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Guest Post: Dealing with Emotions in a Yoga Practice by Jeff Welch

December 21, 2013 By Jeff Welch 3 Comments

Guest Post by Jeff Welch:

I’ve been on these roller coaster rides of emotion lately. Right now I feel so happy and grateful. Two hours ago I was kinda depressed and frustrated. A few hours before that I was indifferent. What’s going on with me?

“Oh right – it’s called being a human.”

These ups and downs are part of my experience – all of it is correct, appropriate, and perfect for this moment in my life. I’ve been doing a lot of work in my yoga practice lately, and perhaps this has been bringing more emotion to the surface of my attention (some of it buried really deep).

Sometimes, when people talk to me about yoga practice, I get the impression some think it’s all flowers and good vibrations. While it certainly has those amazing elements (and I’ve experienced plenty), that’s a myopic view of a true practice. Sometimes it makes you face some hard shit that you really don’t want to deal with – physically and mentally tormenting postures, leading to exhaustion, frustration, annoyance, loneliness, anger, mistrust, etc. etc. etc. I have had many a practice where I feel wrecked on all these levels.

But – Yoga is supposed to do this. At the 10,000 foot level, it is meant to be a pathway to lift you out of samsara, out of the illusion that all these roller coaster rides you experience are Who You Truly Are. The “mental fluctuations” arise to your consciousness and, via your practice, you are offered a safe and loving platform to observe them – not judge them, not run away with them, not berate yourself or others over them, but simply to see them, understand them objectively, and then let them go.

THAT is the growth – watching these fluctuations in life and not absorbing them into your thoughts, your perspective, your soul. You get an opportunity to practice that during asana, and doing this over and over, it becomes second nature – something you can take to the outside world. Over a long period of time, doing this completely changes your perspective, which changes the vibrations you energetically send, which changes the reflections to those vibrations that the Universe delivers. . . .

Which changes your experience of this life

Which changes your perspective

which changes the vibrations

which changes the reflections

on and on. . .

Going deeper, this extends to pleasure as well. Just like pain, pleasure is fleeting, but harder to give up because it feels so good! We humans run after pleasure, but run away from pain. It feels natural to do this because we are wired that way – it’s easy to observe that many sentient beings are wired this way. It all changes – nothing stays the same. But humans are given the gift of discernment – we don’t HAVE to be jerked around by the ever-changing thoughts and emotions, we have a way out.

None of this is bad or good

 

You are neither a “bad” person or a “good” person for being caught up in emotion. You are a human, having a human experience. Just know that you have a choice, every moment of every day for the rest of your life – a choice in how you will respond to this stimuli from the environment you find yourself. Just be conscious – be aware of the choice, choose with your full attention, and be with the outcome. If you are with it each step of the way, the illusion fades. Slowly, it is NOT immediate! After 25 years of practice, maybe you have a single, brief moment of peace, or maybe you have none. Maybe you are fully realized right now and none of this applies to you any longer!

But Yoga is not the leg behind the head, not the person who can do handstand, not doing a kick-your-asana workout for the body. All that is great and fun, and I take pleasure in those activities too! But by itself, it is not Yoga.

 

Yoga is facing your Self. Seeing It for All It Is – the ugly, the beautiful, the ever Present

 

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Filed Under: Guest Posts Tagged With: Patanjali, Practice Notes, yoga

Jeff Welch

About Jeff Welch

Jeff first stepped into a yoga class at the YMCA in 2002 as a supplement to a rigorous workout routine involving weight training and cardio. Eventually, what became a passing interest developed into a complete lifestyle change that resulted not only in increased physical strength, agility and flexibility, but also diet, confidence an overall awareness of the world around him. Since then, he has been practicing regularly and has traveled all over the world (including India) to study with many different teachers. The list includes Prem & Radha Carlisi, Petri Raisanen, David Swenson (from whom he took teacher training), David Williams, Nancy Gilgoff, Paul Dallaghan, Casey Palmer, Tim Fledmann, Kino MacGregor, Lewis Rothlein, Krista Shirley, Kamal Singh, Karen Stillwell, and many others. Jeff's goal when teaching is to provide space, compassion and love for students to develop their own relationship with themselves and the world around them via the tools of breath, consciousness and connection, regardless of ability or disability.

« Guest Post: Confronting The Anger Demon by Kelli Hastings
Starting A Meditation Practice: Beginner Tips for Quieting The Mind »

Hi! I’m Monica

Monica StoneWell hello there! I'm Monica. I'm a yoga & meditation teacher (and junkie). I teach yoga practices that are quick and effective for the busy person who just needs a few minutes of quiet time in their day. Click around and you'll find quick meditation tips for calming the mind to simple stretches to relieve stress and tension. If you are sick of being intimidated by yoga or just confused by all of the different styles out there - then this page is for you. Yoga helps me daily & I know it will help you too! I'll show you how! Welcome to The Yogi Movement :)

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  • Jaime ShearerJaime ShearerYoga Student Since 2012

    Monica is dedicated to her own practice and the true path of yoga - the one of personal experience - which makes her an outstanding teacher. She is warm and easy to talk with, and she allows the student to have their own experience on the mat. She explains postures and breath in ways that are understandable so that the student "gets it." She makes yoga real and tangible in ways that truly serve the student. Work with Monica. You'll be glad you did.

  • Jacob AbercrombieJacob AbercrombieYoga Student Since 2011

    have always wanted to try yoga, but was always nervous. Monica took that fear away and made me feel like i was the only one in class with a room full of strangers. She is able to work with multiple students during the same move and still make it a personalized class for one.

  • Serena JonesSerena JonesYoga Student Since 2010

    Monica has been a highly influential teacher to me. She creates a safe environment for learning and practice. I have always felt grounded in her classes, and she pushes me beyond my own expectations. She inspires and motivates! I can't imagine my life without sharing a path with her!

  • Angela OrofinoAngela OrofinoYoga Student Since 2011

    Monica is a caring, wise, thoughtful, and talented yoga instructor. She has an in-depth knowledge of the philosophy and spirituality of Ashtanga yoga. My previous yoga experience had mostly just been at my local gym. Luckily, last year I found Monica. She has been guiding my practice at least once a week since then. As a newcomer to Ashtanga yoga, Monica made me feel comfortable and had the patience to teach me the basics. She also encouraged me to start an at home practice so that I was able to obtain a deeper understanding of Ashtanga. Monica is always encouraging and lets me know in subtle ways when she feels that I am ready to move deeper into my practice. I feel that the growth in my practice over the last year has been tremendous. Not only do I notice the change in me but others around me do as well. I am so grateful to have found Monica!

  • Sasha TamarSasha TamarYoga Student Since 2012

    I’ve come across many a yoga instructor over the years, but Monica stands out as genuinely amiable, as she glows with an infectious inner light, and highly devoted to and passionate about her practice. Her dedication to Ashtanga as a lifestyle is very clear, and creates for a contagious motivating force. Every time I’ve practiced with her, she eagerly transmits her devotion and passion of Ashtanga and meditation to everyone in class; she makes the most fledgling beginner feel at home, and simultaneously challenges the more advanced students. While I only practice Ashtanga with her, I know she provides therapeutic yoga sessions as well as meditation. And, if her methods of guiding students out of the Ashtanga vigor into the more meditative savasana are indicative of her meditational techniques, I’d recommend her to anyone

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