2012

Teaching my first yoga class of 2012 I was struggling to come up an inspiring theme. The only thing I could think about was “New Year’s Resolutions” as it was only January 3rd. This seemed so cliche to me.

WHERE do New Year’s resolutions come from?

Wholesome inspiration? Or unsettled issues in your life? I started to think about having my theme be “NO expectations” ...as this was one of MY unsettled issues
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When you’re doing something for the first time; you have little to no expectations. NO bar has been raised. So you tend to give it ALL you’ve got and do the VERY best you can do because you don’t know anything different. To me this is how yoga should be done ALL the time, everyday! Actually...why can’t this be done with EVERYTHING in our lives? Nonetheless, we always raise the bar and put pressure on ourselves and others to do better, go harder, and be stronger. I’m not saying this is a bad thing, just be aware of where the intention is coming from within you.

“Expectations reduce joy”

I was asked what my biggest resolution is for 2012. After thinking about it and trying to put it into words on twitter...I responded “To just enjoy everything” What I meant by this is that I tend to RAISE that bar with everything in and around me. I “Expect” certain things in life and from people and sadly I’ve found myself, more often than not, disappointed. When we anticipate things in life and they don’t reach the expectations we’ve put on them, disappointment, sadness, anger is typically the outcome, therefore leaving us unhappy with life, ourselves and others.

I do believe there ARE some expectations that are necessary. When it comes to an employee, a loved one and family...but these also go hand in hand with respect and love as well.

So today when I taught my yoga class I simply asked my students to get rid of that bar, those “expectations”. Come into class as if it was your FIRST class ever and just let your body flourish and reap what it desires
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Do NOT confuse not having expectations as NOT having goals though.

One thing I am a fan of is dreaming BIG! These are the visions that guide us to grow the way we want to. The difference between an aspiration/dream and an expectation is how we handle things when we come across something that has not had a positive outcome in our life.
Releasing ourselves from the expectation that something has to be a certain way, we may free our mind and we can understand the reasons behind why things are the way they are, work on acceptance and move towards turning them around to something more preferable.

It’s still early, so set your New Year’s resolutions, attainable goals and believe in yourself!