You have the ability and the power to touch the
lives of everyone who you come into contact with and with everyone each
of those people come into contact with. Think of the possibilities.
The second of the 8 limbs of yoga are the five
internal practices of Niyama (observance). Niyama can be described as
the rules that need to be observed by individuals, on a more personal
level.
 So lets begin with Saucha, the first of the Niyamas, it literally means living purely simply,
cleanliness. It is easy to think of cleanliness in terms of keeping
our environment clean, and you would be partly right.Early
I quoted one of my teachers as saying, "the way you do anything is the
way you do everything." Well now I am going to share a story on one of
my teachers. Occasional my teachers and I will take road trips and
attend workshops together which creates I nice time to get to know each
other on a deeper level. On this particular weekend, there were 4 of us,
so we shared two rooms. My roommate, who I have had the privilege of
watching grow into a lovely teacher, showed up for this weekend in need
of a new mat. LOL it was sooooooooooo bad I threw it away forcing her
to purchase a new one. I
lovingly told her I was embarrassed to be with her and that filthy mat,
and we both laughed, but honestly her space, her mat, did
not reflect her authentic self, but the self she is trying to overcome.
(This is not to say your should have an expensive, top of the line mat,
but your space needs to be clean and uncluttered) I know this struggle
all to well, and it is a daily battle, to keep them at bay, my mat for
me is a safe place, my sanctuary, where I can let go of the clutter and
filth around me even if for only one hour. Today
as we step onto our mat, leave behind any outside things or events that
my clutter your mind or your space. Allow only the thoughts of your
practice to enter your mind. Allow only those things with in the space
of your mind and mat that can help you with your practice today. Every
thing we do and think affects not only ourself but the people in our
lives, and their reaction in turn affects other people and can then
become a source of joy, or a source of pain.
This
ripple effect all begins with you. The impact we have on the world is
greater then any of us can imagine. So begin here and now on your mat.
Stop the thoughts of negativity, don't allow the effects of negative
energy to contaminate your practice, or your body. Today we are going
to practice inner mind cleaning. Observe
the effects this positive energy has on your abilities and your
awareness in each asana. If you catch yourself allowing these unclean
thoughts to enter into your practice, simply stop, come to your breath
and as you exhale, release the thought and on an inhale replace it with a
pure clean thought. Then and only then are you ready to rejoin us in
your practice. As
we close and as you leave the mat, consider for a moment, the effects
of your thoughts and actions. You have the ability and the power to
touch the lives of everyone who you come into contact with and with
everyone each of those people come into contact with. Think of
the possibilities. Watch your thoughts, They become words Words become actions Actions become habits Habits become Character Character becomes Destiny See you on the mat Hums clean,
pure, joy, ripple, flow, allow, judge less, pause, ease, awareness,
uncluttered, surrender, peace, grateful, gratitude, expand, spread,
transform, arise, mindfully, thoughtfully |
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Categoriesasanabalance breath chakra injury karma, meditation patience perception practice touch yoga yoga alliance yoga, accountability |
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