Tough Love

A yogi cultivates an inner awareness that cannot be shaken by the turmoil of life.

Think of that in a yoga class….

Someone walks in to class and throws down their mat, walks all over the room, strikes up conversation with others and you lay there trying to relax, be still. Or, someone comes in late, rolls out their mat and always starts to move and breathe so loudly. Gets out of poses early, walks in and out of the room and tries to be the center of attention.

When I take class I want to be left alone, I want to be in a space where no one can bother me. I have changed yoga studios, gone at random times of the day….and all to no avail. I have learned that there is no perfect scenario, no perfect teacher and no perfect class. I can sit there and analyze all the things that are wrong, I can get in my head and go through all these things OR I can lay there and let no one interrupt the space that I am in.

We have a choice to renew peace and calm within ourselves. I have the blessing of a beautiful dog that I am able to walk all around Venice. During those walks it is when I am most present with my actions, my thoughts and my breath. Walking meditation is what I started practicing on those walks. Each step brings you back to the present moment, each step enables you to touch what is beautiful, what is true. How can you do this in your yoga practice? By allowing each inhale and exhale, each pose be a starting point, a place to dig in deeper, to focus the mind on one thing at a time and make it the most beautiful, everlasting moment it can be.

Now think of it in your everyday life.....

I was in San Francisco over the weekend and as I go to my car to leave and drive home my window had been smashed and car broken in to. My phone screen was not turning on and I had to be back in Los Angeles by 5 pm that night. I had to make a choice….to freak out (which solves nothing) or to go upstairs and figure this all out. My friends gathered close to me, loaned me a phone and one missed her flight to drive back with me. 

There are so many obstacles that come in to our life. We can look at each one, analyze it, and beat ourselves up over thoughts of “I deserved this” or “Why me?” Or we can grab our keys, clean out the car and drive home.

I am so grateful for my scars. They remind me of pain, of difficulty and of strife. I want that in my life. I live for trouble and difficulty and strive off of rising past those tough times. I am a survivor and why I love yoga so much. Those classes where you feel like giving up, your body is shaking and you take one more breath, you finish the best you can and wind up feeling so incredible. Each class is a battle in my mind and I love it. I love cheating, I love being called out on it and pushing myself to limits I didn’t know I could reach.

I would rather go through life knowing that I have loved, I have felt life at its deepest parts and been hurt than to go through life bitter, angry and wishing I had taken a chance. Be forgiving of others, be kind to those that least expect it and when someone annoys you in class, smile and push through til you feel joy again.

“It is better to feel pain than nothing at all.”—The Lumineers