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Points to Ponder
I got this from the Yoga Journal blog when a teacher posted that nobody
showed up to her class, and how disappointed she was, and all the excuses she
heard:
Below The Surface (from Daily Om)
Finding Deep Strength
We have all faced moments
in our lives when the pressure mounts beyond what we
feel we can handle, and we find ourselves thinking that
we do not have the strength to carry on. Sometimes we
have just gotten through a major obstacle or illness
only to find another one waiting for us the moment we
finally catch our breath. Sometimes we endure one loss
after another, wondering when we will get a break from
life’s travails. It does not seem fair or right that
life should demand more of us when we feel we have given
all we can, but sometimes this is the way life works.
When we look back on our lives, we see that we have
survived many trials and surmounted many obstacles,
often to our own amazement. In each of those instances,
we had to break through our ideas about how much we can
handle and go deeper into our hidden reserves. The
thought that we do not have the strength to handle what
is before us can be likened to the hard surface of a
frozen lake. It appears to be an impenetrable fact, but
when we break through it, we find that a deep well of
energy and inspiration was trapped beneath that icy
barrier the whole time. Sometimes we break through by
cutting a hole into our resistance with our willpower,
and sometimes we melt the ice with compassion for our
predicament and ourselves. Either way, each time we
break through, we reach a new understanding of the
strength we store within ourselves.
When we find ourselves up against that frozen barrier of
thinking we cannot handle our situation, we may find
that the kindest choice is to love ourselves and our
resistance too. We can simply accept that we are
overwhelmed, exhausted, and stretched, and we can offer
ourselves loving kindness and compassion. If we can
extend to ourselves the unconditional warmth of a
mother’s love, before we know it, the ice will begin to
break. |
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All rights reserved.
Revised: 02/17/10.
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Too busy to relax they say
Complaints, excuses everyday
They sound so weak, so stressed, so tired
A mundane world in which they’re mired
No time to sit and just be quiet
Their mind’s a rush of thoughts, a riot
No chance they have to hear the sound
Of nature’s wonder all around
Of birds and trees and clouds and air
Too much work, it’s just not fair
This really seems quite sad to me
So much to do, no time to be
Breathe I say and move a bit
Then after that we can just sit
And watch the world at its own pace
There is no rush, it’s not a race
And if it were, what is the goal?
Where are you going mind, body, soul?
Too busy to relax I hear
These words seem like they’re based in fear
Tired, weak and too much stress
How did our lives turn such a mess?
We don’t need to look above
To find a place that’s based in love
Turn instead and look within
Find your self, it is no sin
Forgive, let go, open your heart
It is the only place to start
Think on that and you might find
Throughout your life you have been blind
Breathe I say and move some more
Run, walk, jump, stretch on the floor
Move your body, get up and go
Feel the energy, let it flow
Don’t get caught in negative
Habits that won’t let you live
Too busy to relax? Not true!
This hoax must end, it starts with you
If all you do is just the same
You never will escape this game
Do something new, do something Zen
Begin right now, not ‘if’ or ‘when’
Do one thing different, or two, or five
Change how you live, become alive
Do or do not, there is no try
Step off the cliff and start to fly
Begin with this, you won’t go wrong
Remember to breathe, deep and long.
©Aaron Hoopes
www.artofzenyoga.com