A Yoga Teacher’s wish
My wish for you
Is not that you will stand on one leg…
…With your foot behind your ear;
Or that you will bend down and touch your toes;
Or get your heels to the ground in down dog.
My wish for you is that you will feel so safe;
That you will lower the mask you wear,
The protective shield between you and the world;
That you will drop your baggage of stories and worries;
If only for the duration of the practice;
And reveal your truth;
Your vulnerability;
Your shadow;
Your mess;
The outstanding beauty of your heart and soul.
My wish for you is not that you will master Ujjayi breathing;
Or relax so deeply in Savasana that you fall asleep ;-)…..
I do not mind whether you know the Sanskrit names for poses;
Or if you share my passion for yoga philosophy and spirituality.
My wish for you is that you feel the miracle of this life
That you you learn to savour each breath;
To listen to your body and mind;
To meet with your glorious self,
Exactly as you are and not as you think you should be,
Or how others describe you.
My wish for you is not that you will loose weight;
Become more flexible and strong;
Not that you will get more definition in you upper arms;
And a pert, peachy bottom
Although all these things are possible…. with practice…;-)
My wish for you is that your mat will become your mirror;
Revealing your patterns, your wisdom, your reality;
And that you will see all that you are, all that you can be;
And that you will love what you see;
And be free.
I am your Yoga Teacher ….
I am your Yoga Teacher….
I’m not a saint;
Got my life sorted?
Believe me I ain’t!
I am your Yoga Teacher….
It’s just an illusion;
This mirage of perfection;
Is a ball of confusion.
I am your Yoga Teacher….
A spiritual Guru?
More of a master;
Of cooking with Tofu.
I am your Yoga Teacher….
I’m good at Asana;
If you’re looking for Politics;
Go ask Obama.
I am your Yoga Teacher….
A humbling experience;
Following my path;
Letting go of resistance.
I am your Yoga Teacher….
And when I can’t sleep;
I sometimes write poetry;
For you to keep.
I am your Yoga Teacher….
Please reduce expectations
I’m just doing my best;
With my own imperfections.
I am your Yoga Teacher….
Only Human you see;
Keeping it simple;
Being real, being me
Musings on Spirituality
My Spiritual integrity is not demonstrated by what I say or how knowledgeable I appear;
It has little to do with whether I practice Yoga, drink coconut water or eat meat;
My Spiritual progress is about facing my truth.;
Taking responsibility for my life;
Being authentic; fully, gloriously, messily me.
My journey towards enlightenment cannot be copied or faked;
My path is individually tailored, uniquely designed;
My way is not the only way;
But it is my only way;
You may walk some of this journey with me but not all of it.
You and I are here to teach each other;
Not by telling, judging, advising;
But by being.
Simply being.
Being exactly who we are;
A mirror to reflect each other’s glory;
A trigger for each other’s darkness;
And once we begin to see the truth;
Allow ourselves to feel that first painful stab of awareness;
Piercing through the illusion of ‘self’ we’ve held so tight;
There is no way back.
A whole new vista expands in front of us
Terrifying yet liberating
Challenging and rewarding
Tougher, more courageous than anything we’ve ever done
Empowering beyond belief!
Are you in my tribe?
Are you willing to be faithful to yourself?
To live your truth, To be seen;
To find your own way through the brambles and thorns, paving your own path?
Are you able to say Yes by saying No?
Confident enough to admit you don’t know?
Humble enough to listen even when you do?
Then you’re in my tribe.
Are you strong enough to show your vulnerability?
Brave enough to be afraid?
Courageous enough to be happy?
Healed enough to be broken?
Open hearted enough to feel pain?
Resourceful enough to ask for help?
Then you’re in my tribe.
Can you sit alone with yourself?
And seek to understand who you really are?
Do you feel your pain, the mess, the glory?
With delighted curiosity, playful humour, self acceptance;
Nurturing, soothing, caring kindness?
Then you’re in my tribe.
Are you able to see divinity
In each and every soul you meet?
And when you are triggered…. as I often am
Do you seek not to blame, not to judge
But with compassion to ask
What does this person need from me?
What can I give them? How can I love them?
What can I learn?
Then you’re in my tribe.
Are you grateful unconditionally for this life?
For all that it brings?
Do you see… more and more…
The gifts in simplicity, in breath, in friendship, in mistakes, in pain;
In opening your eyes every morning to a fresh new day?
