practice. The comments touched my heart deeply with people expressing how yoga has taught them to find self-love and kindness, that it has encouraged a greater sense of calm and ease, that they’ve not only moved into their body with more awareness and less pain but their inner world and connection to the wholeness of yoga has grown. Many people came to yoga in the first place with one specific purpose in mind and found it was so much more than they ever thought it could be. 

Two words offered really stayed with me-scaffolding and congruence. I have often said that yoga gave me a structure upon which to build a foundation, and the word scaffolding was even more precise, implying a progressive and steady improvement upon what is currently present. Congruence was described as being necessary in order to progress through the practice with alignment of the body and mind, and the breath was needed to move from one pose to the next. Someone, who was in a toxic situation, said the practice opened up space to find self-expression and a truer essence of being who they are, and moving into alignment with a higher intention was paramount for change to happen.

Even as I close this chapter, I sit in awe with the amount of inspiration I derive from my students. It simply seems to be infinite and I will truly miss the regularity of that exposure.

With this being the final week of my teaching, the final lesson to share is summed up in the closing I use at the end of every class.

May we know, speak, and live our truth.

I have repeated those words countless times since the early 2000’s as it seems to encapsulate the deepest meaning of what the gift of yoga has given to me. It can be summed up as being a compass for life, providing the roadmap which is full of tools that are adaptable and dynamic. It’s my North Star – when I have clear intentions, I know which direction to go. If I have uncertainty, I can sit quietly and simply be open to receiving the signs and signals that guide my decision-making. Before yoga, I had too much internal noise and was much more reactive than I am today.

One of the biggest impacts yoga had on my life was learning about, and trying to implement, the 8-Limbs of Yoga as described in the Sutras of Patanjali. This framework gave me a practical reference point for my daily choices and actions. And although these ancient teachings are at least a couple of thousand years old, so many of us on the path find them adaptable to this time in history.

As I came across and worked with other integrated practitioners, I began to realize the common element between different modalities was that of energy. Yoga has taught me about understanding the balance of these energies, cultivating a path towards equanimity. Not living in the extremes of life whether it be physical or emotional, has served me well. We are in constant flux between the masculine and feminine; between the energy of the sun and moon; between the yin and yang energies, as well as the interplay and interconnectedness of body, mind, emotions, and spirit. Learning about chakras, koshas, nadis, and pranayama has all impacted this tapping into equanimity, as has compassion, loving-kindness, and sympathetic joy.

And even through a 15-month pandemic, the practice has been a touchstone for so many of us. Even via more Zoom calls than we care to count, we have maintained consistency and community.

On a more personal level, it has provided the container for my spiritual life and I no longer feel as though I’m searching for what resonates truth for me. It has been a vehicle for my own growth, releasing limiting beliefs, empowering creativity, and allowing me to find the power within my own voice. Speaking my truth evolved when I truly understood my purpose and realized I needed to share all that I knew. Holding onto what I’ve been taught was going against my purpose in life and literally getting the word out in any form was necessary. To my own amazement, I’ve written over 570 blogs, chanted my heart out with Jayne and The Om Boys, and at various kirtans, searched for weekly themes and common experiences, as well as continued to explore and study. Once I knew my mission of spreading the word, I was motivated to make it happen.

And I’ve had conversations with other yoga teachers who’ve had a similar experience of feeling as though we are a channel for higher consciousness and are needed during this chapter of being on the planet. Once I begin to get into the flow of teaching, something comes through me that is beyond my intellect. It truly is quite a magical experience.

Understanding the inter-relatedness of all things has deepened my duty to be a steward of the planet and to support those who have no voice. When I do my work, get on my mat or meditation cushion, I know it’s not only me who will be affected.

I like to think that the world is my yoga mat because no matter where I go in the world, the practice is always within me. All of these things enable me to know, speak, and live my truth. I recently heard Deepak Chopra say, “It is a joy to express my truth” and no more perfect words could be spoken. I am deeply content to have been connected to all of you during this time. I am humbled by all that you have taught me. I sit in gratitude to those who came before me, paving the way for me to find my own path and ultimately, sharing it with so many. And I wish you well as you go forward in your own way. May you shine your light brightly and flourish in a way that resonates with your heart and soul.

Namaste

The Future Buddha is the Sangha

 

This week my theme is the second of three lessons that have truly stood out from time I’ve spent in my yoga practice. Last week, the lesson was one of self-love and a reflection of when we deeply love ourselves, taking time to care for ourselves, and get to know our truest essence, that energy ripples outward. It affects how we relate to ourselves and the world at large.

The second powerful lesson that has emerged from my time on the mat is related to community. As recently as January 2021, I heard a discussion on “the future Buddha is the sangha” and found it intriguing and on point. A sangha is a like-minded community that holds a common intention and what this said to me was that wisdom is held in the collective rather than sitting with one person. Having been a movement teacher and coach for most of my adult life, I have been the person standing in front of others, leading people through exercises, asanas, discussions, meditations, workshops, and retreats. The mantel of “expert” has been place upon my shoulders and people have looked to me for guidance and answers. With the announcement of closing my business and going on indefinite sabbatical many people initially reacted with a feeling of loss. I have been the common denominator in this particular community that truly began in earnest in 2006. And now, that’s changing, so what’s next?

Last week I spoke about being the pebble dropped into a still pond, creating concentrically wider and wider circles. I have been the pebble and what I’m here to share is that I’m not the only pebble.

July of 2012 was a pivotal time for me personally and professionally. I was in the midst of raising money for Off the Mat, Into the World to support organizations addressing the issue of sex trafficking in India. I had a $25,000 goal and spent eight months creating a variety of events to raise the funds. The clothing company, lululemon, offered to hold a donation based yoga class to be taught by me, in their store. For context, it was July in the desert…snowbirds and seasonal visitors had left, it was really hot, and I was thinking that if 15-20 people showed up, I’d be happy. As I was getting ready to teach, people kept arriving and by the start of class, 55 people had shown up. I was stunned. The energy in the class, the collective voice that had gathered to offer support to those who were voiceless just about left me speechless. And from that moment onward, it was as though we were riding a huge wave to the goal-raising finish line.

I knew that when I undertook the challenge I would need support. I was a yoga teacher, not a fundraiser, so I turned to people in my circle of yoga practitioners who did know how to raise money. I needed help and although I don’t find it easy, I needed to ask for help. It was a humbling experience and I always felt it wasn’t me who raised the money, it was we who did.

