A November to remember

Hello Yogi Minds 

Welcome to your monthly slice of B 

& of course to November. 

Thank you to all the glorious new faces I've met this month. Welcome aboard to those new to yoga .. Always remember it's your practice. It will never leave you, it waits patiently to help you, with sometimes the most surprising of things. It can't change the world - but YOU can .. ;) 

To open is to let in.. to share, is to offer something of yours to others...in a step toward understanding my journey I will open & I will share. The last couple of weeks have pressed apon my ability to perform at my best. Feeling physically beaten & mentally strained. Unable to drift through a day without feeling the struggle. Sometimes yoga teachers are viewed as enlightened, or perfectly equipped to live peacefully and organically off the mat .. in truth, we're human & just like you. With monkey minds, spinal ailments, osteopaths, skeletons in cupboards & relationship hurdles. With the exact same reasons for finding yoga as you. We have to remind ourselves sometimes to use our "Yogic Toolbox" & to dig deep to get ourselves through. Not all work can be done on the mat. In fact, remember that asanas are one 8th of the process. A progressive process that unravles through your entire life. In a perfect world that would be a one way ticket on a luxurious  train meandering through gorgeous rolling countryside, fabulous menu options & plenty of stops at destinations you've dreamt of, even a VIP carriage - that would be nice! But our realities are more in line with a crowded bus to a never ending job, with a route change & hour delay because you slept in or got stuck cleaning the cats mess because you forgot to let him out the night before. 

You know..the curve ball you were waiting for? Well it's out there somewhere. 

In Buddhism the first of the four noble truths is 

All existence is dukkha. The word dukkha has been variously translated as 'suffering', 'anguish', 'pain', or 'unsatisfactoriness'. The Buddha's insight was that our lives are a struggle, and we do not find ultimate happiness or satisfaction in anything we experience. This is the problem of existence.

So in sourcing our problem we find solutions outside our struggle. More on point - solutions inside ourselves. My personal off the mat life got right up in my face & there was no turning away. I was facing a chance to prove I could beat it or run away into a world of excuses, a safety net of labels and pigeonholes. I'm not saying I'm all enlightened now without a drop of dukkha on my plate, I just witnessed something really dark that offered me the fork in the road. 

Self care is paramount. We all fall off the wagon - drive thru fast foods, sugar binges, alcohol abuse, poor relationship choices or passive aggressive self abuse. Whatever it is, eventually our bodies send through messages that enough is enough. 

If you can relate to feeling a dark cloud of late or that your bus route is about to encounter a traffic jam from central Sydney at 5pm ... Then trust in some of those little guides you learn on the mat & take them back into your days & nights. Breath into EXACTLY how you feel and learn to see it for what it really is. It's YOU! Everything that is in your life, your past or thoughts about your future is you...perhaps don't change it, BE it...perhaps change how you feel about it rather than changing yourself. 

An article I read lately screamed a whole lot of truth - this is the other thing I'd like to share with you. 

http://www.offthematintotheworld.org.nz/dark-side/

I have gained a greater awareness of myself, my ability & my journey. With greater mindfulness & clearer vision this November certainly is going to be one to remember. 

So until I see you on the mat remember this 

ACCEPT PEOPLE 

JUST THE WAY THEY ARE.

In most cases it's impossible to change them anyway, and it's rude to try.  So save yourself from needless stress.  Instead of trying to change others, give them your support and lead by example.

--
Peace Love & Shapes

Lisette D. Kendall
@
B~Yoga