Category: yoga meditation breathing stress reduction relaxing

Pencil Post 3: Erasing

by yogabike, posted in yoga meditation breathing stress reduction relaxing

 

Making Mistakes

The pencil always allows us to use an eraser to rub out any mistakes.

erasing

We hate to admit it to ourselves, but we are not perfect.  We all make mistakes along the way.  Making mistakes is ok and is one of the qualities that makes us human. It gives us an opportunity to learn and grow.  When you practice don’t focus on your mistakes.  Mistakes happen.  Perhaps mistakes are the best way we all learn.  Focus on the learning that is happening and the growth that comes from it.

 

Use your own internal eraser on your journey.  Rub out your mistakes, take a do over, and learn from them.

 

Pencil Post 2: Sharpening

by yogabike, posted in goal, yoga meditation breathing stress reduction relaxing

Sharpening the Pencil

Now and then, we have to stop writing and use a sharpener. Sharpening makes the pencil suffer a little, but afterwards, it’s much sharper and better for writing. 

 

honing

Over time, tools become dull.   Honing or sharpening is used to restore tools to their proper working condition.   Honing creates a more suitable edge needed for proper use.  Sharpening brings a point to the pencil allowing us to more clearly express our thoughts.

 

The same goes for our practice.  A little suffering – those little pains or sensations that come from holding a pose perhaps a bit longer than normal and noticing our muscles complaining, helps us become sharper, and refocuses our practice.  A tough yoga practice brings up sensations.  Those sensations help us go past the limits that our mind sets for us.

 

Honing or sharpening improves the tool making it much easier to work with.  A sharpened pencil enhances the writing experience.  A little challenge in your yoga practice makes you an improved yogi. Use your practice to hone yourself to a sharper version of yourself!

 

Is your yoga like a pencil?

by yogabike, posted in yoga meditation breathing stress reduction relaxing

In the next series of blogs we will explore why your yoga practice is very much like a pencil.   Can a pencil really inspire us?  Discover five qualities of a pencil than can change your view of this simple writing instrument.  Write Read on! *

 

paper-and-a-pencil-1467185202BWe

(*This series is inspired by Paulo Coelho and his story The story of the pencil)

First Quality:  

You are capable of great things.  There is a hand guiding your steps. 

A pencil can do nothing until a hand picks it up, holds it, and writes with it.  The pencil is a tool and the hand uses the tool to do great things.  Yoga also is a tool that you can use to do great things for your body, for your mind, and for your spirit.

 

Having a guiding hand to help you is important on your journey.   It is still the best way to start a new practice.  So in the beginning of your journey,  finding a teacher to help guide you can be very important.  Be it that hands-on adjustment, a little verbal instruction, or exploring yoga at a  deeper level, finding a teacher is useful in helping guide you on your path of greatness.

 

But, at the same time, always remember – you are always your own best teacher.  Make sure you honor your own limits and find your own path to your journey.   Listen to your own inner voice.

 

 

Poem: Yoga Nature — Crow On The Wire

by yogabike, posted in inspiration, yoga meditation breathing stress reduction relaxing

I do yoga in the autumn woods. 
Nature is my teacher. 
The sky is my Om. 
The soil of the ground, my mat
that I lengthen in an upward dog.

The tree is my pose
that stables my imbalance. 
The black slate is my plank
when I feel weak and unsure. 
The leaves crackle under my feet
as I reverse my warrior.

I skim the stones of mindfulness 
across the shallow creek
of glistening waters. 
I breathe in the scent of pine and maple
with Ujjayi breath. 
I stretch and unwind
under an emerald-blue waterfall
to loosen the tightness
of my grip.

via Poem: Yoga Nature — Crow On The Wire