We're never entering a pose, we're creating it. 

Each time we step on the mat it's a fresh start. While we're creatures of habit, we recognize that fresh, while scary, is exciting. We like being successful, so we tend to return to the places we know we can flourish. Mountain pose: nailed it! Turn it upside down into handstand... maybe not so familiar, but fresher and more likely to teach us something.
Take kids for example: While they may find they absolutely love hide-and-go-seek, they know they can't use the same hiding spots each time they play. What worked once may not work again. A habit of using the dog's toy pile for security may have the exact opposite effect because they've used that solution before. Translated to relevant terms, if we go through the same variations each time we practice, we're creating a rut where we keep finding ourselves hidden. Why go through life hiding? We can find ourselves on our mats if we just push past the desire to "be good" at it all. ((If we study any one phenomenon here on this Earth, we can learn about every other thing. Children, adults, plans, animals, anything.))
When kids play, they're not just passing time. They're evolving and absorbing. Soaking in the fruits of our labor happens the instant we make a choice that serves our breath and our intention in the present moment. Instant karma. Staying present to the stimuli we are taking in now allows us to choose learning over comforts. These choices don't just affect our own experience, because the impact reaches our person, and then we reach others in our lives with that energy. All stemming from that one choice grounded in the willingness to explore and capacity to be fearless. If we can do it on the mat, we can do it anywhere. In fact, big changes on the mat are often a reflection of big changes off the mat.
We're powerful beyond our wildest dreams, and if we take that fresh step, we can create a fresh world. "Be the change you wish to see in the world." - MK Ghandi

Because pictures are fun, here's a happy (lion) baby!

Take on the consciousness of the pose! You are a warrior. You are a happy baby. A lizard. A crow. You are a bird of paradise. You are everything. Every pose, every emotion and every being. We are all part of the same creation, living with and interacting with the same environment. So hum - I am that. That I am.

For the record, babies actually do this. And they LOVE it. You're not a hiding child, you're a (happy) lion! And if you haven't uncovered it  yet, start looking for a fresh perspective! The dog toy pile smells bad after a few minutes anwyay.

O hayy

All energy is neutral unless otherwise directed.

We have the ultimate control over our own karma. Whether we embrace the present truth or dismiss it is our perception of our life. Perception is a choice, and as a physical being, we are not perception itself. Our moods are constantly changing, so we are not our perceived state. We are consciousness.Once we separate ourselves from the senses and the physical body, we come to see the purest and most basic form of being is already contained within us.

Choose to see the light in every day, in every person, in every moment, and your energy will reach others. This is how we can change the world. Forgive. And healing will come in its time.

So this post is some heavy-duty catch-up!

First time yogi! Masiha shared that his favorite pose was up-dog after his first taste of yoga because it felt really good. He made me think about what the postures are really meant to do for our bodies... While there are advanced postures that are more challenging, they are always meant to feel GOOD. If it feels awful to hold a posture, we won't come back (and at this point we've missed the correct alignment or proper breathing). However, if it were easy, we wouldn't come back either.

Sometimes the most inspiring practices are like the one Masiha shared with me. They are fresh and honest, almost child-like. In fact, children can be the most inspiring yogis of all. They laugh as they come to a roadblock, and laugh even harder when they fall.

Coming into the postures for the first time is disorienting and we recognize that the body is acclimating to something foreign. As we return to the mat, we feel like we have achieved knowledge, and we worry more about failure because falling means we have lost the knowledge we worked so hard to gain. The good news about this theory is that knowledge is it is based in past experience. Yoga is about the intelligence of the present. So when we rely on knowledge, we lose space where intelligence can inspire union. So falling can be the most important aspect of the yoga because we are finding a balance. An acupuncturist pointed out that we all have energy deficiencies, which means every day we fall out of balance, we live off balanced. So why would our body be the one thing we take so seriously when it can be a powerful metaphor to play with?

Finding the inner child can be rejuvenating. Maybe make a play-date out of it!

"When we are inspired, we inspire others." - Cara Bradley

Verge Yoga's owner Cara Bradley held a class to benefit breast cancer awareness and research. The class was taught round robin style, rotating between 8 of Verge's most senior teachers. Once a beautiful full room of 41 yogis took final savasana, there was complete stillness. Only the sounds of breathing all around.
Cara began to speak of connections, the kind we can uncover within ourselves. Finding the Self means seeing the Self in all others and realizing oneness with creation.

What this means to me is that all things composed of matter deserve respect: our environments and the people in them. Everything from the toothpaste to the computer is to be treated with gratitude. So when we move through our worlds hastily, rushing to get ready in the morning, banging drawers shut and spilling cereal in the kitchen, we waste the condition of the world we live in. When we pause to appreciate the warmth of the water we wash our skin with, or actually look into the eyes of the person we are having a conversation with, we connect to what we're really here to do.