By Deborah Bernstein
What is yoga?
1. Asking more questions than the number of stories you tell
2. Taking the path of least resistance when it serves you best
3. Noticing what you are thinking about right now
4. Noticing what you are feeling in your body, right now
5. Noticing your intentions; the conscious and unconscious intentions
6. Being aware of the unintended consequences of your actions - and taking them into consideration
7. Choosing silence over disingenuousness
8. Staying in child's pose (balasana) for ten minutes in the middle of a power yoga class
9. Centering yourself in a posture that is comfortable for you at the beginning of a yoga class
10. Noticing when you are stressed; noticing how your body behaves when you are stressed (clenched jaw, hunched shoulders, pursed lips)
11. Not needing to correct other people every time they misspeak
12. Practicing postures that feel good
13. Recognizing that you do not have the answers to everything, but someone does. Seek out people with answers to interesting questions
14. Realizing when you are thinking and behaving in self absorbed way
15. Allowing others to express their own beliefs without needing to interject your own
16. Practicing postures that strengthen your body
17. Practicing postures that improve your balance
18. Becoming aware of what you experience in your body, mind and breath with each yoga posture
19. Being aware your motivations each time you act and talk
20. Realizing that you your world revolves around you and that everyone else's revolves around someone else's....theirs
21. Letting go of the stories about yourself that "define" you
22. Being aware that whatever you are experiencing at this moment is nothing more or less than what you are experiencing at this moment
23. Knowing that this too, shall pass
24. Substituting, "I do yoga" with "I live yoga"
25. Talking 10 deep breaths a day....so deep that they move your belly
26. Asana without using any mats, blocks, blankets or other props -and honoring your body completely by staying in front of your edge (staying only within a safe range of motion for your body)
27. A practice with one asana, savasana
28. Letting what you do on your yoga mat be an extension of your yoga, rather than a start and end point for your practice
29. Asana in bed
30. Adopting a mantra
31. Allowing "dead air time" in your brain
32. Giving away a book that you covet and haven't read in years
33. Practicing asana in a less than ideal setting, and letting go of the annoyances
34. Letting go of attachment to your yoga mat, spot in the yoga studio, favorite yoga teacher, yoga music.....
35. Being truthful and speaking hurtful truth only when necessary
36. Embracing the transition to death
37. Smiling as you are falling asleep, crying as you are falling asleep
38. Taking a long, silent exhale instead of snapping back with sarcasm
39. Showing up on time when someone is waiting for you
40. Listening more than you speak; try it for one day
41. Giving all of your attention to whomever you are speaking with on the phone (no multi tasking with texting/twittering/watching tv, etc)
42. Tools to help you navigate life
43. Touching the earth with both hands as a reminder that you are connected to something greater than yourself and that you are grounded
44. Allowing loved ones to find happiness on their terms, without remarks
45. Allowing loved ones to make mistakes
46. Noticing when you are holding your breath
47. The inner knowledge that you are OK in this moment
48. Understanding that the only thing we ever really "have" is this moment
49. Accepting that there is not a "right" way to be in a posture, only a "safe" way for your body
50. Noticing your ugly thoughts
51. Allowing yourself an unlimited supply of "start-overs"
52. Sun salutations
53. Meditation
54. Exploring sources of nourishment that serve your physical and emotional selves
55. A set of tools to energize you
56. A set of tools to relax you
57. A set of tools to lead an ethical life
58. Accepting uncertainty
59. Framing change as a constant
60. Allowing yourself to contemplate that whatever is on the other side of life might be ok
61. A compliment to religion
62. Seeing the nastiness and the serenity in a raw, rainy November day
63. That inner knowing that somehow you will be ok again
64. Asking for help when you need it
65. Non-judgment of others who eat, pray, process and look differently from you
66. Letting non-essential tasks wait until tomorrow, sometimes
67. Noticing what you are proud of, and why
68. Starting over (again)
69. Letting it be OK to disappoint people when it means doing what is right for you
70. Feeling the full emotions of grief, sorrow, delight, contentment, etc.
71. Knowing that the grief, sorrow, delight, contentment, etc. will pass
72. Leaning into fear, instead of pushing it away
73. Reading the book or magazine you feel like reading instead of the one that you ought to read
74. Eliminating the word "should" from your vocabulary
75. Saying sorry, only when it is sincere
76. Asking the universe (God) for help
77. Knowing when to jump into "solution mode" and when to just listen when someone else is struggling
78. Recognizing the difference between constructive self-exploration and narcissism
79. Noticing and letting go of your entrenched patterns of rumination and behavior
80. Letting go of the wasted energy consumed by regret and guilt
81. Caring about loved ones without feeling responsible for their happiness
82. Knowing the difference between being at your "edge" and behaving recklessly
83. Trying out a new asana because it looks like it might feel great
84. Wobbling in vrikasana (tree pose) without reciting the story of "I'm so off balance today"
85. Giving praise anytime it is appropriate
86. Seeing everyone as human...full of flaws, fears, wisdom, fun, love, wisdom....
87. Trying to forgive
88. Letting peace come to you rather than seeking it out
89. Legs on the wall pose (viparita karani)
90. Cutting emotional "cords", both the pleasant and unpleasant, so that you are not weighed down with other people's energy
91. Giving to others, both when your life is plentiful and depleted
92. Giving from the heart and not the ego
93. Taking a 5 minute timeout....right now
94. Learning something new to nourish your soul rather than your credentials
95. Recognizing that your yoga teacher is human and not to be treated any differently than other person
96. Not needing to perfect any asana....just to experience each asana
97. Starting over, and starting where you are rather than where you think you should be
98. Remembering that you can only resolve your own demons
99. Embracing all of yourself, but letting go of the patterns and the stories that no longer serve you
100. Five minutes a day of stillness, while you are awake
101. Allowing yourself to JUST BE
Deborah Bernstein is a yoga teacher, owner of Florian Villa Yoga Retreats on St. John, and former corporate finance director of a Fortune 500 company. A portion of all proceeds from Deborah's yoga retreat business supports families of fallen firefighters and disabled veterans. http://www.florianvilla.com/ and http://florianyoga.blogspot.com/
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