Last Monday, on New Year’s Eve Day, I arrived at yoga with an empty tank…
And I mean that both literally and figuratively.
The red light was on next to my car’s fuel gauge.
And, since earlier in the morning my husband and I had had a disagreement about scheduling and time commitments, I was feeling totally drained.
My stomach hurt from the worrying, and my two boys who are truly a delight were driving me crazy because I had no reserves to tap.
Lucky for me, I was headed to yoga class where I knew I would fill up my prana tank. (And I could easily fill up the car’s gas tank on the way back home.)
The practice of yoga—including pranayama (most simply defined as focused breathing practice)—is my most important platinum practice. In an ideal world, I would wake every day at 5:30 AM and practice for two hours.
But then there’s reality. So, my goal is to practice for 5 minutes a day. And lately I’m grateful that I’ve been getting in three or four 90 minute practices each week.
With my year-long focus in exploring the yogic principle of Ahimsa (non-harming or non-violence), I thought I’d share with you that practicing yoga is just one way to be at peace. And, being at peace is just one of the numerous benefits of exploring yoga.
Here is what is written on the wall at a nearby yoga studio:
Peace.
It does not mean to be
in a place where there is
no noise,
trouble or hard work.
It means to be
in the midst of those things
and still be calm in your heart.
When you practice yoga, you not only cultivate peace in your heart, but you fundamentally change your view of your life and the world around you.
The world around you may stay the same—busy, noisy, demanding.
But after you’ve been on the mat for a few minutes or more, the world seems more manageable.
And when you’re feeling this way, you are able to be in better control of your time and energy—and this is essential to being your best and performing at your optimum level in everything you do.
In the first chapter of my book Refuel Recharge and Re-energize, I write about the idea of taking time each day to quiet your mind and how important that is.
Yoga helps you to quiet your mind.
And in the sixth chapter of my book, I write about cultivating more yin to balance all the yang in our modern world.
Yoga helps you to cultivate more yin, in essence to feel more balanced and in control.
After practicing yoga last Monday, I came away feeling that everything was going to work out just fine, and that all the things I was worrying about really didn’t matter that much in the bigger scheme of things. I felt relieved, relaxed, and at peace in my heart—and was happy to go home to my family.
If these ideas of refilling your tank and being better balanced intrigue you, then I invite you to join me this coming weekend for one of these workshops:
Saturday, January 12, I’ll be at Blue Banyan in the Mt. Airy neighborhood of Philadelphia, offering a delicious full practice of yin (relaxed) yoga poses and an engaging and enjoyable dialogue about how the yin yang framework can help you achieve better life balance, as well as suggestions on how you can practice these ideas at home or at the office. Join me at 1:30 PM, but call 267.974.6527 to register first. And find more details here.
Sunday, January 13, I’ll be at Yogawood in Collingswood, NJ (just 15 minutes from Center City Philadelphia), sharing yoga-inspired wisdom and practices to help you feel more in balance, more relaxed, and in control of your time and energy. Join me at 1 PM, but sign-up first here.
And if you’re not available to join us, or are not in the area, and would like to have a conversation about how you could further explore these ideas in your own life, or make them part of your New Year’s Resolution, then I invite you to meet with me by phone, Skype, or Facetime, for a one-on-one coaching session. More info here.
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