Blissology

The Wisdom of the Heart:

By blissologist

This is it! If there is one reason why we do yoga it is to uncover a place inside of us that feels bright and radiant, peaceful and still and is the source of kindness, connection and the clarity that love is what really matters. It is the Mystical Experience of Unity Consciousness.  When we speak about the “wisdom of the heart” it is this place we are speaking about.

The ego, our competitive drive, self-centered thinking, fear of being weak and vulnerable covers this place up, as does a cultural amnesia.

Many attempts have been made to describe this place inside through religion or science. Is it a neurophysiological event only as science says or are we having an experience of the Divine force external to our own self as Religion suggests? Blissology is a mystical path and even though we can explore scientific or religious/ spiritual explanations, we don’t really know what it is.  We know the FEELING we experience it is powerful and real. We accept not knowing its source for its immense beauty. As the mystic Bob Marley says, “who feels it knows it.”

When we aren’t in touch with it physically in our yoga practice, we become very driven and loose touch with what our body is really asking for.  We push past unpleasant sensations in order to strive for being better than someone else and to make it to the top of an imaginary pyramid.  In the end, when yoga is practiced from the driven part of ourselves, we only end up hurting our bodies, and experiencing unhappiness.  Our bodies feel rigid as if the skin, muscles, breath and organs all act as an agent of separation from others and life energy as a result. Our ego really tightens us physiologically.

We still need an ego otherwise we would never show up on a yoga mat. Striving to be a better person in all ways is good as long as the force of love and kindness is our guide as to how far we can push it.  This is the essence of sustainability. Love, wisdom and sustainability all spring from this place inside us of deep connection.

Blissology Yoga is a practice where we tune into this place and let it guide every movement. Where we allow the experience of love to pulsate trough us and guide every action in our yoga practice.

Whereas religions speak to what God is and what happens when you die, we say, “I don’t know.”  It is one big mystery, but what is certain is right here on earth nothing feels better than a body and mind that is connected to this deep love.

Once we can learn it in our own yoga practice, we can bring this same wise guide into our personal relationships, our communities, our work-life and towards how we interact with Nature.

The heart, wisdom and sustainability are all connected. Let’s stay open to this Wise Guide Inside.

Posted On: April 25, 2013 | 1 Comment »

Earth Day: Want to be happier? Get more Nature in your life.

By blissologist

In today’s increasingly busy, digital and material culture, we are lacking in “Vitamin N” – Nature.  This is unfortunate because even though I love teaching and practicing yoga, I believe it is only the second best thing you can do for your health.

My number one tip for health and happiness is to have an intimate relationship with nature.  It opens us up our appreciation of the beautiful, an attitude of awe and gratitude.  These states of mind need to be seen to be as even more important as a focus on diet, strength and flexibility that most people normally think of for maximum health.

I could not teach with as much passion and inspiration as I do without my connection to Nature. It’s my time on the water with Dolphins and Whales or alone on vast stretches of beaches that give me my super powers. I tune into something and let it come through me. Whenever people give me a compliment for the Blissology Yoga classes I teach I always tell them that it is like a radio taking credit for the music that comes through it. The real source is the beauty of Nature.  When I get too busy to take time to have the experiences in nature, I lose these super powers.  This Earth Day let’s all unplug daily from our digital world for a small period of time, get quiet and simply enjoy your breath as a gift of Nature and really tune into what the birds are saying.  Stay plugged into to this source! Thank you, Nature!

Posted On: April 22, 2013 | No Comments »

#whatyogataughtme Nature

By blissologist

#WhatYogaTaughtMe:

Number 4 of 5

“The best thing we can do for our health is to have an intimate relationship with Nature.”

Yoga slows us down. We become more aware of the world around us than we are when we are busy. Even though a lot of people think the health benefit is the fitness, the flexibility or stress reduction, the real gift to me is that it puts me in a state of mind where I want to stop and look up at the beauty of the clouds or the light of the stars, even in the middle of massive cities. When we do this, we are open to awe and wonder. We feel intimately that we are a part of something inconceivably huge and not apart from it. Blissology Yoga is about increasing the amount of time we spend every day cultivating this relationship with Nature. It quadruples the effects of yoga. Nothing makes us healthier.

Posted On: March 12, 2013 | No Comments »

#whatyogataughtme Don’t dwell, just gel

By blissologist

#whatyogataughtme

# 3 of 5) Don’t dwell, just Gel

I’ve been saying this since I was 16, but I didn’t really master embodying it until after years of yoga.

Happiness and ease are available to us most of the time, but tension blinds us to it. We are easily caught up in past issues that happened to us or worries about the future called stress. Our mind dwells on the same 5 or 6 issues all the time. So much of the stiffness we feel is due to these thoughts. They don’t just occur in our mind but they are in our bodies too. The issues are in our tissues. Even when we tell ourselves to “just let them go,” it is much easier said than done. It is impossible to stop ourselves from dwelling on them. The great thing is because they are in the body, if we can learn how to twist and stretch and move and breath like we do in yoga, they move through us. Our body state of joy affects our mind. After about minute number three of a yoga practice, there is a voice inside our heads that says,”I used to be stressed about something today, but I can’t quite remember what it was…” We move from a dwelling state to gelling with the flow of life.

Posted On: February 27, 2013 | No Comments »

relaxation is power

By blissologist

#whatyogataught me. Here is number 2 of 5

#2 Relaxation is power,

Relaxation is power, whereas tension limits our power.  What makes someone a master of anything?  Skateboarding, sinking a free throw, martial arts, public speaking or solving problems.  While training in martial arts, I learned that by forcing too much, my mind and my muscles actually generated less power.  If I was too tense and tried too hard during a punch the punching bag would barely move.  If I relaxed in the moment and used my breath, the impact of the punch increased dramatically.  Yoga is the art of learning to use our mind and body to maximize relaxation during challenging times. This is incredible for the mind. When I work with high-level athletes and Olympians who are in high pressure situations, I tell them to breathe and soften areas where their bodies are tense, When the body relaxes the mind follows. This skill can be applied to anything we do to increase the impact of what we do.

Posted On: February 21, 2013 | 2 Comments »