Water the seeds you want to grow...

An imperfect expression of some things I am thinking about... have thought about and will continue ot think about...

Yesterday I attended a Tibetan Heart Yoga workshop called, "For the Love of Yoga: Learning to Live in Your Subtle Body." Sounds pretty mushy, gushy, huh? Probably lots of talk about "imaginary" things like chakras and "honoring your true self" and I'm ok, you're ok, just as you are, let's just breathe and hold hands and everything will be ok.

Wrong.

First let me tell you -- chakras aren't imaginary. That's the topic for another day. But let me also tell you, there was nothing soft or mushy about this yoga class.

We did begin with discussion. One of the teachers, Mira Shani from Arizona's Yoga Oasis, asked us why we love yoga. People said the usual things people say in yoga workshops. And I sat there, struck with the fear that this workshop just might be a nambi pambi little love fest. Was I going to spend three hours this way?

Mira said, "I practice yoga because I don't want a crappy life. I don't want to have crappy people in my life. I don't want crappy relationships. I don't want to be in crappy situations or have crappy conversations. Yoga is not about coping with things better. It's not about being calm and ok and not getting pissed when someone cuts you off on the road. Yoga is about not getting cut off in the first place."

I loved this. So, the metaphor wasn't perfect -- you really can't help getting cut off on the road sometimes... but the message to me was clear, and resonated with a Buddhist saying that I have been thinking about:

Water the seeds you want to grow. Don't water the seeds you don't want to grow.

Discernment is key. Discernment and effort. Life takes both. Yoga can help get you there.

"Enlightenment," "happiness," "contentment" are not easily achieved. They sound nice, soft, but they take fortitude.

I love the open, tender feeling I have after a yoga class. The stripping of the armor, the quieting of the mind's chatter... but if you haven't strengthened whatever lies beneath the armor, that weakness that needed armor is left unexposed... and then there you are: momentarily blissfully loving, but ultimately vulnerable and without your defenses.

I don't want a crappy life! Building that inner strength means discerning what things make your life crappy and NOT feeding them. This can be harder than trying to find your strengths and nurturing them. Neti, neti. This, not this.

NOT this.

Do you know which seeds you are watering that you don't want to grow? I'm finding mine.