What’s up, angry?

On an ordinary day during the usual yoga class just practicing asanas as always and suddenly you see in your mind’s eye how to kill your yoga teacher and everyone in the room if you must stay in this silly, meaningless pose for another second! You set your jaw, maybe want to cry or run away and feeling so angry! Did it happen with you…maybe? Have you ever felt this…maybe?

Congratulations! I have to tell you that you are absolutely normal; just doing Yoga!

Some on a spiritual path feel that it's unacceptable to feel anger, and end up dangerously bottling it up inside where it can fester, grow, and eventually explode. But anger is a natural emotion, and must be experienced. Like all emotions, it is a complex, ever-shifting state involving thoughts, feelings, and bodily changes. It comes in several forms, including outrage, frustration, jealousy, resentment, fury, and hatred. It also masquerades as judgment, criticism, and even boredom. Good news that spiritual traditions such as yoga can teach us how to react skillfully to anger without repressing it.

But first of all, why can it happen with you during your yoga practice? Good question! Well, have you ever seen an ostrich, this funny big butt bird with tiny little head? Relating to popular belief, ostriches bury their heads in sand when they are frightened because they think when you do not see you are not seen, too. Contrary to popular belief, ostriches do not bury their heads in sand. Sorry for disappointing. When threatened, ostriches run away or cause serious injury and death with kicks from their powerful legs.

As opposed to ostriches humans love to bury their heads ‘in sand’ when they are frightened and forget everything that cannot see. We use our body as a huge container. During our lives we are pack every memory, frustration, fear, pain and further emotions in it. Of course, life goes on and we usually forget these crabby things but our body never forgets! That’s the simple reason of our blocks in our bodies usually find in our hips and back and neck and so on. I guess these unsympathetic areas are familiar for everyone. When we are practicing yoga, finally we are indirectly working with these blocks in the deep. It means that sometimes you have surprising emotions during the practice like anger which is the best what can happen with you. Why? Because it means that you are working on yourself! You even do not have to know the history of your blockages, just let them go and let yourself feel!

Ok, but what if anger stays with you? Practice more! That’s it, that’s all. The ancient yogis didn't have access to the sophisticated knowledge of anger's biochemistry. But their mind-body-energy concepts are a fairly good analogue for the model that researchers apply to anger now that partly explains why yoga is such an effective approach to dealing with it. In yogic theory, asanas, pranayama, and meditation comprise a comprehensive toolkit for freeing up blockages at the mental, physical, or energetic level. In fact, with a growing body of research backing yoga's effectiveness as anger ‘de-fuser’ physiologists regularly recommend yoga to their patients. And asanas may be the best yogic antidote for anger because they allow you to move the energy! So riding the waves and go with the flow! First of all breathe as I tell you all the time! Switch your focus from your physical body to your breathing and the energy inside you. This switch can lead to emotional release as the prana carried in the breath penetrates blocked areas of the body and their associated blockages in the psyche. Simultaneously, relax your muscles as much as possible to help remove physical blocks to feeling the wave of energy. The wave's spontaneity and intensity can be frightening, spurring you to defend yourself by tensing up. Cueing yourself to relax enables the wave to continue doing its psychically liberating work Then, feel! Focus on the wave's sensations and investigating their qualities. What's their mood, color, texture, shape? Where do you feel them most intensely in your body? After answering these questions simply stay present with the wave of sensation when it moves through you and you can make discerning choices about how to respond to it rather than reacting to it. Then finally allow happening. Trust the intelligence and positive outcome of the wave and not resisting it. Yes, you can go through this during the yoga class. Let yourself crying! Let your emotions come up! Do not worry that anybody watches you. All yogis around you! Dig in these moments as wonderful possibilities! Yoga is not an obligation but a beautiful present in your life.

Just let yourself be breathed!

