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A Perfect Beginner’s Lesson in Yoga

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November 6, 2014

“Words fail to express the total value of yoga. It has to be experienced.” ~ B.K.S. Iyenger

A ballad with eternal music and perennial flow, yoga is an art form which requires commitment to the self, for the self & through the self. Practicing yoga regularly requires dedication, inclination and aptitude. It is an experience to be lived and felt.

But yoga is never love at first sight or in this case in the first class. Just like a relationship, it needs regularity, communication, patience and loyalty. From third or fourth class, it would grow on you and after 10th class, yoga will consume you.

A committed relationship is what I would say, starts to build. However, in order to reach to the 10th class, we have to start with the first.

Here is a list of 8 asanas (body postures) for freshers to ignite the yogic passion, enjoy this beginner’s lesson in yoga ~

1) Palm tree pose:

A grounding pose, Palm tree posture or Tadasana forms the foundation for many advance postures to follow. Activating the nervous system, it helps in achieving better posture, opening the lungs and strengthening the whole body.

Palm-Tree-Pose-Tadasana2 — Palm Tree Pose or Tadasana

How to: Stand with the feet shoulder width apart and raise the arms above your head. Interlock the fingers with palms facing the ceiling. Now fix the gaze at one point, squeak the abdomen, lift the rib cage and heels up. Stay here for 5 breaths and slowly come down. Repeat 2-3 times in the beginning to prepare the body.

Contraindications: People suffering from head ache, low BP and insomnia should avoid this posture.

2) Hand to Foot pose:

Padahasthasana or standing forward bend pose, works deeply on the legs, it opens up the hamstrings, tones the abdomen, increases flow of the blood to the brain and face (inverted), stretches the spine etc. It is also repeated twice in each Surya Namaskar round.

Hand-Under-Foot-Pose- Padahasthasana — Hand Under Foot Pose or Padahasthasana

How to: A great beginner’s pose, start with bringing your feet together and arms on your side. Bring the back forward to 90 degrees, slowly try and touch the hands to the feet first (depends on your flexibility, go slow if you can’t do it initially).

Once the feet touches the ground, only then put the hands underneath the feet and go all the way down. Slowly try to bend the elbows 90 degrees outside. One can also micro bend their knees initially. This is a step-by-step process. Work on one level first and after a few days move towards the second.

Contraindications: People suffering from severe back pain, high BP, heart ailments & hernia should avoid this pose.

3) Plank pose:

Chaturanga Dandasana, is another beginner pose, essential in Ashtanga Yoga and also forms part of the sequence in Surya Namaskar. It is useful in toning the entire body including abdominal muscles and lower back, building arm strength, core strength, wrist flexibility and spinal balance.

How to: Starting with forward bend, gently take one leg back straight followed by the other. Now bring the shoulder just above the wrist. First with elbows straight, this is a high plank. Now, gently bend the elbows to 90 degrees and shoulder a little ahead to come in a low plank.

The hands should be firmly placed with fingers spread & body weight on the toes. The whole body will now be one straight line without dropping the belly. Hold for 10-30 seconds, and then lower your body all the way to the mat and rest.

Contraindications: People suffering from wrist, shoulder or elbow injuries and pregnant women should avoid this pose. If you do not have the strength to do the pose in proper alignment, practice Half Chaturanga where your knees touch the ground.

4) Downward Dog:

Adho mukha svasana is an integral posture in Sun salutations (Surya namaskars) and in Ashtanga Vinayasa. It’s named after the way dogs naturally stretch their entire body. A semi inverted pose, it strengthens the upper body, builds bone density, reduces stress, increases the flow of blood to the brain, boosts the immune system and reduces stiffness in back.

Regular practice of this pose can improve digestion, relieve back pain, and help prevent osteoporosis. It is also known to be therapeutic for sinusitis, asthma, flat feet, and for the symptoms of menopause.

downward-dog-pose-Adho-mukha-svasana — Downward dog pose or Adho mukha svasana

How to: Come in plank pose, as described above and now lift the hips up towards the ceiling. The body will make an inverted ‘V’. Bring the gaze on the navel centre and make sure the fingers are separate & pressed on the floor. This pose is all about upper body strength, so the shoulders are not to be scrunched towards the ears but relaxed.

