The Yoga of Adversity

A week in review- the Tripsichore Plus Practice Course

It's been a great, though difficult, learning process this last week.  Last week I was surprised to start the week with mysterious and extreme pains that were not present when I left Seattle.

 It was frustrating to  be unable to participate in the practice the way I expected/wanted, but these experiences always give me a greater understanding of my students when they are enduring the same stuff, so I'm grateful for the reminder.

The most difficult thing to do, along with keeping one's spirits up, is to find a way to keep doing the practice.  It's much easier to stop and start from mental perspective, and yet physically and yogically, the right thing to do is to stay with the breath and the practice.

The first week was a real struggle for me physically and as a result, mentally; as fun and exciting learning new things has been, the physical discomfort was demoralizing.  I would be lying if I said I did not think about quitting every day-- and night, since I was kept awake by the pain and a noisy neighborhood!

The additional burden of worrying that I was a disappointment to Edward and Nikki didn't help, but I kept going through the tedious and excruciating work of detailed refinement of Tripsichore breathing and alignment.

Over the weekend I spent a relaxing time with my mom and my best friend in the Cotwolds (English countryside) and didn't practice a lick.

Hesitatingly, I showed up again Monday.  It was the day of my "check-in" meeting, and I confessed my concerns about what Ed and Nikki were thinking, my performance, and my worthiness as a Tripsichore teacher.  They assuaged my worry, but the real message is to just keep practicing, no matter what comes up-- this IS the practice.

The good news is my aches and pains are waning and I'm starting to feel more normal, but those details shall wait until the week 2 review!

What I learned the first week is to above all, be humble.  The hardest work is not always crushing every maneuver, but navigating the way through practice with pain, difficulty and other limitations whilst maintaining attention to the practice of breath, alignment, and mental quiet.  Staying true to the breath practice is paramount, and breath is the best guide.  I also learned that nothing takes the place of persistence, and to just continue, because everything ebbs and flows- the good times and the bad.  I was reminded this morning when I ran across a BKS Iyengar quote:

"Yoga teaches us to cure what need not be endured and endure what cannot be cured."

Enduring and curing,

Liz Doyle

//LizDoyleYoga.com

Take a class with me- next session starts September 9, 2013

Maha Sadhana 

M/W 12N and 5:45P

https://m.facebook.com/events/532039330201285

Yantra Vinyasa 

T/Th 12N

https://m.facebook.com/events/468905803225524

Tripsichore Crash Course

T/Th 5:45P

https://m.facebook.com/events/192641117573949

Life's Meat Tenderizer

In the past 50 days (original writing 4/8/12), the Universe has asked me to let go of some important things in my life. It started with my 20 year old cat's death. Two weeks later, my 90 year old grandmother, with whom I was very close, died. Five short weeks later, my 15 year old cat died. For those without pets, it may be difficult to understand the loss, but these were creatures with whom I had my longest relationships outside of my family.

In spite of, or maybe because of the pain, I've learned a lot through these experiences. It has been a gift to be with each of them when they died. And I've learned lessons from all of them. My cat, Tiffy, was the poster cat for acceptance of all circumstances, unconditional love, joy and contentment. My grandmother was a dignified woman, who made me feel important, that I had special gifts to offer the world, and they should be shared through the things about which I am passionate. My other cat, Maddie, demanded from me full engagement, and she taught me discernment; she was a unique cat, but did not share herself indiscriminately.

Having experienced this "Trifecta of Death" in such a compressed time has left me feeling pretty roughed up, but I can see the value in it. An image became very clear to me a couple of days ago-the process of tenderizing meat. It feels like Life sprinkled a powder of experience on me, and Universal Timing took its spiky metal hammer and pounded the crap out of me. I realized that there were really two options: become hardened by the experience in an effort to shield myself from further sadness, or allow it to strip away all the BS and tenderize my heart. Believe me, I could use some tenderizing. I can often be without sentiment, too direct in my speech and unsympathetic. Pain has helped me understand the importance of leaving people with a good feeling about themselves after being in my presence. I'm not sure I'll get it perfectly anytime soon, but you can bet I'll be trying a lot harder.

