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Certified Yoga Instructor and Life Coach
In
this issue: Yoga
Philosophy:
Dance With The Divine One of
the most common and compelling questions we humans ask ourselves is
“what is my purpose and why am I here?”
We want to make sense of our life and why we are experiencing the
things we do. To my fellow
seekers I share my insight that the answers come through the experiences
themselves. My study of the
ancient wisdom of Tantric philosophy reveals that all existence is a
dance of the Divine: an expression of Absolute Consciousness playing
itself out through us and around us for its own delight.
The dance is one of concealment and revelation.
As such, we are dancing with the Divine in all aspects of our
being because there is nothing but unified Consciousness. Period. No
separation, just diversity in manifestation.
Our part in the dance is applying the art of being present in the
moment, flowing with the forces around us that paint the diverse scenes
of our life picture, co-creating our world. Personally,
I really resonate with this philosophy because it is one of empowerment
and transformation, not transcendence or escapism.
It states that we find liberation in the here-and-now of life,
not in the leaving of it. It
is an optimistic and empowering philosophy because it holds that life
and embodiment is a gift to help us discover our greatness—our
ability to have an effect. It takes us through the process of
transforming and merging our limited individual consciousness into the
Universal Consciousness. By
the very nature of our existence we are invited to explore how we can
shift our perception of our identity as merely the mind-body-ego self
and see our selves as greater beings with limitless potentiality.
The
life-affirming teachings of Tantra reconnects us with our innate
goodness, power and beauty. Through
our effort and practice we can rediscover our divine identity and our
creative power to shape and mold our life experience through the
alignment of our highest intentions with our actions.
Indeed, Tantra holds that the power of creation is present within
us as a living and vibrant aspect of the Highest; it is the luminous
goddess Shri that draws us to
beauty, the power of mother nature, Shakti, whose creative power pulses out from our source in Absolute
Consciousness. It moves
through us as it brings everything our senses can perceive into
existence. The more we
refine our awareness of the forces of creativity within us the more we
become co-participants with the Supreme.
Our desire, intention and will have power in them that can be
channeled and our mindful choices are tools for constant refinement.
There is a spontaneous freedom that comes from this empowerment because
we recognize that the power comes from the inside out—our inner world harmonizing with the
outer world. Our freedom is
not dependant on external conditions, but rather, comes from our
masterful response to it. As
in honing any skill, the
more attuned we are with our core values and the power of our desires, the
more we can influence the unfolding of reality.
With grace and humility we also learn that we can not control all
forces around and within us,
yet we can master our response to them.
Dancing with the Divine is an invitation to engage life with full
presence of being, to flow with the rhythms, and seek the delight to be
had in the simple act of embodiment.
___________________________________ Applied Yoga:
The
Gift of Obstacles
A key component in making sense of who we are and what our life
purpose is can be found in recognizing that life is a school for
refinement. It is in
relationship with others that we are given the opportunity to reflect on
our interactions on all levels—what serves us and what detracts from
our personal evolution. This
runs the gamut from how we honor our body, mind and spirit, to our
relationship with family, work mates and society at large. All
these types of relationships are a background for our inner journey of
awareness and self discovery. They
give us the field of play in which we test ourselves, learning what
works and what does not. When
we approach our life with an eye towards spiritual growth all life
becomes a practice of yoga.
It takes skill in practice to make the connections of how our
choices and perceptions create our mental, physical and spiritual
health. In this light, the
power behind a yoga practice on the mat is that it is a microcosm for
strengthening our awareness in the present moment and details of our
daily life. Challenges help
us grow strong, flexible and under control while we express ourselves
with radiance and grace. We
learn to face the obstacles before us and explore the sensations in the
present moment as no more than challenges offering us learning
opportunities. The benefit
is realized as we learn to be more responsive, rather than reactive, to
what shows up. From our discipline and perseverance we gradually become
more attuned to what we feel and how we are faced with choices in the
ways we deal with what shows up.
On the mat we face our physical self, our mind, and any range of
obstacles. Personally,
I know well the challenges of stiff muscles, emotional traumas and a
heart taxed with hopes and aspirations that others seem not to share.
There have been many days in which I have had a heavy heart or
stiff body and only found solace when I faced my challenges head-on,
knowing that there was a learning to be explored within them. My
strongest tool for dealing with these heavy loads is to soften my heart
and ask for grace and guidance from any higher power willing to lend a
hand. I am constantly amazed
that when I consciously open to receive grace I am more capable to
respond with love—towards myself as well as others.
The results I desire are far more apt to materialize when I align
with the Divine and look for the connections that show up as unexpected
turns, circumstances and coincidences.
