Body, mind, heart….the many definitions of yoga.

The usual article about yoga tends to start by defining what yoga is. The usual definition of yoga is a dry intellectual explanation that goes something like this: “Yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind,” or “Yoga comes from the Sanskrit word to yoke, which means…” and usually a description of what gets yoked follows. Sometimes it sounds like this: “Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline originating in ancient India and found in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and ...”

There is this misperception that yoga is a practice of physical movements peppered with a mixed seasoning of new age ideas and ancient wisdom. It is supposed to be your highway to health and a fountain of youth,  cheaper and more fun than constant visits to the doctor or your cosmetic surgeon. 

For a lot of people that is exactly what yoga is. Generally whatever your expectations are from the practice, that’s what you are going to find in it and get from it. If you are coming to the practice for great abs and butt, you will be the person seeking ever more challenging workouts and you will be the person pushing the limits of your body in a yoga class until you are sweating profusely, exhausted and “feel the burn.” If you are the kind of person looking for connection, you will find yourself in classes where other students like to chat and hang out with each other, and find yourself in kirtans (devotional gatherings with music and chanting). If you are the kind of person who’s looking for transformation, you will have a giant library of yoga books, attend workshops, and notice how every yoga class you take makes you feel – physically, mentally and emotionally.

That’s why each one of us have a different definition of what yoga is. If you sit and think for a moment what yoga is for you, you will find your own definition, and if you stick with the practice long enough, you may find that your definition is changing. Hopefully, if you are in the yoga abs and butt category, you will indeed change your definition over time, or else, you will be missing out on most of the practice.

My first experience with yoga, even before I knew what yoga was, or that it even existed, was when I was ten years old and sitting under a blackberry bush being quiet so I can see the Universe "out there" reflected in me, "in here." I was having a mystical experience without knowing it. This goes to show you that mystical experiences are available to anyone regardless of training, age, gender, affiliation, or location. Children like me, who were pretty much left to figure things out on their own and before their heads got full with experiences, impressions, and definitions (samskaras), and who didn’t have to struggle to physically survive, are probably more open and likely to stumble upon something profound than adults who are already molded into a worldview, stuck in life's responsibilities, and generally more skeptical. I don’t think, I am special. It took me years to realize I was having a mystical experience and I was only able to appreciate it when I grew up enough to learn a few things, get a few definitions, and realize that I have built a few walls of my own.

Later in my teens, I acquired my fist misunderstanding of yoga to be a strange undertaking of a few people who live in India and sleep on beds of nails, walk around naked, try to hold their breath for too long ,and show off contortionist skills to amazed bystanders. I have no idea where that came from! Perhaps I saw it on Bulgarian TV.  My grandmother, years later, when she found out that I was doing yoga, puzzled and openly disappointed asked my mother “Why would Valentina want to do this? What is the future of someone sleeping on a bed of nails?” My own mother, when she found out that I had become a yoga teacher lamented: “You spent all this time and sacrificed so much to get a real education (referring to my economics degree)! Why would you want to throw it all away?”

Over the years, my definition of yoga has changed dramatically. I have come to realize that my child mystical experience has more to do with who I have become than what my family tried to imprint on me, or what I planned on becoming.  It left me with an insatiable yarning to find meaning beyond what meets the eye. It stuck inside and made me evaluate my undertakings as “sukha” or “dukha” (wholesome/happy vs unfitting/suffering). Sometimes willing, sometimes kicking and screaming, I managed to follow the instinct created by that mystical experience into a journey of self-discovery which has paid off with experiential understanding of human nature and the nature of reality. This, in turn, has brought about tenderness, appreciation, and compassion in someone like me who’s not that tender, appreciative, and compassionate to begin with. It's made me a Self-reliant optimist, even in times of funk and hardship. 

My definition of yoga is: “A personal practice of transformation that tames the mind and reveals its limitless creative potential, purifies and shapes the body into the most amazing instrument of action through with creativity can manifest, and opens the heart to universal connectedness that humbles, challenges, and further transforms anyone willing to withstand it.”

