Humility

Humility is a way of being and a quality within us that affects how we move through our days and how we relate to the world around us. Humility is about being humble, or modest, and not too proud or arrogant. Humility often accompanies respect and being courteous to others. Those that embrace humility tend to be more grounded, sensible, more self-aware, and emotional stable.

 

There are cultures where humility seems to be more innate because it is modeled within their homes and their families from birth. For example, in Buddhism, it is believed that in order for one to obtain spiritual liberation, they must be humble, with less regard for themselves and a higher regard for others. Buddhists create themselves as open to learn, like an empty bowl willing to be filled with knowledge from others. But we don’t have to relocate to another culture or change religions to practice and embrace humility.

 

Do you consider yourself to be a humble person? Do you notice both humility and lack of in others? Whether or not humility was modeled for you growing up, where did you learn it? Did you learn humility from books or television? When I think back to my earlier lessons on humility, I credit Little House on the Prairie. Nellie Oleson and her mother lacked humility, and the Ingalls family taught it to their family and all of us that watched. Later, I learned about being humble and modest from studying the Bible. As an adult, my understanding of humility grew from traveling abroad and studying other cultures and religions. And, let’s not discredit life’s lessons on humility-our own experiences and encounters, those both humbling and not.

 

I’ve learned a lot about humility on my yoga mat, both as a student and as a teacher. If you practice yoga, most likely in the beginning as a new student, you were unsure how and when to breathe, or how to enter or hold a pose, or how to be in the practice of yoga and not the achievement of it. Perhaps, the most challenging part of your practice was calming the mind, but over time, you gained experience and developed an inner listening, confidence and wisdom. If you showed up to my yoga classes, willing to learn with your ego checked at the door, then you were cultivating humility. When you followed my instruction, accepted my assists, and allowed yourself to get a little uncomfortable, you were cultivating humility. Humility is focusing on progress and not perfection.

 

Do we ever stop learning how to humble ourselves? I don’t think so. When we place ourselves in unfamiliar situations, or when we open ourselves up to learning something new, we cultivate humility. Recently, my husband and I have taken up bocce and have joined friends on a bocce team at our club. I was humbled rather quickly when I realized it wasn’t as easy as just tossing a wooden ball onto a court. We observed and learned, and we emphasized having fun and not just winning.

 

I feel that life itself is one opportunity after the next to continue learning, improving and transforming. Do you or can you view life as your continual teacher? Do you or can you allow yourself to make mistakes and to correct them? Do you or can you accept your imperfections, allow yourself to be a work in progress, and along the way, celebrate your successes, no matter how small they might be? Do you or can you shift your perspective to see yourself and those around you with more gratitude or more abundantly? Have you noticed when you put all these things into practice that one of the benefits or byproducts is peace and joy? And finally, have you been practicing humility on your yoga mat?

 

I hope you continue to strengthen and stretch your humility muscle, both on and off your yoga mat. I hope that your yoga practice helps you feel more grounded and more aligned with your greater intentions, and that you become more mindfully present and self-aware. And, as you witness your own humility, I hope that joy finds you. It is my wish that both humility and joy follow you off your mat and reaches all those around you, as you live your yoga practice.

 

Namaste,

MaryBeth

 

Self-Inquiry

Self-inquiry requires us to be open to discovering something we haven’t seen before, but we have to know where to look, and that place is within. There is always more to learn and more to discover about who you are-your strengths, flaws, fears, pain, habits and attachments. My yoga classes are an excellent opportunity to begin this journey or further your journey into self-inquiry and self-discovery. 

Can you become more curious? The next time you find yourself wanting to come out of a yoga pose because it seems too hard or frustrating, simply pause, re-center, and drop in with what's actually happening. If it’s a physical thing that needs attention or some modification, then take that action from a place of awareness. If it's a mental or emotional issue coming up, then don't act on that emotion right away. Just be with it because maybe it has something to teach you. When dealing with mental chatter that comes up on your mat, it can be empowering to ask yourself, "What if I just get curious about what I’m experiencing, and what could happen if I stayed in the pose instead of quitting?" By following your curiosity, you bring inquiry to the pose which adds another dimension to your yoga practice. Curiosity is a tool of inquiry that gives you access to discovery and to new possibilities.

Can you become more open? To be malleable is to be available for discovery. Do you move on your mat in default mode? Do you tune me out and move on autopilot doing the pose the way you already know how to do it? In those moments, open up and remember you showed up on your mat to learn something new, and that includes looking and listening in new ways. Try a new pose, try a new variation, and have a little fun with it.

As a student, I have witnessed how self-inquiry has further developed my yoga practice. Curiosity has always come easily for me, but being open and malleable has been a challenge. In my yoga practice, I found myself wanting to come out of poses, resisting, or having an opinion about a pose (or how many times I had to do it or how long I had to hold it), or simply just holding back. Once I started to open up to the process of simply being up to something bigger than myself, getting curious and open, my focus shifted. I noticed when personal preference was taking me out, and I found that I create my experiences on my mat. I put more attention on creating space within myself, listening to what was happening inside of me, and more importantly, not reacting and just being with it, as uncomfortable as it often was. I also got stronger, physically and mentally, with every practice.

