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5 Ways to Master the Art of Doing without Doing

May 7, 2013 by #DailyCupofYoga 12 Comments

What lights you up? What fuels your soul and fills your heart?

This is the art of doing without doing. Achieving without efforting. Receiving without feeling like you’re trying. This is the magic of Wu Wei—the art of “not doing”, or doing without doing. Tuned into the ebb and flow and cycles of the natural world, and able to respond to what arises.

Although confusing when we think of it in the context of our modern world, in action the art of doing without doing is simple. It’s simple. It’s not easy. This is because it’s counter to what so much dominant messaging and cultural mores and expectations communicate to us.

We get the message that successful, admirable members of society are always on the go. They’re making things happen, brokering deals, responding to emails day and night, getting up early and hardly sleeping. We’re told that these are the money-makers, the world-changers and the achievers. These are our models for life mastery.

But they don’t need to be. There’s a way to be yin—in the flow and receptive—that is just as effective as yang—pushing things ahead and taking action. In fact, in my experience, it’s even more effective.

I became an assistant magazine editor of three publications at 25 years old. At the time, it didn’t seem young or surprising. I’d spent the entire previous decade making myself make that happen. Work and my future dream gig came first, rest and taking care of myself came last. I pushed and pushed…and when I didn’t have anything left to push with I took sleeping pills. So that was fun.

I made it, and then I wondered, “Was it worth it? Is it worth it?” I couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep, and sometimes couldn’t go a week without a panic attack. But I was damn good at my job. I had succeeded, right?

Flash forward to today, where—nearly a decade after I first stepped onto a yoga mat—I’m making more money, doing nothing that feels like ‘work’, and completely, totally lit up, on fire, and full-filled. And I’m learning, sometimes painfully and slowly, how to do it yin-style. I’m way more at ease, in the flow, and able to respond to what arises. Hello, greater-than-I-ever-imagined opportunities. Goodbye too much stress.

5 Ways to Master the Art of Doing without Doing

Take action in a way that feels easy. You get to decide what to prioritize and what comes first on your to-do list. When you look at what you’ve decided to get done, what feels like the easiest, least stressful thing?
Do what lights you up. Say ‘yes’ to opportunities that make your heart sing. Literally: what do you feel in your chest when you consider saying ‘yes’? Constriction—like you can’t breathe? Or expansion—like you are being deeply breathed?
Listen to your Sat Guru. Sat = true. Guru = darkness to light; teacher. You have your own inner teacher within you, leading you out of the darkness of stress and overwhelm and into the light of your being. When something doesn’t feel right for you, listen. No matter what other people say.
Let there be spaces in your togetherness. Got it all together? Still feel stressed and anxious? That’s your body telling you that even though your digital personal assistant has your entire day mapped out and organized and all together; it’s not solving the core of what’s causing you stress. You need space in your day and your life for the unexpected. You need space for your dharma and what you’re destined for to arise. Trust me, it will be more than you ever expected.
When things are slower, be slower. When things speed up, don’t resist it. Go with the ebb and flow of your life and trust that the slow-times will pass, just like the times that feel too busy. Suddenly, you’re appreciating both polarities.

Suddenly, you’re not just yang; you’re yin, too.

And, as master yin yoga teacher Bernie Clark says, “Yin is in.”

Good luck! Big love,
L

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[Editor's note: This is another totally awesome, soul-inspiring guest post from Lindsey Lewis, life coach and yoga teacher. Stay up to date with her latest at www.libreliving.com, Facebook, and Twitter.]

Photo credit: Camillia Lee

Why Yoga is Dangerous for Your Mind

April 5, 2013 by #DailyCupofYoga 17 Comments

[Enjoy another amazing guest post from Lindsey Lewis, life coach and yoga teacher. Stay up to date with her latest at www.libreliving.com, Facebook, and Twitter]

The thing about yoga is this: it’s about your soul. It’s about clearing the blocks to your ultimate freedom, joy and purpose. It’s about getting to a state of total knowing and complete release. And when we get there we release our mind.

What happens next is not just illuminating, it’s revolutionary.

