Sunshine: That’s my Jive

My fault, my failure, is not in the passions I have, but in my lack of control of them-

Niyama:  A Simple Dudes Tale

Life unfolds in the present. Gotcha! However, every so often we let the present moment slip away from us, allowing time to float by unobserved. Squandering the precious seconds of our lives away as we worry about the future and ruminate about what’s happened in the not so distant past. We’re always doing “something“, yet we allow little time to practice stillness and calm.

Most of us don’t undertake our thoughts in awareness. Rather, our thoughts control every fabric of our being. Living in the moment (aka mindfulness) is a state of open attention on the present. When you become mindful, you realize that you are not your thoughts; you become an observer of your thoughts from moment to moment without judging them. Mindfulness involves being with your thoughts as they are, neither grasping at them nor pushing them away. Instead of letting your life go by without living it, you awaken to new experiences as they unfold around you.

Notes:

There are many paths to mindfulness and at the center of each, lies a Catch-22: You have to trust that the rewards of mindfulness will come and letting go of what you want is the only way to achieve this.

CultFit Dude


8 and 8 is

Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love. It will not lead you astray-

What’s the big hullabaloo with yoga and exercise in the Western world? Why do we often forget/neglect/ignore the idea of the eight limbs of yoga providing us with a system for living authentically?

Many of us are prompted by a sincere desire to live a happier, healthier life through the knowledge and means of yoga. Almost always, we are easily lured into asana and pranayama irregardless of our current physical condition. Yet the first part of yoga (yogic) training is our moral self-training, which if we take the time to surrender to ourselves? Yama and Niyama will solve (or at least help) our problems in an increasingly complex world.
The first path: Yama means self-discipline and discipline of ones emotions. One must establish non-violence: Not hurting yourself in a pose or while exercising in general. Non-stealing: Be honest. Cheating and stealing are “things“we all do when it relates to fitness/health. Self-discipline: Constantly strive for positive emotional and mental states. Avarice: Know that you, you alone, are enough.
The second path of  the eight limbs yoga is Niyama. More tomorrow, maybe?!?

Notes:

What is the true nature of the posts this week? If you may recall our chat last Friday about Positive Doing … Begin the process of knowing what you “want“, and make certain that you’re getting “it“, as the “practice” is a deeply trans-formative experience that can and will change your life.

CultFit Blade

*Please note the lack of depth and background into the Eight Limbs. These posts serve merely as an introduction, so why not say hello, empower yourself and dig a tad deeper?