Really growing up is not just blowing off the candles of your 18^th birthday cake but some deeper experience of yourself for a long time. I guess you already know that. Of course, self development is a never ending story (I guess you already know that, too…) but it has really changed my life when I found out that happy or unhappy life is my own creation. Nobody else is responsible and I cannot find fault with anybody. I am my best friend and my worst enemy.

All experiences that come from outside through the world, through nature or material things, are ultimately painful. None can give everlasting happiness. They may give temporary pleasure but they always end in pain. Even the enjoyment of our present pleasures is usually painful because we fear its loss. I am not saying that because everything is painful we should run from it. That doesn’t work. Whenever we go, the world follows. If you do not understand the world and attempt to run away, you can never succeed. Whenever we are, we have to learn to handle things properly. We cannot always change environments, running here and there. But once we know how to handle our family, we can handle a larger group, a company, a community. Your family life is a training place for public life. And the world is a training place where we learn to use the world without getting attached. A person with such an understanding has the magic wand to convert everything to happiness. Pleasure and pain are but the outcome of your approach. The same world can be a heaven or a hell.

So what can we do then? I suggest you only one thing for now: breathe! Yes, this common, everyday thing that you are always practicing 24 hours a day, 7 days a week… Well, are you? Really? Give yourself a five minutes break and observe your breathing right here, right now! Is it deep and smooth and long? Are you present? The honest answer is usually no. Because we are always under stress and hurry and worried for everything. When we feel stress, our breaths are getting shorter and faster. Maybe you even do not realize but your breaths are all the time fast and short because life is a big stress bubble and you get used to it… Of course, it is true in another way. Your breathing can calm your mind, gladden your heart, and relax your body. Simply stop the stress! So, let’s focus on your belly, place your hands there if you want and very gently let your belly widen with your every inhalation and come back with every exhalation. Do not hurry! Do not force! No effort! Let your body find its natural beat. Just let yourself be breathed! Just intimate sensation as you follows the exhalations and inhalations of the life-force occurring by them. Let yourself come to rest in that presence.

Yes, here we are. This is the kiss of life. This is the beginning of everything… the beginning of your personal heaven that you, only you can create. And, you can practice that simple exercise any time! I suggest to focus and practicing your deep and long breaths as much as possible. During yoga class or waiting in the bus stop or rather at the meeting with your boss. Why? If you do this simple practice with full attention, it will help open up the breathing spaces of your body and get you sensing and breathing again. It will get your energy moving and help you feel more alive. It will help you become more present to yourself. Really sense, feel, and enjoy what’s happening in your entire body. This is the key to handle things properly; use the world without getting attached; and convert everything to happiness. Just let yourself be breathed!

And how does this come to yoga?! Well, everything is relating to yoga! Start with your breathing is a great idea!

“When each posture becomes a prayer, each breath a poem, when every moment of my practice becomes a celebration of the Lord, I am doing YOGA...”
Glenn Thorsen

Who are you? Let’s see the real!

Yes, here we are! Patanjali’s final advice for yogic practice according to Sutra 1.20 is that you must see the difference between the real (Self) and the unreal (Prakriti). First of all let’s talk about the Self. Patanjali makes clear that you are the Self, the true Seer. You are means that neither your body nor your mind. You always see your mind and body acting in front of you. The mind creates thoughts… it distinguishes and desires. The Seer knows that but it is not involved in it.

So, you are the Seer who wants to see itself. How? Even in the case of your physical face: if I ask you if you ever seen it, you have to say no, it is the face that sees. The face itself is the seer. What it sees in the mirror is its image, the seen. If the mirror is corrugated, curved, concave or convex, will you able to see your true face? No. It will appear to be awful: too big or too high or full of waves. Will you be worried seeing this? No. You will know that something is wrong with the mirror, of course…

In the same way, the Self or true You reflects in the mind which is your mirror. If the mind is dirty you say ‘I am dirty’. If it’s all polished and shining: ‘I am beautiful’. If the mind has a lot of waves like the surface of a lake, you will be seeing a distorted reflection. If the water of the mental lake is muddy or colored you see your Self as muddy or colored. To see the true reflection, your inner lake has to be clean and calm and without ripples. It is simply, isn’t it? To understand that eternal peaceful You, the mind must be quiet. How?