Contraindications: People suffering from high BP, pregnant women (third trimester), shoulder, wrist & back injuries should not perform this posture.

5) Cobra pose:

Bhujangasana a back bend is a snake-shaped pose. It is useful in alleviating back pain, building arm strength, toning the upper body, reducing weight, improves blood circulation and reduces fatigue and stress.

Bhujangasana-cobra-pose — Bhujangasana or cobra pose

How to: Lie on your stomach with your toes flat on the floor and forehead resting on the ground. Bring your hands close to your body near the chest, with elbows sticking to the chest area. Spread the fingers, even out the weight, rotate the shoulders back and lift the torso up as you inhale. Remember, the elbows should bend in 90 degrees and stick to the chest. Stay here for 5 breaths, come down and relax, repeat.

Contraindications: People suffering from back, wrist & shoulder injury, pregnant women or recent abdominal operations should avoid this.

6) Warrior I:

Virabhadrasana-I, it lives up to its name. Just like a warrior has a strong, toned body, a broad chest with high lung capacity, shoulder strength and a confident personality. This posture bestows similar benefits – it strengthens the arms, shoulders, thighs and back muscles, all in one go.

Warrior Pose-I-Virabhadrasana — Warrior Pose I or Virabhadrasana I

How to: Beginning in a high lunge, bring one leg forward and bend the knee perpendicular to the floor. The bent knee should be in line with the toe and not ahead of it. The foot of the leg ahead should point straight, whereas the leg behind should be 45-60 degrees facing.

Right leg in line with the left, raise both hands above the head and make a Namaste mudra from the hands. Lastly, arch the back a little to create space in the chest & look up.

Contraindications: People suffering from high BP, heart ailments, hip, and ankle injury should avoid this pose. Also, students with neck injuries should not look up.

7) Cat pose:

Every animal has something to teach us in Yoga. Like Marjariasana, a deep back bend that incorporates the feline stretch in your yoga practice. Cat pose is responsible for making the spine flexible, strong and active. It reduces extra flesh from the abdomen and back, improves digestion, as well as blood circulation.

cat-pose-Marjariasana — Cat pose or Marjariasana

How to: Come into a table top format with hands perpendicular, underneath shoulders & in line with the legs. Also, the hip and legs should be in one line. Now, inhale deeply and look up while you create an arch in your back & raise the hips up. Hold here for 2-3 seconds. Exhale, scrunch the back looking down & bring the hip down.

Contraindications: People suffering from neck injuries should make sure that their head and torso is in one line.

8) Corpse pose:

Savasana, just like most asanas, justifies its name. It is a position of rest and relaxation, and is usually practiced towards the end of a yoga session to bring the body to a normal level. But unlike what we think it is, this is the hardest of all poses. A treasure bestowing a long range of benefits, calms the senses, reduces insomnia, blood pressure, increases concentration and great for meditation.

Savasana-Corpse-Pose — Savasana or Corpse Pose

How to: Simply lying down is not the way to do it. Lie down flat on your back, with legs and feet 3 to 4 feet apart and palms facing upward. Now bend your knees again, fill the space between floor & back, by sliding just the back a bit down.

No movement is appreciated, but in case of discomfort, one may move to get into the pose correctly. Keep your eyes closed and feel energised with each breath.

Contraindications: Pregnant women can use a pillow under their head. People suffering from back pain can bend their knees and keep a blanket under their lower back to fill the gap between the floor and their back.

Always work within your own range of limits and abilities. If you have any medical concerns, talk with your doctor before practicing yoga. Be steady and easy in a posture, yoga is not about performing it right; it is an art of acceptance.

By accepting the self, showing patience and dedication, this treasure can be utilized to harness immense power & benefits. Practice is the way to this wealth. So roll out the mat, begin today or should I say stop, drop and yoga? Find your inspiration and work towards those goals.

