Begin Again

I forgot about this blog.  I started it when I owned a yoga studio.  Now I am partnered with another studio owner and we run this place together along with several teachers.  We all share the work and this is how a studio is meant to be run.  I used to go in and see the work and know that if it was to be done, it would be my job.

When I closed the studio, I needed time to rest and just stop for awhile.  The rushing mind from being the one in charge of running a business, earning the income to pay the rent, teachers pay, and all of the little expenses associated with running a business, being on the edge of failure constantly for the first 5 years....even the final year when I was just beginning to catch up...This continual thinking of what to do next?...was exhausting.

I rested, and rested.  I rested and did not work until something very strange happened.  I got bored and restless.  How odd is that in this day & age?  Did you know that if you just quit, dropped out for awhile from the rat race, that you would actually survive?

I moved from being in constant survival mode into a new space.  This became a quieter space of inquiry.  What do I really want to do with my time and with my life?  I recognized that, since I had a new grandchild, that spending time with my two grandchildren was something that made me feel very happy and gave me a sense of purpose.  Yet, there was a limit to that.  I needed to see them once or twice a week at the most, and if I saw them more, I began to feel drained.

So I focused on what I would do the other days of the week.  I began to teach a few yoga classes.  Teaching 3 days, resting the other two - catching up a home with managing the finances of my husbands business and our household, clearing out clutter that accumulated after a few years of working 7 days a week...

When teaching yoga, I noticed I felt at peace, inspired and energized.  Then I gradually started to help manage the studio.  That was fun.  The owner asked me to be his business partner.  I said no, but I'll still help.  I took on more, getting to know teachers, tweaking the schedule, setting up workshops... The owner asked me again to be his business partner...I think I said no a couple more times, so he said - just know that the offer stands until you are ready.  I asked my meditation master, Ishwar, because his advice is critical now for me.  He said yes I should work with this man in this studio.

So I said yes, and began to step it up even more - - I found though that because of my past experience, and having gone to the reset point in my life, I could feel when I was slipping past sustainable energy in my own body and life.  I found that I needed to set boundaries, something I had been practicing for my entire life. 

I set the boundaries, I planned vacations, I empowered others to do the work too.  Now, two years later, we are becoming a sustainable yoga studio community.  Sustainable in that, at last, we should be able to pay even the owners soon.  Yes, owning a yoga studio is not about the money in some cases.  Staying true to our own teachings and practices, requires a level of commitment and integrity that cannot endure in a for-profit-only business model.  We intend to earn a profit, but by building slowly, upon a solid foundation of philosophy, yoga, benefit to our greater community - only this will give us a career, a "live-lihood" that works for us.

I began again on my own terms and will continue doing so into the future.  My philosophy as a child - about work - was that I probably wasn't ever going to quit working.  I saw my grandfather, and then my father slowly whither and die after retirement.  My mother is also doing the same.  Something about work that gives you a reason for living - a purpose for living - that is an essential component for life. 

It's Been a Long Time....

Hi again.  I have been writing a daily blog at http://yogacarechallenge.wordpress.com.  I realized I had abandoned this beautiful blog and I am sorry - I've missed you!  Today's blog is about separations.  It's been a long time since I have seen certain friends, certain relatives.  On the spiritual path, you begin to realize why it is that no matter how many days, weeks or years it has been since you saw a certain person in your life (Mother, brother, good friend), the next time you see that person, it is like no time at all has gone by.  Perhaps that is why I am not worried when it takes me a week to return a phone call or a year to get down to see my brother.

We don't really notice in our interaction that any time has gone by.  Nothing has changed between us.  I believe this illustrates the illusion of separation and the illusion of time.  It's been a long time, but it seems like we just spoke yesterday.

Love and Devotion

Grace.  My friend, Ishwar Puri, says that God's Grace is continuously flowing down to us.  Grace is what allows us to live with joy, beauty and love.  We are like a cup and where we focus our attention is what we are being filled up with.  This week I am once again trying to keep my cup upward and allowing myself to "catch" the grace.   I focus on the love and music in my heart, I stay connected to that and allow my light to shine.  Everything and everyone around me seems to be more beautiful, joyful and loving.

If we keep putting our attention on the world out there, with all it's dramas, heartache, suffering, economic strife, our cups will become drained, empty and bleak.  Especially this time of year as we enter the darkest time on the earth - the Winter Solstice - let's spend some time together and reflect on the light - reflect on gratitude, love, and giving and notice the beauty right in front of you, right here and now.

Namaste my friends.

How to Find Happiness

1.  Let go of being attached to every outcome in every thing.  2.  Meditate.  3. Where to find happiness:  Look within yourself.

What You Focus on Grows

In yoga practice, we begin to focus on learning poses, then realizing that there is more we have not explored about ourselves: body, our mind, our spirit, than we realized.  Each day my practice is to direct my mind to what I can do, what I want to create, rather than my fears.  This is not easy today.  Today I wake up and know that there are many obligations I have.  There are bills to pay, a business to grow, and my studio has been too quiet the past few months.  I have woken up like this almost everyday for the past 4 years.  Every day I shift my attention to what I can create to make a difference in the lives of those I meet.

If you are reading this, you are someone who cares about these things too.  So lets focus on this together.  What kind of life do you want?  What kind of world do you want to live in?  I find that when I talk with people about this, whoever is present gets excited about new possibilities.  So today, start a conversation with someone.  Tell them your dreams.  Your dreams will remain dormant unless you share them.

My dream is to see a thriving yoga business in my studio, to see many people coming in and out, sharing their joy in their yoga practice.  These people go home and their joy spreads to their families.  These families go out into their own lives and activities and the joy is then exponentially spread!  Get excited about your dreams and talk about them.  What a world we do live in!  A world in which our perceptions are what creates our realities.  If you want to get inspired, just look around you!  There is a world of inspiration waiting for you to just look!  Here is a video that inspired me yesterday:  Biker

Have a beautiful day!

Get ready for the 40 day yoga challenge!

November 1st through December 10th, 2011.  What would you want to get out of practicing yoga in a 40-day challenge?  Peace of mind? Clear mind? Lose weight? Sleep better? Improve your digestion? Support? Send me a message and tell me what you would want or ask a question. email: karen4yogaprairie@gmail.com

Yoga - Connecting Mind/Body

This journey of yoga is about connecting mind & body.  The spirit directs this journey.  The spirit or soul, wants what is best for you.  The mind sometimes does, sometimes does not.  How can we get the mind to cooperate?  When you decide to practice yoga and you hear that a daily practice is good for you, that the body/mind needs a day of rest...what happens next?

I know what happens to me.  I may stay up a little too late reading, or drink one too many cups of coffee, or watch a movie that I don't start until 9 pm, knowing I really could sleep in.  No one is making me get up early to meditate. . . really.  This is my mind hijacking me.

So how do you get going?  How do you have a regular practice?  You just do it.  You get on your mat or sit and close your eyes and you practice.  Everyday.  Simple.  It is the mind that complicates things.

But what about the mind/body connection?  That is where it can get interesting and habitually addictive.  After many years of practicing, paying attention to the feelings and sensations in my body in different poses, I can even feel the energy of the nervous system.  Bringing attention to any thing... you can grow your sensory awareness.  What if you practice doing this in the body?  What is possible in your life too?

Where in your life would more awareness benefit you?  How about in relationships with others?  What if you knew exactly where you could direct your attention and energy to make the most difference in each moment?  Is this possible?  I think it is possible to strive towards that and that this is the journey worth taking.