Well, I hope I can tell you someday! Until the nirvana… my personal experience is that as more as you work on it, as more real quiet moments you can find and you will able to see the real and clean of every part of your life. But You must take choices. Everything in our lives, globalization, Internet, Facebook, dancing, music, food, etc can be useful, peaceful, fun or a big pack of negative energies and unreal. So many things are in the world fakes, humbug, too loud, too fast, and too unhealthy. But mostly it is your choice. It is your life. And you do not have to be a monk or Robinson Crusoe in a desert island to find quiet. It doesn’t depend on the world. It depends on you.

What you have to do is always be honest with yourself. Look yourself in a face. And take your own choices. All of us have so many labels. I am the father’s daughter, my love’s girlfriend, my best friend’s best friend, my students’ teacher, my colleagues’ colleague, the reader of several book writers and so on. Sometimes I forget that I am not these labels and I am trying to fit my self to these… but of course it is impossible. So who am I? Who am I without these labels? The answer is the Self. I am only the true me. Everything else is mirror which is very useful but not You. Everytime I remind myself to this simple fact, I am happier and tolerant.

Relating to your choices, I also would suggest that always ask yourself (your Self) is it really good for me? Do I need this hamburger? Do I need partying every Saturday night? Do I need the music that loud in my car? Do I need shopping today? Do I need television?  Do I need a relationship? Do I need this relationship? Find your own choices. Not your parents’ ones, not your teachers’ advices and not your friends’ suggestions… It is only your road. No one else can tell you the right way. Neither Ji Ching nor the Pope can live your life. Be opened and listen but never follow blindly. It is quiet difficult to orienteering if you are blind. And I am not talking about your eyes… What I am talking about is your heart! As Saint-Exupéry said, it is only with one's heart that one can see clearly. What is essential is invisible to the eye.

And finally what else should I advise you than yoga? Any time you need a quiet place or moment, remind yourself that you have a yoga mat! I hope you have. Don’t worry if you don’t have: you can practice yoga without a mat, too! Good news. Sometimes it is not easy to start it but the biggest present you can give yourself (your Self) is dive in yoga to clean and clam your inner lake. Don’t wait! As I suggested last time: being present! Yes, everything is relating to everything! How beautiful it is, isn’t it?

Start with being present!

Patanjali’s next advice for yogic practice is the following. There must be contemplation, or Samadhi. Well, thanks. What’s that? Good question. I tell you that he has been talking about that all along. I guess you already know that Patanjali gives the theory of yoga. Then he speaks of the final practice called Samadhi or contemplation, and its variations. Just briefly, he says that first you have to train the mind to focus on something concrete. In the next stage, there is no concrete object to see. You contemplate something abstract like white or red or love or beauty. If you are able to contemplate and understand the concrete objects well, your mind gets the capacity to understand the abstract things even without concrete objects. Then you rise above time and space also. Further on, you don’t use your intellect but you contemplate just the tranquil mind itself. Here is only joy and no reasoning or reflection. Finally there is just awareness of individuality. You contemplate the “I-ness”. You are just there and you are aware of nothing else. When all these four stages are passed you should get into asamprajnata Samadhi, which is undistinguished. Even the ego feeling is not there and the seeds of past impressions are rendered harmless. In that state, there is only consciousness and nothing else. Once that is achieved, you are completely liberated. The world is just a shadow from which you are absolutely free. That’s it, that all. Details are in the Sutras!

