You Can Go Om Again

Practicing yoga regularly isn't always easy. Life can get in the way. Fear not. We can help you get your groove back.

By Jennifer Barrett(Taken from Yoga Journal)

When I was expecting our first daughter, and then our second, what I'd
always loved about yoga proved true. As long as I kept doing it,
everything ran smoothly. My pile of pregnancy books warned of sciatica,
lower back pain, and varicose veins, but I escaped these
difficulties—thanks, I believed, to my time on the mat. A Pigeon Pose
each morning, a few Cat/Cows before bed, a weekly class at my favorite studio, and my pregnancies hummed along.

Two years ago, when I became pregnant a third time, I again planned formy asanas to get me through with nary a stretch mark. But this time,things were different. Hip pain made it nearly impossible to move fromone position to another. Standing hurt; so did sitting and lying down.

I still made it to class each week, but as the baby grew, the pressure she exerted increased to the point where I couldn't do many of the poses, no matter how gentle they were. Finally, with several more months to go, I couldn't practice at all. I spent my Tuesday evenings with a physical therapist instead of a yoga teacher. Facing a third C-section and the subsequent recuperation period, I wondered if I'd ever make it back to the practice I loved.

Such setbacks are common. A difficult pregnancy, as in my case, oran injury or illness or emotional upset can take the steam out of aonce-joyful practice. There are times, too, when life just gets in theway. With children to raise, aging parents to care for, and jobs andchores to do, committing to yoga isn't always easy. But even those ofus with lapses of months or even years can make a successful return tothe mat. By taking time to examine the reasons you stopped and yourmotivations for returning, you can ensure that this time around, yourpractice will prove fluid and flexible enough to remain a permanent part of your life.

The Obstacle Course
Stephanie Rose Bird can remember a time when yoga fit seamlessly into her schedule. A serious dancer in her New Jersey high school with a keen interest in movement, she'd quickly taken to the practice when a teacher introduced it one day in class. "This woman was already an
elder, and she did so many incredible things with her body that we teenagers couldn't do," Bird recalls. "I did yoga regularly with her, and after leaving high school, those breathing techniques stuck with me for years."

Her enthusiasm remained strong during and after college, as shepursued a master's degree in art and started a family. But as she tookon more responsibilities, finding time for yoga proved increasinglydifficult. Eventually, as a published author who managed to writebetween teaching art classes, painting, and caring for her fourchildren, she rarely practiced at all. "With all of thoseresponsibilities, I had to pull in my energy and focus on what I needed to do each day," she says.

Bird's experience represents a major hurdle that's faced by many practitioners who lose interest in yoga amid the demands of an already full schedule. "Yoga is often something we really want to get back to," says registered yoga therapist Barbara Harding, director of the Cambridge Yoga School in London. "But when faced with the responsibilities of an extremely demanding job, for instance, or a new baby, we just can't find the space for it."

But plenty of busy people still find time for yoga. For those who can't, emotional issues often underlie their reluctance or inability to return to class. "The beauty of yoga is the freedom it offers you," Bird says. "But I seldom felt free enough, or gave myself permission, to take this kind of adventure with everything else I had to do." Setting aside precious time for yoga can sometimes seem selfish, especially for caregivers, since that's time away from others in need.

Disenchantment, apathy, and ambivalence can be further stumbling blocks. Many onetime yogis find that they're notpining for their former practice, having left yoga on an unsure, oreven sour, note. "I've had friends say they tried yoga and didn't like it because it was too vigorous, like running or gymnastics," says Sarah Swersey, a Kripalu-certified instructor in Northampton, Massachusetts,who is currently studying Anusara Yoga. "Others tried a class and saidthey were falling asleep. Even within each yoga tradition, there are so many different styles of teaching based on each teacher's experience."While there probably is a yoga discipline out there for everyone, asSwersey believes, finding it can take time. In the process, some simplylose their motivation to keep trying.

In addition to teacher-student mismatches, personal conflicts such as body issues, self-doubt, and egocentric concerns can stall a practice, too, leaving a residue of negativity that dampens any desire to return. Joe Bilman, a business owner in the San Francisco Bay Area, has started and stopped his yoga practice five times during the past 20 years. "I first took classes as a young man, just out of high school. I pushed myself, doing show-off poses," he recalls. "Then one day, while in a backbend, I heard my lower back pop. I was sore for weeks." He returned to yoga and kept going back every few years. But each time, the competitive attitude he brought with him led to the same negative result. "I pushed beyond my limits," he admits. "My ego kept writing
checks my body couldn't cash." As Bilman discovered, if your practice stalls because of an internal conflict, it will most likely remain stalled until you can uncover those deep-seated issues that continue to impede your progress.

