Mindful Entrepreneur

The other day I was at the printers picking up Teacher Training Manuals. A man pulled up beside me too closely for me to get out of the car.

He said you’re in my park.

My reply ~ sorry I was asked to park here to collect my order. I can move (thankfully I had just finished my yoga practice ?)

His door was open so I couldn’t reverse out to get out of his way to let him “unload”

Once he realised he frustrate said sorry I’m just having a bad day. My reply : that’s ok I have them too (again thankfully I’d just done a yoga practice)

I know for sure that maybe had it have been a different day or week I may have responded differently based on taking his behaviour personally. But when I practice yoga more consistently I not only experience the causes of happiness I remember that we are all human. I remember there are things that cause suffering . Also things that will make it worse.

The yoga that day was not my SUN SALUTES it was “remembering” being mindful :

To see that suffering exists , remembering their are causes to what’s arising. Daily asana, pranayama & meditation practice helps with this. We see an emotion arise earlier , the more we meditate the more we understand where it’s coming from.

Come back to strengthening the roots.

Do your daily SUN salutes

It’s not just physical exercise

For you to look pretty on the outside.

 

It’s inner gardening helping you to become wise

To recognise reactivity is someone hurting inside

 

A recognition of you’ve been there too

A clearer and more helpful point of view.

 

One of skills cultivated in Mindfulness Based Yoga is to focus on the cause of the ‘arising’ not the emotion.

 

This requires sitting long enough and patiently enough to wait for the what’s on the surface to settle.

 

Check out the root system of the tree and what’s feeding it before you give up and cut it down, through it out or set fire to it.

 

Sometimes a flower is not bright

Because the vase is empty or has murky water.

 

So we need to look deeper than what’s being presented on the surface . What are the causes of the arising?

 

This means having a closer look,

WAITING being patient before taking it personally.

 

Yoga has many petals to help you see and feel lighter & brighter. To also accept there are causes for the flip sides to those qualities too. But there’s work involved, ongoing gardening.

 

Trying to make pretty petals without understanding what nourishes them or makes them die prematurely is not wise gardening skills and what’s created will not actually help you or others much when it comes to dealing with life. (When we feel like there’s no way out, or someone’s in our way)

 

In other words you’ll do a lovely sun salute but then your pretty petals will still be ruffled by what arises outside, especially when things don’t work out ideally or as you prefer (#fantasy)

 

Through Postures (Yoga Asana) we can release past tension (and the stuck stories that go with that tension)

? Cleaning and refilling the vase. (Saucha)

 

Through Breath ( Pranayama) we can maintain our presence and attention to what’s happening NOW versus how it should have gone.

?Focus on our own backyard first

 

Through Meditation we can transform behaviour from reactivity to what we see and feel on the surface to enlightenment based on understanding the bigger picture

 

? Wise discernment ~ everyone’s backyard needs attending to and sometimes it can get out of hand, overgrown or simply dehydrated. Sometimes it’s from our own neglect and sometimes it’s just nature.

 

If someone reacts maybe they just need more water & nourishment or maybe they are trying to navigate their way through life as nature plays out , like dealing with dying , death or decay.

 

As I was standing at the counter of the printers paying for Yoga & Mindfulness Teacher Training Manuals, a lady came rushing in. Saying are you the Yoga Lady?

 

She said I am so sorry

(I watched a thought arise , well a few

Oh no she’s backed into my car)

 

She said I’ve come in to say sorry, the man who yelled at you asked could I come and say sorry again for him. He has so much going on right now . He’s really sorry.

 

I looked down to see she was wearing a cancer care shirt

 

I will leave the story there.

 

Make space for what’s arising

Know you never “know” so

Look deeply there are always greater causes

than just the emotions on the surface

For us all

 

Namaste ?

Tammy

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