Yes, I love me a challenging physical practice and always look forward to one. But my definition of yoga expands beyond that and infuses that with meaning beyond shape and form. I find my asana practice to be one of the best opportunities to practice mindfulness of my psychological tenancies. I notice the impulses of the ego to push the limits, the tenderness of the heart reminding me to listen deeply into the body, the passing of life and vitality which brings sadness and utmost gratitude for that which is still present now, the emotional reactions to the thoughts that arise, the reactivity and at the same time the vastness of speciousness and deep silence within which everything is born, takes shape and returns to. An asana practice for me is one of the best places to experience the multidimensionality of humanness because it is a safe container for vulnerability.

Ultimately, our intentions determine our actions and the outcomes of these actions end up serving our intentions, even though the outcome may be something we didn't expect or plan for. My intention has been to grow, explore, and fulfill the potential within me. I’ve been many places I didn't expect to find myself and each and every place, person, situation, and event had something to show me about me.  That’s karma, the law of causality, and interconnectedness of events. One is liberated by solving the riddles karma delivers your way and transcending the samskaras, the unconscious mental habits and conditioning that lay at the bottom of every karmic occurrence.

Yes, it’s an ongoing process, because we make more karma as we are going along – sometimes out of ignorance, other times because we can’t see the connections between things. Sometimes, we make decisions out of ego which is unable to let go of its usual way of seeing and doing things just yet.  Other times, our attachments and aversions run so deep we don’t know they are there. Sometimes, it’s just dumb luck and reactivity towards it from deeply ingrained conditioning…  Basically, it’s safe to assume that for as long as we are on this planet and have a body, we all are going to have plenty to do in the karma department.

Beliefs usually are at the basis of our intentions. We intend for something we believe we want, deserve or need, something that we consider good. Something we believe is worth our time and effort. We don’t set intentions to suffer unreasonably, to be dishonest whenever possible, to cause others to suffer, and to feel miserable pretty much all the time.  But sometimes we actually believe that we don’t deserve love, connection, and prosperity. We actually believe we are incompetent and unable to get from where we are to where we intend to be. If intention and beliefs misalign we find trouble because we find no fulfillment and prove to ourselves that “this stuff just doesn’t work. “  By examining our beliefs we learn massive amounts about ourselves. We find all our samskaras.  As we unearth them, than we have an opportunity to transform them, thus transforming our beliefs and setting intentions that match our deepest convictions, our highest visions, and our most sincere aspirations. 

So, what is your intention for your yoga? Does your yoga serve your intentions and how? Are these questions you even think about? There are no wrong answers, only sincere answers and pretend answers. If your answers are sincere, your practice will be a good start on the endless road of transformation. If your answers are wishful thinking, or parroting things you’ve heard or read somewhere, than your practice will give you something just for practicing – like numerous health benefits that are attributed to yoga, but those will be temporary, limited, and not that different from other forms of exercise, because that’s all you are doing – exercising.  Yes, exercising is better than not exercising, but there are a lot of unhappy people who are exercising every day. There are a lot of people with broken relationships, who are exercising every day. There are a lot of mean and selfish people, who are exercising every days. 

If you want to know if your yoga is “working” take a look at your relationships. What is your relationship with yourself, with your partner, or children, or co-workers….all of your relationships? If you find things you can improve upon, go back to the mat, to the books, to meditation, and contemplation. The Greek Olympics used to have a slogan, or perhaps they still do… “Healthy mind, healthy body, healthy spirit.” That’s not too far from what Yoga is all about, is it?

Heal your mind, transform your body, open your heart.  A mind that sees clearly and is free of obstructions envisions the future. A body that’s healthy, energized and agile creates the future. A heart that’s open and wise, shares the future with all others.

Ultimately, yoga is really not about you, is it? But without you it won’t happen. 

