i had forgotten about that bulb i'd received at christmas.  the instructions said after planting, i should tuck away someplace cold and dark for a month - bringing it into the light after  its month long hibernation.

a blossoming, one might say.

the hands sheepishly raised.  

our minds fool us and taunt us for being stagnant.  but it is our minds that are the fools.

yoga sutra 1.8:  viparyayah mithya jnanam atad rupa pratistham

illusions formed by perception vs. reality keep us from truth.

we are all programmed to search for meaning.  we look to make sense of our world, sense of ourselves, and ultimately how it all fits together.  

prior to my life as a yogi, i looked toward institutions for guidance:  my church, my education, and my psychological profession.  and each individually, held for me an essential nugget of truth. 

ultimately, however, it was yoga that brought the three seamlessly together.

though yoga is not a religion . . . it is a spiritual quest with beliefs, universally accepted within judaism and christianity, and by buddhists, muslims, and hindus, alike.

yoga is also not therapy . . . and yet, every day, millions of people find self-fulfillment and enlightened moments not on a counselor’s couch -  but rather a yoga mat.

yoga is not a school . . . but i can think of no singular place where i’ve gained more wisdom.  in fact, to borrow a phrase:  everything i ever needed to know - I learned from yoga.

you see, yoga is literally a unification.  and while separately it is neither a religion, a psychology, nor a learning institution, it is an integration of all of the above . . . and so much more.

literally, it all begins with just a few golden rules.  we call them the yamas (how we treat others) and niyamas (how we treat ourselves).  admittedly, none of these concepts are rocket-surgery - but in practice, life changing.  in fact, our very evolution as individuals and as a society depend on our willingness to not just practice yoga - but to live our yoga, as well.

outlined succinctly in the second chapter of the yoga sutras of patanjali, our textbook, you could say - are ten simple practices.  these are a yogi’s “ten commandments” - that don’t involve twisting legs into a pretzel . . . though you can, if you want:

the yamas or do unto others:  

• ahimsa:  be kind to others.  a comprehensive, do no harm: not in words, not in thoughts, and not in actions.  and this one rule trumps all others, including the next . . . 

• satya:  tell the truth.   “. . . and the truth shall set you free”  (john 8:32)

• asteya:  take only what is yours.  remember playing in the sandbox?  same rule applies!

• brahmacharya:  be respectful and reverent.  though this can sometimes be interpreted as celibacy - and since there is no way for me to clarify with pantanjali now, i will take some liberty to explain.  brahmacharya is a higher awareness in our relationships - one that transcends the physical one.  abstinence may result, but it this is not the intention.

• aparigraha:  share.  anne frank once said, “no one has ever become poor by giving.”  in fact, it is in giving that we may also receive.
  

the niyamas or self observances:  

• sauca:  be pure.  a shower is nice.  brush your teeth too, please.  but don’t forget, purity also means being cleansed of bad habits and negative emotions.

• santosa:  practice acceptance.  contentment - not to be confused with complacency - means we learn to love ourselves with unconditional positive regard.  allowing ourselves to seek happiness not from outside of ourselves - but from within.

• tapas:  do your work.  sri pattabhi jois reminded his students, practice and all is coming.  yes, he was referring to a yoga practice.  and a meditation practice too.  doesn’t happen by osmosis:  we must do our work and let the benefits unfold in time.

• svadhyaya:  take time to reflect.  no matter what your field of work, i bet you studied.  years of schooling to become the person of knowledge and expertise you are now.  become an expert of you.  learn you.

• isvara pranidhana:  stay humble.  no matter how big you are, how wise or right you are, how powerful you become - recognize you are not the absolute.  with a sincere meekness, know and honor divinity, that is.

twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. sail away from the safe harbor. catch the trade winds in your sails. explore. dream. discover.
-- mark twain

* a ship in the harbor is safe . . . but that’s not what ships are built for * 

when the federal government shuts down - perhaps its a sign, you should too.  a snowy invitation to spend time with a person who begs for your undivided attention . . . you.

as a counselor, i’ve spent much of my time getting to know others, helping others develop their own self awareness.  because through this self knowledge comes the capacity to inspire and the ability to change. 

but how about me?  all those years as a counselor - and it wasn’t until yoga that i turned my loving attention within.  

svadhyaya - self study - is one of the chief elements of yoga.  without svadhyaya, we remain a slave to our ignorance, confusing false for the true, and a constant prisoner to our own misconceptions.    

to quote my teacher, doug keller:  to know your own self is freedom.

you ever find yourself in the same toxic relationship - different partner, but same story?  how about a job or financial situation?  perhaps it is an injury that always seems to reoccur.  the first step in breaking these destructive patterns, is awareness.  to know your own self is freedom.

on the other hand, have you yet realized the gift that makes you special?  a dream you hold sacred, a passion that burns bright within, a higher purpose for you and you alone?  to know your own self is freedom - freedom to become the person you were always meant to be.

i often encourage my students to keep a journal handy during their self practice.  peronally, i find my practice liberates so much of me i otherwise keep tucked away and hidden.  thoughts emerge, some in the form of inspiration and some in the form of just observation.  some are pleasant and some are actually not.  but in writing them down, i allow myself the opportunity to recognize first, then reflect upon them later ...

... in solitude and quiet.  some might call that meditation.  i don’t know that i’ve mastered that art, but i do spend time each day, alone in thoughtful consideration. a time i suspend all judgment with the sole purpose of listening and learning me.  

and in knowledge - comes freedom.  freedom to become the person i am divinely intended to be - and a person whose company i can enjoy in the empty moments.

become a diligent student of you.  you won't be disappointed!

personal coach, carolyn butcher is offering a course,

every second sunday called self-study 101: exploring your inner life)

for fun:  take the yoga personality quiz and find out what your yoga says about YOU!

you are so young, so much before all beginning, 
and I would like to beg you, dear sir, 
as well as I can, 
to have patience with everything unresolved in your heart 
and to try to love the questions themselves 
as if they were locked rooms 
or books written in a very foreign language. 

don't search for the answers, 
which could not be given to you now, 
because you would not be able to live them. 

and the point is, to live everything. 
live the questions now. 
perhaps then, someday far in the future, 
you will gradually, 
without even noticing it, 
live your way into the answers.

rainer maria rilke, letters to a young poet