"Meditating is a warm up exercise for the mind, so that you can jog through the rest of the day without getting agitated or spraining your patience."
~Eknath Easwaran~
After a
long break from writing on my blog, on this sunny day I have
decided to continue my journey of thoughts about yoga, mandala and life.
Experiences of growth,
love and pain all mixed together are my motivation to
share!
Spring is
here and all of my students are practicing diligently and finding their own
growth on the mat and in their lives. They always awaken a feeling of courage
in me to move forward on my own path.
This week
we are practicing Ahimsa. On an extreme level Ahimsa translates
as non-harming and non-killing. On a more subtle level it means
to have no angry, harmful or judgmental thoughts towards yourself or
others. Often in the course of the day we criticize ourselves for things we do
or don't do. We become impatient with ourselves on the mat, in the car or in
any other areas we think we are not perfect. Some books tell us that we should
first find compassion and loving, nonjudgmental thoughts for others.
I believe that we need to start with ourselves. Being kind, thoughtful,
loving and compassionate towards ourselves is a practice we can then convert
towards other people and in other areas of our lives.
Practicing
Ahimsa brings awareness to our daily lives on and off the mat.
So, I
encourage my students to sit in stillness and be a witness and observer to the
quality of the thoughts that arise, staying present with them as they
do.
Be happy on
this sunny day and treat yourself to some chocolate after your practice.
Love Sonja