The beauty of self-inquiry is that you always have much more to learn if you just remain curious and open. If you drop the ego, let go of personal preference and attachment, you will discover strengths you didn’t know existed, fears you denied, healing and many opportunities for growth.  
   
-MaryBeth

Mindfulness

Mindfulness is observing our life as it is happening, accepting our current situation without judgment or struggle, allowing feelings to exist without letting them drive our actions, noticing thoughts as they arise without the need to buy into them, taking action based on what we feel in our heart rather than old habits or short-term convenience.

When we are being mindful, we are living from the heart and soul, not our ego. We are open, embracing all moments in life for learning, seeking truth and acceptance, we are intentional, pro-active and not reactive, and we accept the imperfect, are kind and loving.

Living our yoga practice, living mindfully, isn’t easy. It is a daily practice; it is not an achievement. Some days we live mindfully and reap the benefits, other days we fall short, and that’s okay. I’ve recently struggled with acceptance, fear, uncertainty, and dealing with medical issues that have been difficult to navigate. I’ve had my pity parties, mood swings, and serious frustration. And sadly, I’ve been unable to fully practice yoga as I know and love. However, I’m grateful that I have the teachings of yoga and the Bible to help manage my new reality, and this includes mindfulness. My mat remains a therapeutic place for me despite not being able to do all the poses. If this is you, too, please know that I do understand, and am right there with you. And finally, the progress on my book has been slow through these detours and setbacks, but it will be completed, and it will be published. Currently, I’m adding the agonizing practice of patience to my daily routine

So where do we start and how do we incorporate more mindfulness into our lives? Forgive the past and let go of expectations. Sit quietly in meditation, even if it is just 5 minutes.

 Focus on your breath, breathing fully and deeply several times a day.

Engage your senses, mindfully tasting your food, noticing the scenery, listening to the sounds around you. Observe the present moment. Right here. Right now.

Release any judgment and release attachments. Practice gratitude. Reflect before responding.

Set intentions to create your way of being and to shape your daily experiences.

Make time to for self-care and self-love.

 Obstacles will always arise, and we will have to do the daily work to adapt to and overcome life’s challenges. We must move with freedom and joy in our lives, no matter what storms thunder on the horizon. We’re all like works of art under the hand of a scrupulous master, constantly in flux and always changing. We must continue to learn how to heal, accept, adapt, and flow through our perfectly imperfect lives. 

Namaste, MaryBeth

 

 

Flying

I love to fly, not just because I often jet between Ohio and Florida, but because there is something special about being up in the air, soaring to a destination, and being unreachable.

I often have the clearest thoughts at 30,000 feet. While suspended in the air, it feels like my problems and burdens, or anything that is pulling me down, loses their hold on me. They are all far below me, in better perspective. The higher I get in the sky, the more insignificant and smaller they become. I feel removed from them. When my head rests on the seat, I take it all in and enjoy a peaceful comfort, feeling weightless, and free.

 

This peaceful feeling that overcomes me while I’m suspended in flight time, reminds me that I’m not really anywhere, other than somewhere between Point A and Point B. I’m insulated in warmth, soaring through the sky at 500mph, while outside the plane it is approximately -70 degrees. I'm insignificant but privileged to afford the experience.

 

There is a world beneath me where everything is moving, breathing, living, and existing. But, my attention is on the soft, delicate white clouds, present against a blue backdrop. The sky is a color of blue that I've not yet discovered in the crayon box. A blue that is clean, radiant, comforting and calming. The closest blue I've ever seen in person was in a Michelangelo painting at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy. I find myself captivated by its hue.

 

I am unreachable. I am unknown by everyone on the plane. I am alone with my thoughts, far removed from all that affects my daily life. It's as though there is a pause in life, a short period of time where I’m insulated from reality, temporarily unavailable for anyone else but myself. I’m silent and still. I experience “me.” “Ah, there you are. I’ve missed you.”

 

I recognize the fragility of my life as it rests in the hands of skilled pilots, and I'm grateful for them. Flying requires utter faith in someone you've never met, or really even care to meet. I thank the cockpit as I exit the plane, with gratitude that I was safely delivered from Point A to Point B, yet again. The only thing that might be better would be flying the plane myself.

-MaryBeth

Space

My word, or intention, for 2022 was Space. When I set “space” as my yearly intention, I wasn’t quite sure what that meant, what that would look like, or how it would play out. But the word kept coming to me during my meditations and reflections, so I went with it.

 

For 7 years, I have shown up on my yoga mat as a dedicated practitioner. Through my continual learning as both a student and teacher, I have discovered much more about the practice of yoga that happens OFF the mat. In the beginning, I built awareness and connection to Self on my mat, and then brought that awareness and connection off my mat and into my relationships and experiences. I began to better understand that what I practice on my mat, I get better at, on and off the mat. I would often bring to my mat what I lacked off my mat, setting intentions, cultivating, and practicing. My mat has been and is my safe space, and I have used my yoga mat like a therapy session often, showing up wanting something, needing something, using the asana to balance me, center me, help me be more patient and so on. I’ve realized that all too often, I have showed up lacking, wanting something from my practice, instead of bringing something to it. Have I been doing the same thing off my mat?

