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Required Reading #1: Michael Stone – Awake In The World

Awake In The World

February 24, 2015 By Monica Stone 1 Comment

My book collection is saturated around the topics of yoga, health, and spiritual living. Most of these books have the same foundations leading the path towards inner peace. Regardless, I can’t stop buying them up and learning from each author’s unique perspective. I get so busy though that the books either sit there, or I start it and never finish.

Please tell me I’m not alone! Good. I think I have a solution that could work for both of us…

Enter Yogi Movement Required Reading! 

I started this monthly review series to share my favorite inspiring books, but also to encourage us to stay on track with our reading. I’m going to share my first one with you now: Awake In The World by Michael Stone….


 

There are a few books that I keep in close reach. Awake In The World by Michael Stone is one of them. 

Full of inspiring essays and talks, Michael Stone shares his experiences about living the yoga and buddhist path in this high-stress-fast-paced world. 

He focuses on how to apply the practice of yoga correctly.

Correctly apply yoga? Is there an incorrect way?

Actually, yeah. There is.

If you have expectations surrounding the practice of yoga, it can actually lead to more suffering. When I started practicing yoga, I thought that the mind was going to become more and more serene. I thought meditation would become easier, and that suffering would become less and less. Was I wrong! 

What actually happened as I practiced:

As my mind became silent, I became more and more aware of my negative habitual behaviors and thought patterns. I became more aware of the behaviors of the people around me. I was feeling awful about my actions, and becoming angry at the actions of others. 

Yoga is not supposed to make things better by leading you to this unimaginable or magnificent place of enlightenment, but supposed to make you more accepting and tolerant of the here and now. I had to change my misconceptions of yoga. 

So, how do you apply yoga correctly? Michael Stone says it best here:

We should not be concerned in yoga with some ultimate reality. We should be concerned with the way things happen in each and every moment. Within this awareness, we can open to a vivid and still calm at the root of all experience. 

What that means to me is that we need to accept the good with the bad, the love with the fear, the laughter with the anger, and all of the opposites that surround us. Everything goes up just as quickly as it comes down. These actions are inevitable in life. We need to cultivate the patience and understanding that all moments are impermanent, and we need to let them float by with whatever we’re feeling during the time. When we can let go of expectations, and learn to be less reactive – only then can be more peaceful beings. 

That is yoga!

That’s what this book is all about!

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The stories are full of day-to-day life happenings with nuggets of information on how to use yoga and buddhism to live a peaceful day-to-day life. 

In addition to yoga and meditation, I need to have these kinds of books in my life that I can turn to for inner peace and inspiration. Whenever I’m feeling stressed before bed, I love to pick up this book and just open it up and read one of his essays. It grounds me, and calms my mind right away. 

 Michael Stone is a buddhist, a yoga practitioner, and a therapist out of Toronto. 

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Want to read this book? You can find Awake in the World here 

See more reading suggestions here 

What are some of your go-to-inspiration books? Tell me in the comments!

Filed Under: Spiritual Book Club

Monica Stone

About Monica Stone

Monica is a lover of all things yoga, a vegetarian, an avid tea drinker, and never gets sick of soup and noodle dishes. She teaches yoga, practices daily, and runs a Spiritual Book Club in Orlando, FL. She likes to challenge the strict rules of yoga, and makes it accessible for everyone - especially people who suffer from daily life and work stress.

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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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Testimonials

  • 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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