A Dream Worth Dreaming

A photo posted by Ray- Yoga Gear Shop Owner (@yogalifestyleblog) on Aug 24, 2016 at 2:46pm PDT

"If we are willing to give up hope that insecurity and pain can be exterminated, then we can have the courage to relax with the groundlessness of our situation. This is the first step on the path."

Pema Chodron - When Things Fall Apart

Photo By Samat K Jain https://www.flickr.com/photos/tamasrepus/

I have been looking at this picture on and off for a few hours now and it has really grown on me. At first I was struck by how forbidding the landscape is. How really awful it would feel to be in this dry and unwelcoming environment. I think in some ways the spiritual path looks like that to me. Being totally truthful, practicing regular self care, feeling all my pain without looking for exits ... sounds sort of boring and uncomfortable. Like the photo in a way. The worst of all possible worlds. But as I have seen it again and again, the texture of the landscape, interesting rock formations and undulations, beautiful tough, little bushes and shrubs keep calling to me. The hiker now looks to me like they are beginning an exciting adventure, not heading into a barren wilderness. I'm guessing that if I could really get comfortable with the idea that I will always be visited by insecurity and pain from time to time, the beauty and richness of this very human situation comes out and replaces or at very least softens the fear and resistance. How amazing it would be to find oneself intrigued and absorbed by whatever comes up good or bad. To be always eager to experience the next unfolding moment. That my friend is a dream worth dreaming.

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This post is part of a series on:

When Things Fall Apart, Heart Advice for Difficult Times by Pema Chodron.

The book is available for purchase here on the website: When Things Fall Apart

Vegan Till It Hurts

I am happy being vegan. I have been vegan for decades and it keeps getting easier to do it and stay healthy. There are a few places of stress however. One is navigating the various sentiments of family and intimate partners but I will leave that for another blog post. Another is what to do about animal pests.

My teacher once said we love all animals including Tigers but some of them we avoid. I haven't had much trouble avoiding tigers or even bears or rattlesnakes which when I have met them in the woods seem happy to go their own way if I am willing to go mine. Unfortunately, I can't just decide to avoid mice, or mosquitoes or bees or woodchucks.

Self love requires that I don't just let mosquitoes bite me as much as they like. I mostly shoo them away but I sometimes smash them, especially if they are already feeding on me. Practicing discrimination means drawing lines. For awhile I did go through a period where I killed nothing, but then I had boring bees that were destroying my house and eventually I broke and went after them with the clear intention of wiping them out. Mice are a whole other story.

Elsewhere in this blog I have detailed the mouse infestation I once had and how I dealt with it. I literally relocated hundreds of mice, one by one, but I have learned something since then which has given me pause. You see, mice are social animals that work in family units and can tell outsiders apart by scent. One mouse alone is not likely to survive long. Knowing this, live trapping the mice that show up in my pantry, seems at best pointless and at worst sort of craven. Rather than killing them quickly in a snap trap, I have them in a little metal box, give them fruit slices to ensure their comfort and then take them to a far off location where they have no nest and no friends and are likely to be hawk or cat food in the next few days. So now I ask, "Who am I doing this for?"

I am still live trapping mice, since I do not really want to kill them. And I take them far away and wish them well when I release them. I know their chances are not good but if I was them I would want that chance. I hope they enjoy whatever extra time they have and the stress of the new environment does not make the extra days of life I have given them a bit of hell on earth.

I would love to hear from other vegans about how they navigate this difficult terrain and anyone else who loves animals but does not want to feed them from their pantry.

Another Quote from Pema Chodron from When Things Fall Apart

A photo posted by Ray- Yoga Gear Shop Owner (@yogalifestyleblog) on Aug 21, 2016 at 4:09pm PDT

If you are like me you are confronted with frustrating situations everyday. Too many tasks, too little time, making mistakes, being confronted by the mistakes of others. It is so easy to get angry and shit kick around in a foul mood. Going to war with your self and others. But what does it get you? More bad feelings of course. Try if you can to choose peace.

Give yourself and others compassion for the predicaments and pressures you face. When mistakes are made remember that we are human and mistakes will be made. Try to look to the good intentions and the many things that have gone right to just get you to the point of experiencing this mistake. In short, choose peace. The benefits are enormous and you and those around you deserve it.

Suggested Reading:

When Things Fall Apart, Heart Advice for Difficult Times
by Pema Chodron.
The book is available for purchase here on the website: When Things Fall Apart

Please connect with me on the Facebook Page or follow us on the newInstagram feed to get more Yoga wisdom, science, style, and fun everyday!