The Comeback

Like Bird, you may have abandoned an otherwise fulfilling practice due to life circumstances, or perhaps you found your own particular mental constructs too hard to get past, as Bilman did. But no matter what your reasons, it's possible to make a permanent return. The journey back
begins with identifying the factors that caused the break then setting attainable goals that can get things back on track and get you back on the mat, step-by-step.

TAKE STOCK.

Identify and address your reasons for having left yoga, so those same issues won't thwart your attempts to return. Bilman, for one, says he wouldn't be the regular practitioner he is today without the benefit of self-examination. "I finally realized that my mind had to let go of the
reins," he says. "Yoga is about learning to be content with what already exists and leaning up against your limits, rather than being a cop banging down the door." This understanding not only helped him stick with yoga but informed other areas of his life too—"other types
of exercise, the way I throw dinner parties, the way I do business, everything," he says. Similarly, Bird came to see that the responsibilities that crowded out her yoga practice were the best reasons for resuming it, which she eventually did. "Doing yoga is a gift for my family," she says, "since I'll live longer and be more agile."

ADJUST THE BAR
If a major life change precipitated the end to your yoga routine, you may have to make significant adjustments. "I once had a woman call me, wanting a private lesson," recalls Baxter Bell, a physician in Oakland, California, who divides his time between teaching yoga and practicing medicine. "She'd had an advanced yoga practice, and then she gave it up
entirely when she developed multiple sclerosis." Bell suggested she practice the standing poses lying on her back, with her feet at the baseboard of a wall. "Suddenly, she had a way back into the practice," he says. For people with illness and chronic injury, modifications can facilitate the transition back to the mat.

SET GOALS.

Once you’ve explored your history, you can begin to specify your present intentions, whether this means greeting each morning with a Sun Salutation or attending a weekly studio class. Try not to be overly ambitious. Keep your goals modest, realistic, and achievable. “If you
tell yourself you have to do yoga for an hour a day, you may fail,” Harding says. “Even 10 minutes done consistently in the morning will make a huge difference long-term.”

Add a time frame to your goals once you’ve identified them. Commit to a series of classes that lasts a certain number of weeks, or try todo a set number of poses by a specific date.

FIND YOUR COMMUNITY
Discovering a place to call home can bring joy and longevity to your practice as well as increase your chances of sticking with it. This includes finding a teacher, a style, and even a community of yoga friends that will support your return to the mat.

To start with, actively search for a different teacher or yogatradition if the class you were attending fails to inspire you. Seek agentler style if you found yoga too vigorous, and a more active classif you found it too gentle. Also allow for the fact that yourabilities, goals, and interests may have changed since the last timeyou practiced regularly.

The experience of Valeria Lombardi underscores the extent to which a yoga community can influence your practice. A textile and landscape designer, Lombardi practiced faithfully for five years with a teacher in Berkeley, California, until a difficult divorce drew her attention
elsewhere. By the time she was ready to return, her favorite teacher was unavailable. She tried others but couldn’t make a similar connection. Her practice would have stalled if a friend hadn’t
introduced her to a new teacher, one trained by her initial instructor.

ACCEPT SUPPORT

Make good use of your personal network by accepting any encouragement that friends and family offer. Julie Havens, a high school French teacher in central Connecticut, temporarily abandoned yoga when she committed to attending foster-parenting classes. Once she got out of
the habit of going to yoga, it was hard to get back, even after foster-care training was over. “I would think of it at 2 in the afternoon, and then forget about it until 6, when it was too late.” But
with prodding from her husband and stepmother, she rekindled her practice. “Their interest in me keeps me going,” Havens says.

Just as the domino effect of multiple conspiring factors can plunder a practice, it can help build it up again. Once you get yourself going to class each week, Harding says, suddenly you may find you have five minutes or so to stretch every morning. You may even meet others in
class who will help motivate your efforts, or find you want to try a weekend retreat. Yoga then becomes an effortless and natural part of nearly every day.

As for me, I did make my way back to yoga, and faster than I hadhoped. With my hip pain gone after the arrival of my daughterGenevieve, I took a friend up on her suggestion of visiting a new

studio in town—and trying a new style of yoga. Whereas I’d always resisted the idea of practicing in heated rooms, I grew to love it. The heat loosened my muscles, giving me confidence in the face of the challenges that arose from my long hiatus.