By the way, relating to all of these majestic views I would like to share a few thoughts of an earthborn if you don’t mind. One of my first deep experiences was about me when I realized that usually I am not in the present. It seems like I am here and I think I am here but honestly, not. Not at all. Not surprisingly I was grown up in a world where you always want something and want to be somebody. So my mind is working 24 hours a day and loves it. And yours? There are always new aims and purposes. You always have to plan on something. You are always dreaming on something or someone. And of course you have so many memories, nice ones or embarrassing ones that you can thumb all the time and thinking of the reasons or possibilities. What if… maybe these little word your friends, too. Anyway, there is no rest even when we are sleeping or making love or meditating.

So what to do then? Any ideas?

Yoga! Perfect choice! Maybe you also have this strange experience as I have all the time that after your umpteen sun salutations you have not got any expectations or thoughts or dreams… you just want to survive! And maybe you also realized that after yoga class your thoughts are only confined to have a nice dinner, long shower and sleep well. No worries about your work or relationships. No frustrations of your look like or what future holds. Just you and your inner silence you worked for. Just to be content. Just contemplate the world. Yes, here we are. I do believe that the best first step for Samadhi is practicing yoga and let it do the hard part for you. Actually you do the hard part with fun! The results surely come. And as more you are practicing as longer you are able to just be there and be aware of nothing else. How simply it is, isn’t it?

I think the other fine tool and of course, also can be a crutch for you during this wonderful self-knowledge adventure is witnessing. Just observe from outside this unstoppable dialogue in your mind and let your thoughts drift like clouds on the sky. Do not attach with them, do not stick in it. Just see the clouds on the sky and let them go away. It always can help every situation of your life. You can step out of the circumstances… the state of affairs and let it happen. Then you rise above time and space. Even the ego feeling won’t be there and the seeds of past impressions will be rendered harmless. Just keep consciousness and nothing else. Of course, it is usually not a constant state but you can remind yourself any time of witnessing. Jut let go everything and see from outside the situation as a movie. Maybe you will find out that you do not need these worries and thought and expectations. You may find out that you are completely fine only with contemplation. And I can only repeat myself. As more you are practicing as longer you are able to just be there and be aware of nothing else. How simply it is, isn’t it?

Finally I suggest not forgetting acceptation. It no matter that you practice yoga, look at a situation from outside or train your mind to focus on something concrete or rather abstract, just accept yourself. You are where you have to be, right now. You are on the road with so many other yogis but no one has the same experiences and same rocks on this road. It is only yours. And we are human. I am who can meditate for light; love and power restore the plan on Earth. And I am who can worry on a haircut. It happens. Let it happen. Just don’t forget your intentions! Stay grateful for your small awakenings and they are going to multiply! Do small, change big. You are the change. How simply it is, isn’t it?

Keep the lesson…

Back to the world of Sutras again! As the ‘father of yoga’ Patanjali put this clearly, we should have a good memory of all the mistakes we have made and lessons we’ve learned so a not to fall back into the worldly root again. This advice is not just for yogic practice but a living principle that I hope won’t surprise you because our life is a yogic practice root and branch!

But first of all look memory in a face. I must warn you that here Patanjali did not talk about your attached memories which create impressions in the mind and at later time come to surface, either when you want them or sometimes even when you do not want them. Moreover memory in this sight is one of the mental modifications which are raising the mind into ripples. So these modifications of the mind stuff disturb your inner peace. If the restraint of mental modifications is achieved you have reached the goal of Yoga. Why? If you control your mind you’ve controlled everything. That’s why. Then there is nothing in this world to bind you. Like a Sanskrit saying enlightened as the mind, so the man; bondage or liberation are in your own mind. If you feel bound, you are bound. If you feel liberated, you are liberated. Things outside neither bind or liberate you; only your attitude toward them does that. So how can we restrain these mental modifications like memories? Well, Patanjali believes that yoga practice and non-attachment are the keys. Don’t be scared! It doesn’t mean that you must forget everybody and everything in your life as being a lonely monk in a cave. This is an intention and effort. In my personal opinion just practice and everything else will happen when it has to happen!

