Not all of us will be crusaders, but we all have dreams. What’s yours? Not just the version you feel comfortable sharing, but that secret aspiration lurking in the deepest corner of your heart. The big, enormous terrifying one that if realized will fulfill you beyond your wildest imaginings.
Can you look in the mirror right now, yes, right now, and say to your reflection: I’m living to my highest potential. I’m true to my heart. I’m living my dreams. If not, two things may be holding you back.
One: You haven’t reflected enough to unearth your deepest desire. Desires are intertwined with our gifts and talents. When we bury them and dismiss them as too lofty, we aren’t sharing our unique contribution to the world. Why not shoot for the stars?
Two: If you’ve identified your dreams and still aren’t pursuing them, samskaras or old patterns and habits could be suppressing your progress. Literally, the prefix sam means well planned, well thought out, and kara means “the action under-taken.” Thus, “samskara” translates to, “the impression of, the impact of, the action we perform with full awareness of its goals.”
During our lifetime, each time we act, we create subtle impressions or imprints in our mind and body—think of them as habits. The more frequent the action, the more ingrained the habit. The longer we’ve had the habit, the tougher it is to change because these patterns get imbedded in our souls.
One of the private samskaras many of us have is fear of failure. This fear can choke our dreams, kill our aspirations, and leave us unfulfilled. Recognition of your samskaras and efforts to disengage from them creates shifts and ultimately forward progress. Practice yoga and meditation, cultivate more compassion toward yourself and release fear. What’s the worst that could happen?
Remind yourself, we are all unique individuals and together, we comprise a community. Our willingness to shine our brightest contributes to the world. When we are fulfilling our destinies, working toward our own greatest good, it lifts the vibration globally.
All of our new classes this week address following your dreams, digging deep and releasing the bonds preventing you from soaring to the moon! Try one and shine on.
1. Mark Morford - Yoga Alchemy: The Fear
This question comes up a lot these days: In periods of deep dismay and anxiety, of dread existential, sociopolitical and/or personal, how can we use our yoga to successfully transmute these low, acidic energies into useful action, into something a bit more healing and constructive? And where, exactly, does this fiery transformation take place? What are the tools? This much we know: Such transformations do not happen merely in the mind, by merely thinking (or wishing) events to be different. What’s more, yoga teaches us not to race through or forcibly redefine uncomfortable or painful situations – or grip the positive ones too tightly - let we miss their true power and teachings. Here’s a fiery, nicely demanding class focusing on the Muladhara chakra, on essential grounding poses (goddess, warriors, malasanas galore) and balanced breathing to help relocate and strengthen your core stability and sense of innate calm when all feels poisonous and manic and OMGWTF.
2. Kristen Boyle - A Dream, A Voice
This all-levels class takes inspiration from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s famous speech, "I Have a Dream". Dr. King had a dream, and through his dream he found his voice. Since that time, many voices are raising up exclaiming their own dreams. What yoga teaches us is, to become quiet - to listen. And when we do, we hear that all voices and all dreams are crying out for essentially the same thing: shelter, nourishment, warmth. And once those basic needs are taken care of, the cry is for the freedom to live life with joy.
3. Kristin Gibowicz - Flow for Unity, Not Uniformity
Join Kristin for this fun, full-body power yoga class leading to open hamstrings, hips and shoulders. Kristin will challenge you with a balancing flow and intelligently move you into a final peak posture, eight limb staff pose. Come to be challenged physically and inspired to bring the intention of unity, not uniformity. This shift has to begin with you!
Also read: Unity, Not Uniformity by Kristen Gibowicz
4. Shy Sayar - Therapeutic Yoga for Stress, Anxiety and Insomnia
Join Yoga Therapist Shy Sayar for a delicious sequence of practices for body, breath and mind with the aim of relaxing, restoring and rejuvenating - a wonderful counterbalance to daily stress and anxiety, and an antidote to sleeplessness that will help you get some ZZZs through the night!