Since that time, this community has continued to support all of the seva (service) projects that I threw out there…India, Australia, Nepal, and a host of local organizations that simply needed a helping hand. Each and every time, without fail, this community showed up. It has been one of the most gratifying aspects of being in my practice and something that I’m not only immensely proud of, but will honor for all time.

As I close this chapter, the one thing I will definitely miss the most is community. I have had the beautiful opportunity to interact with so many incredible and generous hearts. I wish I had more time to get to know people and their amazing life stories more deeply. So please know, that when we love ourselves and tap into our hearts, listening to what motivates and inspires us in life, we gather a wisdom that is unique to ourselves. We are all unique wisdom keepers and when we bring that together, the synergy of all of us is a potent force, one which I hope will benefit not only ourselves but all beings in the world.

Self-Love

The clock is ticking down on my final weeks of teaching live classes, shifting from a working life to a life of being on sabbatical and embarking on world travels. So, over the next three weeks, I’ve decided to offer up some of the biggest lessons I’ve learned from coming to my yoga mat.

I first stepped onto my mat in the early ’90s and what my practice looks like today is quite different from what it looked like back then. I’m incredibly grateful for the many lessons that I’ve learned, for the amazing teachers I’ve had the honor to practice with and who helped shape how I share this practice, and to the thousands of students who’ve guided me along the way. I have found this time of winding things down to be quite humbling as people have expressed to me what it has meant to them to be my student.

If you asked me back in the early ’90s what I thought I would get out of yoga, it wouldn’t be what I’m about to say…self-love. This idea was firmly cemented when I saw this quote by Seren Kierkegaard:

“Above all do not forget your duty to love yourself.”

Apparently, he would sign off his letters to family and friends with the above statement. As I read his words, I was struck by the word “duty”, indicating that loving ourselves isn’t a selfish act or a flippant choice, but one of obligation and commitment.

I so believe that every time we come to the mat or sit on our meditation cushion, every time we show up in whatever form our practice takes, that it is an act of self-care and self-love. When we come to our mat, we begin a conversation with the entirety of our being. We check in with our physical body, we notice our thoughts, we sit with the fluctuations of our emotional state, and we connect to a larger essence of consciousness and meaning. Coming to the mat is never a selfish act, but one of deep commitment and care.

I have often been heard to say that “our practice begins within” and as we open into the spaciousness and stillness by coming into our practice, we begin to establish an embodiment of living from a yogic perspective. What that fundamentally means is that we begin to cultivate a harmonious relationship between body, mind, and spirit. As we embody a harmonious state, it doesn’t stay solely within us but echoes outward. Imagine a still pond and dropping a pebble into it…concentric circles are created from the pebble and move further and further away from it.

This was affirmed by the researcher, Dr.Brené Brown, who found that the data showed that self-love is integral to our connection to others. She says:

“Love is not something we give or get; it is something that we nurture and grow, a connection that can only be cultivated between two people when it exists within each one of them-we can only love others as much as we love ourselves.”

The Buddhist tradition of loving-kindness or metta meditation is positive energy and kindness toward others. The practice is to repeat phrases such as “May I be safe, may I be happy, may I be healthy, and may I live with ease” and the starting point is “May I”. As the practice progresses, others are included with “May you” statements from the easier recipients of benefactors and friends, to a neutral person, and eventually out to those who are prickly and may challenge us. The point is the practice begins within and is focused on ourselves before it moves onto others. What we wish for ourselves, is also what we eventually wish for all beings everywhere.

And tying it all back into our yoga practice, one of the guiding principles of yoga is that of compassion, also known as ahimsa. Within the Sutras of Patanjali, ahimsa is the first of the five Yamas and is an overarching practice that pervades all aspects of the practice. Ahimsa is compassion for ourselves, for each other, and for the planet. When we are acting from a place with an intention of compassion and kindness, we are in a state of union and harmony. In yoga, we achieve equanimity by initiating the practice from within our own hearts, being conscious of the impact of our actions, thoughts, and words on ourselves and others.

So I honor you for your own acts of self-love and self-care, for each and every time you’ve stepped onto your mat, and set a timer for your meditation practice. I honor you for taking the time to embody all that you’ve been taught and for becoming the pebble that is dropped into the pond. We would all benefit from more pebbles in the world!

Deconstruction

 

Life is a cycle of creating and letting go; activity and restoration; construction and deconstruction. Over the past 18 months, and more intensely and specifically over the past two months, my husband and I have been deconstructing our lives in order to construct the next phase of becoming world nomads. Prior to downsizing from a large house to a small condo, we had the idea that we wanted to live more lightly in the world, leaving a smaller footprint as well as having greater ease in getting up and going. We were seeking the freedom to make last-minute and perhaps more spontaneous choices without having to look for a dog sitter. We wanted to have smaller financial responsibilities, no monthly mortgage payments if possible, lower bills, and less stuff to be taken care of like a pool and garden. Don’t get me wrong, we enjoyed those things, we loved being pet owners and having a beautiful house in a nice neighborhood, yet it aligned less and less with our intention. If we wanted to be more nimble, we needed to make some changes. We’re now deconstructing our lives to fit into a 10’ x 10’ storage unit, two suitcases, and two day-packs.

As the pandemic came into full force, I had to recreate my business as in-person teaching became impossible. I had to get creative quickly and grow my business in a way I hadn’t anticipated by pivoting to online Zoom classes, creating a robust library of content, and adding online courses. I was simply trying to maintain some feeling of normalcy for myself and those in the yoga community and did what I could to maintain a sense of the familiar.

And then, we decided it was time to make a significant change and leave what we have known for the past 24 years of living in the United States. As the end-date of my teaching draws near, I’m in a phase of massive shedding after years and years of growth, learning, and construction. We have been here before, when we deconstructed our lives in Australia in order to return to constructing a life in the States and arrived with all of our stuff in 14 boxes. We unraveled what we knew in Australia and began to weave together what the USA chapter would look like. We returned without jobs or knowing what would happen and were fortunate to have a home base from which to send a new set of roots into the soil.

The theme this week is to recognize that we are in a constant cycle of growth, maintenance, and letting go. It can be seen in the cycle of the day, the seasons, the moon, and our breath. When we tune into where we are in our life cycle, we are able to recognize the totality of our lives as we move through each of these different phases. From a perspective of mindfulness, can we be present no matter what part of the cycle we’re experiencing?

