There is nothing like that vast oceanic horizon to inspire fear and awe. The thought of surfing can seem mad, given the ocean's vastness and profound power and our relative vulnerability. While I have never set foot on a surfboard (I would!), I turn again and again to surfing as a metaphor for riding my own "growing edge", and to stepping into the ocean as a metaphor for moving with joy, awe, and surrender into the unknown day by day. This picture was taken in December 2012 on Cumberland Island, off the southern coast of Georgia.
Quotations! Or "quotes", as I think of them...I love them. I eat them like food, drink them like water, breathe them like air. Always have.
Here's a good one a friend posted this morning on ye olde Book o' Faces. It comes from Patanjali, who was the first person to write down the teachings of yoga. The practice of yoga is very much about continually seeking one's "growing edge" - the furthest limit of your comfort zone, where you stand to gain the most from growing and moving forward into the unknown. Even as a physical practice, yoga asks that we ride our growing edge like a surfboard, not doing more than we are ready for, but doing more than we thought we could...stretching one-half inch deeper in downward dog, keeping up the breath of fire for fiteen seconds longer in cat/cow pose, expanding our lungs wider than the last breath in child's pose. In this sense, "success" has no final destination. Rather, it is to be found in our noble effort to ride our "growing edge" right here, in this present moment. It is a gentle yet brave philosophy, and for me, this physical practice has very much spilled over into my emotional, psychological, creative, and even professional life. In yoga, growth is pursued from a place of joy, surrender, and deep presence. I feel that's a wonderful orientation to bring to every aspect of life.
Here's that 'quote':
"When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all
your thoughts break their bonds; your mind transcends limitations, your
consciousness expands in every direction, and you will find yourself in a new,
great and wonderful world.
Dormant forces, faculties and talents become
alive, and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever
dreamed yourself to be."
~Patanjali
May you, too, be inspired.
XOXO
Here's a good one a friend posted this morning on ye olde Book o' Faces. It comes from Patanjali, who was the first person to write down the teachings of yoga. The practice of yoga is very much about continually seeking one's "growing edge" - the furthest limit of your comfort zone, where you stand to gain the most from growing and moving forward into the unknown. Even as a physical practice, yoga asks that we ride our growing edge like a surfboard, not doing more than we are ready for, but doing more than we thought we could...stretching one-half inch deeper in downward dog, keeping up the breath of fire for fiteen seconds longer in cat/cow pose, expanding our lungs wider than the last breath in child's pose. In this sense, "success" has no final destination. Rather, it is to be found in our noble effort to ride our "growing edge" right here, in this present moment. It is a gentle yet brave philosophy, and for me, this physical practice has very much spilled over into my emotional, psychological, creative, and even professional life. In yoga, growth is pursued from a place of joy, surrender, and deep presence. I feel that's a wonderful orientation to bring to every aspect of life.
Here's that 'quote':
"When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all
your thoughts break their bonds; your mind transcends limitations, your
consciousness expands in every direction, and you will find yourself in a new,
great and wonderful world.
Dormant forces, faculties and talents become
alive, and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever
dreamed yourself to be."
~Patanjali
May you, too, be inspired.
XOXO