 Here I am with my beloved yoga teacher, Rod Stryker and his awesome son, Theo, at the Yoga Journal Conference a few days ago in CO. I've seen yogarupa (that's Rod's spiritual name) so often this year, like every other month! I saw him in January in MN, March in Chicago and in Mexico, May in NYC, July at Lake Tahoe in CA, and last week in Estes Park, CO. Yes, that's a lot of flying for me. And YES, that's a lot of time I've spent with my teacher, which has been so great.
I've been able to learn so much about yoga this year by listening to him, by practicing with him, by assisting him, by being near him. (Vibrationally, he runs pretty high.) But, enough is enough. I LOVE assisting my teacher & wish I could for every workshop. However, I need to recoup my energy and settle. I need to absorb all the information I've learned from this amazing teacher and live the teachings I've learned. I won't see him again until January in MN (again) and that's fine! I see my nephew less than I see Yogarupa. I can never have enough yoga and I am devoted to my teacher. Now, I have the luxury to practice on my own.
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Here is an article in this week's Chicago Reader that I'm in. Guess what I'm talking about? What else? My yoga teacher's kick ass, life changing book, The Four Desires. I'm a focused kinda gal, what can I say?   A tree following it's dharma at Wanderlust Yoga & Music festival, 2011. (I wonder whose standing under the tree looking up at it...) I've been teaching my yoga classes with a bhavana, or theme, taken from my teacher Rod Stryker's book, The Four Desires. Here is this week's theme:
We are each a single cell in the greater body of this world, with a unique role to play in the service of sustaining and advancing the whole of which we are a part. I love this idea! I wrote a song years ago with lyrics that reflect this. The last line of the 2nd verse is "In the end, the whole is bigger than its parts" and to me, this line is saying the same thing as Rod's quote...from the other side. It's nice to think of our whole of everything as bigger than the sum of it's parts. I wrote that song lyric to minimize my contribution to the whole of everything because I felt small and sad. I shared that my unique role wasn't important. Now, I have the attitude that Rod writes about. My participation in the world and my unique role in it IS important, as is everyone else's. Everything we do counts, even if we don't feel it. Every vibration is felt, every contribution we make counts, every thing we do sustains or advances our whole. Now that we're clear on that...let's do more than sustain. Let's ADVANCE.  My yoga teacher's new book! The big arrival is here. My teacher's book is released and I'm *so* excited! Rod Stryker is an amazing teacher - he translates ancient yogic theory and application into modern speech. It's through yogarupa (that means "essence of yoga" and is Rod's spiritual name. Also, another name for Ganesha!) that these yogic ideas from the Vedas will change lives.
This sounds like a big claim, but I speak from experience when I say that if you follow the procedures in this book, your life will change. For the better. For the best. Here, in the form of a hardback book, is a system to become completely joyful, truly happy, and to become who you were meant to be. Do it. Buy this book and the accompanying practice CD's. Challenge yourself to become the best you. YOU CAN BE THE BEST YOU ALL THE TIME! No dream. Reality. Ready for this fulfilling hard work? Let's go.  Mala event at Montrose Beach, 2007 There's a process we use in ParaYoga called vichara. In our lineage, it's a process to get to the root of our suffering, our dukha, which means "bad space". Then we have two choices to end the suffering - to either change something or accept what's bugging you. Truly, this is more difficult than it seems.
I'm irritated at someone because they said they'd call me and not only didn't call, but is apologizing in a way that doesn't seem like they're taking responsibility. They're saying, "I'm sorry that you were worried that I didn't call" and "sorry that there was a miscommunication about calling", as opposed to, "I'm sorry that I didn't call you." Is this splitting hairs? Probably. Is it still irritating? Totally. Why? Why does this small disappointment become a living irritation? Here's where getting to the root of why I'm pissy comes in. I have to find out the root of why not being called and not being "properly" apologized to is bugging me. Then, I need to accept or change. Good, I have my work cut out for me today. It's the small things that teach us, sometimes. |
 Photo by JimNewberry.com AuthorMia Park is a ParaYoga teacher in Chicago, IL, specializing in teaching Basic Yoga for Advanced Misfits, as well as teaching people how to cut through the junk to shine on. Archives
February 2012
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