Yoga for Beginners | Weight Loss Yoga Workout, Full Body for Complete Beginners, 8 Minute Yoga Class

Image Source

Karmym art
Zaglar quote
Tadasana
Hand Under Foot
Chaturanga
Downward Dog
Cat Pose/Savasana

6 Signs You May be a Peaceful Warrior

Issues

Gary Z McGee

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November 6, 2014

11

“Keep me away from the wisdom which does not cry, the philosophy which does not laugh and the greatness which does not bow before children.” ~ Khalil Gibran

Peaceful warriors are honorable, courageous and compassionate human beings who make a difference by having lived and lived well.

Peaceful warriors are time-tested and pain-sharpened; having gone through hell in order to discover that heaven is within. Wisdom gained through tears.

Philosophy gained through laughter. Greatness gained through virtue. Strength gained through discipline. Peaceful warriors grab power by the throat and shake it into a state of humility, while also hugging the world in a mighty embrace of love and compassion.

They bring value to valueless systems while also adding value where it already thrives. Peaceful warriors are more than words can portray.

Nevertheless, here are six signs you may be a peaceful warrior.

1.) You speak truth to power and always question authority

“Few people are capable of expressing with equanimity opinions which differ from the prejudices of their social environment. Most people are even incapable of forming such opinions.” ~ Albert Einstein

You understand that the social environment can be an immensely suppressing thing. It can dictate more than most people imagine. And nowhere is it more dictatorial than in hierarchies of control.

As it stands, most modern day systems are hierarchies of control. In order not to become a victim of such hierarchies, you use your courage as a weapon against suppression. This courage can take on the form of bold audacity and fearless insouciance in the face of rigid rules and unbending regulations.

It can take on the form of confident questioning in the face of authority, which verges on impudence. It can take on the form of curious prying into the affairs of power, tantamount to interrogation. It can take on many forms, but it always challenges the powers-that-be to improve itself for the greater health and benefit of humankind.

As a peaceful warrior, you understand the need to persistently loosen the links that make up the chain of command. Not in order to bring it down, necessarily, but in order to strengthen the leadership withstanding, as well as to instill leadership notwithstanding.

You are not intent upon creating followers. You are fully intent upon creating leaders –top to bottom, bottom to top. And you always begin with yourself.

As a peaceful warrior you understand as Niels Bohr did that, “Every valuable human being must be a radical and a rebel, for what he must aim at is to make things better than they are.”

2.) You fight for the brothers and sisters next to you, not for the chain of command

“The greatest gift you can give someone is your own personal development. I used to say, ‘If you will take care of me I will take care of you.’ Now I say, ‘I will take care of me for you, if you will take care of you for me.’” ~ Jim Rohn

You understand that a true warrior does not fight for the chain of command, blindly following orders. A true warrior fights for the brother or sister next to him, challenging orders if need be.

In the movie Lone Survivor, starring Mark Wahlberg and portraying the courageous story of Marcus Latrell and Seal Team 10, there is a scene (see attached video) where Matthew “Axe” Axelson says, “I don’t care about the rules of engagement. I care about you, I care about you, and I care about you.”

Although his reasoning is off in this scene, his message is a powerful one: screw the chain of command. You’re my brother. I fight for you. As such, peaceful warriors keep themselves in the best possible shape –mind, body, and soul– in order to be capable of protecting and defending themselves and their fellow man when the proverbial shit hits the proverbial fan.

Lone Survivor Movie CLIP - Weighing Options (2013) - Mark Wahlberg Movie HD

Peaceful warriors are not about following so called rules of engagement. They are about proactively engaging in order to improve upon existing rules. They don’t go on the offensive because they are told to.

They go on the defensive, proactively, because they are compelled to keep their fellow brothers and sisters free. The problem with this scene in particular is a moral one, and two of the greatest problems we face in the world today: militarism, and how some people’s lives are considered more important than others.

As it turns out, the true hero of this story was not the lone surviving Seal, who was militaristic in nature, but Mohammad Gulab, an Afghan villager and a true peaceful warrior who saved the life of Marcus Latrell (more than once), despite the deadly power of the Taliban constantly surrounding his village.

He rose to the challenge with a full heart, defending what he thought was right, despite the powers-that-be.

3.) You use systems of power to your advantage and then turn the tables

“When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.” ~ Thomas Jefferson

Nowhere is it written that you cannot use things as a means to an end. And even if it were written somewhere, you would overcome it by adapting to it, rewriting it, and then using it to your own advantage. Good intention is the key.

