Yoga = Life

It's not your job to like me... that's my job. ~ Will Blunderfield

The picture above was the first sunset of this year at the inlet near my house. The quote I found today. Both bring me a smile, joy and peace... very much like yoga. I'm writing to practice for the many assignments that will be due in February for the completion of my certification in Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy.... or maybe to procrastinate on the one I should be writing ;) Actually I just needed to write something other than a report right now and clear my head a bit.

The reason for the title is all of this. Yoga truly is life and life truly is yoga. What I've found on the mat transfers to life and what I find in life transfers to the mat. Yoga is union. Not in the way of uniting with something or causing two things to unite, but, as Michael Stone puts it, "the recognition, in the present moment, of the unification of life."

One of the ways I see yoga within life is through edges. In life I find edges and get to choose how to be with them. I could avoid them, get upset about them, push through them or play with them to find out what they may hold. The idea of my comfort zone, in yoga and life, is that when I step to the edge of it and see it as play, I find ways to grow and expand, maybe new ways of being and often liberation of some kind... perhaps from limiting beliefs.

Bringing this all to the present moment, with the assignment that I have due on Wednesday, another "surprise" assignment and all the rest that is to be done this week, I am watching my thoughts and choosing how to play the edge of "can I do it?" From here I get to see that I can. I already know this and once it's all done I will have expanded my notion of my abilities. This happens on the mat when there is a posture that holds the same edge. With both, there's not really a "problem" which is how the mind will sometimes look at edges, but more an opportunity. It's not the end of the world if I don't get it all done or if I don't achieve a posture, only another layer of edge ;)

Core assets... yoga... 'nough said :)