A 21 Day Grace Period: Day 10

The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same. - Carlos Castaneda

On Saturdays, I teach a yoga class for women. I choose a topic, we have a heartfelt discussion that's seasoned with a lot of humor, and then I choose the yoga poses that best relate to the topic. This morning I decided to have the class follow the full Mother Sequence along with me, to the best of their abilities.

I wanted to turn things around and do the sequence first and then we'd talk about their thoughts and reactions. As it often happens, I  plan a class around the needs and abilities of those who regularly attend and someone walks in who has very little, or no yoga experience. This morning there were two visitors with little experience and no prior exposure to the Mother Sequence, who came to class.

Usually, I set my plans aside when this happens, and improvise. This morning, something kept pulling me along and the only change I made, was to break the discussion part into two segments and I gave a few instructions at the beginning of the sequence. Most important were:

1. Access joy as you inhale, and find a sense of peace and calm as you exhale.
2. Do as much as you're able to and if you have to stop or are unable to do the full pose, stay aware of your breathing and just feel yourself doing the postures.

The outcome resounded: it's all a matter of Intention. I wanted the class to feel a physical sense of accomplishment in doing the entire Mother Sequence. I wanted them to experience joy and peace, even while doing something that's physically or mentally challenging or uncomfortable. They got it. No previous experience necessary, just the willingness to remain open and go with the flow.

Some of the assorted comments at the end of class were:

"I felt pulled along by the rest of the class, I would have stopped if I were doing this at home."

"I told myself that I really want to excel at this. I want to learn this sequence!"

"I felt nauseous at one point, but told myself that I could still be happy with each breath, the nausea went away and now I feel so much more in control of my body!"


"The key for me was focusing on being joyful, when I couldn't feel it, I stopped. I didn't feel as though I had to force myself through it."

It works outside a yoga class too:

 

"The trick is in what one emphasizes." Whether you're teaching a class, motivating your employees or rallying co-workers, pay attention to what you ultimately want. If it matches what others want too, everyone succeeds.

"We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy." You're not responsible for the happiness of others but you can surely help make the choice a happy one.

"The amount of work is the same." We all have a lifetime.

It was a beautiful day, bring on another one.

Photo: Jerrie Stafford

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