One way to practice this is to tune into what part of the breathing cycle you’re in as you read these words…inhalation, retention, exhalation, or suspension? By tuning into the breath, we tune into presence. When we’re present, we can sense if we are experiencing equanimity or tipping into a state of past or future. If things are off-kilter, we can call upon the skills of present moment awareness, releasing tension, finding self-compassion, or the joy in the moment. And we learn to practice this by stepping onto our mat or sitting in our meditation space.

Noticing where you are in the cycle of your life is similar to the cycle of a yoga class. We center ourselves and set an intention; we undertake the practice whilst holding the intention softly in our consciousness; we challenge ourselves and we fall into the experience of being in the flow of the practice and ultimately, we let it all go when we lay down in Savasana, the “death” of the practice.

So, no matter where you are in your life, whether you’re creating, maintaining and soaking in the beauty of what you’re creating, or letting it all go, it’s exactly where you need to be. The power of the repeated cycle is an evolution of body, spirit, mind, and equanimity. I hope you are enjoying the ride!

Stop

 

As much as I try not to buy into the notion of busyness, I have to admit the past couple of weeks have been on the hectic side, and it’s through my own doing. Nobody has imposed this busy time on me, as it’s simply a result of what I’ve wanted to manifest in my life…becoming a traveling world nomad. In order for that to happen a few other things need to happen first. You know, stuff like selling our condo, trying to sell a business, sorting, donating, moving, and all the while still working full-time.

I see this time like waves of the ocean…they’re big and ready to knock me off my feet. My preferred wave metaphor is that of even waves that lap at my ankles, not the monster rip-tide ready to pull me under. And I keep reminding myself that this too is an impermanent state and eventually I’ll be getting sand between my toes without feeling too scared to enter the ocean.

The theme of this week is to STOP. Stop what I’m doing and, instead, offer myself a breather and some recovery time without the panic of the beckoning call of the looming deadline. Plus, my body has been dictating when I need to stop bending over, packing stuff, moving things, and sorting. My body speaks through hunger, fatigue, thirst, pain, and headaches, so it’s a good thing I’ve become better at allowing this space to take a break particularly when my to-do list and a timeline are tapping on my shoulder.

Stopping is part of self-care and not a sign of laziness or apathy. Pain is something that often forces us to stop and wisdom is understanding that we don’t need to go to the point of pain before we can back away.

 Part of this week’s inspiration is encapsulated with a quote from Courtney Carver (bemorewithless.com):

“That moment when you think you don’t have time to take care of yourself is the exact moment you have to take care of yourself.”

I read that and thought, yep, that about sums it up and reminded me why creating a daily, non-negotiable practice is vital to honoring the foundation of self-care. By creating sacred space in our day, we are able to stop what we’re doing, check-in with what we need, and simply become the observer of our own experience. If we just keep pushing through, checking things off the list of responsibilities, we so easily lose touch with the essence and sweetness of our lives. Instead of human doings, we’re able to come to the simplicity of human being…just being, with whatever may be happening, whether it’s tickling our toes in the sand or deconstructing the whole of our lives.

Being in the quiet space brings the moment into focus and gives meaning to our lives. And in order for us to be in a space of expansive consciousness we need to stop, to pause, to take a time-out and tune in.

One of my favorite quotes is:

“You should sit in meditation for 20 minutes a day, unless you’re too busy, then you should sit for an hour.”

~Old Zen Saying

Fifteen years ago I dedicated myself to a daily practice of meditation, slowly over time, creating a practice that is both dynamic and disciplined. I have kept to this non-negotiable time in a way I never expected, but I have realized how much it sets the course of every day. One of my teachers, Nischala Joy Devi, once said that when we establish our practice on a daily basis, it begins to feel like leaving the house without brushing your teeth. That makes complete sense to me now. I wouldn’t think that every day is a day where I need to decide whether or not brushing my teeth is a good idea…it’s part of self-care and good hygiene. It’s the same thing with a daily practice, it’s part of self-care and good personal (mental and spiritual) hygiene.

A great place to start is in a small, committed way. Set an intention of sitting still, in a quiet place, and count ten full deep breaths. That’s it. It will likely take less than five minutes and I dare to say, you’re worth it! Remember…you don’t have to stop, you get to stop!

True Nature

 

I’m currently in a phase of life that involves a bunch of change. I’ve got multiple lists, we’re packing and sorting, and we’re donating and selling. It feels like we’re drowning in details – selling our home, what to save, what to get rid of, do we get a storage unit and, if yes, how big? And not to mention the daily conversation of what’s for dinner? As my husband and I ready ourselves to become world nomads, before we can launch, we have to release. In addition to the “stuff”, friends and family are wanting to connect and have been reaching out to us in a myriad of ways. To say the least, it’s a lot. So when I came across the following quote, I felt as though it were a gentle nudge from the Universe to remember the important stuff.

“Our true nature is like the infinite sky, unmarked by whatever drama temporarily appears in its vast space.” ~ Kittisaro, “Tangled in Thought”

As I read those words it was as though I was being reminded to pull away from the minutia of life and remember the bigger essence of who I am.

At times we get sucked into the vortex of our own dramas that happen from day-to-day. Just take a moment from a certain chapter of your life and see if you can recall the details of what felt overwhelming and challenging. If you’re like me, you recall the sense of what it was like but the story we may have recounted numerous times has lost its juice. It’s just not as important or as urgent as it seemed at the time. When we give ourselves time to put on the wide-angle lens of our life, we pull away from the micro drama and get glimpses of the bigger picture and hence the bigger meaning of our lives.

Coming to our mats is one way to remember our true nature which is said to be that of infinite spirit. When we become consumed by the many vignettes that play out each day, it’s easy to forget that the essence of who we truly are is right there, sitting within us. It’s as though daily dramas cover up what’s truly important and if they go on long enough, we may not even remember the deeper meaning of our lives. As Dudjom Rinpoche beautifully wrote:

“Although hundreds or thousands of explanations are given,

There is only one thing to be understood-

Know the one thing that liberates everything-

Awareness itself, your true nature.”

A story I recently heard recounted by meditation teacher, Tara Brach, told of a revered large Buddha statue in Southeast Asia that seemed to be made out of a white stone and plaster. It came to the attention of the local monks who looked after the statue that it was beginning to crack. As they investigated and shone a light into one of the cracks, they saw a reflection of what looked to be gold. They removed the outer plaster covering the Buddha and found the largest solid gold Buddha in all of Southeast Asia. The layers covering the golden Buddha were meant to protect it and, over the years, locals had forgotten the beauty and original form laying below.

