Don't Think For One Second You Can't Fly

I am Canadian, so what I’m about to say is not a political statement (haha), I miss the Obamas.  I must miss Michelle the most because she showed up in my dream the other night. As dreams do, they take many turns. Michelle and I were helping each other get to the airport so we wouldn't miss our flight.  Along  the way, we somehow found time to stop at a bar and led a sing-a-long of Tracy Chapmans “Fast Car.”

On the final cab ride to the airport, I was telling her that I use to be able to fly like a bird. "I don’t know what happened, but lately I just can’t fly.”, I told her.  By that time we got to the airport, and before we went our separate ways, she said something that shook me so much it woke me up.

She grabbed me by my shoulders, looked deeply into my eyes and with intensity said, “Phil, listen to me. Don’t think for one second that you can’t fly.  You may not leave the ground like a bird anymore, but DON’T THINK FOR ONE SECOND THAT YOU CAN’T FLY.  Don’t think for one second you can’t soar.  Don’t think for one second you can’t rise above any obstacle.  And listen to me closely on this one Phil, don’t think for one second you can’t help someone else fly. You hear me?”

THE INTENTION

Don’t think for one second you can’t fly.
Don’t think for one second you can’t soar.
Don’t think for one second you can’t rise above any obstacle.
Don’t think for one second you can’t help someone else fly.

ON THE MAT

This beautiful empowering practice of YOGA is our opportunity to fly. To remind ourselves that we can indeed soar.  We can take a deliberate breath at the most challenging moment in each posture and use that breath to tune into a simple fact, ‘you have everything you need to move through the challenge.’  As we flowed we kept coming back with intensity to Michelle’s words, “DON’T THINK FOR ONE SECOND YOU CAN’T FLY.”

It was powerful energy in that class.

OFF THE MAT

There are many things that ‘ground us,'  terrible circumstances, financial struggle, relationship issues, and stress from work and life.  These things can sometimes make us doubt our ability to fly.  We have the ability to go further than our circumstance.  Won’t be easy.  Never is.  But, we can soar, we can rise above.  

One way to rise above your struggle is to help others. In fact, we rise by lifting others.  Get out there and fly today!!

PLAYLIST USED IN THIS CLASS

Standing Tall Has Nothing To With Height

I was driving the other day with my 8 year old daughter emJ.  Good tunes were flowing and car singing was happening.  After the track ended I turned to her and said jokingly, “Listen, I teach yoga tomorrow and I’m stuck for an Intention.  You got one for me?”  I wasn't really excepting her to respond. But she was hype for it and gave me three. But this one really stood out for practice.

As a side note, I love this picture. It's my daughter emJ with my Gram who is only 4'10. But she is a force and when my daughter shared this powerful quote, I instantly thought of her.

THE INTENTION

Standing tall has nothing to do with height.

ON THE MAT

This quote speaks to courage. And it takes courage to truly love yourself. It takes courage to go against the grain and WAKE UP to your life as it is, and where it is. It's easy to think about where we want to go. It's easy to wish we were somewhere better off in our life.

Yoga practice reminds us that standing tall has nothing to do with height. It invites us, every time we step on our mat to be courageous by "getting real" with the present moment. Today in practice, get real with your breath, get real with your body.  Let it guide your body. See if you can move with courage, not momentum.

OFF THE MAT

At a retreat once, someone asked my mindfulness teacher Frank Jude Boccio, "These teachings of the Buddha are so vast and include list after list (4 novel truths, 8 fold path, 5 skandhas, etc), how do you distill or summarize all these teachings?

I'll never forget his response,

 "Deal with what's in front of you!"

Standing tall has nothing to with height. So, what's right in front of you? What is the action step you NEED to take right now?

Remember, taking the step you NEED to take creates space for you to take the step or steps you want to take.

Soap Opera Lives

THE INTENTION

“Most of us live soap-opera lives — slaves to our tendencies, hoping that we’ll have the right emotions and thoughts to “allow” us to behave differently, and fearing that the wrong emotions or thoughts might block us from our goals.”  - Dan Millman -

ON THE MAT

Emotions are a powerful force.  Sometimes the overwhelm us, don't they??  When these feelings arise in us, they have the power to create a lot of excuses.  So today, we have 60mins. Let's use our time and deliberately pull the rug out from under our collective excuses.  Let's reclaim the power to behave with courage and compassion no matter what we are feeling or thinking.

