[note from kelly: I copied this post from the namaste greenville site (click here http://namastegreenville.ning.com/ if you want to read the comments section). thanks liz]
"why it's harder to look inside ourselves" by liz delaney
There is this great story that I first read in a children's book, but later discovered it is a Sufi tale as well. Here goes... A man is outside his house looking for his keys. His friend comes by, sees him and asks what he is looking for. The man replies, "I lost my keys."
The friend says, "Let me help you. Where did you lose them?" The man says, "Inside." Friend says, "Then why are you looking out here?" The man responds, "Because there is more light out here."
This describes some of us so well... It is so much easier to look outside of ourselves rather than within. This is part of the human condition. Look around you and I am sure you see people who seek happiness in the form of money, accomplishments, food, shopping and the accumulation of things. Always wanting more, more, more, but never finding the thing for which they are searching. What would happen if they turned inside?
The same is true in yoga class. Brian and I have been practicing a similar sequence for eight years and have been content with this. We never questioned it until someone asked us why we never teach the "harder" poses. It took us some time to really think and process through this.
Slowly, it occurred to us that if you are always seeking the "harder" poses, aren't you really trying to achieve something? Maybe trying to add it to your list of accomplishments? Our teacher once said the best way to lose the ego is to do the same poses over and over, but hold them longer and breathe deeper. The ego tells us we need more to be happy, again bringing us outside of ourselves. Isn't the aim of yoga to lead you within?
Our yoga practice should be just that- a practice for your daily life. Whatever manifests itself on your mat is usually what goes on in your daily life. When you practice yoga, do you strive to push yourself as hard as you can? What happens when your teacher changes his or her style, do you rebel in your head and do what you want to do anyway? Can you be content doing just what the teacher asks of you or do you always have to add more? What happens when a distraction occurs out the window, can you keep your focus or are you silently cursing the person causing the disruption?
When you are in yoga class are you thinking about what you did before or what you will do after? Can you enjoy your yoga practice for exactly what it is in that moment? What would happen if you just turned within?
Take a few moments today and think about your yoga practice and then think about your daily life. How often are you content in either situation? Are you happy just existing, being fully present, or do you need to consume more to be happy? Try spending a day (or even a yoga class) simply existing within to find the light that exists there. You never know what you may find.
[comments for liz? post them here]
"why it's harder to look inside ourselves" by liz delaney
There is this great story that I first read in a children's book, but later discovered it is a Sufi tale as well. Here goes... A man is outside his house looking for his keys. His friend comes by, sees him and asks what he is looking for. The man replies, "I lost my keys."
The friend says, "Let me help you. Where did you lose them?" The man says, "Inside." Friend says, "Then why are you looking out here?" The man responds, "Because there is more light out here."
This describes some of us so well... It is so much easier to look outside of ourselves rather than within. This is part of the human condition. Look around you and I am sure you see people who seek happiness in the form of money, accomplishments, food, shopping and the accumulation of things. Always wanting more, more, more, but never finding the thing for which they are searching. What would happen if they turned inside?
The same is true in yoga class. Brian and I have been practicing a similar sequence for eight years and have been content with this. We never questioned it until someone asked us why we never teach the "harder" poses. It took us some time to really think and process through this.
Slowly, it occurred to us that if you are always seeking the "harder" poses, aren't you really trying to achieve something? Maybe trying to add it to your list of accomplishments? Our teacher once said the best way to lose the ego is to do the same poses over and over, but hold them longer and breathe deeper. The ego tells us we need more to be happy, again bringing us outside of ourselves. Isn't the aim of yoga to lead you within?
Our yoga practice should be just that- a practice for your daily life. Whatever manifests itself on your mat is usually what goes on in your daily life. When you practice yoga, do you strive to push yourself as hard as you can? What happens when your teacher changes his or her style, do you rebel in your head and do what you want to do anyway? Can you be content doing just what the teacher asks of you or do you always have to add more? What happens when a distraction occurs out the window, can you keep your focus or are you silently cursing the person causing the disruption?
When you are in yoga class are you thinking about what you did before or what you will do after? Can you enjoy your yoga practice for exactly what it is in that moment? What would happen if you just turned within?
Take a few moments today and think about your yoga practice and then think about your daily life. How often are you content in either situation? Are you happy just existing, being fully present, or do you need to consume more to be happy? Try spending a day (or even a yoga class) simply existing within to find the light that exists there. You never know what you may find.
[comments for liz? post them here]
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