Yoga Our Way Through the Holidays
An interesting point I read recently (and sorry I cannot remember in which publication) is that if we make our yoga routine as necessary as brushing our teeth, we will have an easier time to stick with it during these busy times, like the Christmas season. Each of us must figure out a way to do this for ourselves, even though I am sure we all have those times when even brushing our teeth is a stretch, pardon the pun!
Our task on the spiritual path is to find a vision of our own practice that can bring us mental clarity,a sense of purpose, imagination and motivation. We need to make this as attainable as possible for ourselves or else, if you are like me, it will become easy to pracrastinate. Procrastination is more apt to happen when we make our tasks too big. Start small with your daily dose of yoga and let it grow from there, as the months and years progress. Then, it becomes built into your lifestyle and has a stable and sustainable foundation.
"Pracrastination is the thief of time", said by a wise man, my grandfather, Cyril White. I remember Grandad telling me this and writing on little articles for me, for as long as I can remember back in time. It is still a constant struggle for me, not to procrastinate. Fortunately, for all of us, there are concrete, time-tested examples we can use to help each of us balance our priorities and not get lost in the holiday shuffle and our busy lives in general. When we need the help of these examples, we can refer to and use the eight limbs of Ashtanga Yoga. The full list is available on my Yoga Blog. www.asyoga.blogspot.com
Specifically related to our character and self dicipline, we can follow the yogic yamas and niyamas.Yamas are the moral principles for the yogi. The five yamas are:
Ahimsa: nonviolence
Satya: truthfulness
Asteya: nonstealing
Brahmacharya: continence
Aparigraha: noncovetousness.
Niyama is self-discipline. The five niyamas are:
Saucha: cleanliness
Samtosa: contentment
Tapas: heat; spiritual austerities
Svadhyaya: study of the sacred scriptures
Isvara pranidhana: surrender to God.
We can also follow the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
Another interesting way to live a happy and fulfilling life is to use some of the Tibetan Buddhist teachings. Yoga came to Tibet from India more than one thousand years ago and the principles became intertwined with the Buddhist teachings. For instance, ask yourself if you protected life today. Maybe you held the door for someone or bought someone, cold and living on the street, a hot coffee or tea. Or maybe you rushed along only thinking of your own tasks and stressors. Also, try practicing not taking what is not freely given, not directly or indirectly lying, abstaining from harmful sexual behavior, and not abusing any intoxicants.
Easier said then done? One way we can observe our own behaviour is by putting little notes in a journal throughout each day or week on how we act by the 5 yamas or how we don't. This will help us become more mindful of the little things we do daily. It is important we don't become judgemental of ourselves while doing this; it is a way for us to notice how we live and to be more mindful.
This technique really works well in the "Six Times a Day Book" that we create and write in ourselves. It can be a scribbler or small notepad or a journal, or whatever you find convenient. This idea is based on a teaching by Geshe Michael Roach. Geshe Roach is a fully ordained American Buddhist Monk. You can find out more about him and the book at http://www.world-view.org/aci/online/thebook.pdf.
Geshe Roach visited Toronto in the spring and spoke at Jivamukti Yoga, across from the Eaton Centre. If I hear that he is coming back soon, I will note it on my blog.
Try the book! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. Best of tidings to you all.