So you already know the secret receipt which is simply practicing yoga! If you would like to dig deeper, start with your mistakes. Maybe you’ve already became aware of avoiding mistakes is needed experiences but you only can have experiences if you make mistakes. So the truth is that all of us make mistakes. We are human as I mentioned it several times. We are not perfect! Actually there is no perfect. If you reached perfect, it would mean that you won’t change anymore because perfect is a constant thing.  But life is change and everything is changing. Changing and development is the pure existence. So don’t try to be fixed. Don’t try to be or seem to be perfect. It’s meaningless and it is surely going to hurt you or rather everyone around you. Preferably try to go with the flow and accept yourself. Of course, this is also an intention and effort.

The other important lesson of mistakes that there are no mistakes! What? Yes, exactly. Actually you can forget the word because you don’t need it. Everything happens in your life, your every choice, all your steps are simply and solely possibilities to learn more. There are no good or bad situations. There are no mistakes, blames or troubles. There are only lessons and opportunities of development. And it only depends on you. Choices and undertaken of responsibility. Be brave to choose and always take the responsibility because this is the way of learning. You cannot get experiences in a desert island but you are burning on 200% for nothing if you don’t take the consequences of your choices. All happenings in your life carry some purpose even if you don’t find it. At least to show that you are not the center of the universe and when you are travelling to work in the morning, God maybe have not got time to turn all the traffic lights green for you so just deepen your breath, wait a few minutes and bring this lesson in your pocket.

But remind yourself, acceptation of learning your lessons that life brings does not mean repression! Pain, sadness, doubtfulness are also part of life. There isn’t only one side… Of course, always look on the bright side of life sang Brian on the cross but maybe we took it too seriously. We always try to be these shinny happy people with no problems and no fears. You can have a bad day. You can be sad if sad things happen to you. Do not avoid pain. But do not keep it and stick in it. Just learn your lesson and keep the lesson. It is true on your yoga mat as well. If you over-extended yourself and got an injury, don’t keep the memory of your pain but keep the lesson of the reasons of injury. This lesson is not about just an injury. This is how yoga becomes the part of your life.

Be strong! Be free!

Last time I already mentioned Yoga Sutra 1.20.  In this sutra Patanjali gives us the keys of yogic practice. Faith. Strength. Memory. Contemplation. Discernment. Just briefly again, faith must be there – or at least courage. You must be strong. You should have a good memory of all the mistakes you have made and lessons you’ve learned so a not to fall back into the worldly root again. And, of course, there must be contemplation or Samadhi, as Patanjali has been talking about all long. Finally we need discernment or rather discrimination between the real (Self) and the unreal (Prakriti).

Strength seems to be so obvious. It is proven that yoga is extremely beneficial in strength and endurance building. You can find hundreds of scientific articles of that if you Google it! Sages and saints from centuries in India have performed this miraculous art to achieve a stress free temper and disease free body. Yoga through its different asanas helps in developing a better coordination between different body organs along with your mind and your soul leaving you feel extremely fit and fine. Apart from providing you with vigor and activeness, yoga is also helpful in healing the diseases persisting in your body thus leaving you with more strength and endurance. Many physical trainers suggest of yoga. It is a proven fact that yoga makes you feel strong and light. After a regular practice of yoga for few months starts yogi is already feeling twice as stronger than before.

Well, I admit you something. I hope that you are sitting right now. Yogis are human. Yoga teachers are human, too. And personally, I had to realize being strong is not so obvious for me. It is a huge brand new recognition in my life that there is a significant difference between real inner strength or tries to seem to be strong. What’s that weird sentence?! ‘Tries to seem to be strong’? Who does that? Welcome in the real world, Neo. You. Me. Us. Take this opportunity to bring consciousness into this moment and think about it a little bit. It is so easy to build walls around you and wear masks in every situation of your life, even while practicing yoga, to be sure: everyone think that you are right, you are strong, and you can do it, you are the best. This is the game of your ego. And all of us playing the game. The only aim is always seems to be cool, strong, beautiful, clever, successful, talented, different, the number one. Always say the last word in the quarrel; always prove that you were right. Tiny lies. Masquerade. It is rumored that French aristocrats died because instead of cleaning their face just use more and more face-powder so under their masks the face started to rot away. It’s disgusting, isn’t? But look in the mirror: we have the same masks just they are invisible in the 21^st century… invisible even for us. Can you tell how many times of your life were yourself, just as you are? Honest, defenseless, vulnerable?