 

It has become abundantly clear, that the most important part of my yoga practice in 2022 took place off my mat. I made the effort to cultivate my intentions and practice yoga off my mat, in the space of the other 23 hours of the day. Too often, I’ve not been the dedicated practitioner off my mat as I have been on my mat. There is a lot of space, there is that word again, for my practice off the mat, and a lot of space for improvement!

 

The definition of space is the unlimited or incalculably great 3-dimensional realm or expanse in which all material objects are located and all events occur. It is a place available for a particular purpose. Example-a parking space. Space is an interval of time. It is freedom to express oneself, be alone, allowance, understanding, non-interference. As I contemplated the meanings of space, and what that might look like, I was reminded that there was an extraordinary amount of space for me to be in the practice of yoga OFF my mat this year.

 

So how well did I cultivate my intention of space? I brought my yoga practice into the space between action and reaction, and between stimulus and response. I wasn’t quick to respond to things that needed to be thought through, and I felt calmer and more confident when making important decisions. I wasn’t hot-headed or hasty. I brought space for my thoughts and feelings, space for purposeful pauses, space in silence and space between talking to God and listening while in prayer. I gave a lot of space to grief.  I simply tried to be in the space of being and less doing. It had a grounding and calming effect on me and a magnetic, contagious effect on others. I brought my yoga practice into the space between joyous moments, milestones, holidays, and vacations. I lived in the present, not just for the “big” events, and I approached each day as an opportunity to be in the practice of living according to how I wanted to show up for myself and others, aligned with my way of being. There was so much space to be in the practice of yoga! I created more space to listen, to understand, to be quiet and present, to acknowledge, to be grateful, to allow myself to feel spacious and free. This space was glorious because I witnessed the effects and affects that it had on those around me-family, friends, and yoga students. The feedback I have received this year from those sharing in my space has had a permanent impact on how I create my way of being moving forward! And of course, I made space to write my story and am nearing the end of completing my first manuscript and becoming a published author!

 

Before you applaud my efforts and success, know that I have also greatly failed this year in cultivating my intention of space. I lost a close friendship over a misunderstanding. I had days of self-righteousness and moments where I just wasn’t in line with who and how I wanted to be. I had challenges that resulted in self-pity and self-consumption. I had obstacles to overcome that shed light on my high expectations of self and others. I lashed out at the person that loves me the most when I was scared, worried and feeling helpless. I bit my tongue, because it was easier, during times when I should have used my voice. I took things personally, A LOT. Patience was not my virtue. I worked tirelessly on not being frustrated, disappointed and deflated, yet I often was still those very things. I created my own discontent more often than I am willing to admit.

 

Space. Such a great word, such a great intention. So, did I succeed or fail in 2022? I believe, if I grew, learned, and discovered, then I succeeded. So, 2022, cheers to my success, my growth, and my new-found wisdom. Thank you for the word, the intention, space. It will forever be part of who I am and my way of being. Space gave me opportunity this year to be a better me, to see where I needed more work, and to be abundantly grateful for my many, many blessings. Overall, my intention of “space” for 2022 was a success. Though I could have done better, I remain a student of living yoga…

 

What is my word, my intention, for 2023?  Well, I’ve been meditating on that this week and am still undecided. Sometimes they come to me early, and sometimes I need more time. Simplify has come up a few times, but I’m not sure if that is the word, or if that is leading me to the word…Stay tuned…I’m currently in the space of discovering my intention for 2023.

 

 MaryBeth

Soreness After Yoga

Have you been sore after your yoga practice?  

This could actually be a good thing!

Have you noticed the morning after a yoga practice that you are sore or a little stiff? This is more common than one might think, and not necessarily “bad.”

Soreness can happen after a re-entry into your yoga practice after some time away, and it can arise in a regular practitioner if they are trying different postures outside of their normal practice. Some yoga poses just stretch our muscles in unfamiliar ways. One of the reasons I love my yoga practice is that it accesses and stretches muscles that I’m not using in my everyday life.

According to a recent article in the Yoga Journal, soreness after yoga is called Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS), which usually occurs 12–48 hours after exercising. “The level of soreness you might feel depends on what style you’re practicing, how intensely, and how frequently—as well as your individual body type.” Even experienced yogis might still feel sore from time to time. Disclaimer- Pain and swelling is different from muscle soreness and could signal a greater problem.

“Yoga is filled with eccentric contractions that cause microscopic injuries to the muscle and fascial tissues,” says Erica Yeary, MPH, RYT, an exercise physiologist and a Yoga Medicine registered therapeutic specialist. “Our bodies produce an inflammatory response to these micro-tears and this causes muscle soreness. Once your muscles recover, you’ll experience muscle growth and improved performance,” Ultimately, this makes us stronger.

Some things I’ve found helpful when I’ve experienced soreness after yoga practice:

1.     Hydrate! Drink plenty of water. Personally, I have found that water works best, not sports drinks, soda, or a visit to my favorite coffee shop.