OFF THE MAT

Truth, emotions are a part of our daily.  Someone cuts us off when driving, a person at work slights us; we get into an argument with our partner. How about the other side of the spectrum; we have a major success, or perhaps someone we love does something special for us. The ebb and flow of our emotions are a part of daily life.

Sometimes these emotions hold us back from taking action or propel us forward without thinking first.  But no matter what we are feeling, we have the power to behave with courage & compassion. As you step off the mat and into your life with family, friends, co-workers, reclaim your power respond and not just react to the emotions that rise in you.

PLAYLIST OF THE WEEK

The Practice of Being Genuine Begins at Home With Our Bodies

THE INTENTION

The essence of practice is being brave enough to experience ourselves as we truly are. This includes our bodies, emotions, thoughts, and innate wisdom. The practice of being genuine begins at home, with our bodies
- Gaylon Ferguson -

ON THE MAT

This quote is speaking to meditation, but it really is a powerful reminder for us in a yoga practice (which I consider a moving meditation).  It's an empowering hour we spend with our bodies... but sometimes it's not. Sometimes the mind gets in our way.  We can look into the mirror as we practice and only see what we don't like about our bodies.  The mind might say, "I wish my body was more like that person's over there." Or "I wish my body could do more in this posture."

This intention is reminding us that this is perfectly okay.  The first line, "...brave enough to experience ourselves as we truly are."  The empowering word here is 'experience.'  So often we go through an entire class without realizing how much we drift off.  

Part of experiencing is simply paying attention and noticing when the mind compares, or doubts.  Then you use the breath and the movement to return to the body.  The body is always present. The practice of being genuine begins at home.  The body is our divine abode.

OFF THE MATT

Start where you are...grow from where you are.  

This is why meditation practice is so powerful. It is a real tool that we can use to first experience where we are.  This is a brave act.  We are often thinking about where we want to go.  It's easy to get lost and stressed with all the decisions we have to make to reach our next goal.  The practice of returning to where you are reduces this anxiety.  When you can experience yourself as you truly are, it creates space and freedom to make authentic choices that allow you to grow from where you are. 

This is radically different then trying to grow from where you want to be.  So in many brave ways, this practice is radical.  

PLAYLIST OF THE WEEK

What your decisions say about who you are?

This weekend we’ve been having lots of fun at the studio.  #filthybeats, a Canadian inspired soul playlist to celebrate my home nation, and then a wicked #FreedomFlow to rock Independence Day.

This past Sunday, for Soul Music Sunday I wanted to highlight some great Canadian soul.  It was a vibrant class that was rooted in the decisions we make.

THE INTENTION

 "Every decision you make, every decision, they’re not about what to do. It's a decision about Who You Are. When you see this, when you understand it, everything changes. You begin to see life in a new way.  All events, occurrences, and situations turn  into opportunities to do what you came here to do.”   - Neil Donald Walsch -

ON THE MAT

To begin I just highlighted the fact that on a long weekend, and a hot day you made the decision to show up on your mat. Your practice matters to you. It's not about temperature or what day it is. Practice is a part of who you are.

The decision to show up and work with your breath and challenge your body, it's very powerful. 

What about the decision to not force your way through practice or force yourself to keep up with the person next to you. This decision says a lot about who you are.

Or maybe you find yourself doing the opposite, caught up in comparison, caught up in how much you hate your body. The decision to not be frustrated with yourself is not an easy one. It can take a lot of practice. So keep showing up & keep checking in with choices your making in your practice. 

OFF THE MAT

Here is a challenge for you, take a look at 5 decisions  you've made recently. Big or small. Take out the notion it was a decision to do something and see if you can journal a little on what those decisions say about WHO YOU ARE.

Doing this work helps us deepen our understanding of who we are and this turns all events and occurrences into opportunities.

Keep Showing up, and keep waking up to your possibility.

Impossible is a dare

Damn, been a minute since I dropped an Intention Vibe.  Muhammad Ali just passed, and that knocked me on my gut.  Reminded me to get off my ass and keep at it.  Mad respect to the GOAT and his deep, lasting impact.  Today, I taught Modo Flow, and we used the Muhammad Ali for an intention and dropped some serious beats.

