Lately when caught up in a mindset of “my life is so hard,” I recall Judith Lasater’s parable in the chapter on Perspective her book Living Your Yoga. She tells the story of a villager who lived in a small house with his wife, mother in law, six children, a cow and some chickens. This was driving him crazy (I imagine his wife wasn’t thrilled about it, either).

So he went to the village rabbi, asking for advice, and the rabbi said, “Buy a goat.” The man immediately bought a goat, and the house was even more chaotic than before. The man went back to the rabbi who said, “Sell the goat.” The man’s house was then positively peaceful without the goat.

Lasater’s conclusion regarding this parable: “When you find yourself in a situation that could be made better if you were to step back to gain perspective, inhale gently and on your next exhalation, say to yourself, Sell the goat.” Life is pretty darn good as it is, right here and now, today. As Voltaire said, “The most important decision you make is to be in a good mood.”

By Karen Erstad

As part of this special class that kicked-off the Bootcamp, we had a not-quite-two-hour-long asana practice, which was great because lengthier practices give yogis a chance enjoy long holds, perhaps experiencing some breakthroughs in the process, and then we also had time to really wind down before savasana. In preparing for this special class, I ran across one of my favorite excerpts from 40 Days to Personal Revolution.

It’s in the chapter where Baptiste explains the fifth of his 12 Laws of Transformation, which is “Shift Your Vision.” This is about looking at usual things with fresh eyes, says Baptiste. “As we start to spiritually awaken, our new vision allows us to see that most of our obstacles are created within our own hearts. Our greatest power to change ourselves is found in our ability to see beyond the veil, to see with an enlightened vision.”

Shifting your vision, continues Baptiste, calls for attention, intention and faith. “Attention is mental focus, and attention begets energy. Whatever you give your positive or negative attention to, you will energize, for better or for worse.” Be aware of where you’re attention goes, and know you can choose where it goes — even if you think you can’t.

“Intention has tremendous power, because when you hold an awareness of what you need to do in the back of your mind, you direct your energy and the energy of the universe in that direction,” says Baptiste. “Right intention leads us to the realm of flow, or what the Indians call vinyasa. When we find the pureness of our intentions, we unleash a force that has the miraculous and infinite ability to rally circumstances, energy, situations, synchronicity and serendipity all on our behalf.”

This is one of the reasons we focus on intention with our asana practice: is your intention to expand your awareness or to expand your biceps? One intention can lead to a flowering of consciousness and greater enjoyment of life, while the other could lead to tendonitis.

Lastly, to shift your vision calls for faith. Says Baptiste, “It’s important we develop a heart of faith and use it as a great tool to shift from seeing with our literal eyes to seeing with our spiritual ones.”

So, grab some water, a towel, and enjoy!

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When practicing pratyahara, you go from energy-draining distraction to energy-building direction, turning a focused mind inward so that you can begin to plumb the depths of your soul. In this process, you connect to your truth and to your true self. Ideally, this helps you live more from your intuition, listening to the promptings of your own heart. Pratyahara is the moment in yoga when you decide to let answers and joy come from the divine wellspring within rather than looking outside yourself for happiness and fulfillment.

Writes Rolf Gates in Meditations from the Mat: “At the heart of pratyahara is the notion that we are already there. We are already in heaven, and heaven exists in us, right now. We must simply stop reinforcing the fear that this is not so.”

Thus, in practicing pratyahara, we begin to acknowledge the true gift we have to offer is not neatly wrapped in ribbons, but rather comes from sharing the divine light already within, which gives everyone else in your world permission to shine brightly, as well.

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In continuing to explore the eight-limb path of yoga, we move next to pranayama, or mindful breathing. According to the Yoga Sutras, “Pranayama is the regulation of the incoming and outgoing flow of breath with retention.”

Ujjayi pranayama is a foundational breathing practice in yoga, and it involves inhaling and exhaling through your nose, directing your breathe across the back of your throat, so you sound a little bit like Darth Vader, especially on the exhale.

Understanding pranayama helps one to experience it, and that is really quite something. What yogis eventually discover is how wonderful it feels to breath deeply and mindfully. Many of us, before we develop a regular yoga practice, have heard that taking a few deep breathes can help you calm down. Then you start to take these deep, cleansing breathes for a whole yoga practice, and the level of calm and peace deepens to new levels.

In his book Meditations from the Mat, Rolf Gates explains how pranayama goes beyond simply a process of inhaling oxygen and exhaling carbon dioxide. He writes:

“It is said that the breath is the bridge between the body and the spirit. Pranayama is a practice that we experience both physically and spiritually. The moment we close our eyes and bring our attention to our breath, distinct, positive physiological effects commence. Our heart rate slows, cardiopulmonary stress is decreased, there is a decrease in metabolic activity, blood sugar and lactate levels, muscle tension and skin conductivity. The sum total of these positive changes is an increased sense of well-being, a sense of coming home. This shift on the emotional level is accompanied by a shift in attention. We are aware that the concerns that held us so tightly just a moment before have receded. We sense a powerful presence some call stillness. Experience for yourself the peace of a mindful breath, enter into that stillness, and you will have a glimpse of the grandeur of the universe.”

Inner Fire Flow 60 minutes – teacher Marit Sathrum

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While practicing at Inner Fire Yoga, I love discovering new parts of myself, and the calmness it brings me. Yoga has helped me grow in so many ways, especially in finding acceptance with myself and the world around me. The comforting and detoxifying effects of the heated rooms are divine and I truly love the community at Inner Fire. My knee is healing, too, which is a big bonus!

One more thing, I recently enrolled in Inner Fire Yoga’s teacher training program. The program is going great. I love hearing my fellow trainees’ stories and am getting more and more excited to share what I’m learning. I find comfort in knowing that as a yoga teacher, I’m free to grow along with my students. See you in class or at the front desk!

I am a currently an undergrad at UW-Madison, originally from California’s bay area. I am a marketing major so I love all things advertising and social media, and I tend to have my head buried in a computer the majority of the day. I consider myself a “foodie” and I love to try new dishes and cook. I’m going on my first European vacation this summer and plan on doing my fair share of eating, so if you have suggestions as to where the best gelato, crepes, and fettuccini are, please come find me at the studio! I love a good chat with a fellow yogi!