Yoga philosophy holds that the Divine conceals itself for the
mere joy of revelation. As
such, obstacles and perceived limitations become the lessons of life
that disclose our true boundless nature and the presence of luminous
Consciousness. I’ve had my
fair share of opportunities to explored the edge of strength
and endurance through life’s trials and tribulations and can honestly
say that I wasn’t given more than I could handle.
I’ve learned that when I keep an open eye for the learning
behind each situation the obstacles seems less ominous and my resolve to
find the Highest is strengthened. Things
really get vibrant and interesting when I strive to make an offering of
my experience to the Supreme Consciousness that is the very initiator of
life’s details; I become more in-tuned with the various pulses at play
and less inclined to feel powerless.
Given the choice not to be drop-kicked by life, I believe I would
choose not to be forced into a learning. However, on a more enlightened
level I know that I have made the choice to be incarnate as a human for
the very purpose of learning my specific life lessons.
The circumstances of who I am and the relationships I am in are
the very conditions for me to refine my character and connection to the
highest qualities I can cultivate within myself.
I have learned to trust in Grace as an aspect of the Divine
presence within and around me. It
is a gift of God that helps me deal with my obstacles and makes them
bearable, and ideally ultimately understood as gifts for personal
transformation. I strive to remember that I am not alone or unique in my
challenges, that what I am experiencing is the norm for humanity.
I am consoled to explore how strength, intelligence and wisdom
are my rewards for consciously taking on the challenge of refinement. It
is my hope that I can maintain my connection to my ideals so as to let
Grace reflect back out through my actions and words.
The lesson here is that through our handling of problems we are
motivated to shift and grow, to
reveal Spirit in and through us in the process.
I believe that we are meant to find empowerment through the
challenges of steering the ship of our lives through the rocks and
shoals. Empowerment comes
from steadfast practice and a commitment to optimizing our learning in
each experience. In time we
may yet cultivate the skills and spontaneous freedom that can see the
hand of Divine play within and around us.
It is designed to help us find the true teacher within, undaunted
by the challenges, capable of turning the obstacles we face to our
ultimate benefit. I believe
this is our life purpose: to learn through the living, to open our
hearts to the experience and to create vibrancy by being fully present
to every moment. At times
the learning comes hard, the load seems too much to bear.
This is the nature of being human, this is the gift, the dance,
the melody the poets recognize we all dance to. You
have not danced so badly, my dear, --
Hafiz ___________________________________ Life Coach Pearls of Wisdom: Perspective Facing life’s obstacles can be a daunting challenge when you are lost in emotion or confusion; it isn’t always easy to see what options or different strategies can be employed to make life-changing shifts. My training and experience as a Life Coach is such that I can help you tap into your ability to explore new possibilities or take action that is calling itself forth. To learn more how to nurture a healing or broaden your options through exploring perspectives visit www.TheYogaCoach.com, or call me directly to discuss setting up a free introductory coaching session. ___________________________________ Notices:
The time is drawing near for this Summer’s yoga retreats that I
am leading. Each retreat is
an opportunity to spend personal time with me and my gathering of
like-minded yogi friends. We
dance in the delight of good company, thoughtful discussion,
spirit-enlightening practices and many a fine meal.
I am offering two retreat options on my family’s
beautiful ranch in the Past participants have stated that attending the retreats have been a highlight of their summer! ·
My teaching
schedule: Sunday: 11:15 am – 12:30 pm at Olympic Athletic Club in Ballard
6:30 pm – 7: 45 pm at
Olympic Athletic Club in
Ballard *
NEW CLASS * Monday: 12:00 noon to 1:15 pm at Olympic Athletic Club in Ballard Thursday: 7:30 pm to 8:50 pm 7-week class series in my home yoga studio. (One opening available, new session starts June 3rd)
Friday:
12:00 noon to 1:15 pm at Olympic
Athletic Club
Saturday: 10 am
morning class at the
This class is open to everyone – bring your neighbors, family
and friends!
Private Yoga Instruction and/or therapy: For those who want individualized instruction and guidance I also teach private students out of my home. I also offer yoga therapy for individual physical concerns. Private classes are $40 for an hour when a commitment to ten classes is made, or $45 for a single individualized session. Also, I’m available for special group classes at your location. I personally get a lot of value out of these three bi-monthly journals; each costs only about $20 a year and is a great value and resource for the money:
Yoga +Joyful Living: http://www.himalayaninstitute.org/yogaplus/
Light of Consciousness, Journal of Spiritual Awakening: http://www.light-of-consciousness.org/
Yoga Journal: http://www.yogajournal.com/
Namaste,
Will PS. Please feel free to pass this newsletter on to your friends. A link to archived issues can be found at http://www.theyogacoach.com/.
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