Our intention this busy month of December is “I feel balanced and aware.” And the Niyama is Svadhyaya.  *Reminder*: Svadhyaya is translated as self - study, to know ourselves, it is our awareness of the Divine inside each of us.  Your calendar may be filling up, your food and beverage intake may be filling you up more right now as well!  You may be asking, how can I fit in self study, yoga, meditation, I have no time.  It is now more important to stay on our path of self awareness, self care and self study so we meet each task, social gathering and commitment with a sense of balance and awareness, fully present.

 

Let’s start with using our yoga and mediation practice as it is intended - “a practice” - which I believe has 2 meanings. First, like a sport or a trade, the more we practice the better we get.  If we want to be a great skier we need to try again and again and again and with time and “practice” we get better and better.  Same is true with yoga and meditation.  Second, all our time in yoga poses and meditation is “practice” for real life.  We get to practice being balanced, aware, centered and committed to name a few “practices” for life.  

 

So we can use Svadhyaya on the mat to ask ourselves a few questions:

Are there any particular poses that I avoid when I come to the mat or cushion?

Am I easily distracted in yoga or meditation? Or am I turning my practice into another distraction?

Am I on autopilot and if so what can I do to get more present?

Do I feel myself more connected to the Divine inside of me when I am practicing?

Am I overindulging in the poses or classes, feeling like “more is better”?

 

Now let’s ask ourselves these same questions in relation to our lives?

Are there any particular parts of myself or my life that I am avoiding?

Am I easily distracted during the day? Or what am I using as a distraction in my life - food, drink, too many gatherings, shopping, obsessive thinking?

Am I on autopilot during the day and if so what can I do to get more present?

What am I doing on a daily basis to feel more connected to the Divine inside?

Am I overindulging in the distractions I listed above? Too much food, drinks, shopping, “noise”?

 

Remember yoga is not a work out, it is a work in.  Rolf Gates said “the point of spiritual practice is to make us teachable, to open our hearts and focus our awareness so that we can know what we already know, and be who we already are.”  Stay on course this month, I promise a little self study and spiritual practices will carry us through this season in an open, balanced and aware way!!!

 

One quick, last plug for yoga and meditation these next few weeks - when we do small acts of self care it carries over into other areas of our lives.  Stay committed, stay healthy and I promise you will make better choices at the stores, bars and buffet tables.  And this circles around because the better you feel physically by not over burdening your body with unhealthy choices the more balanced and energized you will be.  “Tis the Season - enjoy it fully, even if you get bumped off your path just come right back.

Sat Naam