2.     Get back on your yoga mat. I have found that chasing yoga soreness with more yoga has lessened the soreness and/or expedited the recovery process. Often revisiting some of the same poses that might have caused the initial soreness has helped. If it is too intense, I recommend holding them for a shorter amount of time or not to get as deep into the pose. This can actually help relax muscle spasms and allow muscles, connective tissue, and joints to find greater range of motion. Becoming inactive and avoiding further exercise is likely to leave you in even more discomfort the next time you practice. Eventually, those same yoga poses will no longer cause soreness if done regularly.

3.     Use a Foam Roller. Foam rolling can reduce tenderness, though at first it might feel uncomfortable. Take it slow and be gentle.

4.     Eat! Eat nutritious meals, enjoy healthy snacks and avoid fast food, soft drinks, foods high in sodium and/or sugar. Basically, eliminate the junk. It is recommended to eat protein after a yoga class or workout. It helps repair and build muscle.

5.     Enjoy a hot bath, a steam shower, or soak in a spa/hot tub.

6.     Sleep. We need to power down to allow for the parasympathetic nervous system to do its job. Get a good night’s rest!

7.     On the rare occasion that there is inflammation of a joint with soreness, I use an ice pack on the site for up to 20 minutes. However, ice does not generally help sore muscles, but does aid in reducing inflammation.

8.     Try some gentle stretching specific to the area affected. For example, sore quadriceps from several chairs, then follow up the next couple days with gentle quadricep stretches.

 

 

My Experience With Grief

I was recently overcome by another powerful wave of grief from the loss of my stepson, Larry Jr, to suicide 7 years ago. Describing this recent surge as a wave suddenly devalues its impact; it was more of a tsunami. It knocked me down and kept me there for nearly 2 days. At first, I felt submerged under deep, dark water, unable to catch my breath. Eventually, I found strength in my breath and floated up to the surface.

The waves of grief, large or small, remain as unpredictable as the length of my recovery from them. But this time, while treading in the pain of loss and deep sadness, it felt less scary and eerily more comfortable. Have I just become a stronger swimmer in the ocean of grief? Perhaps. It’s hard to explain, but I’ll do my best metaphorically. The recent category 4 hurricane that wrecked our community and brought with it 9 feet of storm surge, flooded our garage, and 80 of us residents lost our vehicles, among numerous other items from our storage units. The water left the space it filled through the very openings it came through. Its havoc was temporary in terms of its presence. My latest wave of grief reminded me of that storm surge, coming in, filling the container of my heart with murky water, creating panic and feelings of being overwhelmed. But I didn’t panic this time. I knew that the flood was only temporary, and that eventually the contents (grief) would leak out through the cracks of my broken heart. That knowing brought me comfort.

There is never a good time for this visitor named “Grief.” The visits are almost always inconvenient, and my first desire is often to run, to shelter, and avoid. The truth is, Grief is always present, always there, lurking and waiting. I cannot hide from Grief. Instead, I have learned that it is best to be with it, to be present to it, feel it. I’m no longer afraid of it. I’ve learned to hold space for my sadness and the spontaneous memories that emerge with it. I’ve learned that there are some things we just can’t fight. Grief is one of them. I allow it to be as it is, and me with it, knowing that like the flood, it will recede.

And like many times before, the flooding waters of grief left my chest and my eyes. Like the morning after a stormy night, the sun still rises, the birds still chirp, and life goes on. So do I. I envision a beautiful rainbow lingering in its wake, a reminder of God’s promise to never again flood the earth, and perhaps his promise to me, that he will not give me more than I can handle.

Today, as I put a pen to my recent experience with the visitor named Grief, I’m left with gratitude for making it through the visit and abundant gratitude for all that remains. I’m left with more clarity, feeling more deeply, and once again, seeing life through a visibly cleaner lens of compassion and love. I choose to believe that somehow, through my continual healing, I am improved from this tragedy. I admit that I cry more easily, but I still laugh uncontrollably. Grief has been a spiritual teacher, and I have learned powerful lessons from it. Grief (and Hurricane Ian’s) recent lesson: Accept the impermanence of all things. There is, however, but one exception, and that is grief itself. Grief never leaves us completely, therefore its residence in our hearts is permanent, and we must learn to live with it.

With that said, at any given moment, I might silently be weeping, and you have no idea.

 

 

Be Like Water

Water is strong, but soft. Water is not rigid, but fluid. It flows effortlessly. I encourage you to flow like water in your yoga practice, like a meditation in motion, moving and flowing, with seamless transitions. Our vinyasa flow classes help your busy, distracted mind return to a calm state, like a body of water that is like glass, placid at the surface, but still moving and changing, taking the shape of the earth that contains it. Weave into your yoga practices the patience and adaptability of water. As you flow like water, imagine you are in the ocean, moving with it, respecting it, flowing with it. Apply patience and acceptance as you let your body take shape like water takes the shape of what is holding it, relaxing into it, not forcing it, to find grace, ease and flow.