Take a class or one of my workshops, and you will see what I mean. If you are on journey and need guidance and support, consider my coaching services. It's always a pleasure and an honor to help people along their unique paths. info@thisfulfillinglife.com / www.ThisFulfillingLife.com

Starting Over..

Starting something is a lot of fun.  Starting a new book promises a new time alone. Starting a new diet promises a dream body. Starting a new TV shows promises new drama. A new date promises new flirtation. New friends promise new fun. Starting a new chapter in life, holds the potential for renewal, growth and new adventures. Basically, most people have stared new things more times than they can count - hopeful, excited, nervous, scared, expectant or reluctant.

The question i have then is, why do we not like re-starting something as much as we like starting it in first place. I've read books more than once and found them to be more meaningful the second or third time around. I've tried to learn Italian 3 or 4 times and everytime I restarted, I learned a little more. Once I tried to make eclairs and went through some 36 eggs for multiple unsuccessful trials. It was fun nevertheless and the dog had a lot of flat eclairs to enjoy.

I've met other people like me, starters and restarters. But I've also met many folks who start and never finish but instead of restarting, they just give up, whatever it is. Some give up on their dream bodies. Others give up on their dream marriages. And others give up on stopping bad habits, on learning new things and on working on their lives. For some, to restart something is to admit that you failed once. If that's how you think, i feel sorry for you. A prominent social psychologist from Stanford University, Carol Dweck, had done some interesting research concluding that there are really just two kinds of mindsets out there. The folks with the fixed mindset seem to think that they are born with everything they've got and change is something that happens to others. They stick to their opinions, the way they do things and how they think of themselves. As a result of that they spend all their lives trying to prove to others how good they are, how special they are and how important they are. They start things up and they don't restart if it doesn't work out the first time because it would mean that the first time around the results they got did not match their expectations of themselves and it would be mighty difficult to try to prove how great you are if you just bombed your first trial.

Meanwhile, other folks, with what she calls a growth mindset, spent their time learning and growing. They don't mind restarting again and again, relearning, retrying. They are open to change and welcome it with open arms, no matter how difficult it may be. They never fail because everything is a learning opportunity and because every endeavor is a stepping stone to the next one. There's nothing to lose but a little ego skin in the process, so why not dive right in!

I am just restarting my blog. As you can see, my last post was in November. All this time i was looking for a platform to do everything for me - website, blog, and drive my car. I kept trying and testing and at the end I came back to what I already had....and restarted my blog.

I also just restarted juicing. After a cheese rich and pastry bountiful vacation to Paris, I, not only forgot how to use my juicer, I even forgot how good it felt to have a fresh squeezed juice daily, and went on eating chocolate and bread even at home. My first restarted juice was orange, carrot and apple and it was absolutely delicious!

I also restart my mediation practice every Friday because I quit every Thursday due to my travel schedule which keeps me working and traveling from 5:45 am - 11:30 pm.

I can think of a million other things I restart or should restart and will restart. I wonder what could you restart today that would make a huge difference in your life! Just one thing! Common, you know you have it!

Be brave!

Peas in a pod

Jim Rohn said that you are the average of the 5 people you hang out with the most. You may wonder who Jim Rohn is. He is best known for his personal rags to riches story and his 40 years of personal development seminars, founded on well crafted philosophy and psychology of living. When a person like that says something, the rest of us better listen.

If you want to amuse yourself, put pen to paper and write down the names and qualities of the 5 people you hang out with the most and take the average. See if you still like yourself. You may love yourself. You may decide it’s time to re-arrange your friends’ list. No need to wonder if your grandmother knew Jim Rohn, just because she told you “Tell me who your friends are, and I'll tell you who you are.” It’s more likely that Jim listened to his grandmother, and look what that got him and countless others.

It is interesting to wonder about our hidden potentials and secret dreams. In her very influential book The Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron warns all of us that creativity is the electricity of life and a God given gift, a responsibility which if left unrealized, leaves us feeling unfulfilled, jealous of others and generally stuck with flat lives. You may wonder what does an artist, an entrepreneur, a housewife, a teacher, an engineer, or a bartender have in common, and you may conclude like most out there, that they have nothing in common. Like most others, you will be wrong.