Whether through school or through the military, you adapt and overcome with the intent of immersing into the systems of power that keep it all propped up, and with the full intent of absorbing as much knowledge as possible in order to eventually use such knowledge to change the system, fully understanding that such change will more than likely go against the existing power structure from which you originally received the knowledge.

As a peaceful warrior, you keep the horse in front of the cart through persistent discipline within particular systems of control in order to one day use the knowledge gained to improve the system for the better, this with the understanding that the system will more than likely not want to change. But you understand that it must change if people are to survive and evolve on a planet that is itself constantly changing and evolving.

Your perseverance will further instill bravery within the already courageous, while keeping the cowards in check despite themselves, and also teaching the powers-that-be a little humility. And it may even have the power to transform cowards into heroes.

Like Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said, “Perseverance is a great element of success. If you only knock long enough and loud enough at the gate, you are sure to wake up somebody.”

4.) You seek absolute vulnerability as opposed to secure invulnerability

“Only to the extent that we can expose ourselves over and over to annihilation can that which is destructible in us be found.” ~ Pema Chodron

You are adept at transforming mistakes into wisdom and fear into courage. You do so not to become a secure invulnerable tank, fearful and certain, but to revel in being an insecure vulnerable human being, courageous and uncertain within a fascinating but ultimately uncertain universe.

You understand that this means failing and failing often, but that the failure will make you stronger as long as you are consistently learning from your mistakes and adapting to and overcoming precarious environments.

Like Willa Cather said, “There are some things you learn best in calm, and some in storm.”

As a peaceful warrior, you have the ability to learn from both the calm and the storm. As a seeker of absolute vulnerability, you are not paranoid and hell bent on safety. Rather, you are a proponent of Pronoia (the positive counterpart of paranoia) and hell bent on adventure.

You understand that “safety” is usually a persistent cultural spell that must be broken by individuals who seek freedom from social control.

As such, your absolute vulnerability directly challenges and stretches comfort zones, both your own and the ones set in place to keep people suppressed and controlled, like the illusion of borders for example, or the law, or the myopic concept of nationality.

You challenge them all through your courage to be absolutely vulnerable in the face of the illusion of invulnerability.

5.) You are an advocate for nonviolence and civil disobedience

“Civil disobedience is a natural response to a world like ours; it means refusing to be a bystander to the apparent trajectory of the social order. We don’t think twice about the direct action of stopping traffic to protect a child who wandered into it unknowingly; we would practice civil disobedience any day in situations like that, never thinking of standing by or waiting for a majority vote.

The same is true in our movement. We know this system is broken, we know it doesn’t have to be this way and we know there is an alternative. So we stop traffic. The question is not whether we should use civil disobedience as part of our movement’s arsenal — but how, for what, and when.” ~ Yotam Marom

As a peaceful warrior you understand, as Noam Chomsky did, that, “States are not moral agents; people are.” As such, you are a moral agent (and sometimes even an amoral agent) on behalf of the people, and never on behalf of the state.

In a world where drones are creating more terrorists than they are killing, you understand that this makes us all terrorists by association.

But just because our governments have absolute power that has corrupted absolutely, doesn’t get us, as citizens thereby governed, off the hook for being irresponsible with our own power.

Like Howard Zinn wrote, “Civil disobedience is not our problem. Our problem is civil obedience.”

As a peaceful warrior, you understand that in order to be responsible with your own power you must be willing and able to use civil disobedience as a nonviolent tool toward ending the vicious cycle of war and violence.

Like Richard Seymour said, “The key question is neither violence nor non-violence, neither legality, nor illegality; it is disruption. Popular movements are engaged in civil disobedience whenever they recognize the society’s dependence on their co-operation, cease co-operating, and actively disrupt its smooth functioning. This moves politicians to spittle-lathered furor. It is the way in which progress is made.”

As a peaceful warrior, you are always proactively engaged in making healthy progress.

6.) You are an autonomous pioneer as opposed to an adjusted settler

“You can recognize a pioneer by the arrows in his back.” ~ Beverly Rubic

You are a forerunner, constantly breaking ground and pushing to innovate where stagnation abounds. And although you are surrounded by adjusted settlers who are hell-bent on remaining stagnant within their creature comforts and secure domains, you persevere nonetheless, knowing that the ability to adapt and overcome is as much for their benefit as it is for yours.

