Sunday, November 28, 2010

Waking & Walking In The River Of Consciousness This I Call Yoga - By Amy Figoli



My life over the past 25 years has been a landscape that I could not have imagined. At 20 years of age I was in the US Army- a missile specialist, several years later I had my first child and was able to leave the military. I  had my second child three years later, and my real education began! I have held various jobs and owned several businesses in my life and did not walk into  the path of Yoga until my early forties. 

One day I was walking,  I had grown tired of my life, I was bored with life and I was bored with me. I had worked very hard at developing my business savvy and being the smartest person in the room, this was a strategy to ensure no one would ever be able to pull any tricks on me or take advantage of me ever again. Well all of this just made me tired.  I was empty. It is a lot of armor to keep holding up! So I said to the Universe I do not wish to live the second half of my life the way I have lived the first half. I had many beautiful things but, I was so tired of not feeling my life had meaning. Shortly there after things changed quickly, I took my first Vinyasa class and after my second class I went home and wrote my teaching schedule, and 4 months later sold my business and began to pursue various Teacher Trainings.  Nine months after my first Yoga class I was now teaching in a small town in Maine, I knew I did not  know everything about yoga but I knew I had to share what I did know.

The process-Our life as we know it. What do we really know- the path of Yoga asks of me to meet that which I do not know, the practice asks of me to meet the unknowing, often I meet that which can not be explained,at least I have found a great struggle in trying to put words to the practice the path of Yoga. Somehow words can almost feel confining   a bit restricting in the expression of what is so vast. Of what we call Yoga. My practice goes beyond words, beyond form, the experience of  energy  that is exchanged is not yet tangible but yet so sweetly familiar as I crave to be with it. The craving becomes satisfied on my mat. The familiarity settles in and  the connection of Spirit is once again satisfied. My intention is to remember that I am not separate. Yes, I can say this and have a sense of understanding, of wanting to believe this is true -but do I believe this? I do, but feel I am in the process of truly believing this truth once again. The path helps me remember my connection. The connection that I have never been separate in the first place-this is what must be unlearned as some of our programming runs deep.

The practice of Yoga in it’s various forms of Asana/Hatha, Karma and Bhakti, Raja and Juana have given my life meaning. The practice has placed me in touch with  what I can not touch but is exquisitely comforting. I teach, and I am grateful. I am grateful because I know this is what I am meant to do, I/we  like knowing what we are here to do. I do not always know what I am here to teach specifically or here to do,  and at times become unsettled and restless as I want more. This is a human condition, and a dominate one in the states, as well as our states of mind. Our culture is  often referred to as the land of plenty and of Freedom- Oh I do want freedom, but what  do I want freedom from? We teach what we need to know, and we teach from experience. I am afforded    the opportunity to teach , and  I fully understand that every student that walks through my door is my mirror-some days I must meet "frustration", some days I must meet the feeling of "I am not enough", and many days I meet " I am so glad to be on my mat- choosing ease in my body and choosing to  move what is stuck and holds me back".

I am blessed to be waking and walking with others, changing a world that we can not see the outcome to, but feel we are making a difference in the lives of others,  knowing our actions of today are effecting generations to come. My hope for you in reading this, is to invite you to embrace the courage needed to meet yourself on the mat.  That you choose to begin the process of meeting yourself where you are and not where you think you should be. Meeting compassion.

Changing the world one Yoga Class at time!

In light and love - Sat Nam

Amy Figoli
The Yoga House Owner | Certified Yoga Teacher

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Yogi vs. Dentist - By Gretchen Fruchey RYT

Recently, I went to the dentist. Left with no excuses (and threatened with a fine), I could postpone my appointment no longer: I had a cavity and needed a drill to fix it. This encounter unexpectedly served as an odd metaphor for courage in my life. The short experience (that only felt like a lifetime) forced me to confront issues of control, ego, resolve, and fear—it tested many of the guidelines I use to live. Suffice it to say, not only was it uncomfortable, it was humbling. Most people would describe me as a strong person, a person with gumption and a backbone. I think of myself and as a spiritual soldier, armed with the bravery that accompanies detachment and deep breathing. So a little filling was no match for me. Right? 

Ah, that day…Ipod in hand (chuck full of meditations and soft, soothing playlists) I sit first for the cleaning, put my earphones in and begin focusing on my breath. I use the experience as a test of my ability to scan the body and release any areas of tension.
As the technician cleans, I breathe and try to focus and un-focus, re-focus and relax. Every few minutes I become aware of my shoulders rising up, my hands clenching or my jaw tightening. Eventually, I find a wave pattern of relaxation, starting at the top of my head, working my way down to my toes—and over and over again I keep relaxing. I’ve transported myself to a far away field of green grass and butterflies and sunshine. Before I know it, the cleaning is over! I couldn’t believe an hour flew by—my jaw didn’t have the usual dull pain it has after a cleaning. I rocked it! I was so yogi, it wasn’t even funny! 

