Who am “I”? “What is my purpose?” “What am I doing with my life?” These are questions that every human being has asked her/himself at some point during their life. Some of us have enjoyed receiving clear answers in our search through yoga, meditation or other means. Some people may feel they haven’t discovered any answers, but experience more subtle clues throughout their journey while many more people simply hide away and let the ego take over, never letting the true-self emerge.

There is a great one word definition of self, the “Witness”. The observing self that sees and judges what we do and what we say. This “witness” becomes very important during the search for purpose. Going back to psychology 101, I learned about Maslow’s theory of self-actualization. He said once you realize what you are capable of doing, it gives you motivation to do it, and by realizing your potential it will lead to fulfillment. Seems so elementary, but once you begin your work, you find it’s much easier said than done because of one very ugly word…judgment. This pitfall on the journey to inner knowing has blocked me for many years. It’s like the wave that pushes me back right when I get through the pull of the undertow. Self-judgment is the detour sign that takes me forever to get back on track and wastes my precious time. It’s the beast that devours my confidence and spits out my shell. And yet it’s there… The Judge, The Self, Myself. 

I know there are many members in the SJC (Self-Judgment Club). I’m not unique. I know this. I also know that many members of this international club don’t like to share this detail about themselves. But they are willing to give away their personal power each time they self-deprecate themselves. I know this, again, from experience. I’ve realized that I have become my own roadblock. My “witness” needs to take a break and go on vacation. I have work to do on a deeper level.

So for now, all you SJC members, there’s a reservation waiting for your witness. Don’t you have work to do? Enjoy yourself. You deserve it!

“Doubt yourself and you doubt everything you see, judge yourself and see judges everywhere. But if you listen to the sound of your own voice, you can rise above doubt and judgement and you can see forever.” - Nancy Lopez

“I love Paris in the Summer, when it sizzles.” - Cole Porter

Are you ready to officially welcome Summer? Chances are you already feel like it is summer, depending on your coordinates. In Ohio, the trees are in full bloom, the hints of sweet, spring blossoms have just about faded, the grass is lush and green and has required a few mowings by now and the nights are lighting up with fireflies! Some of us are sighing in disbelief that June is almost over, but chin up, the official start of summer is this Monday, June 21st! So, get ready to celebrate the evening light and the longest day of the year, and have a party!

To read more about the History of Summer Solstice read HERE.

Don’t forget the sunscreen!

Many of you have asked where I get all my photos for my blog. Well here she is! As modest as she is, she’ll kill me for using this photo, but she did give me rights to her collection (how lucky am I?). When I started this blog two years ago, I intended it to be a way for me to connect further with my students, post some technical yoga advice, and share some fun interviews. In doing so, I naturally fell into voicing how yoga philosophies have helped me to see myself more clearly and helps me make deeper connections to my ever changing and evolving self in hopes to inspire you. I enjoy sharing these experiences with you. So, what does Kim Long have to do with all this…a lot.

Kim inspires me with her insight and vast knowledge, she is as witty as she is serious and she challenges me simply by sharing her own struggles from parenting to her views on religion and everything in between. She makes me ask the same questions. I learn from her. Kim and I met at the end of our freshman year of college. We both learned later that we were intimidated by the other, but we began a conversation that ultimately led to all the pre-requisites for best-friend material: finishing each other’s thoughts, quoting entire movies, talking for hours on the phone when we were a few dorms away from each other and then, enjoying the great moments of life with one another, our weddings, kids, and new careers.
 

We’ve all heard that if you have one or two ”good friends” by the time you reach adulthood you’re lucky. That always depressed me as a young adult and still does sometimes. Why must we become so closed off as adults? I love people. I love meeting people, I love learning about people and I truly believe you can never have too many friends. Maybe one of those new friends will become a part of your life forever and what’s the harm of that? If Kim or I had held on to our intimidation or judgment of the other we wouldn’t even know each other today, and that would be a HUGE loss. I am truly grateful to have Kim in my life, and though we live 5 hours apart, we know what’s going on in each other’s lives. It’s not hard. We simply care. In honor of all you are, Kim, this post’s for you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I honor you!

Namaste!  

I love the quote I posted at the beginning, but I must amend it to fit Kim. I’d have to say it this way:

 “Kim will remember what you said, what you did, who was there, what she was thinking and how you made her feel”.

To see some beautiful photos visit kimlongphotography.com

“Change is the essence of life. Be willing to surrender what you are for what you could become”-anonymous

CHANGE. This is one word (or verb) that generates more fear within people than anything else I know. It doesn’t matter what it’s in reference to, change inevitably stirs up fears within us. But, change is part of our evolving lives. Even what we perceive as good change, like say, a promotion, brings about fear..fear to perform to expectation, to meeting goals etc. But no matter what changes in our lives, having a new baby, getting a divorce, losing a job-we are forced to face our fears, big or small.