THE INTENTION

“Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small people who find it easier to live in the world they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It’s a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.”
- Muhammad Ali -

ON THE MAT

Love that line; IMPOSSIBLE IS NOT A DECLARATION. IT’s A DARE.  Many say it’s impossible to be PRESENT. “Phil, we ain’t monks living off in some temple.”  No doubt.  We are surrounded by stimulus on the regular.  Impossible… it’s a dare.  I DARE YOU to be present in your practice today.  This inhale.  This exhale.  Start where you are.  We will flow today, don’t force it.  Some say it's IMPOSSIBLE to be present.  I dare you...

As we moved through the practice, we stayed with the reminder about how powerful it is to be on your mat.  Every time you choose to get on your mat, every time you choose a deliberate breath you are exploring the power you have to change your world.  That ripples outward.

OFF THE MAT

That opening sentence is a kick to the face man.  In the best way possible.  “Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small people who find it easier to live in the world they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it.”  Ali is saying wake up.  WAKE UP, you have a say.   You can dream, and you can dream BIG, but at some point, you have to WAKE UP and realize that you matter.

What you say matters.  When you choose to recycle it matters.  When you lift someone up instead of judge them, it matters.  When you hug someone you love, it matters.  When you take a deliberate breath, it matters.  When you vote, it matters.  When you walk directly into your struggle instead of running away, it matters.  How your treat animals, it matters.  Believing in yourself, it matters.

Impossible is not a declaration; it’s a dare.  I dare you to be present today and change your world for the better.  I double dog dare you.

PLAYLIST FROM TODAYS #filthybeats SATURDAY

For A Seed To Achieve Its Greatest Expression

THE INTENTION

For a seed to achieve its greatest expression, it must come completely undone. The shell cracks, its insides come out and everything changes. To someone who doesn't understand growth, it would look like complete destruction.
- Cynthia Occell -

ON THE MAT

I love this quote, and this is what we have the opportunity to do overtime we step on the yoga mat. After a hot and sweaty class, the Energy Exchangers come into clean the room, and they see complete destruction.  It’s powerful work we are doing, this ‘growth’ stuff.  We have 60 minutes to nurture our greatest expression.  To crack our shell, and in one deliberate great we can change EVERYTHING.  Let's go!

In yoga practice, we can pay attention to our greatest expression in each pose.  Not compared to someone else, but the posture in our body.  For example, in Warrior one, how we can soften our shoulders, add a gentle smile and let vitality shine from every fingertip.

OFF THE MAT

Growth is scary when we get stuck on the word change.  Change is tough, but the reality is that all is changing, all the time.  This quote reminds us that we have a say in achieving our greatest expression. When things get overwhelming or things look messy, return to the word growth and remember that it will look like complete destruction.  Messy is okay!

PLAYLIST OF THE WEEK:

Fall Forward

THE INTENTION

Fall forward. Reggie Jackson struck out twenty-six-hundred times in his career -- the most in the history of baseball. But you don’t hear about the strikeouts. People remember the home runs. Fall forward. Thomas Edison conducted 1,000 failed experiments. Did you know that? I didn’t know that—because #1,001 was the light bulb. Fall forward. Every failed experiment is one step closer to success.

ON THE MAT

One of the great lessons of yoga is 'we always have the ability to move forward'. It's nothing you can ever master. It's always progress. Some days it feels like we take a step back, but this is never the reality. By showing up on your mat today you are falling forward.

Today, in the spirit of this intention play with YOUR edge in every posture. Challenge that edge with deliberate breath and fall forward to new growth. 

OFF THE MAT

As I read this quote over and over, I think it invites us to check in with our legacy. Do you want to be remembered as someone who just did enough, or someone who was never afraid to swing for the home run?

We recently had a member pass away suddenly. He was a great presence in our community. At his life celebration it was amazing to hear his family speak about him. They are in pain at losing him to soon, but they all spoke to how they would carry on his legacy.

They shared touching stories about his ability to teach and share his time to be of service to others. One link in all their stories was "attention". They said, when he was with you he was fully present with you. This was a gift they wanted to continue. It was the recognition that paying attention is a real act of love.

When we do this, we fall forward into stronger relationships. We fall forward into stronger families. We fall forward into stronger communities.

Fall forward and build your legacy.