It was now time for the filling. At this point I am feeling a little nervous, but confident in my abilities. After a little topical gel for numbing, the dentist comes in to administer the Novocain. I internally scoff at the humongous needle, feeling superhuman in my powers of detachment. I’ve conquered Discomfort, I can take you Dentist! He puts the needle in, starts to depress the syringe and….OH MY LORD THE PAIN! THE PAIN!! My body cringes, I whimper, my eyes tear and roll into my head! Panic sets in. My heart starts beating like a caged animal and I begin to sweat uncontrollably. What was I thinking!? This is horrible! This is going to be excruciating! And that was only the shot! (Apparently, he hit a nerve. “Bullseye.” He said.) So we wait for the numbing to begin. I turn up the volume on my meditation and breathe, lengthening my exhales to slow my heartbeat. I am calmed by how quickly I get my heart and breath under control. After about five minutes, we test my lips. They are not numb. A couple more minutes go by, I can still feel everything. I tell him, only half joking, “I repelled it. I used my yogi strength to dissolve the elephant-sized dose of Novocain you just gave me.” He gets another needle. Lets just say, after two large needles, that crazy tent thing (which gives me claustrophobia), and two drills (I still wasn’t numb—cringing and shivering in pain), I was beginning to doubt my abilities. Clearly I am a creature of earth, full of human weakness. 

When it was all over, I felt like I’d run a marathon—my armpits were wet, my hair was glued to the back of my neck and I’d teared mascara all over my face. While I did now have a nice, clean filling instead of a decaying tooth, I was annoyed by how frightening the experience had been. I failed to control my reaction, and I was disappointed in myself (then also angry with myself for feeling disappointed). But as I got further away from the terror of that day, I kept thinking about it in relation to life. I know the dentist is a hyperbolic version of trauma; there are many more serious tests for strength and bravery! But, like my appointment, we can avoid experiences we find uncomfortable or we can face them. Most times, we eventually have no choice—things have a way of knocking on our door no matter how much we try to avoid them. When we summon the courage to face what we fear, we can arrive prepared, knowing the philosophy, the practice, the breath. Sometimes we will succeed: we will float through that experience less scathed than we thought, maybe even indulge our ego and be proud of our strength. Sometimes, we will use everything we have, but still will find ourselves overwhelmed by what we fear, by this experience of earthly life. We’ll falter, lose our faith in ourselves, and feel utterly human and disappointed. With the aches and stings serving as reminders, we have the option of carrying that pain forward and allowing it to define all our future experiences. Or, connected to Spirit, Universe, God, family, our soul, we can acknowledge that courage is our superhero cape even when we are afraid. We can feel that fear, trepidation, and insecurity as we take charge and meet head-on that which does not serve us. To continue the metaphor, when we come home from the dentist we can take an Advil and then get back to our lives. I had to acknowledge that while I did fall victim to panic and fear that day, I made it out alive. Clearly, I will go to the dentist again and I can choose not to let this particular appointment describe all future visits. I can choose to let it be what it was: one rather unfortunate day in the life of my mouth. 

As with everything we face, we must take the experience at face value and learn from it what we can. Even if the information you receive doesn’t flatter the idea you have of yourself—use it. This small act takes a tremendous amount of courage itself. I could see that going into that day, I wanted to be bigger and stronger than the Dentist. I wanted to waltz in and out of that situation free of frazzle. It was more about my expectations than my will. (Well, also a bit about lack of Novocain). That is information I can use. I can apply it to future confrontations with other villains in my life—Anguish, Greed, Betrayal, Disappointment, Judgment—and allow it shape a better version of me. Flashing a bright white grin, I think to myself what my grandfather always said “It is what it is…now what are you gonna do about it?” Personally, I’m going to change Dentists. How about you? 
 
“Life only demands the strength you possess. Only one feat is possible—not to have run away.” Dag Hammarskjöld.

Gretchen Fruchey RYT
Certified Yoga Teacher  
yogafruchey@gmail.com  
www.gretchenfruchey.com


Friday, September 24, 2010

Waking Up - By Erin McGuire

Things, both good and bad show up in our life as they are supposed to.  They show up with the divine timing of the universe and when something unfavorable shows up it may be a way for us to go deeper.  To look at things differently, to be more real.  The real point is that every moment is valuable.  That people will always come and go.  That this body, this earth, these material things around us are not permanent.  We must cherish every person, good or bad in our life to give us the lessons that we need.  The information that we need to take with us on our journey.  To thank them.  To hug them and tell them we love them when they leave, because we never know when we may see them again.  If we can just let go of the pain in our hearts.  If we can just get real with ourselves and see how precious this life really is, then we can begin to see the love that is at the very depth of everyone.  
If we can just take our own sledgehammers to our own walls, knock them down and start over.  Start at the beginning.  When there were no walls to begin with.  I am sick of my walls.  I am sick and tired of working so hard on pushing everyone away.  It is a lot of work.  It is so much easier to just be yourself.  To just be loving and open.  It hurts less.  It changes others more and allows them to be more open.  I am tired of walls.  I am tired of sledgehammers.  I am tired of only seeing cracks of sunlight peeking in, when I want the whole sun to shine upon me and those around me.  A crack of sunlight can change darkness into morning, but the light of the whole sun can wake up a planet.  It is time to start waking up.  It is time to stop just letting the cracks of sun in and start allowing it all to shine through.  I am tired.  I want to wake up.  I want others to wake up around me.  I feel like no matter how much sleep I get I am still tired.  Like I am in an eternal dream world where life is a bit dead around me.  People walking like zombies in their sleep induced states, not fully aware of what they are doing to each other, to the planet to their own psyches.  This is the dream.  This is what we need to wake up from. 
 So today we begin again.  We open our eyes maybe for the first time ever and see the world and its inhabitants as they really are.  We see the divine in everything and we acknowledge that. We are a little softer, a little sweeter, with a little less stress in our bodies.  We treat each other with a little more kindness, knowing we are all the same, we all hold the same light within us.  Today we begin again. Today we wake up.

Pure Light Yoga and Wellness Coach
323-836-5556