Always Do Your Best (Yoga and The Four Agreements)

A photo posted by Ray- Yoga Gear Shop Owner (@yogalifestyleblog) on Aug 4, 2016 at 10:08am PDT

In The Four Agreements, Don Miguel Ruiz says by always doing our best we can avoid negative self-talk. We can feel good about everything we do. Of course sometimes we will be tired, or sad or angry. We may make mistakes because we are human but if we know we are always doing our best in that moment we can silence the judge in our heads that is ready to criticize us for supposed transgressions. He says in order to be doing our best we have to be focusing on the task at hand and not the reward. In this way we can always be satisfied with our own part in things and find real happiness.

An Unexpected Hitchhiker

The power of concentration is an amazing thing. BKS Iyengar says where we focus our minds prana will follow. One of the things I love about yoga is the way as we place our attention at different parts of our body, we feel deeply into each spot in turn. But of course as we gain sensitivity in one area we lose it in others. So when we focus on the breath we may not notice our foot falling asleep or a cramp developing on our leg. Finding the right balance between focus and open attention is a continuing challenge.

The photo below illustrates the intense concentration my web assistant Noel brings to his driving. For the better part of an hour, as he made his way here, he did not notice that he had a large friend enjoying the ride with him. Kudos to Noel for his one pointed attention and to his visitor for remaining very, very still!

When Things Fall Apart

A photo posted by Ray- Yoga Gear Shop Owner (@yogalifestyleblog) on Aug 20, 2016 at 7:27am PDT

I am at the end of a 7 year relationship. I can still remember how happy I was when my ex and her daughter came to live with me about 6 years ago. Over time things shifted between my partner and me. It was really sad. And now they are gone and I am lonely. Sometimes I feel worthless, hopeless and like it makes no sense to keep trying to do things, since this relationship did not work out. A wise friend pointed out how much joy and love I shared with my girlfriend and her daughter. How much laughter and support. So was I wrong to get involved with her since it did not work out? No, it was a time of great learning for me and healing too. And I think it was for them as well. Though it is painful now, this pain will pass and the benefits and added richness to my life will linger. Here is another irony. I was scared of having this breakup. The things I loved about us being together, I did not want to lose, even though the relationship was no longer satisfying in many ways. My fear of loss kept me from taking action. Eventually my girlfriend decided to leave me. And you know what? The pain of loneliness is not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. In the half dead relationship there was a lot of loneliness too but I held on for the little juice that was left. And though I wish I could have spared my girlfriends daughter from the pain of this breakup and kept her fun, young energy in my life, I am in many ways liberated. There was so much my girlfriend could not accept about me, So many ways catering to her held me back from being me. I did not expect the joy of freedom that has also accompanied our breakup. That happiness is there and it is strong. If I had left more room for not knowing, I could have had a much easier time of it. I could have stayed in a place of appreciation for what we did have, while also being aware of what was missing. But of course I probably needed the thing to end before I could really see it clearly. Reading When Things Fall Apart is helpful.

Suggested Reading:

When Things Fall Apart, Heart Advice for Difficult Times
by Pema Chodron.
The book is available for purchase here on the website: When Things Fall Apart

I'd love to hear from you. Please connect with me on the Facebook Page and Instagram feed to get more Yoga wisdom, science, style, and fun everyday! And make sure to Subscribe to Everyday Yoga for more great posts like this one delivered to your inbox!

Don't Make Assumptions (Yoga and The Four Agreements)

A photo posted by Ray- Yoga Gear Shop Owner (@yogalifestyleblog) on Aug 11, 2016 at 4:29pm PDT

Don Miguel Ruiz says by making assumptions we confuse our own ideas with the truth of things. An example of the way this can hurt us is if we assume someone knows what we want from them, so we feel hurt when they don't give it to us instead of asking for what we need. Or we want to talk to someone about something but we are so sure of their reaction we decide not to bring it up and then feel resentful because of their attitude, when maybe if we had talked about our problem or idea we would have gotten the response we needed, but we never gave it a chance. Try to notice when you are making assumptions and ask yourself if there is a way that these assumptions may be delaying or defeating your true understanding.

This post is part of a series titled "Yoga and The Four Agreements" follow along here: Yoga and The Four Agreements

Get the book: You can purchase the book from my store and follow along right now, right here: Yoga Book - The Four Agreements

Please connect with me on the Facebook Page or follow us on the newInstagram feed to get more Yoga wisdom, science, style, and fun everyday!

The Seven Chakras Poster and an Important Tip for You

Did you know that in some older yoga texts there are 9 chakras. In some there are 5 and some 16. We all use 7 now but this is not settled science but a felt sense of what is right. The chakras are a metaphor for helping us to understand the sensations that arise in different parts of our bodies. They roughly correlate to our glandular or endocrine system. So what is the tip here. Don't get hung up on all the knowing about this and become familiar with sensing and accepting what you are feeling. Only you can know what your chakras are telling you. The guidance of masters can be helpful in learning to relax and listen, but ultimately the knowing is inside you.

