Going In
Today's Intention: Draw my attention inward.
There is so much available to experience in this world. People, places, activities, classes, natural wonders.... life is truly rich.
In Anusara Yoga, the second of the five foundational principles of the practice is Muscular Energy. It is such an important piece, that it comes only after Opening to Grace. After we consciously connect to our own unique spirituality (Opening to Grace), we then begin to draw in... on all levels: physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
When I first learned this principle it was like a hovering brick came crashing down on my head. Honestly, this was such a profound moment in my life that I remember it quite clearly. I was a new Yoga instructor at the time and was beginning my own deeper work with my personal practice. Meg Byerlein, my teacher, probably presented this information to me hundreds upon hundreds of times before, but it was in one defining moment that I just really heard her and understood.
Taking a breath and opening up to our spirituality is such an amazing spring board, such an incredibly pure place to begin. However, without the follow up of moving inside of ourselves, to experience our inner workings truthfully... our growth becomes stunted. When we gaze inward, with compassionate, accepting and loving eyes, we begin to see our stuff. We simply experience ourselves, without any striving or need to change.
I guess the reason this principle blew my mind is because I rarely practiced it in my life. I remember as a young adult, uttering the words "going out" millions of times per year.
"Mom, I'm going out."
"What are you doing tonight... want to go out?"
Organic Energy, or is the last of the five principles... and it means to extend from your center outward. It is equally important as going in, however placing this principle in the lead keeps us disconnected from ourselves. In hindsight, I realize I was scared of what I would find in there. What mess awaits me? As a result of not developing any kind of habitual inward reflection, I lived exclusively outside of myself.
The most mind blowing realization came when it hit me that I wasn't fully experiencing all of the joy & wonder the world had to offer. Even though I lived in this outer realm, I couldn't fully connect to it all. The relationships, jobs, travels, adventures... I was truly limiting my experiences by avoiding the act of looking inside first.
"Mom, I'm going in."
There is so much available to experience in this world. People, places, activities, classes, natural wonders.... life is truly rich.
In Anusara Yoga, the second of the five foundational principles of the practice is Muscular Energy. It is such an important piece, that it comes only after Opening to Grace. After we consciously connect to our own unique spirituality (Opening to Grace), we then begin to draw in... on all levels: physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
When I first learned this principle it was like a hovering brick came crashing down on my head. Honestly, this was such a profound moment in my life that I remember it quite clearly. I was a new Yoga instructor at the time and was beginning my own deeper work with my personal practice. Meg Byerlein, my teacher, probably presented this information to me hundreds upon hundreds of times before, but it was in one defining moment that I just really heard her and understood.
Taking a breath and opening up to our spirituality is such an amazing spring board, such an incredibly pure place to begin. However, without the follow up of moving inside of ourselves, to experience our inner workings truthfully... our growth becomes stunted. When we gaze inward, with compassionate, accepting and loving eyes, we begin to see our stuff. We simply experience ourselves, without any striving or need to change.
I guess the reason this principle blew my mind is because I rarely practiced it in my life. I remember as a young adult, uttering the words "going out" millions of times per year.
"Mom, I'm going out."
"What are you doing tonight... want to go out?"
Organic Energy, or is the last of the five principles... and it means to extend from your center outward. It is equally important as going in, however placing this principle in the lead keeps us disconnected from ourselves. In hindsight, I realize I was scared of what I would find in there. What mess awaits me? As a result of not developing any kind of habitual inward reflection, I lived exclusively outside of myself.
The most mind blowing realization came when it hit me that I wasn't fully experiencing all of the joy & wonder the world had to offer. Even though I lived in this outer realm, I couldn't fully connect to it all. The relationships, jobs, travels, adventures... I was truly limiting my experiences by avoiding the act of looking inside first.
"Mom, I'm going in."