The Ox and the Cart

I dabble in endurance sports (marathons, ultramarathons, etc.). I also dabble in adventure sports (winter cycling, winter triathlon, adventure racing, rock climbing). My history in these edurance missions is mixed and muddy. I often have fairly good luck in team efforts but when left to complete a long race on my own I often fall short of my goals.

My husband began as my partner in these endurance efforts. He has a long history of pushing his own perceived limits in punishing ways, from 135-mile winter bike races to expedition-style, multi-day adventure races. Through it all he has developed a mental tenacity capable of overriding the signals that regularly short circuit my system. Watching his success has often left me (1) very proud of him; (2) searching for my own override switch. The answer lies in the mind.

Enter the analogy of the Ox and the Cart.

The ox pulls the cart along. The cart will follow wherever the ox may lead. The question is, "Where do you want to go?" This seems fairly easy to understand. Now, lets say the mind is the ox. The body is the cart. Now, "Where do you want to go?" The body will follow where the mind leads. By focusing the mind we, in turn, can lead the body into joy or into suffering. Just with our thoughts.

In our yoga practice we have the opportunity to be attentive and aware. We have the opportunity to train our mind onto our breath and to notice when the mind travels elsewhere. We can experience the comfort of holding a pose while focused on our breath. We notice the discomfort of holding a pose while wishing we were elsewhere. When we are not mentally focused and present, we experience suffering by wishing for what is not. When we allow our thoughts to drift into negativity about our current situation we are like a worm on a hook. Desperate to be free of the barb in our side. The body follows the mind into this discomfort and we experience dis-ease.

We use the time on our mats to practice mental focus, training our thoughts toward positivity in each asana. We become better at noticing how the mind wanders, followed by the discomfort of the body and become adept at refocusing our mental efforts. Slowly, session by session and pose by pose we come to understand the ox and how it pulls the cart. We begin directing the ox towards happiness and contentment, noticing more quickly when we follow the wrong path.

The Dhammapada contains an excellent passage that speaks to the power of the mind. It is one of my favorites. I offer it to you as a source of reflection for your practice.

We are what we think

All that we are arises with our thoughts.

With our thoughts we make the world.

Speak or act with an impure mind

And trouble will follow you

As the wheel follows the ox that drives the cart.

We are what we think.

All that we are arises with our thoughts.

With our thoughts we make the world.

Speak or act with a pure mind

And happiness will follow you

As your shadow, unbreakable.

How can a troubled mind

Understand the way?

Your worst enemy cannot harm you

As much as your thoughts, unguarded.

But once mastered,

No one can help you as much.

Not even your father or your mother.

~ Dhammapada The Buddha

source: Kornfield  - The Teachings of the Bhudda, v.42

The Yoga Weight Loss Program

I get a lot of questions teaching yoga. One question I've fielded repeatedly over the years goes something like this, "Most yoga practitioners that I meet are thin. If I practice yoga will I be thin?" Sometimes the question is, "Why are all yoga instructors fit?" I've shrugged off this question over the years, never really offering a direct response. Rather, a simple smile with encouragement towards continuing practice is about the best I've come up with. But I've thought about this question for a long, long time. And today I have an answer: Yes.  Before you run to your mat for a sweaty session, read on.

I assume this question is most often - if not exclusively - directed towards asana practice, which has become synonymous with "workout" in some instances. I do not deny that asana can be quite rigorous, often surprising the practitioner as sweat drips into puddles on the mat (slippery!). Vinyasa after vinyasa can tone the shoulders, strengthen the core and electrify the legs. Certain types of yoga, such as Ashtanga and Power Yoga, offer a level of cardiovascular work through a constantly flowing sequence. This vigorous asana practice can help in achieving weight loss goals. But, in my opinion, is not the reason for the "look" of the stereotypical yoga instructor. I see my "yes" as two-pronged.

Asana is physical and has a direct impact on physique. We get stronger and more flexible through our practice. Asana lends itself to physical exploration. As we endeavor to touch our toes or to place our foot behind our head, we become more aware of our bodies and how we feel in them. We begin noticing how different foods can affect what we do on our mats. Does that cup of coffee before practice make me lose my balance in tree pose? We develop an ear attuned to the subtle tellings of our bodies. We listen more closely. Then, we begin noticing how food choices affect us off of our mats. Do root vegetables make me feel more grounded? How does too much sugar affect my attitude? We become aware of the role food plays in our lives, taking to heart that, truly, "we are what we eat." We shift towards healthier eating habits and develop our bodies as fit vessels for our Self. This is one prong.

Some people come to their mats with a high level of fitness and a healthy eating lifestyle. When I began my personal practice I was an accomplished athlete with an understanding of healthy food choices. I was fit, strong and flexible in my physical body by anybody's account...except for my own. I'd struggled with food issues from a young age, successfully overcoming a 14 year battle with an eating disorder. However, my mental and emotional struggles were not with food, but rather with my Self.  

We house our emotional and mental issues in our physical body.  By becoming aware of these issue on our mats, we begin to honestly assess our Self, navigating through life based on what we discover. My personal discovery was a distorted view of my body, my abilities and my capacity to accept love. Physically, a very healthy specifmen. Emotionally and mentally, a junk-food junky.

Through steady practice, "never fit enough" was gradually replaced with a clearer understanding of my potential in combination with my intentions. I am capable. Of anything. "Strict regimens" were replaced with choices. My choices. Self-deprecation was replaced with acceptance and love. Of my Self. Then, of others. I began to see who I am physically, emotionally and mentally. This vision may fit the stereotypical image of a yoga instructor. More importantly, it is my personal expression of health, wholeness and love.

Study your Self inwardly to find your beauty and your truth. Shine out your beauty and your truth to all around you. This is the second prong.