For me, this metaphor is about getting stuck on the outside so we either don’t investigate what’s laying below or don’t even think there could be something that’s more radiant than what we can actually see.

When we come to the mat, we practice dropping away from the shell that feels protective and open ourselves to a greater potential of exploring all possibility. We remember that we are connected to something larger, to a field of expansive consciousness, without limitation or boundary.

As I navigate these changing times, I’m grateful to sitting in silence, stepping into the void to listen to the greater message that the details drown out. And perhaps, I can rip up a page of my to-do list, place a hand on my heart, and whisper to myself…”It will all be okay. It will all work out”.

Listen Up

I am often reminded of something within my practice that needs a boost of energy and it’s been good for me over the past couple of weeks to hone in on my listening skills. Since announcing my upcoming lifestyle change in becoming a world nomad, letting go of my yoga studio, and taking a sabbatical, I’ve felt the need to listen to people’s reactions and work on holding the space for whatever experiences may be arising for them. I kind of dropped a bombshell on my beloved yoga community and it’s been interesting to sit in a receptive mode and hear people’s reactions. It’s a big wave of information to process, not only for them, but for me as well...so much change in a significant way.

It’s also been a time of many different emotions which began with my own nervousness about making the big reveal public. The main emotions were that of disappointment and letting a committed community down. I didn’t know what kind of reaction would come back to me and I have to say it’s been overwhelming and filled with gratitude and love. It’s also filled with sadness, grief, and a sense of unknown change. Yet, once I did release the news, a certain relief and calm came over me and it’s been a beautiful experience to navigate these changes with those who’ve reached out.

And perhaps not coincidentally, around the same time, I came across another insightful podcast on the topic of listening on Life Examined with Jonathan Bastian. (You can listen to it by clicking here). There were three takeaways from the episode that we can do to position ourselves to be better at listening: 

1. Turn your phone off
2. Take a drink of water at least every 30 minutes
3. Take three deep breaths before beginning

As I was listening to the above tips, I recognized how much these skills are reflected in our yoga practice by applying mindfulness to listening. Part of being a good listener is to be fully present, remove distractions, and avoid interrupting. Although that sounds easy, it can be challenging in real-time, as we so often want to interject with support, solutions, or comparative stories. This is where I have to really watch myself as these habits are ingrained and shifting them truly takes a greater level of awareness. It’s challenging to not leap frog ahead to how I’m going to answer or interject and hence, presence plays a vital role.

This week, we’ve also been exploring not just how to hold listening space for others but to understand that another type of listening is listening to ourselves. I have always thought it an incomplete and inadequate statement when teachers say, “listen to your body”. Part of me wanted to know “how” and “what does that really mean?” I gained clarity during a presentation by a Canadian physiotherapist who works working with his patients with pain. He offered these three questions instead:

 

1.     Does this feel safe in my body?

2.     Will I be okay tomorrow?

3.     Am I dialing up pain?

As I began to employ this in classes and kept exploring it, I have added in “Am I triggering pain?” reasoning that if we’re paying attention, over time we learn that some movements may not hurt in the moment, but may trigger something afterward (an extension of “Will I be okay tomorrow”).

Personally, it’s overriding my ego in being able to do something in my practice, perhaps something I’ve always done, or used to do, and maybe it looked or felt cool but it’s a pose that now puts too much stress on my body and it’s not worth it. And instead of dialing up or triggering pain, I am now having the experience of empowerment. It feels great to know that I’m being kinder to myself and having less chronic pain as a result.

When we listen to ourselves, we can pose a simple question – What do I need in this moment? What do I need today? Instead of being told from an outside force, we can choose to practice in a way that is in alignment with what serves us and comes from a source of inner knowing and wisdom. Nothing outside of us has greater authority than what lies within us, and that equates with being empowered practitioners.

Times Like These

 

Last week I made a video announcement to our yoga community. I have decided to not renew my lease that ends on June 30, 2021 and I will be taking a sabbatical. In other words, it’s time for me to step away from what I’ve been doing and a business that I’ve built for more than 15 years. The reactions have been varied and not too unexpected. Some people were both surprised and stunned. Others took a few days to process what it means for them and many have expressed a deep sadness for something that has had an impact in their lives. More powerful than that is the tidal wave of good wishes and deep sentiments of gratitude. It made sense to me that the week’s theme was around “times like these”…often monstrous shifts that show up in our lives and can change the course of our lives.

I’ve had many of these shifts: giving up my gymnastics coaching career and bidding farewell to many gymnasts I had known for years; leaving my teaching role at the University of Melbourne where I taught 848 aerobics classes over a four-year period; leaving Australia and moving to The United States and bidding farewell to my sacred heart family; saying good-bye to my personal training clients and group fitness students when we moved from the Bay Area to the desert; leaving a dedicated group of strength trainees in a group class at a gym in Palm Springs when I shifted gears into primarily yoga teaching; and now…stepping into the world as a roaming nomad.

As Paul Harvey said, “In times like these, it helps to recall that there have always been times like these.” And that’s one of the benefits of creating a regular practice that prepares us for times like these---of change, uncertainty, and letting go.

Life is a constant process of creating something and eventually releasing it. We can hope that what actions we take in our daily lives creates something that gives us meaning, purpose, and direction. As we do so, we grow, continue to get educated, and apply what we’ve learned, and when the lesson has been learned, we move onto what’s next. It’s the constant gripping and releasing with grace and willingness that adds richness to our lives.

Amidst the gratitude of this shift, I have also heard sadness and fear. People have invested their energy in stepping onto their mat and with many of them saying, what’s next for me? How will I navigate getting to my mat when you leave? Can you point me in some direction, make suggestions, and give me some guidance? Yes, I can do that but before I do, I want to honor your path and the time you’ve dedicated to it. I want to remind you that all of the answers you seek are within you, not with someone outside of you. The guru is within. You are your own guru.

