Shine Out

Sutra Sunday 2.7 . The energy and wisdom of a full moon is the art of letting go. While new moons are about beginnings and setting intentions, full moons are about completions allowing removal and release. Maybe full moons carry so much power because in actuality, the very experience of life is a practice of letting go. Whatever you "have" now, will one day (sooner or later) be gone. This truth that life is continually changing, uncertain and impermanent is the root of this w...eek's sutra. . There’s a mistaken belief that this sutra is telling us that happiness is an obstacle (klesha) on our path. The truth is it’s the ATTACHMENT to a moment or object of happiness that can prevent us from being fully present in the moment. To understand the difference (including an example involving chocolate ) and to learn more about today’s sutra, go to http://www.shine8out.ca/2021//sutra-27-full-moon-vibes.html . Otherwise, your challenge for the week is to reflect on a quote by the Dalai Lama that says Awareness of impermanence and appreciation of our human potential will give us a sense of urgency that we must use every precious moment." Over the course of the week use every precious moment to appreciate and simply be where you are right now while letting go of all the rest. When you're working, work. When you're lazy, be and appreciate your laziness. When you're in the middle of the hard stuff, just be with it knowing that whether or not you learn something from the experience, eventually it too shall pass. That is the core of sutra 2.7 and the (sometimes heartbreaking) beauty of yoga and of life. . Happy Sunday See more

Sutra Sunday 2.6 . I’ve been working through confusion, and will most likely work though various forms of this confusion throughout my life. See, I was a yoga teacher. It was an identity that I had created, cultivated and was very proud of. Then, I relocated, lockdown happened, and for various reasons, I consciously made the choice to take a break from this identity. Unfortunately, this loss was exacerbated due to the pandemic which also caused other parts of my identity to f...all to the wayside leaving me seriously contemplating and ruminating on the question . . . . who am I? Who or what is the REAL me? . The good news is this is the exact question yoga is asking us to delve into. The not so good news is doing this work can be really uncomfortable! A simplistic view of the self based on yogic concepts is that we are made up of changing and unchanging parts. Changing parts include things such as our job title, relationship status, habits, accomplishments, etc. The unchanging part is our true, authentic, at the very core self. Sutra 2.6 says one block to realizing the true self is over identification with the changing self (asmita). The best description I’ve found of this is . . . . . "The klesha of asmita is like the filament of a light bulb confusing itself with electricity. The filament is the finest, most essential part of the light bulb, but it still pales in comparison to the electricity that is the true source of the light coming out of the bulb." . I was a good yoga teacher and whether or not I become a physical asana teacher again someday, I have come to realize I had let this identity largely define who I was, who I thought I should be, and who I thought I had to prove to others I could still be to the point where at times I wasn't sure what my value or place was if I wasn't this. Fortunately, a few amazing friends and family, my practice and this text help direct me and point me in the direction of my unchanging "electricity" self. This obstacle of asmita will most likely ebb and flow creating various degrees of confusion (especially in these times we are living through), so my invitation for you this week is to either connect with those people who truly know and value your unchanging self (thus reflecting back to you who you really and truly are), contemplate and possibly journal on the words and idea of this sutra, or practice the "Who am I" meditation to see how it lands for you over the coming week (go to http://www.shine8out.ca//02/sutra-26-light-bulb-moments.ht to learn more). Happy shining friends . . . may we all have a lot more light bulb moments as we navigate through this experience/experiment of life. . Happy Sunday! See more

Taking a break from the school of hard knocks to be grateful that at least I can be soothed by views like this! . . . .... . . . . . . . . #inversions #lakecountry #beautifulbc #winterintheok #okanaganliving #getoutside #yogaoffthemat #changeofperspective #tryingtoleanintothediscomfort #thatviewthough #oklake #myversionofplay See more