But how do we wear masks even during practicing on the yoga mat? You may already know this principle: law of compensation. The law of compensation says that when mobility or strength is limited in one area, a movement will express itself in the next available area and the body tries to avoid the weak or tight parts, find another way. It seems like you are doing the pose properly but say it simply: you cheat a little bit. And you can spend years with these little cheats you even do not realize. That’s how we are repeating our same old habits even as we practice yoga or live our lives. What’s happening? Without change usually pain and injury in the years to come. The easy way is always going to be the hardest way.

What to do then? You need to find your deepest source of strength. Find out where your real inner strength comes from. For example, when through practice you find the ability to keep your attention firmly centered inside and still keep enough of your mind focused on your actions so that you function skillfully, you draw on this strength. This is what lets you remain steady no matter what distractions storm around you. This kind of strength doesn't have to be aggressive or hard; it has firmness that comes from observing your emotional reactions without identifying with them. It doesn't have to overexert itself, because it knows how to follow the path of least resistance. Flowing like water. Flowing like yoga. This strength always radiates from the inside out. It comes from the center, and it doesn't matter how you discover or access that center as long as you get there. As you become more familiar with this steady power, you'll find it in moments when your intention and motivation are clear. This strength is an infallible source of support. The support that never leaves you.

So, I suggest meeting your yoga mat every day or as often as you can, observing yourself on practicing yoga and finding your little cheats. Find your masks and work with them. Throw them away. Strength is courage. Strength is your inner faith. It seems to be familiar, isn’t it? Faith and strength are coming after each other like pearls in a necklace. Wow! Patanjali really must know something! And you already have two pearls on your necklace... Wear it! Strength is vulnerability. Strength is to let ourselves be seen, deeply seen, vulnerably seen. Strength is to love with whole heart, even through there is no guarantee. Strength is to practice gratitude and joy. Strength is to believe that I am enough. If I can believe that I am enough, I stop screaming and start listening. I am kinder and gentler to the people around me. And I am kinder and gentler to myself. Yoga practice is being light, loved and free. However sometimes we forget that this freedom comes from regular practicing and deep inner work. Do not wait for external happiness! Do not wait for the right person, the right job, the right moment! Your home is right here. Home is where the root is. Home is your yoga mat! When we nurse the root inside us, everything else just happens easily. And the goal is freedom. Freedom from looking outside of ourselves; cycling through that wheel of disappointment; that fullness and emptiness after each other time to time. Freedom is to be exactly who you are. Be yourself! Be free! Be strong!

Keep the faith!

First of all I think we should take a quick look on Patanjali… Who is Patanjali? Good question! :)

Patanjali is the compiler of the Yoga Sutras, the most important collection of aphorisms on Yoga practice.

Often called the "father of yoga" Patanjali codified his thoughts and knowledge of yoga. In this work, Patanjali compiled 195 sutras or concise aphorisms that are essentially an ethical blueprint for living a moral life and incorporating the science of yoga into your life. Although no one is sure of the exact time when Patanjali lived and wrote down his sutras, it is estimated this humble physician who became one of the world's greatest sages roamed India somewhere between 200 B.C. and 200 A.D. But it is still hard-fought that Patanjali was a person at all or a group of yogis or gurus who are lived in different times and used the same name as a heritage…

Anyway, in the Yoga tradition, Patanjali is a revered name and has been deified by many groups. It is claimed that Patanjali is an incarnation of Adi Sesha who is the first ego-expansion of Visnu. Thus may Patanjali be considered as the one incarnation of God defending the ego of yoga.

