Sticky Mat Maxims;
6 Life Lessons Learned in Yoga Class
I started yoga on the hardwood floor of Whalley Park field house in Long Beach California in the spring of 1999. As I peered into the darkened room, still in my work khakis, the instructor Roseanne beckoned me in and gave me a mat.
“Namste” “The divine in me honors the divine in you “ were her were first words to me.
Back then I was just looking for a good stretching class. Now yoga is the closest I have to a codified spiritual practice.
Since that first class, I’ve taken hundreds with dozens of different instructors. Some had spent time in Ashrams in India, some were grads of the chain gym’s training programs. All offered valuable insights.
Nowadays, I relish my. solo sun salutation cycles under a pine tree during my morning walk with the dogs.
But I am never very far from padding into a quiet room, rolling out my mat, because “there is nothing else I have to do and nowhere else I have to be” as gentle Roseanne used to begin.
1) “Set your intention.”
Joe, who taught at my local gym franchise, requested that we identify our desired outcome before every class.
For a big picture person this ain’t so easy. But, this little task turns into a Meditation. And in a few minutes I can befriend whatever life distraction is nibbling away at my consciousness at the moment.
“What do I really want?” Is the kind of question that may not be answered during a yoga class.
By darkening our minds, much is illuminated.
What ever nibbles is exposed…sore knee, or disappointed heart, when the mind is quiet, attention is paid, and a healing intention appears.
Figuring that out is an intention in and of itself. And while actual solutions may not arise during class, a post-class freshened mind is capable of clarity not possible without that 90 minutes.
In his book, Dealing With People You Can’t Stand, Dr. Rick Brinkmanintroduces the “spotlight question,” as a means of laying intentions bare rapidly.
A simple “Why do you want to know?” in response to pretty much any question posed, is a lightening quick method of ferreting the intent of others.
While I don’t always agree with Dr. Phil, I love it when after he’s listened to people bicker in front of him ad nauseous, he asks, “What do you want to happen here?”
Setting intent as a first step is tricky for those if us who naturally tend to charge headlong into problems without making friends with them first, yet worth the effort in showing the way out.
2) “Never surrender but give up the struggle.”
Comes in handy.
I teach modern world history. Juicy content, right? However, many high school students dion’t share my enthusiasm. Have to acknowledge that. They are entitled to hate history. Their contempt is as valid as my affinity & should never be surrendered. But, much like a fly caught in a web, the greater the struggle, the greater the risk of failure.
More yoga class verbiage as they are exhorted to allow the stories to “wash over them” find relevance and engage, if for no other reason, to speed perceived time.
Not that any of us should go peacefully in the face of a true threat, but embracing the inevitable makes for a less bumpy ride
There’s just stuff we all gotta do, whether it’s making time for our crazy family members, getting a colonoscopy, or merely driving with all the nuts out there…
From my first teacher Rosanne I learned the idea of “sweet tension.” You know, when you’re getting a great massage and there’s that point of “hurt so good”?
Life could be like that, too~ the teachings are that everything is in the process of becoming its opposite. That which was once a source of pain will become pleasure, at best, infinitely more tolerable at worst.
Good will fashion itself from bad.
3) “Move with authority.”
“Feel the energy shooting from your fingertips,” Roseanne admonished as we assumed the might warrior stance. “Direct your drishti (gaze) up, beyond your fingertips.”
High school students in my English Composition classes were in the habit of prefacing discussion points with “I think” or “In my personal opinion.” After mentioning that because their name is on top, telling the reader that the ideas are their own is redundant.
“Write with authority” as I, to their hilarity, threw a warrior 2 pose.
What ever you do, as JFK famously said, “Do it with vigah”
Act with a sense of purpose. (See setting intent) Authority means confidence. Confidence springs from assuming command. An old mentor, Jack Spidale, once chided me for “shooting a scared stick,” when I waffled, uncertain of my own ability. In a pool game, ya never waiver, gives advantage to the opponent.
Nobody knows you like you know you. Never judge. Evaluate what is good for you.
4) “Enlightenment is knowing all you need is within.”
In Sanskrit, yoga means “yoke.” It’s a metaphor. Breath & body are one, as are the ox & yoke, all that is necessary to plow forward.
Breath is the one constant essential. Nothing more. With each breath, we are given a choice of happiness or sorrow. Our bodies thrive on joy, but will settle for peace.
Conscious connection with our breathing leads to a profound understanding of the vast potential within.
Depak Chopra gave a name to the ancient healer within us. He termed this force “cellular intelligence.” Our bodies are eager to make whatever is wrong right. Breath awareness is the start of self familiarization. Understanding the significance of breath makes it easier to practice what Chopra terms “self soothing,” and self healing.
Yoga practitioners learn how to isolate & work individual muscles & muscle groups. When muscles are stiff or resistant,, “sending breath” to that area become a habit useful in other situations.
There are stories of advanced practitioners, Hindu Yoginis, who are able to slow their own heart rates and metabolism beyond what is believed required to sustain life. They do it by slowing down the primary involuntary muscle, the heart.
Now, when feel my heart beat quickening, I direct my breath and awareness to my heart muscle and WILL it to slow down, thanks to my yoga practice.
5) “My mat, my practice.”
One instructor told us there is “no competition in yoga” (which turns out not to be true, exactly, this is America after all. We have cupcakes wars But yoga will probably never be an Olympic event.
“Sweet tension” notwithstanding, Roseanne constantly reminded us to listen to our bodies. “The expression ‘No pain no gain’ did not come from yoga.” she said.
Yoga is generally practiced with eyes closed. How others are doing is not important. How much easier would it be if we never ever compared ourselves with how others are doing?
6) “This may not be your experience but it is the goal.”
When the lithe Amanda presented class with poses that were hard to pronounce much less execute, this was her caveat.
These were the most encouraging words a student could hear; I have uttered them many times, especially in my art classroom.
A golfer once told me he was so dedicated to the game because — unlike bowling or baseball — nobody has ever earned a perfect score. Yoga is like that. Always more to learn, more challenging poses, more teachings. Like golf, perfection tantalizes, there is always a goal in sight, but clearly unreachable. Liberating! Yoga practitioners ~ and golfers ~ concentrate on enjoying the journey in pursuit of perfection.
As the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi taught us:
The past is gone.
The future will take care of itself.
Be here now
Be here now.
Be here now.