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:

Spilled Groceries aka, Wisdom and Compassion

I had a fun weekend teaching some Modo Flow vibes at our studio Modo Yoga Minneapolis.  The weekend peeps come hard and put in work.  I love them!!  Our intention this week comes from a Tibetan story that speaks to developing wisdom & compassion.  I’ve heard this story many times from a view teachers, but this time, I pulled it from Jack Kornfield book “Bringing Home The Dharma.”  It’s a great read, grab it for you iPad here.

THE INTENTION

Imagine walking along a sidewalk with your arms full of groceries, and someone roughly bumps into you so that you fall and your groceries are strewn over the ground. As you rise from the puddle of broken eggs and tomato juice, you are ready to shout out, “You idiot! What’s wrong with you? Are you blind?” But just before you can catch your breath to speak, you see that the person who bumped into you is blind. He, too, is sprawled in the spilled groceries, and your anger vanishes in an instant, to be replaced by sympathetic concern: “Are you hurt? Can I help you up?” Our situation is like this. When we clearly realize that the source of disharmony and misery in the world is ignorance, we can open the door to wisdom and compassion.

ONE THE MAT

While in opening Savasana I asked people to visualize themselves in the above story as I read it.  Straight up, yoga practice is a powerful way to open the doors to wisdom and compassion. When we open these doors, we naturally reduce our ignorance. You're doing mighty work.

In the flow practice we focused on opening the doors with our vinyasa. The way we half lift and let our spine and heart shine forward, this is the very act of opening a door. Exhale fold, let some ignorance fall from us.

OFF THE MAT

The opportunity to wake up is always ours. It's harder now more then ever as we have smart phones, our heads our down more than ever.  So when we take 60 mins to do yoga and cultivate a deliberate breath, it is transforming work you're doing.

Where else can we lift our head up and step into the present moment? The answer is simple; everywhere. Simple as it is, it's hard to do. How about this, try starting with anyone you're with, be it at work or home.  Lift your head up, pay attention; be a listener.  Paying attention is a real act of love. Then, take a breath and notice how presence feels.

PLAYLIST OF THE WEEK

Yo, the horns in this set are so tasty, blast this one!

Soul Cool Records/ DJ Carl Lovell - Soul-Funk Rootz Lounge Blend Vol 3 by Soul Cool Records on Mixcloud

This Is A Wonderful Moment

Its been a minute for real.  My bad.  I've been nursing an injury and haven’t been teaching much.  But last week I subbed a class and dropped some mindfulness heat during a fun weekend Modo Flow. Legit styles on this ancient Buddhist Gatha (verse).

THE INTENTION

Breathing in I calm my body
Breathing out I smile
Dwelling the the present moment
I know this is a wonderful moment

ON THE MAT

Drifting off is easy in the hot room.  We are working hard, there is 60 peeps in the room, space is tight, the sweat is pouring off us, the mind can wonder with ease.  It take real effort to come back and be where you are; to be immersed in our present experience.  This Gatha gives our breath a mindful focus and moves us toward understanding that no matter what we are going through in any posture that THIS MOMENT is a wonderful moment.

Breathing in I calm my body -  reciting this line is like a nice glass of ice water in the hot room - feel the breathing calm your body. 

Breathing out I smile - when you smile, you relax hundreds of muscles in your face & relax the nervous system.

Dwelling in the present moment - while i am in this pose i don’t think of the next pose the one before, I know where I am .

I know this is a wonderful moment -  this is the only moment that is real, be it real ease in a posture, or real struggle, to be here & now, and enjoy the present moment is our most important task. 

OFF THE MAT

This is a Gatha I use on the regular in my meditation practice.  I use this Gatha in a four breath cycle. Inhale I think calm. Exhale I think smile. Inhale I think present. Exhale I think wonderful.  Working with this for 15-30 minutes really brings awareness to how wonderful this moment is. Rooting here, I blossom into my day with excitement.

You can use this at any point in your day.  Set a little reminder on your phone and once every hour stop what you’re doing and sit upright.  Take four deliberate breaths reciting this Gatha.  You are where you are, be there fully and allow it be a wonderful & present moment.

PLAYLIST OF THE WEEK

The Only Thing That Is Real

I was on the road again this week, I toured my Dharma Flow workshop to Moksha Yoga Square one.  Laughter heard, tears shed and great tunes shared.  Before I left for Toronto again, I was able to teach a couple classes in Minneapolis and used this great intention for the classes.

THE INTENTION

The only thing that is ultimately real about your journey is the step that you are taking at this moment. That’s all there ever is.
- Eckhart Tolle -

ON THE MAT

I reminded the students how powerful this quote is.  THIS MOMENT, that’s all there ever is.  Today, let’s take 60 minutes and get REAL, get present… get lifted.  There is a lot of fake in this world. Not us, not today.  Lets be real, let’s get real by tuning in, so we don’t tune out.

As we moved through the class I repeated those simple words, “the step you are taking at this moment.”  This is yoga practice, to return over and over again.  Sometimes it came in the form of a question, “what step are you taking at this moment.

