What is a Radiant Life?
We are blessed. We are able to consciously create our lives. We have access to all the information, inspiration and empowerment we’ll ever need. We are the greatest artists who have ever lived, and our most important canvas is our life, ourselves.
As Christopher Morley wrote “There is only one success - to be able to spend your life in your own way.” Each of us will paint radiance in a different way. That’s the beauty of our synergistic, global community. We each shine as we wish, bringing brilliance, happiness and fulfillment to all those around us. We are the ones who are uplifting our world.
May you find just the right ‘aha’ in these pages. May you live the luminous life!
We can do it: The first step to creating a Radiant life is knowing that it’s possible. From there, it’s a matter of trusting that possibility, continuing to invest in the vision we hold for ourselves, and then acting to actualize that vision. Not only can we all do that, our world condition begs us to live the life of radiant beings. As we do so, we shall inspire others.
Quotes of the Moment When we do the best we can, we never know what miracle is wrought in our life, or the life of another.” –Hellen Keller
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Posted February 15, 2012
A great children’s story I just heard from Benjamin Zander:
A little girl in second grade went through chemotherapy for leukemia. Upon returning to school she wore a scarf in an attempt to hide that she had lost her hair. Of course the other children found her weakness, pulled the scarf off and made fun of her. Mortified, she asked her mother to let her not return to school. Her mother tried to encourage her by telling her the other children would get used to her lack of hair, and that it would grow back soon.
The next morning, when their teacher walked in to class, many of the children were still whispering to each other about the girl’s lack of hair, so she sank into her seat amongst the others trying to hide. “Good morning children.” The teacher smiled warmly, like usual, and then removed her coat and scarf revealing that her head was completely shaved.
Soon a rash of children begged their parents to let them cut off their hair. When a newly shorn child came to class, all the children giggled with excitement. It became a game.
Posted February 7, 2012
Oooh, a little controversy in the yoga world – I love it. Here’s the short version of the situation, and you can trace it back as far as you like if you want more:
There has been in increasing trend in the yoga world, or in parts of it, toward using sex appeal as marketing. Or, at the least we can say that there is a contingency of folks who feel this way. Then, recently a video advertisement got a lot of play and commentary.
Here is a link to the video.
Now, the latest I’ve seen about this is from a blog called Body Divine Yoga, where one of the thoughts expressed is that the marketer’s use of sex and perfect body misleads and probably creates suffering for folks who think that yoga is about getting a perfect body. Or that yoga will lead to a perfect body.
There’s a lot of great thought and discussion there. I’m taking it somewhere else, though, without entering into that debate, though it would be interesting. My interest in this info train is in exploring the question of just what is yoga and its relationship to the body. What does body have to do with yoga?
Again, there’s a lot that can be said about this, though in response to what Body Divine has to say, I suggest we consider this: while yoga may or may not lead to a ‘perfect body’ (whatever that is), one of the definitions of yoga that I love (thanks Bhagadva Gita) is ‘skill in action.’ And personally, I think of yoga as being a fantastic tool toward self-realization or human potential.
Skill in what? That’s up to each to choose for themselves of course. I would suggest, though, that the ultimate possibility for self-realization is that we each develop our potential in both a holistic way and in a complete way. So while I agree that the point of yoga is certainly not to make the body look a certain way, to perfect it… And body ‘perfection’ depends on many factors including genetics, diet, exercise… and most of all our own internal image of ourselves… I do suggest – for our yogic consideration – that evolving to our full potential, in any and perhaps all aspects of ourselves is exactly in line with yoga.
Perfectionism is a whole topic unto itself (more on that in a previous blog post) Like the great paradoxes of life and yoga, it’s both impossible and worth moving toward. Personally I’m far from perfect in every area of my life, including my physical body, yet I love the game of playing toward that illusory and impossible goal.
As long as we remember it’s all just a game, we can enjoy the play. My two cents on this fun debate. Yours?
Posted January 16, 2012
This question/comment came in from one of our yoga teacher trainees today. It’s a great one. One with which many of us can identify. Below are a couple thoughts from me on it.
“So I was having dinner today with a policeman today who was trying to justify to me why he would shoot peaceful protesters in Egypt, and all I can think of is how I can kick him, I got up from the table and went home… I promise I was trying to practice yoga but how do you do that with all the hate? How can a human being justify killing another?”
The first thing for any of to see in this situation is how we are like that policeman. As the ancient Chinese saying goes “seek more to understand rather than be understood.” We may not agree with his strategy, yet underneath he is looking for the same thing as us – peace.
And while it’s cliché in the new age world now, it is nonetheless true and potent: that whenever we are judging another, it points to an opportunity to see ourselves. We all do this sometimes. In that wanting to kick him (understandable), you were, in that moment, engaged in war, againstness – the very same thing that angered you in him.
Don’t beat yourself up for that either (another form of that same againstness), yet by seeing that energetic operating in you, you can instantly understand and feel him better, and from that place have a better chance of being able to share something with him that is helpful.
As Mother Teresa said “I was once asked why I don’t participate in anti-war demonstrations. I said that I will never do that, but as soon as you have a pro-peace rally, I’ll be there.”
Indeed it’s the toughest yoga to practice: how do we create love when part of us reacts in hate? Like all yoga, it’s a practice. What could you love about that Policeman? Start with that. Understanding trumps.
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