Sunday Celebration! . Instead of sutras today, let's celebrate Valentines Day!! Sure Valentines Day is marketed as a day of romantic love, but as a kid, I remember Valentines Day as a day to celebrate and appreciate my classmates. My memories of Valentines Day in elementary school are filled with images of making big envelopes decorated with hand drawn hearts to hang off our desks in anticipation of the notes and cards that would be deposited in them by the people we spent ou...r days with. My favourite part of this ritual from my youth was the night before when I sat down to write the cards that I would distribute. I thought about each person in my class, what was special about them, how they had impacted my life so far and scrawled a message of appreciation like only a young kid can . . . . thank you for letting me use your scissors, I like being on your dodgeball team, your show and tell stuffed animal was my favourite, etc. . The person you are now is influenced by a kaleidoscope of people who have crossed your path up until this point. Some of them have travelled with you for many years, some have simply made a brief appearance, and whether they have contributed to your best, or have been a factor at your worst, they have all helped to shape the amazingness that is you right now. So, my challenge for you this week is to reflect on, acknowledge and direct gratitude towards these multitude of "classmates" you've had throughout the years . . . . thank you for letting me vent, I like that you're on my team, you forced me to become stronger, etc. Make a personal connection if that feels right, or simply send an energetic thought and note. By celebrating all of them, you are ultimately celebrating yourself . . . . what better way to spend this day/week of love! . Happy Valentines Day! I appreciate you! See more

Sutra Sunday 2.5 . Yoga does not have a definition of evil. Yoga doesn't believe in evil. Yoga simply sees various levels of misperception or ignorance that prevent us from seeing the magnificence of who we ALL are at our very core. According to the sutras, this misperception is the root cause of all problems in our practice and in life, and is the very reason yoga exists. Yoga is about clearing away our mind clutter to get to the truth of who we truly are, not who our minds ...tell us we are. This week's sutra goes into more detail about the various levels of misperception and how/why we may not see things clearly. To learn more about that go to http://www.shine8out.ca/2021/02/sutra-25-how-you-see.html. in the spirit of this week's sutra, I propose the kindness challenge. Instead of letting the current perception of us vs them/my way of thinking vs their way of thinking prevail, I challenge you to simple relate to everyone you encounter or think about this week (including yourself) as a spark of light projected out into a human being who is doing the best they can with what they have at this particular point in time. There's nothing you need to do except energetically send loving kindness towards these people that you love, get along with, don't see eye to eye with, have challenges with, etc. Just for a moment give yourself and them a break to be exactly where they are and may need to be now. Also, if you're interested in an additional challenge . . . focus in on the picture. Can you perceive the message that is hidden within it? Sometimes there is more to things than what our eyes originally perceive! . Happy Sunday

Sutra Sunday 2.4 . According to the Yoga Sutras, the "goal" of yoga is to know and unite with our natural divine nature/essence. Why practice yoga? To remove the obstacles, blocks or coverings that cloud over and hide this true nature. These blocks (called kleshas in sanskrit) lead to tendencies, habits and thoughts that prevent us from knowing our true self causing us pain and suffering. There are 5 kleshas, but before getting into specifics, Patanjali lets us know that ther...e are 4 stages we go though when trying to remove these blocks/obstacles. To learn more about this, go to http://www.shine8out.ca/2021/01/sutra-24-uncover-sun.html The coles notes version is to think of these stages like clouds in the sky. The sun and sky are always there (our true self), but the density and thickness of the clouds blocking the sun and sky is different from day to day and moment to moment. The good news is we are human and with long, sustained, consistent practice we CAN reach the final stage where it is nothing but blue skies. The bad news is . . . we're human, so the possibility of clouds of any type/stage coming back to hide our nature is certain. So, what do we do? Luckily a few weeks back in sutra 2.1 we were given the solution . . . yoga in action - effort (breathe), awareness (receive), and surrender (give thanks). So, friends, your challenge once again for this week is to breathe . . . receive . . . and give thanks (yoga in action). Practice when you feel good, practice when you feel bad, practice when you have confidence and faith in yourself and others and practice when you have none of these things. This is how we will have blue sky more often. Trust me, I know how truly difficult doing these simple actions can feel these days, but I promise that if you place your belief in the idea that these simple actions can help in the long run, then I will too! . . . . . . Happy Sunday