There has also been an unexpected lesson for me. Respect for everyone's life situation, even if it seems unjust and beyond their control. I can recall situations from my own life-- some I chose unwisely, others felt more imposed upon me-where someone could have intervened and helped me. I can say with complete certainty that I benefited in untold ways from all of my experiences, good and bad. I hope I will not be misunderstood; it is important to help when necessary. I suppose what I'm saying is that I'm redefining "necessary" and hopefully I'm not nearly as arrogant as I was 7 weeks ago to think I know best for everyone. I think I understand what "live and let live" means.
There's also recognition for me now that I am not in charge. I'd like to think I'm holding the reigns, but I understand in a new way that I cannot see the whole picture and as the Desiderata says, "whether or not it is clear to you, the Universe is unfolding as it should." What I can control is the managing of myself through the processes that present themselves in my life.

Sound like a bunch of junk a former "cat lady" minus one grandma tells herself to feel better? Maybe, but it works. I DO feel better. And more grateful, more aware, more connected, and hopefully, a little more tenderized by Life's occasional bludgeoning. The good news is that I am still alive to do some good with my new knowledge.

If you want to read the blog post I wrote after my grandmother died last month, click HERE.
Thanks for reading, and I look forward to seeing you in the practice room.

Much love,
Liz

P.S. Another odd bit of timing related to all of this was a reminder I got today about a special practice I am doing on June 3^rd when Venus transits the Sun. The message of the practice to commemorate this galactic event is shedding the layers of protection that hide the True Self, allowing our actions to come from a place of purer intention. Two hours of fun, good work, and self-reflection- all for $20. If that sounds good to you, call Yogabliss to register, 206-275-2300, and I'll see you there!

Think Crazy, Take Chances...

Hello Friends!

I've never considered myself a particularly fearful person, I've always thought of myself as being strong, resilient and open to change. I recently butted up against my own limitations with the latest project I'm working on, which is a children's yoga DVD (ultimately with a book and yoga cards, for those of you with kids). One thing at a time!!

If I'm to be perfectly candid, I've been procrastinating a little, and been a little half-rumped about it. I don't have a ton of money to spend on production, and I've been fortunate to be introduced to a professional filmmaker/videographer, who is highly qualified, and will do it for very little.

Anyhow, I was supposed to send him an email a couple of weeks ago, and I told him I would do it in a few days. I just didn't send it, and wasn't sure what was holding me back. I had spent the time to outline all the steps to completing the video-- find some kids, figure out what I'm going to do, etc. I finally figured out that I hadn't sent the email that would put it all in motion because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to pull it off. And it sounds so ridiculous, it's just a video, and really, who cares?

I suppose it started to feel like a lot of pressure. I get a gaggle of kids lined up, and their parents have expectations, and if I tell people, my friends and students will have expectations, and what if I am not good enough to make it interesting and compelling and finish it??? I'm afraid. And that stopped me from doing the simplest things.

It became clear that if I broke it down into tiny steps, I could do those steps and it wouldn't feel scary. So, I made a list of kids currently in my classes that would be good candidates for the video, and I wrote notes to their parents asking permission to include the child. And then of course, I had to deliver them! What if they say "yes" and then it never happens, do I look like a jerk? etc, etc.... so I thought, I'll just write the notes. And then I was able to get the chutzpah to pass out a couple of them, and then a couple more...

My mind was making up all kinds of stories and reasons why the parents would say "no", why I couldn't do it, and why it wouldn't work out for me. It's almost embarrassing to be telling all of you this. I had already written out everything I needed to say to the videographer in the email, and simply did not send it. Why? Why?? So silly. So finally I just typed it up (which took a full 1.5 minutes! I'm sure he's thinking "this took you TWO weeks????") and sent it. So far, the world has not come to an end.

Now it's done and I can move forward. This was such a good lesson showing me that I just have to try. Coincidentally, if there is such a thing, I've been running across inspirational quotes about simply making an effort and trying. Reminding me that the failure is not in a lack of success, but a lack of trying to do anything meaningful. I finally convinced myself that I have to go for it. Not just in this situation, but in Life. And if it doesn't work out, so what? What am I afraid of? Seems so obvious, doesn't it?

So I encourage you to think crazy and take chances. Live a good life. I mean, why not?

Warmly,

Liz Doyle
www.LizDoyleYoga.com