19 tips for success — and they’re not easy.

1. You have to make the call you’re afraid to make.

2. You have to get up earlier than  you want to get up.

3. You have to give more than you get in return right away.

4. You have to care more about others than you care about you.

5. You have to fight when you are already injured, bloody, and sore.

6. You have to feel unsure and insecure when playing it safe seems smarter.

7. You have to lead when no one else is following you yet.

8. You have to invest in yourself even though no one else is.

9. You have to look like a fool while you’re looking for answers you don’t have.

10. You have to grind out the details when it’s easier to shrug them off.

11. You have to deliver results when making excuses is an option.

12. You have to search for your own explanations even when you’re told to accept the facts.

13. You have to make mistakes and look like an idiot.

14. You have to try and fail and try again.

15. You have to run faster even though you’re out of breath.

16. You have to be kind to people who have been cruel to you.

17. You have to meet deadlines that are unreasonable and deliver results that are unparalleled. (love this!)

18. You have to be accountable for your actions even when things go wrong.

19. You have to keep moving toward where you want to be no matter what’s in front of you.

This list appeared in Skin Inc and was adapted from the blog, “Edgy Conversations” by Dan Waldschmidt.

 

Yoga Mat Love

I found this via My Yoga Online. So true.

Dreaming of an Oscar?

Won for 12 Years A Slave

Stand Gounded in Tree Pose

This image is via Daily Good. So good.

Your Intention, Your Purpose, and a Downward-Facing Dog

For me, setting an intention at the start of the practice definitely makes for a better class. Every time my mind wavers I bring it back to the intention. Today’s intention was “Do everything with love.” Yesterday’s — “Try your best. No more no less.” Breathing the intention through the shake of Plank pose or the wobble of Eagle helps bring me back to centre. It’s all about focus, right?

In this issue of U.S. Yoga Journal, there is an article about the contemplative aspect of asana practice and how breathing new energy into poses can help transform your life. Sometimes it’s tough to set an intention — the mind draws a blank. This exercise helped me uncover some intentions. Try it!

AFFIRM YOUR LIFE’S POSITION IN DOWNWARD DOG

Yoga Journal, February issue

Practice:

Come to your hands and knees, close your eyes, and pour your attention into the places where each of your finger pads makes contact with the earth. Tuck your toes and lift the knees off the floor, extending your legs into Downward-Facing Dog.

Spread your fingers wider and press more intently into your hands. Ask yourself: “How best can I touch the world through these hands, these feet, and this body? What is the gift I have to offer the world?” Bend one knee, and press the opposite heel deeper toward the ground, first one side, then the other, stepping into this inquiry with your being.

Breathe and ask yourself, “What purpose can I invest my breath and strength into?” As answers to your questions arise, let them fuel your passion to both hold the pose and to commit to your purpose with greater focus and strength.

Maybe you’ll realise that your life’s purpose is to sing, or to garden, or to teach or write or nurture or inspire others. Imagine you are anchoring into your purpose through your hands and feet, emboldening it with the energy surging through your arms, torso, and legs, enriching it with each inhale and exhale. Feel yourself standing, wholeheartedly, in your dharma — your purpose or soul’s work. Welcome any words or images that arise.

http://www.mariamedia.net

An Intention for Life

“Be well-ordered in your life, and as ordinary as a bourgeois, in order to be fierce and original in your work.” — Gustave Flaubert

The Mighty Warrior Pose ~ Yoga

Warrior Pose II, Virabhadrasana II

This is one of my favourite poses — it reminds me to stay strong, empowered, and balanced. It’s also a heart opener. I recently read how effective this pose is for sending love and healing from the heart, out through the conduit of the arms and hands, to the universe.

“When you find yourself obsessing about problems and life obstacles, this moving loving-kindness meditation can help you shift out of a self-centred mode of thinking and realise yoga’s potential as a vehicle for sharing love and healing.” Yoga Journal

Channel that energy from your heart and through your fingertips. You might feel a tingle.

via melissadinwiddie.com

Surrender to Become

Allow mysteries to unravel in their own time… My shoulders already feel lighter and I can’t wait to lay in Savasana.

via Mandy Ingber Yogalosophy Facebook page

11.11 Make A Wish

This post was simply going to be a little tribute to Anaïs Nin’s 111th Birthday. Brainpickings.org had posted a pretty picture with a quote and I was going to pop it here and share with you all.

But then I delved a little deeper and wondered why I am always drawn to the repetition and pattern of numbers. I always make a wish when the clock shows up as 11.11; it was partly the “111” of Anaïs Nin’s birthday commemoration that got my attention.

So I googled 11.11 and was kind of spooked out by what I read. Here’s a sample from Yahoo Answers:

For many years the numbers 11:11 have been mysteriously appearing to people all over the world. Often appearing on digital clocks, the sightings of 11:11 tend to occur during times of heightened awareness, having a most powerful effect on the people involved. This causes a reactivation of our cellular memory banks. There’s a stirring deep inside, a hint of remembrance of something long forgotten.

The appearance of 11:11 is also a powerful confirmation that we are on the right track, aligned with our highest Truth. Throughout the years, I have personally encountered thousands of people all over the world who, have experienced repeated sightings of 11:11. They all want to know what is happening to them and why. What does the 11:11 signify?

11:11 is a pre-encoded trigger placed into our cellular memory banks prior to our descent into matter which, when activated, signifies that our time of completion is near. This refers to the completion of duality. When the 11:11 appears to you, it is your wake-up call. A direct channel opens up between you and the Invisible. When this happens, it is time to reflect on whatever you are doing for a moment and Look Larger. A transfer is in position. You can enter the Greater Reality if you wish pray or meditate and seed your future and also, you can be seeded by the Invisible. You can ask for help in some specific area of your life or simply listen quietly and receive a revelation.(written by dolly blaine)

And from 1111angels.net:

How often have you noticed the numbers 11:11, 12:12, 10:10, 22:22, 12:34, 2:22, 3:33, 4:44 or 5:55 popping up all over the place? These number sequences are not necessarily only time prompts. They can also be number sequences, like 333, 1111 etc. To your mind, is this a coincidence, or are they too frequent to be random? Perhaps you are puzzled or amused by this phenomenon? Possibly even a little bit nervous? The question everyone is asking is “What does 11:11 mean?” and “Is there a reason for this?” And there certainly is.

These 11:11 Wake-Up Calls on your digital clocks, mobile phones, VCR’s and microwaves are the “trademark” prompts of a group of just 1,111 fun-loving Spirit Guardians, or Angels, and the 11:11 prompt is their way of using our innate ability for pattern recognition to let us know that they are here. Once they have your attention, they will use other digits, like 12:34, or 2:22 to remind you of their presence. Invisible to our eyes, they are very real.

All along I have been making a wish at 11.11 — check my Twitter feed — and hey, maybe I was on the right track. I just didn’t know a spirit or angel was around making it so. I’d like to think that my grandmother has something to do with this!

Anyway, here is the Anaïs Nin picture from Brain Pickings I had intended to post before I became entranced with the above.

via brainpickings.org

#YogaTruth