Laura Erdman-Luntz, MA, E-RYT(500) | Yoga | Yoga Teacher Training | Minnesota | Costa Rica | Life Coaching

The Point of Our Yoga Practice

"And this is the point of spiritual practice:

To make us teachable,
to open our hearts
and focus our awareness so that we can 
know what we already know,
and be who we already are."


~Rolf Gates

A Thought: An Ever-Changing Yoga Personal Pratice

Poses differ daily. 
Sometimes you know why, sometimes you don't. 
Our task is to listen and honor where we are right now,
not where it was yesterday or where we wish it to be.

A Thought: To Discern Without Judgment

Can you evaluate what you need to work on in a pose without judgment?  To be able to assess what we need to work on is a necessary and helpful skill when you are on a path of self-discovery.  We need to be able to figure out what to work on next to grow and evolve.  Yet that assessment can be full of judgment and criticism and when it is, we will be stuck!  Let your assessment simply be, "hmmm...isn't that interesting?"

A Thought: Who You Are in a Yoga Pose

"Remember, it doesn't matter how deep into a posture you go --

what does matter is who you are when you get there.

~max strom

A Thought: Limitations in Your Yoga Practice are Merely Self-Imposed

In tonight’s class I taught, I had an interesting thought I shared with my students. Do you often go into a pose assuming it will look exactly as you did it last time? I am guessing there are a few poses in which you do. Personally, basic standing poses such as Warrior II and Triangle Poses are my weak spot. I just plop myself into my usual position and hang out there until I think it is time to go to the other side. I don’t even try to take myself more deeply. I just assume my pose will look the same today as it did yesterday and it will tomorrow.

When I realized what I was doing, it made me think. Where else in my life do I just plunk myself down and assume I have gone as far as I can go? There are so many places we can limit ourselves in what we have – happiness (really, test yourself – being happier than you are comfortable with can be incredibly uncomfortable and we usually only allow it for brief periods), love, money, career, health, even the number of vacations or where we go on our vacations (or whether we go on vacation)! Where in your life do you feel a bit stale? Is it time to blow past a self-imposed limitation?

You see, the irony of physical limitations is they are often merely  perceived. What I mean is you can move beyond your “wall”, which is, in fact, merely a speed bump. Our flexibility is tied mostly to our consciousness. If you think you are tight, guess what? You are right! If you think you can loosen up and move past your inflexibility or weakness, guess what? You are right, too. If you think you can move past your current health crisis, guess what? You are right! Maybe it is time to blow past a few of those limitations and experience the joy on the other side…

A Thought: Your Everyday Practice

If your everyday practice is open to all your emotions,
to all the people you meet, to all the situations you encounter,
without closing down, trusting that you can do that --
then that will take you as far as you can go.

~ Pema Chodron

 

open door
Originally uploaded by Happy Jumper ()

A Thought: Is Non-Greed Possible?

One of the philosophical precepts in yogic philosophy is aparigraha,or non-grasping. It is also translated as not reaching for things or non-greed. I want to share a thought with you. I think “non-grasping” is a much harder concept to grasp (interesting choice of words! :-) ) than people first realize. I notice how often spiritual writings speak of not wanting anything, detaching completely from desires, as a step toward self-mastery. Please understand that desiring is part of the human consciousness. As long as we are in our physical body, no matter how high our consciousness goes, we will desire something. (Sri Harold, a God-realized being, often refers to the trials he still encounters as part of his human consciousness.)

I am sure you have noticed your desiring has shifted as you have evolved. You probably no longer see things or other people as the source of your happiness. You may have detached from your work, you belongings, etc. But now you may desire more quiet in your life, less clutter, more free time, a higher consciousness. It is okay to not know what you are desiring right now, but please do not allow the illusion that you have no desire because that is not possible. You may have a more refined desire, but it is there nonetheless. The key to our desire is to not let it be a source of suffering, which would be an attachment to the desires, and that is where aparigraha fits. In trying to deny our desiring we suffer. When desiring is a source of suffering, we are held back in our growth. The purpose of desires is to propel us into more growth. We don’t want to be complacent, we want to constantly desire to evolve further in love, in compassion, in our spiritual awakening.

Here is a great quote from the manifesting works that I feel describes this idea well.

“We would describe the sensation of desire as the delicious awareness of new possibilities. Desire is a fresh, free feeling of anticipating wonderful expansion. The feeling of desire is truly the feeling of life flowing through you. But many people, while they are using the word desire, feel something quite different. Desire for them, often feels like yearning, for while they are focused upon something that they want to experience or have, they are equally aware of its absence. And so, while they are using words of desire, they are offering a vibration of lack. They come to think that the feeling of desire is like wanting something that they do not have. But there is no feeling of lack in pure desire.”
~ Hicks-Abraham

Attachment
Originally uploaded by Mike_tn

A Thought: Your Practice as the Calm

When life is busy and you are feeling chaotic, your mat should be your refuge and your yoga practice  needs to be the same 'ole, same 'ole, the calm in the storm. When the storm passes (as they all do), then it is time to stretch, reach, and take yourself further on the mat!

The Pink Panther's Yoga Mat
Originally uploaded by christianyves

A Thought: The Astonishing Light of Your Own Being

"I wish I could show you, when you are lonely or in darkness,
the astonishing light of your own being!"
~ Hafiz

I love this quote! I used to think if my close friends really knew me, really could see inside my heart, they wouldn't like me. Then, one day, I realized, they DID know me. They could see the astonishing light of my being -- I was the one missing it.

Trust what your closest friends see.  Their sight is clearer than your own!

half dome reflection
Originally uploaded by MistyDays / CB

A Thought: Rest for Connection

This weekend I am off to my spiritual renewal weekend. My spiritual path has a huge gathering two times a year for a weekend. My family and I go every time. My time is focused on my connection to my Higher Self and what I will do when I leave to maintain that connection. I take the weekend very seriously because I am still learning how to take time for that connection the rest of the year. Just stopping to relax is challenging in our society with the frenetic energy we have as our norm.

I once heard that the ideal for relaxing/off time is:
• 20-minutes daily
• one day each week
• one weekend a month
• 2 weeks a year

I do the 20-minutes daily well, but the rest are still a work in progress. I have also heard a great coach say we should all take “federal holidays” and have 10, 3-day weekends a year as well as 4 weeks of vacation. I couldn’t agree more! I know I would be more inspired than ever. So, why is it so difficult?

I know as a teacher, I have a sense of responsibility to my students. Yet, when my teacher took vacations, I didn’t mind. No, that answer is too simple. I truly think the energy our culture discourages breathing space. I also think we have the power to change that old way of thinking! Judith Lasater recommends a 20-minute Savasana (Relaxation Pose) daily, one day a week making your practice restorative, and one-week of restorative each year. Our calming energy can change the energy of the world. Changing the world, one yoga student at a time!

Meditation
Originally uploaded by h.koppdelaney