Yoga Homework: Acts of Kindness

My yoga teacher invited us to join her in her weekly homework for the next few months. This week, the assignment is based on kindness.

Each day, participants are to work toward the goal of 3 acts of kindness toward others (within their own households, community, the world at large), and 3 acts of kindness toward one's self.

Yoga class counts as 1 act for each category, because the effect it has on us emanates out into the world and creates a positive, energy that affects others.

I took the challenge.

Yesterday, my acts looked like this:


Acts of Kindness Toward Other Beings:

1.) I checked on DJ, the Library Cat...

There is a local cat who lives at the church and library. It got really cold last night (down into the mid twenties), and DJ popped up in my mind. I worried about him. I often go to pet him and bring him food and toys (as do others in the community). 

I stopped by the library and asked about DJ. I was assured that he was seen today, that he is "all good," and that everyone at the library was taking good care of him.

DJ The Library Cat

2.) I fully participated in my yoga class...

This is an act of kindness to others for a number of reasons that I hadn't really considered before. For example, I am much more relaxed and at ease during and after class. My patience and ability to cope with everyday stresses are extended, allowing me to be kind in situations where I might otherwise be less tolerant.  Also, during yoga, I am engaging in symbolic poses that honor the world around me, showing kindness and respect to the wonders found all around and within us. At the end of class, we say "Namaste," which translated loosely from Sanskrit means: "The light in me bows to the light in you."

3.) I made a delicious dinner for my significant other and I...

I've been lazy about cooking lately. I love to go out to eat or grab takeout. Last night, though, I prepared a warm meal for the two of us, all at home. Fortunately, it came out delicious, and my SO, who has been very stressed out lately, told me how much joy he experienced from that meal.

Homecooked Meal that I made

Acts of Kindness Toward Myself:

1.) Listened to soothing music as I drove and while I was cooking...

Music has the power to enhance or shift our moods. I was feeling a mix of emotions and feelings yesterday. I really wanted to tap into the feelings of gratitude and trust in the Universe/God that all is well and that all will be well. I chose music that would support this and indulged in it.


2.) I fully participated in my yoga class...

I listened to my body.  When vinyasas felt like too much, I went straight to downward dog. I felt every twist massaging my organs. I engaged in deep, meditative pranayama breathing. I allowed myself to work hard and to rest. Savasana, as always, was incredibly restoring.  Yoga, for me, is the ultimate act of kindness to the self.


3.) I allowed myself kitty and tv time...

One of my favorite parts of the day is snuggling up with my two cats and watching some of my favorite shows. We often fall asleep because it's so cozy and relaxing. 



What do you think about the idea of this week's homework?  Can you think of at least one kind thing you can do for others and yourself today? Perhaps you've already done them.  Please feel free to share.


"Ask yourself: Have you been kind today? Make kindness your daily modus operandi, and change your world." - Annie Lennox


Namaste. 

What does Yoga mean to you?

What is Yoga?
What is Yoga to YOU?

Is it the physical practice of asanas and savasanas?
Do you prefer that the positions are identified in English or in Sanskrit, or both?

During your practice:
Do you enjoy chanting?
Meditating?

Is it the only time you have to yourself to "just be?"
Do you experience stress relief and mental ease during and/or after practicing?

Does Yoga feel like a spiritual practice to you?
Do you learn lessons on the mat that transform your way of thinking and being off of the mat?

Yoga is and can be whatever you need it to be in your life.

How are you living Your Yoga?

May you take a moment or two now to meditate on this and dwell on it throughout your day.  Feel your feet touching the ground. Allow your shoulders to drop and your muscles to melt. 

What does Yoga mean to You?

I'd love if you left a thought about it as a response below.

Much love.

Namaste,
Debbie aka Sulilo


Recommended Reading:

Give Yourself A Few Minutes to Rest & Rejuvenate

Whether your day is hectic and filled with work, caring for children or other relatives, or whether you are retired or can make your own schedule: We all need dedicated time to just kick back, relax, and be. Time where we are not "doing" anything.  Although Yoga is "doing," many people find that a yoga class or their own yoga home practice, with asanas and savasana, is their time - a break from giving outwardly and a time for receiving restoration and energy from the great Universe around us.

Others find that a nice walk, gardening, or watching a good DVD with a cup of tea to be, well, their cup of tea.  What ways do you take time out to nurture yourself? Perhaps you like to snuggle up with a good book, take a cat nap with your cat, lay down in savasana for an entire 30-minutes, go bird watching, or just sit in quiet meditation with or without candles, incense and soothing music.

Perhaps a hot bubble bath, a massage, or sitting on the sand at the beach watching the sun go down?

How do you nurture your soul and restore, especially after periods of intense activity or stress?

May you discover (or rediscover) ways to nurture your soul, take time out to be with yourself, and rejuvenate and feel restored.

Namaste,
Debbie aka Sulilo

Theater of the Mind, Starring: "ME"

A few things occured to me today. These things have occured to me before, but the ego is so clever that its only a matter of time before the unconsciousness sets in and there's a reminder. It happens to everyone. Here is what occurred to me:

1.) It's not about me.
2.) It's not about me.
3.) It's not about me.