OFF THE MAT

Sometimes we have so much on our plate and we can to easily brag about our ability to multi-task.  When we practice yoga or meditation in a deliberate we are invited to take care of what’s right in front of us.  We cultivate the ability to focus and take a step forward in our life by embracing “THIS MOMENT.”  That’s all there ever is.  

We can create space for growth by dealing with what right in front of us.  Taking the step we need to take frees us to take the steps we want to take.  We create FREEDOM.

FAVE PLAYLIST FROM THE WEEK

Ain't No Half-Steppin'

This was a special week of teaching, I got to hit the road and tour my Dharma Flow Yoga class and also work with a group of 40 Moksha teachers on Intention setting.  After vibin’ on intentions I then had the privilege of guiding this amazing group of instructors.  It was exciting, nerve racking and incredibly humbling.

What intention do you share with a group of teachers who just did a 3 hour intention setting workshop?  No joke, I was feeling the pressure, but like Big Daddy Kane I don't half-step. We dropped a strong one and it set us up for some powerful sweating.

For some instructors, taking on Intention Setting for their yoga classes is really really hard.  As in it is not something they are use to and it can make even a seasoned teacher feel uncomfortable.  I wanted to connect to that challenge and let the practice remind us of our ability to grow, & create change, not just react or respond to it.

THE INTENTION

I can't grow if I can't change. Because in order to move forward and live my life to the fullest, in order to live my life loudly and create a legacy I need to change. I need to Grow.  More then this, I want to grow. 
- Emma Hansen -

ON THE MAT

With our breath and with our movement we honoured the simple truth that is "impermanence".  Nothing stays the same. Everything falls apart.  With yoga practice we can embrace this truth and be an empowering part of change. We can see that fallingapart is okay, and, we can practice getting back up over and over again.  With our breath and movement, and with our rooting lets remind ourselves that we can be the change. 

I love the line Emma says, "in order to live my life loudly & create a legacy I need to change." Next time you step on your mat, take a moment and imagine that your class that day is one chapter in your biography.  One full chapter.  Be fully awake to creating your legacy.  What would this chapter say about your life?  Try it, next time you practice, take that 60 minutes and allow it to be a part of your legacy.  This is powerful work.

OFF THE MAT

Your boy Ghandi dropped it legit, “BE the change you want to see.”  Change happens every moment.  You are not the same person you were yesterday.  You had a full day of experiences and ’things’ that happened. Naturally shifts take place.  Taking our practice off the mat, we can be mindful with each step we take in a day.  One translation of mindfulness is ‘to remember’.  We can remember that we can not just wait for change, but we can CREATE SHIFTS that wake us up, shifts that challenge us and shifts that create a legacy of kindness, peace, and strength.

WE SPARKED OUR PRACTICE WITH SOME TEENA MARIE

No Escape, And That's Okay

Lot’s of teaching this September, I am loving it.  The community at Modo Yoga Mpls is thriving.  In fact this September 13th we are having our first ever “Family Dinner".  It will continue to be the 2nd Sunday of every month.  Vegan Food, a fun movie, good quality family time. All in our community are invited.  If you’re in Minneapolis, join us on the 13th for some delicious Indian Food - just CLICK HERE.

This week I worked with a lot of intentions, but the one I will expand on I used for Sunday’s #ModoFlow class.  The weekend crew always bring it legit styles, and we dropped some soulful house beats and sweat like mad. For real, it was real humid outside and inside.  We made some soul puddles.

THE INTENTION

Because we can't escape the world,
we must embrace the world as part of our practice.

ON THE MAT

This is so true, there is no escape, but we certainly try at times don’t we?  Some people even use their yoga practice as an escape.  But yoga practice is about embrace, not escape.  So in this class I encouraged the students to visualize their mat as a high-dive platform.  Imagine that for a moment yourself.

Imagine every time we stepped on our mat we were stepping onto a high-dive platform. Our breath, our movement and the awareness we cultivate all become tools that give us confidence to dive off or jump off directly into the water that is our life. And when we hit the water, guess what? Ripples are created.  The ripples are the embrace.  Another great thing about practice is when we dive off, no one is judging us.  No one is scoring our form.

In flow we are in down dog a lot, and we step or hop forward to our hands.  Here is a chance to leap from that platform.  As we come up, we return to heart center.  Here we get ready to literally dive.  Inhale sweep up, exhale swan dive into our life.  We embrace the world as our practice.   

OFF THE MAT

There is no escape, but we've all have tried at times I’m sure.  I am guilty of almost daily.  Some escape behind a screen name, some escape to retail therapy (guilty),  some escape with drugs & alcohol. And some sadly use suicide to escape.

Yoga gives us tools to dive into our life and embrace the world as a part of our practice.  The most basic and powerful tool we can cultivate is a deliberate breath.  We can take one deep breath in a tough moment at work, at home, with our kids, and then choose our response. Before our reaction becomes our action.

A deliberate breath can
help us create a deliberate life.

A deliberate breath can help us create a deliberate life. A life that is not full of reaction.  We can dive into our life with peaceful and compassionate responses that help us embrace where we are.

FAVE PLAYLIST FROM THIS WEEK