I Show Up. I Love. I Conquer.

I Show Up. I Love. I Conquer.  This is one of Tom Kelly’s favorite sayings in his yoga class.  It is such a powerful statement and encompasses so much meaning, but I’ll take a stab at what this means for me.

I Show Up.  Yes, we show up to a yoga class and that’s a big step all by itself, but it’s only an hour or hour and a half of the day.  For me, I Show Up means I show up to every moment of the day. I am present.  I have courage to face life, no matter what that is – sickness, health, death, work, or play.  I accept it all without judgment, worry, fear, anger, or resentment.  I Show Up.

I Love.  Yes, I love moving my body in a yoga class and sometimes the movements can be challenging, but I Love doing what I am capable of and am so grateful for my body and the ability to move.  Throughout the day, I Love means sending love to others who may be in pain, loving myself and my shortcomings, loving an illness I might be experiencing or my perfect health.  It means loving my job even when I am asked to do something I don’t like or want to do.  It means loving my surroundings and everything around me – the plants, trees, ocean, sky, family, friends, enemies – loving everything all the time.  I Love.

I Conquer.  Yes, in a yoga class, I can let go of my thoughts and concentrate on my breath. I can connect to my heart and soul and feel really good as I walk out of class.  But for me, I Conquer goes beyond the yoga mat. If I can conquer my thoughts in class, I can conquer my negative thoughts and emotions throughout the day. I can conquer doubt, worry, fear, anxiety, judgment and resentment.

Is it easy – no.  Is it possible – YES!  If I can remind myself to Show Up, Love, and Conquer.

So, are we all willing to give it a try? How will we Show Up, Love, and Conquer today?

What even more inspiration?  Follow Tom Kelly’s Blog: http://joyvibrations.wordpress.com/

Namaste

Two Ways to View the Crosses we Bear

When I am especially troubled by something that has happened or by someone that has upset me, I try to cultivate an opposite emotion. For example, when I experience anger, I think about forgiveness; when I am jealous, I think of all the things in life for which I am grateful.

We bear our crosses for years and years. These crosses take a heavy toll on our bodies and our minds. Have you ever thought for one minute that you don’t have to carry your cross? That you don’t have to worry, feel anxious or fearful of what will happen tomorrow? Did you every stop to think that you don’t have to rehash all the bad things that happened to you in your past? There is a solution to bearing your cross.

Put the cross down.

Don’t carry around the past in your mind. Don’t try to anticipate what the future will bring.

Put the cross down.

Live each moment as if it were your last. Live in the present.

Put the cross down.

It sounds so simple, but it takes practice. You have to wrestle your thoughts and focus on what is happening in this second. When you stay in the present for a moment, a few minutes, or a few hours, you experience a lighthearted joy. But you have to be consistent. You have to make an effort each and every day. So, if you want to be happy and experience peace…

Put the cross down.

I received this poem in an email today. It touched me so much, I wanted to share it with you. I don’t know the author of the poem, but I’d like to acknowledge him or her just the same.

Whatever your cross, whatever your pain,
there will always be sunshine, after the rain ….

Perhaps you may stumble, perhaps even fall,
But God’s always ready, To answer your call …

He knows every heartache, sees every tear,
A word from His lips, can calm every fear …

Your sorrows may linger, throughout the night,
But suddenly vanish, dawn’s early light …

The Savior is waiting, somewhere above,
To give you His grace, and send you His love ..

Whatever your cross, whatever your pain,
“God always sends rainbows …. after the rain … “

True Independence is Letting Go of Expectations

Are we truly independent on this Independence Day? I learned a lesson from nature this morning. I woke up early and drove to a nearby war memorial at the top of Mt. Soledad to pray for peace. The air was moist from dense early morning fog. I could barely see 20 feet in front me as I drove away from my house. I wake up early most mornings and do the same, hoping to see a glorious sunrise over the distant Cuyamaca Mountains. As I drove through the dense fog, I expected today was not going to be one of those days.

Fifty feet before the turn into Mt. Soledad National Park, the fog cleared. I was above the clouds. It felt like heaven. Below me was nothing but gray, the entire city of San Diego shrouded in gloomy fog. But the sight before my eyes was pure joy. The sun was rising in the distance. Occasionally a thin cloud would drift by, trying to obscure the sun’s rays, but the bright ball of fire burned through and showered its light onto the Earth. How absolutely spectacular. And totally unexpected.

It’s interesting how when we set up expectations, we are also setting ourselves up for disappointments. It has been close to a month that I’ve been waking up early in hopes of seeing the sun rise, and each day feeling disappointed by what San Diegans refer to as June gloom.

How many times during the day do we expect something to happen and get disappointed when it doesn’t go our way? How many times do we expect others to behave in a certain manner and get disappointed when they don’t? How can we live our lives without expectations?

In my mind, I know the answer, yet in practicality I sometimes forget. Living without expectations is living in the present moment. Not thinking about what is going to happen in the future and not fretting over what has happened in the past. Living in the now.

So on this July 4th, let us all be independent and live without expectations.