Posted: December 1, 2014 | Author: CultFit | Filed under: Kindness, Meditation, Yoga | Tags: blogging, compassion, cycling, exercise, family, fitness, free range, freshly pressed, gluten free, gratitude, happiness, health, hipster, kindness, life, love, lululemon, marathon, meditation, Mindfulness, motivation, musings, Namaste, natural, nature, Omaha, passion, perspective, pilates, running, trail running, writing, yoga |
At the end of the day, let there be no excuses, no explanations, no regrets-
Is it safe to say, given the byzantine nature of modern life, that most of us would admit that we could put gratitude into practice more in our own lives?
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I still find myself handing out kindness and gratitude without acknowledging the what and why behind my actions. I fail to ignite a feeling of gratefulness within my heart that will ultimately burn into my memory … That this is no ordinary place or period in time – but rather a valuable one. Enriching our acts of “Thanks” – “Gracias” – “Namaste” with feelings of gratitude only serves to deepen our connections moving forward. I have been stuck in “Automatic Politeness” mode for the better part of the year, and I feel its time to put more meaning behind my actions, and deepen my presence in the world.
Daily Meditation:
*BREAKING NEWS* – The Holidays are about to speed our lives up by adding “things” to our already overflowing to-do lists, this is precisely the time to slow down and savor the important moments in life, instead of expanding my holiday shopping list while saying “Namaste” at the end of yoga class.
Posted: November 13, 2013 | Author: CultFit | Filed under: Random Workout, Yoga | Tags: Buddhism, compassion, crossfit, Divinity, free range, freshly pressed, gluten free, god, Greeting, happiness, health, hipster, hope, kindness, life, love, lululemon, marathon, meditation, Middle East, motivation, musings, Namaste, natural, nature, Omaha, Pakistan, paleo, passion, perspective, pilates, running, Sanskrit, walking, whole foods, writing, yoga |
Mankind’s biggest blunder, ignorance. Mankind’s second, infallible-
Chances are at the end of yoga practice, you awkwardly have heard fellow yogis use the word “nəməste“ with their hands pressed together, palms touching and fingers pointed upwards. Usually nəməste is associated with eastern religious traditions such as Hinduism and Buddhism. Loosely translated from Sanskrit nəməste means: “The God in me recognizes the God in you” or “The Divinity within me perceives and adores the Divinity within you.”
The more I think about it and reflect on this greeting, the more I think its pretty cool. Just imagine if we were to interact with other(s) during the course of the day by basically stating that I honor, recognize and appreciate the divine within you? How could you not treat those around you ethically and with loving kindness?
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I often lament about my time spent in the Middle East, Afghanistan and Pakistan. As-salam alaykum (Muslim) carries great weight in my heart as a greeting of “peace be upon you.” Back in ‘Murica though, greetings such as Hi, Hello, How’s it going, Sup Bro and so forth are frivolous. These wasted greetings really don’t communicate much, they are not dense with meaning and purpose. A friendly greeting of any kind and one of peace is certainly fine. Although, I have come to be especially fond of the nəməste greeting, given what the word actually means. nəməste offers a more enriching and important message to me.
Maybe we all should embrace nəməste regardless of our spiritual, religious tradition or what part of the world we are in?
Daily Meditation:
Doing the right thing for ourselves and others means finding a way to see the sacred, the divine, within all. May nəməste serve as a constant reminder to do this. If you witness sacredness in some cool folks today? Chances are then you are likely to treat them with compassion, care, and respect …
नमस्ते
Posted: October 21, 2013 | Author: CultFit | Filed under: Random Workout, Yoga | Tags: blogging, compassion, Dhāraṇā, friends, gluten free, Gravel, happiness, health, kindness, life, love, lululemon, marathon, meditation, mind, motivation, musings, Namaste, natural, nature, non-attachment, Omaha, paleo, passion, perspective, pilates, Practice, Practices, Religion and Spirituality, running, trail running, whole foods, WOD, writing, yoga, Yoga Wisdom |
Look around you. Everything changes. Everything on this earth is in a continuous state of evolving, refining, improving, adapting, enhancing…changing. You were not put on this earth to remain stagnant-
There is much more to yoga than twisting into poses on a sweaty, $95 Prana Revolution yoga mat early one Sunday morning.
Quick example, one of the ways of applying yogic principles away from our mat is by developing non-attachment, focusing on what we are doing in the moment … Practicing not getting caught up in the drama and uncertainty swirling around us. When we practice yoga in class, we are reminded to breathe into the movement, release tension, surrender, disconnecting our mind from discomfort. Practicing non-attachment away from our practice allows us to disconnect our mind, from wanting “things” to be different and worrying about the future. Our mind(s) is then free to stretch, explore, and tap their true creativity.
Is complete non-attachment in today’s world realistic? Are you reading this post on your iPhone? Our innate sense of control is an illusion at times. Disappointment in life is inevitable, although pursuing and actively seeking to develop a strong practice of non-attachment can help us realize that we don’t have to choose to get stuck, mired in a bog of cynicism and hopelessness.
Notes:
Hidden within our narrow focus, among the 8 Limbs of Yoga, lies ishvara-pranidhana, which is a way to explore staying connected to something larger than ourselves. Non-attachment is just one varietal of surrender, where we recognize no one can truly control the events of our day or other people in our lives.
CultFit 