Water is adaptable. Think of the ocean and the wind, how the water surrenders to the wind and it creates waves. Think of a river as the water surrenders and flows around anything that is in its way. Think of a lake in the winter as the water surrenders to the freezing temps and becomes ice. Where can you be more like water? Where can you surrender and take a different shape, be more adaptable? Where in your life might you be resisting, being rigid and nonyielding and where can you surrender and flow more like water, patient, soft, yielding, yet strong? 

Water always finds a way, through rocks, barriers, blockades, walls…it always finds a way. And like water, you can, too. You are like water. 

Namaste,
MaryBeth

DRISHTI In Our Yoga Practice

As a yoga practitioner, we seek to view an inner reality, becoming more aware of how our brains only let us see what we want to see—a projection of our own limited ideas. Often our opinions, prejudices, and habits prevent us from seeing unity or seeing more clearly. I taught a class about seeing clearly earlier this year, and it is on the website as Avidya.

Our drishti, our gaze, our visual focus through our asana, is more than just about overcoming distractions. It is a technique for looking for the Divine everywhere—including within, and seeing more clearly the world around us. The practice of drishti can lead to Vidya, seeing clearly, thus allowing us to see God in everything.

In our yoga practice, allowing the eyes to wander creates distractions that lead us further away from yoga. To counteract these habits, control and focus of the attention are fundamental principles in the practice. When we control and direct the focus, first of the eyes and then of the attention, we are using the yogic technique called drishti. This continual re-focusing, re-directing of attention, strengthens the muscle of the mind, helping us not only in our practice, but off the mat as well.


When I did the Baptiste's drishti practice, the same class many of you have taken from me, I considered it one of the most powerful moving meditations I had ever done. At some point in the practice, my block became a mirror, my drishti shed a light within, and I saw things I had tucked away, and when I went down into half pigeon, I let them go. The release I felt brought me to tears.

Your focus determines your reality, and combined with yoga, your focus shines a light of awareness into the corners of your body and mind. When I went into the heart opening poses of the practice, I cried some more, because I fell a little bit more in love with me. The use of drishti with the block opened my heart, deepening those heart-opening poses. When I sat the block behind my head before pushing up into wheel pose, I couldn’t wait to get back up in wheel and put my gaze back on that block. I had more determination to do 6 wheels and hold them longer than I had before. It might be hard to believe that keeping your drishti on a block would motivate you to do 6 wheels, but it did me!

I can’t explain how much I enjoy sharing this beautiful gift of yoga with my students, but I can tell you that I am grateful that you show up, do the work, and allow me the opportunity to do what I love. Thank you for choosing me as your teacher. There will be a drishti class on the website for members access in late January, 2023!!

Namaste,
MaryBeth

Have You Ever Asked Yourself, "Who Am I?"

Do you journal?

Would you consider journaling after taking my yoga classes, or any yoga classes?


Personally, this year has been a year of a lot of introspection so far. I’ve been reviewing, reflecting, revising, receiving, and doing a lot of writing. I must admit, I feel a book coming together. It excites me and scares the shit out of me at the same time. But nonetheless, throughout this time of inquiry and discovery, I’m learning more about who I am and my purpose. And, if you know me, when I gain insight, I share it. Have you ever asked yourself, “Who am I?” Regardless of how many times you’ve answered this question, I encourage you to ask yourself again. This inquiry offers an opportunity to discover our purpose, to better understand our gifts and wisdom, and to ultimately help us serve something greater than ourselves.


So why not buy a journal, grab a pen and start journaling on some of these questions! That wasn’t a question; it was an emphatic recommendation. :) So in true MaryBeth fashion, “Do that!"


1. What did I hear during the class that resonated with me? Why?

2. What came up in class? What thought, judgment, feeling, label? Resistance? Discomfort? How did it make me feel? What did I do? How did I react? And how did my reaction or inaction make me feel?

3. What can I let go?

4. What can I accept, in life and on my mat?

5. What can I cultivate or manifest in my life and on my mat?

6. What am I grateful for today?


It doesn’t have to be a 300 word essay. It could be something so simple as this:

1. Today while on my mat, I heard MaryBeth say “You can do it. You’ve got this." It resonated with me because at that precise moment, I was doubting myself, and thought well if she believes in me, I should too.

2. While in our third chair pose, I noticed some resistance and a story around how I feel about this pose. I wanted to come out, but I stayed. I brought more focus to my breath and felt less discomfort in my legs just in time for another Sun A and onto another sequence. I felt stronger and more capable, proud for not quitting.

3. I want to let go of my self-doubt. I know my body is capable of more than I give it credit.

4. I accept that I have some limitations and sometimes take different variations of the poses. I am doing my best and that is enough. I accept that some days are going to be tough, no matter what, and I’m not exempt from pain and loss.

5. What I plan to cultivate on my mat is more self-compassion, meeting my practice where I am today, not where I once was or ultimately where I want to be. I plan to cultivate this same self-compassion off of my mat as I become more patient with myself, making time to better know myself so that I can better create the life I want.

