:: YogiSutras: Yoga Blog - Journeys into Yoga ::

“Do not seek to have everything that happens as you wish, but wish for everything to happen as it actually does happen, and your life will be serene.”
–Epictetus

“Live each present moment completely and the future will take care of itself. Fully enjoy the wonder and beauty of each instant”
–Yogananda

Mantras for myself, as I try despirately to get through this week with no more mental breakdowns about what the future may hold.

Just a note on living every moment in the present. I, personally love pets. I love my own pets, I love all my friends pets, and I would adopt every pet at the humane society if I could.

But, we know they don’t live our lives as long as we do. Yesterday, we put my friend’s beloved Golden Retriever, Boston to rest due to her pain from wide-spread cancer. While we knew she was sick, and we dreaded that day that would come, it was still terribly, terribly hard, and there was no way possible to prepare for the end of her life.

We lived in the present with her, ran, hiked, and she gave us her undivided affection, no matter what. We’ll cherish that former present, and feel blessed that she was always there. (Boston is on the left)

Enjoy your pets, your days, and your loved ones every day, being in the present for every gift life has to offer at the present moment.

~Namaste

Try this: The next time you find yourself wound up tight with too many things to do and not enough time to do them in, stop everything, sit down, and let go. Visualize all those to-do’s, issues, and problems turning into white feathers, as one by one you release them, watching them fall lightly to the floor. Just like the feather, these tasks cannot be rushed, but rather must take time to sort themselves out. A feather, like any object, cannot defy gravity, and it will come down eventually. Rather than worry about how quickly it will come down, focus instead on the ethereal dance of the feather. Imagine what life would be like if you came upon the events in your own life the way a feather alights — without pressure or weight. See yourself moving here and there throughout your day with effortless ease.

Reprinted from : The Journey to Wild Divine: The Passage

Now, personally, I use this practice frequently. Currently, I am in the process of buying and selling a house. The buying part is working out just fine. The selling part is another story. I find it hard to put such a large and personal task into the hands of a realitor. With all my frustrations building up, I have had to STOP, SIT DOWN, and LET IT GO at least two to three times a day. Sometimes, I close my eyes, use my heart breath, and just take a 20 minute snooze. That works too!

Last Sunday, I was asked to play in a golf tournament to celebrate a friend’s birthday. I am, in fact, terrible at golf. To prove this, I actually hit the head right off of my Nike 3 wood the previous weekend when driving some balls.

But, I use my heart breath, dive into my yoginess and try to enjoy. This past Sunday, I was teamed with three of my best girlfriends. We all know, girls like to have fun! Well, on the third hole, my one friend tee’d off, and then immediately (and just as spontaneously) dropped to her hands for Bakasana (crow pose). This spawned all of us to drop and hold Crow. Now to us, this captured the essence of the day; to be, to breathe, to play, and to enjoy every moment as it occurs.

Unfortunately, the course marshall didn’t approve. He must have seen our little asana, as on the next hole, he kindly asked us to speed up and catch up to the group ahead of us.

I should have given him a free pass for yoga…

Golf and yoga do go together. I think there should be a vinyasa at every hole…

~Namaste