I now turn to yoga on a regular basis, valuing it more and more asmy husband and I adapt to the exponential increase in laundry, diapers,and general chaos that came with our new addition. I’ll admit I don’talways make it to class. Often I have to snatch asana time when I can,

doing poses here and there in quiet pockets of the day. But I’ve learned that no matter what injuries, responsibilities, or internal sabotage conspires to draw me away from yoga, I always return. The door is always open. No obstacle is insurmountable, especially when I draw
such health and happiness from yoga’s gifts.

Jennifer Barrett, a YJ contributing editor and freelance writer, lives in suburban Connecticut.

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Cycle Of Life

Life should be full of cherish moments, rather than dullness. And it all depends on how your reaction to the life event that matter. If you are not mindful enough or not aware of your surrounding, then things will just flow away without your notice and a cherish moment turn up to be meaningless to you or you have no feeling at all when facing it.

If you notice the movement of the sky clouds, that means you are mindful enough. If you notice the fallen of the leaves, then you are mindful enough.
If you are enjoying your life moment very well, then you definitely are mindful in your life !

The great thing about life is that you can enjoy the process and experience it truely and learned from it. The knowledge/lesson learned through life is the most precious knowledge you never get anywhere.

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Let The Life Reveal With Its Own Flow

I shall ride the wave of life without any resistance,
To let it brings me to the end of time.
I shall choose to let go of some of the desires,
To purify my heart out of any fire.
I shall see beyond the eternity,
To realize the world is not just what I see.
I shall forget the past but look forward,
To let go of bittersweet memories.
I shall flow with the rhythm of life,
To learn letting go of any desire.

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The Practice of Surrender

Ishvara pranidhana is not about what your yoga can do for you, but

about approaching your practice in the spirit of offering.

By Shiva Rea (from yogajournal.com)

When I was an Ashtanga student in Mysore, I loved walking the several blocks to Pattabhi Jois's yoga shala
(school) for 4:30 a.m. practice. In the quiet darkness before dawn, the
side streets would be dotted with the neighborhood's sari-clad women
kneeling upon the earth in front of their homes drawing rangoli, intricate sacred diagrams (also known as yantras)
made by sifting rice flour between the fingers. Sometimes simple,
sometimes elaborate, these offerings to Lakshmi, the goddess of good
fortune and prosperity, were always vibrant-and destined to be erased
as soon as the streets filled with traffic. I was inspired by the
women's dedication, creativity, and lack of attachment to their
beautiful creations. As I became friends with some of the neighborhood women and they taught me a few simple rangoli, I learned that theseofferings are not merely duty or decoration, but creative meditations that invoke a connection to the Divine on behalf of everyone. As one
mother told me with a smile and an expansive wave of her hand, "These offerings remind me of the big picture, which helps me take care of the small things with love."

These morning offerings, like so many everyday rituals in India, embody the yoga practice of Ishvara pranidhana surrendering (pranidhana) to a higher source (Ishvara). Ishvara pranidhana is a "big picture" yoga practice: It initiates a sacred shift of perspective that helps us to remember, align with, and receive the grace of being alive.

Yet to many modern Westerners the idea of surrender as a virtue may seem strange. Many of us have only experienced surrendering to a higher source as a last resort, when we've confronted seemingly insurmountable problems or in some other way hit the edge of our individual will and
abilities. But in the Yoga Sutra, Patanjali transforms "surrender" from this sort of last-resort, emergency response into an essential ongoing practice. Patanjali repeatedly highlights Ishvara pranidhana as one of the five niyamas, or inner practices, of the ashta-anga (eight-limbed) path (Chapter II, verse 32) and, along with discipline (tapas) and self-study (svadhyaya), as part of kriya yoga, the threefold yoga of action (II.1).

For Patanjali, Ishvara pranidhana is a potent method for dissolving the endless agitations of the mind, and thus a means to the ultimate unified state of yoga: samadhi.
Why? Because Ishvara pranidhana shifts our perspective from the obsession with "I" with our narrow individual concerns and perspective that causes so much of the mind's distraction and creates a sense of separation from our Source. Since Ishvara pranidhana focuses not on ego but on the sacred ground of being, it reunites us with our true Self. As Indian yoga master B. K. S. Iyengar states in his Light on the Yoga Sutras (Thorsons, 1993), "Through surrender the aspirant's ego is effaced, and . . . grace . . . pours down upon him like a torrential rain." Like the
descent through layers of tension to rest in the release of Savasana (Corpse Pose),
Ishvara pranidhana provides a pathway through the obstacles of our ego toward our divine nature grace, peace, unconditional love, clarity, and freedom.