In one popular legend, Patanjali was born to Atri and his wife Anasuya. According to this tradition, Anasuya had to go through a stern test of her chastity when the Trimurti (Brahma, Visnu and Shiva) themselves came as Bhikshuks. She passed their test by accepting them as her children and fed them. She got the boon where all the three Murtis will be born to them. They were Patanjali, Dattatreya, and Durvasa.

Regarding to another tradition from around 10th century Patanjali learned Yoga along with seven other disciples from the great Yogic Guru Nandhi Deva.

Although my favorite explanation is the following: pat means fallen in Sanskrit and Anjali is the mudra of praying (divine offering) so these sutras are for the fallen who are praying for help! How nice it is and how true, isn’t it?! If you dig in the deep of yoga sutras, I am sure you agree… :) All of us fall sometimes and the sutras can be light in these dark moments.

In a world where we reduce nearly everything to quick tips and sound bites, Patanjali seems to fit right in with his brief 195 guidelines to enlightenment. But in the case of Patanjali, simplicity is deceptive. In fact, scholars still don't agree on what Patanjali meant in some of his sutras. But I do believe that they do not have to! Everybody have the freedom to find the meaning of each sutra. Exactly what you need in that moment! It is not so important what others say… just what the message is for you. Do not forget that if you maybe read further! :)

So, now having these important information in your pocket I guess I can share with you one of my favorite sutra (I know, all of them favorites! :)), 1.20.  In this sutra Patanjali gives you the keys of yogic practice, which are ladies and gentlemen the following:

Faith.

Strength.

Memory.

Contemplation.

Discernment.

Just briefly, faith must be there – or at least courage. You must be strong. You should have a good memory of all the mistakes you have made and lessons you’ve learned so a not to fall back into the worldly root again. And, of course, there must be contemplation or Samadhi, as Patanjali has been talking about all long. Finally we need discernment or rather discrimination between the real (Self) and the unreal (Prakriti).

Yes, of course we are going to talk about all of them. You even don’t have to ask. :)

But let’s talk about ‘just’ faith for now. How faith relates to your yoga practice? What does it mean? I should turn back the question… How could you practice yoga without faith? How could you practice life without faith?

So what is faith? Your inner belief. Your inner light. I have really good news for you: All of us have that. You are shining!!! I usually experience my inner belief like a beautiful and calm lake inside me. Waves like doubt, despair, fears can come… but my lake still there! What a fortune! :)

How can you practice inner belief in yoga? First of all believe in yourself! :) Each day, as you step into your mat, accept and be glad where you are right now. You are exactly where you have to be now! With this acceptation open your heart for your practice and be brave to try new things! As you can build walls as you can destroy them. Burn out yourself through practicing and find something new with the faith inside you. See scary things and problems as possibilities. See the possibilities as a new born baby look out the world. Just as the first time you were practicing yoga without the prejudices like this asana is hard… that’s too difficult for me… I don’t like that… I am always getting tired of these, etc. Be curious. Be brave. Keep the faith that every asana, every movement, every practice brings changes and services your development.

It is always your choice to take pleasure in small awakenings. But never forget that you need courage for take choices. Remind yourself that your lake is always there. Look your fears in a face. Look your choices in a face. Look yoga practice in a face. Look life in a face. That’s it, that all. :)

You can start it right now with your favorite inversion! Yes, you know what I mean… :)  Keep the faith (as George Michael sang in my teenager years) and legs up to the sky! New aspects. Headstand, handstand, forearm stand, shoulder stand, etc… Because you believe in yourself and opened for what comes. Because that is a possibility. Because never know when it happens. Because now really means now! :)

My new favorite is Pincha Mayurasana. What’s yours???