With new glasses everything is more clear

My daughter wants to know why I haven't been blogging. What can I say? When the inspiration is there the time isn't. When the time is there, the inspiration isn't. Here I am with time, hoping for the inspiration.


I feel inspired to share a few things I learned. Actually, a few things that I remembered this week-end.

* No matter how tired and cranky I am spending time at Yoga on Main always makes me happy.
* The parking authority makes me cranky -- even after a day immersed in yoga.
* Boiling water is HOT and should be handled with caution.
* Some days my brain hurts from thinking too much.
* Nothing quiets my mind better than mantra.

I had the great joy of spending most of the week-end in class as part of the advanced yoga teacher training program. The topic was Mantra meditation. We learned about the energetic effects of mantra and we spend time chanting and meditating. It was awesome. I slept so good all week-end even with the 2nd degree burn on my hand.

But I have this nagging question rattling around in my head...."Is enlightenment possible while living as a householder?" As my teacher prepares for his annual pilgrimage to India I can't help but feel a bit of envy. I daydream about immersing myself in spiritual practices while I'm washing the dishes or folding the laundry. As I sweep the floors my mind wanders off and I imagine myself visiting all the beautiful temples from my teacher's photos.

The daydream is interrupted by "Mom, can you take me to the mall?" "Mom, I'm hungry. What's for dinner?" "Mom, I need you to fill out my FASA application". Suddenly I'm thrown back into reality. The imaginary spiritual pilgrimage will have to wait....I'm too busy. Here are a few more things I remembered:

* It’s better to do your own duty than to try to do someone else's. Right now, my duty is as a householder.
* Every moment can be a spiritual practice if I set the intention of making it one.
* I cannot control my external circumstances but I can control how they affect me and how I respond.
* Whatever I look for is exactly what I'll find. Now, I need to start looking for opportunities to practice
   the real yoga in my daily life rather than looking for excuses for not practicing.
* Every breath is an opportunity to remember the mantra.
* Every interaction with another is an opportunity to practice seeing God in everyone.
* Every day is an opportunity to love and serve.

So for now, I will consider myself on a spiritual pilgrimage every time I roll out my yoga mat or sit on my meditation cushion.  I will remind myself that yoga is a way of life.  It's about how I choose to live each moment to the fullest.  When I'm fully present in each moment -- that's yoga.

Oh... one last thing I'd like to share. Last night someone shared this saying “A wise man even takes instruction from a fool.” What that says to me is that instead of endlessly searching for a "real" guru, I need to remember to see every challenge I face as my guru. It is the challenges that teach me the most.

I'm thinking about this passage I read once about how a seed must break open before it can grow.
The next time you feel "broken" think about the little seed that breaks willingly knowing that something beautiful will come from the experience.

I hope that I have inspired you to perhaps shift your perspective to see each moment of your day as an opportunity to be in a state of yoga.....

Hari Om!