We all come to this practice needing someone to show us the way and I have been the humble recipient of the teachings of many teachers who have done that for me. Yet, it is completely up to us to receive and embody what we are being taught. I’m the one who needs to commit to getting on my mat as nobody can do that for me. And when we repeat that day in and day out, it becomes part of who we are, embedding in our cells and nervous system and, in other words, embodying what we’ve received. At that point, we can activate what’s within and shine it outward, sharing what has supported us along the way. It very well may not take the form of being a teacher. It may show up in the simplicity of you caring for yourself and, in doing so, you care for others. Coming to our mat makes us easier to be around.

Around 2012, I had a psychic reading done as I was looking for clarification. What the psychic said to me was that I “needed to share everything that I know. That not sharing was adharmic. I needed to share in any way shape or form…writing, teaching, speaking, singing, or whatever vehicle it takes to get the teachings out.” I nodded my head as it felt like an affirmation of something I already knew and, over the past few years, I have done just that. I know that I am simply a channel, tunnel, or funnel for sharing and am deeply grateful to have been able to share what I know to such a generous, curious, and receptive audience.

As the Foo Fighters say:

It's times like these you learn to live again
It's times like these you give and give again
It's times like these you learn to love again
It's times like these time and time again

And it’s times like these to once again release the creation and explore the next chapter of unfolding.

Is It Working?

 

I have been paying visits to my yoga mat since 1993 and at first, it was just a casual, getting-to-know-you kind of relationship. We weren’t fully committed to one another until around 2003 when things started to get more serious. We were becoming entwined, missing each other if we missed a day together and, in July of 2006, I decided to have a go at making a complete and dedicated personal vow to being on my mat or meditation cushion every single day. Almost 15-years later, we’re still going strong. So how do I know that my time on my mat is making a difference in my life? How do I know that the countless hours and repetitions of OM have been working?

I was inspired to this theme by listening to Hala Khouri, one of the three founders of Off the Mat, Into the World. She was promoting her course on social activism and the following words resonated deeply with how I view this practice of yoga. To paraphrase, she said something to the effect of “I know my yoga practice is working not because my poses are getting better, but because my relationships are getting better.” Yes! I thought! And to me, one of the signs of this is that our relationship to ourselves is what gets better first. Each time we come to the mat we begin a conversation with ourselves, whether or not we realize it’s happening.

We often begin this practice from the physical aspect and the moment we start to move, our inner voice might say, “Wow…I’m tight here” or “There’s no way I’m able to do that pose” or “I’m getting so good at yoga”. The inner voice begins the running commentary as we sense our way through the practice. On another level, we might be having a conversation with our mental self, judging how we’re doing or being bombarded by a conversation we had prior to getting on our mat. Perhaps our emotions show up in the unexpected moment when a pose triggers us to tears, releasing and revealing some hidden truth that we’ve been storing in our tissues. And, over time, I think we sense experiences beyond our seeing eyes and tap into the mystical side of who we are.

For me, it’s the subtle realizations that my practice has allowed me to recognize the signs of discontent in my life and understand them in a larger context. For example, feeling agitated and snappy is a sign of something deeper. I’m not agitated and snappy for no reason…something has caused it. My practice has allowed me to dig below the surface and get to why I’m sensing what I’m sensing.

Grief has been a terrific arena to look at my emotional journey and respond in a way that’s aligned with how I wish to function in the world. With the death of my Mother over two months ago, I was sorting through what I hoped to be the final bastion of all she had collected. This has taken at least four other previous iterations over the past four years as she moved out of her house of 54 years into assisted living. With each move, more stuff was let go of and with Ma being an organized pack rat, to say there was a lot of stuff is an understatement. As I sorted through some photos, I came across one that triggered me back into the trauma of my Dad’s death 39-years ago. What followed was three days of being irritable and unable to articulate why I was feeling that way. Then, in a moment of clarity, as I was on an early morning walk, moving and breathing rhythmically, I was struck by the realization that I had been re-traumatized by one photo in particular. In that moment, it was as though I released a massive and emotional exhale. It was such a relief to recognize the source of my discontent and in doing so, I was able to move the stagnant energy that surrounded it.

I know it was those many hours of sitting in meditation and allowing myself to feel the experience of life through my body that unveiled this revelation. I also know that if I didn’t have the consistency of my practice under my belt, who knows how long I would have stayed in the state of agitation. By recognizing yet another layer of grief, even 39-years later, I have been able to move the energy and heal a little bit more.

How has the effort in your yoga practice showed up in your life? Feeling off? Look at what’s been happening on all levels of your being. The gift of my daily practice is not that my life is hard, but when hard days show themselves to me, my practice is my rock, allowing me to hold steady.

I know this also to be true…it’s about finding spaciousness and grace. When I can sit with all that is happening, in a space of non-judgment and compassion, not only am I kinder to myself, but I’m kinder in general. My relationships have gotten better, especially the one to myself. 

Reap What You Sow

 

“Spring has sprung, the grass has riz, I wonder where the flowers is?” a pithy verse that my Mother used to say around this time of year. And riz it has! As I was walking today, I noticed the first blossom on a beaver-tail cactus, brilliantly pink and staring at the sun. This past weekend we passed the equinox, a time of year where the day and nighttime hours are the same in length. It’s one of the auspicious times of the year to take note of with the other times being the solstices, as well as when the light is either fading in or out, at both sunrise and sunset. It is suggested that meditating at the cusp of the light change offers an energy unlike any other time of the day. It’s a subtle shift, the time when birds and frogs are either just awakening or bunking down for the night. It’s when we see the first star in the sky or the brilliant hue just before the sun beams over the horizon.

And for us in the northern hemisphere, we are reawakening from the winter months where we have been called inward, to slow down, and hibernate. As spring beckons us, we are drawn outside to shake off stagnation, raise the metabolic rate, and defrost from chilly overnight lows. It’s this time of the year we begin to kick off the socks and woolly pullovers. As for those of us in the desert, it’s time to truly enjoy this time of transition where we can fling our doors open and not have to run the air-conditioning for as we know, heat is on its way!

Spring is also a time to take stock of what you planted in your inner soil last fall. What intentions did you set six months ago? Are you seeing them taking form now? It’s a time to check in with yourself to see if something is ready to come more fully into manifestation and fully honor the transition into a new season. As the Kirtan artist Girish says, “…with loving compassion for yourself, for our Earth, and for our global family; it’s a time to allow some space for new growth and to acknowledge what is growing and be fully present with that growth and whatever changes are happening right now.”

