Outside affecting the Inside

I just finished reading an article in Discover magazine entitled, “Are we still evolving?” I love to read about evolution and how organisms change. If you asked me if we are still evolving, I would say, “Of course we are!” I was surprised to read that there are certain scientists who think evolution has halted. It appears that recent studies of human genomes reveal that not only are we still evolving but we are evolving at an accelerated rate.

It appears that the accelerated rate may be due to the increasing size of the population among other factors that largely deal with the environment we are living in. My brother is an evolutionary biologist and studies how DNA changes due to environmental factors. He uses insects within his work and says that DNA is DNA. If DNA changes in insects due to environmental factors then it changes in human DNA. I have learned from him that the same exact species will develop differently when it lives in different environments. The outside environment affects the inside.

This makes me think about our environment — our homes, places where we work and the company we keep. How all of this is affecting the way we are evolving and changing inside. It really makes you stop and reflect on your environment. Are there things that I need to change in my environment? How can I create an environment that promotes healing and love to all those that are in it or may enter it?

Runner's World

About a year ago a writer from Runner’s World magazine contacted me about a workshop I was leading entitled, “The Balanced Runner”. Over the past year I have had several writers from Runners World come down for workshops. They discovered the deeper essence of what yoga can do for runners.

This past summer I went up to Runners World headquarters and lead a workshop to several staff members on Movement Principles for Runners. Most of those in attendance had been practicing yoga yet not with the awareness of the movement principles. Just before Christmas I had an opportunity to record nine exercises for www.runnersworld.com which can be found on their website.

This experience over the past year reminds me of something I say often while teaching. It is not what you are doing as much as where you are when you are doing it. When we move our body we can be completely connected to our body and let go of the cognitive aspect of our brain. By focusing on what we are feeling verses what we are thinking we can come into a deeper connection with our mindbody—running can be a meditation.

Any movement whether in the gym, yoga room or running can be viewed as therapy and healing if it is being done with principle. If it is not done with principle it tears the body apart. Running can get a bad rap. There is nothing wrong with running although there is something wrong with running on an imbalanced structure. Learning the movement principles can be the difference between being sidelined with injuries and running into your nineties.

Dropping Performance

Six years ago I went to a Vinyasa workshop with Rolf Gates. Rolf had just recently published his book, “Meditations from the Mat”. He was a powerful teacher and quickly becoming well known throughout the yoga world. When I arrived for the workshop the yoga room was buzzing and it was mat to mat. You could not even see the color of the floor—mats were touching. People were dressed in their most fashionable yoga gear while intensely warming up. I felt like I was back in an ice hockey locker room prepping for a big game.

When Rolf walked in he was calm and collected. Before he began the class he asked some profound and simple questions, “Can we drop the performance mode? Can you empty your cup and allow me to guide you through a practice?” The intensity of the room dropped and everything grounded down into an non egotistically awareness—it was a profound shift. Rolf’s wisdom still rings in my ears. There are many people who come to the physical practice of yoga with a performance based and competitive mind. You can learn a lot about yourself if you can see this aspect of yourself. The part of your mind that wants to perform, wants to be better then those around you and wants to win.

At Empowered Yoga we emphasize challenge over competition. A challenge is born within your heart—it is a quest for inner excellence. When you compete it is about the ego, there are winners or losers and the motivation is many times not so pure. When your motivation shifts to challenge we broaden our view. Our practice becomes a simple question, “Am I doing my best?” If the answer is yes then you are always a winner and there are no losers. Paradoxically this shift from competition to challenge inspires others to let go of egocentric motivators. Paradoxically my body is stronger, more flexible and graceful when I am operating from challenge. Fear constricts us and a competitive mind is a mind that is based in fear.

75 to 25

Saturday afternoon I was sitting by a pool in Costa Rica then hours later I am in freezing temperatures. I went from one polarity to another. This is metaphorical for being on retreat and then in the blink of an eye, being back in your real everyday life.

In my last class Saturday morning I gave some helpful hints on reentry into society after a retreat.

1. As soon as you land into your respective airport notice your surroundings and the speed at which everything is moving.
2. As you are picked up by family and friends notice your heightened awareness and let this awareness see people with a greater sense of openness and appreciation.
3. No one else was on the retreat so don't expect those in your life to be any different. You are the one who is different. (Non-judgemental of course)
4. Don't speak too deeply about your experience. Just tell people it was life changing.
5. Realize that without a daily practice you too will fall back into the speed and potential unconsciousness of life

What makes a retreat powerful is incorporating the teachings into daily life. If you have never been on retreat make it a goal to someday attend one. They can be truly life changing.