Patheos

BuddhistCatholicContemplativeEvangelicalGeneral ChristianHinduJewishLatter-day SaintMuslimNew VisionsProgressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Patheos

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos Patheos on Facebook Patheos on YouTube

Wrestling With Yourself

Day 8: Moksha, “Yoga Is Your Story”

Last updated on: August 13, 2013 at 8:56 am   by David Matthew Brown

Day 8: Moksha, “Yoga Is Your Story” 2013-08-13T08:56:05-06:00 David Matthew Brown

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Day 8 of 30 straight days of hot yoga at Moksha LA with teacher Joe.  Years ago I dated a girl named Amanda who bought me a ticket to see Wayne Dyer speaker. It would be the first time I would see him talk live in person.  Upon entering the lobby, I noticed all the merchandise, books, etc…and after wandering around for a few moments, a lady announced, “Take your seats Dr. Dyer will be speaking soon.”  At the box office some people were upset because the event was sold out, I stood and watched it all transpire, then I felt a wonderful energy stand right next me and speak to the group who was upset, it was Dr. Dyer and he said calmly, “Everyone will get in, will make room for everyone.”  The chaos, drama, all fell away, and that was that.

Tonight’s practice was like that for me.  I laid down on my mat, closed my eyes, and whispered a prayer, “Dear God bless my practice, and what ever you reveal to me, let me accept it, be with it, and not judge it. Amen.”  And then the Wayne Dyer story flooded my heart memory, “Everyone will get in.” Then like clock work, teacher Joe explained to us before we started, “As a teacher or guide, yoga is up to you, it is about you, you breathing into those places, breathing into space, and finding strength and peace. Yes can you find the strength and peace in the pose.” Yoga welcomes everyone equally, just like the breath. The breath connects us all to each other.  Judgement disconnects us from the breath. When I breath with out effort into the pose, it opens space and strength, and peace is natural, because there is no resistance to what is.  The moment I think, my breath stops and I fall. I am a not good thinker, because I am a breather who functions in being, and being is listening. Breathing and listening are active and engaging. So what I notice in my practice is the more I allow the breath to take over my practice, I enter strength and peace in the heart, and then I can express myself out. In and then out.  I find that if I begin to think, “This pose is difficult, on my God it’s hot in here, what are they doing?” I fall, now there is nothing wrong with falling when you are allowing the breath to guide you deeper, you go past what you know, the mind gets in and panic’s and you fall. Then you get up and do it again. Hopefully with a smile. Sometimes I take life way to seriously.

Babies never just get up when they are learning to walk, they find balance, fall over, and laugh at themselves.  What I noticed with the practice tonight for myself is that as our teacher Joe suggested, “Yoga is your story revealing itself, tonight is just a paragraph of it.” I like that.  It’s gentle. Everyday I show up on my mat, and open my book and read the adventure of my heart, and discover a little bit more of myself in the pose.  Sometimes it is wobbly, sometimes it is happy, sometimes it is expressing itself with a big smile, but like this life, the pose passes away, and the next pose comes up.  I find that in my practice when I allow, then “Everyone is welcome, and I make room.” Who is everyone? The noise in my mind, the aches in the body, and the breath itself.  It is all welcomed and then let go.  Each breath welcomes the pose and lets it go.  I will incorporate that in my life. The mat imitates life.  Thank you for your encouragement to continue. Love on you! Thank you Joe for the wonderful practice.  On to day 9….Honoring the heart, honoring life, as you and me….

David Matthew Brown- Naked Mystic

 

90 Days straight of Hot Yoga

spiritual

awareness

Being

Breath

Buddha

Christ

David Matthew Brown

Forgiveness

God

heart

Jesus

Joy

kindness

laugh

laughter

Love

Naked

Naked Mystic

Nature

patheos

Peace

Presence

relationships

The NAked Mystic

truth

wrestling with yourself

Previous Post



July 18, 2013

Moksha: Yoga and Yoda?

Next Post



July 19, 2013 Day 9: Moksha, "Yoga Is Divine"


Browse Our Archives

Select a Category 90 Days straight of Hot Yoga spiritual Uncategorized

Select a Month July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010




TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What is a "scroll" most similar to today?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Book Statue Table Carpet

Related posts from Wrestling With Yourself

New Visions

Last Blog...Sweet Adieu

Wrestling With Yourself

New Visions

Part 2: Wild Heart, Wild Feminine

Wrestling With Yourself

New Visions

The Joke

Wrestling With Yourself

New Visions

The Paradox of Our Age /Time - By...

Wrestling With Yourself

TRENDING AT PATHEOS New Visions

Did Prayer Cure His Cancer? Or Was It...

At 4 AM one morning, Joshua W. Brown’s wife awoke to a...

8 Ways a Near-Death Experience Rewires the Soul

Does Consciousness Survive Physical Death? After 50 Years of Research, Dr. Raymond...

Holy Longing: What Our Restlessness Is Telling Us

“One can find so many pains when the rain is falling.” -John...

The Making of a Dumbass

  What this is NOT about.  This blog is definitely not about...

Who Told You That?

Who said the Israelites were God’s chosen? That’s right, they did. Who...

The Spirit World Is the Real World: God...

A Monk’s Wisdom on Body and Spirit I sit with Brother Martin...

view all New Visions blogs

Patheos on Facebook Patheos on YouTube

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Copyright 2008-2026, Patheos. All rights reserved.

Subscription Support Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In

Follow Patheos Patheos on Facebook Patheos on YouTube