Learn to pay attention to them and you will have a rich dialogue you will wonder how you ever did without.

This poster is available in our online shop here: The Seven Chakras Poster

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Yoga Chair Exercises to Try

It took me years to develop the cotton wrap we put on the backs of my Pune Yoga Chairs and I am glad I took the time with it. You will love the look and feel of cotton wrapping on the back which is reminiscent of the cotton wrap often seen on high-quality bicycle handle bars. Since introducing the Pune Yoga Chair as a regular item, earlier this year, I have sold hundreds to numerous discerning Iyengar studios and practitioners and others who need a great backless chair. I sold every one I brought to sell at the Iyengar conference in Boca as well! I have had numerous referrals and lots of positive feedback!

There is a great post on this blog full of exercises to try on the Pune Yoga Chair. See that here: Pune Yoga Chair Exercises

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Practicing Beginner's Mind

One way to exercise mindfulness and bring yourself to "beginner's mind" is to use your opposite hand for things. By this I mean if you normally brush your hair or teeth or shave with your right hand, use your left. This will slow you down and make you really pay attention to the process and help you to stay in the moment. Another benefit is that you will, over time get good at this. Brushing or shaving with your opposite hand will come to be second nature. Later you will find you are more apt to use your opposite hand for other things, like opening doors or screwing in lightbulbs. Plus if you ever injure your dominant hand or arm, you won't feel so helpless because you won't be!

Photo Credit: Jakob Renpening

Please connect with me on the Facebook Page or follow us on the newInstagram feed to get more Yoga wisdom, science, style, and fun everyday!

Arguably the Most Popular Yoga Poster of All Time

A photo posted by Ray- Yoga Gear Shop Owner (@yogalifestyleblog) on Jul 31, 2016 at 6:52am PDT

This poster which is arguably the most popular yoga poster of all time, is also the first item I sold as Yoga Life Style. My teacher Dharma Mittra is the figure in all the little photos. There are 908 poses shown on this chart and according to Dharma there are millions more. Having this as a reference has been a good place to start for many, many practitioners.

You can purchase the Master Yoga Chart of 908 Postures of and by Sri Yogi Dharma Mittra here: http://www.yogalifestyle.com/P908poster.htm

Please connect with me on the Facebook Page or follow us on the newInstagram feed to get more Yoga wisdom, science, style, and fun everyday!

Yoga For Bone Health

Studies indicate that not only is yoga safe for people with osteoporosis but it seems to improve bone density as well.

This article has all the details: http://nyti.ms/1YqZN9I

Your Brain on Yoga

This link will take you to a great article on how yoga and meditation improve memory and slow the onset of dementia. Yoga truly is a fountain of youth in many, many ways. I love when this gets scientifically proven ;--)

Yoga May Be Good for The Brain: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/06/01/yoga-may-be-good-for-the-brain/

Kino Mac Gregor on Instagram

A photo posted by Ray- Yoga Gear Shop Owner (@yogalifestyleblog) on Aug 10, 2016 at 6:17am PDT

Kino Mac Gregor (on instagram: @kinoyoga ) is a long time business acquaintance and friend. When I saw this great shot of her and a friend of hers on retreat in Nicaragua I just loved it and hope you do too ;--)

Please connect with me on the Facebook Page or follow us on the new Instagram feed to get more Yoga wisdom, science, style, and fun everyday!

Paddleboard Fun at Yoga Life Style!

Here I am in the parking lot of the Yoga Life Style building on my paddle board. Things are really lush right now and I am fortunate to live and work in such a beautiful place.

I really wanted to do a headstand for you but found that the way I have the board rigged it was too wobbly for me to feel safe. Plus I'm not sure how safe I would feel even if it were extremely firm since it is a high place to fall from at an awkward angle. Of course it could be a good way to go viral on you tube, but looking at it from a hospital bed would not be fun.

You may notice that the board is held on the car with 10 foot Bheka 100% Cotton Yoga Straps. You can't really see but there are mats rolled up underneath the board. This simple rigging works well and I have traveled hundreds of miles with the board set up like this. No one on top of course. I can't recommend doing this since I don't really know the break strength of a Bheka Strap when used this way but so far so good. I can say that I doubt there is anything you can do with the strap in a studio setting that will expose it so to such strong forces and I suppose that is why they are so long lasting ;--)
Below is an outtake of a headstand attempt. Promise not to laugh.

I hope you are having fun this Summer. You can see i am ;--)
Follow along for more updates on the Yoga Life Style blog, Everyday Yoga. We also have a beautiful Instagram account and are having our fun on Facebook.