Many people are motivated at this time of year to clear out the cobwebs of winter with a spring cleaning of their home, undertaking an Ayurvedic cleanse, purging items from their house and downsizing what clutter may have accumulated, and embracing the vitality of springing into action. As we head toward the summer Solstice, our days begin to lengthen and with this increasing light, it’s also the perfect time to find clarity.

A couple of years ago, I was in a place of “trying to figure things out” and make some decisions about my future and the choices I was needing to make in the present moment to set the stage for that future. But I was fuzzy on what I needed to do and felt for quite some time paralyzed around taking the next step. I knew I was unclear and was quietly hoping for a sign which showed itself upon arrival at Sanctuary Retreat, in Queensland, Australia. I see the scene so clearly now…I came across a staff member at Sanctuary that I have known for a few years. Her smile alone is a radiant light and we were both joyful in seeing each other once again. When asking about how each other was doing, she pointed to her necklace which she had made. I mentioned how I had noticed it and she said the stone represented “clarity”. Yes! That was it! I was looking for clarity with my indecision and asked if she would make me a piece of jewelry with that stone. For a few months, every time I wore the gorgeous earrings she had made, I would be reminded of my intention to find clarity…and I did.

The essence of this story is what we put our energy towards, where we focus our attention, how we set intentions, and stay consistent with those things is like taking a trowel into our inner garden and planting what we wish to bring to life. It may take time, and in an impatient world, it may seem as though nothing is happening. Yet, when the conditions are right, when we’ve nourished the soil and tended to the metaphorical weeds, things blossom. And so I am reminded once again, with the arrival of this new season, to tend to my inner garden and honor the many times I have put my hands in the dirt and am reaping what I sowed several months ago.

May you be reaping the benefits of all you’ve planted in your life and may you take some time to enjoy the beauty of all that has come to life through your own energy and effort. Happy equinox!

Concentrate

 

As I was checking out an article from The Tricycle Community, something caught my attention. “Studies show that the average human now has an attention span of just eight seconds, down from 12 seconds in the year 2000”. What? I thought to myself…C’mon people, we can do better than that! Eight seconds and whoosh…onto something else. Can we solely blame technology, social media, and the 24/7 newsfeed or is it something else? Can we actually improve our ability to focus or should we just surrender to the never-ending tug for our attention? And maybe it’s more of a yank than a tug. According to Fast Company, in 2011, Americans took in five times as much information every day as they did in 1986—the equivalent of 174 newspapers. And those numbers are 10-years old!

This bombardment of information is doing a number on our ability to hunker down and pay attention. Our inability to focus on something discourages deeper states of contemplation and experience, disabling our creativity and our ability to be present, not to mention feeling scattered and overwhelmed which impacts our nervous system. I have recently heard on National Public Radio, reports that another pandemic is coming and it’s around our mental health. Depression is the number one health concern globally…yep, it’s everywhere and isn’t going to go away on its own. So do we need to head off to a cave in the Himalayas in order to recalibrate our brains or is there another way?

Many of the ancient wisdom traditions believe that concentration can be practiced and, in doing so, we can improve our state of mind. Buddhism has the Noble Eightfold Path, with the steps being Right Understanding, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration. In yoga, we have the eight limbs which are Yama (external observances), Niyama (internal observances), asana (yoga postures), pranayama (breath control), pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses), Dharana (concentration), dhyana (meditation) and samadhi (absorption). And although we may not come to either of these practices with the sole intention of improving our ability to focus, we can’t help but work on it as it is woven into the fabric of these traditions.

Concentration supports our ability to become mindful and without it, our level of awareness of the present moment and what’s happening within the present moment dissipates. If we’re scattered like fall leaves on a windy day, one way to calm things down is to move inside and in yoga, this is called pratyahara or withdrawing the senses. We allow ourselves to let go of our connection to all that’s keeping us occupied in the external world so we can enhance the opportunity to focus on just one thing…which is the definition of concentration. Setting aside the time to come into our practice is the first step…getting to the mat is often the biggest obstacle. Next, we turn off our devices, close the door and give ourselves over to the time we’ve been able to commit to. When we turn our focus onto physical sensations such as the movement of the breath, the sense of sound or touch, we narrow our vision and begin to pull into our inner world.

Throughout the pandemic, the challenge of concentrating at home has become more difficult. I have seen many people on Zoom calls over the past year getting interrupted either by pets, doorbells, handy-people, or others in the household. In the “old days” of coming to the yoga studio, all of those potential distractions were minimized in that you’ve left home, have been asked to turn off your phone, remove your shoes, and disconnect for the duration of the class. Nobody needed you and you could fully show up for yourself. Yet, despite the potential distractions, coming to the mat and working on narrowing our focus we can enhance concentration, called Dharana. It is said that as we begin to deepen concentration, we glide towards Dhyana or states of meditation and through steadiness, we have moments of Samadhi which is a merging of consciousness.

These states of concentration and meditation also lead us into states of flow, where people experience peak and optimized performance. In tennis I knew I was in a flow state when the ball looked to be the size of a grapefruit, time seemed to slow down, and just the right amount of effort was needed without struggle or stress. I had clarity and ease. This can certainly translate into other areas of life through music, art, or being in nature. This spaciousness opens us to all forms of insight and creativity, enhancing our ability to profoundly experience life.

If you find that you’re distracted, come back to something that is simple and provides an anchor. It’s the magical moment when we notice we’re no longer where we wish to be and we begin again. Over and over again. And as Mark Epstein said, “We practice right concentration not to experience blissful states but to help us entertain uncertainty.”

In these unprecedented and uncertain times, offer yourself grace and a place to begin again. I know we can do better than eight seconds!

Hard Is Hard

 

Recently, I was in conversation with a friend who was telling me about making a big shift in their life and commenting on how hard it is to be moving and letting go of a familiar way of being. I simply replied, “well, hard is hard”. They heard these words and felt supported as I was acknowledging their challenges and holding the space for them to be present as they were dealing with the difficult reality of change.

Just this week, we have passed the one-year mark of the World Health Organization declaring the Covid-19 virus to be a pandemic. On so many levels, all of us have gotten to know hard in a new way. When I asked a class if this past year has been hard, 100% of them raised their hand. None of us have been through anything like the past 12 months…our lives and businesses not only disrupted but for many people lost forever. We’ve had to learn how to be with a formidable force over which we had very little control. The act of living from a more day-to-day perspective has been unfamiliar to many and anything that is unfamiliar and new can prove to be challenging whether it’s a pandemic or a move to another state.