Creativity is what we all have in common as we are the very expression of creativity – from the moment of our conception and even before. Creativity is what is needed in every aspect of our lives, from solving problems, to writing a play, to painting a room, to starting and running a business, to cooking dinner. If we approach life like a series of tasks on a to-do list, we end up waiting in line at the pharmacy for the next refill of antidepressants.

The other commonality is that we all have friends. Even the introverted types like me, who prefer the company of books and keeping the bluffs trail in Montana De Oro all for my own self. The friends we have will either help or hinder our creative expression. I young lady came to see me and told me in all seriousness “No one wants me to succeed!” I was shocked and hurt to hear this. How is she to live in a world where she felt like being herself and aspiring to become what she wants to become will be met by people who are not interested in her growth. I told her that it was simply not true - “It's just that you have not yet met the people who will want you to succeed.”

To have friends that in some way inspire your creativity, stimulate your self-expression, and support you in whatever way they can on your journey of life, are the kind of friends you should be surrounding yourself with. At the same time, you should consider being this kind of friend too, because you are also needed in realizing other’s dreams. Without your heartfelt participation, someone else’s life will be flat. Without your honest self expression, a piece of the mystery of the Universe will have to be left unrealized. Without your willingness to rise above your fears and limitations, the only faith that awaits you is the well worn out spot on your couch… and then you die.

Where would you like to start today? What area of your life needs a creative infusion?

Valentina Petrova is the person to go to when you need help sorting yourself out and enjoying a fulfilling life. She is a strategic interventionist, life & transitions coach and so much more, once you get to know her. info@thisfulfillinglife.com /805-242-3181/ Facebook – CoachValentina.


This piece was originally published in Indulge SLO Volume 1 / Issue 6

Yoga As Self Transformation

An article everyone doing yoga should read. It's old and timeless and absolutely awesome.

YogaAsSelfTransformation.pdf

Feel free to comment on the impression this article has made on you.

It's interesting for me personally to remember how the article felt when i first read it some 15 years ago. Then to read it again from time to time and see how it has shaped my practice and my teaching.

Happy reading.

The F Word

Fun, freedom, fulfillment—“F” words abound. Friendship, family, future. Fancy this, we really need to “F” ourselves and others, if we are to enjoy the other “F” words.

Continue reading... http://www.elephantjournal.com/2013/08/the-f-word-valentina-petrova/

Vulnerable

When the going gets tough the tough get going... I used to misunderstand this saying. Tough meant stoic, harsh, determined, shear power struggle until I won. Then one day it occurred to me that I was exhausting myself being tough. I read about body armor and stood in front of the mirror identifying myself as a "Challenger/Defender" and wondered if it was a coincidence that wherever I went, something got unsettled. I used to joke that my middle name was "Change".

Years later a friend of mine pointed out that my proper middle name "Sasheva" was sexy and it purrs. Funny but by then I had already thrown away most of my more tough looking attire, and lace, flowing skirts and sheer fabrics were already occupying a sizable portion of closet space. By then I had been given my alter ego – the flamboyant tango dancer, an ample amount of room to express herself and yes, she could purr, dance and glide through life.  

Still, I had never really put it all together until he started calling me Sasheva instead of my given name. At first it sounded weird because no one has ever called me by my middle name. Underneath the discomfort I found a smile. Underneath the smile I found an authenticity that put into perspective the changes that have been happening in the last 5 years of my life, most of which were creeping in even before.

I realized that the meaning of tough has changed for me to mean something like the nurturing, soft persistence of water on its mission of shaping the Grand Canyon. Tough had a raw softness and exposed vulnerability to it that made for more sincere and honest interactions. All of the sudden the laws of physics totally made sense in terms of human relationships. Every action produces an equal and opposing reaction, therefore if you push, they shove. The further you pull away the stronger you snap back, just to crash at the point of origination, thus there was no escaping the realization that I was my mother after all. Sensitive dependence on initial conditions is chaos theory, fancy way of saying that we are all interdependent and we should pay attention to that.