Because inside our minds live our doubts, fears, insecurities, stressors and our roadblocks to our true selves. Inside our minds live the limiting beliefs that we hold firm to, that keep us held down. Inside our minds lives the belief that we are smaller, less capable, and less brilliant than we really are.

Inside our minds lives…sometimes, loads of crap.

Yoga is dangerous to those limiting beliefs that don’t serve us.

The mind is a beautiful thing. It’s an exquisite tool that empowers and powers our experience. It enables us to think rationally, to figure things out, and to find the solution.

But…our thoughts create our world. And if what we’re thinking isn’t serving us, or lifting us up, or showing us our truest, unlimited selves—than we can change that.

“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.” ~Albert Einstein

Yoga gets us out of our head, and into our body.

It gets us feeling-thinking, not just thinking-thinking.

It taps us into the non-verbal part of our brain, which processes between eight to 11 million bits of information per second. Did you know the verbal part of our brain only processes about 40 bits of information per second? 40!

So all those fear-based thoughts…they’re not based on all the information. They’re not based on everything our non-verbal brain is processing. And, for most of us, they’re coming from an over-stimulated amygdala.

These little almond-shaped parts of our brain are stimulated by stress hormones, and when they are, the kind of take over our show. Fear-, anger-, and negativity-based thinking become our m.o. And the part of us that knows how to operate from a different place takes a backseat.

Yoga brings that part of us into the driver’s seat again. It gets us out of fears and stress and into our peace and strength.

Yoga brings our ultimate knowing—not just thought-based thinking—on board.

Yoga brings us our self.

3 Ways to Go Beyond Fear-Based Thinking

Move your body—consciously. Whether it’s yoga, dancing, swimming or walking, if you do it mindfully, it’ll help you amp up your physical awareness and tap you into the non-verbal part of your brain.
Notice your thoughts. Do they lift you up, light you up, ignite and fuel your life? If not, question their veracity. Byron Katie does it best: Is it true?
Turn doubt into fuel. When you spot an “I can’t do this” thought, turn it into a question. “Can I do this?” “Yes.” List at least three reasons why. Studies show that providing evidence for an affirmative response to a question like that has a much more powerful impact than empty affirmations.

Good luck!

Big love,
L

[Photo: c/o Camillia Lee...you should check out the rest of her amazing yoga pics]

Tagged With: albert einstein, Lindsey Lewis Filed Under: guest post, meditation, mindfulness, simple living, yoga

Sarvangasana – The Royal Pose of Shoulderstand

March 25, 2013 by #DailyCupofYoga 7 Comments

Mick Jagger rocks a shoulderstand…

“How do I love thee, let me count the ways.” This is how Shakespeare might have talked about Sarvangasana had he practiced yoga. In ancient texts, Shoulderstand is called a raja, or royal pose, because it is so beneficial for the body. Some texts even go so far as to call it the disease killing posture! It helps to change the way your entire endocrine system works, which is the system associated with the chakras, energetically, but also the entire hormonal cocktail that your body makes to keep you functioning at your best. The pose is actually named after two Sanskrit words that mean ‘whole body parts posture.’

The Life Giving, Age Defying Shoulderstand

Shoulderstand can regulate the metabolism, helping to normalize the weight if it is too high or too low. It increases the flow of the lymphatic cells (T-cells) responsible for fighting foreign invaders that try to make a host of your body. By sending blood to the thymus (and endocrine gland located behind the heart) it boosts immunity. It invigorates the brain by sending tons of oxygen rich blood to it, as well as the face including all the organs of the head (eyes, ears, nose, throat, scalp, etc.) It is for this reason that it can keep you looking younger and from losing your hair as you age. It also acts like nature’s free moisturizer, by improving the skin and the hormones in the body that keep you young. It also changes the gravitational pull on the body – from downward to upward!

The posture circulates blood to the pelvic region, the spine, and removes stagnant blood from the legs so if you work at a job where you sit or stand all day, it can feel like heaven to practice. Shoulderstand also improves the sex organs, so it is great for people who want a better sex life or are trying to conceive.

Most importantly, Shoulderstand held for three minutes can greatly reset the stress response in the body, and instill a calm, quiet mind, as well as a relaxed nervous system. Yogis also practice this posture to draw the pranic energy of the body into the internal organs, and away from the surface of the body as a means to vivify the chakras and help encourage root chakra energy to rise from Mooladhara Chakra to the Crown of the Head, Sahasrara.