Tying into this is something else I came across only a couple of months ago-toxic positivity. When I first heard that phrase, my ears perked up as part of me thought how can positivity be toxic - isn’t that where we’re encouraged to place our focus for fear of manifesting undesirable thoughts? An intriguing podcast by Brené Brown on Spotify called Dare to Lead (click here to listen), Brown interviews the author of Emotional Agility, Dr. Susan David. Dr. David describes toxic positivity as:

“Toxic positivity is forced, false positivity. It may sound innocuous on the surface, but when you share something difficult with someone and they insist that you turn it into a positive, what they’re really saying is, My comfort is more important than your reality.”

It’s a lack of acknowledgment and facing difficult emotions, a way of bypassing the tough stuff to make others and ourselves feel better. Brown and Dr. David go through an example of this in action with Brown writing down the emotions she’d been recently experiencing. They included overwhelm, anger, and fear. Dr. David then said that a typical next step would be the suggestion to turn the paper over and on the other side, write all that you are grateful for. And this was the bypass. Her research on developing our ability to emotionally adapt and thrive shows that when we confront difficult emotions we actually build resilience. We become less emotionally rigid and grow in our emotional agility.

Given the past 12 months, honoring and noticing the tough emotions has been a way for us to cope with what feels like a restricted life. Instead of sugar-coating things, facing them is a healthier choice. It’s as though the recognition of the messy and muddy brings it out of the shadows and allows for them to be present. When we can see what challenges us we can work with it rather than taking a detour around it.

Over many years of working 1-1 with people, I have had countless comments from people, especially women, who say they have so much to be grateful for – a nice house, marriage, family, career, financial security, good health, etc., and they simply can’t understand why they’re unhappy, lack inspiration, or have feelings of depression. They feel as though they have no right to complain or to feel bad. Instead of facing it head-on, they hold the hard emotions off to the side rather than dealing with them.

One thing our yoga/meditation practice teaches us is to become radically present and notice all that is happening. Instead of wishing things to be different from what they are (I wish the pandemic would just go away) and creating more suffering for ourselves (it’s not going away), we learn to become more observant and mindful. This includes feeling all that arises, noticing the good, bad, and ugly moments, sitting with them, knowing they aren’t permanent states, and practice being in a place of equanimity as we ride the waves. As Thich Nhat Hanh famously said, “No mud, no lotus”.

When we acknowledge that hard is hard, it permits us to feel the fullness of all of our emotions, not just the ones that we think are desirable. So the next time you’re feeling that internal tug of difficulty, bring it to the surface and say this feels hard and acknowledge that’s exactly what it is…hard is hard. Do the work and your ability to navigate through difficulty will expand.

Purpose

 

I was interested in checking out an online movie recently entitled “Meditation”. I clicked on the link and as the serene music began to play, a voice spoke the following words: “Our purpose in life is to help each other through it.” I hit the pause button and didn’t watch anymore of the movie, not because I was uninterested but because I felt the potency of those words.

Having spent the past several weeks going through the death and subsequent grief of my Mother’s death, those words rang loudly. I have felt the love and support of so many people helping me get through life. It expanded my thinking that purpose isn’t just an individual pursuit but one of humanity and how we tap into our own life’s purpose affects others. I often support yoga students in their studies by saying “practice begins within”, meaning that when we begin to understand our individual needs and work to meet them, it begins to move outward to others. When we create the inner container for our own growth and evolution, we create an additional or perhaps larger container to support the growth and evolution of others. Instead of looking outside of ourselves for answers, we turn inward and recognize that all we need to know is sitting within us.

I decided to do a bit more research and came across work on the purpose of life from the University of Minnesota and Richard Leider, who is a coach and purpose expert. To quote Mr. Leider, “genuine purpose points to the end of a self-absorbed, self-serving relationship to life.” Basically, when we become clear on our authentic purpose, we are able to share it with the whole world. This sentiment so deeply aligns with how we can approach our yoga practice, from the inside out, enabling ourselves to help each other through the many challenges that life throws onto our path.

Leider also came up with an equation: gifts + passion + values = purpose. Rather than trying to find an occupation that ties us to a restrictive label according to what we do, purpose can be more expansive no matter what stage of life we’re in. When we understand our special qualities and gifts, what we do well and a unique personal characteristic, coupled with the spark that ignites enthusiastic passion and align it with our personal values, our purpose begins to reveal itself. In an article in Fitness Matters entitled “Discover Your Purpose” by Lee Jordan, MS and Beth Jordan, the authors state that “If you can be fired or retired from it, or if it can be taken away from you, it’s not your purpose”. So often we confuse our profession or occupation with our purpose and so often they couldn’t be further apart.

Getting clear on our talents, passions, and what we value can apply to anything that we’re undertaking regardless of whether or not it brings us financial reward. From the age of 19, I have been teaching in one form or another. Yet, it wasn’t until 15-20 years ago that I realized that sharing knowledge was one of the reasons for this embodiment. I was always drawn to sharing knowledge and supporting others whether they were my first young gymnasts that I coached, teaching at my university to physical education/recreation students upon my graduation, group fitness classes, personal training, or the current incarnation of what I’m doing in the form of sharing the teachings of yoga. The content has changed but the purpose hasn’t. And whenever the form of what I’m currently doing also changes, I’m guessing that a large part of me will continue to see how I can share and support knowledge and the empowerment of individuals.

I had the unique gift in life of training four nonagenarians during the same period and they all had something in common. They were all still connected to their purpose in life in their 90’s. One was a writer, one a professor emeritus, one a consultant for his son’s retail business (which he started), and a retired teacher who was working at the local braille institute teaching vision-impaired people how to knit. They were all engaged and mentally agile, still participating in a way that seemed to be an ongoing connection to and reflection of their whole life. They had a purpose to support and walk others through their lives. I don’t even need to look back at what they taught me as their actions at the time were powerful examples of how we can move through life with purpose and meaning. It supported each of them in thriving to their final days and that is a gift I was happy to receive.

Most of us want to thrive as we age, staying active and healthy. One way to do that is to live with purpose as a guiding light. I thank the many wise elders that have shown me an example of what that looks like. After all, we are here to help each other make it through this often wild and unpredictable thing called life!

