The Soccer Player

Your Why:       Why do you teach? I teach yoga to help everyone find stability on the mat, clarity in life.

Theme:            Process over practice. Less is sometimes more.

HOVs:              Ease, Skill, Shraddha, Curiosity

Anecdote:

It seems that being hyper-vigilant, hyper-offended and just hyper from 2020 has become a way of habit and of doing, but it’s not a good way of being. The body, mind and spirit has to hit the pause button to refresh. Years ago, my son made a competitive soccer team and they placed him as a wing. The wing position has to cover nearly the entire field. They run the most. The coach took him aside and said, you are not playing smart. You will kill yourself if you keep running at max speed all the time. Notice the field and where you need to be, and then rest when you can. This year is just beginning and we will need our energy and focus later on.

Contemplations:

Do less, be more. Practice smarter, and not always harder. The hips take finesse and concentration. The action is subtle and you will feel it if you pay attention. If you go running around looking for sensation you will miss it. Being curious is a way forward when the path is unclear.

Golden Nuggets

·      Try less.

·      Process over practice.

·      Work smarter, not harder.

·      Hyper becomes a habit.

·      Invest in rest.

·      Coach says to rest here.

·      Let the pose come to you.

·      Be the yoga, not just do the yoga.

·      Surrender a little bit.

·      Be the turtle, not the hare.

·      Let it be.

VP: Staying curious means you will have a way to grow, and resting gives you the energy.

Quotes:

·       “Lighthouses don’t go running all over an island looking for boats to save. They just stand there shining.” Anne Lamott

·      “The road to enlightenment is long and difficult. Try not to forget snacks and magazines.” Lamott

·       “We don’t have to be fast; we simply have to be steady and move in the right direction. Direction is always going to trump speed.” Toni Sorenson

·      Shraddha is faith or trust. It is the surrender to Virya, strength. You must have both. Yoga Sutra 1.20

·      “Almost everything will work again in a few minutes if you unplug it, including you.” Anne Lamott