Your autonomy affords you a flexible liberation that those who are dependent on the system simply cannot fathom. And so it is that you are able to withstand the occasional “arrow in the back.”

Like Jonathan Swift said, “When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign: that the dunces are all in confederacy against him.”

As an autonomous pioneer, you have taken on the duty of transforming this confederacy of dunces into a league of champions. And although you are in the minority of inner-directed pioneers, you are a catalyst (a Mover) who seeks to move the majority of settlers into a state of proactive citizenry.

You know that there is a tipping point that only requires ten-percent of the population to tip over into change, and you intend on making that change a healthy one through your own proactive engagement with the world, using the full range of your arsenal, your entire Soulcraftman’s Toolkit, to challenge the people of the world into changing and adapting to healthier ways of evolving in a universe that is constantly changing and evolving.

In the end, you are a pioneer of the tipping point, a tiny creature in a gigantic universe, both with the power and the responsibility to make an enormous difference in the way that universe plays out; because you understand, as only a peaceful warrior can, that you are the universe and the universe is you.

Image sources:

Peaceful Warrior by VitiusRage
Banksy

Why Your Version of God is the Right One…for YOU

Spirituality

Nikki Sapp

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November 4, 2014

27

Why Your Version of God is the Right One…for YOU

“There are hundreds of paths up the mountain, all leading to the same place, so it doesn’t matter which path you take. The only person wasting time is the one who runs around the mountain telling everyone that her or his path is wrong.” ~ Hindu Proverb

Everything is God. God is all there is. Just let that sink in for a second. There is no other material or fabric to make anything in this universe out of other than the fabric of God. Every person, every leaf on a tree, every planet, it’s all God.

Nothing can exist independently of God since it would be impossible for something to exist that is not made from the only material there is to make anything out of. It has been said that God created us in his image and likeness.

So if we are made from the very fabric that God itself is made of and if we have the power to create just like God does, then technically we can choose to create our version of how we see and experience God. Not only this, but we must know that our perception and image of our God may not be the exact same as the next person’s and that’s ok.

There is no “right” way or “wrong” way to experience God. Even if a person chooses to exist in a reality where God does not exist, such as an atheist, this is not wrong either. They are just choosing to experience God in a “non-God” way.

Another person may choose to experience God in a way that their God punishes them for sinning and blesses them for resisting temptation, this is also not wrong. Another person may choose to call God “the universe” and experience God in a more metaphysical way as more of a frequency and not a “person” per se.

Again, this is neither wrong nor is it right. It simply is just one way to experience and perceive the “all that is”. Since there are over 7 billion people living on the planet, there is 7 billion different ways to experience God.

And even though there are groups of people that may experience or see their God in a similar fashion, no one person will experience God in the EXACT same way as the next person, because God is a completely personal experience. The problem arises when we see that our way to see God is the ONLY way.

Many people believe that their version of God is the absolute and ultimate true God and that they do not have a choice in how to experience God. So they waste precious time judging others or calling out other people because their beliefs may be different from theirs.

In actuality the ultimate “truth” is that there is no “ultimate truth” while at the same time everything that exists is its own ultimate truth. There is one thing that causes us suffering in this world, and that is the illusion that we are not made from God.

The illusion that God itself is a separate entity outside us that we must prove ourselves to, or we must seek and find him, when in actuality it is right there inside every single one of us.

“We are here to awaken from the illusion of our separateness.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

“The ultimate reality is that there is no separate self. If you believe that God is outside of yourself, then you are not embracing the absolute law, but an inferior teaching.” ~ Buddha

“The kingdom of heaven is within.” ~ Jesus

It doesn’t really matter which spiritual teacher we choose, but almost all say the same thing. God is within us. God is not separate from us. This isn’t something that we just can know and that’s it, but it is a level of consciousness that we must reach.

This is why so many of us can intellectually know this, but we still seem to get caught up in the trivialities of everyday life. We still get angry when someone cuts us off on the road, we still worry about getting our bills paid on time, and we still get slightly perturbed when someone tries to push their version of God on to us.