6. I am grateful for this practice and that she only gave me 6 questions to answer.


I spend a lot of time creating themes for my yoga classes and working on my delivery so that it lands on my students with the best impact. I know I often fall short or could be a much better teacher, but each class I teach, I teach from my heart. Like you, I am doing my best, meeting this practice and my teaching where I am right now, not where I want to be in the future, and that has to be enough. It is enough. I’m not much different than any of you. I simply found something that has transformed my life, ignited a passion, and led me to a purpose. The gift of yoga, living my practice, both on and off the mat.

Namaste,

MaryBeth

It’s Official! I’m now an RYT 500, along with E-RYT 200 and YACEP through the Yoga Alliance

I am excited to share that I have recently graduated from a 300-hour Yoga Teacher Training Program! Upon the completion of this training, I now have the highest accreditation that the Yoga Alliance recognizes. This past year has been a year of tremendous growth for me as a yoga teacher. I am very grateful for all that yoga has brought into my life and for my students that allow me to be their teacher and share yoga’s many gifts. It is such an honor!

Finding Tadasana

I’ve left the house once since returning from Florida on Monday and that was only to go to the grocery store.

I’ve been on my meditation cushion and my yoga mat every day. More importantly, I’ve practiced silence, stillness and yoga OFF my cushion and OFF my mat. More than ever before, I’ve unplugged, ignored my phone and spent less time on my computer, and yet I have had MORE time to do so. I’ve finished reading 4 books and started a 5th, and obviously, I’ve picked up my pen and written.

Surprisingly, throughout this first week in quarantine or social distancing, whatever, I haven’t felt restless. I haven’t let fear overwhelm me. I’ve felt fear, but it hasn’t consumed me or paralyzed me. I’ve done more of nothing, which is itself a practice, and I have felt strangely peaceful.

Oh, I’ve had my pity parties; don’t get me wrong. I sobbed Monday, I recovered Tuesday, I digressed Wednesday and bounced back Thursday. But once I was done reacting to all the hysteria provided to me via the television, I found my tadasana, my mountain pose, and I encourage you to do the same.

I haven’t taught any yoga classes all week. The internet is currently flooded with Facebook Live classes, Online Live Streaming classes, and new You Tube channels, so there is no deficit in yoga class offerings. My email has blown up with emails from the several yoga studios marketing their online classes. I do miss my students, I miss the connection, hearing them breathe and watching my words land in their bodies. One thing I know for sure is that teaching and giving fills my cup just as much as being a student of yoga, and that I must do both to remain balanced. So with that, I’d like to teach you more about being yoga, living your practice, and finding your tadasana.

Tadasana, mountain pose, starts with finding your true north.

Ground down through all 4 corners of your feet, feel the connection to your mat, your flooring, beneath the floor all the way to the earth. Both feet face 12 o’clock. Lift and spread your toes then stretch them out on your mat.

Lift up, stand tall, lengthen through the crown of your head keeping the joints soft and pelvis neutral. Your arms at your sides and palms open and forward with fingers spread.

Feel strong in your center as you engage your legs, from the skin to the muscle to the bone, hug in.

Pull your naval up and in, integrate your shoulders, bring them down and back as the shoulder blades move toward the spine. Open your heart.

Press down, lift up, pull in.

Stand still, effortlessly. Allow yourself to feel calm and strong, with less emphasis on doing and more on being. Allow the mind to follow in alignment and you presence yourself to the here and now.

Breathe in and out through your nose, steady and relaxed, as your awareness of your breath keeps you present, in this moment.

Baron Baptiste teaches us that when we fall or lose our true north, when we get caught up in the storm and off center, to just come back and find our tadasana, again and again.

I encourage you to keep coming back to your mountain pose, to your alignment and to your breath. How you stand in tadasana is how you stand in life, so stand tall, steadfast, calm and strong, with an equanimous mind, and an open heart.

Continue your yoga practices including practicing more being and less doing, and I urge you to consider investing in yourself by spending time in meditation. I cannot stress enough how important it is to sit with yourself, being yourself, and letting go of expectations and how you think things should be.

I believe that all experience has something to teach us, and all obstacles have meaning. Our strength is built on adversity, so look at everything, challenges, failures and all, as opportunity to learn and potential to grow.

And finally, practicing being yoga, create some I am statements. Write them down or make a poster with them and hang it up somewhere you will see daily. Remember that what follows “I am” is what you are inviting into your life, what you give energy to. The purpose of your I am statements is to invite positive energy, to remind you to cultivate that in which you need more of in your life. For example, my I AM poster includes words like: Centered, Balanced, Soft, Strong, Creative, Calm and believe it or not, “A Fucking Ray of Sunshine.” Yes, that is one of my I am statements and those that know me often refer to me as that very thing. May peace be with you. Namaste

When Covid-19 ended our winter days in Florida

Yesterday I found myself sulking, then at the airport before flying home from Florida to Ohio, uncontrollably crying. I’m not sure it was classified as ugly crying, but nonetheless, I made a spectacle of myself.  Instead of the people around me looking at me as if I was some weirdo, their eyes instead seemed to hold compassion for me, which made me cry even more. No matter how much I told myself to get my shit together, I was compelled to sob.