Modifying Your Pose

Sarvangasana can be practiced in modification too, since it isn’t always that easy to accomplish when you are first starting out. You will want to use a double folded yoga blanket under the shoulders and neck, minimally, if you are not practicing the full posture, to make sure that the cervical bones (the small bones in the neck) are kept protected and out of the way of undue stress.

Tips When Practicing the Full Pose

If you are practicing the full Sarvangasana, work on getting your shoulders tucked underneath you as you line up your knees, hips and ankles. Use your core strength to draw the navel in and up – this also keeps the belly from sagging as you age. When you are ready, a full jalandhara bandha or chin lock can be practiced so that you receive the full benefits of stimulating the thyroid and parathyroid glands. Following the release of shoudlerstand, roll down slow into Halasana (Plow Pose), and be sure to practice Matsyasana (Lord of the Fishes) to counteract the forward bending of the cervical spine.

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Editor’s note: This is a guest post from the authors of YOME. YOME aggregates and features a FREE collection of hundreds of yoga videos including meditation techniques that were posted by the best yoga teachers in the world. YOME enables you to combine a yoga practice within your personal routine. You can also create your own yoga channel so you can practice yoga poses wherever and whenever you want, without trying to make it to a specific class on time or rush through traffic. Connect with YOME on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube,LinkedIn, and Google+.

Tagged With: sarvangasana, shoulderstand, YOME Filed Under: asanas, guest post, yoga

Two Sides of the Tongue

March 18, 2013 by #DailyCupofYoga 7 Comments

The Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 17, verse 15:

“Always tell the truth, Arjuna, and present it in as pleasant a way as possible. If you cannot do that, remain silent. If something absolutely needs to be said you must uphold the truth, but find a way to do it that is gentle and obliging.

“Do not hurt others through harsh words. Words can be more painful than physical violence, and the hurt lasts longer. Words meant to excite negativity are an act of violence; shun such words…

We have two sides of our tongue–physically we have the bottom and the top, but metaphorically speaking we have two sides as well…the side of the tongue which starts from the bottom, from a dark and dreary place that never sees the bright of day and the top side which gets a refreshing breeze every time the mouth opens and is filled with light.

How incredibly dangerous our tongue can be and in contrast what a blessing it can bring. Sometimes intentionally we use our tongue to hurt others by forming injurious words. We tear people down and discourage them. Unfortunately, we can also do the same damage unintentionally.

Why is it so easy to say something hurtful? And why is it even easier to say something cruel to those that are dearest to us? What does our ego get from hurting others? And how does this reflect the words we speak to ourselves during our inner dialogue?

We have all heard the saying, “sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.” Anyone who had something mean said to them will tell you that this statement is completely false. Words can leave scars deeper than physical cuts.

On the contrary, we have also been encouraged by words. We use these uplifting words as a comparison to the negative side of the tongue.

Simply put, Our words can hurt or they can heal.

You may have heard someone say, “I speak my mind” in justification to why they said hurtful, blunt, and obtrusive words. A popular expression, however it misses the mark onto the reason behind the words they chose and only protects the ego, convincing themselves they have been honest and should make no apologies. “Speaking my mind” is a lazy way of expressing that your tongue blurted out your current emotions without looking within yourself. In any case, we yogis know that the mind is very volatile, ranging from happiness to anger, and can not possibly get to the root of how we are truly feeling, and what we would like to say.

Our words often come from an impulsive and unpredictable place which is why they have the potency to do so much damage. Our tongue, like a cigarette thrown out of a car window, has the power to light a huge forest fire and destroy anything in its path.

I propose we start to speak from the heart instead of our minds. When one speaks from the heart they have taken the time to look within and ask, why. Why do I feel this way? With this notion we can recognize and honor our feelings and begin to speak with truth, dignity, understanding, and goodwill.

Let our speech always be seasoned with grace; that our mouth be used for healing, comforting, kindness and hope. I hope we all can reflect on our words. Let your heart speak and the tongue be polished.

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[Editor's note: This is a guest post by Lisa Sochocki, owner of Yoga Loft Hawaii.]