Sunie Yoga

suniemac.wix.com/yoga

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Resilience


There are days, weeks, even months, where we can feel like we are barely able to go on, where we want to throw our hands up and shout, “I give up!”,  where all we want to do is lie in bed and breathe.  Have you felt this way, finding yourself at the bottom of the barrel with no way out in sight?    

Feeling sorrow, loss and pain is a big part of life.  This is something we must accept.  Life would be empty if we never lived through these difficult feelings and experiences.  The beauty of opposites (Yin/Yang) is that there is always something stupendous waiting for you on the other side.

At times of suffering, the ultimate goal is to get yourself out of bed and move your body, even if it’s as simple as drinking a cup of tea while gazing at your backyard, meditating in a peaceful place or practicing a yoga pose.  There is always a way to continue on.  Find the peace and strength within yourself and you will find your resilience.

In our Yoga practice, we can discover how to work through anything that happens to us.  We can use these experiences as teachers instead of constraints.  By moving the emotions in and around our bodies, we will find ways to give them expression and let them go.  Our loss and suffering can become profound and positive transformation.  We just have to trust that we can and will move forward.


Apply your experiences to your life, and you will let go of the hurt and pain anything has caused you.  Turn every circumstance to your advantage.  Experience your resilience.



Sunday, March 24, 2013

Just Being

I've taken my own advice and have been practicing witness consciousness as often as I can; it's been a truly amazing experience.  I have stepped back from identifying with my daily feelings and thoughts and have taken my time living, enjoying every moment of my life. In the midst of this self-inquiry, I've noticed something.  When I step back from life by witnessing myself, quite the opposite ends up happening.  I have since become more open to living and exploring what is in front of me.  My friendships have blossomed, my sense of self has grown immensely and my experience in life has greatly expanded for the better. I find I have been able to take rather large steps forward toward bettering myself as a person by being in touch with what I need and the people around me need without actually trying to figure it out.  Stepping back and witnessing, life reveals itself.

Slow down.  See who and what is in front of you and embrace all that you can.  If we stop trying so hard to be, we can actually just be and life opens to us.  It's a beautiful thing.


Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Listen to Your Body

There are days when you may notice you're super energized or, just the opposite, extra tired.  Oftentimes we hear our thoughts on how we're really doing and we chose to ignore them.


It's okay to listen to your body.  Check in with yourself.  Let it speak to you.  Your body will tell you what you need.  Perhaps a night in or a day off from work would do just the trick.  Or maybe you need a visit to the gym or want to go dancing to let out some extra steam.  Listen.  And find a way to do it.
There are times when I find myself feeling run down from doing too much, but I push it aside because I want to participate in every social option available to me.  There are some days where all I really feel like doing is taking a Yoga class or meditating.  When I don't indulge, it never fails, I pay for it later, one way or another.  Listen to your body and give it what it needs.  There is nothing wrong with making the better choice for yourself.  Otherwise, you won't be as present as you'd like to be for the event you are planning to attend or for the friend you are wanting to see.


Make the choice, commit and go for it.  No guilt, no disappointment.  Allow yourself to be where you are in your life at this present moment.  Indulge yourself.  Give yourself what you need.  The world will thank you for it in the end.


Monday, March 11, 2013

Take Your Path

A friend said to me today that he feels he's isn't as accomplished in his life as he would like to be by now.  He feels he's failed.  Not that it matters, but in my opinion, this man is very well accomplished, has a lot going for him and is superbly far ahead for his early 30's.  But that's not important.  The question is why does he feel this way?

I began to wonder, how many of us have these thoughts and feelings?  Do you feel like a failure?  Why?  Who is making you feel that way?  Your friends?  Your family?  Your peers?  Or, more likely, yourself?

I truly believe we are all on this path together and we will get where we need to be when we are good and ready to.  There will always be what we call setbacks, like not finishing a degree, spending a lot of time with someone that wasn't committed, overspending and not making enough income back, moving, etc, but we have to remember those people, things and decisions are prepping and molding us for what's next to come in our lives.  Perhaps you didn't finish your degree, but you met your wife at school.  Perhaps you spent a lot of time with a person in order to truly appreciate a new person in your life that you would have otherwise taken for granted.  Your experiences always lead you and prepare you for the next big thing.  It may be hard to see, but I am certain it is true.  To feel that you aren't good enough for yourself will only slow you down.  Don't let any ropes hold you back.  Expand your heart and compassion into the world.  Take advantage of every opportunity.  Reflect on your past, see how far you have already come and give yourself a nice pat on the back.  You are living.

Embrace your presence, then take the next step forward.  There is nothing wrong with being here, whether it's what you planned or not.

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Witness Consciousness

Life can get out of hand rather quickly if you let it, especially (but not necessarily) when living in a city.  Things just keep coming up.  Life keeps pouring things into your lap and we sometimes are temporarily blinded to the value life holds.  We can get caught up in how something makes us feel and end up taking on the emotion as if it is who we are.

As I sit here in the silence of NYC, consuming a delicious, home-cooked meal late into the evening, unconcerned and tranquil by my sleepiness, I notice how beautiful life is.  I reflect on my day, recalling a man entertaining a woman while walking home on crutches in bouts of laughter, the receptiveness of the Yoga clients I spoke with today, the smile of my boss after she told me about something she personally accomplished and was proud of, my kindhearted neighbor who giggled as I went jogging by him, the sweet mews of my little kitten as I came home and shouted her name at the window, watching her jump up to look down at me with her big beady eyes in excitement, the thought of knowing a friend was pleased when I told him the new news of my ever-changing living situation, the gentleness of each human being I saw, including my own tenderness.

Today was given to me as a day to truly see and experience the glory of living: joy and love in its purest form.  Today I've tapped into my Witness Consciousness.


While being fully present, I step out of my skin and witness myself as I walk through my day.  I experience each moment, but I do not identify with it.  I am able to stand apart from each situation and appreciate what is being given and received without defining that as who I am.


The practice of Witness Consciousness is to understand that the emotions we feel are not our true nature.  They are only temporary.  Emoting allows us to have a better sense of how we live with what is given to us.  They do not define who we are.  When we can witness ourselves and others, it is easier to let go of judgement and expectation.  We are able to release negative emotions and behavior because we can see it is not essential in aiding us toward our ultimate goal.  This creates space for us to bring more acceptance and harmony into our lives.

Every so often, check in with yourself.  Notice how you are doing and what you are feeling.  Allow yourself to step back and witness yourself experiencing whatever is in your life right now.  Don't let it define who you are.  Let life be.  It will continue to come and flow, to jerk to a stop and speed back up again. There are days it will feel unattainable and overwhelming and days it will feel so good, so rich and so real.  Just let it be.



Explore the Yoga of Life.