It’s easy to say “I don’t care” when we actually do and care a lot. What we get in return is “I don’t care right back at ya” and no one is happy. It’s harder to put into words feelings because feelings are elusive and words are clumsy in comparison. Yet, life is about nuances. The very search for the right words is a space we share with each other and is more meaningful than slamming a door in the other’s face. Furthermore, being vulnerable is special because it gives someone else the opportunity to reach out, connect and lift you up. We all love to be needed and valued. If none of us is ever vulnerable, then who will ever feel needed and valuable in return? We rob each other of the opportunity to share our goodness with each other when we are stuck in our armor and warring states.  

Honesty is what makes it all jive together. Without honesty with our own selves, we won’t know what it is we are doing, needing and communicating. We may mistake needy for vulnerable and manipulative for caring. We may mistake lace for weapons and purring for a growl. In yoga language – discernment and practice lead to liberation. In the language of quantum physics – the observer has a lot to do with what is being observed. In the language of physiology – we feel better when we are with people who feel better themselves.

When I think of tough now, I think of the goddess Isis and her magical ways with which she cared for everyone – sinners and saints, maidens and artists, slaves and aristocrats, the living and the dead. Motherly but purposeful, soft but assertive, clever and carrying. The river Nile flooded every year with her tears of sorrow for her brother Osiris, out of which came fertility and life sustaining nourishment. If she decided to say “I don’t care” and acted stoic, what would the outcome be? Probably she would not be a goddess.

I found a picture of Isis, just the way I had dreamt of her wearing the head dress of Hathor with the sun disk between the cow horns, kneeling on the ground with her arms outstretched into beautiful wings as if ready to embrace the whole world. I printed it and pinned it above my computer desk, to remind myself to check in with Sasheva once in a while and to keep softening.

Who is your intrinsic god/goddess? 

Valentina Petrova

info@thisfulfillinglife.com

Do Something that Matters

“Life is too short” is a familiar cliché very few people pay attention to, until it’s too late and you are out of time. Do you ever take inventory of the way you spend your time? How much of the time you spend, you actually use purposefully, productively, meaningfully? How much of time you throw away on TV ads, pointless speculations, meaningless interactions on social media, useless tasks, soul sucking things you really don’t want to do, arguing, complaining, and so on?

If “Time is money” than what value would you put on all that time you are throwing away? What value would you put on the priceless moments of utter joy, connectedness, love, and the feeling of riding on the momentum of purpose and inspiration?

What is the value of a life without regrets? If you can imagine one such life, you can make it happen. To make it happen, you will have to commit to doing what matters most to you. To find out what matters most to you, you will have to tap into your personal source of wisdom and inspiration – your heart. In your mind, you may be full of rationalization about what you do and why. In your heart, those same rationalizations are dissolved in the ocean of knowing that no amount of rationalization will really make you feel better. The only thing that would make you feel elated, fulfilled, happy and content is you doing what you are here to do.

We all have many gifts to contribute to the tapestry of living. We have talents, unique points of view, ideas, inspirations and dreams. With every dream we kill, a little part of us dies away. With every inspiration we forego, a little life in us shrivels up. With every gift we withhold, we are a little more impoverished. A life time of holding back and rationalizing our actions and choices, results in one day looking back and wishing you could have another chance. But there’s no going back. So, why not do it all, just right, NOW.

For every brave moment you choose to be yourself, you grow a little taller and more confident. For every contribution you make from your authentic gift registry, you grow a little bigger than yourself.

What you do in your life is not only important to you but for countless others you will encounter, even through 5 degrees of separation. Therefore, doing what matters is not just your personal bee’s wax. What you do, ripples out and creates waves in all directions, spilling into the shores of co-creation.

Do what matters! Today!

Valentina Petrova info@thisfulfillinglife.com