The Climate of the Mat

by Tony Chase

I like the sweat
I like the old frayed towel I use to wipe it off
I like the salt stains on my gym bag, as if I've been to the sea
I like the candles guttering against a window light of rain, blue sky, dusk or snow
I like the whole studio which is at times like being in an off white bulb, aglow
I like the sound of bare feet on the wooden floor
I like the matter-of-fact slap of the mats unfurling
I like the very odd slurping noise of water being sucked from plastic bottles, as if we all regress to the weird womb of yoga
I like the way the whole room settles, as everyone's brain waves slow
I like the cold December body growing warm
I like letting go of fears, of thoughts, of anticipations or regrets
I like the far-off music of ancient India in my nearby ears
I like the precise instructions: "Lunge the left foot back..."
I like the rare new openings: the way hips stack
I like it when the antique body bends into some new anti-gravitational form
I like the way blood rushes into the brain
I like the thirty other bodies, during winter storms
I like the panting and the gasping, followed by the peaces
I like it during meditation, and when the meditation ends
I like the way grownups gab like children in the hall
I even like their families, who I've never met at all
I like walking to the bike when yoga's over
I like the slow ride home to the fields and geese
I like my battered desk
I like the sensation of liking

It is hard to find a margin or a limit or a seam
Between the yoga practice and the thoughts about it
I like the way the winter hills look like a dream
I like it all, and then some...

Verge Yoga student Tony Chase is s a nature and adventure writer for Conde Nast Traveler he's visited five continents and the Arctic Ocean and his work has been translated into several foreign languages.

Happy Holidays... Okay, so Be Here Now!

During my first few years as a yoga teacher, I focused much of my time and energy on preparing themes and finding quotes to deliver in class. I have stacks of books and journals in my office filled with highlighted text, comments written in red, and ideas for future themes. I understand that all that work was necessary to bring me to the point where I am now. As I continue my personal journey inward, my studies and my teachings have been narrowed down to this simple message … Be Here Now.

Be Here Now is the title of a 1971 book on spirituality by Ram Dass. It was a revolutionary book bringing eastern studies and practices to American soil. Its title, now a coined phrase, has been repeated by spiritual teachers throughout the world.

Be here now. Show up fully. Pay attention to what you are doing. While growing up, we heard it from our parents and teachers. As adults, we are reminded of the importance of paying attention on our busy roads, at our fast-paced computers and on our yoga mats.

Woody Allen said, “80% of success is showing up”. Just show up! It is so simple yet so challenging with a list of things to-do a mile long and a calendar that is busting at the seams. Why can’t I drive to work, text my friend, look at my GPS and listen to the news at the same time. Why not?

The answer is painfully simple. Overdoing and over thinking creates stress in the mind and body. Paying attention and focusing on the moment as it arises, cultivates peace.

So over these next few days and into New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, start with the small (yet huge) reminder to “Be Here Now”. You can write the phrase on several sticky notes and put them on your steering wheel and on your computer screen. Over the next few months, in this blog, on our yoga mats and meditation cushions, in our cars and at our jobs, we will explore tools and techniques that will help us cultivate this simple message.

Creating Space – Part 2

In order to create space in our lives, we need to learn to manage our clutter. Most of us have cluttered minds, bodies, homes and offices. Living with clutter, I believe, blocks our potential. According to Wikipedia, clutter is: a confusing or disorderly state of collection. We collect and store physical and emotional “stuff” and it weighs us down and holds us back.

I continue my thoughts on creating space from my last blog by looking at clutter.

Our physical space can be cluttered, i.e. office, home, car. Our physical being can be cluttered, i.e. toxic, imbalanced, stressed and/or tense. Our mental state can be cluttered, i.e. busy, frantic, distracted and our emotional state can be cluttered, i.e. nervous, worried, doubtful, fearful. There are, undoubtedly, many more parameters where can clutter set in. For this blog, we’ll stick with just four of the many: physical space, physical body, mental body, emotional body.

We have all experienced how clearing space in one area of our lives immediately affects us in another. I feel calmer and more relaxed when my home and office are clean. I feel mentally clearer after a vigorous yoga practice that has cleansed my body. I feel more emotionally accepting of myself after a meditation practice that stabilized my mind.

Clearing clutter and creating space is about throwing stuff away (mentally, physically and emotionally). Try taking baby steps for they will lead us to the big leaps.

Feeling crowded mentally? How about drinking a big glass of water to cleanse the body. Feeling disorganized at work? How about a ten-minute breathing meditation to clear and organize the mind. Feeling physically cluttered? How about cleaning up your car or desk?

I would like to call this Creating Space Therapy. It is simple, easy to do and best of all it’s free!

For more info on “de-stuffing” your life, check out the 100-Thing Challenge http://www.guynameddave.com/100-thing-challenge.html

Excitement or Happiness?

Many people think of excitement as happiness. But when you are excited you are not peaceful. True happiness is based on peace. ~ The Art of Power by Thich Nhat Hanh

Reading this passage a few days ago literally took my breath away. How many times per week do I mistake excitement for happiness? I would answer hundreds of times.

Our society craves excitement because we mistake it for happiness. We are excitement seekers searching for a thrill to quench our thirst. We thrive on experiencing the fast roller coaster, the thrill of purchasing a new car, the last minute of a championship game. Those moments are fleeting. The excitement wears off, the hangover begins and we find ourselves searching for the next big thrill. In the process, we exhaust ourselves both emotionally and physically.

“When you are excited you are not peaceful. True happiness is based on peace.” “True happiness”, says TNH, “cannot be purchased, it must be cultivated.”
This master teaches us how to cultivate happiness. It begins with conscious breathing and focus on the moment at hand. In other words, “be here now!” It continues with conscious movement such as yoga or walking meditation. Our peacefulness is then strengthened through seated meditation practice.

No rollercoaster, no last second touchdown, no Porsche will ever “make” us happy. Think about this. Notice if you too confuse excitement with happiness. I believe that observation will help us break free from the delusional search for excitement. I would love to hear your comments.

In peace.