22 Dec
Yoga

THE GIFT OF SELF STUDY

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It’s the season for giving!! There’s just something about the excitement that people get opening beautifully wrapped boxes filled with gifts! 

I just wish I got that excited when it came to unwrapping myself. As people we are composed of “boxes” constructed by our life experiences. We have all these boxes that form our beliefs and our views and then we wrap those boxes with pretty paper and that’s the presentation that everyone sees. 

The question I recently asked myself is “Is the present better wrapped or open? “ The presentation is beautiful, but what we all really want is on the inside. 

So who are you without the wrapping paper? At the core, unboxed… Who is your divine self? These are questions I’ve been asking myself as I explore the Niyama called Svadhaya or Self Study. 

Keep reading for some journal prompts on the journey to knowing yourself.

EVALUATE YOUR TRUTH VERSUS REALITY

Are they the same or are they different?

There is a popular saying that The world is yours. Why is the world ours? Because what we see, how we feel, how we interpret experiences are based off our inner workings.  If you don’t believe me, find someone from your tribe, read about an event that took place and then compare and contrast how you all see that event. 

In order to understand why we see the world the way we do… we have to stop looking out and start looking in. We perceive the world not as it is, but as we are. 

IDENTIFY THE THINGS THAT BOTHER YOU

Ask yourself why it made you feel the way you do, and when you come up with an answer ask yourself why again? 

In moments of disharmony press rewind. Play it back in your mind. Why did it bother you. Can you connect it to one of your boxes? Can you unwrap it, get to the bottom of it. The truth of it all.

I think when we answer questions like this, the initial response is surface. When I ask myself why, I try to ask ATLEAST twice. I want to know the real answer! The real reason, hidden beneath the layers of why.

OBSERVE THE WAY YOU COMMUNICATE WITH OTHERS

Do you find that certain things are commonly lost in interpretation? 

For me I used to see this mostly in my relationship. My ex would say one thing, and I took it to mean something else and vice versa. My feelings were projected on the conversation and based off of how the words in the conversation made me feel, that’s how I interpreted what was being said . I’m not saying I was right or wrong, but I think that my decoding of the information that was delivered is very telling about what I had/have going on inside of me.

Take notes on how you decipher communication from others. When you run into a situation where there may be miscommunication write down what was said, what the person actually meant by it, and how you took it. Then once again ask yourself why you took it that way.

DESCRIBE YOUR EGO

We all have one. Our ego’s say a lot about who we are. There’s no judgement in it. Just write down the words that come to mind.

Then write down interactions where your ego likes to come out and play. 

What’s the connection between the circumstance and the appearance of your ego? 

WRITE DOWN WHAT YOUR THINK YOUR BOXES ARE

If you’re having trouble labeling the boxes try writing down how you feel about love, anger, sadness, beliefs, pet peeves, etc.

For example: for me, right now I feel disheartened about love, the emotion of anger bothers me, sadness is a very familiar feeling, I believe people should treat others with kindness, and I don’t like when people wear shoes in my house. 

Look at what you wrote. How does this reflect who you are at your core and do you think it accurately depicts your true self? These views, these feelings form who u are, what you see, what and how you react to life occurrences. 

Do you like what you see? If not, the way to reshape and remold starts with breaking down and then throwing out certain boxes.

WRITE DOWN 5-10 THINGS THIS PRACTICE HAS HELPED YOU LEARN ABOUT YOURSELF

Baddha Virabhadrasana ”Humble Warrior Pose” – amongst other things, this asana cultivates a sense of introspection.

These are the five that I came up with:

-I have a resilient heart & I love hard

-I let my emotions dictate my actions 

-I am sweet natured to the core. It’s one of my traits that I honor and appreciate the most.

-I am triggered when I think someone is going to leave me because of things that have happened in my past 

-I am projecting when I get agitated at people who under communicate because I often under communicate.

-I often stifle my own voice in order to make it easier for others

When I look at what I wrote, I’m not ecstatic about some of these statements, but I know that they are true AND I now know what areas I might want to work on and how to work on them.

In this season of gifts, take some time to unwrap yourself. Remind yourself of the gift you are!

10 Nov
Yoga

THE POWER OF SURRENDER

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This is not what I imagined my life would be like.

 Have you ever said this to yourself? I have. Several times. 

10 years ago, if you would’ve asked me what I saw for my life I would’ve imagined that at 35 I would be a well established dentist, happily married with three kids. Well I’m not married and I don’t have kids, but I am a well established Navy dentist in a healthy relationship and also a yoga teacher and personal trainer. I am happy and blessed even though the path I took to get the things I wanted was not what I envisioned. While I may not have everything I thought I would have at this moment in time, whose to say I won’t receive it in the future?

There have been times where I’ve asked God to do something for me, but then I questioned the methods & time that he took to do it. My impatience with His process revealed my lack of faith and trust that He would get it done. I’ve done this often, and in reflection, I had to tell myself that what I was asking for couldn’t be achieved alone and as a result, I realized I needed to have several seats. I needed to buckle up and just enjoy the ride.

I think we fight the flow of our life because maybe it’s uncomfortable or maybe it doesn’t fit our expectations, or because we don’t like the feeling of not being in control, but maybe there’s a better way. Instead of working against what’s going on in our lives, maybe we work with it. Trying to walk in the same direction instead of the opposite direction so we don’t miss the opportunities that may be awaiting us. 

Ishvara Pranidhana – “The jewel of surrender” is a Niyama that focuses on surrendering in certain aspects of your life acknowledging that there is a higher power in control.

Keep reading for some journal prompts to work through this Niyama.

Shavasana or Corpse Pose is a pose of relaxation and stillness. It is an asana in which you surrender yourself to the present moment.

THINK ABOUT A TIME YOU HAVE SURRENDERED IN THE PAST.

What was the outcome and how did you feel before , during and after letting go?

WHAT BATTLE ARE YOU FIGHTING NOW?

Why are you fighting this battle? Is it benefiting you? Is it adding or taking away from your wellness?

WRITE DOWN THE PROS AND CONS OF LETTING GO.

Compare your lists. Will it hurt you to surrender to a higher power?

HOW MUCH ENERGY IS IT TAKING YOU TO RESIST?

It takes a lot of energy and focus to try to gain control over a situation you aren’t meant to have control over. Imagine if you stopped resisting, what could you do with that energy? How could you redirect your focus.

I have an A type personality. Feeling in control gives me comfort, but I realize that there are things in life that I cannot control. I don’t have to be in the driver’s seat to get to my destination. It’s okay to be a passenger, let God drive and allow myself to be present on the journey. The process of surrendering is not inactive or weak. It’s a manuever, like playing chess. Learning to go with the flow of our lives, leaves us with more energy to understand and appreciate the path we are on. 

How can you practice surrendering in your life?