If we TRULY were existing at the level of consciousness that we KNEW we were God, things like traffic jams and bills and hearing other people’s views on religion probably wouldn’t have the power to upset us in the slightest way.

We would be able to see ourselves in all of it and realize that our perception of everything is creating our reality in 3d, but that our perception of things is not everyone’s perception of things.

However, the closer we get to seeing that oneness with all is the ultimate truth, the fewer things like this have power to take away our inner peace. We stop judging things as good and bad, but just see that everything just is… and that all is perfect.

Oneness allows for everyone and everything, while our illusion of separateness tells us that we are not yet perfect, or happy, or peaceful and that we must struggle and try to become what we believe we are not.

But that’s all ok, it’s all part of the fun of getting to experience God in our own way, and to navigate through life coming back to who we already are at our core.

Unlearning everything we thought we “knew” about who or what we are and breaking down old paradigms and beliefs down to the point where we can see that any belief system that has us believing that there is an unequivocal right and wrong way to perceive God is simply not possible. Not when God is all there is.

Create your God however you wish. You may call your God “Allah”, or maybe you call him “Jesus” or maybe you call your God “Steve”, the name doesn’t really matter. But just as sure as you are that your version of God is the best one, so does the next person think the same thing. And technically, you are both right.

God always manifests itself in the absolute perfect way for each individual person. So know that your way is perfect for you…. But also, so is mine perfect for me.

Image Source

Illusion
Nebula
Stardust

Embracing Vulnerability to Evolve

Life

Garima Roy

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November 4, 2014

3

Human beings are inherently vulnerable. However, in changing times being vulnerable is often seen as a sign of weakness. You choose to keep your thoughts and feelings to yourself because above everything else, you don’t want to come across as a weak individual.

Putting yourself out there involves a risk of getting criticized, misunderstood, labeled or fear of rejection and failing. But if you step back and observe your own life, you will realise that nothing is more disheartening than not having the courage to show up and let your authentic self be seen.

It’s about being honest with how you feel, about your fears, your strengths and weaknesses. But most of us are not comfortable with that kind of vulnerability. The moment you feel disappointment, sadness, fear or powerlessness, you instantly try to change the situation by distracting yourself and avoid facing the situation. Little do you know that deep down in those unpleasant feelings is where true happiness lies.

“Vulnerability is the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, courage, empathy, and creativity. It is the source of hope, empathy, accountability, and authenticity. If we want greater clarity in our purpose or deeper and more meaningful spiritual lives, vulnerability is the path.” ~ Brene Brown

If you look around in nature, you see life in its purest form – sunrise, sunset, flowing streams, trees, birds, clouds, mountains, sea, etc. Does that make any of it less beautiful or weak?

It appears even more serene and tranquil because its existence is pure and simple. You were born simple but the never-ending conditioning puts a massive roadblock and you drift away from being simple and beautiful.

Each time you escape from being vulnerable, you let go of an opportunity to learn more about yourself and others at the same time. If you cultivate fear of feeling pain and suffering, you also lose our ability to feel joy and happiness.

Allow yourself to feel vulnerable

1) It will help you in expanding your mind and heart

It is true that embracing this feeling of vulnerability can cause pain, anxiety, fear, anger, and all sorts of confusing emotions but in the end it will help in expanding your mind and stretching your comfort zones.

Once you know how to deal with your own complex painful emotions, you become more aware of your true self and emerge more happier and calmer. Like when you first drive through a new road, everything feels different and strange. But regular drives through that same road, teaches you everything about it from the rough potholes to the smooth parts.

“What happens when people open their hearts?”…
“They get better.” ~ Murakami

2) It will teach you compassion

Compassion means full immersion in the condition of being human.” ~ Henri J.M Nouwen

Whenever you feel vulnerable, you seek support of fellow beings around you. You understand the worth of connectedness, open-heartedness and compassion. Compassion is the universal language of every living being. The depth of our compassion is directly proportional to our ability to feel hurt and rejection. So you can’t practice compassion with other people if you can’t treat yourself kindly.