There are other ways to put this: The world doesn't revolve around me...that has nothing to do with me...I'm not THAT important...you get the drift. In the theater of the mind, we are always the star.

But, today I became fully satisfied with the fact that, all at once, I was incredibly aware of how much of my own self-worth and confidence was coming from my perceptions of how I thought everyone around me perceived me.

All at once, I grew overwhelmingly wary of my own endless attempts to please people accordingly - habitually reading them and feeling the need to meet their needs, then getting resentful when it eventually exhausts me and there is no reciprocation (nor should I expect it!). 

Other people have their own stories. They have their own issues going on. I understand this, because it is true of me too. From now on, if someone is rude to me, I will bless them, but I will not be a doormat either.  I will remember that I am a child of the Universe, that whatever situation, circumstance, or interaction I am in is just a passing breeze in the Eternity of time, and that everything has its place, purpose, and is transient.  I will create a protective space around me that does not allow others' "stuff" to invade my cheerful spirit in a negative way.

I will no longer ride the emotional roller coaster of always worrying if I've upset someone even though I know I am kindhearted and wouldn't intentionally do this. I will stop apologizing for every little thing unnecessarily.

I will remember that everything is on a ebb and flow cycle, just like the tide...
Peoples' moods
Busyness verses boring times
Laughter and tears

Last night I took 30 minutes of Savasana, and it was heavenly.  Even though the monkey mind was quite relentless, I definitely felt a significant improvement in my overall mood and clarity today compared with yesterday. It was worth it, and I deserve it. And so do you.

May you remember that you are precious and whole, and that no matter how much someone else tries to rain on your parade, you are still precious and whole, worthy, and blessed.  May you remember that in order to take care of anyone else or serve in any capacity, you must first take care yourself - and it's NOT selfish.

Think of the airplane mask analogy. You must secure your mask first so you don't pass out - or else how would you then put the other mask on  your loved one?

It is your responsibility to care for your temple (body), your mind, and your Spirit as is me.  It is wise to Love yourself.  From this place, we find and live in balance. Only then can we truly give to others from a place of purity.

Namaste,
Debbie aka Sulilo

No Savasana? How about Breakfast for Dinner?

Sometimes we have to roll with the punches.  Yesterday, for example, I had the now rare opportunity to attend a daytime, weekday yoga class. One of my favorite Yoga teachers was substituting for one of my other favorite yoga teachers.  From the moment I found out that I could attend, I truly began to look forward to my teacher's usual, comforting, opening guided mindfulness meditation and chanting, the gentle asanas, and the wonderful savasana.



But, things did not go completely "as planned."  While our teacher did do a beautiful opening and some great movements for relieving tension, our class ended abruptly as the next class scheduled to use the studio - some vibrant, upbeat, and talkative belly dancers - walked in just as we were about to lay down for savasana.  In all fairness, the gym schedules the classes in a rediculous manner - our class ends at 12:30 and the belly dancing class starts at 12:30, with no cushion in-between.

This slipped the mind of our substituting teacher, and judging from the disappointed looks many of us had on our faces as we slipped out of the room, we were left feeling like something was missing. And something was: our expectation had not been fulfilled.  What we had planned in our heads and what we have come to expect simply did not come to pass, and we felt shaken.  It took some time to recoup and appreciate what we did receive from the class and get beyond what we did not get.

We are creatures of habit, and for those of us who consider our yoga practice to be our spiritual practice, it can take some adjustment to transition from the serene, peaceful world of the yoga studio and the places we travel mentally and spiritually during the sacred yoga class gathering to the reality of the world we walk into and the lives we lead when we walk out of the studio. 

Our teacher felt so badly about this mishap and explained this too us. We love her dearly and told her not to worry.  Sometimes things don't work out just as we had planned, and we have to roll with it. It's kind of like those nights when you plan on coming home and making a nice, somewhat involved dinner, only to end up working late, getting stuck in traffic, and wanting to do nothing but park yourself in front of the television to catch up on some of that guilty pleasure that you've been Tivo-ing.

On nights like these, I like to make breakfast for dinner. If life is going to feel upside down, then I'm just going to go with it.  And because I anticipated an interesting Tuesday, having had Monday off for the holiday and having extreme PMS, I planned this week's home menu with breakfast for dinner.  I knew that I could use this to go with the flow in what could otherwise be a stressful evening or one where we end up eating something really unhealthy just to have it fast and without effort.

To be fair, I did not have to stay at work late today, but nonetheless, breakfast for dinner it was.  I enjoyed chopping up the onions, peppers, mushrooms, and other goodies, knowing that a healthy meal was going to be on the table in no-time, and with no stress. 

Sometimes savasana doesn't happen. Sometimes we eat breakfast for dinner.  When we begin to accept life's mini twists and turns, we prepare ourselves for those bigger, unexpected detours. And, we can live more happily in the very present Now.


Namaste,
Debbie aka Sulilo