Yoga Plus

I am really loving Mockingbird Yoga. I know I wrote about this the other day, but I love this place so much I had to rave about it again.

Today I took a yoga class with Mark and I loved the way the class started. Mark spoke to us about the Four Unlimited Attributes that we all possess and wanted us to focus on these are we practiced yoga today. They are:


1) Loving Kindness - We can never have or show enough loving kindness to everyone in the world. As well as for ourselves, he reminds us.

2) Compassion - We possess unlimited compassion. We just need to tap into it. As an example, Mark shared, we may look at a homeless person and think, "Why doesn't have have a job?!" But then we can remember that most homeless people have mental illnesses so we can remember to have compassion for them.

3) Joy - Yes, joy can be found everywhere and anywhere and we should look into tapping into this joy. Personally, I have been finding much joy. I find myself marveling at the clouds, at certain palm trees standing against a mountainous background that make them look so beautiful. It is so joyful to just see and recognize the beauty that is around us no matter how small.

4) Equanimity - Equanimity is the ability to accept. Maybe you find yourself in a situation that is not ideal and you are able to recognize that it may not be the ideal situation, but you're okay with it because you know that "this too shall pass."

I loved that throughout the yoga practice he would remind us of these attributes. Are you showing yourself Loving Kindness? Are you showing compassion? If the yoga pose is too hard, take it easy. What about Joy? If this yoga pose is hard and you've conquered it, then surely you feel joy. What about Equanimity? If you find that you just can't get that one pose, be okay with it. Maybe you will get it tomorrow.

What a beautiful way to approach life and its situations. And Mark reminds us to always bring it back to the breath. Take a deep breath, hold your shoulders back. It's a better way to approach life rather than having your shoulders slumped forward.

This is exactly the kind of yoga studio that suits me. Practicing mindfulness and yoga.