Eventually I regained some composure, but I still allowed myself to FEEL, without judgment, without labeling what I was feeling as right or wrong. And, since I was about to spend 2 hours on an airplane, it was a good time to just sit and be with what I was feeling.  

At some point though, we must get up and get back to work, and the work begins with ourselves. During these difficult times of uncertainty and hysteria, I find myself sorting through my toolbox to find the tools I so desperately need.  These are the tools I’ve discovered through yoga and the very tools I’ve shared with my students in my teachings.

The chaos that we have worked through on our yoga mats has taught us valuable tools to use off our mats, tools to help us work through confusion, conflict, distraction and feeling unsettled or fearful.

First. We learn to Breathe, to Focus, and tap into and connect with our powerful Center. There is strength in our breath. Our focus gives us direction. And our center is the observer of self, our truth, where we respond to what’s happening with resolve, not reacting with fear, panic or drama.

When I started digging through my toolbox, I found Humor and Joy. I’m not making light of someone else’s crisis but finding lightness in my own.  It is much easier to criticize, find fault and feed panic and despair, but that isn’t me. It’s humor and joy that help sustain me and help me overcome life’s difficulties and challenges. I find that making someone smile or chuckle feeds my appetite for connection, and when I’m feeling connected, I obviously don’t feel alone. When I witness my zest and enthusiasm for living contagiously reaching those around me, it fuels me with more vitality and more desire to live fully, and joyfully, with intention.

In our toolboxes, another excellent tool is Gratitude. There is also Acceptance and Patience, the tools that often find their way to the bottom of my toolbox. I can assure you that the more we resist our current circumstances, using our energy to refute it instead of surrendering to it, we use up the needed reserves to be still and know, to drop what we think we know and to radically accept what is, receiving it, liking it or not, but moving forward from a place of acceptance and trust rather than resistance, skepticism or fear.

One thing I know for sure is that our challenges are opportunities for growth, and during this time, maybe even a spiritual awakening. I have a strong sense of knowing that everything will be okay, that all things work for the greater good and each of us are all just merely a small part of something much, much bigger than ourselves.

I encourage you to practice. To get on your yoga mat, to breathe, to focus, to re-center. Discover those tools and use them.

We have been so flooded with information about this virus and the hysteria around it, and we are like sponges soaking it all up. We are soaking up fear, anxiety, tension and so much more. And since what we focus on expands, we have to be careful not to stay saturated with those things. Use your yoga practice, like squeezing the sponge, to release those things that weigh you down.

With love, gratitude, joy and praying for all of my friends to remain in good health, Namaste.

Act on your Goals

Each day that we put forth the effort to act on our goals, we aren’t just doing, we are becoming. If we really want to do something, we have to find a way, otherwise we become those people that just find excuses instead. Thomas Edison said, “If we all did the things we are capable of, we would astound ourselves.”

It’s not yoga perfect. It’s yoga practice.

Yoga isn’t about making things fit us so we feel better. In fact, that actually creates a roller coaster. Regarding my classes, I have heard “I don’t like it too hot, I don’t like to sweat, it’s too hard or challenging, too many people-too crowded, too noisy, too quiet, I have to have my mat here, or face this direction.” Yoga should be less about “I have to have, I have to be or I like it like this.” Our practice is about getting familiar with ourselves, our minds, and our habits, including the ways we habitually create our own discontent.

When the environment, the flow or pose creates “chaos” on your mat, it teaches you how you handle chaos both on your mat and off your mat. Ask yourself when you are uncomfortable, when things aren’t just so, “Am I reactive? Do I judge, label, quit or flee? Does my mind take me out? Is there negative self-talk? Do I focus, breathe, tap into my power and stay? Do I resist or persist?” The inner work is done not by designing your perfect space or limiting it to only the poses you know and like. The true work happens when chaos happens and you build the awareness around how you handle it, your thoughts, your judgments, your labels, and perhaps realizing that you are creating your own discontent.

Instead of seeking comfort on your mat, try giving up your attachment to things having to be your way in order to feel comfortable, and create some comfort in discomfort. That is where growth lies. Because what we practice, we get good at, try cultivating strength and persistence, courage, patience and peace on your mat, and then all of those things you practice follow you off your mat into your daily life. Since how we handle chaos on our mat often reflects how we handle it in our lives, we can start practicing with awareness, setting an intention, cultivating our intention and committing to growth, breathing and moving on.

As we begin to expand our comfort zone and become less discontent, we increase our vitality, gain self-confidence and inner strength. And it might surprise you, but we also discover more joy!

I encourage you to return to your yoga practice, or perhaps just return with a fresh perspective, as a dedicated practitioner, letting go of your attachments to your definition of comfort, your judgments of like and dislike, can’ts and don’ts. Through practice and dedication to both your yoga practice and yoga lifestyle, you are continually growing- physically, mentally and spiritually. As my teacher Baron Baptiste says, “Realign. Recommit. Again. And again. And again.”