3) Being yourself

A lot goes in hiding your true self and feeling. You are constantly judging your emotions, words and actions. At times, you even find yourself stuck in a loop with no direction. Instead of hiding behind a mask, you say whatever you want to say and do whatever you want to do, you will be more in sync with your life and your authentic self. Life won’t feel like a daily monotonous task but a gift of transparent happiness.

4) You will learn and grow

Our vulnerable self teaches us the most. Without vulnerability, there is no scope of art and creativity. All the painters, writers, poets and people on their creative journey, allow themselves to feel vulnerable and are open to life from all directions. So, allow yourself to undergo vulnerability to emerge like a shining sun through the clouds.

5) A deeper sense of purpose

When you express your true self, you experience true connection and you begin to attract people who are inspired by your openness. When you choose to ignore or conceal your true self, you start looking for happiness in material things and illusions when the most infinite source of joy lies within you. Feel vulnerable to find a deeper sense of purpose in life.

The power of vulnerability | Brené Brown | TED

I have met people who tell me that they hide their true nature and are forced to be pretentious because others take advantage of their vulnerable self. They will try to make you feel as if you are unusual or mentally/emotionally unstable. But that is their perception.

Artificial flowers look pretty but they don’t feel or smell as beautiful as the real ones. Embrace vulnerability, it is the birthplace of joy, creativity, and love.

“Vulnerability is the only authentic state. Being vulnerable means being open, for wounding, but also for pleasure. Being open to the wounds of life means also being open to the bounty and beauty. Don’t mask or deny your vulnerability: it is your greatest asset. Be vulnerable: quake and shake in your boots with it. The new goodness that is coming to you, in the form of people, situations, and things can only come to you when you are vulnerable, that is open.” ~ Stephen Russell

References and Image Source

Vulnerability Talk
Truth about Vulnerable
Vulnerable

5 Signs You are Complicating Your Life

Nikki Sapp

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October 30, 2014

11

“There is a beauty and clarity that comes from simplicity, that we sometimes do not appreciate in our thirst for intricate solutions.” ~ Dallin H. Oaks

Life is complicated. Relationships are complicated. Friendships are complicated. Life choices are complicated. Or are they? Is it possible that our excessive need to complicate life is just merely giving us something to do?

In our utter and complete fear of being bored are we perhaps overcomplicating every single thing in our life for the mere fact that it just gives us something to think about incessantly, or to complain about to our friends, or to distract ourselves from ourselves?

Could it be that our fragile little ego’s claim they want happiness, and inner peace, and simplicity from life situations but deep down are deathly afraid of this because in order to have true happiness and simple joy and uncomplicated relationships with others would mean the death of a majority of the jibber-jabber mind chatter that our ego spews out all day long?

Without over-thinking, worrying, complaining, and complicating everything to the point that we overanalyze every single situation the ego would lose 90% of its hold on us.

Our true self thrives in simplicity, in fact it is simplicity. It knows that anything outside of simplicity is merely our ego or false self begging for our attention.

As long as it has our attention we won’t pay attention to what is real and true… which is that we don’t need to spend so much time thinking about how we can go about achieving happiness. We already are happiness. We don’t need to spend all our time trying to get love from another person, we already are love.

As long as the ego can overcomplicate every situation to the point that we don’t see that all is well and perfect, it has already won. But the reality of the situation is, it doesn’t have to be this way.

As Confucius said, “Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.”

Here are five ways you may be making your life more complicated than it needs to be:

1) You live in your head too much

Our minds are constantly trying to make sense of everything. They are going over every single “what if?”, “why did they do that?”, “what does this all mean?” so much so that they forget that all of life is happening in the present moment.

Literally only this present moment exists. So mulling over past conversations, or stressing about future events literally just drives us mad. We spend hours playing out scenarios in our head that have never happened and may or may not ever happen. We overthink everything that we are completely disconnected from what is real and the beauty of experiencing the present moment when it actually happens… in the present moment.

2) You want to make everyone happy all the time

Trying to please everyone might work every once in a while, but most of the time it will be an impossible feat. In order to please one person, it is inevitable that you will upset another person to some extent.

There will be times when everyone in your life is going to have their own opinion on how you should live yours, so trying to satisfy them all would be undoable. How about you just do what makes you happy?