Sounds like you’re in my tribe
Let’s go on an adventure….;-)
Ode to my Ford Focus 😉
As I wait
Like a nervous parent in a Doctors surgery
For news of your health
Your annual check up
Your NCT
I realise your value…
You may not be flash, new or shiny
You may be anonymously silver
You may have a quirky, sometimes annoying rattle when I turn your key in the morning,
And squeak like a mouse in protest for the first 5 km of every journey
Your CD player may have died some time ago and your AC is fading fast
Yet, reliably
(If we forget about the little airport incident a few years ago)
Without maintenance
(If we overlook the new starter motor in July)
You have been transporting me
Supporting me as I built my business
As I changed my life
Your were there for me as I transitioned from dependency to independence
Twice!
Without drama
Without fuss
Without demanding attention that I didn’t have to give
As I continue to travel on this amazing journey called life
I take a moment, to bow in gratitude to my loyal and trusted Ford Focus
Thank you for another year of trouble free motoring
Back in the real World….?
I always find coming back from Yoga retreat a little tricky.
After a week in what is often described as the ‘Yoga bubble’;
A week of great food and sunshine;
Open expression of emotion; smiles, laughter, tears, love;
Where I am free to be myself;
Fully and simply me;
I am cautious and careful about settling back into the ‘real’ World.
But what is this ‘real’ World?
Is it the World where we are encouraged to wear a mask, to be a person we think others want to see?
Where we are told what to think, how to behave, how to dress appropriately for our age and body?
Is this real World where external validation, status and approval are considered more valuable than self-love and acceptance?
Where money and material possessions are the main measure of worth.?
Is it the World where we have to conform to a bunch of rules many of which make no sense?
Where competition is regarded as healthy and collaboration weak?
Where fear is the predominant emotion?
This World doesn’t feel so real to me any more…
So yes I’m back in the (un)real World…. and beware!….
This time I’ve brought the real me back…. 😉
I Dare You
I dare you to dream
I dare you to imagine a life of fun, fulfillment and love
I dare you to follow that path, even if it is alone, the twists the turns, bumps and knocks, the blind unexpected corners followed by the brilliant awe inspiring views;
I dare you to swim against the tide and keep swimming… refusing to be swept along by a wave of consensus;
I dare you to be lost, broken, hopeless;
I dare you to be disappointed, hurt, rejected;
And at the same time keep your heart open, expanding, vulnerable;
I dare you to change your mind, often;
To let go of your pride, be wrong, fail, make mistakes;
I dare you to love, wholeheartedly and uncontrollably, falling headlong…;
I know you feel fear, paralysing gripping terror;
And I dare you to keep walking…
I dare to you dream,
I dare you to live
I dare you
Surrender
I surrender to the sea of life;
Her shifting currents of constant change;
A swelling tide of emotions;
Overflowing, full, powerful, deep;
Her majestic waves cleanse me;
Great wings of bubbling froth;
Sometimes crashing, violent, strong;
Sweeping me along in uncontrollable terror;
Sometimes gently massaging, nurturing;
Basking in their healing embrace;
I breathe in, I breathe out with the ebb and the flow;
Harmonious, rhythmic, undulating;
Free.
Sometimes;
Someone;
Finds a switch to the light in your heart.
Uninvited;
Unaware;
They flick that switch.
Beaming, bright light radiates;
Smiling, hot, creative passion;
Devine, beautiful light.
And when they leave;
The glow remains;
A warmth;
That smile;
Hungry for more;
Grateful for less;
Sometimes…
If my body parts could speak…
My muscles would say- Please continue to yoga me every day, but sometimes go a little easier.
My lungs ask – Please breathe as deeply off the mat as you do on the mat. More fresh outside air!!
My hair informs – Trying to control me aint gonna work!
My eyes invite – Look deeply into the eyes of another. See that place where no words are needed. That place where real communication takes place. Oh, and please wear your reading glasses
My digestive system begs – Slow down! Chew, taste, enjoy. Drink more water!
My heart smiles – Keep loving but keep me safe. And take me off your sleeve. Some things are just between us
My mind admonishes – Weird woman talking to yourself will you please get off facebook and get on with writing your CD scripts for this afternoon’s studio session?
Faithfully Me x
+353 (0)86 669 8588
faithfullyalison@gmail.com
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