Less Doing, More Being

 

“There is power in the ability to be and let be.” -Aristotle

 I tend to fill my days. Work, daily chores, and normal existence are often not enough, so I schedule, I plan, I make lists and do, do, do. Forgetting to occasionally pause can cause not only physical exhaustion and illness, but also mental burn out and disconnection to self. It’s like I have this energy bunny inside of me, driven and determined to check, check, check items off my never-ending to do list. But, I’m not unhappy; I actually love what I’m doing, and that is precisely why it can be so challenging to pause from what I love doing and just chill out.

There are people that look at me and are exhausted just listening or watching me be this constant doer. My husband’s sister often refers to us and all we do as “overwhelming.” We are all wired differently, but the ones that say, “I’m bored,” I just don’t get. I’ve never understood boredom though, as I have never had the opportunity to experience it. What is boredom anyway? I mean, even in stillness and quiet, I am not bored, so what has to happen or not happen to cause one to be bored? I’m getting off track, but the word “bored” has always bothered me because I just don’t get it.

Anyway, I recently and finally pushed the pause button. I deliberately spent an afternoon with myself in rest and relaxation, with less time doing more time being. I resisted the urge to pick up my book, because that is often my go to for R & R, but I knew that reading was still not allowing me to just BE, so I didn’t. I worked on deep breathing and my awareness of thoughts, like a nice reclined, feet up meditation, without allowing myself to fall asleep. Just being with me. It was glorious. Its’s in those moments that I catch glimpses of my soul, the essence of me. “Oh, hi there! I know you. Welcome back,” gently smiling and hugging myself. Less doing, more being.

I share this with you, choosing to put part of me in a blog, because it is my wish that everyone can experience this sort of coming home, this connection to self, finding stillness and peace within. Whether you are a doer or not, I believe everyone can benefit from pushing the pause button, sitting in stillness just being with yourself. There is in fact, power in the ability to be and let be.

Non-Attachment & Taking Back My Power

So this week has been a week of working on non-attachment and it hasn’t been easy. I’m sitting here at work on my computer because I am thirsty and using work to help me resist the urge for a glass of velvety, red wine. I have to admit I’m second-guessing why I am doing this, but it is only my selfish desire to have what I want that is trying to sabotage my self-discipline and determination. I’m just being real here, and to be completely honest, I booked my Uber ride to the airport 30 minutes earlier to allow for a half hour at the Vino Volo Wine Bar. Yes, tomorrow this week of non-attachment ends, but I’m not returning back to normal. I’ll be stronger, will have persevered and better apt at adopting moderation.

This week of non-attachment hasn’t been all about wine; I’ve done a few things out of character. What I’d like to share is how I have brought the practice of non-attachment to my yoga mat this week. As a student first, I practiced with 3 different teachers this week and brought a non-attached “me” to the mat. For instance, all week I’ve practiced chair pose differently just for the sake of not being attached to my way of doing chair, or how I like doing chair pose. Sometimes a simple adjustment can change our entire experience in the pose. A different variation of chair pose grew on me and got more comfortable the more I did it, as I would suppose most things would.

As a yoga teacher, I taught non-attachment in my yoga class this week. Students’ downdogs were bigger, their bends were different, their chair different, and the movement from back to top and top to back of their mat was different. Things got a little messy and awkward, but things were also discovered, and a little space was created. The asana provided the physical workout, but the practice of non-attachment to their way of doing a pose developed awareness, openness, and even a new way to do it that they now like better.

It is strangely unfamiliar when we do things differently, out of order, or against habit. It is uncomfortable when we are operating outside what we consider to be normal or routine. We get so comfortable, or attached to a feeling of safety or comfort, thinking that things have to be a certain way. We become safe and comfortable in our routines, and we convince ourselves that things have to be this way, or that way, in order to be okay. The truth is, they don’t. Sometimes lurking outside that safe space we created in our brains is opportunity and growth! Redefine okay and learn to be okay with everything not being okay. Now this paragraph was about your yoga practice AND life, so if your mind was reading it and you weren’t applying what you were reading to your yoga practice, then I ask that you go back and re-read this paragraph again with your yoga practice in mind.

When I talk about being okay with everything not being okay, I am not talking about the big stuff like not balancing your checkbook or forgetting to pay your mortgage. I’m also not downplaying organization or efficiency. My point is more about not allowing insignificant things to rattle us, get us worked up and off center. Furthermore, recognizing an attachment, or more importantly, an unhealthy attachment, and simply just taking back your power!

Do you remember in elementary school having an opposite day with your friends? It was playfully challenging even as a child, and now we are serious adults with all of these habits, patterns, routines, and small comfort zones. Like opposite day, I encourage you to try something each day that breaks a pattern or routine, something that pushes the edges of your comfort zone out a little farther. Take a different route home. Do something out of order. Try something new. Or perhaps, just wear your shirt inside out like I did once throughout an entire yoga class, and knowing it was inside out!

Play with the retraining your brain to be okay with everything not being your version of okay. Try a week of practicing non-attachment and see what you discover. When you push that barrier, that self-limiting belief that your way is the only way, you start to find that much of it is about control. Once you give up some control, you will become less rigid, more easy-going, place less importance on insignificance, and might just discover a little more joy in life, and on your yoga mat!

Namaste,

MaryBeth