The Face of God

To practice Ishvara pranidhana, we must first start with our own intimate connection to the universe. In yoga, this is referred to as your Ishta-Devata. The yogic concept of Ishta-Devata recognizes that we each have our own, personal relationship with and taste of the Divine and that this serves as a powerful means of yoga (unification) for us. Traditionally, many sadhus
(monks) in India have revered the god Shiva in his role as the archetypal yogi. Many other Indians revere Vishnu, especially in his incarnations as Rama or Krishna. Still others are drawn to female manifestations of divinity, like Lakshmi or Kali or Durga. But Sri T. Krishnamacharya, probably the most influential figure in the spread of yoga to the West, advocated that Western yoga practitioners use their own language, imagery, and names of the sacred to deepen their
connection to Ishvara.

I have always been naturally drawn to Indian culture, but I'm sure I was also influenced by my Catholic grandmother's devotion to Mother Mary. When I was a child, I often found my grandma rapt in prayer, saying her rosary while lying on her bed under a picture of the blessed
Mother. Your Ishta-Devata can also take a more abstract form; my father, an artist, describes light as his way of seeing the Divine in nature, in people's eyes, in art. In yoga, Ishvara is understood as being beyond one form yet expressed through all forms, and thus is
often represented as the sacred syllable Om, as pure vibration. Your Ishta-Devata is the form that vibration takes within your own heart.

In the Yoga Sutra, Patanjali refers to this inner presence of Ishvara as our foremost teacher (I.26). Through intimate listening to this voice within us, we begin to have a relationship with inner guidance in all aspects of our life. When I think of my most important teachers, including my parents, I see that they were there not just for the big lessons but also in a thousand small ways, constantly showing me when I was on target or beginning to wander off the path, opening my being to new vistas and reminding me when I was closing myself to life. My experience of my inner teacher is similar: As my attunement to this inner sense of direction grows, it increasingly guides my thoughts, speech, and actions.

The Spirit of Offering
If Ishvara is the inner compass, pranidhana is remembering to stay connected to that essence not just occasionally but throughout the day. Ishvara pranidhana is also translated as "offering the fruits of one's actions to the Divine." As we consider how to make Ishvara pranidhana a
living part of our yoga, it's useful to look to India, where the act of offering pervades the culture. I found living there, even with all its challenges, really helped me understand how Ishvara pranidhana can be integrated into daily life. Throughout India, images of the Divine are
everywhere, and people of all ages are continuously making offerings of fruit, incense, and gestures, from Anjali Mudra (hands together at the heart) to full-body prostrations. At the local fruit stall, the merchant offers the money of his first sale at the altar on his cart;
your rickshaw driver touches the feet of an image of Krishna before zooming off; a neighborhood mother places the first spoonful of the meal before her kitchen shrine. As Ashtanga Vinyasa master Sri K. Pattabhi Jois enters the yoga room, his forehead always shows the
markings of his tilak, the sign that he has made his morning puja (offering). All these practices cultivate an underlying connection with the Source; "Me, me, me" starts to move into the background, and spiritual life moves more front and center.

The Way to Begin
For Americans, who seldom grow up with such a constant ritual life, establishing Ishvara pranidhana may require some extra attention and internal listening, much like the process of learning to take long, slow, and constant breaths in asana. Like breathing more deeply,
Ishvara pranidhana shouldn't feel strange or uncomfortable. The practice isn't really foreign to anyone, although it may feel a bit unfamiliar to Westerners. Anybody, regardless of spiritual orientation, can practice Ishvara pranidhana, and any action can be enhanced by this
practice. There is no inner state, emotion, or obstacle that is beyond the positive influence of Ishvara pranidhana. Remember, whether you are a natural bhakti (devotional) yogi or a complete skeptic, whether you are undertaking a simple act like cooking a meal or a challenging task like a difficult conversation, whether your state of mind is Joyous or confused, the whole mandala of life is the realm of Ishvara pranidhana.