Your Life Is Your Message

 

During one of my visits to New Delhi, India, I walked past a large poster of Mahatma Gandhi that said, “My life is my message”. I stopped and thought, “Yes...that couldn’t be more perfect”. Some part of me wanted to remember those words so I had my picture taken with it. About a week ago, as I was working on the slideshow for my Mom’s Celebration of Life ceremony, I came across a similar quote by the Buddhist teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh saying, “Our own life has to be the message”. It seemed truly like I once again needed to marinate in this thought and, hence, it became this week’s theme.

It’s so crazy to be able to condense a person’s 88-year long life in a slideshow. It has taken many hours of editing, viewing, and deciding which images represented the life of my Mother. I also asked my three siblings for one word that summed up what her life meant to them. For me, it was kindness. She modeled for me what kindness in action looked like: always remembering birthdays; ensuring that her four kids had an equal number of presents at the holidays; not gossiping; she was a good listener; she collected things for her family that she thought we would treasure; volunteering at a thrift store; she sent boxes of clothing to grandchildren; offered financial support during hard times; didn’t shoot down anyone’s dream of doing something; and she laughed with an open heart. She was a woman of few words yet was able to fully express kindness in action.

We don’t often think about the meaning of our lives as we’re busy simply living them day to day. The beauty of stepping onto our yoga mat is that it’s the perfect forum for us to take time to regularly check in with our purpose and values. It offers us moments of quiet and stillness to reflect and ask ourselves if the current choices we’re making are in alignment with how we wish to be in the world. It has the potential to become a daily act of living consciously, with our highest intentions leading the way. Death is a doorway into contemplation, one we so often try not to open. Yet wouldn’t it be a shame to get to the end of our life and look back with regret for not taking action toward our deepest calling and yearnings?

The author and host of The Slow Home podcast, Brooke McAlary, tells a story about looking at a book of writing prompts and opening to the page where the prompt was to write your own eulogy. She did with great dedication and it altered her life choices. She had two young children and wasn’t sure if how she was currently living was the eulogy she wanted to write about. She became clearer on her “why” of life and made changes. Perhaps if all of us took time to write our own eulogy, we would create a point of focus to keep us on course.

Living with intention takes work and consistency. I liken it to the 23-hour couch potato, where someone who goes to the gym every day for an hour and returns home to a sedentary lifestyle the other 23 hours, often in frustration by the lack of progress in fitness. It’s what we do most of the time that makes a difference, including living from a heart-centered and intentional life. Over the course of your day, what do you spend your time thinking about? What actions do you take throughout the day that are in alignment with your highest values? How are you treating yourself and others? Simply said, it all adds up either to bring greater consciousness to your life or to keep you stuck in un-evolving patterns.

If you want your life to be your message, Gail Brenner (Life is Expressed in our Actions), suggests we can do the following:

·       Become aware of fear so it doesn’t divert us

·       Identify roles and patterns that aren’t serving

·       Listen to our deepest yearnings

·       Make decisions with full awareness

·       Follow what brings us happiness, joy, love, and true fulfillment

I was going to say there are no words for my Mother’s long life, but there are. It was the message of her life - kindness.

Mudita

I don’t know if grief ever truly ends. I’m in the mourning phase of grief with the recent death of my Mother. It’s been a month since she passed and I find myself getting through the days, doing my work, staying with my personal practice of yoga, going to the farmer’s market, and wearing my mask. You know…the usual stuff that doesn’t stop because someone has died. And my process has been to be unapologetic with how I’m feeling and to simply allow the process to be what it is. And although I wouldn’t describe this phase as containing obvious joy, I have found moments of looking for it, largely outside of myself. What’s within me is a bit gloomy, not what you would describe as a fountain of joy bubbling over.
In repeating this intention, I remember what I want for myself, which is a deep contentment and sense of joy, and it’s the same thing that I wish for others. When I practice loving-kindness, compassion, and sympathetic joy I am able to experience equanimity in my life. This means that I get better practiced at simply being with what is, whatever that may be in my life…grief, joy, gratitude. I get to take action and set the path for my own evolution.

I hadn’t really recognized that I was looking for joy until I saw a post by someone I know in the yoga world displaying what they’ve been secretly working on for several months which is a stunning and peaceful new space. When I saw the images, my first reaction was “how cool and exciting!” Honestly, this reaction surprised me as the more un-evolved version of me may have had a tinge of jealousy with the thinking of how did they make this happen? Why do these opportunities seem to find a way to them instead of me? But it didn’t happen that way. I felt the excitement of their new adventure and wished them luck and prosperity.

In this experience, I realized that I was searching for good things that were happening. And although I’ve had a harder time finding them within myself, I could see them in somebody else. Joy is joy whether it’s ours or someone else’s. And this is what is referred to a Mudita, or joy. More precisely, it’s vicarious or sympathetic joy, the kind that is easily witnessed by a proud parent as they see their kid making good in the world. Parental pride is easy compared to finding joy for what may be perceived as a business competitor. When we see others, particularly those vying for a similar client base doing really well we may tend towards envy and jealousy rather than congratulatory slaps on the back. This tends to be a natural reaction and belief that joy is a limited commodity, so the more someone else has, the less there will be for us. It’s a sinking feeling to sense that we’re not going to get our share.

Mudita is part of the Brahma Viharas, described as sublime attitudes. Loving-kindness (metta), compassion (karuna), sympathetic joy (mudita) and equanimity (upekkha) comprise the four-faces of love or heart-practices from Buddhism. It is suggested that if we’re having difficulty finding vicarious joy for others, that practicing compassion for ourselves and others may open the pathway to discovering the abundance of joy existing everywhere and for all people.

Times are tough…pandemic, endless Zoom calls, grief, and economic uncertainty. It’s as though all of us could greatly benefit from switching our focus from those challenges toward finding what’s good in our lives.

Based on work by the Buddhist meditation teacher, Sharon Salzberg, I’ve been asking classes this week to reflect on appreciating what’s good in their life as well as asking if their accomplishments bring joy. Do they feel happiness with important people in their life as well as experiencing joy and satisfaction of loved ones, friends, and strangers? Sometimes we answer no to these questions which gives us grist for the mill…digging into why we may feel joy has limits.

A practice that supports us in re-directing ourselves towards joy is to repeat the following phrases, beginning with ourselves and moving outward towards others.

“May my happiness and good fortune not diminish. May it increase further and further.”

“May your happiness and good fortune not diminish. May they increase further and further.”

“May the happiness and good fortune of all beings everywhere not diminish. May they increase further and further.”