Yes some people will have something to say, or may be disappointed, but this is your life right? Once people in your life catch on that you have made yourself your first priority, they will be less inclined to ask you to go out of your way just to please them.

Also, they won’t be so shocked when you tell them “no” instead of desperately trying to prevent them from being upset by just doing exactly what they tell you to.

3) You believe your perception of life is the absolute truth

Here’s a secret: Your perception does not equal truth, it only means just that… YOUR perception. So the cashier at the store isn’t necessarily a rude witch, just because you perceived her that way. Did it occur to you that maybe she is dealing with a problem in her personal life? And the girl/guy you went on a date with isn’t necessarily an insensitive jerk.

Maybe they’ve had a really difficult childhood and they don’t know how to open up to people very easily. Regardless of the situation, we must realize that there are always two sides to every coin.

When we stop convincing ourselves and others that we know exactly what is going on in other people’s heads and why they act the way they do, we stop wasting so much time judging, complaining and criticizing others.

We simply see things and people as they are, without imposing our own little story on them which may or may not be anywhere near the actual truth.

4) You don’t trust that there is a higher intelligence at work

Whether you call it the universe, or God, or Source, or the all that is, there is a force that is working behind the scenes in every single aspect of our lives. There is never a moment that we are separate from its presence because in all actuality we come from it, meaning we ARE it, just a tiny little slice of it.

Our feeble little minds can’t comprehend this, so because of that we try to make our own plans and agendas on how things in our life will go. News flash: things rarely go the way we thought they would, right?

This is because the higher intelligence knows what’s best for us, even though we are convinced we know. The higher intelligence sees a bigger picture, it knows the reason your car wouldn’t start today was because there was going to be huge collision on the highway right when you would have been driving on it.

Accept and surrender to whatever it brings to you or brings you to. It is always giving you exactly what you need in any given moment, your only assignment is to: TRUST

5) You’re not honest with yourself

This is a big one and actually a lot harder than it seems mainly because so many of us hide ourselves from ourselves so much that we don’t even know what the truth is anymore. Believe it or not a lot of people are comfortable in their misery. They have become so accustomed to it that the mere thought of not having something to be miserable about sounds like the scariest thing ever. So they fool themselves.

They rationalize, justify, and make excuses of why they still need to work at the job that they feel sucks the soul out of them, or they need to continue to cling on to an addiction of whatever the object of their desire is.

As long as they can evade actually being honest with themselves, which 9 times out of 10 is that they are afraid, they can stay comfortably unhappy. This for some reason sounds better than simply admitting that whoever or whatever or wherever is never going to bring them any closer to the happiness they claim they want.

Life really doesn’t need to be hard. In fact, when we start to simplify it we realize that the simple life is where true joy and happiness actually lives. We take things and people at face value. We trust the process of life and don’t overanalyze everyone and everything. So, if you do anything, do this… keep it simple.

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Beauty
Featured image – Bostan Korkulugu

Fractal Enlightenment

Here is a list of 8 asanas (body postures) for freshers to ignite the yogic passion, enjoy this beginner’s lesson in yoga ~

1) Palm tree pose:

2) Hand to Foot pose:

3) Plank pose:

4) Downward Dog:

5) Cobra pose:

6) Warrior I:

7) Cat pose:

8) Corpse pose:

Nevertheless, here are six signs you may be a peaceful warrior.

1.) You speak truth to power and always question authority

2.) You fight for the brothers and sisters next to you, not for the chain of command

3.) You use systems of power to your advantage and then turn the tables

4.) You seek absolute vulnerability as opposed to secure invulnerability

5.) You are an advocate for nonviolence and civil disobedience

6.) You are an autonomous pioneer as opposed to an adjusted settler

Allow yourself to feel vulnerable

1) It will help you in expanding your mind and heart

2) It will teach you compassion

3) Being yourself

4) You will learn and grow

5) A deeper sense of purpose

Here are five ways you may be making your life more complicated than it needs to be:

1) You live in your head too much

2) You want to make everyone happy all the time

3) You believe your perception of life is the absolute truth

4) You don’t trust that there is a higher intelligence at work

5) You’re not honest with yourself

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