Yoga off the Mat - Renewal

Springtime Renewal

Spring has finally made an appearance. Although April is turning out to be a bit chilly, I'm enjoying the longer days and the fortitude of my rose bushes to burst out in beautiful blooms!

Spring is a time for rebirth and renewal. It's time to check in with your goals. Are they still meaningful? Do they need a little tweaking? Align your goals with your strengths as much as possible. You will be happier and more successful. You may also find that a weakness has also improved or that the weakness has become irrelevant in your life. Reduce or eliminate areas of your life that bring out your weaknesses.

Raising our Level of Awareness

How many times do we catch our selves in judgment of others and of ourselves? Probably more often than we realize. Does this give us peace? In the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Sutra 1:33 is very meaningful to me as it provides very simple guidance to find peace in our lives. In summary, this sutra tells us:

Be happy when others are happy. Disregard evil. Rejoice when others succeed. Feel compassion for those that are suffering.

Sounds easy?

Well.......For me, this is a challenge.

Don't we sometimes feel jealous when someone else succeeds at something? Or maybe we resent that someone also seems happy when we struggle on a daily basis? Isn't it easier to sympathize rather than empathize and truly feel compassionate when someone is suffering? As for disregarding evil, that's very tough. It's easier to think or say that the person should not have done something. It was wrong. Shame on them. See how easy that was?

Take a moment to rejoice when someone succeeds. Notice how you feel when you do that. Put yourself in the presence of happy people. Find something in each moment that makes you happy. When you encounter something that you feel is wrong or you start to be critical of someone's actions, try to detach yourself from the situation. Think positive thoughts towards the person or situation or, if that is too difficult, replace your thoughts with something completely different. When someone is suffering, be supportive. If they need a friend, be a friend.

I can't tell you that by practicing yoga that you will all of a sudden be able to change your feelings or reactions. During an asana practice, you will learn to be more in tune with yourself. You may be able to find an openness that has been missing or you may experience an emotional or physical release.

Being in-tune with yourself will allow you to notice that you have feelings contrary to the sutra. You have the opportunity to detach and step away. Resist the urge to analyze yourself for having these feelings. Just notice and re-direct the feelings to something more positive.

References:
Larkin, Dr. William K. Growing The Positive Mind. 1st. ed. 2008.
Satchidananda, Sri Swami. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. 2007 ed.