28.03.15

Lately when I ask my son to do something that he finds boring, like brush his teeth or clean up the mess, he waits. He announces that he would sit and wait until it became a good idea. Most of the times, a minute later he shouts: “NOW it is a good idea, mom!” and does it, fairly joyfully. Sometimes it never becomes a good idea and then we have to think further how to get both our needs met. 
But I enjoy watching this process every time, because it blows my mind.
First of all, it shows me how important it is for us all to feel that we have the power of choice. To be able to do things when WE have decided that yes, now it is a good idea. 
Also, it is crucial to us to feel that our own, perhaps slower, pace is respected, and not to be rushed into doing things we are not ready for in the moment.
But most incredibly, I am thinking – he is only 3 and a half, and he already sees that his reality is what he makes of it. Something that he doesn’t like, by sitting with it for a minute, he gets to turn it into something that he will do gladly. What a lesson!
There is so much to learn from our children, day in and day out. My advice to every present and future parent is one - pay attention! There is lot more going on than we think...

 

29.03.15

To be the channel, you first must empty. But don’t take it personally, don’t go OUT to empty, empty upon return.

 

Dec 2015

Trying to turn your back to the ever-fluttering internal unease is only making you run around in circles. Befriend the uncertainty, and pave your way to freedom.

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Step 1: take full responsibility for all the emotional states running through you. Mature taking responsibility is Not blaming yourself

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When we have a fixed idea about what a perfect Asana should LOOK like, oftentimes we overlook what it actually FEELs like. We think that our job as teachers is to put a person into this perfect shape. But our work is first of all to listen, and to listen well, with our eyes, ears, hands and intuition, to understand the needs of each person’s body-mind structure, in order to free the flow of prana. We also need to train our brain to understand immediately which poses the students CAN do while keeping good alignment before rushing to put them into a more advanced pose. We need to be aware WHAT we are instructing and WHY. Is it to serve the student, or to make us feel good as a teacher? 
I would never recommend teachers to say “breathe into the pain”! It is my responsibility to use all the tools I have to prevent the pose from causing additional stress and tension in the nervous system, and to make the pose serve its purpose – which is to lead to heightened awareness