I welcome general change in life. I always need to be moving forward, experiencing new things and meeting new people. I thrive with change. Or do I? This is why I love my yoga practice. I often realize in meditation that I carry fears about things that I don’t recognize on the surface, but hide somewhere deeper in my psyche. Each of those things I fear…I have begun to realize I have no control over, except my reaction to them. I don’t know if my original statement “I welcome change” is completely honest. Is it true for you?

How do you react to change? For most of us, our “fear” is simply fear of the unknown. But if we let go of that fear what would happen? What if you just let those fears go with the wind…would you die instantly? Would you loose all your money? Would you become homeless or whatever else runs through your mind? We are intelligent people with an innate ability and instinct to take care of ourselves, yet we still scare ourselves with thoughts, thoughts and more thoughts about “change”. It’s only human to feel uneasy as we face change. How nice it would be to live as freely as we were born when we knew no fear. But that is not what life is meant to be. We each live lives of varied experiences, some good and some bad, and fear isn’t always a bad thing, but when it begins to hold you back, it’s time to look at those fears about change more closely. There’s a message there.

What if we took one day in our lives to take the key (that we all possess) and just turn the lock and bust out of our fears? It’s like deciding to dive off the high board into the 12-feet. for the first time. Remember how scared you were? Would you drown? Would you remember how to swim? Remember standing on the tip of the board, starring at the deep unknown as your heart pounded and then you just did it! You jumped…and it was liberating, or maybe you panicked when you hit the water, but what happened? You did it! Maybe you never wanted to do it again and maybe you ran back and jumped in a hundred more times. Now, look at your life. How many times have you voluntarily jumped back in? I know I feel like I’ve been pushed back off that board a few too many times-the Universe throwing me off the edge to sink or swim- rather than taking the plunge myself.

As I reflect on my past year of change on the eve of my birthday, I feel more confident in myself from swimming back up and inhaling that glorious breath into my new life. I’m ready to climb the ladder for a voluntary leap of faith this time! What about you?

I am thrilled to receive news that I have been choosen as one of 100 Incredible Yoga Teachers Who Blog from NursingSchools.net. This is exciting to me as I approach 2000 hits since I began my site less than 2 years ago. Thank you to all who visit, and welcome new readers! The Yoga Blog community is a special one where each writer is taking their time to share insightful and helpful ways to incorporate yoga into your life in a meaningful and insightful way. 

Thank you NursingSchools.net for highlighting the importance of Yoga as part of a healthy lifestlye, and for taking time to share our sites with the world!

To find other Yoga blogs highlighted on the site visit NursingSchools.net

See you soon!
Julie

What happens when you turn off your radio in the car, shut down your computer and Blackberry? What happens when your spouse is out of the house, the kids are on a play date and you find yourself alone? Are you able to sit down without turning to a distraction to just be? Most of us call a friend, pop onto Face book for a while, flip channels, or even read. But aren’t these all distractions? When are you quiet, the 5 minutes before you turn in for the night, right? But then your mind starts racing because of all the things you have to do, or you simply pass out. I know this.

My simple guidance is to sit down and be quiet, be still. I know life is crazy and stressful. We’re all trying to do a million things, but simply try to quiet your mind for 5 minutes to start. Set a timer so you don’t have to worry about looking at the clock. Take in all the sounds around you, the ticking of the clock, the wind through the trees, the sound of your breath. There is a shift that occurs in this space of silence, it happens almost immediately when you sit with yourself. It’s the opportunity to simply be alive and be aware of your place in the world. It’s vital that we check in with ourselves once in a while. We’ll call a friend to see how they’re doing, but how often do we check in with ourselves? Seems simple enough, but there are so many distractions in our lives that keep us from ourselves.

This lack of checking in with ourselves is one way the body can start to become imbalanced. Quiet offers us the opportunity to reflect upon what’s happening in our lives and to physically check in with what our body is trying to tell us. The body might be whispering pain, or pushing us to fatigue or nagging at us through other ailments. This turning-inwards helps us to recognize that steps can be taken to help ourselves before this imbalance becomes a more serious condition. This awareness is also crucial for how fully we experience our life. If we never stop to reflect upon how far we’ve come or where we’d like to be as we move through life, what kind of life have we lived? We are responsible for our own life. That life eventually becomes our legacy and our personal story. It was in my own moment of self-reflection that I created a saying you’ve probably heard once or twice if you’ve been to my classes, “Remember to breathe into each moment that makes up such an important part of your unique story”. You create your life. Bringing the breath into your experiences (breathing evenly and with awareness) will enhance every part of your life and add richness to your story.

Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending. -Carl Bard

Here’s to you and your ever-evolving story! I know it’s a good one! BREATHE….

Namaste!
Julie

Satya is one of the Yamas from Patajali’s Yoga Sutra’s and means truthfulness in speech, thoughts and deeds. With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, all the stores and ads remind us this is a time to honor love (or just another Hallmark holiday for the cynics out there), but I find this a wonderful time to honor those we love and a time to bring Satya into focus in ourselves and in our relationships.

Truthfulness. That word holds a different amount of weight for different people. If you live in truth, meaning, you live in such a way that you are truthful to yourself and others, speak in such a way that you are sensitive to others feelings and act out of the spirit of love and take responsibility for your actions, you might feel a lightness in relationship to this word. If you are hiding from yourself or others, making judgements about others and holding grudges, this word might carry a burdening weight, but truthfulness to many of us can also be a journey of discovery. Who am I really? What is my truth? Many of us are always trying to fill that empty space that we are convinced needs to be filled in order to feel whole and complete. But what we forget is, we are already whole and complete, we were the day we were born. Listen to what you already know. Really LISTEN. This doesn’t necessary mean you’ll know what to do about what comes up (believe me, this I know for a fact) but the answer lies in that space. It might just be a matter of quieting the noise around you and sitting with yourself to hear it, feel it and maybe even more time to come to terms with it, but it is there. It is also the goodness you have to share with the world despite the bad experiences that life brings that has shadowed your light. Satya is not just taking responsibility for your life, it’s honoring the life you deserve to live. 

According to Patanjali, things come automatically to the person practicing Satya. “To one established in truthfulness, actions and their results become subservient.” In other words, you need not run after things, for they will run after you. That to me is worth living by.

This Valentine’s Day, enjoy your chocolates and celebrations, and remember to take some time to recognize Satya in your life.

XOXO,
Julie

How much do you know about your closest friends and family? We all think we know everything, but do you REALLY know what your partner’s greatest fear is, what keeps your best friend up at night and how your aunt got through being a single mom? Does this matter to you? Of course it does, but my question to you is how much do you really know, and can’t we all learn more about one another to deepen our connections? I am one who believes that it’s our connection to one another, as human beings, that provides the most happiness and joy in life. I love people and I love learning about them. I have always believed that everyone is interesting and has a story. And more often then not, their eyes light up at the opportunity to share their experiences with me. I love learning about people’s interests, goals, passions and history, It’s inspiring to me, and I learn so much about life through other people’s experiences, as well as my own. So, I ask questions.

One day, I realized, at a family gathering of all places, that there were people related to me that had NEVER asked me a single question. I’ve know these people for years and yet I realized they haven’t a clue about me despite the number of times I’ve inquired about their jobs, travel, relationships etc. I struggled with this epiphany because I wondered why it bothered me so much. For a long time, I felt that it was because they must think I’m boring or uninteresting, and then it bothered me because I felt maybe It was my ego longing for attention. As I dug deeper, I realized that this experience wasn’t unique to me. My husband and friends had experienced the same thing. It’s that people are often closed off, insecure and self-conscious, so the last thing they are thinking about is YOU. Simply picture your last large get together, be it with family, friends or a work gathering, and think back. What conversations were going on? Were you engaged in the discussion? Were you included, or were you content to be on the sidelines? As I started to observe people more closely, I discovered that there is always a silent dialogue people seem to be having in their heads as they sit quietly or even while talking. I can tell this because they are clearly not in the present moment. How do I know this? Their eyes are not even connected to the person they are talking to! I realized how disconnected so many people are from each other and it made me quite sad.

When we experience being stuck in an airport and strike up a conversation with another stranded passenger and find out their story, it’s usually fun, right? Well, if at the very least you have a good story to tell when you get where you’re going! Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m no Del Griffith, but I’m not afraid to be friendly. Most of the time people are happy to return the favor. What happens when people are forced to talk together? Is it really THAT bad? Is it THAT risky to say “how are you?” or “how was your weekend?” and mean it? We have so many wonderful ways to connect electronically, but what about when the computers and iPhones are tucked away? How do we communicate? How do we connect with others? Try talking to the clerk at Target next time you’re there. Ask them how their day is going, sympathize with an exasperated mother, or simply smile and say hello as you pass someone on the street, instead of looking down. You know you’ve been the recipient of random kindness. It feels good, but it feels even better to be the one giving kindness. 

