SHOW UP

I learned a valuable lesson seven years ago.  I signed up for a yoga teacher training course in hopes of building a stronger spiritual practice and maybe teaching at some point.  Right after our first meeting, my mother passed away.  It was a life-altering experience, just  a year and a half after the birth of  my son.  Needless to say, I thought that the best thing for me to do would be to discontinue the class because I knew I had no inclination to complete the assignments.

    When I spoke with my teacher Krishna Kaur Khalsa, she smiled sweetly and told me that I will not drop out.  I was appalled.  I wanted to feel sympathy and, dare I say, pity.  With  a great deal of attitude I  told her I could not promise that I would complete any of the assignments. Krishna told me, “Just show up.”

I was aware enough in my journey to understand that my extreme circumstances would warrant extreme measures of coping, so I submitted to her suggestion.   For the first couple of sessions,  all I did was sit on my mat in the back of the class.  At that time in my life, my spiritual reservoir was empty.  There was very little I felt I could contribute, but I showed up.

Meeting after meeting I showed up.  The 40 day Sadhana exercise was a killer but I showed up at 4:00am for that too.  The cold shower, the hour and a half to two hour asana and meditation were uncomfortable but welcome distractions from the pain and loss I was feeling.  The moments that brought joy to me were when my then three year-old son would start singing the mantras to me or sitting with me in meditation.  He was watching me and he was with me on that journey.

Showing up culminated in my passing the written exam. I had no idea how I knew most of the information.  Showing up set a new standard in my life for consistency and discipline that surpassed anything that I had practiced up to that point.  Showing up revealed to me that the intention is what it most important. Effort is great, but there are times when a transformation can take place effortlessly once one relaxes and submits to God.

  

    From time to time I have students who are overwhelmed and frustrated because of internal and external challenges.  For those who truly have a desire to change and grow, I encourage them to continue to show up and do what they can.  Most of the time it works.  It usually does not only when they continue to resist and struggle with situations out of their control.

In my life, I feel a sense of peace when I know that as long as I keep showing up to be the best version of myself, what is for me will present itself.

 

SAY NO TO DISTRACTIONS, SAY YES TO YOUR MISSION

   By Niki Billingslea

     According to Yogi Bhajan, one of the seven steps to happiness is commitment.  Commitment is simply making a promise to yourself to follow through.  The level of commitment is dependent upon the level of focus and personal connection.  The commitment I made was to writing, and not just writing because I have done that nearly my entire life; my commitment has been to finish the book projects I start and see them through to publication.

    It has been a deep and profound commitment because for so long I have avoided commitment on so many levels in my life.  Commitment to completing projects has meant that I had to assess how I use my time.  When I examined my schedule and daily habits, I discovered I spent a great deal of my time doing things that others wanted me to do and acting upon the whims of others.  I had to stop accepting the spontaneous invitations to hang out.  I had to value my time over others.  At first, it seemed a selfish way to be, but when I read about and observe the practices of successful people, I realize that it is a necessity.

    I read “The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People” by Stephen Covey. Habit three is to put first things first.  In doing so, it is necessary to say no to the requests of others as it impedes upon valuable time.  There were projects I had to pass on and proposed opportunities that I had to deny.  There was a time I would have feelings of resentment toward individuals or groups for using my time ineffectively.  For some reason I expected others to use my time better than I could use it for myself.  I reassessed the time and energy I would put into community organizations, realizing that I could do a much greater good by completing my projects and bringing expertise to them.  Leaders are good workers, but laboring is not the best use of a leader’s ability.  Writing and completing projects is the actualization of my leadership qualities.

    Instead of feeling resentment towards others for not using my talents optimally, I have an appreciation for the ability others recognize in me.  I graciously decline to participate in meetings and activities that do not facilitate the completion of my projects.  That is not to say that old habits are not hard to break.  From time to time I find myself mired in a situation that is clearly not aligned with my goals.  When I come face to face with such an error, I quickly correct myself.  Sometimes it’s uncomfortable to tell someone I have to back out of a project, but it feels better to admit my mistake than follow through with it and feel resentment and anger at myself for allowing it to happen.

    A friend recently invited me into a money-making venture and I had to graciously and kindly decline.  I did not feel bad about it because I have a purpose and clearly defined objectives.  I am not good at keeping and creating deadlines, but I have not stopped writing.  I am committed to my success.  I have stopped feeling guilty about saying no to the dreams of others.  I can be supportive, but I cannot sacrifice my own or else there will be nothing left for me.  I say yes to me.

The Seven Steps to Happiness:

• commitment
• character
• dignity
• divinity
• grace
• sacrifice
• happiness