“Let Love be the Lord of your life.”

http://www.theworldgeography.com/2013/07/amazing-staircases.html

Click the link to see 12 incredible staircases around our world.

“Now be silent. Let the One who creates words speak. He made the door, He made the lock, and He also made the key.” –Rumi

Practicing and teaching I’ve experienced resistance  on various levels in myself and have observed it in the students I assist on a daily basis. Sometimes the resistance we face comes across quite clear as it screams at us for attention. Other times it sneaks up without a warning, dressed in disguise. Resistance. It’s always around lurking. I’ve been fascinated with the topic in that I’ve felt it on a personal level over the past six months. It seems to run in cycles often making itself known more prominently at certain times than others. What I have found is acknowledging its presence, no matter how much you wish it wasn’t there, even in the mist of feeling to simply show up takes every bit of energy you have, there is an opportunity for growth in the struggle. Afterward, when the clouds have cleared usually on the other side of it a wellspring of growth and expansion awaits.

Allowing what is to be is one of the most arduous of internal practices we face on and off the mat. Because after we have experienced our honeymoon period from attaining the “goodies” of yoga practice, some of the most extensive work is about to begin. This is the yoga. The goodies only give a small taste of the true experience. A fractional glimpse into the eye of the proverbial storm, but we have to go through the storm at some point and resistance is part of that storm.

Not all situations will be ideal. There will be days our bodies will feel stiff, and our minds will feel as if it sits within the depths of hell. In turn we may experience apathy and boredom as we are seduced by our expectations of how things should be. Of course, this is the play of the mind and the craving of the ego. There is really no need to judge when resistance crops up because it is inevitable. However, what will we put in its place? A question worth contemplating.

I know for me the practice has evolved and changed over the years. In the beginning there was an abundance of excitement and enthusiasm. Everything felt new and every challenge was something that motivated me to tread forward. I still feel this to some extent, but more and more the focus rests in the quiet unchanging part of myself. After the realization that the body is in a constant state of flux, impermanence is experienced. Change is always happening and acknowledgement of that makes the ride all the more graceful. The important thing to remember is the effort and steadfastness we put forth to practice. As we rest in this quiet space of awareness, this place is more important then any of the postural goodies we can acquire from yoga. Even in the mist of injury, apathy, boredom, fatigue, and depression, all these struggles must be faced head on and there is really no need to wish it were different, because everything in time passes.

Grace happens when we let go of the need for it to be any other way.

As a teacher it can be one of the most honest discussions I can have with a student. No, it won’t always be easy, and no it won’t always be fun, but I will tell you, it will be worth it.

“Underneath all of your desires is a truer desire—the longing for the truth, the longing to be free. This realization can be profoundly liberating because it makes all other desires irrelevant. Getting what you want no longer matters as much as truth. Whether you are comfortable or uncomfortable in the moment no longer matters because what matters is the truth. What matters is Oneness.”

via PeaceLoveYoga

If you’re an aspiring ashtanga yoga practitioner, Kino MacGregor’s website is a great place to learn.

Here’s a link to her notes from a recent Sharath Jois lecture in Mysore, India. Sharath is one of the most respected ashtanga yoga gurus alive today. He is the grandson of the great Pattabhi Jois, the Father of ashtanga. Enjoy!

Kino’s Ashtanga Notes from Sharath Jois Lecture

Thanks to @twnkletoez10 for the link 

~TR

In late April, Brian, Kate, Danielle and I started our garden.

We began with zero experience but were eager to learn.

Our goal was to grow edible plants, meet interesting people, and learn as much as possible.

There have been ups and downs, plants have yielded meals and other plants have died. Along the way, we’ve learned a lot and felt a different sort of calmness and presence in the garden that can’t be matched elsewhere.

Our garden is located in Westport, Connecticut. Check it out @ www.westportgardens.org/wordpress

The town set aside a few acres for the organization and the garden is surrounded by a heavy duty 8 foot fence so deer cannot invade. Each gardening group pays a small fee ($50 USD) in exchange for their plot (10 feet by 20 feet).

Within this space the gardeners are free to grow whatever they want. The only requirements are that everything is organic and that gardeners maintain the weeding of their plots in a timely fashion. Most gardeners opt for “raised plots,” a method where wooden frames are placed into the ground to creating a structure that helps the plants grow.

Before this experience, Brian and I had no idea that the Community Garden organization existed. Most of our friends in Westport hadn’t heard of it either. Maybe there’s a Community Garden organization in your area!

You can see our kale and spinach seedlings in one of our raised beds in the above photo.

Every week, we’ll share our progress in the hopes of connecting with aspiring gardeners, veteran gardeners, and those who have always wanted to try gardening but haven’t done so. Maybe we can inspire you to take the leap!

What have you grown this year? What have you learned about gardening and yourself in the process?

~TR

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/9018653/shaka-smart-brad-stevens-butler-vcu

With Brad Stevens being selected as the new coach of the Boston Celtics I thought about this awesome profile of Stevens and Shaka Smart from March 2013.

I love Phil Jackson’s approach to leadership called process based coaching.

Here are some great quotes from the article:

Both are committed to positivity on the sideline, and you’ll rarely see them yell at a player or a referee. They also discuss “process-based coaching” in strikingly similar fashions.

Stevens: If you’re going to talk about being more about the process than necessarily the prize, then that’s the way you react to that. It doesn’t mean you can’t show emotion, it doesn’t mean that I won’t show emotion in the future, but those are the things that are going through my mind at that time. Basically, a shot goes in or it doesn’t go in, it doesn’t change how we played. All it means is that it didn’t go in.

He’s not quite a Zen master, but he’s definitely trying. My favorite quote from our interview came when I asked if he ever actually yelled at his players. He said yes, I think, but he wrapped the reply in such a heavy gauze of coach-speak that it took time to unravel:

“I try to be positive as much as possible,” he said, “but I do think, like anything else, if we need a pick-me-up or if I feel we need some extra honing in on being engaged, then I’ll certainly raise my voice and implore our players to be as good as they can be.”