Because the scope of Ishvara pranidhana is so vast, Western yoga practitioners often welcome a few practical guidelines to help them get started. Here are some arenas in which I've found Ishvara pranidhana to be especially useful: at the beginning of any action, as a way of shifting your perspective when faced with difficulty, and as a method for experiencing fully the simple acts of life. The yoga mat or meditation cushion is a wonderful "safe space," a "closed course," on
which you can test drive Ishvara pranidhana. As with any action in the world, the way you begin your practice can make a huge difference in how your yoga flows. Inner listening, setting your intention, chanting, and visualization are all formal ways of initiating Ishvara pranidhana.
I often begin my practice stretched out on my belly in full prostration, visualizing the lotus feet of the Goddess, my Ishta-Devata, in front of me. I breathe and empty the residue of the day and find that I am soon filled with an intuitive sense of direction, inspiration, and clarity that I experience as an inner compass, a teacher whose presence deepens throughout the practice.
Suryanamaskar (Sun Salutation) can also be a method of Ishvara pranidhana; in its origins, it was a moving prayer in which every breath offered the yogi's energy back to the sun.

As you practice asana, you can start treating challenging yoga posesas microcosms of life's difficulties, and thus great opportunities topractice the art of offering. In my own practice, I am becoming more and more able to recognize tension as a signal; holding and gripping are signs that my connection with Ishvara pranidhana is lessening. As Ioffer my tension back to the Source, emptying and surrendering again, Ivery often experience a boost of strength or a deepening of my breathand flexibility. Even more importantly, I experience a shift from my small, crowded inner world to a big picture of being alive. Then, as with the Mysore women's rice-flour offerings, the grace from theprocess remains even when the pose has dissolved.Because Ishvara pranidhana connects every action to its sacred source, Krishnamacharya is said to have described it as the most important yoga practice for the Kali Yuga we live in, an "Iron Age" in
which all humanity has fallen away from grace. Just as the Buddhist commitment to bringing awareness to every action is called mindfulness practice, Ishvara pranidhana could be called "heartfulness" practice; it awakens our constant devotion to the Source of life and keeps our
hearts open to the Divine in every moment, no matter what arises.

Shiva Rea lives in Malibu, California. She can be reached at www.yogadventures.com.

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Some Inspiring Quotes

"If you can walk you can dance, if you can talk you can sing"
-- Zimbabwean Proverb

"When we are dreaming alone it is only a dream. When we are dreaming with others, it is the beginning of reality."
-- Dom Helder Camara

"Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other one thing."
-- Abraham Lincoln

"The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today."
-- Franklin D. Roosevelt

"It's never too late to be what you might have been."
-- George Eliot

"No one can cheat you out of ultimate success but yourself."
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"More men fail through lack of purpose than lack of talent."
-- Billy Sunday

Way Back To Love Lyrics - One of My Favourite

[Cora]
I've been living with a shadow overhead
I've been sleeping with a cloud above my bed
I've been lonely for so long
Trapped in the past, I just can't seem to move on

[Alex]
I've been hiding all my hopes and dreams away
Just in case I ever need them again someday
I've been setting aside time
To clear a little space in the corners of my mind

[Cora & Alex]
All I wanna do is find a way back into love
I can't make it through without a way back into love
Oh oh oh

[Cora]
I've been watching but the stars refuse to shine
I've been searching but I just don't see the signs
I know that it's out there
There's gotta be something for my soul somewhere

[Alex]
[Way Back into Love lyrics on http://www.metrolyrics.com]

I've been looking for someone to shed some light
Not somebody just to get me through the night
I could use some direction
And I'm open to your suggestions

[Cora & Alex]
All I wanna do is find a way back into love
I can't make it through without a way back into love
And if I open my heart again
I guess I'm hoping you'll be there for me in the end

[Cora]
There are moments when I don't know if it's real
Or if anybody feels the way I feel
I need inspiration
Not just another negotiation

[Cora & Alex]
All I wanna do is find a way back into love
I can't make it through without a way back into love
And if I open my heart to you
I'm hoping you'll show me what to do
And if you help me to start again
You know that I'll be there for you in the end

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Freeing Up The Soul, Can You See It ?

I still remember there was once right after yoga class session 2 years back, when I was laying on the mat in Savasana pose, I feel something. I feel there were some kind of energy emitted from each individual laying down, raising up to the roof of the room.  Could this just an illusion ? The energy raised up from each body laying down, and slowly move up. Could this be the soul in each one's heart ? It was so special and I never forget this experience and It is so alive each time when I recalled it back.

Each soul raising up and seems heading to the same direction above all. It was a bliss to be able to have such a special experience which really change my life after that.

Namaste !

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