Our society is so afraid of protecting our privacy (for good reason in many situations) but you’re in control of what you disclose. If it’s a friend or family member, reach out and deepen that connection. I’ve met some wonderful friends by simply reaching out. Don’t stop being interested in other people. We all have something to learn from one another. You never know, you might just get the best advice you ever received from the person sitting next to you.

What are you thinking about right now? Are you thinking you shouldn’t be reading this because you have online shopping to do before it’s too late for shipping gifts for the holidays? Are you thinking how exhausted you are as you try to settle down after putting in a few more hours at the office to make end-of-year deadlines? Or, maybe you’re stressing out about getting the house ready for out-of-town guests? It’s a busy time, there’s no doubt, but it’s important to slow down and spend time reflecting on your life.

There are only a couple more weeks before we bid farewell to 2009 and welcome a fresh, new year. Many of you may be more than happy to see 2009 become history, but before you push past these last couple weeks of the year simply to start anew, it’s important to find time for self-reflection. Self-reflection is part of self-awareness.

I invite you to finish this question, ”What I love most about my life is….”and then ask yourself why? What is it that makes that part of your life so special? And then sit in that feeling of happiness and contentment. Then ask yourself how you embraced that part of your life this past year. Did you spend good times with your family? Were you healthy all year? Did you get a promotion? Whatever you love about your life can be explored more deeply through self-reflection. And even if it was a rough year, ask yourself if you came out stronger, are you more confident? Maybe you’re apprehensive about your future, that’s okay, and acknowledging that to yourself can be cathartic. Admitting you’re having a hard time, might encourage you to take time to get the help you need to live the life you deserve.

Self-reflection isn’t always easy to do, but the results of being honest with yourself will only make this new year a time for real growth and potential.

Enjoy finding time to bake cookies or gather around a good movie with family and friends and look around you and just sink into the goodness of your life, then find a quite moment to be proud of all you’ve accomplished this year, or all the suffering you’ve overcome. The validation comes best when it comes from within.

Enjoy your holiday season, and may you all find the good stuff in 2010!

I am inspired to write about my amazing students at The Cleveland Raquet Club. Not only are these students dedicated to showing up week-after-week, but they are truly committed to their practice.

This commitment was never more evident to me then at a recent class. I showed up early, as usual, set-up my mat, music and chime and suddenly the fire alarm when off. “What do I do?” I thought. Most of us ask the same question when an alarm goes off from our experiences with school fire drills. I remember how we had to put on our coats and trudge out in the cold every year to stand there for 20 minutes, only to find out little Jimmy set it off, again! “But better safe than sorry”, I thought, so I headed outside to wait for my students.

When my students arrived, we decided to start our class once we saw the fire department show up. We figured the alarm would be shut off in a few minutes, plus, the noise was muffled when we closed the door to our room. I chose to move our traditional opening 5 minute meditation to the end of class, and begin the physical practice. As soon as we began, a piercing RAA RAA RAA blared into our room as a strobe above the exit sign flickered a blinding, bright light, jolting us all out of our gentle neck stretches! Then, after a few minutes (which felt like the second we settled into the next posture), the alarm would blast into the room again, RAA RAA RAA with the strobe clicking and flashing. I offered to cancel class and let everyone go home several times, but the students insisted on staying. Maybe it was because they were already there and dressed, but believe me, after 20 minutes of this insanely loud racket, I fully expected a mass exodus. Nope. 

I can’t explain the concentration on these students faces. There was something different about the way they looked as they followed each prompt. I expected to see tightness in their faces and squinting eyes, an overall annoyed and distracted expression. As I observed them, I could see they were in a different place, each one of them. Each focused in their own way but, with gentleness in their faces. As we moved into tree, a student had one arm reaching for the sky and a finger to her ear in an effort to cut some of the noise and it looked so natural! Other students moved through the postures as if in a meditative trace. Hearing my voice, but their attention focused inward, blocking all the distraction, which was, at times, painful! It was beautiful and tremedously inspiring to witness their focus. Ironically, the alarm abruptly seized with a perfect 5 minutes left to enjoy a truly restful savasana!

To the students from this class reading, I hope you use this experience as an example of your inner power to focus, despite outward distraction, even when it involves pain. And to ALL readers, the next time you practice and feel distracted, simply breathe deep and bring your focus to your body, mind and breath. That’s YOGA at it’s best! Oh, and be glad the fire alarm isn’t going off!

Share your comments with me about your experiences with focus in yoga or life by clicking on the Comment button under the line below.

Peace, and a quiet practice to all!
Namaste,
Julie