Resistance Training

Sometimes I meet a lot of resistance in my yoga practice. I mean a LOT of resistance. It usually begins by not wanting to practice - whether it is early in the morning or in the middle of my day - because of something else that sounds more appealing. If it is a morning practice, staying in my warm bed usually sounds better than getting up, getting on my bike and getting over to the center for practice. If it is later in the day I can think of other obligations I have, like grading papers, running errands or going home to make dinner and care for my family (notice that my obligation to ME was last on the to-do list). All of these excuses are usually the first form of resistance encountered before getting onto
the mat.

We also meet resistance on the mat in the form of tight muscles (hips and hamstrings are usual culprits). Relaxing and releasing into pigeon can be an exercise in tolerance for some - there is no "relax" or "release" involved! Folding forward can sometimes make our toes seem miles away. But this resistance has a lot to teach us.

The body does not lie. The body is a vessel of truth. The body is your relationship to what is true about and within you. It speaks through resistance.

Our mental and emotional tensions are stored in our bodies as physical dis-ease. We often ignore or overlook these from day to day and occasionally (okay, often for some) even take medication to quiet them down. When we get onto our mat it is our chance to hear what the body has to say - to effectively listen to ourselves. We can learn a lot from our achy knees or our inflexible spine. We can begin understanding who we are and what we need. By working out these tensions on our yoga mat we are effectively working out the tensions of our lives. We are relieving the mental and emotional tension housed in our bodies. We begin learning how to use our breath to release and relax into the areas of the body that are tight. We begin healing ourselves. And we feel better. We feel happier, healthier and more able to be of service.

By being in service to our true selves, by getting onto our mats, by listening carefully to our bodies, we meet our highest potential to be an instrument of service for others.

Breath by breath, we meet resistance with grace and receptivity.

Taking Sides

There have been an overwhelming number of issues presented to me this week. Big, controversial issues. Important, life-changing issues about major life topics. Abortion. Childhood vaccines. Gay rights. And it seems among the major questions is: What side are you on?

Sides. This is an interesting concept. I often used to take sides. I believed one side made more sense than the other. I loved a good argument; a hot debate. Who had the best research? Who had the most credible sources? The most logical argument? Who will win?

It was this last question that finally got me. Which side would win? My answer is: neither and both.

There are two words that come into my mind when I think about “sides.” They help me to remember the key ingredient in my practice: unity.

The first word is “Namaste.” I say it at the beginning and end of each practice. Meaning “I bow to you,” it is a term that recognizes that there is a Divine spark in each one of us. When we say “namaste” to each other we are recognizing the absolute truth and beauty in each other. We acknowledge that we are the same and in this unity we shine ever more brightly.

The second word is “Aum.” In yogic philosophy it represents the First Sound or the Original Sound. It is the source. In it and from it we come. When we unite our voices in this reverberation we return to our source. And through our voices we understand our unity. We are one.

There are no sides in these words. There is no conflict. No winner. No loser. We do not use these intonations to point out our differences. Rather, we use them to unite in the practice to become.

The yoga practitioner who "busts out" drop-backs is united with the student in bridge pose. They look different on the outside, but that is only on the surface. They are doing the same work on the inside. One just takes a different route than the other to get to the same place.

When we take sides we focus on how we are all different. And we tear each other apart by using these differences against each other. What we lose sight of, then, is that we are all working towards the same goals. We all have the same needs. We want to preserve life. We want protection from harm. We want to love and be loved. We have just chosen different paths to achieve these goals.

Still, our goals unite us. We are one. We are Divine, from an original Source. We practice together and raise our voices in unity. 

Aum.    

Namaste.

Happy Hearts Day

M e t t a

Questions and Answers

As I was considering a question the other day, I went online to do my research in search of an answer. I was overwhelmed with the amount of information about my chosen topic. I read this page and that page. I tried to put my thoughts on paper in an attempt to organize an answer. I looked at the issue from many different angles. I became paralyzed with the prospect of (1) choosing; (2) choosing wrong. I ended up with what Barry Schwartz calls "the paradox of choice."

The paradox of choice theorizes that too much choice makes people unable to choose. If and when they do choose, they are inevitably dissatisfied with the result. They imagine the result would have been better if they'd have chosen differently. From the plethora of choices comes high expectations that cannot be met by any of the available options. Nonetheless, we imagine our expectations will be or could be met with one of the available choices. Hence, we are discontent and unsatisfied. And whose fault is that? Ours. Because we made the choice.

We are fortunate in that we are often able to be or become very informed. Much of the time this information comes from without rather than from within. While I think having external information is an important component in being informed, we also need to be able to look within ourselves to find OUR answers rather than THE answer. THE answer likely does not exist.

Yoga is a way to look inwardly. We come onto our mats and begin by bringing our attention onto our mats and onto our breath. We are beginning our internal journey.

Our journey might begin with questions of physical alignment. Are my quadriceps active? Am I overly dependent on my toes for balance? Am I dropping into my lower back?

And then we go inward.

Is my shoulder correctly aligned in its socket? Are the heads of my femurs internally rotated? Is my chin level to my forehead?

And then we go inward.

Am I here in this room, practicing this posture? Why do I feel anxious in this pose?

And then we go inward.

Am I breathing?

We settle into ourselves, searching ourselves, and we find our answers.

Sunday Self Practice

There is a small group of practitioners that gather on Sunday mornings, 7:30am at Choice Health and Fitness on the south end of Grand Forks. Sometimes each do our own practice, pausing to ask questions or share information. Other times we share a posture or idea that we are working on.

We always share friendship and practice. Please feel welcome to join us. Send an email to grandforksyoga@gmail.com if you are interested.