Inhale to prepare, Exhale to deepen

“Let the beauty that you love be what you do.” – Rumi

I am ruminating on this one today.  I picked up Meditation from the Mat by Rolf Gates again this week.  I have read the whole book once and many of the passages several times.  It seems that wherever I open up and flip to the message seems to be just what I need to think about.  Today I flipped it open and read this quote…. “let the beauty that you love be what you do.”

It is so easy to get caught up in what we think we should do; what our relatives think we ought to be doing; what we think we need to do to match our neighbors. It is all these outside sources weighing down on our decisions that cause the difficulty in just living our life happily.  While it is hard to really dig deep and find what it is that is our life’s purpose (our dharma), it is not so hard to just wake up each day and do something we love.  Each day wake up and make a step closer to doing what it is you love.  Even if it is one minute out of the workday of the job that is stressful.  Even if it is after work when you are tired and unmotivated.  Think that is “the beauty that I love” and do something to make it happen in your life.   Rolf gates says, “Dharma is a gift from God inscribed up on the heart…[it] is what makes you you.”  We cannot deny ourselves our God-given gifts and those things that we love.  We must make our minds clear enough to see them and then move towards it.

Maybe you love your yoga practice…I know I DO!  I thought of this today while I practiced.  Our yoga practice is preparation for seeing and living our dharma.  Sometimes we are motivated by outside sources to practice – our own self-criticism of our bodies or our minds or our own need to beat what our neighbor is doing in practice today.  But, eventually the practice wears away at the self-doubt, the criticism and the competition.  It begins to prepare our bodies and our minds for living our dreams without self-doubt and criticism.  As I practiced today I remembered the passage I read from Meditations from the Mat this morning that said, “Coming to the mat, we prepare; going forth into our lives, we shine.  Our practice is an inhalation, our dharma is an exhalation.”  As I inhaled, I prepared; as I exhaled, I went deeper into the posture.  I had a really great practice today.  In turn, my day has been happier, more productive, and lighter than it has been in many days.  I see clearer what I am doing and how I can move forward not only in my practice, but my life.

“Our practice is an inhalation, our dharma is an exhalation.”  Thank you Rolf Gates for the inspiration to move forward into the week.  Happy Monday everyone!