Yoga Practice Not Yoga Perfect
This article is a complete divergence from my real estate focused posts but an integral part of my daily life. It is the thing that helps me stay focused and sane. The same thing I avoided my entire young life – yoga and deep breathing is exactly what I needed. I have to contribute my commitment and immersion into yoga to my original yoga teacher, Mary Jarvis. The first time I heard, Yoga Practice, not Yoga Perfect was out of her mouth. It was her mantra, what guided her teachings. As a result, it now applies to every situation in my life and has helped me be a better, more understanding and compassionate person.
Besides – not sure if anyone is actually reading my posts yet. I am hoping to gain a wider audience but for now I am building content in the hopes it enlightens and educates a few people in the process.
Yoga PSA
If I had to choose one thing my 20 years of yoga has taught me is to breathe. It comes in handy every single day. Do you ever feel stressed and want to punch someone in the face? Take a deep, slow breath. How about when you are driving and someone cuts you off or won’t let you merge and you want to ram into their car or flip them off? Deep breath. Another agent cancels an appointment 5 minutes before the showing after you have driven an hour to meet them and you want to scold them like a child and explain all the ways they ruined your day? Several deep breaths.
It’s the difference between reacting and responding. We all have to live on this earth together and having compassion and understanding is more effective than being judgmental, angry and aggressive.
Take a Beat, Take A Breath
Take a beat, take a breath, smile and remind yourself that you don’t know where the other person has come from or where they are going today and in life. I found this great quote that I repeat regularly, “replace your judgements with empathy, upgrade your complaining with gratitude, and trade your fear for love”. It’s a good one, right? My excellent yoga teachers at Hot Yoga Republic, San Rafael and my past yoga home, Body Temp, SF teach this and remind us regularly. If it wasn’t for my yoga practice I am sure I would be a full blown raving bitch with little compassion and a lot of judgement. With yoga, as a result, I have the tools to live with more understanding and less judgement.
Do I always find this level of peace and calm – absolutely not! Like Yoga, It’s a practice, not a perfect! Let’s all take a beat, take a deep breath and keep trying to do better.