Vibrant Soulful
  • HOME
  • ABOUT
  • SERVICES
    • AYURVEDIC WELLNESS COACHING
    • WELLNESS CLASSES
    • WORKPLACE WELLNESS
    • YOGA CLASSES
    • PRIVATE YOGA SESSIONS
    • YOGA TEACHER TRAINING
  • RESOURCES
    • Tip Sheets
    • Free Yoga Practices
    • Recipes
    • Vibrant Soulful Book List
    • Podcasts
  • BLOG
  • CONTACT
  • FREE DISCOVERY SESSION

Taking our Practice off our Mats and into our Relationships!

2/13/2011

0 Comments

 
My wonderful husband recently gave me a yoga card.  The front has a grumpy looking cat doing his yoga asana practice.  The inside says:

I meditate, I do yoga, I chant... and I still want to smack someone!

My husband followed by writing something personal and lovely to me about how he loves my teaching and supports my yoga endeavors.

The card got me thinking because it speaks the truth about me (and maybe about you too!).  I do yoga, I meditate and I chant and truth be told, I do feel like smacking someone sometimes!  My whole family knows that yoga keeps me happier and more pleasant and yet, sometimes, I still can be bossy and even yell (I'm being truthful here!).  Since February is the month for focusing on our loved ones, I have decided to give this some real consideration. 

Judith Lasater writes:

For me, the strength of my practice is
not necessarily tested during my practice of poses or breathing techniques, but in my intimate relationships.  Here my anger, attachments, and fears are not so easily hidden under a mantle of denial, avoidance or achievement.
Living Your Yoga


So, the real practice is to apply the principles we practice to our relationships and life off the mat.  The Anusara Universal Principles of Alignment are called Universal for a reason.  We can apply them to all aspects of life, including the asanas of relationship.

Consider the following scenario with regards to the Principles:  If it is a busy morning and I am impatient with my kids, wanting them to hurry up and get dressed and get their school gear together, and I yell at them to get moving!  In so doing, I have started with a contraction, a form of Muscle Energy applied in a forceful, unskillful way.  The kids respond grumpily and begrudgingly to my demand, but as a result of my yelling, we all end up cranky.  Now, I feel even more contracted, and the rest of the family does now as well.  

Now, I'll  replay this scenario and use the Principles:  It is a busy morning, but rather than yelling, I begin by taking a deep breath and feel my feet upon the earth.  I soften and actually look at my two beautiful children, inwardly appreciating and loving them.  This is Set your Foundation and Open to Grace. Then, I can ask for them to gather their belongings and get ready (a form of Muscle Energy) in an appropriately firm but loving way.  Helping them accomplish this in a timely way gives us all access to more expansion, Organic Energy, in the form of time and freedom to sit down and enjoy breakfast together before we each go our separate ways. 

In fact, I find that each time I allow myself to pause, soften, ground and breathe before an interaction with someone, the interaction is guaranteed to be more skillful, more pleasant, more harmonious and more efficacious for both of us.

This month, I invite you to join me in this endeavor of taking our yoga off our mat and into our relationships! To Life!  To Love!

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Annie Barrett

    Educator, certified health coach, educator and yoga instructor.

    Book a Free Consult

    Search this website

    Picture

    Get the Vibrant Soulful Weekly Newsletter.

    * indicates required

    Archives

    November 2020
    October 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    February 2019
    July 2018
    March 2018
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    May 2012
    February 2012
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    March 2010
    February 2010
    January 2010
    December 2009
    November 2009
    October 2009
    September 2009
    May 2009
    February 2009


    Categories

    All
    5 Elements
    Abhyasa
    Abundance
    Alignment
    Anjali Mudra
    August
    Bija Niyaya
    Breath
    Detox
    Discipline
    Family
    Grace
    Gratitude
    Heart
    Holidays
    Intentions
    Meditation
    Mythology
    Namaste
    New Year
    Open To Grace
    Practice
    Pulsation
    Relationships
    Sadhana
    Sattva
    Seed
    Sleep
    Spring Food
    Stillness
    Summer Solstice
    Valentine's Day
    Winter Solstice
    Yamas And Niyamas
    Yoga
    Yoga Philosophy

    RSS Feed

Picture
Picture
Picture

YOGA WITH ANNIE BARRETT LLC
​
TERMS, CONDITIONS & Disclaimer

PRIVACY POLICY
Copyright © 2020
  • HOME
  • ABOUT
  • SERVICES
    • AYURVEDIC WELLNESS COACHING
    • WELLNESS CLASSES
    • WORKPLACE WELLNESS
    • YOGA CLASSES
    • PRIVATE YOGA SESSIONS
    • YOGA TEACHER TRAINING
  • RESOURCES
    • Tip Sheets
    • Free Yoga Practices
    • Recipes
    • Vibrant Soulful Book List
    • Podcasts
  • BLOG
  • CONTACT
  • FREE DISCOVERY SESSION